Because most prebuilts are not designed to be placed in the living room (neither dimensionwise nor acousticwise) except if you pay a shitton for a device with an uncommon form factor, and then you have to configure everything yourself. The Steam Machine combines the form factor of a small, very silent HTPC with enough performance to use it for gaming in an all-in-one package - that definitely is an attractive prospect, and it’s the reason it’s seen with different eyes, even tho - objectively seen - it’s specs arent great at all.
Because most prebuilts are not designed to be placed in the living room (neither dimensionwise nor acousticwise) except if you pay a shitton for a device with an uncommon form factor, and then you have to configure everything yourself. The Steam Machine combines the form factor of a small, very silent HTPC with enough performance to use it for gaming in an all-in-one package - that definitely is an attractive prospect, and it’s the reason it’s seen with different eyes, even tho - objectively seen - it’s specs arent great at all.