Once I first noticed the Steam Machine at Valve’s workplace again in October 2025, the corporate instructed me that it’d launch the information to 3D print new faceplates for the mini gaming PC. And whereas there have been a lot of 3D-printed faceplates on the market, a stonemason has reduce a Steam Machine faceplate from the identical marble Michelangelo used.
I noticed these faceplates on Reddit, the place consumer /u/GinoWT confirmed off three faceplates they constructed from totally different stones. The primary of these was Statuario from Carrara, which is “the identical quarry basin Michelangelo labored from,” in accordance with the thread. They made faceplates from Sahara Noir (with a ravishing gold stripe going throughout it) and Roman Travertine as properly.
Every slab is 5–6mm thick and bonded onto a 3D printed faceplate. That is tremendous skinny, however in accordance with the submit, that is to maintain the burden down and forestall cracking. The outcome seems unimaginable. The Statuario one particularly pops, contrasting actually properly off the black chassis of the mini PC.
If you happen to actually need to get your palms on one of these faceplates to your personal Steam Machine, you possibly can. It seems like /u/GinoWT is making ready a small batch to promote. They’ve thrown together a website the place you possibly can enter your title and electronic mail, and so they’ll ship alongside the pricing and transport data every time the marble plates are prepared.
The largest query I’ have about these faceplates is whether or not or not they negatively influence Steam Machine temperatures and efficiency. I did attain out to /u/GinoWT to ask in the event that they’ve examined thermal efficiency, and so they instructed me they have been working the Steam Machine each day with the faceplate hooked up and have not seen any issues. Additionally they stated they’d be working a stress check with the inventory faceplate in opposition to the marble one to see if there is a distinction. If that occurs, I am going to replace this text with that data.
Although the Steam Machine was fairly a bit costlier than Valve was planning, I really like all of the cool issues I’ve seen folks doing with it. As extra items make their method into the wild as reservations are stuffed, I can solely think about the unimaginable issues persons are going to do with it.
Jackie Thomas is the {Hardware} and Shopping for Guides Editor at IGN and the PC parts queen. You possibly can observe her @Jackiecobra