A cool idea might be putting a push/pull fan setup for the drawers themselves. Cut 4x12cm holes in the top 2 on either sides, get grills and mount them underneath. You might have to cut out the drawer it's self to open and close but the grills will add a cool look and maybe even mount the fan control knobs somewhere so you can make adjustments and even turn on/off LEDs mounted on the fan it's self. Put the system in the drawer without a case of any kind, particle board doesn't conduct but you could just get a non conductive mat to put under it.
The console is just the ante into the game, same as Xbox,PlayStation,Nintendo. Having a standard would allow hardware manufacturers as well as game devs to come into sync.
Establish a clear casual,mid level, hardcore specs every couple years and the software will be able to anticipate what it will be running on when it's released. Now GPU,CPU and SoC manufacturers will be confident that if they release hardware that conforms to each spec they certify their hardware will run at a given level. Now ARM licensees will be able to make sure the right components are integrated and they progress in the direction the consumers want/need.
Valve is more of a publisher than a hardware manufacturer anyway, they will likely be much happier just sitting back and offering OS images than make a gripe about who gets to make the physical box.
I personally would be excited about a variety of boxes. The companies that are currently on the cusp of ARM components that already have the grunt to play casual to mid level gaming and without need for a battery/display/fancy case they can do it for much cheaper. Go to your local big box store and pick up a mid level gaming system with WIFI/HTPC capabilities plus abilities to connect to a wide selection of cloud services and your good to go.
If we could get Valve to make a mechanism that would allow the resale/trading of games I honestly believe the market would soar. If there was a Valve sponsored "swap meet area" it would allow for people to become much more involved and if any money was actually made it would likely be dumped right back at the Seam Store. I guess that is a discussion for another day but ya a standard would not be a bad thing.
Trying guilt your customer base into doing something is a bad plan, especially on Linux. If people really do start to dislike this option the same day someone will post a script to remove it. Now you will have people using your product and Canonical is left holding the bag.
I think it's time to research other ways of keeping the lights on.
With out even the ability of backing up the files on the device how can we really agree with this point of view? If I buy a pulp book and my bookshelf breaks I can still pick up my books off the floor. If my e-reader for what ever reason stops working and I have to replace it then should the manufacturer have to claim responsibility for my losses?