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Thread: SteamMachines, SteamOS and SteamVR Official Thread

  1. SteamMachines, SteamOS and SteamVR Official Thread

    I figured it deserved its own thread.

    Recently there's been chatter that Valve — the company behind the massively popular gaming service Steam — has been considering getting into the hardware business. Specifically, there have been rumors that the company has been toying with the idea of creating a proper set-top console which could potentially pose a threat to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell even recently told Penny Arcade: "Well, if we have to sell hardware we will."

    At a glance that would simply be interesting fodder for a gaming forum debate, but we've uncovered information that suggests that not only has Valve been secretly working on gaming hardware for the living room, but that the company is actively pursuing a strategy which would place Steam at the center of an open gaming universe that mirrors what Google has done with Android. Backing up that concept, in the same interview we quote above, Newell says that Valve doesn't really want to do hardware on its own, stating, "We'd rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it's important enough that if that's what we end up having to do, then that's what we end up having to do."

    That jibes pretty well with this rumored arrangement.

    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.

    Adding fuel to that fire is a rumor that the Alienware X51 may have been designed with an early spec of the system in mind, and will be retroactively upgradable to the software.

    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. Think that sounds odd? Well Valve filed a patent for such a device last year.



    Additionally, we're told that the kind of biometrics Valve uses in game testing will somehow be incorporated into these devices. Sources of ours say that the realtime biometric feedback in games will be a sea-change for users. To put it more succinctly, the sentiment we've heard is: "You won't ever look back." These biometric devices could come in the form of a bracelet, or be part of the standard controller.

    The consoles will also take advantage of Steam's "Big Picture" mode, a feature Valve touted last year at GDC, but has yet to release to the public. According to the company's press release in 2011 "With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."

    The most interesting piece of this puzzle may be related to that statement. According to sources, the Steam Box isn't intended to just clash with current gaming consoles. Rather, Valve wants to take Apple and its forthcoming new Apple TV products head-on. Newell has clear questions about Apple's strategy, telling the The Seattle Times "On the platform side, it's sort of ominous that the world seems to be moving away from open platforms," adding that "They build a shiny sparkling thing that attracts users and then they control people's access to those things."

    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.

    One thing is for sure, however: if these rumors turn out to be correct, there could be a whole new kind of battle for control of your living room happening in the near future. Of course, much of this is pieced together from a variety of sources, and there could be moving parts which we can't see. Some of this information could change.

    We've reached out to Valve for comment, and will update the post with any new information we receive.
    Source.

    Cue Yoshi going batshit.
    Last edited by Melf; 03 Mar 2012 at 12:02 PM.

  2. Valve is the most interesting company in the industry. There isn't enough information to really comment on this though!

    But judging by the bit that Valve wants this to play all existing PC titles, there's no chance that this will be a console. It sounds like a black-boxed PC with Steam's upcoming Big Picture Mode.
    Last edited by epmode; 03 Mar 2012 at 12:13 PM.

  3. Sounds a little like the Alienware X51. More companies should move into this space.

  4. I'll buy it.
    PSN = knarlockk
    Steam= kevinb150

  5. #5
    They should've called it the Gabecube.

  6. but I already have a steambox I'm posting from it

  7. Quote Originally Posted by Diff-chan View Post
    Sounds a little like the Alienware X51. More companies should move into this space.
    The Alienware X51 is too expensive for what you're getting. An i3 processor with a GT 545 is the cheapest version and it's $699. That thing would struggle with Crysis.

  8. Anything Alienware is too expensive.. price is going to be the key point of the Steambox. If the price is right it could appeal to the console gamers out there that want better graphics or access to other games... I have a friend who wants to play PC games but hates using a PC and wants something simple to use on his TV. He almost went OnLive that's how much he wants it. I get that there are ways to do it now (I have my PC on the TV for example) but they need to simplify it even more for the dumb masses out there. If it's too expensive then it will end up like 3DO and CD-I.
    Check out my blog: ExHardcoreGamer.com

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by epmode View Post
    But judging by the bit that Valve wants this to play all existing PC titles, there's no chance that this will be a console. It sounds like a black-boxed PC with Steam's upcoming Big Picture Mode.
    Quote Originally Posted by Diff-chan View Post
    Sounds a little like the Alienware X51. More companies should move into this space.
    I think these guys nailed it.

    What Valve needs to get on is a gaming operating system so I can give MS the finger.

  10. I still this being prohibitively expensive and lacking in exclusive content. I'll withhold judgement until details crystallize, but I don't see this fitting into my life (especially since I hook up my consoles through a capture card in my PC anyway).

    Where this might become interesting is if it creates a standard for hardware that carries over into the PC market. That could simplify PC gaming for those who still find it intimidating. You could just say "I need something Steambox 2.0 compatible."
    Last edited by Frogacuda; 03 Mar 2012 at 04:59 PM.

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