SteamBox aka Steamy Gabecube aka SteamOS - The Bear and Badger

I_R

They need to subsidise the hardware to compete with consoles, but I don't think their prices offer a way for them to get that subsidy back at the moment, especially if the box was open or hackable. Getting away from Windows does look like an attractive proposition for them, so it might be worth throwing money at it and changing their prices, but that looks like a big gamble.

Skerret

pantyfire wrote:

Skerret wrote:

The move to cloud gaming was supposed to remove the need for anything other than a basic terminal and may yet. Â Anyway, solves the problem dunnit. Â SteamLive?

Not for a little while yet. If you want sub par PS3 gaming in a small window with input lag and stalls then cloud gaming is your answer right now.

Sign me up!

Kow

I'd snap one of these up if they could somehow make it all work, top notch shiny graphics and all. My pc is already basically a Steam box but I'm sure I could tolerate another one under the tv.

Moto70

M0stly harm13ss wrote:

2nd or 3rd console for gamers.

...or 4th.

I've no interest in this at all, the nextbox is all I'm fully committed to at the mo.

hylian_elf

I can't see the appeal either. NextBox for most games, WiiU for Mario/Zelda/Metroid/Platinum Games games. Done. PS4 too if Sony ever bother releasing Last Guardian and beyond.

I_R

Gaming PC under your telly for the price of a console is attractive. Don't know if they can deliver that though.

Mod74

I don't really see the point of swapping from one OS that costs money for a free one with almost non-existent game support and OS support that has to come from one vendor still. Conceptually a Steam Box wouldn't be any more 'open' than a Windows PC would be, less imo.

Don't forget 'porting' to Linux isn't a trivial task to begin with then add on the fact I assume most/all games would have to have licences/contracts renegotiated to launch on an additional OS. Are developers/publishers just going to let you have free versions of these games they've spent hours recompiling? Seems unlikely.

Surely anyone who falls into the category of wanting an under the TV PC could put one together themselves. Everyone seems to be crossing their fingers for PC performance from a console sized and priced box. I'll eat a hat if Gabe is willing to dig into his wallet to fund that.

I_R

I take it that Valve are worried that Windows 8 will see MS muscling in on their business, soÂ LinuxÂ is attractive to them and it does remove a hefty chunk of the cost of a PC when you're aiming under Â£500. The lack of software does look brutal though.

I don't think there are ever going to be that many people willing to build their own PC. If this does appear, I could see it prompting more people to take the plunge, because there will be a lot of hype for this, but a gaming PC might be a much better option.

[Deleted User]

I just can't see the market for it.
PC gamers that want a living room based gaming rig is a tiny market, made smaller by the fact they could just make one anyway, probably with old parts sitting around.

So it really is relying on pulling people away from the pre-established console market. I'm not sure Valve has the same draw with console gamers as they do with PC gamers.
When looking at what typical console gamers play barely any of it is available, the only big console game available on steam really is COD.
I would argue that all a Steambox has to offer is cheaper games through the Steam store which is kind of nerfed if the thing runs on Linux and has a very small library. Even if devs fully get on board with the linux thing it would be a while before the big games become cheap enough to benefit the user having invested in a Steambox.

It is a nice to have but they will have to do something pretty spectacular for it to rival MS, Sony and Ninty.

dynamiteReady

I_R wrote:

I take it that Valve are worried that Windows 8 will see MS muscling in on their business, soÂ LinuxÂ is attractive to them and it does remove a hefty chunk of the cost of a PC when you're aiming under Â£500. The lack of software does look brutal though. I don't think there are ever going to be that many people willing to build their own PC. If this does appear, I could see it prompting more people to take the plunge, because there will be a lot of hype for this, but a gaming PC might be a much better option.

http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term=#os=linux&advanced=0&sort_order=ASC&page=1

That's why they're gathering support and making noises now.

The whole Linux thing won't be a big deal for any Devco. In fact, the switch to Linux may possibly attract a good number of Japanese developers to the Steambox project... Remember how they once avoided the XBOX / PC like the plague? I wonder if DirectX might have been a small part of that.

Also remember the time when consoles were launched with only a handful of games? That was...

Wait... That was just last month.

This is no different.
The average buyer won't care so much.

