Valve certainly won't win it, but they're bringing the heat where it wasn't before.

SteamOS is the important part here - if it is proven to be a good console experience (which the deck has basically proven already) then licensing of the OS to other manufacturers will put a lot of pressure on integrated h/w s/w manufacturers.

Unlike the handheld format, the tvbox console is fairly easy to manufacture and is tolerant of a lot of spec and price variety. Any slip up by Sony and Microsoft in specs and price will result in steam machine variants carving away market share, which could force more frequent console releases.

The steam machine will almost certainly come in at a higher price point than the PS5, but with no 'online' subscription charge and reasonably priced storage upgrades we may see these revenue streams disappear from the next console generation in order to compete.

SteamOS isn't perfect, and the variety inherent in the platform that is a strength is also a weakness. The core markets for Nintendo and for Sony aren't going anywhere.

Is it hard wired? If so, and if the alarm module doesn’t have an internal battery, can you go to the breaker box and turn off the circuit it’s on? You should be able to switch off each breaker in turn until it stops if you don’t know which circuit it’s on.

If it doesn’t stop, that means it has a battery backup. But you can still make life more bearable. Switch off all your breakers (you probably have a master breaker for this), then open up the alarm box and either pull the battery or - if it’s non-removable - take the box off the wall, put it in a sealed container, and put the sealed container somewhere… else. Somewhere you can’t hear it or can barely hear it until the battery runs down.

Meanwhile you can turn the power back on but make sure you’ve taped the bare ends of the alarm power cable, or otherwise electrically insulated them, until you’re able to reinstall it.