Remember Steam Machines? EmuDeck founder revisits Valve’s TV console idea

Valve erstwhile dreamt of gathering Linux-based crippled consoles called Steam Machines. They flopped — but the imagination yet became world as the handheld Steam Deck instead. Now, a peculiarly noteworthy Steam Deck enthusiast is reviving the thought of a console-sized Steam Box, 1 with his ain retro gaming twist.

Rodrigo Sedano is the laminitis of EmuDeck, a programme beloved by the Steam Deck community. It automatically installs, configures, and enhances emulators for Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and different retro consoles truthful they enactment beautifully connected Valve’s handheld.

Now, helium wants to marque it adjacent easier. He’s preparing to merchantability you a console-shaped customized gaming PC preloaded with that full Steam + EmuDeck experience, positive a wireless controller, each acceptable to go.

He’s calling them EmuDeck Machines, and he’s currently crowdfunding the thought connected Indiegogo for prices starting astatine astir $400 — with an incredibly ambitious committedness to vessel them successful December of this year, conscionable 4 months from now.

They’ll location (weak) Intel N97 oregon (stronger) AMD 8600G chips successful a Sega Dreamcast-inspired shell, with 4 USB ports astir beforehand for further wired controllers oregon peripherals. By overclocking the AMD 8600G’s integrated Radeon 760M graphics, helium claims helium tin get what looks similar Steam Deck-beating show retired of his pricier $700 model:

There are tons of reasons to hold earlier putting wealth down connected a crowdfunding campaign, though. While I emotion EmuDeck, and he seems to have different bundle design, web design, and absorption experience, helium admits to The Verge that he’s ne'er shipped a hardware merchandise similar this before.

He says his US and EU partners are telling him that getting FCC and CE certifications should lone instrumentality 1 month. His existent prototype is conscionable a Mini-ITX committee successful a woody box, portion helium waits for his imaginable lawsuit manufacturing partners successful Spain to present the Dreamcast-shaped console lawsuit he’s dreamt up. He’s readying to assemble the PCs himself, arsenic a household concern of sorts.

But I deliberation it’s astatine slightest plausible due to the fact that helium says he’s not needfully expecting to merchantability much than 100 of these arsenic a broadside task — and due to the fact that helium says these PCs volition usage off-the-shelf parts. It’s a modular Mini-ITX desktop motherboard and chip, successful an 8.66 x 8.66 x 2.55-inch chassis. (He tells maine they volition person an outer 155W powerfulness supply.)

Sedano says he’s been gathering computers since helium was 14 and sees this arsenic a hobby, too, but he’s getting superior astir it successful a fewer ways. EmuDeck is present a registered constricted liability institution successful Spain (we checked!), and helium says he’s locked down respective suppliers to marque definite he’ll person the components. He’ll connection hardware enactment and a warranty, helium claims.

He besides whitethorn not request Valve’s enactment to marque this a reality; the operating strategy he’s preloading is Bazzite, a promising fork of the SteamOS interface with a antithetic underlying operating strategy (Fedora). I’ve loaded it connected a Lenovo Legion Go and the ROG Ally X astatine this point, and I’ve been mostly impressed by however good it works. Bazzite laminitis Kyle Gospodnetich tells maine his squad gave EmuDeck their blessing, though Bazzite isn’t presently helping EmuDeck tweak the software.

It’s a small astonishing we haven’t seen galore Steam Boxes similar this before, and Bazzite says it isn’t alert of immoderate others successful the works. Perhaps different companies person been waiting connected Valve? The Steam Deck shaper told america successful precocious 2022 that it’s really excited for different manufacturers to marque tiny SteamOS PCs — aft Valve releases a wide representation of SteamOS 3 for those manufacturers to use.

As of this month, there are signs that Valve’s getting closer.

If you’d alternatively tinker alternatively of looking for a turnkey console gaming experience, you could of people physique your ain Bazzite container with EmuDeck. Or, adhd an HDMI dock oregon hub to a handheld. Or, you could perchance adjacent bash what YouTuber ETA Prime did and crook an aged Steam Deck into a mini PC.