‘As one of the largest publishers on Steam’, Xbox boss Phil Spencer ‘welcomes’ Steam Machine reveal

Microsoft’s head of gaming, Phil Spencer, has welcomed Valve’s announcement of its console-like PC, the Steam Machine.

Announced on Wednesday alongside a new VR headset and controller, Steam Machine is a six-inch console-like cube with “over six times the horsepower of Steam Deck”, which is designed to allow PC games to be played on the TV.

It’s a device that sounds similar to Microsoft’s own reported plans for the next Xbox, which is allegedly set to be a hybrid system capable of playing games across multiple stores, including Steam.

Commenting on the Steam Machine news on X, Phil Spencer claimed that it aligned with Xbox’s own vision for gaming across hardware devices.

“Gaming moves forward when players and developers have more ways to play and create, especially across open platforms,” he wrote. “Expanding access across PC, console, and handheld devices reflects a future built on choice, core values that have guided Xbox’s vision from the start.

“As one of the largest publishers on Steam, we welcome new options for players to access games everywhere. Congrats on today’s launch.”

Speaking to Eurogamer, Valve PR Kaci Aitchison Boyle claimed the announcement of Steam Machine stemmed from its PC gaming experience, and not what console makers like Xbox were planning.

“We typically just work back from our own experience playing PC games and what we wish was possible to do and what we hear our users say as well,” she said.

Xbox president Sarah Bond recently suggested the next Xbox console will share some of the “thinking” behind the recently released Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handhelds.

In an interview with Polygon earlier this year, Spencer said he would like to see other digital storefronts appearing on Xbox consoles in the future, and that he’d like to break down the walled gardens that limit players to only buying console games through that console’s official digital store.