No one knows if its download only, it may have a BD drive.
It was more in response to cat666's prediction rather than anything sensible. The PC probably will become digital downloads only eventually, as most retailers (particularly indie retailers) don't want to know about PC games Of course, the PC can't be locked down by a single outlet, which helps.
And a poor choice of words on my part about broadband, I meant allowances rather than caps. I don't have allowance limits (on VM), but I know a few people who do (some on the Sky Lite 2GB limit broadband) and they won't be happy at all about download-only games.
I know its off topic but since it was briefly discussed I just want to give a quick bad point regarding digital downloads, That Been unable to take games round a friends to play multilayer or just show off a game you just got which they may like.
Recent example, A friend came round my place Saturday & brought Hitman Absolution with him which he brought for his 360 last week. I had a quick play & enjoyed it so much I ended up going out & buying it myself today (From Tesco down road for PC).
I wasn't interested in the look of that game off the preview stuff I'd seen & had zero plans to buy it. Had that game been digital d/l only I'd have never had the chance to play it when my friend brought it round & therefore would not have brought it myself.
Go back to when the N64 was new, I had Goldeneye (And for a few months he didn't) & been able to take that game round friends so we could play split-screen provided us with tons of fun.
If games do go digital D/L only, I'll really miss been able to do that.
Going back on topic, I myself won't be getting one of these steam boxes as I don't need one. I've got a gaming PC as well as a PS3/XB360, And with the PC next to & hooked upto my 32" HDTV I can already choose to play PC games either on my monitor or TV.
Think it would be good for those who want some PC exclusives but don't want a PC or PC gamers who may not always be able to hook there systems upto a TV they want to game on.
It was more in response to cat666's prediction rather than anything sensible. The PC probably will become digital downloads only eventually, as most retailers (particularly indie retailers) don't want to know about PC games Of course, the PC can't be locked down by a single outlet, which helps.
Yup that's the way it's going. All the major distributers are coming up with their own distribution platforms. Like U-Play for example for Ubisoft. It's their own mini steam. It's taken the companies a while to catch up with Valve but they're getting there. And as a result the PC game section in most game stores is shrinking. In my local Game I spent 5 minutes trying to find it when buying Farcry 3. I get all my Blizzard games online now.
And i'm sorry for banging on about this, but I still don't get Steam Box. No one seems to know for sure what it is or what purpose it will serve. An article I just read suggested it's going for the WII market, ie, living room full of people playing the same game with motion sensors. Great, I get that. Not sure they'll succeed, but I get that.
Others on twitter are making statements suggesting it will play a major slice of the current Steam catalogue and come with titles like HL2, Portal etc in the box and it's a PC. Well, not unless Valve plans to convert all of their games to the Linux platform, which they may do. And we know Portal etc runs on Consoles already in terms of gameplay. But forget playing other titles from other developers. Why? Because they require WINDOWS to run. It's one thing for the developer of Minecraft to convert their game for the XBox.. the market was just begging to be entered. But it's another to expect developers to convert games to Linux for a new piece of hardware. No established market.
I suppose we'll find out more over time.
Perhaps Valve have calculated that the era of sitting at a desk playing a PC game is over.. that the market is slowing dying and the future is in living room casual gaming experiences, ie, sat on the sofa playing a game or jumping around your living room playing a game. And because of this they've decided to dip their toes into this market and try and position themselves so when the PC market dies... they're already floating in the console "living room" ocean. A bit like the way tablets seem to be replacing laptops. I can understand that.. I get that. And good luck to them.
Sounds like a half way house between PC and Xbox/PS, I'd be very concerned about what will work and what won't and also future titles, will they be in-step with PC releases or more what the mainstream console get, far to many 'if and buts' at the moment for my liking.
I'm sure there's plenty of people who would like to play pc games but don't want the big outlay or the hassle of setting it all up. If this offers the ability to play games from one box under the telly with simple install and play operation (and a pad) then I think there's a pretty big market. Depends on the price and the longevity of it for me as it could be obsolete pretty quickly but I'm sure plenty of developers will jump on the bandwagon.
As for the digital download/ trade in argument I also wouldn't buy anywhere near as many games as I do now if I couldn't sell them on. I simply couldn't afford it. Id be interested to hear what the average spend was on steam games. Everyone bangs on about the sales on there and how they are waiting for the next one..... Does anybody buy anything full price? If I could buy ps3 games at £15-£20 I'd prob buy at least double what I do now. And I'm pretty sure if steam only charged full price it wouldn't be half as popular.
