Valve Unveils Steam Machines, Hardware Beta Coming Soon

[Your Fearless Captain]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

 

[lacktheknack]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

Well, based on what Nvidia has been hinting at on twitter and the fact that's there's two circles for Source 2 and two announcements.

 

[Dalisclock]

They say 2014, hey? So in 2016 they should just be coming out

More like 2025. This is Valve we're talking about. It'll be the best thing out there...in 12 years.

Which will push EP3 out to 2050.

Sorry, Valve. Until you either release episode 3 or say it's dead(and provide a picture of the corpse), nothing you promise will be quite as interesting as the idea that EP3 may someday will be released.

Valve could give us a cure for cancer, free of charge and with no side effects, and it still wouldn't be quite as exciting as the prospect of episode 3.

 

[lacktheknack]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

Well, based on what Nvidia has been hinting at on twitter and the fact that's there's two circles for Source 2 and two announcements.

Can you link me to the relevant tweet? I'm not seeing anything on their feed. D:

 

[NoeL]

If they make the PCs with modular hardware, where everything is compatible with everything else, is intelligently named (e.g. a 2000 series graphics card will always be better than a 1000 series), and can be swapped in a matter of seconds (e.g. just slide the old card out and slide the new one in - no opening of the box or plugging in cables) this could be a big success. The biggest hurdle to PC gaming is knowing your way around the hardware, knowing what's compatible with what, how big a psu you need, how to handle electronics without destroying them accidentally, etc. A n00b-proof PC that can be intuitively built and updated will kick fucking ass.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

Well, based on what Nvidia has been hinting at on twitter and the fact that's there's two circles for Source 2 and two announcements.

Can you link me to the relevant tweet? I'm not seeing anything on their feed. D:

Woops, I meant Facebook. Here's the post
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=659166877436106&set=a.133985876620878.19519.130554466964019&type=1&theater

 

[lacktheknack]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

Well, based on what Nvidia has been hinting at on twitter and the fact that's there's two circles for Source 2 and two announcements.

Can you link me to the relevant tweet? I'm not seeing anything on their feed. D:

Woops, I meant Facebook. Here's the post
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=659166877436106&set=a.133985876620878.19519.130554466964019&type=1&theater

Am... Am I just thick? D:

I don't see anything in that post hinting at Source Two, or even two announcements.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I guess this is good news for console players that want to play their steam games on their TV I guess? This thing doesn't appeal to me at all, because all the gaming I do is on a PC and I really like my chair + office combo.

I'm really looking forward to see what specs the Steambox will have and if it will be able to compete in terms of power with the next gen. If it's more powerful than them then the outcome will be quite interesting I think.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

3: The first reveals image was just a circle; an O; and it was SteamOS. The second was the same O, but in a box. (SteamBox) The latter is two circles linked with a plus. Which, in an obscure way, looks very much like a controller.

That makes me think more in terms of multiple OSs or connecting two boxes in an up-to-now unseen way.

OT: I just have to play a game in Big Picture mode and I'll be in the Beta draw (assuming they mistake my joystick for a gamepad).

I am very intrigued by how open-source the whole thing seems to be.

I'm willing to bet that it's source 2 and maybe Left for Dead 3.

I don't see how that ties to "O+O".

Well, based on what Nvidia has been hinting at on twitter and the fact that's there's two circles for Source 2 and two announcements.

Can you link me to the relevant tweet? I'm not seeing anything on their feed. D:

Woops, I meant Facebook. Here's the post
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=659166877436106&set=a.133985876620878.19519.130554466964019&type=1&theater

Am... Am I just thick? D:

I don't see anything in that post hinting at Source Two, or even two announcements.

Well, in the past Nvidia has been VERY frictional with OpenGL drivers on Linux but they suddenly changed their tune right as SteamOS is announced seems to me that the Steam Machine will, by default, have an Nvidia GPU in them. As for the two announcements and one being source 2 and the other being a game is just a hunch 'cause 2 circles.

