ASUS announces the GR8S Steam Machine

[directhex]

Games for PS4: 245

Games for Xbox One: 163

Games for Steam Machine: 998

Games for PS4 with mods: 0

Games for Xbox One with mods: 0

Games for Steam Machine with mods: 84

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for PS4: £54.99

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for Xbox One: £54.99

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for Steam Machine: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for PS4: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for Xbox One: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for Steam Machine: £0

Someone remind me about how these things are pointless?

[AGTDenton]

By the time November comes there will be newer generation CPU and GPUs. Hopefully the specs will be updated by then lol!!

ASUS notes that, by launch time, the GR8S will be "updated with any future Intel Core i5/i7 and Nvidia GeForce hardware available at the time."

So will we get to hear the real reason for the delay in Steams Revolution? Or will it always be some twaddle about the controller.

[Corky34]

As it is, steam machines are a gimmicky PC without the benefits.

AFAIK most Steam Machines don't lose any of the benefits of a PC as they are nothing more than a PC designed for the living room.

Seeing as a load of them are using the rvz01 like I do I guess that means I have a steam box too.

Indeed, everyone that currently uses the Steam client already has a "Steam machine" It's just we're happy to put up with the draw backs that come with gaming on a PC and console owners are not.

We've had high power, silent SFF PCs that look good for years now, so "steam machines" are just marketing.

Yes they're marketing, but they're not just marketing.
There PCs that are suitable for the living room, there the SteamOS that is meant to make searching for updated drivers, BSOD, crashes, and all the other foibles of owning a PC history, there the Steam Controller that's meant to make it possible to play games more suited for M+K without a M+K.

People who don't want to build a PC or get involved in maintenance, but want one suitable for the living room (and 99% of these people should just buy an Xbox One or PS4)

And that's why trying to sell people on the idea of gaming on the PC (aka Steam Machine) would fail if they just made yet another console, you don't convince people that don't want to build a PC or get involved in maintenance, but want one suitable for the living room by making yet another console, you take the best of both words and merge them into one system.

The choice and openness of the PC world with the ease of use of the console world.

So will we get to hear the real reason for the delay in Steams Revolution? Or will it always be some twaddle about the controller.

The "Steam Revolution" is more than just the Steam machines, SteamOS, or the controller, it's about the possibility of combining all three to answer the question of why people choose to play games on consoles and not PCs.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Games for PS4: 245

Games for Xbox One: 163

Games for Steam Machine: 998

Games for PS4 with mods: 0

Games for Xbox One with mods: 0

Games for Steam Machine with mods: 84

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for PS4: £54.99

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for Xbox One: £54.99

Typical price for a brand-new downloadable chart game (Dying Light) for Steam Machine: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for PS4: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for Xbox One: £39.99

Annual fee to play multiplayer for Steam Machine: £0

Someone remind me about how these things are pointless?

A console will last people years without needing to care about whether their machine needs a better CPU,better card,etc and everyone knows their games will run OK and the same with their mates. Most console games also still have a resale value. Plus the are just more convenient for a lot of people as a result.

Plus add for the actual cost of Windows(£50 to £75) for a gaming PC you get access to MORE games, and don't have more options on the graphics side too,which over a 5 year period will save you more money.

[nitro912gr]

A console will last people years without needing to care about whether their machine needs a better CPU,better card,etc and everyone knows their games will run OK and the same with their mates. Most console games also still have a resale value. Plus the are just more convenient for a lot of people as a result.

Plus add for the actual cost of Windows(£50 to £75) for a gaming PC you get access to MORE games, and don't have more options on the graphics side too,which over a 5 year period will save you more money.

Steam machines have as target not only consoles but windows as well, this is why valve is promoting steam OS which is free and more and more games are available for it.

