I'll buy this for my kids, a Steam console will mean:

• Ready to play (dad doesn't have much free time)
• Officially supported
• HDMI CEC compatible
• Wake on Bluetooth
• Resume after Sleep
• Reference target for devs
• Energy effiecient
• Bundled with a controller
• Probably cheaper than buying the parts for a PC

I have two gaming rigs running Bazzite, one with an XTX 7900 XT the other a 3080 TI, and a Steam Deck.

The benefits of a manufactured purpose built device like the steam deck really shows how superior the user experience can be versus a DIY path.

Personally I don't care because I know my way around things, but my kids don't, and still won't until they grow. There are users that will never learn because they don't want to, and this product is mainly for them.

The answer to making something mainstream accessible and acceptable is the experience for normies. This is where the Steam Deck really shines. Valve gets it. You say you don't get it. I don't fully understand peoples' tech anxieties either. But people won't install Bazzite or Steam OS themselves. Normies consider that to be akin to black magic. The Steam Deck doesnt even need the tiniest bit of tinkering. You literally start it up and go. And this is what has made it mainstream acceptable (even though the majorities of normies in my social group still need explanation......."PC games on a handheld? Is it like a laptop?, isn't the Switch 2 better?").

For a lot of people, building a PC is magic. It's just not something they're familiar with, even if we consider it easy. I have smart friends who buy the worst off the shelf laptops, but it does what they need and they choose to spend their time on other things. Meanwhile, I check my local PC part shop for sales almost daily. 😄

If this provides a good out of box experience, I can see the appeal.

Also, it's nice that you could buy a pre-built one or build your own if you want.

Just packaging. It would come with Steam OS.