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[SteveWinwood]

If you have a problem with this, you just build a computer yourself.

Problem solved.

I love how most of gaf completely misses all points in the steam machine threads.

 

[Riggs]

Yea this seems like it's pointless. It will be interesting when these come out. I feel they are being too open platform.

Ya we will see, but a non upgradeable PC I might as fucking well buy an apple. I am joking, but in all seriousness I still don't think this is the right approach at all. I wonder what Falcon NW will do lol, those guys are fucking insane.

 

[injurai]

As much as I don't like the sound of this on the face of it, IF the price is good enough and you can get enough mileage out of it for 4-5 years like a console, it could work out quite well.

I guess that model is more comforting to the console crowd. Consoles are already spec-locked, so having an annual refresh would be like taking one step forward from the console camp. It just seems like taking 5 steps back from the custom pc camp though...

That sort of makes up for the fact that PC games aren't as optimized with magic like you see start happening with console titles.

 

[Tacitus_]

Yearly revisions and un-upgradable hardware? Sounds like a laptop style model. Still not interested in these, but some of you are overreacting.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Practically the smaller it is, the less probable to be upgradable.

Yeah the practical matter here is that in order to get these into small form factors that have adequate cooling you have to break the typical motherboard standards. That is why they are not upgradable. I could imagine that some small boxes might be limited upgradable like a laptop, i.e. RAM and HD, if they can manufacture it well enough to have those accessible. But for example if they need to fit a powerful GPU in there, they might need a custom GPU with a different connector and cooling than the desktop version. This would make it non-upgradable unless alienware were to sell them specific to their box.

So if you want standardized parts that you can upgrade you have to build/purchase a PC with a standardized form factor. This is obvious.

 

[iceatcs]

Expected for this happen. Nothing big deal but I will know that the product won't be top any more after a year, like ie laptop or iPhone problem.

 

[Waveset]

I don't have a problem with annual updates, technology moves on. But without customisation they're going to have be amazingly cheap for me to consider one.

 

[Taco_Human]

I'm gonna have to wait another 4 or 5 years before I afford the first generation steam box? Deal.

 

[Red Liquorice]

So they'll cost about £35 then? Cool I'll buy one every year

 

[Baron_Calamity]

The people who buy alienware computers tend not to be the people who open up and upgrade their computer. They are just catering to their base. I find nothing wrong with this.

 

[udivision]

"Well if you do/have/are _______ maybe you're not the target audience for this?" seems like a pretty frequent sentiment for Steam Machine threads...

 

[Hari Seldon]

I thought for sure I would be able to fit this

into this

Damnit.

 

[Corronchilejano]

Actually seems like a pretty good idea. If it takes off then new models will become more affordable over time and older models will still be useful for cash-starved gamers.

 

[dtg]

This will probably be a pretty decent option in another two or three years. Right now, it's too expensive for me, but once this gen starts rolling I could see it becoming pretty enticing. Cell phones and tablets also have yearly refreshes. Nintendo does a DS refresh nearly every other year like clockwork. Cars have new models every year, and so on. Consoles are one of the few consumer areas where new models aren't launched frequently. Last gen was entirely too long.

 

[SteveWinwood]

"Well if you do/have/are _______ maybe you're not the target audience for this?" seems like a pretty frequent sentiment for Steam Machine threads...

maybe because there are a bunch of people that dont understand maybe their not targeted for something video game related

this is like the first time thats happened outside of iphone and facebook games

theyre confused

poor people

 

[Shambles]

I thought for sure I would be able to fit this

into this

Damnit.

It's bigger on the inside?

 

[jim-jam bongs]

A couple of points:

- A 2014 Steam Machine will still play games as well as a PS4 in a few years. I know people like to yell "coding to the metal" whenever console optimisation comes up, but given the age of the hardware relative to current PC hardware there just isn't as much juice to be squeezed out of the machines this time around. First-party stuff will be the only thing which truly shows the benefits of hardware specific optimisation, just like last generation. Everyone else will be sacrificing framerate and resolution in order to keep pushing effects, just like last generation.

- A 2016 Steam Machine will play games far better than a PS4 in a few years.

It's a long-term strategy, one which I'm not personally convinced will pay off for anyone involved but I also don't think that it's as cut and dried as many people make it out to be.

