Valve reveals Steam Box specs.

[Staples]

I though they wanted to set a baseline target for PC games but I am not so sure that is what they want to do. Seems more like they just want to get a PC out there running Steam OS which locks out any competition.

I don't see a market for this at all.

 

[AFurryReptile]

I though they wanted to set a baseline target for PC games but I am not so sure that is what they want to do. Seems more like they just want to get a PC out there running Steam OS which locks out any competition.

I don't see a market for this at all.

Does it lock out the competition though? Or does it establish a platform that any number of manufacturers may use to built HTPC's/Gaming Consoles? This is exactly what Android did for Google.

The market will be the Half-Life 3 market. Valve just purchased the patent to the name. I'm calling it: HL3 will be released as a Steam-exclusive, coinciding with the launch of Steam Machine. I wouldn't be surprised if it came with the box for free.

 

[Staples]

By lock out competition, I mean that it will never let you install Origin or any other 'store' if and when they come to Linux. I see this box letting you download and install OpenOffice (off Steam) or whatever they call it nowadays and a browser so that it can be a somewhat capable system but I really don't see any reason to run SteamOS instead of Windows so I don't think they will sell many of these things.

Anyway, there are plenty of Origin only games that are very popular.

 

[flexy]

There is ONE reason which I can think of, this is that a streamlined and game-optimized OS will use less resources on a PC as compared to a Windows PC.

Then again, people today buy 4/8 core machines with 32gb of RAM, whether Windows then uses 4GB or so won't matter.

My "fear" is that SteamBox/OS will be some "enthusiast" kind-of thing where nerds can feel cool not having the Windows overhead etc....but that it won't really be something for the mainstream.

 

[StrangerGuy]

This really should have been a mono-spec PS4 with Valve branding and the option of being mobile and optional Windows support aimed for a distant 3rd place at the console market. Now I don't know how this Frankensteinian machine combining the worst of both worlds is even gonna compete in this space.

 

[TidusZ]

So I can buy a $15 cable and connect btwn my PC and tv or I can buy this steambox for $500+ which comes with a cable. I'm confused why this steambox thing exists, why not just sell really long HDMI cables or some sort of wireless streaming from pc to tv device.

 

[EDUSAN]

Pros of having Steambox instead of consoles: Game sales. Instead of $500 on a ps4, pay $600 for a steambox and you will be even in price before you buy the 3rd game for ps4. Buy games for 60 bucks for console, or buy them for 30 bucks for steambox one month later. or even cheaper the more time passes by

Pros of having steambox instead of a pc: i cant really think of any, besides beig easier to setup, probably less cables going around the livingroom, and being able to move it

the way i see it, valve is trying to make console players go back into pc gaming, but without making them lose the "console feeling". I guess Valve hates as much as pc gamers the console exclusives and want developers to add them to steambox

oh... and library sharing...

 

[Red Storm]

By lock out competition, I mean that it will never let you install Origin or any other 'store' if and when they come to Linux. I see this box letting you download and install OpenOffice (off Steam) or whatever they call it nowadays and a browser so that it can be a somewhat capable system but I really don't see any reason to run SteamOS instead of Windows so I don't think they will sell many of these things.

Anyway, there are plenty of Origin only games that are very popular.

Proof? Valve themselves have said you will be able to mod and mess with the OS and hardware as much as you want.

 

[hoorah]

Am I the only one around here who thinks that this just isn't really that interesting an idea?

A PC gaming enthusiast would generally build their own hand-picking the best bang-for-the-buck parts to maximize the cost/performance ratio.
A console gamer would just buy an X1 or PS4 and skip all the driver and possible hardware/software compatibility issues that come with a PC.

Just doesn't seem like there's much of a market for this, but I guess people with enough money will buy anything, so somebody somewhere will buy it.

I see what you mean, but as a "console" I see two distinct differences - the steam sales and the decline of hardware prices over time.

When typical consoles are just released, you usually get a bit better performance for the money than you would from a PC built for the same cost. Over time though the PC capability rapidly increases for the same money, while the console stays the same.

If the Xbox 1 has a longer product lifecycle than the 360 did, that might be a huge difference down the road. Or, with an x86 platform and AMD APUs, the consoles might have incremental upgrades along the way making this point moot. Who knows?

 

[Red Storm]

I see what you mean, but as a "console" I see two distinct differences - the steam sales and the decline of hardware prices over time.

When typical consoles are just released, you usually get a bit better performance for the money than you would from a PC built for the same cost. Over time though the PC capability rapidly increases for the same money, while the console stays the same.

If the Xbox 1 has a longer product lifecycle than the 360 did, that might be a huge difference down the road. Or, with an x86 platform and AMD APUs, the consoles might have incremental upgrades along the way making this point moot. Who knows?

Not to mention there is a large market of PC gamers who buy pre-built rigs, or there wouldn't be so many different sites that sell them. Also nothing will stop gamers from building their own Steam Box. The OS makes it a Steam Box, not the hardware.

Could be possible that Valve pulls an Amazon and prices their hardware (Kindle / Steam Box) at a loss because they know they'll make that money back from their software store (Amazon Market / Steam).

 

[hoorah]

The market will be the Half-Life 3 market. Valve just purchased the patent to the name. I'm calling it: HL3 will be released as a Steam-exclusive, coinciding with the launch of Steam Machine. I wouldn't be surprised if it came with the box for free.

Thats exactly what I was thinking, but at a much lower price point for a streaming only unit. Something like HL3 for $60, a streaming capable steambox with a free copy of HL3 for $100-150. I think a lot of people would 'give it a try' for a much smaller incremental cost, since they were going to buy HL3 anyway.

At $600 I have less faith in that strategy.

