Who is the Steambox for?

[PMAvers]

I'm assuming we'll be seeing cheaper, streaming/low-requirement-game boxes once the streaming software-side of things is up and running. Probably the reason why we didn't see any announcements of those so far.

 

[Church185]

It dumps the consoles to try to get PC advantages while retaining console price.

At 500$, a 760 and an I5? That is a huge jump of power from the PS4, which is 50% more powerful than the xbox.

With none of the bullshit like paying for online. With cheapo games.

dollar for dollar, it is a good value. For any console gamer wanting to be a PC gamer without any knowledge at all, it is a god send.

Its not meant for someone who has access to a gaming PC. Its meant for people who are aren't computer literate. Which is what consoles originally were meant for.

I haven't seen a Steam Machine yet with those specs for that price. Please quit misinforming people. The iBuyPower Steam Machine only has an Athlon X4 740 and a Radeon R7 250. It doesn't even come with Windows.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/06/ibuypower-sbx/?ncid=rss_truncated

EDIT: Here is a full list [http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/06/valve-steam-machines-specs/] of Steam Machines revealed at CES. I don't see many people buying them. The ones priced competitively with consoles aren't nearly as powerful, and the ones that are more powerful are around $1000+. Console and PC gamers alike will look at the offerings on display and laugh until the prices drop.

Consoles will never become obsolete as long as they are cheaper and more user friendly than building your own PC.

 

[blackrave]

I think Steambox is for 2 categories of people
1. Ex-console gamers who is used to plug'n'play mentality
2. PC gamers who have no idea how to put together gaming rig and don't want to overpay for pre-made (at least I think Steambox will be sold for a reasonable price)

P.S. Yes people, rumors are true- not every PC gamer is of a PC master race. To qualify as a PC master race you must game on PC that you assembled on your own (or at least could have assembled on your own). And not everyone is capable to do that.

 

[DoPo]

While that quote is misattributed - yes. I am not sure why I am required to say it again, but the Steambox is a PC.

The use case of the device is it is used in the living room to play PC games. That defines a limited case of utility. A PC, on the other hand, is not explicitly designed to be used in the living room to play PC games - that is just one thing it is capable of doing.

It can, however, also do other stuff. As I said, we already have friggin gaming PCs which fit your definition of "limited" to a T - they are "designed to play games". Well, not in the living room but whatever - the limitation is there. Therefore, the gaming PC is not a PC is what you are saying, despite being capable of doing other tasks. I can again point towards the office PC though - the definition holds strong there: is it constrained to where you're using it? Yes, it's explicitly designed for the office, therefore - check. Is it limited in use? Yes - "office work" (depending in what kind of office you're in, I guess, but mostly an office packet plus something else) - check. Conclusion - office PCs are not PCs either.

Much like the Steam box, I might add, as you are not constrained to only ever play games - go open up Open Office and write a poem. Or turn it into a file server. Or watch a movie. Or whatever - the facilities are there. It's not much more limited than many a different Linux distro.

Therefore, made of PC components. I probably sound like a broken record by this point but it's only because you are relentlessly trying to claim it's not a PC by proving it is. It was a "dedicated" system exactly like gaming PCs, it is capable of being used as a PC and is made of what a PC is made and you made each of this claims. Only to immediately say "therefore, it's not a PC" every time after making those.

The OS is what makes it the dedicated system. The parts are entirely irrelevant in defining a PC. Literally any universal Turing machine is capable of being a PC because it is capable of doing any sort of processing necessary to fill the "general computer use" case yet we choose to not apply that distinction to machines that are, by virtue of OS and use case, intended for some other end.

"But the semantics of the definition..."

A personal computer (PC) is a general-purpose computer, whose size, capabilities and original sale price makes it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator. This contrasted with the batch processing or time-sharing models which allowed larger, more expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time. Large data processing systems require a full-time staff to operate efficiently.