 

[MakeshiftChef]

So... I guess I won't be buying the alienware machine. I really liked their form factor the most of the new Steam Machines too. Ah well. Next PC I build will be much smaller than my current PC in a Corsair 600t case

 

[Ionic]

It's bigger on the inside?

He is poking fun at people who expected to be able to fully customize a box that is so tiny, that many of the components one would like to customize are obviously too large to fit. The compactness of this machine is obviously being understated in this thread. I wouldn't mind having a second or third generation one of these to carry around when I go to a friend's for a quick LAN party.

 

[belmonkey]

I'm not a fan of locked hardware, but I guess there will at least be future options with better hardware for people that, for some reason or another, don't upgrade a PC and save money. At least people will have a choice not to be stuck with notebook CPUs and 2012-2013 medium-end GPUs for the next 6-7 years for their gaming.

 

[Buggy Loop]

I dont see the fuss, does your steambox cease to function after a year? No? Then whats the problem? Why would someone entering the PC world after someone else be limited to old hardware?

Typical gaf overreaction

 

[raven777]

I thought for sure I would be able to fit this

into this

Damnit.

thanks for the pic. It is indeed a lot smaller than I thought. I initially thought it was going to be similar size to x51.

 

[ashecitism]

I remember before the announcements and CES, people were saying an android/iphone model would make the most sense, so there.

 

[Shambles]

He is poking fun at people who expected to be able to fully customize a box that is so tiny, that many of the components one would like to customize are obviously too large to fit. The compactness of this machine is obviously being understated in this thread. I wouldn't mind having a second or third generation one of these to carry around when I go to a friend's for a quick LAN party.

Sorry I should have added quotation marks. It's a common phrase from the Doctor Who series after people walk into the TARDIS that looks like a phone booth from the outside but once you walk into it it's the size of a large ship on the inside.

 

[cyberheater]

They say you can't upgrade them. We'll see.

 

[clubstoic]

1. We got our standard. These will be the most popular steammachines. Of the people who would buy an Alienware PC/steammachine, very few are the upgrading type. Apple has no problem with yearly refreshes. People are saying Alienware doesn't get it, but if you're the PC gamer who knows "how the stuff inside works" wouldn't you be building your own PC anyway? This is a new fangled console competitor.

 

[Ionic]

Sorry I should have added quotation marks. It's a common phrase from the Doctor Who series after people walk into the TARDIS that looks like a phone booth from the outside but once you walk into it it's the size of a large ship on the inside.

My bad.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Not surprised at all, this is Alienware.

That iBuyPower box seems to be the best Steam Machine so far.

 

[Andalus0880]

Essentially, what this amounts to is an annual revision/update to the Steam Machines hardware with more current PC parts as they're made available to market. Steam Machines manufacturers will likely phase out previous iterations just like smart phone manufacturers do with their respective products.

I don't see the problem with this. The barriers to entry - high price and technological savviness - which are required to assemble your own PC are removed from the equation while keeping the hardware relevant from a performance standpoint.

 

[ashecitism]

Not surprised at all, this is Alienware.

That iBuyPower box seems to be the best Steam Machine so far.

For that same price, the CyberPower one looks more compelling.

 

[BrickArmour]

I guess this kind of makes sense if one were to assume that the box I buy will play most games for 5-8 years. If someone next year buys something that plays them ever so slightly better, then what have I lost? I still have a machine that can play PC games for 5-8 years. If I feel the upgrade itch before 8 years, I have the option to do so. If not, I can keep using the box I have. Not sure if it will pan out that way but I suppose that's one way of looking at it.

But to be honest, I feel as though this will push me back to building my own PC since VR is important to me and regular updates will be vital. But for a lot of people I think this might work for them.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

For that same price, the CyberPower one looks more compelling.

Don't both of them have (mostly) the same specs in the 500$ model?

 

[ShadyJ]

No thanks, a PC is a way better option

These machines are looking more worthless by the day.

 

[Zia]

I'd obviously prefer if they were easily upgradeable, but like an iPhone (without the profit) I could just flip it each year for a small fee. Shrug. There seems to be plenty of other, "open" Steam Machines.

 

[Calamari41]

Look, I think this is as dumb as anybody else, but let's be real here. For the most part, anybody who would be concerned about upgrading their computer wouldn't be in the market for one of these things in the first place.

