The Steam Box. New Living Room Console in development.

[Fredward]

So just because I think some may find this interesting and Some know, Valve owners of Steam; the largest distributer of PC games is making essentially a living room console. If the news in Mankeys thread is correct I can see this being a reasonable success!

I'm guessing it will still use the steam store. Which means overall cheaper games then the other consoles (including the price of pre-owned games, if you include the price of steam sales) and if compatible (can't see a reason why not) It will already have 1000's of games on release.

It will also be useful as a home media centre, as it is essentially a computer the size of a console. You should be able to stream anything you can view on a computer to your TV including Netflix, Youtube, movies ext. But not just one. In the review below Gabe Newell owner of Valve has said eventually you can hook up the device wirelessly to 8 different TV's.

Instead of giving my own probably faulty information I shall provide a link to the latest news article.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3852144/gabe-newell-interview-steam-box-future-of-gaming

along with a watered down version for those with not anougth free time to read the above (I advise you do though! )

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/01/09/valve-gabe-newell-steam-box/


What is everyone's view? Do you think this can compete with the other next gen consoles... It looks like it may beat them to a full reveal!

 

[TheMan]

This is going to be a personal preference thing I reckon. For me? No.

The way he talked about Wii Sports was quite a way off the mark, Nintendo found a way for non serious gamers to play along with each other, and engage all ages of a family together.

Kinnect is fantastic too, if not glitchy. OK you don't use it for serious games, neither do you a Wii. That leads this down the path of it being a glorified smaller PC. But then, the PC owners I know, hate off the shelf PCs lol! They are mod crazy, latest graphics card this, latest watercooling system that etc.

I have my doubts this will take anything away from the likes of Sony/Xbox, because these people could already use a PC, plugged into a TV, streaming games.

I dunno, maybe I'm wrong, it just feels a bit like carving out a niche that is already kinda carved out.

Great read regardless Fredward, I wasn't aware at all of this so nice one! ;D

 

[Alastair]

Pointless. The future of gaming is not in downloading full games. Buying a disk is still easier and more efficient, that is until we attain countrywide Gigabit connections which will not be at least for another 20 years.

 

[Jordan]

Why not? I can buy Left 4 Dead on Steam and it will have downloaded in less time than it takes for me to drive even halfway to the nearest game store.

I think anything that breaks the dominance of the big three greedy console manufacturers on the living room is a fantastic idea

 

[IanB]

Pointless. The future of gaming is not in downloading full games. Buying a disk is still easier and more efficient, that is until we attain countrywide Gigabit connections which will not be at least for another 20 years.

I think your are miles off here, discs are a thing of the past, and the sooner they are gone the better. Downloads are so much easier, why is Steam such a big success. No looking for a disc to play a game, no worrying if that 10 year old CD that's been used as a coaster is still going to work.

Digital is the way forward, all next gen consoles will have games released as downloadable I imagine

To get past the issue of downloading it before you can play it, most games go gold long before they go on sale, so all you have to do is make the download available a few weeks before, leaving the last tiny part off, and then all you need to do is download the last part to play.

The two issues I can see stopping downloads taking off is the pricing. It want be long hopefully before downloads are cheaper than in-store prices, but currently, a lot of games are cheaper to buy in a shop than online.

And secondly, the companies not having the network capacity to cope, which as it becomes more and more popular, and they learn lessons from past mistakes, should be improved.

 

[Craig]

One thing to remember despite discs still being available is how obsolete they are before you even get to play the game you've bought. I'm sure everyone has been caught out by an update or ten that need downloading over the 'net before you can even play the game from the disc in the first place .

Considering the plans for DRM for discs in future, it seems a sensible step to move toward downloads. Even on slow connections, as Jordan said they can still be downloaded in the time it'd take to pop to the shop. Even the shops are becoming obsolete though, so it's without a doubt quicker than ordering it online and waiting for delivery!

Steam have been working with Xi3 on what seems to be a bit of a precursor to the fabled Steam Box, and it's a very pretty looking compact machine. It's a little on the expensive side for my liking, but designed to be upgradeable over time which is a big plus over the usual consoles. It'll be interesting to see how the actual Steam Box develops over the coming months though. I'm not a huge gamer by any means, but a decent bit of hardware with a simple and hopefully cheaper way of buying games (sales would RUIN my bank account on something like this ) would have me hooked.

 

[Josh]

I for one think this is an awesome idea, and that's coming from someone who doesn't use Steam! My old flat-mate used to use Steam and I thought it looked really good, but as I'm not much of a PC gamer I would never use it, but if it was to be in 'home console' form then that would make me very interested.

As for having games only downloadable or not, I've always thought that I will only want hard copies of my games, but recently after finding it so much easier with downloading films and music, I can foresee that downloading my games will also be so much easier and definitely something I would be interested in. Having said that I don't think that the major console companies like Sony or Microsoft will want download only games on their next-gen consoles until this country has a higher national average download rate, as it would seriously harm sales in places with a bad Internet connection.

