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Valve developing steam box console

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 978 ✭✭✭AceCard Jones


    Only thing I hope is that they don't make their own IP's exclusive to this. This could have the opposite effect really when you think about it, rather than making people who play consoles get this, it could make PC gamers favour this instead. :D
    Never understood how a mouse and keyboard was supposed to work for a 47" TV, how close would you have to be? (I know they're making pads for this)


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    not very close
    my tv's only 42 inches but I can game fine at a distance you'd normally have a couch at, or if i'm playing starcraft i'll scooch a little closer.

    youa ctually want to be kinda far away so you can take in the view of the tv without having to turn your head from side to side constantly checking the edges of the screen


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,126 ✭✭✭✭calex71


    The report claims that baseline models will have an Intel Core i7 CPU, NVIDIA GPU and 8GBs of RAM, such as the Alienware X51, which may have been designed to be a Steam Box-capable device.

    That's not going to be cheap, last I checked i7 based systems where anything but :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,879 ✭✭✭Coriolanus


    We'll probably see it before ep 3. :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    calex71 wrote: »
    That's not going to be cheap, last I checked i7 based systems where anything but :D

    I just don't see a reason for i7 though. It's useless for games.

    To be honest it might be just a pc in steam case and ste logo.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Interested, hopefully i7 and a nice hackable box :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5 Robi Wan


    I think its another ill informed story from ign
    they're jumping on a nonchalant comment made by gabe a few weeks.
    Their source is a blog site if I'm not mistaken. There hasn't being a leak from valve in a long long time.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,515 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    Was Gabe's comment in reference to bio-feedback hardware? So a heartbeat sensor built into your mouse, for example. Perhaps to guide the AI director in L4D.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭ gizmo


    Robi Wan wrote: »
    I think its another ill informed story from ign
    they're jumping on a nonchalant comment made by gabe a few weeks.
    Their source is a blog site if I'm not mistaken. There hasn't being a leak from valve in a long long time.
    Nope, there's been a couple of rumors about this floating around for some time. There's something being talked about alright but it's been kept tightly under wraps I'd imagine.


  • Site Banned Posts: 1,678 ✭✭✭Andy!!


    I just don't see a reason for i7 though. It's useless for games.

    Not if Steam are getting round to properly using i7's multicore architecture... developers will do eventually.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,815 ✭✭✭Burgo


    gizmo wrote: »
    Nope, there's been a couple of rumors about this floating around for some time. There's something being talked about alright but it's been kept tightly under wraps I'd imagine.

    In fairness theres been lots of talk about ep 3 for years :p Doesn't really mean anything tbh.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭ gizmo


    Andy!! wrote: »
    Not if Steam are getting round to properly using i7's multicore architecture... developers will do eventually.
    The i5s and the i7s are based on the same core architecture, the only real differences are the number of cores, cache size and support for Hyper-Threading. The Source engine is already multi-threaded unless you mean the Steam client itself? :o
    Burgo wrote: »
    In fairness theres been lots of talk about ep 3 for years :p Doesn't really mean anything tbh.
    These are a different kind of rumor, not the ones you'd read about on Kotaku.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    Andy!! wrote: »
    Not if Steam are getting round to properly using i7's multicore architecture... developers will do eventually.

    why would they do it now? i5 2500k non HT CPU is not even maxed out, in fact the most load i have seen on my one is 55%. its GPU that makes any sort of difference these days, not CPU.

    its actually very funny when you say i7 users that their cpu means jack **** in gaming and only increase your e-penis. they get really thick lol


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    gizmo wrote: »
    The i5s and the i7s are based on the same core architecture, the only real differences are the number of cores, cache size and support for Hyper-Threading. The Source engine is already multi-threaded unless you mean the Steam client itself? :o


    These are a different kind of rumor, not the ones you'd read about on Kotaku.

    even the core number is same, just it makes 2 more virtual cores. so the real difference is HT like you said m8.
    i dont even know where steam client comes in to play :confused: its already very optimised and it has jack **** difference in performance.


  • Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,129 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost


    Future proofing the console. The console probably won't be upgradeable.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    Future proofing the console. The console probably won't be upgradeable.

    it says in article that it will be upgradable though. like i said, it looks like it will be more of a pc with a controller and only steam os.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    A console that took a standard components and a MATX board would be amazing, just a rebranded pc with a closed OS. It would sell like hot buns.


  • Registered Users Posts: 81,135 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    Valve are the last people I expected to want to kill PC gaming.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,732 ✭✭✭Magill


    The only probably i can see is with well.. a lot of the games and how they work with a controller, if its a shooter like CoD then the lack of aim assist will be a problem.. unless games are developed specifically for this "Steam Box". Im guessing they'll have keyboard and mouse support tho but still.

    It is an awesome idea.. having a "console" that can download old generation games, pc exclusives, next generation games and the ability to play with friends on steam. Not being able to play games like BF3/Blizzard games will be a downside tho if your into them.

