Valve Confirms SteamBox

[xefaros]

They make it linux so they dont have to pay a buttload of licenses to microsoft.Most users will wipe linux and download a pirated windows copy and make a it work.But its still a small transition to open source OS for developers.It is surly steambox valve is no hardware manufacturer,backing this project is a way of not getting involved with that market.

Also valve piston steam? what the hell they building? oh please be a mecha bear with lasers

 

[janjotat]

Don't think it'll sell well. The pc gamers will stay on the pc and mainstream console gamers will stick to what they know. Leaving a small minority that would buy it if they had the funds to do so. Still props for trying something new.

 

[Vigormortis]

Sorry pal, it's not a Console, it's a Semi-Fixed Linux Based PC, not a new Video Game Console... Sorry.

Is it Linux based for sure, though? The Xi3 guy said it can run...well, anything. I'd be surprised if the OS was locked into one choice only.

Their own build, yes. Based on what Mr. Newell said in the Verge interview, Valve is going to release their own line of Steam Box systems. All of which will be Linux based. (though, he said the users may install Windows or any other OS of their choosing should they want to)

Other companies, like Xi3 and nVidia will be releasing their own, respective systems. And Valve will likely support them through Steam and Big-Picture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I don't know what's funnier:

The slightly over zealous excitement from the OP, or the standard Valve detractors attempting to brush off the Steam Box as "inconsequential" or wanting to ring it's death-knell already.

snip

Yes, because Steam and it's user base (that is now larger than the user base of Xbox Live) mean nothing in the grand scheme of the games industry.

Valve is far more "known" than you think. They aren't just known for Half-Life or Team Fortress 2. (or hats)

Besides, they already have a distribution infrastructure in place that serves millions of users daily. With the right hardware production-and-distribution associates in place, how is the idea of them releasing a "console" that much of a stretch?

$1000 dollars right out the gate?

Jesus, that's a bit much.

If I had that kind of money, I'd much rather build my own PC. But still, props to Valve for trying something different. I have a feeling it'll sell like hot cakes.

That's the price for the Xi3 Piston PC. Their "top-of-the-line", tricked-out gaming computer.

Most likely, that is not what the Steam Box will be. Though, as far as I'm aware, Valve is currently testing two different versions of their Steam Box in house. One code-named Bigfoot the other named Littlefoot.

So, perhaps Bigfoot is the expensive, hardware beast version and Littlefoot is the middleware, good but not "teh uber leet" version.

[sub]yes, I said uber leet[/sub]

 

[lazy villian]

Sorry pal, it's not a Console, it's a Semi-Fixed Linux Based PC, not a new Video Game Console... Sorry.

Is it Linux based for sure, though? The Xi3 guy said it can run...well, anything. I'd be surprised if the OS was locked into one choice only.

Their own build, yes. Based on what Mr. Newell said in the Verge interview, Valve is going to release their own line of Steam Box systems. All of which will be Linux based. (though, he said the users may install Windows or any other OS of their choosing should they want to)

Other companies, like Xi3 and nVidia will be releasing their own, respective systems. And Valve will likely support them through Steam and Big-Picture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I don't know what's funnier:

The slightly over zealous excitement from the OP, or the standard Valve detractors attempting to brush off the Steam Box as "inconsequential" or wanting to ring it's death-knell already.

snip

Yes, because Steam and it's user base (that is now larger than the user base of Xbox Live) mean nothing in the grand scheme of the games industry.

Valve is far more "known" than you think. They aren't just known for Half-Life or Team Fortress 2. (or hats)

Besides, they already have a distribution infrastructure in place that serves millions of users daily. With the right hardware production-and-distribution associates in place, how is the idea of them releasing a "console" that much of a stretch?

$1000 dollars right out the gate?

Jesus, that's a bit much.

If I had that kind of money, I'd much rather build my own PC. But still, props to Valve for trying something different. I have a feeling it'll sell like hot cakes.

That's the price for the Xi3 Piston PC. Their "top-of-the-line", tricked-out gaming computer.