Also consider that for the larger companies working on Steambox titles, a codebase rewrite for a title like.... CoD, isn't too difficult... In fact, those developers have probably already done 65/70% of that work for their PS3 rewrites...

So it will mostly be down to timing and negotiation. And on that front, Valve will have a lot of clout...

Mod74

Big publishers are already using their own distribution methods, I can't see them rushing to be even more beholden to Valve/Steam

hunk

So a few obvious things:

1. Linux is the OS of choice for SteamBox.Â
2. The store and network are already there, only thing missing to complete the ecosystem is hardware.Â
3. Linux needs more support and ports from developers. If Valve can stimulate that, create a viable Linux based platform where pc porting is quick and painless (hardware is the same afterall, it's the driver support that's missing)......Developers might just jump in.
4. Will SteamBox be a closed platform restricting you to the Steam environment or will it be a fully fledged Linux pc with Steam being just an app, probably your main? I'm betting on the former.

dynamiteReady

Mod74 wrote:

Big publishers are already using their own distribution methods, I can't see them rushing to be even more beholden to Valve/Steam

If EA can sit on this as a silent partner, then a big part of the puzzle will be solved.
It won't all be downhill from there though, because like everyone else, I struggle to see what Valve will offer over Microsoft...

But you know, I seriously suspect that they will bring something new to the table...

Something big.

Otherwise, why bother? Sony, for example, would happily buy Valve out (or at least consolidate their business relationship), and let them keep much of their autonomy...

They're sitting on something innovative...

It could very well be a new graphics / physics part...Â
Remember, Valve pretty much bought physics to our Â attention in the first place, and have, in some small way, shaped gaming hardware sales...

That's my hunch.

Moto70

I_R wrote:

Gaming PC under your telly for the price of a console is attractive.

The next gen will be offering PC quality graphics etc anyway won't they? Also half the reason PC gaming was successful was because it was a by product of a multiple use system, if I decide I am desperate to play Steam games I will simply build a PC that plays them and comes with the all the extra functionality that a PC offers.

Given the choice of paying Â£xxx for a Steambox or Â£xxx for a nextbox it will be the MS offering that will be getting my hardearned...

Roujin

hunk wrote:

4. Will SteamBox be a closed platform restricting you to the Steam environment or will it be a fully fledged Linux pc with Steam being just an app, probably your main? I'm betting on the former.

Â

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-12/09/valve-steam-box

Â

Wired wrote:

Newell said that he expects living-room gaming PCs running Steam to arrive in 2013. "We'll do it but we also think other people will as well," he said.

Sounds like Valve are doing their own, but also hoping that other PC manufacturers are going to start shippinbg living room specific (seriously wtf is a living room specific PC?) PCs that are running steam in 2013.Â

Sounds more like an open hardware platform. Unless hes talking about PC steam on living room PCs and then Valve just doing the linux steam boxes, but that would be madness.

Mod74

hunk wrote:

3. Linux needs more support and ports from developers. If Valve can stimulate that, create a viable Linux based platform where pc porting is quick and painless (hardware is the same afterall, it's the driver support that's missing)......Developers might just jump in.

It's not just drivers, it's the other systems as well. Mainly Direct X but other ones like Visual C++ and even .net.

If Valve manage to turn Linux into a viable gaming platform (despite 20+ years producing a 1.6% market share) then why buy a Steam Box, just install Linux on a DIY machine.

monkey

Valve have got something going on with some new wave controller - both rumoured and job ads they've had. Until we see more of that, and some specs and price for the console, it's hard to know what to make of it and who they're aiming it at.

I can't see many devs going back and porting their old titles to be Linux compatible. I can see more devs being prepared to switch to more platform neutral tools. So yeah in one sense it will be starting again. But I don't think it matters too much if they can line up some decent launch titles and generate enough buzz with some fancy USPs.

hunk

Mod74 wrote:

hunk wrote:

3. Linux needs more support and ports from developers. If Valve can stimulate that, create a viable Linux based platform where pc porting is quick and painless (hardware is the same afterall, it's the driver support that's missing)......Developers might just jump in.

It's not just drivers, it's the other systems as well. Mainly Direct X but other ones like Visual C++ and even .net. If Valve manage to turn Linux into a viable gaming platform (despite 20+ years producing a 1.6% market share) then why buy a Steam Box, just install Linux on a DIY machine.