Software applications for most personal computers include, but are not limited to, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, digital media playback, games and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software applications. Modern personal computers often have connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources. Personal computers may be connected to a local area network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection. A personal computer may be a desktop computer or a laptop, tablet or a handheld PC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer

A small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for an individual user. In price, personal computers range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. All are based on the microprocessor technology that enables manufacturers to put an entire CPU on one chip. Businesses use personal computers for word processing, accounting, desktop publishing, and for running spreadsheet and database management applications. At home, the most popular use for personal computers is for playing games.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/personal_computer.html

The letters 'PC' stand for 'personal computer' ? that is, a computer that can fit on a single desk for use by ordinary people, as opposed to a huge mainframe or supercomputer.

Although the acronym technically refers to any such computer, it has come to mean the multi-purpose machines that usually run the Microsoft Windows operating system, as opposed to the Macintosh machines made by Apple.
[...]
Windows is not the only OS that PCs can use. Linux is a free 'open source' system that has been created by volunteers around the globe. It's very popular among the technically minded, but is unlikely to suit a beginner. - See more at: http://digitalunite.com/guides/computer-basics/what-pc#sthash.Op3Pejup.dpuf

http://digitalunite.com/guides/computer-basics/what-pc
(I would semi-disagree with the author - Macs are also PCs, however, yes in popular usage, people do refer to "PC vs Mac")

Stands for "Personal computer." PCs are are what most of us use on a daily basis for work or personal use. A typical PC includes a system unit, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Most PCs today also have a network or Internet connection, as well as ports for connecting peripheral devices, such as digital cameras, printers, scanners, speakers, external hard drives, and other components.

Personal computers allow us to write papers, create spreadsheets, track our finances, play games, and do many other things. If a PC is connected to the Internet, it can be used to browse the Web, check e-mail, communicate with friends via instant messaging programs, and download files. PCs have become such an integral part of our lives that it can be difficult to imagine life without them!

While PC stands for "personal computer," the term can be a bit ambiguous. This is because Macintosh computers are often contrasted with PCs, even though Macs are also technically PCs. However, Apple itself has used the term "PC" to refer to Windows-based machines, as opposed to its own computers, which are called "Macs." While the Mac/PC dilemma remains, PCs can always contrasted with other types of computers, such as mainframes and server computers, such as Web servers and network file servers. In other words, if you use a computer at home or at work, you can safely call it a PC.

http://www.techterms.com/definition/pc

In its more general usage, a personal computer (PC) is a microcomputer designed for use by one person at a time. Prior to the PC, computers were designed for (and only affordable by) companies who attached terminals for multiple users to a single large computer whose resources were shared among all users. The advent of the era of the personal computer was acknowledged by Time magazine in 1982, when they broke with tradition by choosing the PC as their "Man of the Year." By the late 1980s, technology advances made it feasible to build a small computer that an individual could own and use.

The term "PC" has been traditionally used to describe an "IBM-compatible" personal computer in contradistinction to an Apple Macintosh computer. The distinction is both technical and cultural and harkens back to the early years of personal computers, when IBM and Apple were the two major competitors. Originally, the "IBM-compatible" PC was one with an Intel microprocessor architecture and an operating system such as DOS or Windows that written to use that microprocessor. The Apple Macintosh uses a Motorola microprocessor architecture and a proprietary operating system. The "IBM-compatible" PC was associated with business and use, while the "Mac," known for its more intuitive user interface, was associated with graphic design and desktop publishing. Although the distinctions have become less clear-cut in recent years, people often still categorize a personal computer as either a PC or a Mac.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/personal-computer-PC

Alternatively referred to as a Desktop and single-user computer, PC is short for Personal Computer and is a term coined by Ed Roberts when he introduced the MITS Altair 8800. PC is often used in the computer industry to describe an IBM or IBM-compatible computer even though the term PC can refer to any personal computer including an Apple Macintosh computer. In the picture to the right, is the Dell Precision 390 computer courtesy of Dell Inc. and an example of a Desktop PC.

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/p/pc.htm

You are pretty much failing the duck test here - "It looks like a duck, but it's not a duck. It swims like a duck, but it's not a duck. And quacks like a duck, but it'd not a duck. Then it probably is a duck but it's not a duck."

The better example is this: the PS3 was, at one point, capable of being a PC. You could install your own OS and use it as a desktop if you desired. Then the ability to use that other OS was removed leaving you with just the ps3 OS. The hardware didn't change - just the OS and yet it became firmly "not a PC" as a result.

