The Steam Universe is Expanding in 2014 (steambox?)

[Timmy]

all valid points...however i'm hoping that Gabe pulls a rabbit or two out of his hat.

i'm rooting for him.

Same, I want Valve to succeed, I'm just not confident in this approach.

Another thing is, I can't think of one "household name" character like Mario, Zelda, Master Chief, Crash Bandicoot, Lara Croft, etc. from PC-only games. What game are they going to market to little kids so their parents will buy this shyt for em? Starcraft? Nintendo made an entertainment empire using this strategy, and there isn't one franchise that could do the same thing for Valve.

It's going to take a stroke of genius to make this shyt work.

 

[Fatboi1]

I don't really see the market for this thing.

I feel like the average casual console gamer has no idea who Gabe Newell is or even what Valve is. Those who already know who he is and follow what goes on with Steam are either hardcore console gamers (the minority) or PC gamers (another minority). I'm trying to imagine what angle he could use to advertise his Steambox to the general ignorant public that would convince them to move to an unproven new console versus buying the established, familiar Xbox or Playstation.

What exclusives will the Steambox have that would bring over people from the other consoles? There aren't that may popular PC exclusives that aren't MOBAs or RTS games. Most people have decided if they want to play those kinds of games already and have purchased their console accordingly.

If you have the ability to install Windows on it and do PC things with it, why not buy a regular PC (prebuilt or self-made)? What makes this the better option? The only positive it has going for it is the absurdly good Steam sale prices for games, but you can access those already with a regular PC. Also, if the Steambox is upgradable, what is the difference between it and a regular PC to begin with?


I'm not seeing the appeal of this Steambox versus a regular gaming PC.

My same thoughts. I want to see how they pull this off though.

 

[Orbital-Fetus]

It's going to take a stroke of genius to make this shyt work.

 

[daze23]

I don't really see the market for this thing.

I feel like the average casual console gamer has no idea who Gabe Newell is or even what Valve is. Those who already know who he is and follow what goes on with Steam are either hardcore console gamers (the minority) or PC gamers (another minority). I'm trying to imagine what angle he could use to advertise his Steambox to the general ignorant public that would convince them to move to an unproven new console versus buying the established, familiar Xbox or Playstation.

What exclusives will the Steambox have that would bring over people from the other consoles? There aren't that may popular PC exclusives that aren't MOBAs or RTS games. Most people have decided if they want to play those kinds of games already and have purchased their console accordingly.

If you have the ability to install Windows on it and do PC things with it, why not buy a regular PC (prebuilt or self-made)? What makes this the better option? The only positive it has going for it is the absurdly good Steam sale prices for games, but you can access those already with a regular PC. Also, if the Steambox is upgradable, what is the difference between it and a regular PC to begin with?


I'm not seeing the appeal of this Steambox versus a regular gaming PC.

it's just a pc for your living room. that may sound arbitrary, but these "b-b-but my pc's in the other room" & "I can't use mouse/kb" arguments constantly come up. it will also be more 'open' than the consoles

 

[daze23]

Another thing that concerns me is multiplayer with this thing. The whole idea of steam box/ big picture is to get that PC experience in the living room so you can play with a controller. If you've ever tried to play cod or bf3 with a controller while everyone else is using a M&KB, you'd know that you're getting your ass kicked. I have a gaming PC/htpc in my living room and that's one of the main reasons why I'm getting a PS4, for multiplayer. It's great for single player games, but just isn't feasible for multiplayer unless they funneled all of the steam box users into their own servers to keep things fair.

if it becomes an issue, they could just have controller-only servers. not sure how enforcing that would work though

 

[Liquid]

In Gabe I trust

price match the PS4, launch title is half life 3....timed exclusive. Plus a MASSIVE discount to start off the madness.

just take my money already. I JUST bought a damn PC case too.

 

[Timmy]

it's just a pc for your living room. that may sound arbitrary, but these "b-b-but my pc's in the other room" & "I can't use mouse/kb" arguments constantly come up. it will also be more 'open' than the consoles

I feel like Microsoft in the past should have done a better job making it widely known that its 360 controller works fine as a PC gamepad. I use it for almost every single PC game I play that doesn't require m+kb. The general public probably doesn't understand that though, so marketing the Steambox as a "PC platform with great gamepad functionality" could work for those who are ignorant.

I can understand a lot of people not having room for a PC to fit in their living room setups, but I don't solving that problem alone is strong enough to have it compete against Microsoft/Sony.

 

[up in here]

I don't really see the market for this thing.

I feel like the average casual console gamer has no idea who Gabe Newell is or even what Valve is. Those who already know who he is and follow what goes on with Steam are either hardcore console gamers (the minority) or PC gamers (another minority). I'm trying to imagine what angle he could use to advertise his Steambox to the general ignorant public that would convince them to move to an unproven new console versus buying the established, familiar Xbox or Playstation.

What exclusives will the Steambox have that would bring over people from the other consoles? There aren't that may popular PC exclusives that aren't MOBAs or RTS games. Most people have decided if they want to play those kinds of games already and have purchased their console accordingly.

If you have the ability to install Windows on it and do PC things with it, why not buy a regular PC (prebuilt or self-made)? What makes this the better option? The only positive it has going for it is the absurdly good Steam sale prices for games, but you can access those already with a regular PC. Also, if the Steambox is upgradable, what is the difference between it and a regular PC to begin with?


