A good while back I abandoned PC gaming because I was sick of driver issues, compatibility, and always having to update hardware to play the next game. Instead, I embraced consoles and haven't considered PC gaming since then. This, however, has me reconsidering that. I want it to "just work". When I want to play games, I don't want to deal with all of that other crap. I'm old, ain't nobody got time for that.

As someone who has been building my PCs for decades, I have to admit seeing some appeal here:

It's apparently small, quiet, capable, and easy.

I'll keep building my own, but most people don't, and the value of saved time and reduced hassle should not be underestimated.

If comparing this device to other pre-built systems, consider that this one is likely to be a first class target for game developers, while others are not.

Some people really don't want to spend time exchanging parts when the memory they buy turns out to be incompatible or that the GPU doesn't fit the sleek mITX case. There's a lot of research to ensure all parts are compatible and optimal when building a PC - for some it's time that could be better spent on using the PC instead of building one.

It's a console basically. It comes ready to play without much maintenance needed from the user.

It's tiny. It runs SteamOS which is built to be used with a controller on a TV. And it will probably be a performance target for many developers.

But I think the biggest feature might be the quick suspend and resume. Every modern console has that, but not PCs. You can try to put a computer to sleep, but many games won't like that.

i've spent plenty of time building custom PCs, but life changes and that's really not something i have any interest in doing any more.

there's plenty of people who just want to play games without researching what CPU and video card to buy.

I love SFF PCs, but you can’t get the same density as a manufacturer doing a fully bespoke design. Just look at those innards: no space is wasted.

Their new mini PC isn’t ARM (the Frame is, though), it’s AMD hardware like the Steam Deck. Appears to be x86, should play basically anything in my library at 1080p or higher as long as it works under SteamOS.

It seems it supports DP 1.4 as well, so perhaps you could get an adapter if your display only supports HDMI 2.1

... but isn't it using a wireless dongle to connect to the headset to the PC so HDMI doesn't get involved?

It seems to me the wireless is pretty important. I have an MQ3 and I have the link cable. For software development I pretty much have to plug the MQ3 into my PC and it is not so bad to wander around the living room looking in a Mars boulder from all sides and such.

For games and apps that involve moving around, particularly things like Beat Saber or Supernatural the standalone headset has a huge advantage of having no cable. If I have a choice between buying a game on Steam or the MQ3 store I'm likely to buy the MQ3 game because of the convenience and freedom of standalone. A really good wireless link changes that.

Interesting. I also saw HDMI 2.0 - I guess it’s technically possible but with subsampling?

it's confusing rn because on the steam machine post people are commenting on the frame and vice-versa here.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903404

This is for the steam machine, not the headset. Mentioned in the CPU & GPU section.

Given that Valve are the ones who released the Orange Box, methinks the original comparison is valid