Zandronum

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamMachines/
So Valve is actually going to enter the console market. Apparently, they are going to make several different hardware configurations as well. Depending on the price range, I might actually get one. Any other takers?

(Move this to Off topic....dammit. What I get for using 15 tabs. )

The controller for it looks interesting, I'm curious on how it compares to analog and mouse controls.

This is a bit late but yeah, its very interesting. The controller looks very promising to combine a controller with mouse ( have you SEEN the damn prototype controllers, JESUS). I will totally grab one IF, and only IF, it is $100-150. They need a good price range to make a dent in the sales of the recent consoles coming out, as well as compete with other mini-consoles like Ouya(which i have and love) and GameStick.

This seems to fit better in general chat than Zandronum chat.

SyKoTiC wrote: I will totally grab one IF, and only IF, it is $100-150.

Yeah, because I'm sure they can afford to release consoles with medium-high range gaming hardware for that price range.

darkstar64 wrote: Yeah, because I'm sure they can afford to release consoles with medium-high range gaming hardware for that price range.

Well think about it. I really won't find it worth it for a console that sounds like it streams pc games from a actual PC. For 300 big ones, which is what i assume you think it would be priced, I'll stick with my Ouya to stream my Steam games. If it does play games nativity, then obviously the specs need to be good, or at least what xbox one and ps4 give us, because those graphics are still amazing. With that said, the price range should not exceed $300. I stated my previous price because thats the range i would instantly buy it. Everything after that range is a maybe/no for me.

SyKoTiC wrote:Well think about it. I really won't find it worth it for a console that sounds like it streams pc games from a actual PC.

Well, according to the site, home-network streaming will be an option for lower-end Steam Boxes which wouldn't be able to run a given game smoothly on its own hardware. It seems that otherwise, they can be packed with some very powerful hardware depending on the "good", "better", or "best" power rating they fall under.

http://kotaku.com/we-know-more-about-va ... 1442101512
I know, Kotaku, but it's the site that popped up with the most info on that part.

darkstar64 wrote: The controller for it looks interesting, I'm curious on how it compares to analog and mouse controls.

Spoiler: Steam Controller Demonstration (Open)

phpBB [video]

The [video] tag is deprecated, please use the [media] tag

I might get one console if the price isn't excessively high; looking forward to all this, it's a revolution I think.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

The Toxic Avenger wrote: This seems to fit better in general chat than Zandronum chat.

Yes, my apologies. I was in a hurry.

As there are going to be multiple machines, if I were Valve I'd design a streaming model, a small game model, a current gen console equivelant, and a heavy duty machine. That's my line of thinking. As far as price goes, I'm going to bank between $150 all the way up to $1000 for a serious machine. I'd wager they'll have at least 5 different models total. If the console OS can play any game on steam, I'll more than likely buy one if the upper end hardware is good enough.

Spottswoode wrote: As there are going to be multiple machines, if I were Valve I'd design a streaming model, a small game model, a current gen console equivelant, and a heavy duty machine. That's my line of thinking. As far as price goes, I'm going to bank between $150 all the way up to $1000 for a serious machine. I'd wager they'll have at least 5 different models total. If the console OS can play any game on steam, I'll more than likely buy one if the upper end hardware is good enough.

Well, you'd be thinking of pretty much like them. "We think there's actually gonna be a segmentation," Newell said, laying out three possibilities: Good, Better, and Best. "The good-better-best will relate directly to both pricing and functionality."

• "good" (low-cost streaming model which is said to start at 100$ and lower from there) to
• "better" (middle-end machines which either match or exceed the XB1 and PS4, supposedly around 300-500$)
• and "best" (we're talking Titans and i7s here)

And those are only the guidelines, where PC vendors will be given full leeway to assemble their own spec machines.

You're encouraged to hack and upgrade the system with any hardware components you like, which basically means that they're only going to get as obsolete as you let it. I like the fresh take on a console/PC, even if it might not be an Xbox killer right away.

Medicris wrote:
You're encouraged to hack and upgrade the system with any hardware components you like, which basically means that they're only going to get as obsolete as you let it.

This is what many consider the downside of the Ouya (I use this little device as a example a lot because right now it's the only thing to use, and works). It was hackable to the point of rooting and doing just as customizing as a rooted android, to what it's limited to of course, running android 2.2 I think. No one wanted to make a attempt to profit some something that can be hacked. Have I hacked it? Yes, a custom boootloader, but nothing considered illegal. But it's those details publishers and devs don't like. If Steam gets away with it, it's because it's Steam and they make it rain. Hur Hur...

I think I will stick with a spare, but still powerful PC and put SteamOS on it.

Ænima wrote: [spoiler][/spoiler]

That comic is B^U personified.

Anyway I don't think that the consoles are going to get anywhere, since anything you could do with it you could do more of and better with a HTPC. Including playing games, since last I checked the Steam for Linux library consisted of Valve games, stuff from Humble Bundle, and Serious Sam 3. The real interesting thing will be whether the alleged magic driver improvements actually make it upstream.

Medicris wrote: Well, you'd be thinking of pretty much like them. "We think there's actually gonna be a segmentation," Newell said, laying out three possibilities: Good, Better, and Best. "The good-better-best will relate directly to both pricing and functionality."

• "good" (low-cost streaming model which is said to start at 100$ and lower from there) to
• "better" (middle-end machines which either match or exceed the XB1 and PS4, supposedly around 300-500$)
• and "best" (we're talking Titans and i7s here)

And those are only the guidelines, where PC vendors will be given full leeway to assemble their own spec machines.

You're encouraged to hack and upgrade the system with any hardware components you like, which basically means that they're only going to get as obsolete as you let it. I like the fresh take on a console/PC, even if it might not be an Xbox killer right away.

I don't think we could kill consoles any time soon, even if all the major company went drm on their consoles. Though the fact they won't be using proprietary hardware/software exclusively gives me some hope that PC games will become much more mainstream if these machines do well. I'm really only interested in the top level hardware at the moment because if it can outperform the current gen of consoles, it provide the "graphics oriented" console gamers a reason to come over to our side of the pc/console divide. (Even though technically, the machines would just blur the lines.) I suspect the "purist" PS3 users may be the first to defect under those circumstances. Plus, I think some of the old school gamers may cozy in with a lot of Steam's classic games.

Balrog wrote: Anyway I don't think that the consoles are going to get anywhere, since anything you could do with it you could do more of and better with a HTPC. Including playing games, since last I checked the Steam for Linux library consisted of Valve games, stuff from Humble Bundle, and Serious Sam 3. The real interesting thing will be whether the alleged magic driver improvements actually make it upstream.

I think the major hurdle here is whether or not these machines can play all or most of the steam games. Other than that, it's not that big of an issue. If Valve is going to make a significant investment in the future of these machines, it would be borderline retarded for them not to be able to play new releases: ergo, their priority is going to be on console equivelancy for the upper end models.

I'm quite curious whether or not they will allow custom orders in the future if these machines do well in the market or if they will sell or assist in the marketing of hardware for these machines. Seems to be the next logical step if the markets do well.