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is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.
Dbrand did the thing: it announced a Portal Companion Cube skin for Valve’s boxy new Steam Machine, allowing you to turn the new PC / console hybrid into a facsimile of gaming’s most loyal sidekick.
The Companion Cube skin is limited edition, and will release some time in 2026, though we don’t know if it will launch alongside the Steam Machine itself, which is targeting early 2026. There’s no price yet either.
Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz told The Verge that the Cube is a shell that attaches to the Steam Machine’s own chassis, and that it’s been designed not to block any air intakes or the rear exhaust. The design is still being refined to work around the console’s ports though.
Ijaz says Dbrand is also developing GameCube and Minecraft block skins for the hardware, which he calls “an outstanding canvas for creativity.”
The Companion Cube was always going to come first though — even Valve knew it. “I’m sure someone will make a Companion Cube out of this, but we did not,” Valve engineer Steve Cardinali told my colleague Sean Hollister when he went hands-on with the Steam Machine. Valve didn’t, so Dbrand did.
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