Kind of skeptical about this one. Even without the Linux issue, it would need to be upgradeable to offer a legitimate alternative to consoles or a desktop. Traditional consoles are a decent investment as they will be well supported for 5-8 years, a desktop can be upgraded as necessary, a budget, non-upgradeable PC on the other hand would struggle to run the latest PC games in 2-3 years. Unless they expect developers to specifically optimize their games for the format, or design them from the ground up with the system's limitations in mind, it seems like a pretty short term investment.
Kind of skeptical about this one. Even without the Linux issue, it would need to be upgradeable to offer a legitimate alternative to consoles or a desktop. Traditional consoles are a decent investment as they will be well supported for 5-8 years, a desktop can be upgraded as necessary, a budget, non-upgradeable PC on the other hand would struggle to run the latest PC games in 2-3 years. Unless they expect developers to specifically optimize their games for the format, or design them from the ground up with the system's limitations in mind, it seems like a pretty short term investment.
I think developers will focus on making games for it like they do every other games console. The only difference here is the console will be made from PC hardware. It will likely be marketed and sold as a console, not a PC with a game pad like all other consoles.
Kind of skeptical about this one. Even without the Linux issue, it would need to be upgradeable to offer a legitimate alternative to consoles or a desktop. Traditional consoles are a decent investment as they will be well supported for 5-8 years, a desktop can be upgraded as necessary, a budget, non-upgradeable PC on the other hand would struggle to run the latest PC games in 2-3 years. Unless they expect developers to specifically optimize their games for the format, or design them from the ground up with the system's limitations in mind, it seems like a pretty short term investment.
Well the primary reason consoles have a longer lifespan is that they have a fixed architecture so developers can do more with less, unlike the PC which has a million different combinations. So as the VavleBox will also have a fixed architecture, i imagine it will perform similarly to a console.
Also the 2-3 years out of date thing really isn't true anymore, due to the PC hardware market slowing and the current consoles holding back all multi-platform releases (which nearly all AAA titles are)
Well the primary reason consoles have a longer lifespan is that they have a fixed architecture so developers can do more with less, unlike the PC which has a million different combinations. So as the VavleBox will also have a fixed architecture, i imagine it will perform similarly to a console.
Also the 2-3 years out of date thing really isn't true anymore, due to the PC hardware market slowing and the current consoles holding back all multi-platform releases (which nearly all AAA titles are)
Not only that but games take a lot longer to make now such as GTA5 or Skyrim.
Perhaps Valve have calculated that the era of sitting at a desk playing a PC game is over.. that the market is slowing dying and the future is in living room casual gaming experiences, ie, sat on the sofa playing a game or jumping around your living room playing a game. And because of this they've decided to dip their toes into this market and try and position themselves so when the PC market dies..
I'm not sure that is entirely the case...like any company i am sure they wish to maximise their profit stream, and bringing in a console-like item of hardware may do that for them. It will be a compliment to, and not replacement for, 'traditional' PC gaming i suspect.
The notion that PC gaming is dying has been a constant ( and inaccurate) refrain for the time i have been using one as my platform of choice,essentially the last 13 years. Every iteration of console has supposedly been the death-knell of the PC.
Here is an interesting comment from EA of all things regarding PC sales.
The PC gaming market has supposedly been "under threat" for the last 30 years, but somehow it manages to survive.
The reason is probably that most people don't buy PCs primarily to play games on. Even if one day the "console craze" flitters out and the kids find something more productive to do with their spare time, people will still be buying PCs.
Microsoft (and to some extent Sony) have seen this which is why they are making their consoles do so much more than just play games.
A PC has multiple uses, a console with web browsing, TV/Movies services, social networking, etc can be attractive to light or even non-gamers.
A PC that can only play games is a step backwards.
A PC that can only play games is a step backwards.
This isn't what this is though its by essence a games console. Only thing it will have in common with a PC is the hardware will be PC based but then so was the original Xbox.
It won't be aimed at the PC gaming crowed, it will aimed at the console gamers to compete with the next gen of consoles.
The advantage it has over consoles is that games made for the new Steam Box will also run on Linux on a standard PC. This won't only help to boost Linux gaming but also give more flexibility to console gaming.
It won't be aimed at the PC gaming crowed, it will aimed at the console gamers to compete with the next gen of consoles.
The advantage it has over consoles is that games made for the new Steam Box will also run on Linux on a standard PC. This won't only help to boost Linux gaming but also give more flexibility to console gaming.
So if what you are saying is true, why would someone buy a new piece of hardware when they can play the games on their existing equipment?
So if what you are saying is true, why would someone buy a new piece of hardware when they can play the games on their existing equipment?
Most people don't have PCs capable of high end games, it will be those people who buy it. Also PCs are often quite large and noisy so you wouldn't want it in your TV room, this may be suitable to those people too, it will also have an interface suited to a game pad.
I'm not saying this is successful but it's not without its merits and I will likely buy one.
