valve launching a CONSOLE

[quinntendopower1]

steam box

lol, here we go.

[phill0046]

No link? No info? failthread.

[A.Wilder]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertco...m-box-console/

It's a rumor at this point. But, it makes sense to me. Provide a baseline PC with a streamlined OS for gaming support. Kind of like an XBOX/PS3 except there is no licensing fees and it will allow the use of other gaming services, such as Origin.

[sca2511]

Looks good and a viable alternative. Coming from Valve, can only mean good things unless it takes forever ala Half-life 3

According to sources, the company has been working on a hardware spec and associated software which would make up the backbone of a "Steam Box." The actual devices may be made by a variety of partners, and the software would be readily available to any company that wants to get in the game.

Apparently meetings were held during CES to demo a hand-built version of the device to potential partners. We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The devices will be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up.

Part of the goal of establishing a baseline for hardware, we're told, is that it will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years. Additionally, there won't be a required devkit, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform.

We're hearing that a wide variety of USB peripherals will be compatible with the boxes, though it will likely ship with a proprietary controller. It's possible that the controller will even allow for swappable components, meaning that it can be reconfigured depending on the type of game you're playing.

The Steam Box could be unveiled at GDC, though we're also hearing that the company may wait until E3 this year to show off what it's been working on.

Source

[BRealistic]

So basically it is just a micro-PC with VALVE on the case?

I can see why game developers would want such a thing- as it is MUCH easier to develop a game to a certain PC build versus have to make games that can wow on a top spec PC and also run acceptably on more basic spec machines.

How about just making a certification spec (cpu, ram, gpu) that can allow a PC to become a STEAM BOX? Have some type of program run on a PC that can test and score the machine- and list what needs to be changed/improved to become a STEAM BOX.

[A.Wilder]

i'm sure they will look into "steam/valve" approved labeling for Dells/Alienware and the like. Just another way to market them! I think this could be a great benefit for PC gaming.

I just hope they can get it to a decent price point. It needs to compete with NextBox and PS4, since that is what it will be constantly compared to.

[MeineFolks'wagen]

i'm sure they will look into "steam/valve" approved labeling for Dells/Alienware and the like. Just another way to market them! I think this could be a great benefit for PC gaming.

I just hope they can get it to a decent price point. It needs to compete with NextBox and PS4, since that is what it will be constantly compared to.

I agree - if it's more than $400, I'm not sure if it will succeed. It's going to have to be available for about the same price as a console or, at the very least, not TOO much more. If it's too much more than that, you may as well just go out and build your own PC and accomplish the same thing.

[sca2511]

Decent price + upgradable components

Doesn't really matter to those of us who own gaming PCs though.

[Elbows]

Definitely interesting.

BUT...if its coming out at the same time as the next Xbox or PS...it could be damn tough sell. I'd probably prefer the Steam Box though....since I predominantly play PC games.

[A.Wilder]

more news

http://kotaku.com/5890275/is-this-a-...umored-console

[BRealistic]

Decent price + upgradable components

Doesn't really matter to those of us who own gaming PCs though.

But this is the weird thing- Valve's loyal customer base are the ones with PCs that can easily play games (gaming PCs).
Why would they also buy a limited use PC Steam Box Console Valve Magiger?

[A.Wilder]

But this is the weird thing- Valve's loyal customer base are the ones with PCs that can easily play games (gaming PCs).
Why would they also buy a limited use PC Steam Box Console Valve Magiger?

I see it as a box to draw in the casual/console-only crowd, like Quintintendopower

[MeineFolks'wagen]

But this is the weird thing- Valve's loyal customer base are the ones with PCs that can easily play games (gaming PCs).
Why would they also buy a limited use PC Steam Box Console Valve Magiger?

I would agree, but look at someone like me. I'm a console only gamer at this point because I simply can't afford to keep up with PC gaming. For my $300 purchase price for my Xbox or PS3, I've probably got a good 5-10 years worth of gaming in it. I buy a PC, I can probably get away for maybe 1-3 years before having to do an upgrade. If I could go out and buy a gaming PC for $300 - $400, I'd be back in the market (assuming of course it too would get me 5-10 years of play which it probably wouldn't). Of course it would have to hook up to my TV, I'm not buying a monitor

But the other thing with that is this - I would argue the vast majority of games that come out nowadays come out for the consoles as well. Are there exclusives? Sure, but I would say the vast majority are available for both. So is there really that big of a gaming market to capture by having a budget priced PC gaming platform? I dunno, is there?

[sca2511]

Actually if you buy a decent gaming PC, it should last you 4 years+. Plus the image quality would be much higher than consoles. The only thing that keeps me from moving onto only PC are the console exclusives.

[BRealistic]

Actually if you buy a decent gaming PC, it should last you 4 years+. Plus the image quality would be much higher than consoles. The only thing that keeps me from moving onto only PC are the console exclusives.

Console gaming became more popular because most people have larger TVs than monitors- which makes it more comfortable to sit back from a normal viewing distance versus being up at your desk inches from the monitor.
While I think that is still true, it is also getting easier to connect a PC to your HDTV.

[Egz]

Meh, rather have HL2: Ep 3.

[BRealistic]

Meh, rather have HL2: Ep 3.

And you think the reason we don't have HL2: Ep 3 is because Valve is pondering this console?...
It has been almost five years since HL 2 Ep 2 was released... if they really wanted to make HL 2 Ep 3.. they would have done it before now. And that pisses me off since they left the story in such a crappy moment.