Most likely, that is not what the Steam Box will be. Though, as far as I'm aware, Valve is currently testing two different versions of their Steam Box in house. One code-named Bigfoot the other named Littlefoot.

So, perhaps Bigfoot is the expensive, hardware beast version and Littlefoot is the middleware, good but not "teh uber leet" version.

[sub]yes, I said uber leet[/sub]

the console market and the pc market are two different markets

thats just common sense, again its primairly young adults/teens(me) or kids, along with that, why would you buy a console for a company that makes pc games, if you already have a pc,

whats the point, you have a thing that plays games on it already, why would yo buy a new one just for valve , you wouldnt is f***ing stupid

 

[ivegotthis]

Oh yes !!! Oh YES !! Real Competetion for $ony and Micro$oft !! This really is a GOOD day for The next Gen consoles, and us Pc gamers as well. I first found out this morning at tomshardware. Really looking forward to the Next E3

I love how you put $ signs in sony and microsoft. Really shows off that you're more concerned with being better than those who use the consoles. Because Valve has never once thought about being greedy.

On topic, meh. Couldn't care less. Just another gimmic.

 

[Vigormortis]

the console market and the pc market are two different markets

thats just common sense, again its primairly young adults/teens(me) or kids, along with that, why would you buy a console for a company that makes pc games, if you already have a pc,

whats the point, you have a thing that plays games on it already, why would yo buy a new one just for valve , you wouldnt is f***ing stupid

You're under the assumption that the Steam Box will only play Valve games.

What drew you to that conclusion, if I may? Steam offers a wealth of titles from hundreds of developers and publishers. Why would Valve limit their hardware solutions to only their software titles? That makes no sense.

As for why people would want to buy it? For the same reasons anyone buys any console. To play games.

People tend to gravitate towards the system that offers them the best game, service, and feature options. If Valve can offer a better service, better gaming experience, and better feature set than Microsoft or Sony, at a better price, then people will flock to the Steam Box.

Besides, we're on the brink of a new generation of consoles anyway. Many people will be buying new systems. And, perhaps there's a large market of players out there that want a different experience from what Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo offer.

Plus, Valve's had a console game presence for years. They don't just specialize in PCs.

 

[lazy villian]

the console market and the pc market are two different markets

thats just common sense, again its primairly young adults/teens(me) or kids, along with that, why would you buy a console for a company that makes pc games, if you already have a pc,

whats the point, you have a thing that plays games on it already, why would yo buy a new one just for valve , you wouldnt is f***ing stupid

You're under the assumption that the Steam Box will only play Valve games.

What drew you to that conclusion, if I may? Steam offers a wealth of titles from hundreds of developers and publishers. Why would Valve limit their hardware solutions to only their software titles? That makes no sense.

As for why people would want to buy it? For the same reasons anyone buys any console. To play games.

People tend to gravitate towards the system that offers them the best game, service, and feature options. If Valve can offer a better service, better gaming experience, and better feature set than Microsoft or Sony, at a better price, then people will flock to the Steam Box.

Besides, we're on the brink of a new generation of consoles anyway. Many people will be buying new systems. And, perhaps there's a large market of players out there that want a different experience from what Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo offer.

Plus, Valve's had a console game presence for years. They don't just specialize in PCs.

interesting
again, the people who would want to buy a vavle console , own a pc which eleimates the need, to buy said console.
your lying to yourself at this point
because the psp did the same thing, and what happened, it failed. its failing, its a useless item it does nothing different.
valve will be an unknown console that will do nothing but weigh on peoples pockets, and again what is valvle known for thats its the popular concorcium of games, what team fortress, im sorry so im gonna stop playing cod or halo on my xbox or ps3 to play team fortress or cod on your new thing? the new thing i know nothing about
no
your lying to yourself, its a horrible idea

 

[Vigormortis]

snip

Welp, I was all set to point out how ignorant and ill-informed it was of him to, once again, say Valve only makes Half-Life and Team Fortress, that no one knows them for anything else, and that no one would buy their Steam Box just for those games. However, he went ahead and got himself banned.

Oh well. :/

 

[JoesshittyOs]

A thousand bucks? Yeah, they're gonna have to try and go cheaper than that. The only reason I've been excited about this was because it was supposed to be an affordable alternative to a PC. Guess I'm sticking with consoles for another generation.