But I certainly hope this goes ahead. It might even make a Steam convert out of me!

 

[Mankey]

What I love about the Steam Box is I could sign in and have ALL of my games on my pc ready to play on there! I mean that's amazing. All my saves too! Seeing as my catalogue on Steam is well over 200, that's just incredible.

It's depressing in another way. I used to be such an avid supporter of the xbox. Having been a LIVE member since 2004, and really enjoying the way the xbox has expanded over the years, I actually have absolutely NO interest in their next gen creations. My eyes are firmly set on this and the Ouya. Both of which look like they're going to be serious corporate beaters! It's about time another couple of developers turned up and gave Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft a run for their money!

 

[Fredward]

Pointless. The future of gaming is not in downloading full games. Buying a disk is still easier and more efficient, that is until we attain countrywide Gigabit connections which will not be at least for another 20 years.

There is one massive problem with the hardware and that is people are used to the Xbox and PS3, what you have to remember that these are 6 or 7 year old pieces of hardware and times have changed since. Anyone who has used Steam or even itunes or any downloadable client will realise how much more convenient it is then buying a disk copy.

It takes me between 1-5 hours on average to download a game, it may take less time to drive to the shop and buy the game in person if your internets being slow that day, but what if the store doesn't have it in stock? Even on the slowest internet connection you can download a game quicker then it takes to get it delivered.

But I'm not just talking about going to the store and buying it, i'm talking about physical space and hassle. Having a big stack of game cases takes up a hell of a lot of room. And even if you remove all the disks and put them in a wallet you still have the hassle of finding the game of choice you want. You have all your games at the press of a button, all stored on your consoles hard drive. And when you stop playing a game for a bit you can delete it to save up a bit of space. It is bound to your account so you are free to re-download it as much as you want.

It's difficult to visualise if you have never used Steam, When I started using it, I would still buy hard copies for the same reason you put, but you adjust very quickly. You download one game... "oh that wasn't that painful" que Steam sales attacking your wallet mercilessly!

This is going to be a personal preference thing I reckon. For me? No.

The way he talked about Wii Sports was quite a way off the mark, Nintendo found a way for non serious gamers to play along with each other, and engage all ages of a family together.

Kinnect is fantastic too, if not glitchy. OK you don't use it for serious games, neither do you a Wii. That leads this down the path of it being a glorified smaller PC. But then, the PC owners I know, hate off the shelf PCs lol! They are mod crazy, latest graphics card this, latest watercooling system that etc.

I have my doubts this will take anything away from the likes of Sony/Xbox, because these people could already use a PC, plugged into a TV, streaming games.

I dunno, maybe I'm wrong, it just feels a bit like carving out a niche that is already kinda carved out.

Great read regardless Fredward, I wasn't aware at all of this so nice one! ;D

He's pretty much on the mark with the wii and Kinnect, while good at doing what they do (party games and drunken fun) they do not work well with serious gaming, they are gimmicks for use in a light hearted environment, think of how accurate your fingers are versus how clumsy your arms and legs are.

You'll be surprised how many PC gamers want to have this alongside there custom built rig. It's a Valve product after all... the scale of what steam has become is astonishing, even going as far as people will not buy a game unless it's on Steam. I want it in my steam library not on Origin ext.

People may buy this just to accompany Steam on their computer, just like Apple fans buy Apple TV to match their iMac.



You also have the point that Valve and Steam usually are very consumer friendly, they will make great changes to a game and software for free improving and updating with no extra charges. They are friendlier to Dev's allowing free updates and patches to their games to improve the customer experience.

I think the attitude almost non-money grubbing of Valve (even though they are ridiculously wealthy, Gabe being in the list of richest men in the world) will make their console a better choice then the others.


But what is my opinion, I am a VALVe fanboy!

 

[Alastair]

Why not? I can buy Left 4 Dead on Steam and it will have downloaded in less time than it takes for me to drive even halfway to the nearest game store.

I think anything that breaks the dominance of the big three greedy console manufacturers on the living room is a fantastic idea

Perhaps for you, but it's hardly convenient for those of us that have awful connections - ie. large swathes of the country. Having to sacrifice any form of meaningful internet usage for hours and hours in order to download a 4-6GB game isn't what I'd call fantastic.

 

[Alastair]

Even on the slowest internet connection you can download a game quicker then it takes to get it delivered.

I don't buy this. If you really want a game, you pre-order it and get it either the day before or on the day it comes out. No one can tell me it's faster to download it in those cases. And if I buy a game on impulse, I don't really care how long it takes to get delivered because I'm not desperate to play it.

 

[Fredward]

Download over night?