The simplest explanation, however, is this: You advocate taking a PC and putting in an OS that is less capable for most tasks (including gaming), a move that reduces functionality, and then continuing to call it a PC. That's not a duck - that's a platypus.

I...don't even know what to say. Really - I see nothing I can say here except that you seem like you've only seen diagrams or pictures of Linux. That quote there wouldn't make sense otherwise.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I could be apart of Steambox demographic. I prefer my gaming in the living room but I buy all my games on Steam. It just feels too easy to sit in front of the computer. Also, given the choice of playing games or just watching videos, I'm choosing videos.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I have no idea who Valve is trying to sell the Steambox to. From what we know about it so far, it's really just a gaming PC in console's clothing.

That's precisely what it is, and it's aimed at whoever wishes to game in their living room, on the TV with a controller.

has access to only a fraction of all PC games, and comes with a weird controller. It has no advantage over PC gaming that I can see, and every advantage it has over consoles is something the PC can do even better.

True on the first, though I'm hoping this initiative goes some way to fixing that. If I could legitimately game on Linux, I'd ditch windows in a heartbeat. It has many advantages...price (assuming one buys around the same price of a console, since any more than that and I'd agree that they should just install Windows), interface/controller designed for playing on the Big Screen, ease of use and more.

I can't see any reason for PC or console gamers to buy it at the moment unless Valve announces something big.

Over consoles is where it shines. One can watch any media one might wish to, run software outside of MS/Sony's "walled garden" networks, game online without additional charges, play from a range of PC games, likely there will be emulators forthcoming, SteamOS can run on many different hardware configs and more. Making a "console" version of the PC is a step in the right direction I think, and should have MS/Sony at least quite worried. They've effectively built PCs, with a uniform spec and with no option to upgrade, run unapproved software, pick whatever peripherals you like, etc. Opening the "console" experience up is a very good thing. Obviously Triple-AAA isn't going to be interested unless it takes off but is missing out on the micro-transaction filled Forza 5 and Ryse bollocks such a big loss?

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Join the chorus of threads exactly like this one we get every time any kind of news about it appears.

snip

Wow, my thoughts whenever I browse the comments section of a Steam Machine/OS article. I honestly do not understand what's not to get. "Valves trying to rip uninformed people off". With what? They're free open source operating system? Its just a computer that runs Linux. You don't like it? Then buy Windows. Its included in the price of any prebuilt pc anyway. You think the boxes are over priced? One was $1500 and came with a $600 SSD, a $500 graphics card, and a $200 processor.

As the owner of a Windows 8 computer, holy fuck, Microsoft just wants to make only shit now. And no, I'm butt hurt about the interface, My netbook has a touch screen I never use because Windows 8's touch integration is also shit. I'm more butt hurt about the forced "Microsoft account" integration that pops up at every step and the useful tools they took out. Do you like being able to restore your Windows pc in case of some kind of problem? That got taken out in Windows 8.1. Don't worry though, just get all your content from the Windows app store and it'll be automatically restored when you do a complete factory reset. What? You have 900 gigs of games and programs you bought through other sources? Just reinstall all of it. And the hypocrisy is getting ridiculous. People want to cling to Windows because its where the games are at, oh but consoles are "holding our games hostage"

Steam Boxes interest people like me who
A) like to play on a tv with a controller at the same time without having to flop back in forth between a keyboard and mouse and adjust settings so the display is usable
B) want to hop aboard the Linux train
C) want a computer with small form factor and don't want to do a lot of upgrading later
D) don't feel like bargain hunting to put together a pc

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

It's probably for people who can't afford a gaming PC. They do get quite pricey.

i dunno, i bought and assembled mine for around... £1300 i think. not top top top end, but i've not found a game i can't run maxed out at 60fps yet. i just needed monitor and speakers after that, but as the steam box won't come with those, that's kinda irrelevant =\ the point is, some of these steam machines are $2000 and upwards, i think the top being $6000. that's an insanely high price point, and one i have difficulty seeing the market for.

that said, valve said it's lots of different machines at lots of different price points, so it has a lot more versatility and its hard to generalize and say "that group! steam machines are designed at them, that's all"

Wow I honestly didn't think they'd be that much.