Summary
Overview
This WAN Show episode covers the Steam Machine launch at $1,050, Microsoft's massive patch introducing 208 security fixes but also countless bugs, and Linus's surprisingly positive experience using SteamOS as a desktop OS. The show also discusses Valve extending SteamOS support to other hardware, privacy concerns with Meta's AI glasses, and various tech industry updates including pricing pressures from component shortages.
Steam Machine Launch and Linus's Desktop Experience
Valve launched the Steam Machine at $1,050, significantly higher than expected due to component price increases. While the gaming performance at 4K doesn't meet expectations, Linus discovers that using SteamOS as a desktop operating system has been surprisingly excellent. He describes it as the best Mac Mini competitor he's ever seen, with everything feeling thoughtfully designed and responsive compared to Windows.
- Steam Machine launched at $1,050, much higher than the expected $750 due to component shortages
- Linus ate cake on the show after being off by more than $100 in his price prediction
- Using the Steam Machine as a desktop computer has been a revelation, feeling like a Mac Mini competitor
- SteamOS boots fast, sleeps/wakes flawlessly, and has no unnecessary animation bloat
- KDE Plasma desktop environment is immediately familiar to Windows users but better organized
- Display settings show everything above the fold without scrolling through submenus
" What Valve created instead was the best competitor that I've ever seen to the Mac Mini. They control the whole ecosystem. I guess because the custom silicon, there's a number of brands that sell computers that have their own operating system on it, but the custom silicon, sure. "
" The moment you boot up a Steam machine, you are having the Valve curated experience. In a way that is simply not true of any other flavor of Linux or any other Windows desktop. They have one person in mind in the creation of this machine and that is the customer and only Apple does it like that. "
Component Shortage Impact on Pricing
The global RAM and storage shortage is affecting pricing across the industry. Microsoft increased Xbox prices by $100-150 and discontinued 2TB models. Apple raised prices on Mac products including a $300 increase on Mac Studio. Even Valve's Steam Machine pricing was affected, coming in $300 higher than expected.
- Microsoft raised Xbox prices by $100 on 512GB models, $150 on 1TB models
- Microsoft discontinued the 2TB Xbox model entirely
- Apple increased Mac Mini pricing by $100
- Mac Studio saw a $300 price increase
- Valve's Steam Machine came in roughly $300 higher than the estimated $750 price
" Microsoft themselves acknowledged that certain key components of the Xbox have gone up, I think they said, 4X in price, and probably more since then, because that was a little while ago. "
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