Couldn't they have just used software to emulate the steady stream of Bitcoin that this thing produces? The inclusion of the miner and it's subsequent price tag

Couldn't they have just used software to emulate the steady stream of Bitcoin that this thing produces? The inclusion of the miner and it's subsequent price tag (over what a normal Pi costs) makes it seem ridiculous. If their endgame is to create a mining chip that can be realistically put into devices, they'd better figure out a much better form factor for it as well.