The XBox Series X and PS5 both have 16 GB of RAM; in the case of the XSX that's 10 GB for the GPU and 6 GB for the OS and apps.

So 16 GB in this case, for running the same games and outputting to the same displays, seems entirely reasonable.

> The specs appear to be from late 2019. Pass

Probably more accurate to say the specs are from 2020, which is when the PS5 and XSX launched.

> it is no better if not much significantly slower than a MacBook Pro with an M4 Max

Does the M4 Max run SteamOS and your Windows steam games very well? I guess this Steam Machine is going to be embarassingly underpowered if it also costs $3500.

On the other hand, if it is a mass-market 'console' PC priced at ~$500-750 then I think it's okay if it's 'no better...than a Macbook Pro with M4 Max'.

> Probably more accurate to say the specs are from 2020, which is when the PS5 and XSX launched.

In 2026, those specs are significantly underpowered and close to outdated.

> Does the M4 Max run SteamOS and your Windows steam games very well?

Even if it does with Asahi Linux [0] it would still run over the Steam Machine in performance alone, especially with 2024 specifications.

We both know that neither of them can run DRM'ed games on Linux on Day 1 on Steam.

> I guess this Steam Machine is going to be embarassingly underpowered if it also costs $3500.

Not even the original Steam Machine sold well even though the lowest priced model was at ~$450 with the highest priced one was at $1,110 and was still also behind the state of the art console specs at the time.

> On the other hand, if it is a mass-market 'console' PC priced at ~$500-750 then I think it's okay if it's 'no better...than a Macbook Pro with M4 Max'.

Then there would be no point for Windows PC gamers or console players at all to switch. It only appeals to hardcore Linux users and at least competes against a Framework laptop running steam which is a very low bar to beat.

[0] https://asahilinux.org/2024/10/aaa-gaming-on-asahi-linux/