The Alienware Steam Machine: finally, a gaming PC for the living room

I laughed when the rumors started back in 2012: “Valve is building a PC-based game console for living rooms.” Sure it is, I thought. Imagine my shock when “Steam Machines” turned out to be real. The project promised a bizarre, revolutionary controller, a Linux-based operating system designed specifically to play PC games and in-home game streaming for titles that required Windows to run properly. The proposal was unbelievable, but it’s finally here; it’s real. As of today, I have an Alienware Steam Machine nestled in my entertainment center that delivers on almost everything those original rumors promised. Let’s talk about that.