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[indigo-cyclops]

Just wish it was black, or "Steam" charcoal gray.

 

[takoyaki]

So you guys think these will be upgradable? Aren't pre-built PCs locked down? Like what about Alienware?

I think it will be upgradeable to a certain extent. I bought an Alienware X51 for PC gaming on the TV. It came with a Nvidia card from the 5 series and I replaced it with a 660ti. It only took buying a small cable to upgrade the PC with a second HDD. All of this in a pretty small case by PC standards. Hardware upgrades for this Steambox will probably be limited by the PSU, at least that's the case with the Alienware PC.

 

[sajj316]

Looks pretty good .. I'm interested in the Steam Machine. This will allow me to play some of the previous generation games at 1080p/60fps (minimum).

 

[Ensirius]

This is going to be so good when the big players start getting them out the door.

Can't wait

 

[MaLDo]

Beside the GPU, to achieve that 1080p 60fps on high, they use this setup:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-270-review-benchmarks,3669-2.html

I doubt their AMD cpu is as good as an Intel Core i5-2550K Overclocked to 4.2 GHz @ 1.3 V.
And I don't know if they'll use PC3-14900 as in tomshardware's benchmark.

Mantle.

 

[BloodMoney]

Looks like a white cake with a band of red icing... aka, looks like plop IMO.

First post nailed it:

Reminds me of a dessert I used to eat, white chocolate covered wafers with strawberry cream filling.

 

[Beer Monkey]

If this thing runs Assassin's Creed IV at 1080p/60fps locked I'll eat my hat.

 

[wildfire]

I have my PC stuck under a desk. I glance at it for about two seconds a day - just long enough to turn it on and off. Why should I care how it looks?

Because a steam machine is an attempt to convince more people to put their pc in the living room even if you can use it differently.

 

[Barzul]

This interesting and I hope it drives more developers to start taking PC gamers more seriously (looking at you Rockstar). I'm curious to see how the steam controller does vs the mouse.

 

[Erasus]

That really seems like a great box for that price! That GPU is way better than PS4/XOne.

 

[Intheflorsh]

That is a genuinely impressive price.

 

[Dario ff]

True. But there aren't that many graphically demanding linux games on Steam (most of them are Valve's games, indie games, etc) so one might not even notice.

And I imagine by the time AAA games having a linux version becomes the norm AMD will have improved the situation.

Fair enough, I guess the only GPU demanding title at launch for SteamOS will be Metro: Last Light. I just hope AMD can distribute their attention to Linux OpenGL support and Mantle properly.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Probably won't buy one. But sure do appreciate the matte finish. Hope they stick with that.

 

[larvi]

So how are they planning on running Windows only games under Linux without a performance hit?

 

[Maninthemirror]

That really seems like a great box for that price! That GPU is way better than PS4/XOne.

Xbox one - 7550 - 60% faster
Ps4 - 7770 - 10% faster
This - 7870 - base

 

[gruenel]

That really seems like a great box for that price! That GPU is way better than PS4/XOne.

The R270 isn't that much faster than the GPU in the PS4. 10% maybe?

XBone on the other hand...

Xbox one - 7550
Ps4 - 7770
This - 7870

What? No.

 

[kazebyaka]

If this thing runs Assassin's Creed IV at 1080p/60fps locked I'll eat my hat.

you'll need gtx 690 or 780ti for that

 

[apana]

Impressive, most impressive.

 

[ashecitism]

Tom's Hardware also has an article up: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/valve-steam-machine-steamos-steambox,25222.html

Pricing has not yet been decided, but iBuyPower aims to have its Steam Machine be competitive against the PS4 and Xbox One.

so Verge's info seems likely

 

[Fonz72]

That thing looks like pure sex...................so pretty.

$499 is not a bad deal for those who wish to go "next-gen" on PC.

 

[MrGlass]

Sounds interesting from the price point of view, especially if the games are able to perform well on them. However i'm still sceptical regarding the OS and controller and will hold off until i'm convinced otherwise.

 

[Vitor711]

That really seems like a great box for that price! That GPU is way better than PS4/XOne.

That price is amazing.

Even if it can't do 1080 and 60FPS for more demanding titles, 1080 at 30FPS at settings that outperform the 'next-'gen' consoles is easily within reach.

Was expecting it to be at least 50% more expensive. That's nuts.

 

[ashecitism]

Xbox one - 7550 - 60% faster
Ps4 - 7770 - 10% faster
This - 7870 - base

umm doesn't the X1 have the 7770 and the PS4 a 7850?

 

[Maninthemirror]

umm doesn't the X1 have the 7770 and the PS4 a 7850?

Oops you are right

X1 - 7770
PS4 - 7850-7870
This- 7870

 

[ironcreed]

This is where console exclusives will fuck things up. There is literally no reason to buy an Xbone with this thing coming, except for the fact Microsoft will have some exclusives for it.

Oh, I will still have one of the consoles for exclusives. Where this comes in as looking more appealing is that I will not have to buy another subscription to play online, Steam deals, it appears to be more powerful and I love the controller. Not to mention that I can easily upgrade whenever I choose to go even more 'next-gen.' With a little word of mouth and more manufacturers offering their own versions, this can be huge... fast.

Oh, and just on a side note. Those complaining about how ugly it is needs to go back and read where this is a prototype. This is not the final look, and besides, ibuypower will not be the only ones making these.

