Machine Learning: Episode I

On episode 2 of Polygon's news show Point It Out!, Patches and Simone do a state of the union for the games industry in 2026.

The Steam Machine is Valve's new piece of hardware entering the scene as a mini PC built for living room gaming. I love a lot about it, had some issues with it, but overall came away from my time with it feeling very positive. The big question mark has been around the Steam Machine price. After the Steam Deck had a jump in price, we knew that would be a major factor in who to recommend this to for PC gaming. The Steam Machine specs in coordination with how well it works with the Steam Controller being still make this an appealing PC rig to consider.

A wonderful design can't beat the ugly realities of pricing, performance, and consumer value.

K-pop idol and actor Matthew Kim (or Big Matthew, as fans of the group KARD know him) moved to Korea to pursue a career in entertainment — but games keep him in touch with his family. His love of video games started with his father, who was "nasty" on Super Mario, and continues today when he plays Call of Duty: Warzone with his little brother.

Samara Weaving is an agent of chaos who loves to cause mayhem in video games. After toying with The Sims and Mario Kart as a kid, she really knuckled down and got into Red Dead Redemption after watching her husband play — and she never looked back. The star of Carolina Caroline and Ready or Not enjoys using films and games to let out her wild side. She loves action and just a liiiiiittle bit of violence. And yet she had a soft spot for her Sims.Join Sam on this episode of Shelf Quest as she browses the shelves of videogamesnewyork and reminisces on how she got into gaming, and her dreams for h