Valve made Microsoft’s dream console
TL;DR
Valve's Steam Machine has realized Microsoft's vision for a console that is easy to use, plays many PC games, and supports third-party stores. This development raises questions about the future role of Windows in gaming.
Microsoft keeps describing this model for the future of a game console that sounds great for players: it's as easy as a console, it can play a huge library of PC titles, and it even supports third-party stores. That'd be a wonderful product if someone could build it, and it sure looks like Valve has beaten Microsoft to the punch with its new Steam Machine.
This week on The Vergecast, Nilay Patel, Jake Kastrenakes, Sean Hollister, and special guest Joanna Stern sit down to talk through Valve's ambitious new hardware initiatives - and what it means for Microsoft and Windows. Do consumers still use Windows in the future? Or are games (and an o …