Topic: Valve's PC Console “Steam Box"! For the Price of Building It Yourself.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Valve said to be working on 'Steam Box' gaming console with partners, could announce at GDC
Apparently taking on AppleTV and all the consoles in one fell swoop
http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2840932/exclusive-valve-steam-box-gaming-console

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.

More at the link including the patent with pics of the valve patented swappable function controller.

Next Gen just became that much more interesting.

Is it still possible that Valve has anything to do with the Wii U online assuming this was true? Or maybe working with Nintendo on Wii U online is what inspired them to take this step in the first place?

What do you guys think about a Steam Box next to your TV?

[Morari]

No thanks, I already have a Steam Box next to my television.

[S-U-P-E-R]

No thanks, I already have a Steam Box next to my television.

This was my exact first thought too.

core i7+nvidia is delicious but why buy a SteamBox instead of a PC or one of the other consoles? Does Valve have some sort of interesting hook or the cojones to make something like Left 4 Dead 3 a Steambox exclusive?

[Morari]

I don't see how they would make anything a Steambox exclusive. The way this conjecture is going, it simply sounds like a Valve-branded mini tower. It'd just be running in kiosk mode on top of Windows (or Linux) with Steam defaulted to big-screen mode. As is, the open nature of the platform would be the only real selling point in comparison to a traditional set top console.

The best one could hope for is that this would simply set a minimum benchmark for developers to strive toward. Really though, I can't imagine that Valve would be able to sell such a device cheap enough to truly make it a viable alternative to a real PC. Don't forget, we already all have HDMI outputs and USB gamepads.

[Chozo Ghost]

Does this count as a console or a computer? If its the later, that's great. I've been needing to get a new PC to be able to keep up with new and upcoming PC games which my current PC can't handle, and something like this would make figuring out what to get a no brainer. I don't think it should be spun off as a new separate platform, though. The console market is arguably too oversaturated as it is with the three players it already has.

[Lithium]

if this was the same price as a console it might be worth it to use as a home theatre pc/ gaming rig. assuming you could set XBMC on it. I already have a HTPC anyways though.

[Spak-Spang]

You know what would be an awesome hook.  Having a Steam Box that basically allowed any console, computer, to play Steam games through whatever device and television you hook it up to. 

Basically, it is a box that could help emulation of a game...or rather a game to be played and scaled to the console or computer it is plugged into. 

I dunno if that is at all possible, but it would be awesome.

[Shaymin]

I once told someone that I thought in 10 years, the big names in "console" gaming would be Nintendo, Sony and Valve with Microsoft shifting full time to phone development.

Just as planned?

[BlackNMild2k1]

No thanks, I already have a Steam Box next to my television.

This was my exact first thought too.

core i7+nvidia is delicious but why buy a SteamBox instead of a PC or one of the other consoles? Does Valve have some sort of interesting hook or the cojones to make something like Left 4 Dead 3 a Steambox exclusive?

Valve Steam Box w/ FREE copy of Half Life 3/episode 3 included in the box.

[Ceric]

This sounds like a traditional Microsoft play done by Valve.

Microsoft historically did Certification programs.  Take Phone 7 as a recent example.  Develop clear minimum specs and input guidelines and have someone else actually make the hardware.

I can see computers starting to show up with Steam Certification.  Which means the meet or exceed the minimum specs set by Valve.  This will help PC game developers point toward a common standard.

Something like this will be all about the User Interface.  Why would I want to use this Steam Box instead of a PC?

That is the ultimate question they need to answer and UI will be how they answer that. Most PC games in general just need the inputs that the PC offer.  I only see this having Middling success.

A Steam Handheld would be more interesting.

[NWR_insanolord]

Most of the PC games I care about are things I wouldn't want to play on a TV, like Civilization. I'd rather just have a real console with its own exclusives and a full-fledged PC than some kind of hybrid that misses out on the advantages of each platform.

[Ceric]

Most of the PC games I care about are things I wouldn't want to play on a TV, like Civilization. I'd rather just have a real console with its own exclusives and a full-fledged PC than some kind of hybrid that misses out on the advantages of each platform.

Agree

[Chozo Ghost]

I wouldn't mind playing civilization on a console as long as it let you use a mouse and keyboard and let you make and use user mods. The SNES version of Civilization used the SNES mouse from Mario Paint, so it was every single bit as Civilization on PC, and even better because the SNES version had better graphics.

