How big do you think the Steam Box will become?

[RawkitLauncher]

Do you think the Steam Box will be really popular or do you think it will fade away? I'm interested in what other people think of the Steam Box.

[Majestic Turkey]

H3X eredeti hozzászólása:

The Red Panda eredeti hozzászólása:

2.The lack of distinction between a Steambox and a decent PC and an HDMI cable

Isn't that the point? The consoles are getting more and more powerful and closer to the kind of hardware we see in gaming pc's, so why shouldn't the steambox be too.

I thought the idea was to market what's essentially a small form factor gaming pc with a dedicated OS for the Steam client rather than everything else that windows or mac needs in the background. The market is the same one as the consoles, but it could also be an option for pc users who want a small system for the front room, or want a second one for multiplayer etc and are on a budget for example. The range of proposed specs would indicate that too ;)

More on topic, I think it might do well, but it's going to depend on the software available for the thing really, as if it's still limited to the current Linux ports then a hell of a lot of the Steam store will be incompatible with it. They can work around that, it'll likely be a goldmine as it's bang in the middle between a gaming rig and a console box, but with more titles and capability for upgrades rather than replacement down the line.

Basically the issue is that its "rebranding" something which we could have done all along, but didn't do for obvious reasons. The thing shows they don't actually understand the reasons pc's weren't always hooked up to tvs in the first place.

[Kuladhar Dorabjee]

H3X eredeti hozzászólása:

The Red Panda eredeti hozzászólása:

2.The lack of distinction between a Steambox and a decent PC and an HDMI cable

Isn't that the point? The consoles are getting more and more powerful and closer to the kind of hardware we see in gaming pc's, so why shouldn't the steambox be too.

I thought the idea was to market what's essentially a small form factor gaming pc with a dedicated OS for the Steam client rather than everything else that windows or mac needs in the background. The market is the same one as the consoles, but it could also be an option for pc users who want a small system for the front room, or want a second one for multiplayer etc and are on a budget for example. The range of proposed specs would indicate that too ;)

More on topic, I think it might do well, but it's going to depend on the software available for the thing really, as if it's still limited to the current Linux ports then a hell of a lot of the Steam store will be incompatible with it. They can work around that, it'll likely be a goldmine as it's bang in the middle between a gaming rig and a console box, but with more titles and capability for upgrades rather than replacement down the line.

Then why buy a 1300$ Linux based PC when I could Just upgrade my Current one with a Decent Graphics card and processer for signifigantly less


Again the Linux Based Os is gunna kill it unless Game devs decide to create a Linux version aswell


At this point in time there aren't enough Linux compatible games on steam to make steam box successful


How to make your own Steambox:

Take old Computer

Get Decent GPU and Proccessors


Get HDMI cable

(Optional) Print out Sticker with Stem logo on it and stick it on your PC


Instal Windows and Steam

BAM you have an improved Steambox

[H3X]

Majestic_Turkey eredeti hozzászólása:

Basically the issue is that its "rebranding" something which we could have done all along, but didn't do for obvious reasons. The thing shows they don't actually understand the reasons pc's weren't always hooked up to tvs in the first place.

Sure we could do most of that already, but what we couldn't is the OS and the controller which (if they do what they're being designed for properly) could conceivably make a dent in that console market alone, with people building their own system rather than buying a pre-made one. It's incentive to do it, and incentive for developers to bring their games to a more equal functional level across all platforms. I'm not saying it's going to be the biggest thing ever, but it could get them a foothold in that side of things and bring a lot of benefits of a more advanced system along with it, directly into people's front rooms.

To be honest, I already have my pc in front of the couch. I already dual boot OS systems for different things, and having hardware and software available that would make my gaming easier with that kind of setup would be useful to me. Maybe it's not for everyone (and I'm fairly sure I'd be a minority with that kind of setup), but there could be some interesting benefits and effects of bringing that option to the market :)

[Sickb0y]

I think the lack of ports from developers is what will make or break SteamOS I have like 900+ games+ dlc and about a tenth is only available for Linux. Get the number to 50% and I will gladly build my own Steambox (I already have a ubuntu headless server running plex media server among other things) wouldn't have a problem building another small pc just for SteamOS.

[Magillanica Lou Mayvin]

strychnine eredeti hozzászólása:

Majestic_Turkey eredeti hozzászólása:

Still, it comes down to this, no matter how hard they try with "agreements", the state of the market and just common sense kind of say no, you can't really make a case for companies to serve an unprofitable and tiny market. Once consumers realize they are just being asked to buy a second pc, their wallets will stay closed.