And this post http://i.imgur.com/pqqyicR.png made by some guy who is probably a Valve employee of some sort (or someone fucking with everyone). He was right that the Steam Machine was going to be announced but he was wrong that details about what it is, default config, that sort of thing, where going out today. Last time he was mostly right and will probably be mostly right on Friday. He says a game will be announced and that it will be bundled with new Nvidia cards, but only time will tell on that one.

 

[Esotera]

I'll only be happy when the machine comes in a case that looks like a turret from Portal, or possibly like Glados. But this is awesome...I wish they'd released a bit more about the specs.

 

[Teoes]

I tend to be very comfortable sitting in my office chair, gaming at my desk.. but our poor telly doesn't get near enough use. Considering none of the current consoles look to be in the slightest bit interesting and I already have a very sizeable Steam library that's only going to keep getting bigger, this looks like a good thing for me. Oh noez I must be a Valve fanboi. D:

It fills the "I've always wanted a console, but they're all too restrictive at the moment" niche.

Huh. What the robot-punching Christian warrior said.

edit: brainfart quotederp

 

[Esotera]

I'll only be happy when the machine comes in a case that looks like a turret from Portal, or possibly like Glados. But this is awesome...I wish they'd released a bit more about the specs.

if it's capable of streaming games from your PC...in that situation..."the specs" are largely irrelevant.

From the link it doesn't look like it's going to be a major feature, possibly with some of the lower spec models they'd do that. But the range of models seems to imply that the games will be run on the Steambox.

 

[Vigormortis]

They say 2014, hey? So in 2016 they should just be coming out

More like 2025. This is Valve we're talking about. It'll be the best thing out there...in 12 years.

Which will push EP3 out to 2050.

Sorry, Valve. Until you either release episode 3 or say it's dead(and provide a picture of the corpse), nothing you promise will be quite as interesting as the idea that EP3 may someday will be released.

Valve could give us a cure for cancer, free of charge and with no side effects, and it still wouldn't be quite as exciting as the prospect of episode 3.

I think it's safe to say that Episode 3 is never going to be. Simply because the next Half-Life game will be simply "Half-Life 3". No episode moniker.

Newell has said, years ago in fact, that they've dropped the episodic release model in favor of full releases and games as a service.

Here're some relevant links:

http://gamerant.com/valve-no-more-episodes-half-life-3-robk-83787/
http://www.develop-online.net/news/37625/Newell-Weve-moved-beyond-the-episodic-model
http://kotaku.com/5799661/valve-turns-to-singleplayer+plus-not-no-more-singleplayer-says-chief

 

[Strazdas]

Maybe I'm stupid, but I'm still trying to rummage through all this techno markety mumbo jumbo trying to find a big blanket statement of JUST WHAT THIS THING IS.

Basically it's a range of PCs custom built to run Valve's new Operating System (Like Windows) that in itself is custom built for a living room gaming experience but with the openness of a PC instead of the closed platform like the Xbox One. So it's basically like an Apple Mac, but instead of being custom-built for Facebook and Instagram it's custom built for gaming.

Wait a minute. Did you just gave MAC as an example of open system? What is this i dont even....

Video games are becoming (some can argue, already are) the most profitable form of entertainment. Gabe is one of the giants of the business and now he's about to roll the console and pc market into one. Soon, it'll be nerd hip and people will consume all that is Valve/Steam (legions already do).

while its definatelly the fastest growing form of entertainment (or, rather, the least falling at some points) movies industry still outperforms it when it comes to aboslute numbers. but now games do hold the most successful media launch ever thanks to GTA5.

I still refuse to use steam when i can, but thats getting harder all the time.

It will undoubtedly have good games, but, with Valve contracting out the manufacturing of these things, the manufacturers won't see any money from sales of games. Meaning they need to get all their value out of the machine itself. So they'll be hideously, hideously overpriced.

But consoles already are. For 500 dollars (xbone price) you can buy a PC box that is more powerful.

Browsing through groups for the Steam Universe group, and it can't be found. I'm in the UK. Chances are this is a US only beta invite. Massively disappointed in Valve.

Well, if this is actual hardware test they may want to have people that are close enough to ship them the machines with regular ability for "fixing stuff" during the testing phase. and doing that across an ocean may not be so easy.

Also, Steam just updated Half Life 2, Lost Coast, Episode 1 and Episode 2 at the same time. Valve trolling us, or could it be... a sign?!

