What Does The ‘Steam Machine’ Mean For Xbox’s Next-Gen Console Plans?

Then again, maybe this validates what Xbox has been trying to do all along. With the Steam Machine on the market, you could argue that a company like Sony should be even more concerned than Microsoft right now. Sony’s focus remains primarily on the PlayStation 5, whereas Microsoft has tried to spread things around by becoming a third-party publisher as well as prioritising different forms of hardware, ensuring that the console is no longer their be-all and end-all.

In other words, Xbox is already struggling in the hardware market compared to the PS5, so Microsoft has backed off a little bit. Sony seems to be doubling down on their success which is great, but if the Steam Machine proves popular and PlayStation hardware sales suddenly take a hit, there’s potentially not as much to fall back on.

It’s still early days and plenty of unknowns remain, but Valve has definitely shaken things up a bit with today’s reveal. If the price ends up being a competitive one, it could have a major effect on the next generation of consoles.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments section below.