I agree partly. However price dictates this entirely. If you will sell 1million hardcopies of a game vs 5million digital version at a discount, you essentially make more money digital. And even at 1million digital vs harcopies you would make more digitally having a significantly lower amount of overhead to produce said hardcopies. The steambox is going to be completely dictated by price itself. Right now they've been pulled apart and estimate around a $1300 hardware cost. But companies like sony and microsoft pretty much take a loss on every console sold, because that revenue is made back up by software sales. I would assume the same logic applies here.

Majestic_Turkey eredeti hozzászólása:

Actually its very true, its behind much of the fanboy hate you see between xbox and ps4/3 users, they tend not to be able to afford both systems, so they rationalize their decision and go full bore fanboy about it. Like it or not we do live in a world where spending hundreds on a system isn't a decision most people take lightly. You only have to see how much screaming there was about microsofts slightly higher price on their new console to see how tight budgets really are.

Steam is big because its not a primary reason why people buy pc's. Many people just get it as a bonus for their back to school pc/laptop. Steam sales are not an enticement for developers, steam sales do not fund development of AAA titles, effectively steam is a secondary market that relies on the consoles funding game development. Its a parasitic market in other words, if you dream steam gets big, well the sales kind of have to end.

You are skipping a step in logic on developers just jumping on this. The sales they gain from steam os are probably cannibalized off the pc market to begin with, meaning zero additional money for double the work. If pc users demand they get both releases in one so they don't have to buy twice, so much the worse.

Care? I think you are confused, its a corporation which owns the majority share of digital downloads on pc. Its like falling in love with at&t. They care to do business with you, and to make money. Don't make the relationship more than it is.

Just take for instance the performance of steam during this holiday, its been abysmal, how many times have inventories not worked? How many times has the store not worked, steam market? Trade offers? Its like half the time its down, its even down as we speak right now. And its not a surprise, this happens EVERY year, and its never fixed. When I load my gmail or google services does it go down during the holidays? Nope. Does youtube stay working? Yep, and they deliver data on a scale that simple dwarfs anything valve does..and for free.

You are asking to lock us into valve, why does valve not imrpove its services? It really doesn't have much competition, this is atleast the 3rd christmas I remember with their systems being so bad that its like 50/50 whether it works or not.

I think you're confusing what I'm saying. I do not need a lesson in corporate america. But you're simply taking the anti-corporation approach to your argument which isn't anymore justified than mine. You make personal claims over an overall service as well, which justifies your standpoint on it yes, but doesn't fit the entirety of the point. You have experienced service issues apparently on every steam sale, yet I have only experienced my first this year when Left 4 Dead 2 was free, I couldn't access the store for an hr or so. Never had issues playing or another store error from there. Giving 1 game away should of course not cause issues, but I can accept that over my credit card being stolen or an entire online service being off for a month.

The one thing about microsoft price point that was being argued is the kinetic increased the price on the system, and was not an optional purchase. It was mandatory. The price wasn't necessarily the issue, it was the fact there was no choice. Xbox one and PS4 are essentially neck and neck for holiday sales. Again, this is about more choice than money. Simple human logic is I would rather get something $100 cheaper than another equally comparable thing. But things like xbox where friends are already established, this makes spending the money no longer optional.

The logic on developers jumping on it, isn't missed. Developers mostly do jump on this, publishers do not. I never asked for anyone to lock into valve, I more or less made the argument that saying it's going to fail because you(generally speaking) think so is ignorant.

I get what you're saying, but you're flavoring this more with personal distaste than a valid counterpoint in some of this. Profit of a product sold goes to development, regardless of market. Consoles drive it more yes, because of price, but that doesn't mean selling the game on steam is money of no use to a developer.

You're contradicting yourself and here's a single argument , better said the only argument that matters:

"Flavouring something with personal distaste" Is the only thing that matters! The only thing that could help the steam box grow is the same thing which keeps it down. The way people feel about your product matters because they are the ones that could potentially buy/use your service. Therefore , the people's personal opinion towards a service or a product dictates the way and direction that service or product heads onto. There are pro's and cons and the box has many more cons than pro's. We each have our own point of view corporate BS aside. In order to compete with Xbox One and PS 4 you either have to sink an endless amount of funds and hope this would get you somewhere asuming that your product provides "more" or be plain mad knowing your hardware will not only be less compatible but also weaker .. Take Wii for example. The only thing that keeps them floating is the low hardware and low prices. Sadly that's not what steambox wants to be , it aspires for more and without gradually surpassing the Xbox or the PS in everything they do , it certainly feels like the chances of success are on the minus before it even starts.

