gaming Presenting the Steam Machine.

[CastletonSnob 3,089]

Last night, Steam revealed their console, the Steam Machine. They're working with 12 different companies to make it, and their price will range from $499 to $6,000. In the link is a picture of what it will look like:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/20848...ery-shiny.html

I honestly can't see myself buying one when I have a perfectly good PC with Steam on it.

[Standard User 2,127]

I'll be camping out for a few weeks in front of Best Buy to pick up this little gem.

[Scootalove 10,692]

Time to camp out to get this gem of a console.

[Geek0zoid 1,468]

I'm not buying this thing. I have a good PC that already has Steam on it AND a Wii U to fulfill my console needs. The Steam Machine DOES look nice, but I'm not shelling out any more big bucks for awhile

[long gone 8,929]

I might buy one for some split-screen PC multiplayer with friends, since it'd probably be better to do so on a 22" TV instead of a 15.6" laptop

 

The CyberPower one looks the nicest tbh, but I'm admittedly not a huge fan of AMD (which is in the $499 model.) Gabe himself said that the Alienware model is the closest to what he imagined a Steam Machine should look like though.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

OH HELL YES. I DONT CARE IF IT'S 500$, I AM GETTING THIS JEWEL. It's technically cheaper than Xbox also.

[Flutter's lover <3 8,210]

Probably not,I've got a capable PC as is. And my PC will be future proof for another year or two.

[Sunbro 4 Lyfe 939]

screw uni

ima get one of those

[GrimCW 658]

Probably not,I've got a capable PC as is. And my PC will be future proof for another year or two.

 

It can also be a Steam Machine..

 

SteamOS will also be released for FREE.. and run on any current PC making it as much a steam machine as the pre-built ones..  So it still falls back to cheaper home built vs more expensive pre-built.. 

 

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

 

I think the only thing the new steam machines have is the custom designed cases above all else... The hardware is just regular PC gear crammed into a nice looking case. 

 

Not sure why people are even in a hype over the pre-built ones.. a better method (assuming you have a laptop and desktop) would be to just to install steam OS on both systems and use its future "streaming" feature to just stream right to your TV. It'd make an old laptop useful again as long as it boots up!

Have a full on gaming PC and have it run to the TV at the same time without spending MORE money on anything except maybe (if they push it and it works) the steam controller.

Edited January 15, 2014 by GrimCW

[Skeletor Brony 703]

They are releasing the steam box which is a console that functions the exact same as a PC, just with a controller and able to be hooked up in your living room or bed room TV. Not sure if they just converted the name to the steam machine or if they are two different things, but they seem similar.

[GrimCW 658]

@, 

 

 Steam box = Steam Machine apparently. Just pre-release journalists going haywire with what they didn't know about.

 

http://www.latinpost.com/articles/5890/20140114/valves-steam-box-release-date-specs-price-console-killer-glorified.htm

 

 

 

What is a Steam Box? Or a Steam Machine? Are they gaming consoles or innovative spa treatments? Let's clear up some of the confusion... It's a new type of gaming PC that looks like a console. Simply put, a Steam Box is a Steam Machine. The Steam Box moniker was coined by tech industry journalists sometime in 2012.

Edited January 15, 2014 by GrimCW

[Flutter's lover <3 8,210]

It can also be a Steam Machine..

 

SteamOS will also be released for FREE.. and run on any current PC making it as much a steam machine as the pre-built ones..  So it still falls back to cheaper home built vs more expensive pre-built.. 

 

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

 

I think the only thing the new steam machines have is the custom designed cases above all else... The hardware is just regular PC gear crammed into a nice looking case. 

 

Not sure why people are even in a hype over the pre-built ones.. a better method (assuming you have a laptop and desktop) would be to just to install steam OS on both systems and use its future "streaming" feature to just stream right to your TV. It'd make an old laptop useful again as long as it boots up!

Have a full on gaming PC and have it run to the TV at the same time without spending MORE money on anything except maybe (if they push it and it works) the steam controller.

 

 

Yea, I use a Xbox controller, so I sometimes use Big Picture if I feel like it. I've read about Steam OS. sounds great.Not really for me, but would be cool to have on a  PC that you have in your living room or something.

