A new Steam console ?

[Glaucus]

My point is it'll be vastly superior to consoles because of the constant upgrade ability of the device, if you statically force the console to say come with a i5, 8gb ram, 120gb SSD and then say a 7970, then you have you hardware static requirement, then all you do is make the graphics card hot swoppable and you then have a constantly self sufficent console that is upgraded graphically at the whim of the consumer and not the console makers.

Totally disagree apps will make or brake a sale.
A box in your living room is no longer a one thing only device.

And yet consoles are massively popular, and don't have anything like those specs, and such a system would be prohivitivly expensive to get any traction in the console market. Making it even more existing pc gamers market. Many of which will want to stick with desktop, due to needing a desk to play fps games.

The other thing is the new Xbox is rumored to run win8 kernal as well. Meaning it will be extremely easy to port any game that runs on windows over.
Windows blue (next OS) is rumored to bring together all the stores and make it truly multi platform.
So if rumors are true it'll be going up against stiff competition that will do exactly what it does.

 

[LateX'Dog]

Totally disagree apps will make or brake a sale.
A box in your living room is no longer a one thing only device.

Holy crap, seriously, explain to me what you mean by apps? Because like i said, its completely ridiculous to think someone wont buy a brand spanking new console because they can't play Angry Birds Star Wars on it.

And yet consoles are massively popular, and don't have anything like those specs, and such a system would be prohivitivly expensive to get any traction in the console market. Making it even more existing pc gamers market. Many of which will want to stick with desktop, due to needing a desk to play fps games.

So when the PS4/new Xbox comes out at £400-£500 i'll remind you of that above phrase, because you could quite easily build an extremely powerful gaming PC for the same price. i5, 8gb ram, 120gb SSD with expansion room and then a 7950 or 670. Its an example.

Which is why you'd have multiple price brackets.

i3, 8gb, 60gb ssd and 660
i5, 8gb, 100gb ssd and 670
i7, 8gb, 120gb ssd and 680

For example, with the graphics card hot swappable.

 

[Murray]

I would buy it if it only played games but then again I have a PC and an iPad so I don't want or need 'apps' on a console

 

[spoffle]

We already knwo what his plan is and thats an emulator/wrapper to make direct x games work on Linux, that is his plan. Not he, knows he'll bring lots of valve only games to the system.

Is this just conjecture? Or have you read something that backs this claim up?

 

[m4rk84]

The other thing is the new Xbox is rumored to run win8 kernal as well. Meaning it will be extremely easy to port any game that runs on windows over.
Windows blue (next OS) is rumored to bring together all the stores and make it truly multi platform.
So if rumors are true it'll be going up against stiff competition that will do exactly what it does.

The problem is and always will be DirectX, as long as Microsoft hold the key to DirectX both Sony and Valve have motivation to try to make it less relevant.

 

[Glaucus]

A console with those specs would not be 500 at all, not even close.
Not only do you have tight and small case, you have controllers ect. There is no way in hell a console with those specs would be 400-500.

Apps. Netflix Facebook, Hulu well just look at xbox360 app list then expand it by another year plus.

 

[m4rk84]

A console with those specs would not be 500 at all, not even close.

Huh? Do you even know the rumoured specs of the next Microsoft console?

Because from what I have read a PC with similar specs to it's rumoured specs can already be built for around £500.

 

[LateX'Dog]

A console with those specs would not be 500 at all, not even close.

Easy, all we have is consumer comparisons, trade prices and bulk buying would reduce the cost significantly.

You still haven't elaborated on your version of a console app.

 

[spoffle]

Like I have been trying to say, the prospect of a SteamBox is already flawed if they have no games on it except Valve games. The problem is DirectX.

I don't believe Gabe would even be considering this without some extra knowledge on exactly how they could get more games on such a console. I believe the only way this can work is if Gabe already knows that the PS4 will natively run and use OpenGL.

I can definitely see why Sony would see a benefit in using OpenGL if only to take some power away from DirectX. Remember the problems developers had at the start with developing games for the PS3? This would instantly solve that and avoid them having to give up and use DirectX.

It would essentially be an unholy alliance to directly cull Microsofts dominance with DirectX which is what keeps Windows sales so high in the PC gamer market.

The PS3 already runs a variant of OpenGL anyway, and there are many more games than just Valve's that run on OpenGL on Steam too.

 

[Glaucus]

Is this just conjecture? Or have you read something that backs this claim up?

Conjecture, where have you been the last few months. They are working on a Linux client that will run all steam games, this is well knowen and from Gabes own mouth.
Did you totaly miss the steam on Linux thread.

With Microsoft’s latest operating system, the colorful tiled Windows 8, launching later this year, software developers are already starting to voice their nervousness over the system’s usability.



Recently game developer,Valve, said they’re working on porting their digital distribution platform, Steam, over to Linux. Zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2 will be the first game available for Ubuntu users.

Now Valve head-honcho, Gabe Newell, tells us why.


