Valve open source the Steam Machine e-ink screen so you can make your own

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/07/valve-open-source-the-steam-machine-e-ink-screen-so-you-can-make-your-own/

93•ahlCVA•1h ago

Comments

ray_v•1h ago

It would have justified the price had they included this in the base model - this is the next best thing I suppose. Valve is really coming out as the good guy here in the video game industry and we should really support and applaud all that they're doing to hold the line for consumers and fans.

stavros•58m ago

Yes but saying "it would have justified the price if they had included extra expensive things" is the same as saying "it should be cheaper". Sure, but stuff costs.

voidUpdate•41m ago

Given computer part prices recently because of new datacenters, I think the price is already justified, as they don't want to sell it at a loss

dgellow•1h ago

In case you're wondering and don't want to click around, the display is a standard Adafruit 5.83'' eInk panel: https://www.adafruit.com/product/6397

anticorporate•48m ago

I'd love to see an easy guide to doing this with the Framework Desktop form factor. I didn't buy any of the silly little squares for the front of mine since I figured I could 3D print some later, but six months in still haven't gotten around to it.

phren0logy•5m ago

Same, but the front is important for airflow in the Framework Desktop, so I don't think covering it with an e-ink screen would work. But maybe with some space between the screen and the fan intake?

RataNova•5m ago

A little e-ink status tile for temps, build status, now playing, or just a static label would be much more interesting than most decorative inserts

foax•46m ago

This is so cool! Coincidentally, I'm currently building something in a similar vein that pushes system metrics out to an Android app so an old phone or tablet can be used as a case screen. The app has widget plugins that expose a repo of metrics received and a GL surface, that can then be used to display fancy visualisations.

Check it out here: https://github.com/xfoa/humours. It's not finished yet, but the basic functionality works. It just has one widget at the moment that draws a spinning cube with temps, etc.

RataNova•2m ago

The main thing I'd worry about is long-term reliability

romaniv•22m ago

"Valve will not be making and providing their own e-ink display for the Steam Machine"

Too bad. The picture in the articles looks awesome. Like a device from some alternate reality. Neither retro nor the standard flat-panel LCD.

I don't want to mod a pre-build $1,049 device. I want it to be good our of the box and I'd rather pay more to get more. (If it was a $3K top-of-midrange machine, I would buy it in a second.)

jdiff•5m ago

You're not modding a pre-built $1049 device. The faceplates are removable and swappable with no disassembly needed, and this fancy one connects via bluetooth and is powered via a battery. Entirely non-invasive.

RataNova•7m ago

I wish more hardware companies treated these kinds of optional add-ons as something the community can run with instead of either productizing them badly or locking them away completely...

westurner•7m ago

Looks like Waveshare has a E6 full color ePaper/eInk/EPD display in 3.6" and 7.3" but not yet in 5.83":

"5.83inch E-Paper Display (G), E-ink Display, 648 × 480, Red/Yellow/Black/White, SPI Interface" https://www.waveshare.com/5.83inch-e-paper-g.htm?sku=32584

rbanffy•5m ago

Is the Steam Machine a decently priced desktop compared to the "generic" ones?

artisinal•2m ago

For a small gaming box it is a good price.

If you don’t care that much about size, HDMI-CEC or SteamOS there are faster alternatives for the price.

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Comments

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