Valve to release console in 2013

spengos

spengos

spengos

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Valve boss Gabe Newell has announced this week that the company will be launching a console built for the living room next year.
Newell says the company's main focus now is how to make PCs work better in the living room on the big screen. The first step was releasing their "Big Picture" UI earlier this year.

PC packages that are designed to run on a TV will be launched next year, by Valve and by other manufacturers, with each being able to run Steam flawlessly out of the gate.

Newell says the PCs will compete with the Xbox 8 and the PS4.
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Source


Seems like this could work fairly well looking at how well Steam has done over the last couple of years. Will be interesting to see the hardware they put out to support their games and the price bracket they go for. Will be keeping an eye on this.
 
The point of PC gaming is to be able to upgrade. If these are sealed units they will be pointless. Fixed internal specs and only able to pay Steam prices? May as well just buy a console...
 
Got to agree Steam works because in reality its a big fish in a small pond and started providing a service that just had no competition for ages (not anywhere near the same integration or quality really now) and now is a behemoth because it got on that action first (though that really does understate what Valve has done with Steam).

I just cant see that translating where they just lose that real niche and make a competing product with other gaming software platforms with fixed PC internals. I guess this will mean that whatever IP they eventually actually maybe kinda publish, it will be a console exclusive on their platform, be madness not to. Thats a shame :(

Also puts them in a difficult position with existing PC customer base, will they start internally making products that suit their console more than the PC platform (or is exclusive to it), or even encourage their Steam partners to publish on their new console or to preference it. As you all know theres a massive stigma regards games originally coded on the console when they move to the PC domain...

Theres some win here, but an awful lot of probable fail! I personally would have liked them to go down the OnLive route, think that was a nice extension to what theyve already achieved with Steam...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
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I like the idea, but.... well anything they bring out that is remotely good enough to handle gfx intensive games like witcher 2. Is going to be freaking expensive !

That or it will be poop.
 
I have no idea why Valve are doing this, other companies already offer identical products and I can't see how this is going to be radically different from any other small computer that you can buy. I'm guessing it's aimed at the less techincally proficient people who want PC gaming on a big screen, but don't have the capacity to build their own computer and don't want the fuss of having to set anything up. Alienware, and I'm sure several other companies already offer computers like this though so for me it feels like a really strange move.

For it to run the widest selection of games it'll have to be running Windows which puts it against all the other machines that you can stick under your TV which already offer the exact same thing. As for pricing I'm sure they won't be able to undercut the other companies by enough to make it a worthwhile purchase, unless they use rubbish hardware which sort of defeats the point of PC gaming.
 
Martini1991 said:
Xbox 8?
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Probably following the whole Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 naming. Sounds a little better than Xbox 720.

As for a Valve Console, I can see it work if they do a modular type 'console' which is essentially a plug and play PC where consumer can choose:

'Basic' or 'High Graphic' setup, with an intention of releasing an 'Extreme' edition 12months down the line. A typical business model.

So the games offered will install straight into 'console' and the modular setup will set the game into the best optimised setting to game on a HDTV with playable FPS in mind.

So the basic console can allow new users / family users to play a load of games on basic, e.g. Team Fortress 2 / Preggles Night or something alike.

Users with more moeny can invest in the upgrade module / upgrade when they release the the extreme, just swap like Xbox HDD and away you go, Play Witcher at delicious full HD as opposed to 720p when on Basic.

That's what I dream of anyway. For now, happy with my Xbox 360!
 
This will fail hard... im very suprised they are even going to try! far better to try and get a steam like thing running on other machines.
 
Skeeter said:
The point of PC gaming is to be able to upgrade. If these are sealed units they will be pointless. Fixed internal specs and only able to pay Steam prices? May as well just buy a console...
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Given the ongoing convergence of PCs and consoles, this basically will be a console.
 
Honest to god, If I wanted to game on a bloody console I would purchase an xbox, I use Steam cause I god, browse and talk on my computer.... *sigh*

Stelly
 
Somehow doubt this will take off.

Will valve also not release games on consoles due to this/have timed releases?

I've already waited long enough for episode 3....
 
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