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Valve and Xi3 announce Steam-based mini-PC

G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Glass Rebel said:
Well, you don't know how powerful next-gen consoles will be :)

I doubt the Piston will play anything above Medium anyway, this isn't meant to be hooked up on a PC but a TV.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think it has to play new Valve games on Very High or anything, but it will have to look good.

I dunno. Don't know why they're trading performance and cost against form factor so heavily. A console doesn't have to be teeny tiny. I know Valve doesn't have the billions to make a Playstation or Xbox style subsidy or custom hardware. But, for example, the Alienware x51s are fine size wise, use pretty standard components, and retail with margin at similar prices as this looks to. And they are a lot more powerful. So I'm disappointed by the trade offs I'm seeing here so far, not what I expected. One of things I was hoping for out of a Steambox was a kind of de facto minimum spec for PC devs to target that would be a good bit higher.
 
A

angular graphics

Banned
What it is: http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/setup

What kind of computer can I use with my TV?

* A DEDICATED PC OR MAC
This is probably the easiest way to get Big Picture up and running. Simply connect a PC to your living room TV via the HDMI cable mentioned above. Done!

For a living-room gaming computer, some obvious desirable features (aside from good performance) are low-noise, small size, good USB connectivity, on-board WiFi, and a decent case design. As we become aware of machines which fit this overall profile, we will add information about them here.

* A LAPTOP

* YOUR EXISTING DESKTOP COMPUTER!

* or USE BIG PICTURE *WITHOUT* A TV
Click to expand...
 
Duxxy3

Duxxy3

Member
Bumhead said:
You're saying that on the assumption that the current Steam Linux library is all that will ever be supported.

We know even THQ have been working at converting their existing library to Linux. If they have, then I don't think it's a stretch to imagine other publishers and developers have been working at getting their games Linux ready ahead of Valve doing this.
Click to expand...

That's a hell of a lot of work for companies to do for such a tiny platform.
 
G

Gustav

Banned
What a clusterfuck. Properly announce something or get the fuck out. Also, that thing is hideous. Looks like a subwoofer out of pimp my ride. All it's missing is neons.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
gofreak said:
I dunno. Don't know why they're trading performance and cost against form factor so heavily. A console doesn't have to be teeny tiny. I know Valve doesn't have the billions to make a Playstation or Xbox style subsidy or custom hardware. But, for example, the Alienware x51s are fine size wise, use pretty standard components, and retail with margin at similar prices as this looks to. And they are a lot more powerful. So I'm disappointed by the trade offs I'm seeing here so far, not what I expected. One of things I was hoping for out of a Steambox was a kind of de facto minimum spec for PC devs to target that would be a good bit higher.
Click to expand...

Yeahe, would be better if they release a sth. like X51 big PC with good mid range power (like the newst X60TI Nvidia GPU) every 1-2years. Linux on it, but if you want you can just install windows on it.
Sth. like Alienware branded PC´s but with the Steam brand and a better price.
So in some years people can read on Game Description on Steam sth. like "recommended minimum requirement Steambox 2013 Edition"

This would be great :/
So you don´t need to think about what PC i want to Build if you want to build a new PC. Just buy the newest Steambox and you are sure you will get a very good PC for a good Price :D
 
C

ColonelColon

Member
gofreak said:
One of things I was hoping for out of a Steambox was a kind of de facto minimum spec for PC devs to target that would be a good bit higher.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this was my hope as well. I actually expected Steambox to be a sort of minimum standard spec for PC versions of next generation games. If it had a decent install base, it would encourage developers to optimize their games to perform adequately on machines that meet the specification, which would probably be beneficial for all PC gamers.
 
G

Glass Rebel

Member
I'm not sure what unrealistic expectations people were having prior to this announcement. I would have been way more surprised if this was some high-end piece of hardware.
 
L

lefantome

Member
I really hope this is no way close to steambox, i also hope that all the negative buzz caused by this produxt will make valve announce the real steambox.

I want standard and fixed hardware, enough power and a price below 500$ or it ain't going.

I don't care how themmew models are, i just don't like their phylosophy of upgradable pc.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Suggestion: maybe I/we've been barking up the wrong tree and maybe it's not an attempt at a more controlled console environment and platform at all.

Maybe we're over thinking it and maybe it is just a small form factor PC. Maybe there isn't some sort of mandated spec. Maybe they're just PCs that will come in a variety of spec flavours as normal and will run windows or linux and come with Steam preloaded.

Maybe when Gabe talked about it being more 'controlled' and less flexible than a regular PC, he meant in terms of hardware, not software. Maybe he simply meant that the smaller form factor of living room PC constrained your hardware flexibility/upgradeability etc.

My concerns about Valve pivoting around such PC spec for the foreseeable future remain, but at least when I think about it in these terms some of the confusion I have resolves itself.
 