[NWR_insanolord]

The interface for Civ would have to be completely reworked to be playable on a TV while sitting on a couch more than a couple feet away, even with a mouse and keyboard.

[ShyGuy]

So much for the next Xbox.

[Morari]

On the plus side, it'd be a lot easier to run games on your average television. The resolution on those things are so low, you'd barely need any power.

[Kairon]

Valve entering the field with a sort of convenient-lanbox-console would be a MAJOR game changer, and a HUGE threat to both MS and Sony since they'd probably be competing fiercely for the same demographics. Of course, if a steambox and rumors of Sony's PS4 being virtually a pc dovetail... then that'd be even more amazing, and a pretty awesome partnership by Sony I'd think.

Nintendo, of course, would also be severely challenged, but insulated a little bit more by their exclusive first-party development and wider consumer range.

Since a proposed steambox probably wouldn't support motion control or a Tablet Controller, it's stuff like this that shows just how important exclusive hardware/interface features, which some call "gimmicks", can be.

[TJ Spyke]

It sounds like this proposed Steam Box would be little more than a PC that can't do anything but play Steam games. So it would be a niche product.

[Kairon]

It sounds like this proposed Steam Box would be little more than a PC that can't do anything but play Steam games. So it would be a niche product.

Which essentially would make it a download only home console.

[tendoboy1984]

This sounds like a traditional Microsoft play done by Valve.

Microsoft historically did Certification programs.  Take Phone 7 as a recent example.  Develop clear minimum specs and input guidelines and have someone else actually make the hardware.

I can see computers starting to show up with Steam Certification.  Which means the meet or exceed the minimum specs set by Valve.  This will help PC game developers point toward a common standard.

Something like this will be all about the User Interface.  Why would I want to use this Steam Box instead of a PC?

That is the ultimate question they need to answer and UI will be how they answer that. Most PC games in general just need the inputs that the PC offer.  I only see this having Middling success.

A Steam Handheld would be more interesting.

You could say the same thing about any game system. Why have a game system at all when a PC plays games just fine? Hey, people are using that same argument regarding the "handhelds vs smartphones" debate.


In my opinion, the main reason to own a console is for the 1st-party games and other exclusive titles. A Valve console most likely wouldn't have any exclusive games, since Valve puts their games on pretty much every device that can play them.


Wouldn't it be a conflict of interest for Valve to support game consoles and their own Steam service?

[Kairon]

In my opinion, the main reason to own a console is for the 1st-party games and other exclusive titles. A Valve console most likely wouldn't have any exclusive games, since Valve loves putting their games on practically any device that can play them.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I think a development like this would threaten console makers more if they've traditionally shared much the same demographic/genres/titles as the big games on steam. I mean, which platform do you think people will buy Left 4 Dead III on now? Or Bioshock Infinite + 1? Or all those indie games like Limbo?

Like you said, a strong first-party library and additional exclusive games for other reasons would slightly inoculate a console maker against this competition, as well as broader-based demographics and unique interface experiences.

[Kairon]

Is it still possible that Valve has anything to do with the Wii U online assuming this was true? Or maybe working with Nintendo on Wii U online is what inspired them to take this step in the first place?

Didn't Valve get Steam or something working on PS3? Maybe that's where they're coming from... in my mind it makes a lot of sense, maybe too much sense, if the PS4 and steambox were the exact same thing.

[Caliban]

Didn't Valve get Steam or something working on PS3?

Yes. With the release of Portal 2.

[broodwars]

I really don't see the point to this, assuming this actually happens.  I really dislike PC elitists, but this just sounds like a Steam-only PC with all the features removed that make PCs worth having to me.  Everything it does, a decent PC can already do (including hook up to a TV via HDMI).  And as much as I like the Portal series, I don't see Valve as a strong enough 1st party developer to sell the "console".  There just isn't enough variety in what they produce.  Besides, the home console market is already struggling to support 3 competitors, and I don't see how it supports a 4th that has almost no reason to own it.

[Stogi]

I wouldn't be so quick to shun away the idea. It all comes down to the price. If this thing is drastically cheaper than a full-fledged PC then it will be popular simply because it is a cheap computer.

I personally would buy one, especially after the hacking community opened it up. This could potentially replace my Apple TV and allow me to play some games I couldn't otherwise.