JSAUX prebuilt Steam Machine faceplates offer ready-made E-Ink and Pixel Matrix screens at lower cost than a DIY Inkterface

# What arrived

# with SteamOS

# Price and cost comparison The E‑Ink panel is priced at $100 and the PixelMatrix at $90. JSAUX positions these as cheaper than assembling a Valve Inkterface yourself: the article tallies DIY parts at roughly $104.50 before adding the cost of a 3D‑printed housing or preprinted enclosure. The prebuilt route therefore simplifies the process and can save money when factoring in housing and parts.

# Practical differences between the two panels

• Displays crisp black‑and‑white images with relatively high detail. Good for photographs and finer text.
• Major drawback: slow refresh. The E‑Ink model's fastest option reportedly refreshes around once per minute, so it is poor for fast performance monitoring.
• Physically, the E‑Ink faceplate has a right‑side USB‑C port that can create an awkward cable run across the Steam Machine's bottom lip.

• Better for regular updates and monitoring because it refreshes more quickly than the E‑Ink, and the reviewer preferred it for performance monitoring.
• Less capable at rendering detailed photos — faces and hair do not translate well to the coarse LED grid.

# Fit, finish, and real‑world quirks Both panels are generally well executed but have small fit issues. The outer edges don't align perfectly with the Steam Machine's bottom lip and its USB/power button area, creating a less tidy appearance. Cable routing on the E‑Ink model can look unattractive because the USB‑C connector stretches across the lip.

The performance monitoring displays have a conceptual problem: the FPS counter shows the TV/monitor refresh rate (in frames‑per‑second) rather than the actual in‑game performance. That reduces usefulness as an in‑game diagnostic readout, especially on the E‑Ink option where updates are infrequent.

# When to pick each model Choose the E‑Ink faceplate if your priority is image detail and you want a clean greyscale photo frame or a low‑flicker information display where updates can be slow. Choose the PixelMatrix if you want colour, more frequent visual updates, and a playful, retro aesthetic better suited to monitoring.

# Practical takeaway These are ready‑made, SteamOS‑integrated faceplates that replicate much of the Inkterface concept without soldering or printing housings. They cost slightly less than a parts‑only DIY build once housing is included, but each has tradeoffs in refresh speed, image fidelity, and physical fit that buyers should weigh against their intended use.