If you possess a Steam Machine and continue to hold the erroneous belief that my economical faceplate concepts aren’t suitable for you, you essentially have three choices for front panel personalization. The first is to pick something from Etsy or similar platforms. The second is to leverage Valve’s open-source Inkterface initiative to create your own E-Ink display, on which you can electronically apply performance monitoring information. The third is to obtain a nearly identical panel as in option two, but have it created by someone else for you. This is what the leading accessory manufacturers JSAUX are offering with their Steam Machine E-Ink and Pixel Matrix faceplates, which are released today after several weeks of showcasing within the case mod community.
I’ve been utilizing both on my Machine at home, and they are quite enjoyable. The E-Ink faceplate, which seems to generate more buzz online, is a sharp, neat little black-and-white display, while the PixelMatrix sacrifices detail density for color and nostalgic appeal. Both feature a variety of display modes, which can be toggled in SteamOS’s quick settings menu (thanks to some smart integration with the Decky Loader plugin tool), and although I had to configure this manually, JSAUX states that the necessary software will be available for download via Steam from early October. Indeed, it’s the culmination of a DIY modification and more, conveniently prepared for those who lack soldering irons.