But they have been updating them like almost every week for as long as i remmeber. they have a habit to update everything with every bit of change they do to Source engine, so likely engine got updated for some other game, and all games running on this engine got updated.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't changing the hardware one of the huge big deals with PC gaming already? Unless this is a cheaper box to get how is this any better then building a PC. I mean hell most gamers who play PC don't buy prefab systems, which is what these sound like.

Steam box will not have decades of myths and falsehoods told about it like they tell about PC, so there will be less "cant run anything without updating drivers constantnly" myths around. But yes, this seems to be a rebranded PC.

It's not that I don't get the optimism...

I just see a lack of pessimism.

What this sounds like is a pre-built PC (the bane of THE MASTER RACE) pre-built with SteamOS and configured to work in the living room.

If this was anyone else but Steam, this forum would be full of pitchforks and torches. But because it's Steam, and people like Steam sales, apparently they can do no wrong.

Remember Ouya? when it was announced everyone cheered for "Free andoid console". When it was released....
Its going to be the same.

1) To get any traction in the console world, Valve are going to have to heavily subsidize the unit cost. But it's not immediately clear where this money is going to be made back. If you buy one of these and then just play your existing library on it without increasing the amount of games you buy, then they'll be losing money on you.

2) Considering that the console market already has 3 big competitors, I have to wonder if there's actually room for a 4th party. Figuring out which console you should get in order to get certain exclusives is annoying enough as it is. This is the entertainment business, not car insurance sales.

3) Valve are only going to make a fraction of the games for this thing. 4 titles does not a console sell. They're going to need big contributions from all of the other game developers out there to build a decent software base. These game developers already have 3 or 4 platforms to worry about as it is, another mouth to feed might not be very welcome.

4) Valve have stated that you can hack and upgrade the console, but most of the console users I know don't CARE about being able to do this. They just want their console to frigging work without having to worry about what hardware they're using or the rest of the hassle that goes with PC gaming. Many people switched to console for this exact reason. Those who DO care will probably be better off just buying a PC. So what niche does this unit fill, exactly? For playing PC games on your TV? I have a HDMI lead for that. It cost me $10.

1) very fair point and i wonder this too.
2) considering how everyone things that Xbone will fail, there may jsut be a space opening up.
3) if those titles are HL3 Portal 3, L4D 3 and a new CS, yes, 4 titles does a console sell.
4) being able to hack does not mean you have to hack. if you dont care - dont do it. if you care - do it. pretty much exactly liek how it is with PC. the difference is, those with traditional consoles cant if they care. nothing would change for your friends. What "Hasssle" do you find with PC gaming?
This nicnhe fills exactly people like you ninche, that wants PC gaming capabilities and have unreasonable believes about actual PC gaming. Steambox wont have that muchmyths and taint.

If they make the PCs with modular hardware, where everything is compatible with everything else, is intelligently named (e.g. a 2000 series graphics card will always be better than a 1000 series), and can be swapped in a matter of seconds (e.g. just slide the old card out and slide the new one in - no opening of the box or plugging in cables) this could be a big success. The biggest hurdle to PC gaming is knowing your way around the hardware, knowing what's compatible with what, how big a psu you need, how to handle electronics without destroying them accidentally, etc. A n00b-proof PC that can be intuitively built and updated will kick fucking ass.

but you CHOOSE that hurdle. you dont need to know any of this. a noob-proof PC already exists. they are called pre-built PCs. buy one. play games for 5 years. Buy new one in 5 years. you dont need to tackle hardware if you dont want to.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I would love it if Gaben just mumbled "oh, and by the way, half life 3 is getting released next year" at the end of the conference.

It would this conference thing so much awesome.

 

[legendp]

why wouldn't you just build your own computer and hook it up to a tv. more customization. and if this is running a special steam os wouldn't that mean most steam games not devolped by valve wouldn't work. like the ouya (and th PSvitaTV), I don't think this is going to sell. Unless I sea evidence that says otherwise I would say money would be better spent upgrading your computer and buying a 20 metre hdmi and usb cable (there like $30), and run them to your tv, there you go computer on tv