 

and yea, the only thing the Steam machines have are the fancy Steam cases, other than that they'e just run of the mill pre-built PCs. and for the specs, you can probably build one yourself for far less.

 

Who knows, you might be able to eventually just buy an empty Steam case.

[Crazy Misty 654]

SteamOS is kind of stupid atm, there's hardly any Linux supported games atm and it's just big picture mode :v

 

Still I guess it's good for console players who want to use the steam library but eh, kinda useless when you already got a pc 

[GrimCW 658]

@,

TMK its only really going to be big picture mode. Its supposed to be for TV's as opposed to monitors.

 

Valve is trying to bring PC gaming to the living room, but without the massive restrictions that MS, Sony, and Nintendo have on their consoles.

[Crazy Misty 654]

@,

TMK its only really going to be big picture mode. Its supposed to be for TV's as opposed to monitors.

 

Valve is trying to bring PC gaming to the living room, but without the massive restrictions that MS, Sony, and Nintendo have on their consoles.

 

Yeah I know the purpose, it was just disappointing since I was kind of hyped for it, only to find out it's only Big Picture.

 

It's cool they're doing this since it will deff make pc gaming look less intimidating, but it's not that useful for people who already have beefed up PC's (actually I don't but I'm planning to replace this shitty GT 640 XD)

[Guest]

Eh, I've done so many reviews of this and why it poses no threat to consoles whatsoever, and my opinion remains the same:

 

SteamOS is going to be limited by the fact that it's Linux based, which means that running windows exclusives will have to go through the dreaded streaming option, so ultimately you are still going to need a gaming PC to be a PC gamer. Valve has stated they do not intend this to replace gaming PCs, but instead to be a "companion", to them. Honestly though, at the prices we are seeing, I don't see people rushing to get one unless they are hardcore PC gamers that for whatever reason want to be able to play on their couch as well. I honestly feel like this will more or less be a device that is used only part of the time.

 

It's meant to give people a "taste" of PC gaming, but do not be confused: it is not meant to replace having a gaming PC. If you want the full PC gaming experience, go the full nine yards. Also, I have serious concerns about the overheating of some of these. One of them has a Core i7-2600k and a GTX Titan in a tiny little case. There's no way that thing is being cooled properly. Not to mention the prices you pay for these steam machines is comparable to getting a full rig. You may as well get the full rig because at least then you can build it how you want and ensure it's put together in a way that will not fry its own guts out. So many people think you can just cram a GTX 780+ and an i7 into a tiny case with little to no cooling, and you are looking at poor life for those parts. I got a damn water cooler on my CPU, and I have temperature gauges to monitor everything. RAM coolers, modified graphics card with additional fans and my case is lined to the top and bottom with fans.

[long gone 8,929]

Personally, I'm a bit underwhelmed by the first wave of Steam Machines. Most of them just seem so overpriced or look like standard PCs rather than a typical console. The Gigabyte Brix, for instance, is about as useful as its namesake; just look at how poorly the Iris Pro 5200 benches. That's worse than the GeForce GT 650M. The Brix is also being sold as a tiny, easily portable desktop. Personally it seems more useful as that than a gaming machine.

 

I can see why Valve would want to make PC gaming more accessible for people as most people probably wouldn't want to deal with building a PC from scratch (even though it's an incredibly rewarding experience and TMK isn't as hard as some people make it out to be...) or don't have the budget for a higher-end monster, and some people prefer gaming on the big screen rather than on a monitor. Not that you really need a high-end rig for gaming, even a $550 mid-ranged custom PC is perfectly capable of 1080p/60FPS gaming, but what "average joe" gamer is gonna know that? They see "boutique" gaming PC OEMs like Origin PC, Falcon Northwest and Alienware and think that PC gaming is expensive when it's not. So what are these meant to do? Make PC gaming more accessible to the "average joe" consumer. The only thing is the hardware partners failed to meet their budgets.

