Steam page shows 3 announcements coming

[Skel]

I really hope this controller works better than it looks like it does. While my first thought is it's a huge joke, I was wrong about the xbox controller which I ended up preferring to the other ones, so this really does have a chance to work. If nothing else at least this is more concrete than the rest of the announcements.

 

[werepossum]

HL3 has officially become vaporware to me. I've held hope as long as I can. All 3 announcements have been a giant letdown.

LOL Officially renamed Half Life Forever.

I'm pretty disappointed. Was really hoping for some info on HL3, L4D3, or Portal 3. My disappointment probably makes me hate this even more, but the whole living room PC gaming thing is pointless to me. I have a 27" 1440p monitor, a good sound system, a comfortable chair, and VERY easy to use KB+M at my PC. Why would I want to play games with a very awkward looking dual touchpad interface? As others have said, it seems pretty terrible beyond FPS games, which are still considerably better with KB+M.

I'm in the same boat, except I play with joystick and trackball. My wife might play her games on the television, but nowadays she's transitioned almost entirely to the iPad so she's not going to buy any hardware to use the PC on the computer. Now if she could stream the iPad to the TV . . . But then she'd still have to look at the iPad to control the game, so unless Valve believes video games are the next big spectator sport I don't see much future in that.

The way people are publishing their every thought and action I'm surprised that Valve isn't devising a way to stream one's gaming to the Internet.

 

[mmntech]

The new controller looks very weird to me. Give me an analogue stick and I'm happy. Buttons are in an odd place too. At least they're giving you the option to use it or not.

 

[blurredvision]

Judging just from looks and how I think it would work, I'd be surprised if this isn't a huge flop. I just don't see this working very well. However, I can't imagine Valve would put this thing out there if it didn't at least perform, so I'm interested to read impressions whenever it comes to market.

 

[Geosurface]

I'll try that controller probably, but I have my doubts too.

I feel like it's just going to be a really awkward way to control... and that you're going to have to keep lifting your thumbs up and putting them back down, whereas with the thumbsticks you can just keep them on there.

 

[Staples]

There are a lot of idiots out there who say a controller sucks for anything. They all pledged allegiance to the PC master race.

I say, sure go ahead and play your racing games with digital controls, you are too dumb to know the difference.

Unfortunately, these are the most vocal and shout the loudest making it seem like there are tons of idiot PC gamers out there.

As for me, I think the Xbox Controller works well enough for a controller and the mouse/kb works great for its purpose.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

What this looks like to me is a far better substitute for a mouse (and keyboard) than a standard gamepad and not so much a substitute for a standard gamepad.

 

[sweenish]

There are a lot of idiots out there who say a controller sucks for anything. They all pledged allegiance to the PC master race.

I say, sure go ahead and play your racing games with digital controls, you are too dumb to know the difference.

Unfortunately, these are the most vocal and shout the loudest making it seem like there are tons of idiot PC gamers out there.

As for me, I think the Xbox Controller works well enough for a controller and the mouse/kb works great for its purpose.

The problem with the idiots, is that they're idiots. Diehard racing game fans were on PC first, because of analog wheels.

Actual-for-real gamers use whatever works best, on whatever platform(s) they chose. This is just another option, although for now I'm holding off on calling this particular controller.

 

[tential]

To those saying the Steam Box will have trouble finding a pricepoint below 500 dollars, I want you to remember that we as PC Gamerse have MUCH higher standards for graphics than console gamers (most of us don't even know medium preset exists).

This review from TomsHardware though shows us the type of stuff you can do with $400.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-do-it-yourself-game-console,3531-15.html

You get what you pay for oibviously so I think a person who is interested in a $400 steambox and has that kind of budget for gaming will be VERY happy. Especially since the steam box is scheduled for a next year release so there will be better graphics cards options than a 7790. It's possible though!

 

[tential]

How am I supposed to pull off my Tekken combos with that thing?

Lol, with a gamepad duh. If you're serious about Tekken you definitely got one! I like the xbox 360 controller for tekken though (I hold it funny). This is the announcement I have the least faith in, but it's also the least important one of their announcements (IMO at least). It's very easy to just fall back on a PS4/XB1 type controller if this thing doesn't work. I'l wait to see though but it looks meh to me right now.