As for the upgrades and how the games play, I change card in my system every 3-4 years and I say about mid range cards, same with the console users who change their consoles in that time.
Also if a game release in consoles at the end of their life will have to cut details to be able to play in that console, if a game release in my system's end of life, I just lower the details myself. Now after they stop developing for that console the users are completely cut off new games, while I can still play, even if I have to get details at medium or low (you really need a 10 years old system to turn to low settings but I have seen people do it).

The "convenient console" is a lie, we are no longer in PSX era where I just had to get the disk and power up to play.
Also the inconvenient PC is also a lie now, how hard it is to get a gaming system (even a custom build one), install steam, buy a game, let the steam install it and then play?
As far as I know this is more or less the same thing you do with a modern console, even if you buy a retail game it is most likely you will need to wait for updates to download first.

This is what valve want to do, with big picture, steam machines and controllers. To make it as easy or even easier for a console user to jump ship to the "mother platform" of PC (as a friend says all the time )

[DanceswithUnix]

So will we get to hear the real reason for the delay in Steams Revolution? Or will it always be some twaddle about the controller.

I expect the controller is a bit of an excuse.

I use Linux, the ability to game without the chore of booting into Windows is for me wonderful. So, I have the Steam client installed on my Linux box. Am considering building a SteamOS box and lobbing XBMC on it as well, because I have most of the bits kicking around already. In fact, if I stick with an old Llano AMD APU for graphics I could build a box now. I have enough games to keep me going for a while, I can build a small PC, I can download SteamOS beta to install on it. Problem is, for more hardcore gamers than me (which is almost certainly most of them) there probably aren't enough games available yet.

So, if they release the controller, it is all finished isn't it?

[CustardInc]

The GR8 is a full-blown PC, the trick is in working it into a smaller case than might be possible via self-building methods and adequately cooling it!

Indeed... don't make the same mistake Gigabyte did with the Brix gaming kit that had a horribly cooled GTX 760

[plexabit]

Options? That is kind of the point of it being a PC. Some will want cheap, some will want fast, some will want to be able to upgrade the graphics card in a couple of years.

Steam could do with their own benchmark tbh, then you could get a feel for price performance despite the free for all. The benchmark should be Vulkan based to give the platform a hefty nudge

Agreed. Best model plan in my mind for Steam machines: Steam Slim and Steam Pro models...

-Slim, low power draw, with mobile hardware. Maybe even modular with a large removable battery (Maybe??). I see prices in the 600's for a 950M, i5, 8GB ram, etc. going up to 2500+ for dual 980's, etc. Basically a laptop without a screen and keyboard.

-Larger, more traditional desktop system with desktop components and more performance for the price. Going with their pricing, it'll start at $699 for a 950 and probably going to 1700 for a 980. I see the highest-selling model being a 970 system around 1400 dollars.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Steam machines have as target not only consoles but windows as well, this is why valve is promoting steam OS which is free and more and more games are available for it.

As for the upgrades and how the games play, I change card in my system every 3-4 years and I say about mid range cards, same with the console users who change their consoles in that time.
Also if a game release in consoles at the end of their life will have to cut details to be able to play in that console, if a game release in my system's end of life, I just lower the details myself. Now after they stop developing for that console the users are completely cut off new games, while I can still play, even if I have to get details at medium or low (you really need a 10 years old system to turn to low settings but I have seen people do it).

The "convenient console" is a lie, we are no longer in PSX era where I just had to get the disk and power up to play.
Also the inconvenient PC is also a lie now, how hard it is to get a gaming system (even a custom build one), install steam, buy a game, let the steam install it and then play?
As far as I know this is more or less the same thing you do with a modern console, even if you buy a retail game it is most likely you will need to wait for updates to download first.

This is what valve want to do, with big picture, steam machines and controllers. To make it as easy or even easier for a console user to jump ship to the "mother platform" of PC (as a friend says all the time )

Sorry I don't entirely agree - what you people need to get is that EVERY console user knows their game for their console will run on that console and so will all their mates. They don't need to care at all for the lifespan of the console whether their CPU is fast enough or their graphics card will run it,or what settings it will run. They don't need to care what driver revision will work or re-install stuff.

