Steam Machine Review in Progress: So Many Questions for Such a Little Box - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Can Valve make a game console? Oh yes, it can, but it's an imperfect mix at the moment. Still, there are parts that impress. Valve’s Steam Machine is small. And I love the optional wood grain front panel. The first thing that hit me after unboxing Valve’s Steam Machine at home was: wow, this is small. I'd already seen this thing in person last November, but its size still impressed me. The Steam Machine is smaller than a PlayStation 5. It’s smaller than an Xbox. It’s a cube you could put next to your TV easily, or carry in a box on a vacation with friends, which is what I did. It’s shockingly portable. But dense. And you do still need a power outlet and TV or monitor to plug into. This isn’t a Steam Deck. The Steam Machine is Valve’s return to trying to make a PC game console — and it’s arriving at a terrible time. Electronics prices for computer components such as RAM and SSD storage are going th