In all seriousness, a fully downloadable game console is going to happen whether you like it or not, it was prophesied that it wasn't going to be this generation but the next. They are probably gearing up the xbox 720 and PS4 to rely on mostly internet downloads.

Internet will get quicker, regardless, I used to be in a off area, but times have changed.

Pre-ordering works differently on steam you have a week to download it, then it unlocks the midnight of release.

If you are desperate to play something, surely it takes quicker to download then get it delivered even on the slowest connection... and I do know that, My connection used to be awful took me a day or so to download, perhaps more. It was still more convenient then getting it from the shop.


Technology is changing, internet speeds will get faster, by the time this comes out you will have the choice to upgrade. It's your choice whether to utilize it.

 

[IanB]

The best thing about a downloaded game, which does not require a disc to run is the increased performance on load time.

One of the slowest things about PS3 and 360 is the time it takes to move data from the disc to memory.

Moving it from a hard drive to memory takes a lot less time, and this will be the same on PS4 and Xbox3. One of the reasons why you can install games to the hard drive on a console.

Yes, downloading is not perfect for everyone, but its getting there. I remember, nearly 13/14 years ago, having a 56K Modem, and downloading the Unreal Tournament Demo, took about 8 hours but I left it overnight, and it was done in the morning. It might of taken a couple of attempts due to the connection disconnecting half way through.

One thing I will add, and that is if there is a Limited Edition version of a game I like being released, with a nice box, decent manual then I think its worth buying a physical copy.

Digital Limited Edition releases are just pushing it a bit, but Physical ones I quite like.

Ian

 

[Tim]

Even on the slowest internet connection you can download a game quicker then it takes to get it delivered.

I don't buy this. If you really want a game, you pre-order it and get it either the day before or on the day it comes out. No one can tell me it's faster to download it in those cases. And if I buy a game on impulse, I don't really care how long it takes to get delivered because I'm not desperate to play it.

Well if you want an example when I bought Portal 2 on Steam it actually started downloading the game into my library the week before it came out. But it put a low priority on the download so anything else I was doing took priority. Once it was finished I just had to wait for the end of the week before the files unlocked and allowed me to play them. They actually released the files a few hours early as a token of good will

Since then the main games I've bought on Steam have been small Indie games that download in 10 minutes to half an hour even on a slow connection. They are the type of games that are too small for a company like Game to bother stocking but I've had hours of fun on them.

 

[Fredward]

Actually the game was released early due to an elaborate portal based ARG... it was great fun!

http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Portal_ARG

http://valvearg.com/wiki/Portal_2


main potato fools day wiki (the part of the ARG that released the game early)

http://valvearg.com/wiki/Valve_PotatoFoolsDay_ARG_Wiki


It was a fantastic and creepy arg especially when Valve GLaDOS invited 'kidnapped' some of the main guys part of the ARG and replaced their forum profiles and Steam profiles with creepy Test subject: Bob like names. Changing all their descriptions to "I am fine, do not ask questions" ext.

They were invited to play the game before it was released and Valve HQ. So they did get something out of being mysteriously vanished!

If only Alton Towers did such a thing with SW7 marketting!

But off topic.

 

[Alastair]

Download over night?


In all seriousness, a fully downloadable game console is going to happen whether you like it or not, it was prophesied that it wasn't going to be this generation but the next. They are probably gearing up the xbox 720 and PS4 to rely on mostly internet downloads.

Internet will get quicker, regardless, I used to be in a off area, but times have changed.

Pre-ordering works differently on steam you have a week to download it, then it unlocks the midnight of release.

If you are desperate to play something, surely it takes quicker to download then get it delivered even on the slowest connection... and I do know that, My connection used to be awful took me a day or so to download, perhaps more. It was still more convenient then getting it from the shop.


Technology is changing, internet speeds will get faster, by the time this comes out you will have the choice to upgrade. It's your choice whether to utilize it.

Obviously I'll have no problem with downloading games once internet speeds across the country are reliably high - when I say high, I mean 100MBps as a minimum speed. As it is though, many people's connections are capped without them realising and so they'll get halfway through their huge download before realising that they've reached the limit and so will have to pay extortionate premiums or go without for however long until the reset point. As long as that is the case in this country (hopefully not much longer, but going by the primitive infrastructure we have in terms of next-gen connections it probably will be) downloadable games will never dominate or even be popular over disks.

 

[Tim]

Actually the game was released early due to an elaborate portal based ARG... it was great fun!

http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Portal_ARG

http://valvearg.com/wiki/Portal_2


main potato fools day wiki (the part of the ARG that released the game early)

http://valvearg.com/wiki/Valve_PotatoFoolsDay_ARG_Wiki


It was a fantastic and creepy arg especially when Valve GLaDOS invited 'kidnapped' some of the main guys part of the ARG and replaced their forum profiles and Steam profiles with creepy Test subject: Bob like names. Changing all their descriptions to "I am fine, do not ask questions" ext.

