Valve making a console (Rumor: with picture inside)

[Rage187]

This has been floating around for a couple days but has really taken off in the last 24 hours: http://kotaku.com/5890275/is-this-a-photo-of-valves-rumored-console


My thoughts. Well, I got out of pc gaming because it cost too damn much to ride the upgrade train.

This is interesting though. steam games are far cheaper than my Xbox games. They have games my Xbox does not have. This hardware sounds like it will be comparable to the next Xbox. If they can price it right, I just might bite.



And if I had to guess. I would think Valve has been planning this for the better part of 10 years. They do a lot of hardware analytics and it would be easy to conclude from that data, "if we make a baseline system that covers 80% of the market, we can get paid"

 

[viivo]

Why can't they just make a super streamlined gaming OS? OpenGL to the max.

Really, I can't see this happening. They have to be smart enough to know this could never compete with the big three, especially if it's DD only. People still love having physical copies with artwork and manuals.

 

[alent1234]

It has major fail written all over it

 

[zerocool84]

Why can't they just make a super streamlined gaming OS? OpenGL to the max.

Really, I can't see this happening. They have to be smart enough to know this could never compete with the big three, especially if it's DD only. People still love having physical copies with artwork and manuals.

Steam has shown that people can live without physical copies, especially if the price is right. I'm not saying this would be successful but Steam is huge so I won't count them out.

 

[ManBearPig]

I'd buy it.

 

[Slick5150]

I'd be interested in seeing the specifics on such an idea, but I'm in favor of it at face value.

 

[micrometers]

You know, if Valve came out with a wand pointer that simulated a mouse, that might be interesting. And if they came out with some API that made control less like a PC and more like a WII, I'm talking like adjusting the acceleration and shit.

 

[thilanliyan]

I'll keep my CPU thanks...not bad for people who don't play too many demanding games though.

 

[American Gunner]

I wonder if it will be overrated like their games.

 

[Rage187]

I wonder if it will be overrated like their games.

Half life 2
Portal 1 and 2
Counter strike
Team Fortress 2

What games have they put out that are overrated?

 

[American Gunner]

Half life 2
Portal 1 and 2
Counter strike
Team Fortress 2

What games have they put out that are overrated?

Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 come to mind.

 

[cmdrdredd]

A few things come to mind.

1) PC games are largely ports or the game is available on console anyway. Most games on steam outside the indy games are also available on console. Some examples are Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dirt 3, DeusEx.

2) PC gaming is more expensive than consoles. To make this device viable in the market it needs to be priced near console pricing. Last time I checked a good video card that would run Skyrim or Crysis on maxed details is more than the cost of a PS3 and a game. You could say that it would run the game on medium settings, but then you'd be dropping down to Xbox360 and PS3 visuals. At which point this doesn't look so good since there are numerous games on the Xbox360 and PS3 both that are exclusive.

3) Most people who know what Valve is and what Steam is are PC gamers already. They have a gaming PC that would probably outclass any box that Valve could build. They also probably have invested in keyboards, mice, and other peripherals for their gaming needs. Buying a new box to play the games they already enjoy on an inferior device with lower resolution isn't going to be an option for them.

4) Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have a history of exclusive titles that draw people to that system. They are also well established household names. It's hard to break into a market in which your competition has been around for so long and has brand recognition. Plus fragmenting the market with this game only here, that game only there is rough on the developers. To maximize sales they have to develop for multiple platforms which spreads budgets thin and for some studios, development cycles are longer than expected.

 

[cyphilis]

I would really be interested if the price is right.
I would be tickled pink if Steam would actually work right on a Valve built machine,.. because damned if I could make it work on any gaming PC I've ever built or bought.

 

[JTsyo]

I'm not sure about the market size for this though. Those that use Steam already have PCs why spend money on another platform? Some good points: the development of software will be the same as for a PC and they plan to leave the system open so that anyone can develop for it (though they will probably force the sale through Steam so that they get a cut).

 

[Beev]

because damned if I could make it work on any gaming PC I've ever built or bought.

You may want to learn how to use a computer first. That's the only thing I can think of considering how easy and seamless it's been for me every single time.

 

[BD2003]

I'm not sure about the market size for this though. Those that use Steam already have PCs why spend money on another platform? Some good points: the development of software will be the same as for a PC and they plan to leave the system open so that anyone can develop for it (though they will probably force the sale through Steam so that they get a cut).

Well, in the end I still we're still talking about a windows PC with steam preloaded and configured for use on a TV with a gamepad. It might be still be PC hardware but now we're talking about a fundamental different platform...a "console pro" that's open to modification.

It's very exciting and they're really the only ones in a position to pull this off. But this is going to be a very expensive affair...I don't think they end outselling any of the big 3, but they can definitely carve out a niche.

I'd love to throw more money at my consoles for a better experience, but that's just not possible. And PC gaming just doesn't work well on a TV yet.