Most people don't have PCs capable of high end games, it will be those people who buy it. Also PCs are often quite large and noisy so you wouldn't want it in your TV room, this may be suitable to those people too, it will also have an interface suited to a game pad.
I'm not saying this is successful but it's not without its merits and I will likely buy one.
Not to mention the hardware upgrades required on top of the cost of games with PC gaming currently.
Newell added that it was a response to the better-than-expected popularity of the company's recently-launched "big picture mode", which is a version of Steam designed for browsing on large displays, such as a living room television.
Newell said that he expects living-room gaming PCs running Steam to arrive in 2013. "We'll do it but we also think other people will as well," he said.
I do this already with my gaming PC, and more.
I cant believe so many people still think that PC gaming is restricted to a desk.
You can place any PC itself out of sight, connect multiple TV's, have wireless keyboard and mouse while lounged back into the sofa.
If you have a family, then you can use 3x TV's side by side. When you have the TV all to your self you can go triple screen gaming mode. If the missus or kid wants to watch something then you use one TV while they can use the other to watch something on a different TV. The family can spend more time together this way as well instead of being in separate rooms.
Seems Steam are just trying to make more people aware that you can do this, by advertising that fact and into a smaller box... which id rather keep my tower if this gen of overheating issues of consoles have anything to go by. That's one of the things that makes PC gaming interesting - you can customise almost everything about it, but probably not with a Steam box.
Im amazed these days since Windows 7 that a good many of people still find PC's as being over complicating. Before Windows XP there was a lot of complexity about PC's, but not now. Consoles are even basically a mini PC these days, just with a very basic OS.
This isn't what this is though its by essence a games console. Only thing it will have in common with a PC is the hardware will be PC based but then so was the original Xbox.
It won't be aimed at the PC gaming crowed, it will aimed at the console gamers to compete with the next gen of consoles.
The advantage it has over consoles is that games made for the new Steam Box will also run on Linux on a standard PC. This won't only help to boost Linux gaming but also give more flexibility to console gaming.
I suspect the final version of Piston won't be quite as overpowered as that particular box, but will be totally upgradable. $400-500 would be my guess.
Comments
And it would be interesting to see how many games retailers would be willing to sell a console specially designed to put them out of business.
Change to Sky, no caps here
No one knows if its download only, it may have a BD drive.
It was more in response to cat666's prediction rather than anything sensible. The PC probably will become digital downloads only eventually, as most retailers (particularly indie retailers) don't want to know about PC games
And a poor choice of words on my part about broadband, I meant allowances rather than caps. I don't have allowance limits (on VM), but I know a few people who do (some on the Sky Lite 2GB limit broadband) and they won't be happy at all about download-only games.
Recent example, A friend came round my place Saturday & brought Hitman Absolution with him which he brought for his 360 last week. I had a quick play & enjoyed it so much I ended up going out & buying it myself today (From Tesco down road for PC).
I wasn't interested in the look of that game off the preview stuff I'd seen & had zero plans to buy it. Had that game been digital d/l only I'd have never had the chance to play it when my friend brought it round & therefore would not have brought it myself.
Go back to when the N64 was new, I had Goldeneye (And for a few months he didn't) & been able to take that game round friends so we could play split-screen provided us with tons of fun.
If games do go digital D/L only, I'll really miss been able to do that.
Going back on topic, I myself won't be getting one of these steam boxes as I don't need one. I've got a gaming PC as well as a PS3/XB360, And with the PC next to & hooked upto my 32" HDTV I can already choose to play PC games either on my monitor or TV.
Think it would be good for those who want some PC exclusives but don't want a PC or PC gamers who may not always be able to hook there systems upto a TV they want to game on.
Yup that's the way it's going. All the major distributers are coming up with their own distribution platforms. Like U-Play for example for Ubisoft. It's their own mini steam. It's taken the companies a while to catch up with Valve but they're getting there. And as a result the PC game section in most game stores is shrinking. In my local Game I spent 5 minutes trying to find it when buying Farcry 3. I get all my Blizzard games online now.
And i'm sorry for banging on about this, but I still don't get Steam Box. No one seems to know for sure what it is or what purpose it will serve. An article I just read suggested it's going for the WII market, ie, living room full of people playing the same game with motion sensors. Great, I get that. Not sure they'll succeed, but I get that.
Others on twitter are making statements suggesting it will play a major slice of the current Steam catalogue and come with titles like HL2, Portal etc in the box and it's a PC. Well, not unless Valve plans to convert all of their games to the Linux platform, which they may do. And we know Portal etc runs on Consoles already in terms of gameplay. But forget playing other titles from other developers. Why? Because they require WINDOWS to run. It's one thing for the developer of Minecraft to convert their game for the XBox.. the market was just begging to be entered. But it's another to expect developers to convert games to Linux for a new piece of hardware. No established market.