Windows 8 Is A Catastrophe

“The big problem that is holding back Linux is games. People don’t realize how critical games are in driving consumer purchasing behavior,” he said at Seattle’s Casual Connect, according to AllThingsD.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. It’s a hedging strategy. I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we’ll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that’s true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality.”

These are no uncertain terms. Catastrophe is not a word dropped lightly, especially given the fact that Valve’s bread and butter is the PC. (Indeed, one wonders if these are words Newell may regret.)

When Gabe Newell, who tends to have a pretty good sense of the “PC space” says Windows 8 is a catastrophe and that his company is hedging with Linux, it’s probably a good idea to listen close.

 

[Martini1991]

The PS3 already runs a variant of OpenGL anyway, and there are many more games than just Valve's that run on OpenGL on Steam too.

Any AAA titles there from the last 5 years (Bar Valve's)
Pretty much every game is DX.

 

[LateX'Dog]

Apps. Netflix Facebook, Hulu well just look at xbox360 app list then expand it by another year plus.

Ok, so now we have established your version of apps.

So your telling me that the above companies would not even consider making an app for this console? And that if this console didn't have these apps then people wouldn't buy it?

Are you completely deluded?

You are blurring the lines between gaming console and phone/tablet. Then your blanket statement washing saying the above websites wouldn't develop apps for the console.

 

[m4rk84]

The PS3 already runs a variant of OpenGL anyway, and there are many more games than just Valve's that run on OpenGL on Steam too.

I'm aware of that, however the PS3 variant still forces developers to put in extra work which would be much easier if the PS4 straight up used standard OpenGL.

I was also exaggerating I know that there are already lots of OpenGL games on Steam, however there are also a massive amount of DirectX games.

 

[Glaucus]

Easy, all we have is consumer comparisons, trade prices and bulk buying would reduce the cost significantly.

You still haven't elaborated on your version of a console app.

Not elaborated? How do you not understand media apps, like netflix or jsut go wiki Xbox 360 apps and expand by a year or two, depending on a release date.

Lines between devices are allready blurred.

Again how is
Xbox360,ps3, smart tv, Internet connect set top boxes. Tablets or do they not support your view apps are for tablets only.
Tablets are media devices, TVs are media devices, consoles are media devices. So up yes the lines are very much blurred and every month getting more blurre.

And off course people won't buy it tips its missing these features. Why would I buy several devices, when one does them all?

Devlopment depends on market share. As I've said several times.
MS sold 40million win8 upgrades in three days, have hundreds of workshops for free programming help on apps, etc. yet many are still waiting to see how it pans out. Steam can not compete with these numbers in the slightest. So if MS struggle, what's steam going to do?

Where did I say in a blanket statement won't devlope apps?
Hmm I didn't at all, I pointed out its a challenge getting apps made in your infecency and also they need a easy way to make an implamnet apps.
Using android store would still be the easiest and best way. Especially with androids marketshare. Most people will allread be familiar with android apps and purchased many.

 

[Murray]

They probably wouldn't release the apps for a while if at all but I doubt that would stop people buying it as a games console. Might stop people buying it as an entertainment unit?

 

[LateX'Dog]

They probably wouldn't release the apps for a while if at all but I doubt that would stop people buying it as a games console. Might stop people buying it as an entertainment unit?

Not if it had an internet browser, which is more then likely what it'll have.

Then all you do is browse to the main site....

 

[m4rk84]

They probably wouldn't release the apps for a while if at all but I doubt that would stop people buying it as a games console. Might stop people buying it as an entertainment unit?

If they already create apps for things such as LG TV's I'm fairly certain they would be pretty speedy on getting apps running on a SteamBox...

 

[LateX'Dog]

If they already create apps for things such as LG TV's I'm fairly certain they would be pretty speedy on getting apps running on a SteamBox...

Interesting quote for you:

Even now, during development, the Valve team has L4D2 running at 315 frames per second on the Linux text platform, as compared to the standard Windows speed of 270.6 FPS.

At that point, of course, the speeds are mostly arbitrary. But as Valve says, this speed shows the potential in customizing a game for the Linux operating system. This work on Linux is also benefiting the Windows teams - in working on the Linux version, Valve was able to speed up the OpenGL implementation on Windows to 303.4 FPS.

So what ever they are doing, its working.

 

[spoffle]

Conjecture, where have you been the last few months. They are working on a Linux client that will run all steam games, this is well knowen and from Gabes own mouth.
Did you totaly miss the steam on Linux thread.

So conjecture then.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well."

doesn't mean "we're making a DX wrapper for linux". It could very well be that they are doing that, but we don't know, so it is conjecture.

Any AAA titles there from the last 5 years (Bar Valve's)
Pretty much every game is DX.

DX doesn't run on PS3 though, that's what I was getting at. Devs developing for the PS3 (and Vita) should already be familiar with OpenGL development since the PS3 doesn't use DX.

 

[Glaucus]

No it's not conjecture, go read the net, they are making a Linux client for all games.