The hardware is nice, but the label is what finally makes it usable.

For all that we already know about SteamOS and the Steam Machines it powers, Valve’s ambitious effort to drag PC gaming into the living room has been mostly shrouded in mystery since its announcement.

Valve’s Steam Machine project is no longer an active hardware push, but its original pricing strategy still matters as a case study in how PC-first companies think about the living room. When Valve ...