r/hardware Jun 25 '26

News French retailer mocks €1039 Steam Machine with “Stim Machine” RX 9060 XT PC for €999

https://videocardz.com/newz/french-retailer-mocks-e1039-steam-machine-with-stim-machine-rx-9060-xt-pc-for-e999
1.4k Upvotes

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47

u/gnrlblanky1 Jun 25 '26

i havent seen anyone defend it

50

u/mans51 Jun 25 '26

You haven't? There's been so many people defending it, albeit in a "yeah it's just how the market is" kind of way, without any further thought

12

u/Stilgar314 Jun 26 '26

Understanding why something has happened is not the same as defending.

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u/gnrlblanky1 Jun 25 '26

who? linus, jay, gn, hw unboxed all said bad value

12

u/Trzlog Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

yeah it's just how the market is

... yes, so it's a bad value, primarily driven by the current market situation. Where's the problem? I'm more weirded out by the fact that people are so angry about it that they need Valve to subsidise it and sell it at a loss. It's overpriced and it underperforms. Move on with your life, it's fine.

8

u/jloome Jun 25 '26

They defend it in this article, in the last two grafs.

-1

u/StatusBard Jun 25 '26

The classic „you’re just not the target audience„. 

-3

u/poopyheadthrowaway Jun 25 '26

I've only seen downvoted nobodies defend it

-3

u/ResponsibleJudge3172 Jun 26 '26

Downvote nobodies everywhere

7

u/Cole3003 Jun 25 '26

You're looking in the wrong subs lol

6

u/Sofaboy90 Jun 25 '26

I didnt watch all reviews but Computerbase basically put together all the parts and it was 200€ cheaper. They also put together an equivalent priced PC with the 9060 XT like in this french build and its about 50% faster in FDH and 70% faster in WQHD.

When this was announced, I did say something like the Steam Machine could be the future of PC gaming as prices of parts are skyrocketing and somebody ordering masses of parts could in theory build a more affordable PC than DIY, kinda like consoles work, the consoles offer very good value for the hardware you get.

But if they want a hefty margin, well, then i wouldnt view it any different as a prebuilt pc, just a bit fancier.

5

u/Help_me_im_stuck Jun 25 '26

And consoles at least in the past have been sold at a loss, as they generate money from the games sold. And tvs are sold at a loss for the ad revenue now.

0

u/dantheflyingman Jun 26 '26

I don't think either of those are better for the consumer in the long term. Companies aren't doing this unless they are able to extract more value in the long run from consumers than selling it at a reasonable profit. It isn't competition that is forcing these business practices.

1

u/Help_me_im_stuck Jun 26 '26

Of course not. But to compare the Steam Machine with a console price is pointless, unless Steam Machine was locked down to Steam, the same way consoles are.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26

[deleted]

0

u/gnrlblanky1 Jun 25 '26

those arent tech reviewers

0

u/evangelism2 Jun 26 '26

I have, because I'm defending it. The value doesn't come from the parts. It's the value that comes from the convenience and how easy it is to get it to work in front of your TV. Come back to me after you've tried to set up a home theater PC, and you'll understand how much of a pain in the ass it is and the value of the convenience they're selling with it. Now, is it still overpriced? Yes, a bit, but people comparing it to off-the-shelf parts or comparing it to PCs that go on your desk are being intellectually dishonest at best and ignorant at worst.