They were invited to play the game before it was released and Valve HQ. So they did get something out of being mysteriously vanished!

If only Alton Towers did such a thing with SW7 marketting!

But off topic.

Yeah I remember that, it was good fun. Only ended up shaving a few hours off the release date but the huge marketing event was an experience it itself. Would love for Alton to do a similar thing with SW7 (given the similarity in theme they could almost copy the idea word for word) but in fairness to them only a company like Valve could pull something like that off.

 

[Ted]

I'm not one of those people who plays games on the PC and uses Steam, however I'm really excited for this! I don't have a steam account, but I've heard such good things about it and now they're bringing out a new console, it's got me pumped

As for buying games from a store versus downloading games, I'm not really bothered. I'll happily wait for a game to download but I honestly don't mind popping down to game or somewhere else like that and picking up a game case. Besides, it would give me something to do =P

 

[Fredward]

Download over night?


In all seriousness, a fully downloadable game console is going to happen whether you like it or not, it was prophesied that it wasn't going to be this generation but the next. They are probably gearing up the xbox 720 and PS4 to rely on mostly internet downloads.

Internet will get quicker, regardless, I used to be in a off area, but times have changed.

Pre-ordering works differently on steam you have a week to download it, then it unlocks the midnight of release.

If you are desperate to play something, surely it takes quicker to download then get it delivered even on the slowest connection... and I do know that, My connection used to be awful took me a day or so to download, perhaps more. It was still more convenient then getting it from the shop.


Technology is changing, internet speeds will get faster, by the time this comes out you will have the choice to upgrade. It's your choice whether to utilize it.

Obviously I'll have no problem with downloading games once internet speeds across the country are reliably high - when I say high, I mean 100MBps as a minimum speed. As it is though, many people's connections are capped without them realising and so they'll get halfway through their huge download before realising that they've reached the limit and so will have to pay extortionate premiums or go without for however long until the reset point. As long as that is the case in this country (hopefully not much longer, but going by the primitive infrastructure we have in terms of next-gen connections it probably will be) downloadable games will never dominate or even be popular over disks.

Well Steam restricts your download speed so it doesn't use up all the bandwith. I often download between 1 and 4 Mb/s. which is considered reasonably fast. I can download a triple A title in a couple of hours I would think. Perhaps less.

In most places in Britian we have that infrastructure or it is on it's way as we speak. By the time this console comes we probably have most of that infrastructure. The console will just come warned you require a reasonably fast non capped internet connection. If you don't have that, don't buy it till you do.

I don't have the fastest internet in England, but it's fast enough to play online and justify downloading rather then buying. Downloading on steam doesn't seem to affect me speed at all. I can host a skype call, play games online, stream a youtube video without pausing a game download. While I know others don't have that luxury, most have the option to upgrade to it and by the time of this consoles release almost all will have the option. if you don't want to that's fine, this console isn't for you.

 

[TheMan]

He's pretty much on the mark with the wii and Kinnect, while good at doing what they do (party games and drunken fun) they do not work well with serious gaming, they are gimmicks for use in a light hearted environment, think of how accurate your fingers are versus how clumsy your arms and legs are.

That's very true Fred (the bit about me being right I mean ha-ha! ;D).

No, seriously, it's true, no one can say it's for anything less than fun gaming - and whilst I love them, they do your head in at times, you have to just accept the glitches. What I found interesting was biometrics. That's going to take serious gaming up a notch, I've had a fair amount of experience with these, I've been using "games" with bio-feedback for years, and it adds another dimension that's for sure.

It works pretty seamlessly when it is done well, far more so than Camera/IR does, as it is instant, especially when hooked up to a responsive PC connection.

I still don't agree modders will buy this though, however it will attack the likes of the Alienware buyers potentially - and PS3 more than Xbox I'd thought, although, (though I haven't checked Steam), it seems likely they'd have more games available that are on Xbox as they seem to have more PC based games available, or am I missing something?

Anyway, I used to be on the old Team Fortress Classic all the time, played in a clan lol - I had no idea Steam had become so vast! Even back in the day though, for the technology being used, TFC was pretty darn reliable!

Nintendo/Xbox have very viable reasons to buy, Sony though?? Even as a PS3 fanboy (of sorts, basically thanks to Uncharted/Little Big Planet lol), I think they are the ones most in danger here. Their shop is expensive, has very few exclusive games, the Move is pointless and cumbersome from when I tried it anyway (may be unfair that, but never felt compelled to purchase) - so for me, has the least amount of USPs, at present, to cope with another entry into the console market.

Especially from a PC based interface, which means upgradable (great idea), cheaper games etc. Well, for proper gaming, there is plenty to like about it that's for sure!

Must look up that new Ouija board console you lot are on about too ;D