Example : The Game Cube , if you know what I'm talking about , had the same masterplan of surpassing the PS and Xbox and it failed big time because they simply could not compete and keep up.

My point is , what I believe and what you believe and what he believes actually matters. No other corporate argument or sidetrack argument can push ourselves from the main track and the main track dictates so far that the chances of success vary from slim to none due to incompatibility mostly.

The question you need to ask yourself is : Why bother to buy a Steam box when you can buy a PC which is compatible with everything. We all know that the difference between a console and a PC is massive and the PC is untouchable. I own a PS3 a PS4 a Xbox360 and a Xbox one and two PC's and i speak from my own experience. Nothing compares to the PC. See I'm not even taking a console side and therefore even if the Steambox would be better than the PS4 or Xbox one it would still rate low on my Needs Satisfying Scale. The PC is compatible with everything and does everything and until the Steambox can convince me that it's worth because "X" - "Y" reasons then I don't see the point of even buying one.

[Mr Snrub]

I suspect Gabe's dislike of Windows 8 stems from Microsoft encroaching on his territory with the "Store" able to sell and distribute apps & games directly to users and inherently track their purchases without the need for any product keys.

The SteamBox is either a response or retaliation to this, but I can't see it being a winner in the long run for several reasons:

1. People that have a large library of Windows games would probably not take kindly to abandoning them (no compatibility for Win32 on Linux, no plans for developers to port old games).

2. People that already run Linux today on a "real" PC would probably not buy another one, why would they?

3. Developers do not seem to be joining in with the idea that Linux is a platform worth developing for, due to cost or audience size.

4. Valve (or the appropriate reseller) would need to provide support for the SteamBox - how far would that extend if people want to dual-boot, add other roles, change the defaults, upgrade the hardware, install after-market cooling, etc.?
Support costs a lot of money and generates none.

5. A console has fixed specifications and the performance from games will be predictable and consistent, a PC-based platform has many variables and is designed to be upgradable to an extent, so the user experience will vary massively.

[Ginrikuzuma]

((should of unsubbed from the thread after my concern was confirmed but might as well chip in))

The only way I don't see SteamBox drop dead in the water is if Valve works out deals with some of the large AAA companies to help boost support for the SteamBox (and linux) gaming.
How? Can't really think of any aside from the counterproductive making them steam (or steambox?) exclusive.
In general I see making anything exclusive just ends up not being as profitable as having them on all systems.

However pumping in money to said companies to make exclusives (or any other kind of deal) would cost Valve money which may or may not be a net gain in revenue in the end result.

[TkyoToni]

probably better then ps4 or xbox one

[playin' high]

Very good point bro. Thanks.

[Moogz]

I'm not totally convinced it will do all that well; interested to find out though

[Bjellis]

big

[XÆЯO_Vince]

I've read that some 3rd party partners that will be building Steam machines will be bundling Windows as a dual-boot configuration with SteamOS. So people may end up buying them as a new computer then just using the included Windows and controller for gaming.

Valve hopes to make SteamOS Linux successful but it won't be successful if the catalog remains limited to cheap indie games and older AAA Valve titles. Valve needs to get the "big gun" game developers like Bethesda, Infinity Ward and Treyarch on board.

[Lu]

It isn't going to replace high-end gaming PCs for most PC gamers, but I expect a lot will buy one anyway as a toy for their living room.

Valve's real target audience should be console gamers who want all the benefits of Steam and PC gaming with the plug-in-and-go convenience of a console.

Now the issue there I think is a lot of console gamers will probably end up almost as confused by all the different versions of the Steam Machine as they are when purchasing a standard gaming PC.

[//Portal/zﾒ]

DarthBo eredeti hozzászólása:

What a lot of you don't seem to understand is that Steamboxes are not meant to replace the PC, they're meant to replace consoles.

The amount of games available for SteamBox right now is irrelevant. PS4 and xbone have even less. The main difference here is thanks to SteamPlay, buying a game in the future could make it playable on both your PC and your console.

Steamsales for consolegames? Yes please.

What's that? You already built a kickass PC and have no need for a console? Awesome, nothing changes for you, you'll continue gaming like you always have.
But say you visit a friend, who does have a steam console. Thanks to the new library sharing feature, you can now play your PC game on his console.

How is this not an exciting future?

This.

[Big Al]

"The Future" is touchpads and consoles that have massive restrictions on media playback and can only play World of Goo?