 

[WoW Killer]

I've got to ask; who's actually going to buy one? Valve has a great big fanbase that's predominantly made up of people who're comfortable building their own PCs. Who is this for?

 

[RicoADF]

Sorry pal, it's not a Console, it's a Semi-Fixed Linux Based PC, not a new Video Game Console... Sorry.

Is it Linux based for sure, though? The Xi3 guy said it can run...well, anything. I'd be surprised if the OS was locked into one choice only.

Their own build, yes. Based on what Mr. Newell said in the Verge interview, Valve is going to release their own line of Steam Box systems. All of which will be Linux based. (though, he said the users may install Windows or any other OS of their choosing should they want to)

Other companies, like Xi3 and nVidia will be releasing their own, respective systems. And Valve will likely support them through Steam and Big-Picture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I don't know what's funnier:

The slightly over zealous excitement from the OP, or the standard Valve detractors attempting to brush off the Steam Box as "inconsequential" or wanting to ring it's death-knell already.

snip

Yes, because Steam and it's user base (that is now larger than the user base of Xbox Live) mean nothing in the grand scheme of the games industry.

Valve is far more "known" than you think. They aren't just known for Half-Life or Team Fortress 2. (or hats)

Besides, they already have a distribution infrastructure in place that serves millions of users daily. With the right hardware production-and-distribution associates in place, how is the idea of them releasing a "console" that much of a stretch?

$1000 dollars right out the gate?

Jesus, that's a bit much.

If I had that kind of money, I'd much rather build my own PC. But still, props to Valve for trying something different. I have a feeling it'll sell like hot cakes.

That's the price for the Xi3 Piston PC. Their "top-of-the-line", tricked-out gaming computer.

Most likely, that is not what the Steam Box will be. Though, as far as I'm aware, Valve is currently testing two different versions of their Steam Box in house. One code-named Bigfoot the other named Littlefoot.

So, perhaps Bigfoot is the expensive, hardware beast version and Littlefoot is the middleware, good but not "teh uber leet" version.

[sub]yes, I said uber leet[/sub]

the console market and the pc market are two different markets

thats just common sense, again its primairly young adults/teens(me) or kids, along with that, why would you buy a console for a company that makes pc games, if you already have a pc,

whats the point, you have a thing that plays games on it already, why would yo buy a new one just for valve , you wouldnt is f***ing stupid

Consoles are just small PCs, their only difference is that their all identical and thus games made for them are optimised better for that specific hardware. A steam box would be a console by definition, and thus challenging Xbox and playstion. And before you say "but it runs on linux and you can install windows on it!" so what? PlayStation 3 runs on an edited version of linux and the Xbox runs on its own windows, the only difference is that the steam box will be unlocked.

EDIT: just noticed he's been banned

 

[RedDeadFred]

Because using $ for the letter S is mature and allows us to take you seriously, right? I mean really, what is wrong with you?

(I like valve making a $team box)

This sums my thoughts up quite nicely.
Using $ instead of S is usually a sure way to spot a 12 year old.

 

[RicoADF]

A thousand bucks? Yeah, they're gonna have to try and go cheaper than that. The only reason I've been excited about this was because it was supposed to be an affordable alternative to a PC. Guess I'm sticking with consoles for another generation.

Valve hasn't released the price of their steam box. The Xi3 which has 3 versions has a higher end gaming one for 1000, but that's not the valve steam box.

I suspect around $500 or less for the steam box, computers built using standard pc parts can be done around that and if valve is smart they will sell the console at a loss as they make the money back in game sales by far, since every game is sold digitally, meaning higher profit per game (no production/shipping/retail costs)

 

[PeePantz]

I've got to ask; who's actually going to buy one? Valve has a great big fanbase that's predominantly made up of people who're comfortable building their own PCs. Who is this for?

People like me. I love video games, only play on consoles, and don't own a strong gaming rig. I feel like I've been missing out for years and, essentially, the Steambox will add me into the loop for a much softer price to go along with less intimidation.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

snip.