It's all about targeting your consumer. Valve won't be going for just the pc heads, they want the casual crowd too.
Hence, the Linuxbox as a console/settop box.

Mod74

It seems like a colossal effort on everyone's part just to save $50 on a Windows licence fee. Is Gabe that petty? You betcha.

hunk

When it comes to business pettyness is always a huge factor in decision making.
(See my avatar).

Also, in the long run a free os always, always beats paying royalies......

Roujin

Gabe is still mad that he is the only stereotypical fat nerd looking guy in charge of a software company.

Mod74

I love the way his entire fortune is based on the Windows platform but the prospect of MS running a store selling small App sized games has him running to the open source hills.

Tempy

Only just caught up on this, but have long envisaged a plug and play style Gaming PC that has a barebones OS, Steam, Gamepad support and comes with a decent spec on launch, to be supplemented by 'universal' GFX cards that are in a caddy and can be interchanged without taking the case apart. Games ship with 'Plays at Normal if Card X is installed, High = Y, Ultra = Z' printed on them.

PC games are often optimised well, andgoing back to IR's comment about BF3 on a 2007 computer, likelihood is that a Â£1500 PC from '07 might still look better than the 360 now, but a Â£400 PC would today will probably still look better than any next gen console for a year or two.

The only issue with the 'slottable' upgrades on my idea of a ConsolePC hybrid would be hardware costs as they'd be so specific, so it'd probably never work. Would be nice if it did.

LazyGunn

Mod74 wrote:

hunk wrote:

3. Linux needs more support and ports from developers. If Valve can stimulate that, create a viable Linux based platform where pc porting is quick and painless (hardware is the same afterall, it's the driver support that's missing)......Developers might just jump in.

It's not just drivers, it's the other systems as well. Mainly Direct X but other ones like Visual C++ and even .net. If Valve manage to turn Linux into a viable gaming platform (despite 20+ years producing a 1.6% market share) then why buy a Steam Box, just install Linux on a DIY machine.

You can build games for Linux using c# and directx 11 as a basis using Unity, it does all the clever bits behind the scenes

It's stuff like this that makes me think this will be a success, if valve made this, devs WOULD stick their stuff on linux, its trivial compared to moving between xbox and ps3 development as the hardware is presumably not wholly different from the development machines

In addition Steam offers a lot of good things, cheap reliable digital distribution (With things like mods and stuff supplied for free), a social network and indie outlets that knock the competitors' into a cocked hat - middleware developers are taking linux into account, Unity's move to supporting it could be significant, with a raft of developers now able to build for linux with a click of a button and Steam Greenlight opening a channel for a hitherto very difficult market to be an indie in to now be quite a lot of fun and high profile - hundreds of games for free, that would be fun to just sift through, sitting on that service alone

Steam's place in the pc market is quite profound and smart leveraging of that could prove to be a great success and maybe even get Gabe what he wants which seems to be, gamers off windows 8

Wether i would buy one, i'm not sure, but i see it as a sound idea

hunk

Roujin wrote:

Gabe is still mad that he is the only stereotypical fat nerd looking guy in charge of a software company.

A rich fat nerd sniffing cocaine off hookers tits.Â
He must be doing something right?

Mod74

Unity supports Mac, an OS with a market share 400% bigger than Linux. Have you looked at what games get released for Mac on Steam (launched 2 and a half years ago)?

Remember when Steam supporting Mac meant it was going to be a proper gaming platform?

Moto70

Tempy wrote:

...a Â£400 PC would today will probably still look better than any next gen console for a year or two.

Really?

Fuck me, I am well out of the loop then as I thought that to get a good games based rig would cost me at least double that.

Mod74

Probably somewhere in between, say 600 if you want 1080p 60fps min with all the shiny switched on.

I_R

Mod74 wrote:

I love the way his entire fortune is based on the Windows platform but the prospect of MS running a store selling small App sized games has him running to the open source hills.

I think he's just aware that the license to print money he owns is coveted by lots of other big companies and relying on one of those companies is a big weakness.

There must be a fortune in using Steam as a Trojan horse for Linux as a non-geek alternative to Windows as well.

Moto70

Mod74 wrote:

Probably somewhere in between, say 600 if you want 1080p 60fps min with all the shiny switched on.

Even that is cheaper than I thought it would be though saying that if it was just purely for games then a 360 and a 42" LED is probably still better value.

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