    Its probably not even true tho.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭ gizmo


    even the core number is same, just it makes 2 more virtual cores. so the real difference is HT like you said m8.
    i dont even know where steam client comes in to play :confused: its already very optimised and it has jack **** difference in performance.
    Well there's the i7-3930K with 6 physical cores. :pac:

    I'm not sure about the reference to Steam client to be honest, he mentioned Steam in his post, so I assumed he meant Valve but the Source Engine is already multi-threaded. If he meant Steam then he could only be referring to the client itself which would be pointless. :o

    As for the box itself, well I was quite surprised I didn't see a thread around here for the Alienware X51 due to its supposed similarity. It's certainly a step in the right direction but there's one major issue here: upgrade ability. From a development point of the view this is the biggest headache. If users are able to chop and change parts as they see fit then it means the optimisation process gets incredibly hard (read: non-existent) and testing becomes a nightmare. If developers target the launch hardware then users who do upgrade will take to the internet to complain that their more expensive hardware isn't being utilised to its full extent.

    The original Verge article regarding the Steam Box, however, makes no mention of the ability to upgrade and instead mentions a "baseline for hardware" which "will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years". So you're basically talking about a beefier console with a shorter lifecycle for the core components.

    Then there's the issue of the OS. Given the fact it'll be running Steam and other "rival gaming services" then I think it's safe to assume it'll be Windows based. I assume it would also come with at least DVD drive which would then enable the use of normal PC games from retail. So now what do we have? A fixed hardware spec PC. Throw in the ability to ability to use controllers or a keyboard and mouse and this is even more reinforced.

    Practically speaking in terms of the games though, this would also open the door to widespread abuse during multiplayer games. Since the platform would allow for both controllers or keyboard/mouse, developers would be forced to include filtering options for different games so the two couldn't mix. This would end up splitting the community. If this was ignored then it would lead to those using a controller being completely annihilated and many players just giving up or wanting to move to a keyboard and mouse. Unfortunately, this is still a console whose place is in the living room and I'd wager that the vast majority of people would be ill equipped to have a keyboard and mouse, wireless or otherwise, in this room.

    All things considered, I don't know how it would work.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    gizmo wrote: »
    Well there's the i7-3930K with 6 physical cores. :pac:

    I'm not sure about the reference to Steam client to be honest, he mentioned Steam in his post, so I assumed he meant Valve but the Source Engine is already multi-threaded. If he meant Steam then he could only be referring to the client itself which would be pointless. :o

    As for the box itself, well I was quite surprised I didn't see a thread around here for the Alienware X51 due to its supposed similarity. It's certainly a step in the right direction but there's one major issue here: upgrade ability. From a development point of the view this is the biggest headache. If users are able to chop and change parts as they see fit then it means the optimisation process gets incredibly hard (read: non-existent) and testing becomes a nightmare. If developers target the launch hardware then users who do upgrade will take to the internet to complain that their more expensive hardware isn't being utilised to its full extent.

    The original Verge article regarding the Steam Box, however, makes no mention of the ability to upgrade and instead mentions a "baseline for hardware" which "will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years". So you're basically talking about a beefier console with a shorter lifecycle for the core components.

    Then there's the issue of the OS. Given the fact it'll be running Steam and other "rival gaming services" then I think it's safe to assume it'll be Windows based. I assume it would also come with at least DVD drive which would then enable the use of normal PC games from retail. So now what do we have? A fixed hardware spec PC. Throw in the ability to ability to use controllers or a keyboard and mouse and this is even more reinforced.

    Practically speaking in terms of the games though, this would also open the door to widespread abuse during multiplayer games. Since the platform would allow for both controllers or keyboard/mouse, developers would be forced to include filtering options for different games so the two couldn't mix. This would end up splitting the community. If this was ignored then it would lead to those using a controller being completely annihilated and many players just giving up or wanting to move to a keyboard and mouse. Unfortunately, this is still a console whose place is in the living room and I'd wager that the vast majority of people would be ill equipped to have a keyboard and mouse, wireless or otherwise, in this room.

    All things considered, I don't know how it would work.

    well yeah, i really dont think they will put a 1k eu worth cpu in it! :D which will still have no advantage!

    i know about his steam reference, and it was more aimed at him. you right there, steam already well optimised and steam has **** all to do with game optimisation, its just a launcher.

    Its still too early to say what the hell they will do. It looks really weird that they would go with their own console when they gave steam support on ps3 with portal 2. ( thats some food for thought )
    agree with hardware flexibility. the best and worst point of console - its fixed hardware. i wont tell you anything new here too about optimisation and so on blablabla. :)
    thought if you make fixed PC machine, then you making a very bad move. thats why we all encourage build your own pc, then buyng build up pc like dell etc. those things are really bad for upgrading and we know how vital is it for pc.
    i think they could make their own steam OS m8. why not? that in a way would make the product they want to do - console. If they will still have to stick with windows then it will be just fixed hardware pc with steam label on top of it. One of the best thingsto come out now - HDMI connection. it makes it perfect for pcs and consoles. in fact i do have my old gaming pc connected to my telly with hdmi connection and wireless keyboard + mouse. so in a way i got steam console! :D

    still too early to say. knowing its valve we talk about it might be just a rumor too. Valve would not let such thing to leak.


