Recently, Valve announced a new home console. It’s sort of like a PC, but also not like a PC. The Steam Machine is a PC that can sit in your living room under your TV.
I’ve owned an Xbox Series X for about 4 years and love it. With an Xbox, also comes Game Pass, which has given me a broader selection of games than I probably would’ve played otherwise. I think it’s a great service, and for me, it’s always been well worth the money. And that was before I figured out I could get it free with my phone contract.
Microsoft’s long term strategy for the Xbox and Game Pass seemed to be working, and providing an opporunity for Xbox Games Studios’ own developers to make some truly weird and interesting stuff. Just from memory, there’s been a game that looks like a medieval manuscript about the Protestant Reformation, a first person Indiana Jones game that isn’t about shooting guns, and a psychadelic walking simulator were you play as a lighthouse with legs. They haven’t all been bangers though. Microsoft gathered this portfolilo by spending so much money the UK Government got involved.
But even Microsoft’s unlimited money isn’t really that unlimited. Now that they need/want the Xbox and Game Pass to be profitable, they’ve started cancelling games, laying off developers, and even closing whole studios. There were some really promising things in the pipeline, like the Perfect Dark sequel, Rare’s Everwild, whatever John Ramero was working on, and something new from the team behind Just Cause.
I bought an Xbox Series X off the back of Microsoft’s planned games, so it was dissapointing to see each of these cancellations. The console wars are bullshit, but I spent my time and money on a device and a platform that I thought would follow through on those plans. If Microsoft isn’t going to let their teams cook, then what’s the point of the supposed financial security that being part of Microsoft gives them?
Unforseen consequences
When I think back to the 4 years of owning an Xbox Series X, and the years before that with a PlayStation 4, the highlights of gaming for me have nearly all been indie games. Outer Wilds easily became one of my all time favourites, Chants of Sennar broke my brain (in the best way), and I found it difficult to stop playing Hades over anything else.
While these games come to other platforms, they always arrive on PC first. For me, there are two barriers to becoming a PC gamer:
- I spend all day at my desk. I don’t like finishing work for the day and relaxing where I’ve just finished work.
- I want a machine that I know will play the games I like. I don’t want to spend time thinking about drivers, graphics cards, CPUs, etc.
I know the Steam Deck exists, but I already have a Switch that fulfills that need. What I want, is a home console with the selection of a PC. With the Steam Machine, Valve just removed my two obstacles to this dream console. If they can deliver something within a reasonable price range, that plays most of the Steam catalogue, then I guess I’ll be a PC gamer. Is it even still a PC if it works like a console and sits under your TV?
Microsoft have been trying to blur the lines for years, but Valve have may have gotten there first.
Honourable mentions
- 🎮 The Outer Worlds 2 is a delight. Genuingly laugh out loud funny, which is hard to do in games. Putting the art in artifical cracked me up, and multi-purpose cleaner/food made me stop and read the adverts.
- 🎮 Still playing Hades 2. Got a few Olympus clears so I’m progressing, but Typhon is hard as nails.
- 📖 Also still reading Fall of Hyperion. It’s a long book, but I’m nearing the end and still really enjoying it.
- 📺 The Chair Company is mad, just like I Think You Leave Was, but I love it.
- 📺 Blue Lights season 3 is good. I love seeing Michael Smiley pop up in more things.
- 🏋️♂️ After many weeks off exercise I’ve been using the kettlebell again in an effort to fix my dodgy knee. 6 months on and no real improvement, so I need to do something about. The bad knees flaw in Outer Worlds 2 hit close to home.
- 🧑💻 Maybe this place needs a redesign…