Regarding additional DIY Steam Box competition beyond what I mentioned
here and
here for the consoles mentioned in post
#86, I think Valve (or someone else) needs to make a sleek "console look" case with riser (and possibly power supply) available to Micro-ATX DIYers and here is one strong reason why:
Unlike Windows Pre-built desktops, the Windows license we as DIYers typically use (the retail one) is not tied to the motherboard. Therefore whenever a DIYer does an upgrade that Retail license moves to the new hardware and the old hardware becomes essentially orphaned from Microsoft. In the case of a frequent upgrader this older hardware (typically Micro-ATX or ATX) can actually be some really nice hardware.
Therefore what I think we need is a Slim case (with Riser to accommodate full size Video cards) appropriate to a living room environment that can not only accommodate Mini-ITX, but at least a Micro-ATX board as well. This, not only for older hardware, but for value priced new hardware (such as the G3258/uATX motherboard bundles).
Since Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX both have the position of the PCIe x16 slot in common*, making the riser of the case compatible with both form factors would not be a problem.
With that mentioned, there would even be a way to make a slim case with riser (for ATX) compatible with the PCIe x 16 slot of Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX via a riser extension:
*On DIY Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX, the PCIe x16 slot is usually position in the first expansion bay. On DIY ATX, the PCIe x 16 slot is usally positioned in the second expansion bay.