Dbrand and Jsaux Gaming, two companies known for making accessories for consoles and other gaming devices, have just announced custom covers and skins for the Steam Machine. Valve revealed the Steam Machine earlier this month, and the device's specifications and form factor have got everyone excited. Beyond that, the company also said it comes with a replaceable faceplate, allowing just about anyone to customize it however they see fit. To give people an idea, it showed off an example with a classic wood-grain cover and another with a built-in e-ink display, although Valve said these are merely concepts and won’t be available from the company.
Because of Steam’s popularity and the hype of the Steam Machine’s launch, a couple of companies have teased their own custom covers and even complete skins for the gaming PC. Dbrand, known for its skins and cases for the Switch 2, Steam Deck, and more, announced the Steam Machine Companion Cube. Although Dbrand hasn’t released any details for this skin yet, we can see on its page that it looks like the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal, complete even with the heart icons all around its sides. On the other hand, Jsaux Gaming teased two screens for the Steam Machine on its official Subreddit — one with an e-ink display and another showing what appears to be an LCD panel.
While you might find these offerings interesting, you really don’t have to rely on these companies if you want to customize your own Steam Machine. That’s because Valve said it will release design files, allowing anyone with a 3D printer to use their creativity to make their own covers and other customizations. Valve also isn’t limiting Steam Machine modifications to the case. The device can take an M.2 2280 SSD, allowing you to expand storage beyond the default 512GB or 2TB. You can even upgrade the 16GB SODIMM on it, but it will be a little bit involved since you need to remove some parts to access it. Aside from that, it isn’t locked down on the software side, so you can reformat the device and install a different operating system if you choose to.
All this, plus the massive Steam library, is making it quite a popular device even before it has arrived. Unfortunately, Valve hasn’t announced pricing or availability yet, especially amid the ongoing upheaval in the memory market driven by massive AI demand. But, if it’s priced just right, it’s fair to say that the Steam Machine will be an enormous hit, and that there’s going to be a market for custom accessories for it.
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