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| The Station mini PC features the Ryzen AI Max+ 395. Pictured: a promo picture of the system. |
CES 2026 has wrapped up, but the announcements are still sending ripples through the tech world. One of the more intriguing reveals came from Thunderobot, a brand better known in the Asian market, which unveiled a compact powerhouse that’s drawing immediate comparisons to a classic: the Steam Machine.
Dubbed the Thunderobot Station, this mini PC boasts a cube-like form factor that will look familiar to anyone who remembers Valve's foray into living room gaming. But under the hood, it’s anything but a nostalgic rehash. Thunderobot has equipped the Station with AMD's top-tier Strix Halo APU, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, featuring the potent Radeon 8060S integrated graphics.
The performance claims here are what turn heads. According to early testing by Notebookcheck, the RDNA 3.5-based iGPU in this APU delivers performance that nudges close to a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. If these figures hold true in real-world use, it positions the Station as a theoretical performance king in the mini PC space, potentially offering a huge leap over the original Steam Machine's capabilities.
For a closer look at the unit showcased on the CES floor, complete with its distinctive design, you can check out the coverage from Videocardz.
Beyond raw power, the design seems thoughtfully practical. The CES showcase unit revealed a decent selection of ports, including one DisplayPort and two HDMI outputs, giving users plenty of flexibility for multi-monitor setups. In a nod to its gaming and creator inspiration, it also includes an SD card reader—a handy feature for photographers and content creators. (A solid option like the SanDisk 256GB Ultra, currently $29.99 on Amazon, would slot right in).
While full specifications are still under wraps, Thunderobot made it clear the Station is built for more than just gaming. The company emphasized its design to handle AI workloads, strongly hinting that it will launch with robust RAM and high-speed storage configurations to feed the powerful NPU within the APU. The demo system also suggested a beefy cooling solution is in place, which will be essential to sustain that high performance in such a small chassis.
As for when and where you can get one, details are scarce. Thunderobot typically launches products first in its home market, so an initial release in China is likely. Whether the Thunderobot Station will see a wide global release remains a big question mark, as the brand's products haven't historically had broad international distribution.
No pricing has been announced, but given the premium components, it's expected to sit at a higher tier in the mini PC market. For gamers and creators looking for a supremely compact yet unexpectedly potent desktop alternative, the Thunderobot Station has just made the waiting game very difficult.
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| The top and side of the mini PC |
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| The front and back of the mini PC |