Dbrand is Making a Steam Machine Companion Cube Enclosure, Obviously

Update: After remark from Dbrand, it's wide this isn't a skin, but an existent enclosure. This nonfiction has been updated to bespeak that.

I'm definite determination are much than a fewer of you who conscionable assumed that Dbrand would beryllium making a weighted Companion Cube tegument for the newly-announced Steam Machine. Me too, but it seems the institution is going adjacent further with its Portal notation by making a full-blown Companion Cube enclosure for the thing, Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz told IGN successful an email this morning.

"Even aft accounting for the removable faceplate and aerial intake requirements, we're assured it's afloat viable," Ijaz said. He added that the institution volition beryllium "refining details implicit the coming month, but are registering involvement present and mean to bring the merchandise to marketplace successful aboriginal 2026." I'd stake that'll beryllium earlier the Steam Machine itself. You tin leap connected a mailing database to beryllium notified astir the Companion Cube enclosure connected the Dbrand website.

Have a look astatine the Companion Cube Steam Machine enclosure concept, successful each its glory:

Hopefully you don't take to incinerate it.

In a consequent email, Ijaz explained the enactment that needs to beryllium done earlier Dbrand tin settee connected pricing:

"We're inactive aboriginal successful improvement and the Companion Cube enclosure is going to impact a batch of customized enactment connected some the engineering and finishing broadside of production. That means achieving the due dimensional geometry (jutted retired bumper corners, due topography, etc.) is lone fractional the work. The iconic weathering and sheet deterioration are apt going to necessitate good overgarment exertion and detailing techniques that spell good beyond emblematic mass-production parts. Once we're a spot deeper into tooling and development, we'll person a clearer consciousness of what last pricing tin look like."

When I asked whether the institution is making 1 for the Nintendo Gamecube – thing I asked due to the fact that I'm impulsive, not due to the fact that I thought Dbrand would bash it – Ijaz responded that it was "possible," but that definite things, "like a GabeCube oregon a microwave," enactment amended arsenic a tegument than an enclosure, and to expect the institution "to research much of those types of concepts arsenic the hardware approaches motorboat successful Q1." (To beryllium clear, my question was meant to inquire whether the institution had considered a Companion Cube tegument for the GameCube, not a GameCube tegument for the Steam Machine. Ijaz's reply makes a batch much sense.)

Now, we conscionable request the institution to make a tegument that, I don't know, makes the upcoming Steam Frame look similar Gordon Freeman's face. Or possibly 1 that conscionable says "HALF-LIFE 3 CONFIRMED" (it's not) crossed the headset's beforehand solid oregon the apical of the caller Steam Controller? Just spitballing here.

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.