As games keep getting larger (100–300 GB each), even high‑capacity NVMe SSDs fill up fast and expansion cards are costly. Current consoles force users into a cycle of deleting and reinstalling games, or paying for proprietary storage. I’d like to propose a different path for Steam Machines:
1. Native iSCSI Initiator Support
- Allow SteamOS to mount NAS volumes via iSCSI as extended storage.
- Treat NAS storage as if it were a local disk, with block‑level access for high throughput and low latency.
- With SSD caching on the NAS, warm reads would feel indistinguishable from internal NVMe.
2. Simple Plug‑and‑Play Setup
- Auto‑discovery of NAS targets on the local network.
- One‑click mount and format through SteamOS UI, similar to how consoles handle USB drives.
- Gamers wouldn’t need to be sysadmins — it could be as easy as plugging in a USB drive.
3. Benefits for Gamers
- Massive libraries: Petabyte‑scale storage for entire collections, mods, and archives.
- Performance: Near‑local speeds with 10GbE or faster connections.
- Flexibility: Scale storage cheaply with HDD RAID + SSD cache, instead of buying proprietary cards.
- Future‑proofing: Keeps pace with ballooning game sizes without forcing cloud‑only solutions.
4. Why It Matters
- This would position Steam Machines as the NAS‑friendly console alternative, appealing to enthusiasts and prosumers.
- It would highlight the contrast with locked‑down ecosystems (PS5/Xbox), where users are stuck with proprietary expansion or cloud streaming.
- Giving gamers true storage freedom could be a disruptive feature that sets Steam Machines apart.

TL;DR
Suggestion: Add native iSCSI/NAS support to Steam Machines so gamers can mount expandable, cache‑accelerated storage directly. This would eliminate the delete/reinstall grind, scale libraries cheaply, and give Steam Machines a unique edge over traditional consoles.