A machine like this is for the console crowd. It's for the guy I got into an argument with last year with regards to PC vs console who thought that I was going into the source code of every game I played and re-programming the whole thing like Durante, just to be able to launch.

 

[csquared587]

Wait, I thought yearly refreshes were obvious even before this announcement? I'm pretty sure most Steam machines will have a new model every year! it only makes sense.

 

[ashecitism]

Don't both of them have (mostly) the same specs in the 500$ model?

it was supposed to be that way yes. from the press sheet:

CyberPowerPC - $499 and up
CPU - AMD/Intel Core i5 CPU
Graphics - AMD Radeon R9 270/Nvidia GTX 760
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 500GB

iBuyPower - $499 and up
CPU - Quad core AMD or Intel
Graphics - Radeon GCN Graphics
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 500GB+

prior to CES Verge reported iBP targeted something similar to CP, but then: www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=747115

The pretty little Steam Machine, dubbed "SBX," is iBuyPower's direct challenge to Microsoft and Sony's new game consoles: $500 gets you the box, a Steam Controller, an HDMI cable, and all the power therein. The prototype we saw packs a quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU ("with some voltage and speed tweaks"), 4GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, and a Radeon R7 250 GPU (1GB GDDR5) power SteamOS -- no dual-booting here! iBuyPower's hoping for a Radeon R7 260X ("or equivalent") GPU when the SBX ships later this year, but we're told most of the other specs won't change.

 

[ChosenPredator]

ew not sure i like that because if their successful sony/microsoft may follow and i really dont want to updat every fucking year when it comes to that

 

[Barakov]

Sucks. Thankfully, there seems to be other steam machines where you can do this easily.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

it was supposed to be that way yes. from the press sheet:



prior to CES Verge reported iBP targeted something similar to CP, but then: www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=747115

wait, you can't dual boot windows on it?

 

[Phrozenflame500]

The pretty little Steam Machine, dubbed "SBX," is iBuyPower's direct challenge to Microsoft and Sony's new game consoles: $500 gets you the box, a Steam Controller, an HDMI cable, and all the power therein. The prototype we saw packs a quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU ("with some voltage and speed tweaks"), 4GB RAM, a 500GB HDD, and a Radeon R7 250 GPU (1GB GDDR5) power SteamOS -- no dual-booting here! iBuyPower's hoping for a Radeon R7 260X ("or equivalent") GPU when the SBX ships later this year, but we're told most of the other specs won't change.

Wow, an R7 and only 4gb of RAM is quite a downgrade. I guess Cyberpower's in the lead then.

 

[AndyD]

Wait, I thought yearly refreshes were obvious even before this announcement? I'm pretty sure most Steam machines will have a new model every year! it only makes sense.

That's my thought as well. Never expected any different.

I guess it remains to be seen how upgradeable they are though. Can someone just pop it open and replace a hard drive or add some RAM? Because most of the low price ones seem to come with relatively small hard drives. And if there is no upgradeability, and no customization at the time of purchase, that would be a tough sell.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

Please be cheap.

I'm holding off on buying a next gen console until I see how this whole Steambox thing turns out.

 

[ashecitism]

wait, you can't dual boot windows on it?

They probably mean it'll will come with only SteamOS. Digital Storm's SM will come with both Win and SteamOS installed for ex.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Pretty much. Anyone who is surprised by this hasn't been paying attention.

I haven't been at all really, and now I wonder if I should bother from here out

 

[BrickArmour]

Wait, I thought yearly refreshes were obvious even before this announcement? I'm pretty sure most Steam machines will have a new model every year! it only makes sense.

I expected that but I didn't realize I couldn't upgrade the box I already owned.

 

[Calamari41]

I don't think it's really for the console crowd either... it's for the type of people who have kept Alienware in business this whole time.

Yeah you're right. The in-betweeners with too much money.

 

[Mazzo]

I'm fine with that. My interest in Steam Machines comes from the possibility of sparing me the trouble of building my own machine (edit: and it being cheap).

 

[BrickArmour]

Please be cheap.

I'm holding off on buying a next gen console until I see how this whole Steambox thing turns out.

Define "cheap". I doubt they will be cheaper than PS4.

 

[Metalmarc]

Pointless unless sold less than a ps4.

Otherwise i'll adivse people to buy a ps4 or upgrade their own pc or get a pc if they dont own one, then when year 2 steam machine comes out upgrade the desktop.