I'm not seeing the appeal of this Steambox versus a regular gaming PC.

At one time Xbox was an unproven console going against established names.

As far as this console, you really don't see the appeal? It's essentially a console/PC hybrid. A dedicated gaming console that is upgradable (I'd assume) and has access to PC game prices. That sounds dope as fukk to me. Yeah PC doesn't have so many system selling exclusives like that, but honestly alot of the highest rated Xbox and ps3 games are multiplats.

As far as the software being outdated, a lot of PC games are still playable on low end machines, they are just better on high end machines. And again my guess is that the systems will be upgradable

 

[daze23]

I feel like Microsoft in the past should have done a better job making it widely known that its 360 controller works fine as a PC gamepad. I use it for almost every single PC game I play that doesn't require m+kb. The general public probably doesn't understand that though, so marketing the Steambox as a "PC platform with great gamepad functionality" could work for those who are ignorant.

I can understand a lot of people not having room for a PC to fit in their living room setups, but I don't solving that problem alone is strong enough to have it compete against Microsoft/Sony.

they take it a step further with Big Picture by making the whole interface work with a controller. I don't think it's fair to belittle the "general public" and "those who are ignorant" for not knowing how to navigate through windows with a controller

 

[Timmy]

they take it a step further with Big Picture by making the whole interface work with a controller. I don't think it's fair to belittle the "general public" and "those who are ignorant" for not knowing how to navigate through windows with a controller

Nah, what I'm saying is most of the casual gaming community is not aware that the 360 controller can be used as a good controller on PC. So Valve can use that as an angle to say their console is a good solution to the "being forced to use the m+kb" problem. It's not so much that I'm belittling them, it's just something that could be taken advantage of.

I understand that Big Picture is used to make Steam navigation easier with a controller. The point I'm making is that Big Picture mode can be used on a regular PC also, so what is the big draw to the Steambox?

 

[daze23]

Nah, what I'm saying is most of the casual gaming community is not aware that the 360 controller can be used as a good controller on PC. So Valve can use that as an angle to say their console is a good solution to the "being forced to use the m+kb" problem. It's not so much that I'm belittling them, it's just something that could be taken advantage of.

I understand that Big Picture is used to make Steam navigation easier with a controller. The point I'm making is that Big Picture mode can be used on a regular PC also, so what is the big draw to the Steambox?

a more cohesive controller experience: you turn on the box, grab the controller, and that's it

I agree that it's not much different from having a pc in your living room. but they're trying to appeal to people that might shy away from that for whatever reason. I have a desktop hooked up to a 45" hdtv in my mancave. and I have a system worked out for using a m+kb. but a lot of people want something more "living room friendly" or whatever

like I said before, I don't think Valve really wants to get into the hardware business. they may be just offering hardware certification (and maybe a controller). basically telling companies to make a living room friendly linux box, with a certain minimum spec, and they'll put their "Steam Approved" sticker on it. they may have some hardware to get the ball rolling, but with all the talk of openness, I can't see this being a proprietary device

watching Gabe at that recent linux conference, he's really not happy with M$/Windows. he basically wants to take PC gaming away from Windows, and I think that is the "Big Picture". this isn't just about the "steambox", but rather how Valve really wants to push PC gaming towards linux. if they can deliver a successful platform, it would help them reach that goal

 

[Kenny West]

Needs the GOAT, TF2 on it with all the updates

@ the orange box version not having the huntsman

 

[Grand Conde]

At one time Xbox was an unproven console going against established names.

Retarded comparison - Microsoft have the kind of resources and brand loyalty behind them that a company like Valve could only dream of.

 

[Spliff]

Seems like its just a "gateway" device into PC gaming.

 

[hex]

I don't really see the market for this thing.

I feel like the average casual console gamer has no idea who Gabe Newell is or even what Valve is. Those who already know who he is and follow what goes on with Steam are either hardcore console gamers (the minority) or PC gamers (another minority). I'm trying to imagine what angle he could use to advertise his Steambox to the general ignorant public that would convince them to move to an unproven new console versus buying the established, familiar Xbox or Playstation.

What exclusives will the Steambox have that would bring over people from the other consoles? There aren't that may popular PC exclusives that aren't MOBAs or RTS games. Most people have decided if they want to play those kinds of games already and have purchased their console accordingly.

If you have the ability to install Windows on it and do PC things with it, why not buy a regular PC (prebuilt or self-made)? What makes this the better option? The only positive it has going for it is the absurdly good Steam sale prices for games, but you can access those already with a regular PC. Also, if the Steambox is upgradable, what is the difference between it and a regular PC to begin with?


I'm not seeing the appeal of this Steambox versus a regular gaming PC.

You're looking at this completely wrong. I doubt they care about the "general ignorant public". If they did Steam wouldn't exist.

They don't need to compete with MS and Sony. They can exist completely outside of the mainstream console wars and be just fine. Hell, they don't even need to compete with gaming PCs. If you buy a Steambox, fine. If you don't and own a gaming PC, they're caking off of you via Steam, regardless.

If you don't buy a PS4, Sony will not make money off you. The same goes for XBOX1. Valve cakes off Steam regardless of what you buy, and if you aren't using Steam you wasn't in their target demographic, anyway.

Lastly, Steambox doesn't need to sell like these home consoles to be successful. They're basically independent rappers vs someone on a mainstream label. The indie can sell 30,000 and be comfortable. The mainstream rapper has to go plat.

Fred.