Update: After comment from Dbrand, it’s clear this isn’t a skin, but an actual enclosure. This article has been updated to reflect that.
I’m sure there are more than a few of you who just assumed that Dbrand would be making a weighted Companion Cube skin for the newly-announced Steam Machine. Me too, but it seems the company is going even further with its Portal reference by making a full-blown Companion Cube enclosure for the thing, Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz told IGN in an email this morning.
“Even after accounting for the removable faceplate and air intake requirements, we’re confident it’s fully viable,” Ijaz said. He added that the company will be “refining details over the coming month, but are registering interest now and intend to bring the product to market in early 2026.” I’d bet that’ll be before the Steam Machine itself. You can jump on a mailing list to be notified about the Companion Cube enclosure on the Dbrand website.
Have a look at the Companion Cube Steam Machine enclosure concept, in all its glory:
In a subsequent email, Ijaz explained the work that needs to be done before Dbrand can settle on pricing:
“We’re still early in development and the Companion Cube enclosure is going to involve a lot of custom work on both the engineering and finishing side of production. That means achieving the proper dimensional geometry (jutted out bumper corners, proper topography, etc.) is only half the work. The iconic weathering and panel wear are likely going to require fine paint application and detailing techniques that go well beyond typical mass-production parts. Once we’re a bit deeper into tooling and development, we’ll have a clearer sense of what final pricing can look like.”
When I asked whether the company is making one for the Nintendo Gamecube – something I asked because I’m impulsive, not because I thought Dbrand would do it – Ijaz responded that it was “possible,” but that certain things, “like a GabeCube or a microwave,” work better as a skin than an enclosure, and to expect the company “to explore more of those types of concepts as the hardware approaches launch in Q1.” (To be clear, my question was meant to ask whether the company had considered a Companion Cube skin for the GameCube, not a GameCube skin for the Steam Machine. Ijaz’s answer makes a lot more sense.)
Now, we just need the company to create a skin that, I don’t know, makes the upcoming Steam Frame look like Gordon Freeman’s face. Or perhaps one that just says “HALF-LIFE 3 CONFIRMED” (it’s not) across the headset’s front glass or the top of the new Steam Controller? Just spitballing here.
Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom’s Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.