Ahh... thank you for explaining that. My mind is at ease now.

I've got to ask; who's actually going to buy one? Valve has a great big fanbase that's predominantly made up of people who're comfortable building their own PCs. Who is this for?

Gaming enthusiasts who are on a budget. People who are knowledgeable in the modern day video game market, but really only play on Console. Trust me, there's quite a few of us. It's mostly the idea that Steam's entire library is going to be on this thing. I've been playing on a shitty lab top for quite some time now, and have built up a Steam Library of games that won't quite work on my computer.

I'm comfortable with my Xbox, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that it sucks to see an original IP fly by us that's exclusive for the PC crowd. Games like Planetside 2, Red Orchestra, Chivalry, the list goes on.

The big problem today is that no one has yet created a solid middle ground between PC and Console gaming. Plenty of people would give this a try if it would attempt to bridge the gap between the two platforms.

 

[janjotat]

A thousand bucks? Yeah, they're gonna have to try and go cheaper than that. The only reason I've been excited about this was because it was supposed to be an affordable alternative to a PC. Guess I'm sticking with consoles for another generation.

Valve hasn't released the price of their steam box. The Xi3 which has 3 versions has a higher end gaming one for 1000, but that's not the valve steam box.

I suspect around $500 or less for the steam box, computers built using standard pc parts can be done around that and if valve is smart they will sell the console at a loss as they make the money back in game sales by far, since every game is sold digitally, meaning higher profit per game (no production/shipping/retail costs)

The motherboard is also modular(3 different parts) so you could theoretically speaking get the entry at a competitive price (relative to 720 and PS4). This way you can start gaming, and if you find it isn't enough you could specifically just upgrade he GPU/CPU/storage. In the long run it would be much cheaper (no need to buy another, just upgrade it and steam games are cheaper than consoles).

 

[Servbot 24]

Steambox, more like pc for lazies, amirite guys??

 

[Smooth Operator]

Steambox, more like pc for lazies, amirite guys??

Well you absolutely are, and because as people we are capable of such immense laziness this thing is bound to make bank.

But sofar the Steambox is just a proposed hardware/software setup by Valve which they are talking over with several companies, Xi3 is just one of them that might come to the market and in the end there will still be a wide range of "Steambox consoles" that will support that Steam-Gaming-Linux and a certain level of hardware to ensure performance.
Of course this still means you can't be quite as lazy as with the other consoles because you still got to choose the flavor of your machine and take heed that a great many games will never have Linux support.
Now Valve will no doubt convert a good number of devs to their cause but at the end of it all this is still not a plug-and-play-all system.

Also it is highly unlikely these Steambox things will be any cheaper then a plain old PC.

 

[RicoADF]

A thousand bucks? Yeah, they're gonna have to try and go cheaper than that. The only reason I've been excited about this was because it was supposed to be an affordable alternative to a PC. Guess I'm sticking with consoles for another generation.

Valve hasn't released the price of their steam box. The Xi3 which has 3 versions has a higher end gaming one for 1000, but that's not the valve steam box.

I suspect around $500 or less for the steam box, computers built using standard pc parts can be done around that and if valve is smart they will sell the console at a loss as they make the money back in game sales by far, since every game is sold digitally, meaning higher profit per game (no production/shipping/retail costs)

The motherboard is also modular(3 different parts) so you could theoretically speaking get the entry at a competitive price (relative to 720 and PS4). This way you can start gaming, and if you find it isn't enough you could specifically just upgrade he GPU/CPU/storage. In the long run it would be much cheaper (no need to buy another, just upgrade it and steam games are cheaper than consoles).

The Xi3, yes that's their system and it sounds good especially for a small PC, however the steam box hasn't been revealed, only details we know for certain are that it will ship with linux (probably valve's modified version), one would assume auto loading steam big picture mode, and that if you want you can format it and install windows etc, the system isn't locked down. Outside of that, price, stats and features, it's all unknown at this point. Having said that, with Valve bringing steam to linux, that would also mean games that are ported to it would work on any linux machine running steam. My personal hope is that it takes off and I can finally dump windows.