Valve’s third-party Steam Machines lineup, in pictures

By Adam Rosenberg January 7, 2014

Valve used day zero of CES 2014 – a time of press conferences and anxious muttering – to share the first details of its partnerships with third-party Steam Machine manufacturers. A total of 14 partnerships were revealed, a diverse lineup that includes big names like Alienware and Origin, and many of those companies were in attendance at Valve’s late-afternoon party to offer a first look at their upcoming SteamOS rigs. We snapped a bunch of photos for you to check out (above), but you should also head over to our full report from the event, as well as our rundown of what we know about each Steam Machine revealed thus far.

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Adam Rosenberg

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Computing

If I’m not supposed to smell the Steam Deck vents, why do they smell so good?

Someone smelling the fumes from the Steam Deck.

Candles? No. Potpourri? Not for me. Essential oils? They aren't that essential. The only thing that can soothe my olfaction is the sweet smell of the Steam Deck vents. It's the smell of burning plastic, the sweet and honey-like aroma of ozone, and the sense of dead brain cells.

But now, here's Valve saying I shouldn't smell my Steam Deck vents. Steam support is saying to "please refrain from this behavior for the safety of your health." That's even after Steam support told Reddit user Metapod100 that it "understands that it may be a meme." I guess you shouldn't smell your Steam Deck vents, at least if you want to follow Valve's official guidance.

Gaming

After using the Legion Go, I’m finally thankful for my Steam Deck

The Steam Deck OLED on a pink background.

Even since I got my Steam Deck, I’ve spent too much time looking for greener pastures. I wished I could ditch Linux in favor of a more familiar Windows machine. Its enormous form factor left me wanting something a little more portable. Most of all, I yearned for a better display that would match my Nintendo Switch OLED. With each new portable PC that was released, I was sure I’d leave my Steam Deck behind the first chance I got.

I was especially ready to pack it up when I got my Lenovo Legion Go. On paper, it solved almost every problem I had with Valve’s handheld and more. It was much bigger, but with a wildly improved screen; its Switch-like design and Windows integration felt like a perfect fit for what I needed. That’s not to mention that it came with a performance boost too that would theoretically let me play more high-end games that the Steam Deck couldn’t run well.

Gaming

Half-Life gets a free update and Steam Deck verification for its birthday

Artwork for the original Half-Life's 25th anniversary.

November 19 marks the 25th anniversary of the original Half-Life, and to celebrate, Valve made a special announcement. No, Half-Life 3 was not announced. But Valve celebrated the anniversary with a massive update to the game on PC and a new documentary detailing its development. The best part: It's all available for free.

Half-Life's 25th-anniversary update incorporates the Half-Life: Uplink demo that Valve gave away as a CD via magazine and hardware manufacturer promotions in the 1990s and introduces many multiplayer maps. That includes four brand-new maps -- Contamination, Pool Party, Disposal, and Rocket Frenzy -- and three more maps that were previously only included in the Half-Life: Further Data CD release: Double Cross, Rust Mill, and Xen DM. It's also now possible to play as a Space Biker, Prototype Barney, Skeleton, and Too Much Coffee Man and use dozens of Further Data sprays in Half-Life: Deathmatch.