http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/25/5146398/ibuypower-steam-machine-499-radeon-r9-270Valve's official Steam Machine prototype isn't cheap, but it won't be the only Steam-powered video-game console available come 2014. This morning, iBuyPower revealed a prototype of its own upcoming Steam Machine, which will go on sale for just $499 next year. For the price of an Xbox One, the computer will offer a multicore AMD CPU and a discrete AMD Radeon R9 270 graphics card — that's a $180 GPU all by itself — and come with Valve's Steam Controller as part of the package deal.
The company says the box is bigger than a PlayStation 4 but smaller than Microsoft's Xbox One, and comes standard with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 500GB hard drive. The glossy white case also has a fully customizable light bar running down the center channel, and an integrated power supply. You won't have to find room for a power brick on your home entertainment center shelves.
A cheaper version of the Steambox could be interesting. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out and if the system itself is well made. As a side note, iBuyPower has other similarly priced premade gaming pcs, however, those tend top skimp out on the power supply units.