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Valve reveals specs for prototype Steam Machines.
- Thread starter Silky
- Start date
Interfectum
Member
It only seems like a clusterfuck to people who are used to be spoonfed marketing bulletpoints and massive wank fest system reveal conferences.
Valve is actually treating us as if we have some intelligence. Go fig.
copelandmaster
Member
I want whatever case they are using, but only if it can fit an mATX mobo with room for 2 dual slot pci-e cards.
I'm sorry, but fuck onboard sound. I want to use my ZXR in a Steam Machine, Gabe. It can't be a real HTPC + Gaming living room juggernaut unless it has better sound stuff than a PS4.
I'm sorry, but fuck onboard sound. I want to use my ZXR in a Steam Machine, Gabe. It can't be a real HTPC + Gaming living room juggernaut unless it has better sound stuff than a PS4.
Ken Masters
Banned
I don't get steam box
Can they be upgraded?
Can they be upgraded?
soul creator
Member
meanwhile, us Alienware X51 owners are all "you guys are late to the party" 
BadAss2961
Member
With only 300 participants, I imagine Valve is going to handpick super dedicated Steam members.
Yes, I think the idea to make a "friendly" PC (for gaming) is a pretty good reason.
Hmm, I suppose they can't really sell at a loss like the consoles since people would just strip and resell the components.
Good to see they have low/mid/high covered. I'm on par with the high (Titan, RAM) but a bit behind on CPU (i7 2600k).
Having a prebuilt one with pre-tested drivers is a nice offering. For those "I want to build a PC" questions people can just say "oh just get the Steambox level 3". Good for parents who have more money than time.
I'll definitely try out the OS once it's available. Dedicated barebones environment here I come...
Good to see they have low/mid/high covered. I'm on par with the high (Titan, RAM) but a bit behind on CPU (i7 2600k).
Having a prebuilt one with pre-tested drivers is a nice offering. For those "I want to build a PC" questions people can just say "oh just get the Steambox level 3". Good for parents who have more money than time.
I'll definitely try out the OS once it's available. Dedicated barebones environment here I come...
BurnOutBrighter
Banned
Lol did you read the SteamOS and related press releases?
Apocryphon
Member
My X51 has an i7 4770 and a EVGA GTX 670 FTW card and that has a 330w PSU.
prebuilt products like this already exist but the software solutions are suboptimal to say the least and there's never been a big push from a major company like valve
LQX
Member
Ironic as we would have the most sense to build our own "Steam Machine" rather than buy one built by Valve or anyone else.
PandaPedinte
Member
Yes.
maybe you should read these announcements
SniperHunter
Banned
so the titan is customized? Maybe it has a lower clock rate or lower spec hardware
fortunately there are two great options coming in november for the entry level budget gamer.
I enjoyed this part of the announcement:
Would Valve like to get some of the console owners to convert? Sure, but I don't think they're "aggressively targeting" that demographic, or any demographic, other than "potential Steam users".
Apart from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the same machine by shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at least a few people will do just that. (We'll also share the source CAD files for our enclosure, in case people want to replicate it as well.)
No, that's not the whole point and it's frustrating to read these discussions because of that assumption. The point is that the number of Steam users is on the rise and PC hardware sales are on the decline. Valve likely feels that this is the best way to ensure that they don't top out.
Would Valve like to get some of the console owners to convert? Sure, but I don't think they're "aggressively targeting" that demographic, or any demographic, other than "potential Steam users".
I haven't really understood what exactly we will be beta testing. These are practically PCs. Someone could have the exact same specs. Why do we need 300 people to betatest specific configurations of hardware? Sb explain this to me.
I mean, the OS is basically what needs the beta testing, and we are all going to do it on our machines, right?
I mean, the OS is basically what needs the beta testing, and we are all going to do it on our machines, right?
SmoothRunningGun
Member
Send me the one with the Titan please.
they said 30 people are being picked based on criteria like that, the rest are totally random selections from the beta pool
LQX
Member
Exactly, so that dude was kind of right as those people are better served being "spoonfed marketing bulletpoints".
MrCunningham
Member
$999.99 would be incredible for a Titan powered Steambox. though that would also be an extremely unrealistic price point, I would imagine. But at that price, you could buy one, partition windows on the machine, and use it as a high end small form factor desktop PC.
Do you have any room for overclocking?