 

[jediyoshi]

I wonder if Valve is planning to subsidize any of these companies' steam machines directly or through promotions. Valve selling the steam controller on the cheap to them seems like an easy way to make everyone happy

 

[Morzak]

Yes these boxes aren't restricted. But in term of marketing the question is valid. Will the manufacturers be able to use Valve and Steam names if they don't provide SteamOS installed by default?

I highly doubt that the versions with Windows will have the Steam machine branding, but I doubt Valve will stop OEM's to release the same sku's with no branding and Windows.

If Retailers begin to market these machines it could blow up pretty quickly. all depends on marketing. Will they rely on word of mouth? Will they market these in magazines or commercials? Etc.

I know I will get one, especially at a 500$ price point with me being able to upgrade whenever I want. TV gaming will become divine.

Will people be willing to spend 500$+ of machines with basically no Library and no full commitment by publishers ? 400 and you get a device that is supported by all major publishers and many indies. Oh you could dual boot Windows but then again if they go after the non PC gamer market that won't be an option.

They will have a rocky road in front of them. There is no talk about other storefronts on Steam OS which would mean no Blizzard or EA games. It will be interesting to see how all that will unfold and how successful it will become.

 

[Canis lupus]

umm doesn't the X1 have the 7770 and the PS4 a 7850?

PS4 has a 7870 equivalent, 2 CU's are shut down.

 

[Intheflorsh]

Any news on the PSU?

 

[MaDKaT]

Dont care for the color. More impressed with the potential pricing. Something to watch since I'm planning a new HTPC build next spring. Will have to keep an eye on these devices.

 

[Nzyme32]

True. But there aren't that many graphically demanding linux games on Steam (most of them are Valve's games, indie games, etc) so one might not even notice.

And I imagine by the time AAA games having a linux version becomes the norm AMD will have improved the situation.

On Janaury 7th at CES 2014 Valve will be showing off the partners and their respective steam machines as well as games coming to linux including "AAA titles". Fingers crossed they make good on that promise!

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Gabe trying to murder nextgen console gaming in its crib.

 

[Horns]

I'm curious how the controller performs.

 

[TerryLee81]

Do these Steam Machines come with a Controller?

 

[angular graphics]

Fair enough, I guess the only GPU demanding title at launch for SteamOS will be Metro: Last Light. I just hope AMD can distribute their attention to Linux OpenGL support and Mantle properly.

Even Metro: Last Light is missing several DX11/postprocessing graphical effects the Windows version has.

 

[kudoboi]

Xbox one - 7550 - 60% faster
Ps4 - 7770 - 10% faster
This - 7870 - base

you mean slower right?

Except this will probably run worse or equal to a PS4 on most games.

it should run a lot better. PS4 can run BF4 at 900P while this can run it at 1080P with both at 60FPS

 

[MrGlass]

Also, if the Steam Machines are going to be aiming for the living room, i would like that more games start being made that allow local splitscreen. Especially seeing as how we're getting fewer of them on the consoles.

 

[Wereroku]

Gabe trying to murder nextgen console gaming in its crib.

Except this will probably run worse or equal to a PS4 on most games.

 

[Barzul]

This could be like what Android did for Smartphones if Valve plays its cards right. License the OS, offer a few free games with a purchase, no online subscription. Might pick up one of the for couch gaming next year and depending on how easy it is to upgrade and switch out parts just put my 770 and intel CPU in there.

 

[cookie-monster]

Will people be willing to spend 500$+ of machines with basically no Library and no full commitment by publishers ?

There are 401 Linux games on Steam currently.

 

[Nzyme32]

Any news on the PSU?

PSU is built contained within the system, so no power brick required. In terms of upgrade-ability, this could be something to pay attention to.

However, since the machine already houses an amd r9 270, it should be good for most single graphics card solutions, which is all the case can house anyway

 

[coldfoot]

Not bad price but AMD CPU on PC is ewwwwwwwwwwwww. I could probably build it for around the same price.

I say this thing is still missing the point of PC's. You need Windows to run many MANY games, and that gamepad will never be as accurate as a mouse when playing competitive MP. It's a lost cause to try to make it like a console, there is too much unstandardized stuff on PC, better to embrace it for what it is, a unique blend of components for $500 for those who don't want to build their PC or give 50-60 bucks to someone to build it.

A PC is a PC, not a console alternative. And that's OK, most PC people wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Sendou]

Except this will probably run worse or equal to a PS4 on most games.

It's not all about how games run. Besides this is just one vision. I doubt the first one we get details about is the most optimized in the price-power scale.

 

[Barzul]

Except this will probably run worse or equal to a PS4 on most games.

Mantle.

 

[Xyphie]

PS4 has a 7870 equivalent, 2 CU's are shut down.

Closer to 7850 performance than 7870 due to downclock to 800MHz.

Any news on the PSU?

I'd wager it has a ~300W SFX PSU.

 

[Nzyme32]

Do these Steam Machines come with a Controller?

A steam controller is included with all Steam Machines and will also be available separately for those wanting to build their own systems or play using existing ones

 

[statham]

Do these Steam Machines come with a Controller?

comes with the steam controller I believe.

 

[trixx]

This is certainly something with a lot of potential. I'm basically buying a serious pc for $499! I can run current games on max 60 fps, no need to pay for online, steam sales, i can play mmo's, indies etc..

This also runs windows? This is going to be tough.

 

[Maninthemirror]

you mean slower right?

I meant the steambox is 60% faster as its the base

 

[FinalStageBoss]

Looks alright i guess, but i don't like the white. Specs wise its ok for the price.