For a while now, we've been able to see where Xbox is aiming with its platform. Rather than make you buy an Xbox with cool exclusives only playable on the platform, Microsoft's gaming division seems largely focused on the idea of being the place you go to for cloud streaming and subscription services. A Steam competitor, perhaps, if not for the fact Steam is now stepping on Xbox's toes with its new Steam Machine.
"Steam Machine basically turns Microsoft's worst nightmare into a shipping product," analyst Joost van Dreunen, professor at the NYU Stern school of business told GamesRadar. "It pushes Microsoft further down the path it's already walking, where Game Pass and cloud access matter more than plastic boxes."
"The strategic risk is that Valve becomes the preferred PC-console hybrid, meaning Xbox games strengthen Steam's ecosystem more than Microsoft's own," he continued.
"Xbox console sales have really struggled," added DFC Intelligence founder and analyst David Cole. "Steam Machine is just another sign that there may not be room in the market for a dedicated Xbox console system."
We obviously can't see the future, but it does seem like the Steam Machine could make waves in the industry if Valve gets its second attempt at launching a console right. With Xbox seemingly down and out of the console wars for good, there is space for a new big name.