The Verge's Jay Peters has written a personal, first-person account explaining why he would happily buy Valve's new $1,049 Steam Machine despite the publication awarding it a middling score of 6 out of 10. Although he already owns a PS5, an Xbox Series X and a Steam Deck, he argues that the compact device slots neatly into his home and gaming habits in a way the other consoles do not, making it his preferred way to play on his TV. His enthusiasm matters as a counterpoint to the outlet's more critical review, illustrating how the machine's appeal depends heavily on a user's existing investment in Valve's ecosystem.

Peters highlights the Steam Machine's small 6-inch cube design, its near-silent operation across games such as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, 007 First Light and Balatro, and its seamless SteamOS features like cloud saves, mod support and compatibility with the Steam Controller. He also acknowledges the drawbacks noted in Sean Hollister's review: the high price, hardware that competes with six-year-old consoles, and a non-upgradeable GPU. Unable to secure a purchase reservation through Valve's waitlist, he is weighing alternatives, including building his own PC using a donated RTX 3070 Ti and 1TB SSD, or simply sticking with his Steam Deck paired with an 8BitDo controller, which he found delivered around 90 percent of the experience with added portability.