E

erick

Banned
Honestly, I don't get the bitching :)

Xi3 X7A specs:

CPU: AMD A10-6x00K 3,2GHz Quad-Core (4C/4T)
GPU: integrated HD 8700-series 384 shader cores (Skyrim runs 32 fps at Ultra detail 8xAA/16xAF ... Full HD - LINK)
RAM: 4-8GB
SSD: up to 1TB
Power Envelope: ~40W


How is that not superior to any existing console? It is more power efficient than Wii U (EDIT: actually Wii U is 32W so not quite as good, but very close) and packs something like 3x the performance of PS3/X360. It might rival PS4/X720 for all their target render specs (Full HD @ 30 fps).

The only issue is cost. Which will be pretty damn ok if you option for the sensible 240GB SSD instead of the 1TB monstrosity. The rest of the components like CPU, RAM, casing etc are damn cheap.
 
S

Sibylus

Banned
Orayn said:
Definitely. There's been talk of VR, controllers, biometric, and even holograms for Clispaeth's sake. I'm sure Steamboxes tie into that stuff, since they'd be an ideal place to bundle that hardware and get it into lots of peoples' hands right from the start of their Steam experience.
Click to expand...
Give me biometric sensors and swappable buttons in a controller and I'd be mightily interested.
 
A

angular graphics

Banned
gofreak said:
Maybe when Gabe talked about it being more 'controlled' and less flexible than a regular PC, he meant in terms of hardware, not software.
Click to expand...

Was this ever debatable? It's clearly what he said.

http://kotaku.com/5966860/gabe-newell-living-room-pcs-will-compete-with-next+gen-consoles

Newell said he's expecting a lot of different companies to release these types of packages—"We'll do it but we also think other people will as well," he told me—and that Valve's hardware might not be as open-source or as malleable as your average computer.

"Well certainly our hardware will be a very controlled environment," he said. "If you want more flexibility, you can always buy a more general purpose PC. For people who want a more turnkey solution, that's what some people are really gonna want for their living room.
Click to expand...
 
N

nephilimdj

Member
Feature said:
I'm guessing every possible spec of this mini-pc will be able to run valve's source engine 2.
Click to expand...

Wouldnt suprise me if Valve made users buy next years model for that feature, and people wont complain.

I dont know who this is aimed at, even Asus killed off their netbooks a few months ago.
 
K

Kosma

Banned
If Valve made sure this will run Source 2 60fps then it could have a market, otherwise I don't think so.

They must have built the specs around Source 2.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
erick said:
Honestly, I don't get the bitching :)

Xi3 X7A specs:

CPU: AMD A10-6x00K 3,2GHz Quad-Core (4C/4T)
GPU: integrated HD 8700-series 384 shader cores (Skyrim runs 32 fps at Ultra detail 8xAA/16xAF ... Full HD - LINK)
RAM: 4-8GB
SSD: up to 1TB
Power Envelope: ~40W


How is that not superior to any existing console? It is more power efficient than Wii U (EDIT: actually Wii U is 32W so not quite as good, but very close) and packs something like 3x the performance of PS3/X360. It might rival PS4/X720 for all their target render specs (Full HD @ 30 fps).

The only issue is cost. Which will be pretty damn ok if you option for the sensible 240GB SSD instead of the 1TB monstrosity. The rest of the components like CPU, RAM, casing etc are damn cheap.
Click to expand...

You aren't getting anything near 8790M performance from the integrated graphics of the APU though. They aren't packing its dedicated GDDR5 VRAM in that box.
 
H

HyperionX

Member
erick said:
Honestly, I don't get the bitching :)

Xi3 X7A specs:

CPU: AMD A10-6x00K 3,2GHz Quad-Core (4C/4T)
GPU: integrated HD 8700-series 384 shader cores (Skyrim runs 32 fps at Ultra detail 8xAA/16xAF ... Full HD - LINK)
RAM: 4-8GB
SSD: up to 1TB
Power Envelope: ~40W


How is that not superior to any existing console? It is more power efficient than Wii U (EDIT: actually Wii U is 32W so not quite as good, but very close) and packs something like 3x the performance of PS3/X360. It might rival PS4/X720 for all their target render specs (Full HD @ 30 fps).

The only issue is cost. Which will be pretty damn ok if you option for the sensible 240GB SSD instead of the 1TB monstrosity. The rest of the components like CPU, RAM, casing etc are damn cheap.
Click to expand...

Please don't confuse yourself (and others). The X7A clearly specs for an AMD A10-4600M at its max processor, as shown here. There is no room for a discrete GPU at all.

I'll just leave you this as to what kind of performance you can expect:

46678.png


http://www.anandtech.com/show/5831/amd-trinity-review-a10-4600m-a-new-hope/6
 
B

Basileus777

Member
The reaction to this makes it pretty clear some had bizarre expectations for the Steambox. A company the size of Valve doesn't have the resources to directly compete with the big three for the living room, Valve's box was by necessity going to be a more niche and less risky/grandiose project.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
Basileus777 said:
The reaction to this makes it pretty clear some had bizarre expectations for the Steambox. A company the size of Valve doesn't have the resources to directly compete with the big three for the living room, Valve's box was by necessity going to be a more niche and less risky/grandiose project.
Click to expand...

i thought it would be a Alienware like branded Steam PC but for a good price (X51 style).