 

[Childs]

Lol, with a gamepad duh. If you're serious about Tekken you definitely got one! I like the xbox 360 controller for tekken though (I hold it funny). This is the announcement I have the least faith in, but it's also the least important one of their announcements (IMO at least). It's very easy to just fall back on a PS4/XB1 type controller if this thing doesn't work. I'l wait to see though but it looks meh to me right now.

Supposedly even a 360 controller is good for fighting games because of the inferior dpad. But then you can always buy a stick if it matters that much.

Anyways, these trackpads should be good for shooters. Seems like a better option for people who are used to the keyboard and mouse combo. I can't aim at all using thumbsticks. I would give this controller a shot before I use the 360 controller for anything that requires aiming.

 

[tential]

Supposedly even a 360 controller is good for fighting games because of the inferior dpad. But then you can always buy a stick if it matters that much.

Anyways, these trackpads should be good for shooters. Seems like a better option for people who are used to the keyboard and mouse combo. I can't aim at all using thumbsticks. I would give this controller a shot before I use the 360 controller for anything that requires aiming.

I can use the 360 controller for shooters but well, I wouldn't want to play against PC users using it. I'm going to be trying in 5-6 days on the BF4 beta so you can see me struggle on 360 while ya'll play on M/KB master race.

I'll definitely try the controller before knocking it though. I'm no doom/gloom person, I prefer to see how things play out. It certainly doesn't look like it will work, but I can say that for a LOT of products and they w orked much beter than I thought.

The more I look at this package steam has put together the more I can see that it CAN succeed. It's just WILL it succeed.

 

[Dankk]

I don't think this has been posted yet. In this Gamasutra article, several developers who've actually used the Steam controller for themselves write about what it feels like:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...the_Steam_Controller_Heres_what_they_said.php

Tommy Refenes (Super Meat Boy developer) writes a very detailed explanation of his time with the Steam controller:

http://tommyrefenes.tumblr.com/post/62476523677/my-time-with-the-steam-controller

 

[Lonyo]

To those saying the Steam Box will have trouble finding a pricepoint below 500 dollars, I want you to remember that we as PC Gamerse have MUCH higher standards for graphics than console gamers (most of us don't even know medium preset exists).

This review from TomsHardware though shows us the type of stuff you can do with $400.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-do-it-yourself-game-console,3531-15.html


You get what you pay for oibviously so I think a person who is interested in a $400 steambox and has that kind of budget for gaming will be VERY happy. Especially since the steam box is scheduled for a next year release so there will be better graphics cards options than a 7790. It's possible though!

7750.
But overall, those specs for $400 are worse than a PS4 for $400, and it will perform worse than a PS4, since the hardware is pretty much directly comparable.
The only difference is that it's a higher clocked dual core CPU rather than low clocked octa-core CPU, which might mean there are a few edge case CPU limitations on the PS4, but the PS4 has more RAM, faster RAM, better CPU overall, faster GPU, an optical drive (so that you don't need a DVD player/etc hooked up to your TV).

Yes, it doesn't have the freedom of a PC, but the problem is that the PC there has a very limited shelf life. 1GB GPU RAM for 1080p gaming, dual core CPU, etc.
While they may work just about OK for now, it's not really very future proof, even at a basic level, given that we're about to get a whole generation of new games which push graphical requirements due to two new consoles being released.

The R7 260X is most likely to be a suitable entry level graphics card for such systems, which has currently unknown specs, but should be $140, meaning that you could build a dual core 4GB RAM system with sufficient graphics card for $425 or so, but you will have CPU and potentially RAM issues going forwards, and you won't ever be able to go for highest settings on new high end games.

If you scrap the "retail" requirements and assume that OEMs can do some real stuff to get prices down, and have minimal margins, you might manage something which works in the shorter term though. That THG system is not particularly good for suggesting what you can actually get for $400.