Gaf_SentMe
Member
But how many people play pc games on a 770 or 7970? Valve took a poll and most were gaming on a 560 - 660 card. It's reasonable to think that customers would buy the console that is within their budget, only to lose out on textures here and there. I honestly see low vs high on PC games and can't discern a ton of difference, save for textures up close. Games are made to scale down, so I can see this model working if it is kept to at least a 2 option minimum. $400-$500 standard model, $650-$750 enthusiast model.
We need to change the current console model. I die a little inside once new hardware comes out and it is not backwards compatible with the previous gens games. What can be done to change this model?
H_Prestige
Banned
I don't think there is much overlap between the group of people who don't want to build a PC and the group who doesn't mind spending $1000 for gaming hardware.
xaosslug
Member
it seems like a clusterfuck because the range of steam machines specs are numerous, it's upgradeable, and will be sold to your average uninformed consumer.
if they buy a 'cheaper' (likely lower spec'd) steam machine and expect it to play the latest releases on the highest settings, only to be met with a 'your machine has insufficient specs, plz upgrade' error upon boot up, shit is gonna get real very quickly...
they could easily sell the low end model listed here for $600, and this is far from the cheapest they could reasonably go
You just can't replicate real-world scenarios. People do all kinds of crazy shit with their consoles, I'm sure Valve is getting them out there to try and see what people do with them.
It does seem a little bit like marketing to me though.
Certainly Valve could have gotten 300 people to sign NDAs and done more of a low key beta.
Sportbilly
Member
You could also remove the parts and sell them for more than the cost of the machine. I can't see 'them' subsidising hardware in any way, otherwise you're going to end up with a glut of cannibalised Steam boxes as people take them apart and sell the individual components.
Found: Half Life 3 exclusive on Steam Machine.
Let me make something clear to some of you.
Judging from the info on the group page, these specs list are neither the limit or the maximum specs for steam machines. All they are, are what valve thinks will be common setups, that they can then test how people use them in the living room and what modifications people are most likely to make. There will be cheaper and more expensive machines of all different form factors from other manufacturers.
Basically anything that has steamOS is a steam machine, whether you're dual booting or not. So don't complain that the steam machine(s) are too expensive when a minimum hasn't been determined.
That said, I find it hard to understand how 300 people chosen at random can help determine what constitutes typical living room use and modifications. I'd guess they a watching many forums and expect the community to be rather vocal about what they like.
In case valve are reading - HIIIIII <3 youuuu
Judging from the info on the group page, these specs list are neither the limit or the maximum specs for steam machines. All they are, are what valve thinks will be common setups, that they can then test how people use them in the living room and what modifications people are most likely to make. There will be cheaper and more expensive machines of all different form factors from other manufacturers.
Basically anything that has steamOS is a steam machine, whether you're dual booting or not. So don't complain that the steam machine(s) are too expensive when a minimum hasn't been determined.
That said, I find it hard to understand how 300 people chosen at random can help determine what constitutes typical living room use and modifications. I'd guess they a watching many forums and expect the community to be rather vocal about what they like.
In case valve are reading - HIIIIII <3 youuuu
diablos991
Can’t stump the diablos
Wow, better specs than I was expecting.
Really hoping to get into that beta and try things out. My 60" screen in my theater is beckoning the steambox!
Really hoping to get into that beta and try things out. My 60" screen in my theater is beckoning the steambox!
Can you imagine the public outrage? Hehe...
H_Prestige
Banned
That's still way too much money when consoles are easily 1/2 or 1/3 the cost.
I don't know, maybe Valve isn't expecting to sell many of these things to begin with.
Mass Effect
Member
The more I think about it, the beta is a bit strange. I mean the controller might be the biggest part - besides the whole "free" thing. With Valve's stated openness (sharing CAD files for enclosure etc) you can be sure people outside the beta will be replicating their box exactly, and there's really nothing stopping anyone from doing the same. Genius.
which new console is going to be $200-300 when these things launch next year?
Muppet of a Man
Member
Other than perhaps form factor and cooling solutions, is anything about these steam machines going to be custom/proprietary?
Dark Octave
Banned
I thought 16 gigs of ram was stupid for gaming and only really useful for stuff like video editing.
Interfectum
Member
Xbone is $500.
Most people don't want a PC without Windows, either.
Hmm well that doesn't sound like something I'll end up getting.
There are just the higher-end machines. There will be more.