News - More third-party Steam Machine details emerge from the CES

Quote:

---

Zotac, Alienware, Gigabyte and Scan Steam Machines detailed.

---

Read more.

Scan just sent us a new nicer picture
http://hexus.net/media/uploaded/2014...8a9b2dc5fa.jpg

Looks like a flatbed scanner with go-faster vents. Hope the Alienware machine is decent, got a Dell company discount that stretches to Alienware

Oh Gawd!

It's as if they have taken the upgradability of a Mac, and mixed it with the cunning design of the original xbox.

ERGH.

No wonder steam ranted so much about windows 8 market place. They've got their own ecosystem they want to push.

Scan's system is one of the most interesting - but the form factor just confuses me. Maybe if someone got a photo of one next to a banana, for scale?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by directhex

Scan's system is one of the most interesting - but the form factor just confuses me. Maybe if someone got a photo of one next to a banana, for scale?

---

Good choice of fruit.

I think it will be interesting to see how people react to them, at these prices etc, see how they develop in the time before SteamOS is released.

I have to admit, virtually all the boxes so far are 100% fugly. The Alienware and Gigabyte ones being the worst by far.

The scan one, while not ugly, does look a bit odd.

nice

[QUOTE=shaithis;3160941...virtually all the boxes so far are 100% fugly...

[/QUOTE]

Didn't I see a case in the shape of a steam train not long back...they may as well bang the workings in that.

I really don't understand why anybody in their right mind would buy one of these over a PS4 or an Xbox One, or even a budget gaming PC from 3XS.

I just don't get it.

HL3 as a SteamOS exclusive?

Could happen.... ;)

I'm inclined to agree though - as I said previously I don't really see where Valve are heading with this: SteamOS doesn't have the native game catalogue to compete with consoles or PCs as a standalone gaming platform, but all the SteamBoxes announced so far are also way too expensive (and high spec) to consider as a companion streaming device to a Windows gaming PC. Unless they've got some seriously big names lined up to push linux/SteamOS ports of a lot of AAA game titles this year, so they can get the native game catalogue fleshed out and actually desirable, any steam box pulling more power than an A4-5000 APU is pretty much wasted as all your AAA games will need a Windows PC to run anyway....

Or am I missing something?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scaryjim

HL3 as a SteamOS exclusive?

Could happen.... ;)

I'm inclined to agree though - as I said previously I don't really see where Valve are heading with this: SteamOS doesn't have the native game catalogue to compete with consoles or PCs as a standalone gaming platform, but all the SteamBoxes announced so far are also way too expensive (and high spec) to consider as a companion streaming device to a Windows gaming PC. Unless they've got some seriously big names lined up to push linux/SteamOS ports of a lot of AAA game titles this year, so they can get the native game catalogue fleshed out and actually desirable, any steam box pulling more power than an A4-5000 APU is pretty much wasted as all your AAA games will need a Windows PC to run anyway....

Or am I missing something?

---

Today there are 10x more games on SteamOS than PS4. At knock-down prices, comparatively. What does the future hold?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by directhex

Today there are 10x more games on SteamOS than PS4.

---

How many *desirable* games though? And how many compared to the PS3/Xbox360 (which it will also have to compete with)? And how many compared to Steam on Windows? How many AAA titles? It's not all about volume of games/apps in your marketplace. *IF* they can get devs to back it and develop/port games for native SteamOS, I'll be a) impressed, and b) an eager consumer. But so far I've not heard many game studios raving about SteamOS. Perhaps that'll come at a different trade show, fair enough. But right now? I don't see the point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scaryjim

How many *desirable* games though?

---

A very subjective question. Just remember that one of the best selling games in the life of the 360 was Minecraft.

Quote:

---

And how many compared to the PS3/Xbox360 (which it will also have to compete with)?

---

About 800 and 1000 respectively, not filtering for regional availability (i.e. not all will be available in the UK)

Quote:

---

And how many compared to Steam on Windows?

---

On sale today (excluding games withdrawn from sale but still in libraries)? 2450

Quote:

---

How many AAA titles?

---

How are we defining AAA?

Quote:

---

It's not all about volume of games/apps in your marketplace. *IF* they can get devs to back it and develop/port games for native SteamOS, I'll be a) impressed, and b) an eager consumer. But so far I've not heard many game studios raving about SteamOS. Perhaps that'll come at a different trade show, fair enough. But right now? I don't see the point.

---

I was expecting some announcements yesterday relating to major publisher support. We *know* 2K is onboard and has ported XCOM (which means Epic is onboard and has ported UE3)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scaryjim

HL3 as a SteamOS exclusive?

---

Then they can keep it. MS tried the same trick with Halo2 and Vista,and it backfired in their face.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scaryjim

How many *desirable* games though? And how many compared to the PS3/Xbox360 (which it will also have to compete with)? And how many compared to Steam on Windows? How many AAA titles? It's not all about volume of games/apps in your marketplace. *IF* they can get devs to back it and develop/port games for native SteamOS, I'll be a) impressed, and b) an eager consumer. But so far I've not heard many game studios raving about SteamOS. Perhaps that'll come at a different trade show, fair enough. But right now? I don't see the point.

---

I agree. ATM,at least looking at tha major titles I have played over the last year and indeed the ones I am looking forward to this year,only one has Linux support and that was Metro:Last Light MONTHS after it came out on all other platforms.

TBH,I think I would rather save the space on my SSD for another game than install SteamOS in its current form. But wait,you need a 500GB hard drive just to install it. Eh,nope.

ATM,I am decidedly meh about. Perhaps in six months time when Valve has tinkered with it more,maybe I will look at it again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by scaryjim

HL3 as a SteamOS exclusive?

Could happen.... ;)

---

Nope!

Quote:

---

But don't expect Valve to make Half-Life 3 exclusive to SteamOS to help lift the Linux-based operating system off the ground. "It's against our philosophy to put a game in jail and say it only works on Steam Machines," says Valve's Doug Lombardi. Even though the company locked Half-Life 2 to Steam years ago, the team appears to have thought better of that decision. "That may or may not have been a good idea given the condition Steam was in at the moment." (Source)

---