Was this too much to hope for?
 
D

DrFurbs

Member
I'd still rather build my own. It will look and perform better and will be upgradable in some guise and will likely be cheaper while being more flexible (htpc).
 
Z

z0m3le

Banned
alexandros said:
Let's speculate!

- If it is the Steambox

Dead on arrival for core gamers, at least in terms of next-gen competition. Assuming that the specs mentioned for the X7A are close to the Steambox specs, this system won't have the necessary horsepower to handle next-gen games, or even current PC games on high settings. The only way for it to compete would be if it could do a Voltron, ie connect a separate GPU module to the main module. But then what would be the price? If you are going for a box that will compete with next-gen consoles, why would you limit yourself to so low TDP? If you're not going to compete, what's the point? Highly confusing.

-If it isn't the Steambox

Then what the hell is it and why did Valve invest in this company? Is this supposed to compete against Microsoft's rumored set-top box? Do they want patents or other technical know-how? Is it just a random Valve investment because they think the project is cool? So weird.

So yeah, insert idunnolol.gif here :)
Click to expand...

I think it's just suppose to expand their market, I don't think it is meant to compete directly with the other consoles... As for it's ability to play next gen games... yeah I would assume that the average gaming notebook would be running PC games even ones coming in the next couple years... This APU should be able to keep up, though granted at 720p with lower settings...

I think all these devices have their own expectations that don't align with what some people assumed. Considering steam is 40Million+ users, gaining another 10M or 20M with a dedicated gaming device for steam would be huge.
 
W

wrowa

Member
I don't know why people expect the Steambox to be so much like a closed console. We are probably going to see a range of Steam-certified "Steamboxes" with this being just one of them.
 
GraveRobberX

GraveRobberX

Platinum Trophy: Learned to Shit While Upright Again.
Maybe the Steambox is not literally this

They can expand on this no?

Maybe it will be console size in nature or even mini-tower

I highly doubt Valve would come on board and not try to push the envelope

Most likely it will be 4 of those little boxes duct taped together with some beefy parts added in
 
V

Vaporak

Member
AHA-Lambda said:
This. I am very disappointed and am taking a second look at the x51 now instead.
Click to expand...

If you want something that will, for sure, play "next gen" games well you should wait until they are actually out and you can compare hardware. Buying now for using later is always a bad idea in technology markets.
 
W

wazoo

Member
This box has the ability to play current games (games you can currently buy on steam) at reasonable settings (no Ultra, no mods, etc) for the general mass market that want to play games and that's it. I could even see steam games being patched to get a standard .ini file for being automatically best configured for this box.
 
S

syko de4d

Member
hateradio said:
A 1TB SSD would make that thing really expensive.
Click to expand...

the base 999$ version only has 64gb.... is UP TO 1TB SSD

And we all Know 64GB would be nothing for Steam Games... so the 999$ Version is not good enough for gaming. (the base version has only 4gb Ram too)
 
H

HyperionX

Member
Basileus777 said:
The reaction to this makes it pretty clear some had bizarre expectations for the Steambox. A company the size of Valve doesn't have the resources to directly compete with the big three for the living room, Valve's box was by necessity going to be a more niche and less risky/grandiose project.
Click to expand...

What's stopping them from taking an off-the-shelf PC case and building a product around that? Numerous companies already do this FYI.
 
N

Nilaul

Member
erick said:
Honestly, I don't get the bitching :)

Xi3 X7A specs:

CPU: AMD A10-6x00K 3,2GHz Quad-Core (4C/4T)
GPU: integrated HD 8700-series 384 shader cores (Skyrim runs 32 fps at Ultra detail 8xAA/16xAF ... Full HD - LINK)
RAM: 4-8GB
SSD: up to 1TB
Power Envelope: ~40W


How is that not superior to any existing console? It is more power efficient than Wii U (EDIT: actually Wii U is 32W so not quite as good, but very close) and packs something like 3x the performance of PS3/X360. It might rival PS4/X720 for all their target render specs (Full HD @ 30 fps).

The only issue is cost. Which will be pretty damn ok if you option for the sensible 240GB SSD instead of the 1TB monstrosity. The rest of the components like CPU, RAM, casing etc are damn cheap.
Click to expand...

So this steam box should be a step up?
 
T

TrutaS

Member
I'm pretty sure this is not the SteamBox, but simply hardware Valve is going to support. They aren't creating SteamBox to dominate, but to set the path, something like Google is doing with the Nexus.

This is what is think of all this at least.
 
C

Coolwhip

Banned
People need to stop assuming things and disregarding something based on those assumptions. At least wait until Valve announces it. I have no clue what the point if this thing could be either, but that's because we know jack shit about it.
 
A

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Coolwhip said:
People need to stop assuming things and disregarding something based on those assumptions. At least wait until Valve announces it. I have no clue what the point if this thing could be either, but that's because we know jack shit about it.
Click to expand...

sorry if it's an old question: do we know if this is the Steambox or not?
 
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