Wait, by 'steam-exlcusive' do you mean SteamOS exclusive? Because I'm pretty sure HL3 would be steam exclusive anyway....

 

[hoorah]

It just looks like it'll be an HTPC-type thing that happens to play PC games. Honestly, I don't see the problem with that. If Steam OS works well and you can get that kind of utility from it, I don't see the issue.

The only issue I see is that Steam won't have any tie in to cable TV media.

Microsoft and Sony are both fighting to be the default input device on the TV. They started with Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and are now adding apps for live streaming of cable TV with participating cable companies. I think they eventually hope to be a DVR as well.

As someone who has used HTPCs for awhile and saw how long it took to get cablelabs certification for the first cablecard tuners, I doubt steam won't be anywhere near there, at least not right away. An HTPC that can't play live TV from the cable company, while still useful, is much less cost-effective than a Roku box, apple TV, or any number of devices like blu-ray players and older xbox consoles that people already own.

Now, if somehow Valve gets the certification to use cablecard tuners in SteamOS and make a solid replacement for windows media center allowing me to downsize my gaming PC and my HTPC into one box that does both - I will be very excited. I do realize, however, that I represent a very small userbase of WMC and this probably won't be happening.

 

[festa_freak]

It's neat. I won't buy a pre-made computer from anyone anymore but if I didn't have a laptop I would make one.

remember that steamOS will be more streamlined for gaming than windows.

 

[AFurryReptile]

Wait, by 'steam-exlcusive' do you mean SteamOS exclusive? Because I'm pretty sure HL3 would be steam exclusive anyway....

Well, HL2 came out on PS3 and XBOX. I don't think they'll do that this time, and that may bring over some people still on the fence about which next-gen console to buy.

 

[werepossum]

Does it lock out the competition though? Or does it establish a platform that any number of manufacturers may use to built HTPC's/Gaming Consoles? This is exactly what Android did for Google.

The market will be the Half-Life 3 market. Valve just purchased the patent to the name. I'm calling it: HL3 will be released as a Steam-exclusive, coinciding with the launch of Steam Machine. I wouldn't be surprised if it came with the box for free.

A Steam exclusive is one thing, and I have no problem with that. A SteamOS exclusive is quite another thing. I might have some interest in a SteamBox since I have no HTPC IF it looks like the SteamBox is a capable contender with Windows Media Center. But while I expect to buy Half Life 3 on Day 1, if it's a SteamOS exclusive I'll be skipping it entirely, on principle.

 

[Skel]

Pros of having Steambox instead of consoles: Game sales. Instead of $500 on a ps4, pay $600 for a steambox and you will be even in price before you buy the 3rd game for ps4. Buy games for 60 bucks for console, or buy them for 30 bucks for steambox one month later. or even cheaper the more time passes by

Pros of having steambox instead of a pc: i cant really think of any, besides beig easier to setup, probably less cables going around the livingroom, and being able to move it

the way i see it, valve is trying to make console players go back into pc gaming, but without making them lose the "console feeling". I guess Valve hates as much as pc gamers the console exclusives and want developers to add them to steambox

oh... and library sharing...

I'm a bit confused with your pricing in this post. Almost every game drops in price one month later from release regardless of platform. Not sure how you're calling the PC pricing special, if anything I'm locked into possibly higher prices if I can only use Steam to buy it as I lose retailers like Amazon who put crap on sale all the time.

Proof? Valve themselves have said you will be able to mod and mess with the OS and hardware as much as you want.

Don't disagree with you, I don't think Valve would lock anyone out of it at this point. However I doubt that EA or anyone else with a competing platform are going to make any clients for this. Why put money into a competitors platform when you can just release for everyone but them. That right there puts the box behind everyone else.

Having said that I see a new point on this... "Hate MS?? Do you boycott EA? Then get a Steam Machine and you'll never have to worry about seeing either!!!" Practically sells itself!!

 

[flexy]

It's neat. I won't buy a pre-made computer from anyone anymore but if I didn't have a laptop I would make one.

remember that steamOS will be more streamlined for gaming than windows.

This may very well the case...but will there be a noticeable difference when I have a decent PC and run Win XYZ vs. booting into SteamOS?

If there is NONE...it's more or less pointless EXCEPT a "coolness" factor and of course that you won't have to purchase/install Windows "to game". But when Win will STILL have more games to choose from it will also be a big factor...people will buy that system where companies will make games for. "A few" OpenGL games won't cut it to make people drool over SteamOS/SteamBox. (In the END it will still "only" be yet another Linux distribution)

 

[Staples]

Proof? Valve themselves have said you will be able to mod and mess with the OS and hardware as much as you want.

Just my speculation although I have not read much about the OS. Mainly because they have not said much really. I have always assumed it will be like chrome OS but instead of chrome as the main interface/store, steam will be the store and only point of software installation.

Just my speculation and I'd like to be wrong.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

There is ONE reason which I can think of, this is that a streamlined and game-optimized OS will use less resources on a PC as compared to a Windows PC.

Then again, people today buy 4/8 core machines with 32gb of RAM, whether Windows then uses 4GB or so won't matter.

This has been redundant for a long time.

The addition of multi-core CPUs and ever increasing processing speeds and memory availability mean that quad core machines with 4Gb have been somewhat standard medium range gaming rigs for many years.

The days of OS overhead being in any way relevant what so ever are LONG gone, I still have idiot friends who optimise their OS by disabling services that use about 0.00001% of their RAM and 0.001% of their available CPUs cycles.

An OS optimised for gaming back in the windows 98 days would have been amazing, but these days it's completely pointless.

Other than being free I don't see any other benefit of steam OS, nothing that makes up for the tiny fraction of games it will run compared to windows.