albino boo said:
I would avoid the steam box for while for the simple reason there will be very few games available for it on launch. Unless you have another PC in the house with windows, I would wait and see what you actually play on it before buying. In terms of its spec it has way more power than any of the next gen consoles. As rough idea, Valve says it will play most games at full HD and ~60 frames per second.
Don't quote me on this, but the Steam Machine, which is a Linux based OS, will only used Linux enabled games right? Or will it have a category of it's own (like "MS, Apple, Linux, Steam Machine"?
Having a quick look on steam shows 252 games working with linux, so if what I think is true, then it looks like it has a healthy opening roster, even if many of them are old games and or indie titles.
To the OP,
The only thing you would need to know at first is that, being a dedicated gaming rig, the Steam Machine will not need to be as powerful as a gaming PC to get the max potential out of current gen games. There are a lot of wasted resources on PCs running on windows, without some tuning at least. Linux based PCs can be a little to a lot better, but getting games to run on them to begin with can be tricky (since many are not native to linux). Steam Machines advantage is that it is tuned specifically for gaming, with no periphery bullshit or unnecessary accessories (bar what you may choose to use yourself) to take away from its maximum potential.
So don't sweat the details. The processing power, gpu and ram may show lower numbers then the 2 grand custom rig some youtuber is flaunting, but if they are using a windows based operating system then a chunk of those resources are sunk right off the bat. Steam Machine will be able to take its wee self much further then it's steroid pumped pc cousin, with less.
To quote the QnA on the Steam Machines main page (dealing mostly with beta participation):
"Beginning in 2014, there will be multiple SteamOS machines to choose from, made by different manufacturers."
"We're conducting a beta of the overall Steam living-room experience, so we needed to build prototype hardware on which to run tests. At Valve we always rely on real-world testing as part of our design process. The specific machine we're testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware. Other boxes will optimize for size, price, quietness, or other factors."
From those 2 quotes I can surmise that there will be different packages for you to choose from, ranging from affordability to maximum performance. Obviously, the more impressive the hardware, the more the thing will cost you.
So basically, when more details show up, you will be choosing a system that best suits your needs and within your price range.
I have a strong feeling that even the lowest priced rigs should handle all modern games swimmingly. The more expensive options will be able to bleed as much out of currently unannounced games as the years roll on, but even if you get the most basic of steam machines, you will still get some juice out of them with the option to upgrade lagging components at your discretion.
However, be forwarned. This is a completely new venture on behalf of Valve. There is no guarantee that the system will live up to the propose standards, let alone the hype of fans.
I'd say let this system take it's first few steps to see how it handles before you invest in it.
