Were we too nice to the Steam Machine?

In the Vergecast episode "Were we too nice to the Steam Machine?", senior editor Sean Hollister and host David Pierce return to the $1,049 Steam Machine weeks after its review to answer listener pushback. The central tension is clear: the device received a 6/10 score, but many readers felt the review was still too generous. The conversation becomes a careful unpacking of what makes the Steam Machine hard to evaluate — not because it's a bad product, but because its value depends entirely on who you are and what you expect from a living room PC.

The case against: price, performance, and audience

The most pointed criticism comes from a listener named Jude, who argues that the Steam Machine is a terrible deal in every conceivable market. If you have no gaming machine or library, a PlayStation 5 offers double the value per dollar. If you have a Steam library but no machine, building your own PC or buying a pre-built is cheaper and more powerful. The only remaining buyer, Jude argues, is someone who already owns a powerful gaming PC, has disposable income, and just wants an extra TV box for chill games and streaming.