B85 motherboard (cheapest on Newegg): $65
Cheapest quad-core Intel CPU: $190 / $70 dual core
8GB RAM: $55 / 4GB $30
AMD HD7850 2GB: $135
500GB HDD : $55

Case and PSU: $20 (generic price for something just good enough at knockdown/mass production price)

Total: $375 for HD7850, dual core CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD
$520 for HD7850, quad core, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD

AMD, $85 for a decent enough quad core CPU, $48 for motherboard, total price of $373.

Knock off 10% to be nice for non-retail pricing and it's $335 barebones with lower than console specs.


$442 for an mATX system that could game acceptably.
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1061446/matxgaming.png
3.8GHz Trinity quad core, HD7850 2GB, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD.
Three free games (Ghost Recon and two AMD Silver level games).

 

[SirFelixCat]

The thing you guys are missing is that you're paying retail if you build your own rig. These guys buy in bulk and it'll be considerably cheaper. IMO, you guys are way off here. :shrug:

 

[Lonyo]

The thing you guys are missing is that you're paying retail if you build your own rig. These guys buy in bulk and it'll be considerably cheaper. IMO, you guys are way off here. :shrug:

Knock off 10% to be nice for non-retail pricing and it's $335 barebones with lower than console specs.

Plus I mentioned throwing in $20 for case/PSU/assembly, as a generic low price, which is nowhere near what you would have to pay in the real world ($40+), then I discounted that $20 by 10%.


Also, if you look at the pricing that someone like iSuppli ascribes to consoles, their prices for optical drives and HDDs (the comparable parts to what you'd get for a PC) have been higher than Newegg prices for the same part at the same time of year, for PS3 and Xbox 360.

So if we're way off, and I already mentioned including a discount for non-retail pricing, then the people who do this "for real" and get quoted in mainstream publications are also way off (which I do think is the case).

 

[gorobei]

first impressions of new controller
http://kotaku.com/valves-controller-has-been-tested-here-are-some-impre-1415579308

so theoretically you could use it like a trackball, reassign it to steer a car like the jog wheel on an old ipod, and emulate a dpad because of the haptic simulator.

 

[BladeVenom]

 

[flexy]

If you see what MS pulls off, making DirectX 11.2 a "Win 8 Exclusive"...you will understand WHY we need an alternative gaming OS....

Forcing people to "upgrade" to a sh!t OS only to have DX 11.2

 

[Skel]

Danger to who?

 

[destrekor]

If you see what MS pulls off, making DirectX 11.2 a "Win 8 Exclusive"...you will understand WHY we need an alternative gaming OS....

Forcing people to "upgrade" to a sh!t OS only to have DX 11.2

It's actually a wonderful OS, especially for gaming. It's the fastest and most resource-efficient Windows release.

It just has a new look that requires some adaptation.

It has been standard practice for DirectX versions to be tied exclusively to certain kernel/Windows versions.

If you notice, DirectX 11.1 is already exclusive to Win8. 11.2 will be exclusive to 8.1.
This is similar to 9.0c being exclusive to XP SP2 - and future releases getting Vista and then Win7 exclusive status.
:\

 

[Red Storm]

The comments from the various developers that have used the Steam Controller have me intrigued, I can't wait to try it out. One thing they all say is that while it's called a "trackpad" it's not at all like a laptop trackpad which was my initial worry.

 

[Pheran]

If you notice, DirectX 11.1 is already exclusive to Win8.

No it isn't. Microsoft claimed it would be at one point and then pulled the Xbox 180 maneuver.

 

[destrekor]

No it isn't. Microsoft claimed it would be at one point and then pulled the Xbox 180 maneuver.

Are you referring to the Platform Update for Windows 7, which brought partial support for 11.1, as in the inclusion of some features?

I'm fairly certain only Windows 8 has FULL support for 11.1.

 

[smackababy]

Are you referring to the Platform Update for Windows 7, which brought partial support for 11.1, as in the inclusion of some features?

I'm fairly certain only Windows 8 has FULL support for 11.1.

I thought only the non gaming stuff was not on Windows 7 for 11.1. MS basically forcing enterprise to upgrade (which if MS doesn't force, they stay on Windows 98 for 2 decades...) and gamers / home users aren't really forced.