Every game made for a particular console will work - with PCs you can have problems,or issues. Remember as a techy people we can get round any problems quickly but for most people even a light problem is them taking it to a PC shop lest they have a techy person they know.

Its literally like comparing an iPad to a PC. Its a walled garden approach.

Its literally plug and play and done. Even the whole software update thing,was handled in a more user friendly way on consoles for years before PCs.

The PC is still inconvenient in comparison - again you are posting on a tech forum with people who know about tech and care about tech. Lots of people don't know anythng about CPUs and GPUs or even brands. Most will NEVER build their own PC,and will but pre-built PCs of varying quality. Most will have zero clue about what to buy or even to upgrade their desktop let alone what to buy.

On top of that you make the assumption they want to even care?? If people cared then they wouldn't be buying £500 iPhones when you can get an Android phone for half or one third the price which will probably serve them fine.

That is assuming that people want desktops - if anything laptops and tablets have decimated the desktop market.

Discrete card sales are collapsing - the market is shrinking and its only been compensated by the fact that existing PC gamers are spending MORE and MORE on average on computers.

Almost all non-techy gamers I have met have been console gamers,and the only games I know which are popular among such people are things like LoL,DOTA.Minecraft,etc which will run perfectly fine on £350 laptop bought from anywhere,ie, they don't need to know anything about hardware to run them.

Most of the growth has been on such games which don't NEED a Steam Box since they will run fine on a blasted toaster.

This is coming from me remember,and I have helped loads of people on this forum in nearly a decade to get ONTO PC gaming from consoles and the like.

Even among people who are PC gamers,most don't even have a clue what bits to get and they tend to be more technical minded about things. Remember,tech forums are full of people who have an interest in hardware so are better clued up about it.

I have never been a console fan myself but I understand why people do buy consoles.

With PC gaming you need to have some idea of the tech,or know someone who does.

With consoles you need to know zero about tech.

Its an appliance you plug in and it will do the job for a few years. Done. Every game certified for a particular console will run on said console.

The Steam Box is not going to destroy consoles per-se IMHO.

This is because its still a PC and as a result you can never be 100% be certain it will run EVERY PC game in the Steam catalogue fine for the NEXT 5 years WITHOUT any upgrade.

That includes the cheapest ones with the Iris Pro IGPs - I am sure that will run EVERY game in the Steam Catalogue made for Steam Boxes for the next 5 years fine.

It isn't.

This is the problem with the cheaper SteamBoxes - they are massively underpowered.

They need to be minimum GTX960/R9 285 level cards.

If not if some console gamers do make the switch then,it will soon put them off.

All its going to do is take marketshare away from WINDOWS gaming PCs.

Yes,a reasonable gaming PC will destroy that XBox One or PS4 in pure graphics,modding ability and even upfront price in games,but if it were the case the console market would have collapsed once affordable 3D accelerators were available for PCs 15 years ago.

FFS,if the era of the £60 overclockable Core2s and sub £2000 8800GT cards did not destroy consoles,then the era of even more overpriced PC hardware advancing at a even slower rate is unlikely to do much of the same IMHO.

Honestly,PC gamers have a really illogical dislike of consoles at times.

I never understood it.

Edit!!

I am sure that people will say I am 200% wrong about consoles and so on,but the same arguments were said 10 years ago with the XBox360 and PS3,so I doubt I will agree with anyone this time around.

I will have to agree to disagree pre-emptly this time!!

[Corky34]

Honestly,PC gamers have a really illogical dislike of consoles at times.

Not all of them do
Consoles have many plus points, not having to bother with drivers, patches or whats going on with the OS, knowing all games you buy will be playable, being able to kick back on the sofa to name just a few. There are many reasons why people choose a console over a PC, the idea (imho) with the whole Steam Machine, OS, Controller package is to come up with something that seeks to provide an answer to those reasons, while still maintaining the openness of the PC.