I think Steam has garnered enough popularity outside of the traditional hardcore PC gamer that people are finding it worthwhile to have a good machine, but not everyone has the same knowledge required to spec out and build their own machine. So from that perspective it makes total sense. It's lowering the barrier to entry into PC gaming by essentially saying that these machines can be bought pre-built, to Valve's spec, ready to go in any environment you want - be it at a computer desk or in the living room.

I've considered holding out for a Steam Machine, since I'd like a new build at some point in the future. I'm still on the fence. I love using my PC with an HTPC setup, though. I've been using it like this for ~2 years and haven't looked back. If I can get even tighter integration between the OS and a 10' UI, it's going to be glorious.

Super stoked about the controller, too. It looks great.