Valve Backed PC to Appear at CES 2013
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Caporegime
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I'm quite unsure who this is aimed at.
The comments in that Joystiq article raise a valid point. This thing doesn't have an optical drive. If its meant to compete against consoles then its twice the price and lacks half the functionality of them.
Theres a reason this thing failed to get the Kickstarter backing...
Theres a reason this thing failed to get the Kickstarter backing...
Man of Honour
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I think we are probably talking Xbox quality graphics and resolutions, which on a big TV from your sofa should be ok for most people.
Depends what games they are aiming it at. If they are mainly going for Source based games (L4D, CS, HL2, Portal etc) and indi stuff like Dungeon Defenders, Trine, Limbo and the like, then it quite possibly could.
There's plenty of games it could max out fine.
It's just another way to get people onto the Steam platform.
As for the price, I'd imagine Valve will soak up some of the cost and recoup it through software sales, much like other console developers do.
Why would a console aimed and digitally distributed media want an optical drive... not to mention it's got a ton of USB ports, so if you REALLY needed one there's always external drives you can pick up for about £15.
It would just be for digital purchases i would have thought?
Well i suppose if future games are going to be specially optimized to run on the said hardware specs this machine offers, then yeah it will handle 1080p no problems.
The whole optimization thing is what really interests me, as one thing that really annoys me about PC gaming is most games are not optimized as well as they could be, and just end up relying on pure hardware grunt to run games smoothly.
But hmm, if this a modular computer, how often are we expected to upgrade this thing? As at the moment with current PC's you can get a good few years out of them before they start to get hit with performance issues.
You can get external BluRay drives for £15?
If this is meant to be Xbox 360 like graphics, then its 5 years late.
If its meant to be Gaming PC graphics, then I can't see how they will get that in that form factor.
If its meant to just be for casual gamers, then how the hell do they think they will be able to sell it for $1000! People will just buy a WiiU.
The more I look at it the more it looks like a product with no market. It seems its more of an excersize in making a small PC rather than an attempt at making a properly marketable product. Its expensive because its small, not because its actually any good.
Where has the price been announced?
Xbox doesn't have a BluRay drive. If you own a PS3 you already have a BluRay drive. I'd imagine by now anyone who wants a BluRay drive will already have one... so why make it more expensive by adding one to the box.
I see the 'Piston' as a purely digital platform, games/demos/trailers/software will all be downloaded via Steam. It's going to be on the network so you can stream whatever you like to it media wise, or if you prefer you can pack a HDD full of media and just hook it up to the box.
There is honestly no need for an optical drive of any sort.
It's meant to be a stepping stone, a means of getting Steam onto your TV, while not being a full on console and keeping some of the PC audience. It's giving you access to your Steam library from your living room, access to the kind of online gaming PC gamers are accustom to, with the ability to continue using keyboard and mouse/controller in a convenient package.
Obviously it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it's never intended to replace your squillion pound top of the line gaming rig. It's an 'gaming' HTPC with a fixed spec so games can be optimised console stylee.
What it will come down to is how much Valve are going to charge for it, and how many games they can optimise to work well on it. I'd imagine they'll have a lot of their legacy titles already ready to go.
Theres a quote from Xi3 on that Joysriq article.
I get what your saying. But do you think people are really going to pay $1000 for something that is an additional device to the kit they already own? If I'm dropping $1000 on a device that does the same as kit I already have, then it needs to replace them. I've already got a Media PC, a 360 and a PS3. For $1000 this box needs to mean I can flog at least 2 of those.
Theres Android PCs the size of USB sticks that do HD video streaming and casual gaming, and they cost under £100.
Soldato
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I think, if the price is right and enough people buy the thing, it could be very good for PC gaming, as all of a sudden, there'll be a proper standard by which to optimise the game for. Also, and I presume Valve thought of this as it seems obvious to me, Steam could specify the perfect settings for your Steam box meaning people get the most from the system.
Any word on the OS they'll be rolling this out on? I know they've made great strides in the world of Linux and the fact that this announcement came so soon after the Linux client release along with Gabe's open disdain for Windows 8 makes me lean towards Linux but surely they'd be shooting themselves in the foot to do such a thing. I also can't see Microsoft allowing volume sales of an old OS now they're pushing Windows 7.
This is the key point. At $1000 its will flop. It fell well short of the Kickstarter target too. While a funky idea that people are taking note of, nobody seems really interested in it.
$1000 is a LOT of money.
I'd imagine it'll be a custom Linux that goes straight to a Steam Big Picture type front end.
And I agree, it all comes down to price. You can put together an ITX Trinity HTPC of a similar spec for around £400.
IF Valve subsidise it and get it to a reasonable price then it could do really well.
And I agree, it all comes down to price. You can put together an ITX Trinity HTPC of a similar spec for around £400.
IF Valve subsidise it and get it to a reasonable price then it could do really well.
Isn't that the price for the product post kickstarter?
Valve likely to tank a loss for sales, not looking to make the profit the kickstarter guys were and perhaps cut in costs as development is furthered.
$1000 will not be close to the price.
I think thats its only logical for steam to have certain steam box optimised settings so that they know games would run on them and maybe let enthusiasts tweak settings themselves if they want.
Personally while I think it looks great with such a high price point its hard to see that anyone will take it seriously especially since the majority of the current steam user base already owns a PC. Something interesting to watch anyway Valve could always massively subsidise the price.