Valve has released more info and partner information on the first-gen Steam Machines at CES this week.
“Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced over one dozen Steam Machine designs now in production from leading manufacturers and targeted for release in 2014. The lineup of Steam Machines announced today offers a wide variety of price and performance options made possible by the Steam Machine’s open design, with systems starting as low as $499 and top end systems rivaling today’s bleeding edge gaming PCs. Every Steam Machine includes an innovative Steam Controller designed for use with a wide variety of game genres, and is powered by the SteamOS, a custom OS built atop Linux.”
“Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced over one dozen Steam Machine designs now in production from leading manufacturers and targeted for release in 2014.
The lineup of Steam Machines announced today offers a wide variety of price and performance options made possible by the Steam Machine’s open design, with systems starting as low as $499 and top end systems rivaling today’s bleeding edge gaming PCs.
Every Steam Machine includes an innovative Steam Controller designed for use with a wide variety of game genres, and is powered by the SteamOS, a custom OS built atop Linux.”
The companies who will be creating Steam Machines are:
What are your thoughts on these Steam Machines? Do you plan on buying one, or maybe building your own?
I know a guy who would gladly buy one, should they be available in Europe for decent price. Otherwise he'll keep his PC under his TV.
I just find it amusing that Linux may become the dominant gaming OS as a result.
I maybe buy one at some point.
I think this is going to remain a very niche product. At best we'll see some improvements for games on linux. At worst the internet will shake with the cries of the entitled select few.
So far I haven't seen a single reason why a SteamOS would be better for any game than windows 7. And you're dreaming about linux becoming the "dominant" platform. That's a joke.
I don't see this making Linux dominant over anything.
I think Valve is out to lunch on this. I don't really know who these would appeal to. I can already hook my gaming laptop up to my TV and use Steam's Big Picture and sit on the couch with a controller if I want to. These seem like novelty boxes more than anything, at least at this point.
You're correct, it was a joke.
IIRC, the selling point vs. Steam on Windows is that somehow Windows OS is holding back performance - so with a custom Linux OS, theoretically games would perform better. The idea is that by putting the weight of Steam/Valve behind it, there may be enough critical mass to force a) hardware manufacturers to solidly support the Linux drivers and game developers to actually release the games in a Linux compatible format with c) good controller support for the PC (no keyboard required.)
It will depend on gaining a sizeable market share fairly quickly in order for it to gain critical mass; based on the skeptical reception so far, I don't really see that happening.
Personally, I don't think it's the right problem to solve - PCs generally have far superior performance to consoles at any point other than immediately after the consoles' introduction - with or without Windows. Also, game developers who target consoles are still going to have to develop for the other major contenders, even if they also target SteamOS - so it won't "unleash" some super-performance game that the Playstation/Xbox consoles only get to play in some hamstrung format. Lowest common denominator still wins.
On the plus side, all of these Steam boxes will be fully capable of running Windows or other Linux distros should the SteamBox thing not work out (vs. say a PS4 - which if Sony went away tomorrow would become a big paperweight.)
the idea is that they don't like windows 8+ with its own store built in... and possibility of ms going down the apple route.. and getting locked out...
This is the truth with many 32-bit games/engines, such as Sins of a Solar Empire, which suffer from the Windows imposed 2 GB RAM limit.
Falcon Northwest still exists?
With the prices of their pcs and people who would want to waste that much money I guess so haha. Thats really sad.
I won't buy one because building your own is still way cheaper and more rewarding. I still want to hear more about steam controller, I might get one but not sure...
I wish I had the money or knew how to program this would be a dream.
A request I have an idea fpr a game. First I would like to say that spore sucked. Now this is the game I thought I was buying. In the cell stage I would like fish in stage five. In the creature stage I think people want the chance to be human. When the egg hatches you would be the new species, but everyone else still would be the old species. In order to get the more advanced appendage you should be required to use it. It make more sense to get a more ecolved part if you are addapting with that kind of part. Now instead of waiting when you are ready for the tribal stage it should make you go instead of cheasily gaining points. In the tribal stage there should be more parts to make you more alien. These weren't the big problems of the game the next three stages were. In the tribal stage you should do something something like virtual willage and the prehistoric era on empire earth. If you befriend a tribe instead of conquering them then they should make it into the civilization stage. The civilization stage should be more like empire earth or civ world. The customize ability in spore sucked. Theur customizing wasn't enough. You needed to make more than one vehicle for the whole stage. First in the civilization stage you start out without a horse, and you keep upgrading until you have a tank. Instead of having a tank for the whole time. The clothing should change depending where you are at technologically. Now in the space stage it whould be more like Sins of a solar empire, Shattered suns, or Distant worlds. I guess some of these abilities and stuff would be dependent on how you play. I think if spore would have had stuff like this I would still be playing it. If you think a turn based of these things then that would work to.
Even though I can't afford to buy a game engine or do I have the skills to make these games. I would like to see someone make these games I mentioned.
I think you're missing the point of the Steam Box.
For us "PC Enthusiasts", we could say "oh go build a PC" since we would know what to buy and what's good and what's not as well as putting the thing together. However the Steam Box is not aimed at us "PC Enthusiasts".
It's probably aimed at that console market. People who don't know how to go about building a PC. To make it easier for them to enter PC gaming. It's essentially the gateway drug to PC gaming in that showing the pros of PC Gaming in a somewhat cheap and easy manner in hopes they would invest in more PC related items and games.
The biggest selling points of the Steam Box are probably this.
I could be wrong, but brief look over Steambox idea reminds me of "consoles extended" - they have broader specs options than consoles, so they are more flexible. Yet because they have (apparently) only selected array of hardware components, it could make software optimization for that specific hardware easier. So it could be natural middle ground - we have fixed consoles hardware with best optimization possible, free PC market with worts optimization possible, and something inbetween - steamboxes.
I ran through local stores prices, it doesn't seem like buying components and assemblying own "steambox" will be much cheaper than buying already built ones. Of course, careful search, choosing proper store could save a buck, but it's nothing outstanding - just few games on Steam Sale.
What exactly is a steambox.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=steam+box
Steambox is Valve's solution to bring more SteamOs into our houses, through those who want PC that is more powerful than consoles, but less troublesome than PC, especially in terms of DYI.
Does it come packaged with Episode 3?
That would turn them into best-seller and Microsoft will, probably, close itself.
Not interested and kind of hoping it flops and dies out.
PC gaming is strong right now - on PCs - we don't need some other wonky platform screwing up what has returned to being a good thing.
Plus as much as I like Steam I think Valve has enough of a hand in PC gaming as it is.
Steambox is a PC.
And if Valve will kick one not so large soft into bollocks, I wouldn't mind that.
I think the idea of upgradability might miss the whole point of the box. 'PC enthusiasts' might not have any problem upgrading it, but if these are directed towards ordinary people/console audience then they might not know how to upgrade the box anyway.
As a PC enthusiast I would only buy one if I could salvage it for parts at better prices than buying retail.
I sincerely hope Valve makes this a success. Then consoles would be further weakened and Gamestop can DIE quicker!
Heavenfall,
Did you like me think "Mamma Scans köttbullar!" when you saw Scan in the companylist?
I did! And I was equally surprised to see Webhallen on the list.
Pro P.c. here.
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