[Cstriker 737]

I am very weary of what they are doing. First, I LOVE VALVE AND STEAM! Have many of steam games and love their support to both mainstream and indie gaming. But, they are not dipping their feet into the water of console gaming essentially. Yes, they are linux based gaming PCs built to resemble nad be portable liek consolse, but hte price range on some of them is absurd. Going with scratch parts from New Egg, you can build something equivelent for far cheaper. I would not want a low level one, as I wany my system to last, so now it comes down to buying the higher end ones for 1,000s of dollars when again for the same price I can get a decent PC with a monitor and speakers vs without and a weird controller. Yes it intrigues me, and I wish valve luck, but I just don't feel the pull to buy one. I have a PC that needs upgrades or replacing, which I can do for cheaper then many of these, and I own an XboX one. So, my gaming right now is covered!

[Envy 6,405]

How does this even work? It's a console that plays PC games in a console way? Meaning they edit each game to make it compatible with console play (a controller as opposed to a keyboard and mouse)?

 

I don't really care for the idea of that, and I also don't care for the price. Because just like a PC, it will be quickly outdated and run the new games with low graphics and lag. If I wanted to focus on PC gaming, I'd build a gaming PC, because at least the PC has a lot of uses. I see no benefit whatsoever in buying this Steam Box. It just seems like an unnecessary extra expense. Just buy a PC.

[GrimCW 658]

How does this even work? It's a console that plays PC games in a console way? Meaning they edit each game to make it compatible with console play (a controller as opposed to a keyboard and mouse)?

 

 

Its just a regular PC that runs a modified Linux based OS,  "SteamOS" . It'll run what current steam has listed as "Big Picture Mode", making it more accessible from a gamepad on your TV set from the couch. This also means most of them (unless that system doesn't allow it) should be upgradeable by the user.  There is no need to buy a steam box to do any of this..

 

They are also working on a controller for it (that can be bought separately) that'll hopefully aid in the process and be capable of running non-Gamepad supported games better.

So far it sounds like it'll work not to dissimilar to a trackball mouse, but with more buttons (obviously). But its still very much in the design phase, as they recently decided to skip out on the touch pad they were going to use for its other controls, and just go with the standard D-Pad and console like buttons. Best guess is they're going to have it emulate keyboard commands like other programs do in order to get gamepad support into games that don't support it by default.

 

 

The hope is supposedly to be able to make it "capable of controlling more complex games like DOTA 2" or some such...

Edited January 16, 2014 by GrimCW

[Cstriker 737]

Seeing the controller in action makes me skeptical. I love my Xbox One controller, refined and perfect for my hands. I don't know how a new unique version of a track ball is going to go over.

 

THen again maybe I'm wrong and it's amazing. Either way the games I want are coming to both systems.

[acehastriforce 1]

I might get just a controller and use it with my PC. I have a thing for video game periferales(sp?). I think there Moe~

lol

[Judgement 445]

I'm glad they redesigned it from the prototype. (The steam box looked hideous)

The controller had some thumb-detection issues so I bet they will be redesigning that as well.

 

 

Lastly, I expect a Half-life 3 to come out of this.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Judgement

[Celtore 2,770]

Can someone kindly attempt to explain why there are steam boxes going for over 2000 dollars? Freaking insane! It's probably nice having steam running on its own device, but that's just nuts.

 

Also this idea of just throwing the OS out there and having hardware manufacturers pick it up is a really poor decision. It would have been wiser to design a system themselves and use it as a base model. Other manufacturers could still distribute their own machines, but Steam's would sort of be the "just buy this one" option to regular customers.

 

I'm also really disappointed about the touch pad removal from the controller. I intended to buy one for my Linux machine just because of that feature and figure out how to use it for other purposes. I feel that it's just not interesting enough to look into getting now, even for gaming.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Celtore

[long gone 8,929]

Because just like a PC, it will be quickly outdated and run the new games with low graphics and lag. If I wanted to focus on PC gaming, I'd build a gaming PC, because at least the PC has a lot of uses. I see no benefit whatsoever in buying this Steam Box. It just seems like an unnecessary extra expense. Just buy a PC.

1. There are people still running the most demanding games out there today on GTX 280s and lower on high settings in 1920x1080. GeForce 200 series is from 2008. "Outdated" is, for the most part, a moot point.

2. SteamOS has a desktop mode, so the Steam Machines can still be used as a desktop PC. Also, you can install Windows on them if you want.