Either way, the big deal here is the software, not the hardware.

 

[alent1234]

A few things come to mind.

1) PC games are largely ports or the game is available on console anyway. Most games on steam outside the indy games are also available on console. Some examples are Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dirt 3, DeusEx.

2) PC gaming is more expensive than consoles. To make this device viable in the market it needs to be priced near console pricing. Last time I checked a good video card that would run Skyrim or Crysis on maxed details is more than the cost of a PS3 and a game. You could say that it would run the game on medium settings, but then you'd be dropping down to Xbox360 and PS3 visuals. At which point this doesn't look so good since there are numerous games on the Xbox360 and PS3 both that are exclusive.

3) Most people who know what Valve is and what Steam is are PC gamers already. They have a gaming PC that would probably outclass any box that Valve could build. They also probably have invested in keyboards, mice, and other peripherals for their gaming needs. Buying a new box to play the games they already enjoy on an inferior device with lower resolution isn't going to be an option for them.

4) Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have a history of exclusive titles that draw people to that system. They are also well established household names. It's hard to break into a market in which your competition has been around for so long and has brand recognition. Plus fragmenting the market with this game only here, that game only there is rough on the developers. To maximize sales they have to develop for multiple platforms which spreads budgets thin and for some studios, development cycles are longer than expected.

1920x1080 video cards are dirt cheap now. you don't need a card to play crazy resolutions. same with CPU's, i doubt you will need an i7 to power this console

this will live or die by what it does other than gaming

 

[Oyeve]

If its $99 bucks or less I would pick this up for just valve gaming. Sometimes I am too lazy to want to sit at my PC to play games. PLaying valve games on my tv just by turning on the box would be cool, if it comes with decent wireless controllers. If I have to connect peripherals from my PC then whats the point?

 

[cyphilis]

You may want to learn how to use a computer first. That's the only thing I can think of considering how easy and seamless it's been for me every single time.

Can you come over and teach me? My cup holder won't stay out most of the time and the foot pedal keeps sliding around on my floor.

 

[Drako]

Can you come over and teach me? My cup holder won't stay out most of the time and the foot pedal keeps sliding around on my floor.

LOL :thumbsup:

 

[cmdrdredd]

1920x1080 video cards are dirt cheap now. you don't need a card to play crazy resolutions. same with CPU's, i doubt you will need an i7 to power this console

this will live or die by what it does other than gaming

Show me a card that will run Battlefield 3 or Skyrim at 1920x1080 maxed at high fps. I don't mean drop to 20fps...I mean constant fps above 40 at least. Cause if you really look, A GTX 570 doesn't cut it in Battlefield 3 on Ultra unless you shut off AA. Even then...barely on ultra. A GTX 570 is still retailing above $300.

Why does this matter? Because if you have to drop details on games to get good performance then you may as well just play on your Xbox or PS3.

 

[sigurros81]

It has major fail written all over it

That's what people said about the Xbox when Microsoft decided to throw itself into the console arena.

I for one uses Steam a lot, and because of Steam that I have a backlist of games that I have not had a chance to play, I just bought them out of impulse because they were dirt cheap during a Steam sale, and I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. So from a business standpoint, it could be a smart move on Valve's part.

 

[zerocool84]

1920x1080 video cards are dirt cheap now. you don't need a card to play crazy resolutions. same with CPU's, i doubt you will need an i7 to power this console

this will live or die by what it does other than gaming

Even just 720p would be better than most console games out there. No need for 1080p.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Even just 720p would be better than most console games out there. No need for 1080p.

Yeah there is...because this thing NEEDS to be many times better than consoles or people will just go back to the argument "why should I buy this? Every good PC game is available for my Xbox360 anyway and then I still have Halo and Gears of War."

When you're up against established names with zero platform exclusive titles outside of indy titles you need to have something to make people say "WOW I want that".

 

[Cuda1447]

Yeah there is...because this thing NEEDS to be many times better than consoles or people will just go back to the argument "why should I buy this? Every good PC game is available for my Xbox360 anyway and then I still have Halo and Gears of War."

When you're up against established names with zero platform exclusive titles outside of indy titles you need to have something to make people say "WOW I want that".

So they need their own exclusive titles. Valve can make good games. Look at the popularity of Modern Warfare 3. You don't think Valve couldn't produce a new age CS that competed with MW3? That'd be a hell of an exclusive. Valve can make games. They also are on the cutting edge of distribution models, which may or may not take off, but if it does they will be a leader in that area. Perhaps that will drive prices of games down, which would be an advantage for their console. I see no reason why they can't make a console that performs as well as PS4 or Xbox4, but obviously price point will be important.


All in all, I don't see why this would be a fail necessarily. I'd be even more intrigued if this has been a plan of theirs for years. And ultimately, competition is a good thing. This is exciting news and I hope they succeed.