This AMD-powered, Linux-running mini PC looks like a Steam Machine disguised as a vinyl record player, without the fancy controller
Publish Date: 2026-04-20 09:38:00
Source Domain: www.pcgamer.com
While we wait with bated breath for the arrival of the Steam Machine, it appears another party has been busy developing its own competitor. The Playnix Console looks remarkably similar to a vinyl player (or the Xbox Series S) in terms of its 3D-printed chassis design, but it’s in the specs sheet where the similarities to Valve’s efforts really lie.
The Playnix Console comes from EmuDeck, a developer of emulation installers for the Steam Deck (via Videocardz). Underneath that funky chassis design lies a six-core, 65 W AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor, a 512 GB SSD, 2x 8 GB sticks of DDR4-3200, and an RX 9060 XT 16 GB GPU.
Which in this case is still a slightly eye-watering $1,139 before shipping. Looking further into the specs, though, you do get a controller to go with your PC/console-a-like—although it’s an 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless model rather than a fancy Steam Controller.
All of the hardware is upgradeable, too, which makes this much more of a mini PC build than your traditional console. A nice touch is the addition of Noctua and Thermalright fans to keep things chilled. The former makes some of our best gaming fan picks, don’tcha know.
(Image credit: Retro Game Corps)
As for the software, the Playnix Console uses a custom Arch Linux distro that makes use of a Steam Gaming Mode to connect “seamlessly” with your existing Steam library.
On paper, this all sounds very good indeed. YouTube channel Retro Game Corps has already tested an earlier model, and found it to deliver 55-58 fps average performance in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K High settings, with FSR Quality upscaling.
That’s pretty impressive for an all-in-one box, and…
