Valve has been trying to crack the living room for more than a decade, and the new Steam Machine is its best attempt yet. It's a little bit PC, a little bit console, and a lot pricy — starting at $1,049, it had a lot to live up to. The Verge’s Sean Hollister has been testing the device, and shares his findings on whether the Steam Machine can hang with PlayStation and Xbox. He also explains why, despite a never-ending list of challenges, Valve is still trying to make this device work. We have new merch! Get yours here: https://bit.ly/3RCikCY 0:00 - Intro & episode overview (Steam Machine) 0:43 - 90 Seconds on The Verge (news roundup) 2:18 - Let's talk Steam Machines — Sean Hollister joins 2:24 - First games tested on the Steam Machine 3:07 - How and why the Steam Machine exists 4:30 - Surprise it actually shipped? 4:30 - The couch/console experience explained 4:52 - What is the Steam Machine for? 6:38 - Valve tried this before — what's different now? 6:50 - The one thing Valve changed (Proton/Windows games) 10:11 - Hardware specs deep dive 12:49 - First reaction to the $1,049 price 15:19 - Razors & blades business model discussion 19:01 - Out-of-box setup experience 22:19 - Size comparison (GameCube!) 23:25 - Overall takeaway & performance verdict 26:37 - Steam Machine ecosystem & OEM partnerships 29:02 - Is this just Xbox everywhere but Steam? 32:20 - Final verdict: Is it a success? Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLv Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://bit.ly/3ZWTlLs