  • Registered Users Posts: 473 ✭✭ríomhaire


    From reading the original verge article the only way this would make sense is if it was a console-like PC and not a PC-like console. That's a pretty big distinction. They say you'd be free to install other software like Origin on it. That's a pretty big difference to a console and if they're going to want to make this sell they'll want to make sure people can bring their Steam library over to it and unless they have enough money to pay every developer to port their games to a new OS, that means this is a Windows machine.

    This would be a standardized set of hardware and software requirements to make a PC that easily and natively works by plugging in to your TV. It'll be a PC with a console feel and ease of use.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    ríomhaire wrote: »
    From reading the original verge article the only way this would make sense is if it was a console-like PC and not a PC-like console. That's a pretty big distinction. They say you'd be free to install other software like Origin on it. That's a pretty big difference to a console and if they're going to want to make this sell they'll want to make sure people can bring their Steam library over to it and unless they have enough money to pay every developer to port their games to a new OS, that means this is a Windows machine.

    This would be a standardized set of hardware and software requirements to make a PC that easily and natively works by plugging in to your TV. It'll be a PC with a console feel and ease of use.

    yeah, but you can do it now already. take any gaming pc and connect it to TV same way you connect it to monitor.
    If you can install origin and other crap, then it is just a PC with STEAM logo. might it be a "poor man's" version of alienware then?

    not enough info thats for sure.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭al28283


    http://uk.games.ign.com/articles/121/1219072p1.html

    Here's an interview with Gabe Newell from 2 weeks ago, it sounds like The Verge jumped the gun with whatever info they had. Certainly doesnt sound like something that will be happeninga anytime soon


  • Registered Users Posts: 473 ✭✭ríomhaire


    yeah, but you can do it now already. take any gaming pc and connect it to TV same way you connect it to monitor.
    If you can install origin and other crap, then it is just a PC with STEAM logo. might it be a "poor man's" version of alienware then?

    not enough info thats for sure.
    I think if you're the kind of person willing to build and set up a gaming PC to connect to your TV this isn't aimed at you. It'd be for ease of use PC gaming. I imagine there'd need to be some sort of custom UI that loads to make it easy to navigate from your couch with a controller instead of a keyboard and mouse.

    I'm seeing a lot of "so what, I could do this myself" style comments around the internet, but that's missing the point. Most people don't want to do it themselves. Most people don't build their own PCs and never want to. They don't want to have to figure out how to fit their tower around their TV setup and install custom navigation stuff to control it properly. I mean, I want to at some point, when I have money, to set up a PC with my TV and control it using a Wii remote but very few people would want to go through setting all that up.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭ gizmo


    i think they could make their own steam OS m8. why not? that in a way would make the product they want to do - console. If they will still have to stick with windows then it will be just fixed hardware pc with steam label on top of it.
    The only way they could develop their own OS would be if it was a completely fixed platform so yea, a console essentially. If it was to have upgradeable hardware and support for normal retail games as well as other online services then there's not a question of it happening.


  • Site Banned Posts: 1,678 ✭✭✭Andy!!


    gizmo wrote: »
    The i5s and the i7s are based on the same core architecture, the only real differences are the number of cores, cache size and support for Hyper-Threading. The Source engine is already multi-threaded unless you mean the Steam client itself? :o

    Sorry I meant to say Valve. At some point i7s should be better for gaming; it's just a matter of devs getting better at properly assigning tasks to that amount of cores.


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,929 ✭✭✭✭ShadowHearth


    Andy!! wrote: »
    Sorry I meant to say Valve. At some point i7s should be better for gaming; it's just a matter of devs getting better at properly assigning tasks to that amount of cores.

    Nope.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭ gizmo


    Andy!! wrote: »
    Sorry I meant to say Valve. At some point i7s should be better for gaming; it's just a matter of devs getting better at properly assigning tasks to that amount of cores.
    Well i7s are technically better, it's just that the current performance benefit doesn't justify the cost. When games become more demanding we'll see the benefits of having 4 physical cores rather than 4 logical ones but until then there's no reason for devs to worry about it.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 58 ✭✭lasersquad


    Overheal wrote: »
    Valve are the last people I expected to want to kill PC gaming.

    Valve might be privately owned, but it doesn`t change the fact that they care about one thing - $. Admittedly they go about acquiring these in a very clever way trying to minimize damage or win over fans in certain ways, but the fact remains.

    Some lofty ideals like "PC gaming" really do not come into play here. They`ve seen the success of OnLive and their little shop ain`t doing too badly either - meaning there`s enough people with broadband and credit cards to justify such move. Sod the rest :)


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