The Steam Link is a counterpoint to the Steam Machines that were announced previously. Unlike a Steam Machine, HTPC running Steam, or a PC running SteamOS, Steam Link will not run any games. Instead, it leverages your existing desktop through Steam In-Home Streaming. This allows the Steam Link to be small, low power, and low cost.
When we last left our Arch Linux install we had a lovely command prompt.
This is fine for a server, but as this is a desktop, it would be nice to have a GUI. We will be installing Xfce. I started using Xfce when looking for a lighter weight GUI than KDE or Gnome. Openbox and Fluxbox are certainly lighter but require more configuration and setup than I prefer. Xfce was a nice compromise. Light enough for my needs while still remaining a full desktop environment.