The Steam Machine is slightly bigger than a portable Blu-ray / DVD player. (I just checked this with my own players)
I can’t wait for someone to make the equivalent of the Gamecube’s GBA Player for discs. Because of its size, It could even be a plastic shell where you put an existing Hitachi/LG portable drive without having to disassemble anything
I love physical media, but are optical discs really a good match with the steam deck? What exactly is the use case here?
As someone who grew up in the ERS of the Sony Discman, I can testify how annoying it is to try to get an optical disx to read while holding it in your hands. The PSP largely solved this with UMD’s- addign an expensive and bulky plastic shell to the discs to stabilize them. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Sony decided to remove that entirely from.the Vita. I can’t remember any other handheld that has used discs. Everything else uses cartridges or is digital-only.
Disc drives are common on laptops, and portable DVD players used to be common. These larger form factors are expected to rest on your lap or a table, so are more stable.
Another consideration is power. It takes a lot of energy to spin those discs around. That’s one of the reasons why SSD’s have almost completely replaced HDD’s in mobile devices.
Another issue is- are you planning on carrying a CD wallet full of discs around with you?
What is the use case for a disc drive on the Deck? For the games I have in disc, its easier to just rip them and keep them digitally. Same with movies and music.
I think a disc drive could be a cool part of a Steam Deck docking station, but I have a hard time seeing myself ever using discs in any other situation.
Edit: Nevermind I got the Deck and Machine mixed up lol
The Steam Machine is expected to be hooked up to your TV in 99% of cases. Why not add the capability to play Blu-Ray movies at that point?
Also, there’s an official dock for the Steam Deck, which is also intended to be hooked into the TV most of the time. It’s reasonable to want an attachment for that as well if you only have a Deck
Fair points in general, but OP is talking about the Steam Machine, not the Deck.
Steam Machine, not Deck.
I definitely read steam deck too and I was right there with you, like, why does this guy want this lol
I’m also still adapting to discussing other hardward in a community called steamdeck. I understand why, just still adjusting personally