I suppose we'll find out more over time.
Perhaps Valve have calculated that the era of sitting at a desk playing a PC game is over.. that the market is slowing dying and the future is in living room casual gaming experiences, ie, sat on the sofa playing a game or jumping around your living room playing a game. And because of this they've decided to dip their toes into this market and try and position themselves so when the PC market dies... they're already floating in the console "living room" ocean. A bit like the way tablets seem to be replacing laptops. I can understand that.. I get that. And good luck to them.
As for the digital download/ trade in argument I also wouldn't buy anywhere near as many games as I do now if I couldn't sell them on. I simply couldn't afford it. Id be interested to hear what the average spend was on steam games. Everyone bangs on about the sales on there and how they are waiting for the next one..... Does anybody buy anything full price? If I could buy ps3 games at £15-£20 I'd prob buy at least double what I do now. And I'm pretty sure if steam only charged full price it wouldn't be half as popular.
I think developers will focus on making games for it like they do every other games console. The only difference here is the console will be made from PC hardware. It will likely be marketed and sold as a console, not a PC with a game pad like all other consoles.
Well the primary reason consoles have a longer lifespan is that they have a fixed architecture so developers can do more with less, unlike the PC which has a million different combinations. So as the VavleBox will also have a fixed architecture, i imagine it will perform similarly to a console.
Also the 2-3 years out of date thing really isn't true anymore, due to the PC hardware market slowing and the current consoles holding back all multi-platform releases (which nearly all AAA titles are)
Not only that but games take a lot longer to make now such as GTA5 or Skyrim.
I'm not sure that is entirely the case...like any company i am sure they wish to maximise their profit stream, and bringing in a console-like item of hardware may do that for them. It will be a compliment to, and not replacement for, 'traditional' PC gaming i suspect.
The notion that PC gaming is dying has been a constant ( and inaccurate) refrain for the time i have been using one as my platform of choice,essentially the last 13 years. Every iteration of console has supposedly been the death-knell of the PC.
Here is an interesting comment from EA of all things regarding PC sales.
And here is a snapshot of the selling power of a high profile release on the platform. In this instance 'Diablo 3'.
The reason is probably that most people don't buy PCs primarily to play games on. Even if one day the "console craze" flitters out and the kids find something more productive to do with their spare time, people will still be buying PCs.
Microsoft (and to some extent Sony) have seen this which is why they are making their consoles do so much more than just play games.
A PC has multiple uses, a console with web browsing, TV/Movies services, social networking, etc can be attractive to light or even non-gamers.
A PC that can only play games is a step backwards.
This isn't what this is though its by essence a games console. Only thing it will have in common with a PC is the hardware will be PC based but then so was the original Xbox.
It won't be aimed at the PC gaming crowed, it will aimed at the console gamers to compete with the next gen of consoles.
The advantage it has over consoles is that games made for the new Steam Box will also run on Linux on a standard PC. This won't only help to boost Linux gaming but also give more flexibility to console gaming.
So if what you are saying is true, why would someone buy a new piece of hardware when they can play the games on their existing equipment?
Most people don't have PCs capable of high end games, it will be those people who buy it. Also PCs are often quite large and noisy so you wouldn't want it in your TV room, this may be suitable to those people too, it will also have an interface suited to a game pad.
I'm not saying this is successful but it's not without its merits and I will likely buy one.
Not to mention the hardware upgrades required on top of the cost of games with PC gaming currently.
I cant believe so many people still think that PC gaming is restricted to a desk.
You can place any PC itself out of sight, connect multiple TV's, have wireless keyboard and mouse while lounged back into the sofa.
If you have a family, then you can use 3x TV's side by side. When you have the TV all to your self you can go triple screen gaming mode. If the missus or kid wants to watch something then you use one TV while they can use the other to watch something on a different TV. The family can spend more time together this way as well instead of being in separate rooms.
Seems Steam are just trying to make more people aware that you can do this, by advertising that fact and into a smaller box... which id rather keep my tower if this gen of overheating issues of consoles have anything to go by. That's one of the things that makes PC gaming interesting - you can customise almost everything about it, but probably not with a Steam box.
Im amazed these days since Windows 7 that a good many of people still find PC's as being over complicating. Before Windows XP there was a lot of complexity about PC's, but not now. Consoles are even basically a mini PC these days, just with a very basic OS.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20949071
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a449268/valve-unveils-steam-box-with-xi3-codenamed-piston.html
Specs are great. I'm glad they had the sense to put a good number of USB ports on it including USB3.
Don't get me wrong, looks amazing but seriously £1000+?!?!?