[A.Wilder]

to be honest i lost interest in the HL series a loooong time ago. But, i imagine it would be a great release title with a new box

[BRealistic]

to be honest i lost interest in the HL series a loooong time ago. But, i imagine it would be a great release title with a new box

Ahhhh. good point.
Maybe they think a new HL2 Ep or even HL3 will be their must have game that sells the console.
Even if they release it for PC and the other systems a few months later, many will buy a console just for a new HL game.

And I never loose interest in a good story... as Half-Life 2 a very good science fiction.

[A.Wilder]

I have no idea what happened after HL1

[NoDubJustYet]

Just gonna leave this here:

[A.Wilder]

Just gonna leave this here:

why? Valve is a real company with a track record of products. Phantom was not. I don't see the connection.

[NoDubJustYet]

It's the whole PC console thing...

[BRealistic]

It's the whole PC console thing...

Like the xbox?

[A.Wilder]

It's the whole PC console thing...

Like the PS3 and Wii? You realize consoles are basically just PCs with custom OS, right?

[SOAR]

Are there exclusives? Sure, but I would say the vast majority are available for both. So is there really that big of a gaming market to capture by having a budget priced PC gaming platform? I dunno, is there?

If you ask me, as far as exclusives go... PC gaming has consoles beat by a long shot. I mean, just Blizzard alone gives you a trifecta of AMAZING games... WoW, Diablo, Starcraft. That right there would be enough for me to invest in something like a PC-console(that sounds weird) if I didnt already have a gaming rig. There's more... Civilization(5 is PC/Mac exclusive), Company of Heroes, The Witcher, Stalker, the Total War series, Arma, Half-Life... I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. That's not even including the glorious indie PC gaming scene, which far outshines consoles in that respect.

I'm not concerned with that stuff at all. What I am concerned with is... Will this box have standardized internals, or give you hardware options? If it is standardized, I worry about them dumbing visuals and performance down to console levels.

[A.Wilder]

Even non-exclusives are practically NEW games when you play them with DX11

[NoDubJustYet]

Like the PS3 and Wii? You realize consoles are basically just PCs with custom OS, right?

The Phantom claimed to play actual PC games... not games written for its platform.

[MeineFolks'wagen]

If you ask me, as far as exclusives go... PC gaming has consoles beat by a long shot. I mean, just Blizzard alone gives you a trifecta of AMAZING games... WoW, Diablo, Starcraft. That right there would be enough for me to invest in something like a PC-console(that sounds weird) if I didnt already have a gaming rig. There's more... Civilization(5 is PC/Mac exclusive), Company of Heroes, The Witcher, Stalker, the Total War series, Arma, Half-Life... I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. That's not even including the glorious indie PC gaming scene, which far outshines consoles in that respect.

I'm not concerned with that stuff at all. What I am concerned with is... Will this box have standardized internals, or give you hardware options? If it is standardized, I worry about them dumbing visuals and performance down to console levels.

I suppose, but it all depends on if you are into those types of games. I can't argue that World of Warcraft and similar games aren't popular (because they obviously are), but the whole MMORPG thing isn't my cup of tea. I'm also not into most of the other RPG styled games out there and to be fair, they did release a version of Half Life for consoles.

I still think that consoles are more accessible to most people or maybe they aren't as intimidating as an actual computer. If they weren't desirable, the console would have died a long time ago. It's the difference between spending a few hundred dollars versus a thousand or more (and I'm talking commercially available store bought computers, not the ones you can build off of Craigslist or mom & pop specials - I'm well aware of what people can put together for a reasonable amount of money). That's why I said if Valve can put out a gaming PC console for a few hundred bucks, I think they would have a winner. Win back the ex-PC gamers like myself

[BRealistic]

I wonder if Gabe Newell's flip flop on the virtues of the PS3, and then releasing STEAM/PORTAL2 on the PS3 just days before that stupid PSN outage (due to a data attack) lead to them thinking about their own console again.

VALVE seems to take pride in giving their customers great support.
The PSN outage showed how relying on another console network can cause problems.

[A.Wilder]

I wonder if Gabe Newell's flip flop on the virtues of the PS3, and then releasing STEAM/PORTAL2 on the PS3 just days before that stupid PSN outage (due to a data attack) lead to them thinking about their own console again.

VALVE seems to take pride in giving their customers great support.
The PSN outage showed how relying on another console network can cause problems.

Does PSN rely on Steam to some degree? I heard from somewhere that there was some kind of unity between the two, not sure if it was just speculation, tho.

[BRealistic]

Does PSN rely on Steam to some degree? I heard from somewhere that there was some kind of unity between the two, not sure if it was just speculation, tho.

Tat would make his previous ps3 bashing even more perplexing.
Who bashes a business partner they expect to continue doing business with?

[A.Wilder]

Tat would make his previous ps3 bashing even more perplexing.
Who bashes a business partner they expect to continue doing business with?

wasn't there x-platform play for Portal 2 on PS3 and PC, but not 360?

and i agree, it doesn't make sense, which is why im confused! But $$$ seems to change minds pretty easily, and it would make sense for Sony to find a partner who knows wtf they are doing after they screwed the pooch with poor network roll-out.

[SOAR]

and i agree, it doesn't make sense, which is why im confused! But $$$ seems to change minds pretty easily, and it would make sense for Sony to find a partner who knows wtf they are doing after they screwed the pooch with poor network roll-out.

Gabe is a smart enough businessman that he will certainly push aside his personal feelings for a good business deal.

[BRealistic]

Gabe is a smart enough businessman that he will certainly push aside his personal feelings for a good business deal.

Who cares about sticking to your beliefs when there is money to be made?