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[Solid Samus]

We all know who these are for and odds are if you're over twenty and you make your own money as opposed to your parents then it's not for you
seriously, I don't know if things have changed over the last few years but who even buys alienware PCs anymore, outside of the uninitiated who understandably don't realize that they could build a comparable computer for so much less it's crazy, and the rich youngins who wanna show off their glowy keyboards. shit even if this thing is 'cheap' it'll prolly still be overpriced for whats in it but hey to each his own.

 

[Felix Lighter]

But it's a SteamBox. Depends on whether you think a SteamBox IS a gaming PC. I don't even know what a SteamBox is anymore. As I learn more about it, I'm more confused.

It's a gaming PC that comes with SteamOS installed and comes with a Steam Controller. It comes in a variety of different hardware configurations, including this model that is basically a laptop without a screen. That is pretty much it.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Holy shit.

Amazing.

 

[Jonm1010]

We all know who these are for and odds are if you're over twenty and you make your own money as opposed to your parents then it's not for you
seriously, I don't know if things have changed over the last few years but who even buys alienware PCs anymore, outside of the uninitiated who understandably don't realize that they could build a comparable computer for so much less it's crazy, and the rich youngins who wanna show off their glowy keyboards. shit even if this thing is 'cheap' it'll prolly still be overpriced for whats in it but hey to each his own.

I'm mid twenties and bought an x51 on sale around two years ago.

The form factor, easy entrance for me to pc gaming and ability play almost every game on ultra out of the box was a good selling point and I regret nothing.

It was a nice stepping stone that introduced me to pc gaming and next time I probably will build my own. But I certainly see the value in these no frills, plug and play, low cost entry level steam machines.

Not everybody is ready to jump from consoles to either an expensive pre-built machine for double what they bought a ps4 for or ready to commit to learning to build their own PC. Machines like these are a nice bridge from consoles to pc gaming. And hopefully the steam OS helps alleviate some of the tinkering many pc games have(messing with registry files or dealing with glitches and such) and helps lower the initial frustration for new pc gamers.

 

[gribbles]

Alienware gonna Alienware. Good to see they haven't changed one bit.

 

[Chittagong]

I wonder if we ever get a new X51. I love mine to bits, but goddam it's ugly. A new, proportionally as poweful one would be amazing.

 

[Durante]

I have a question for all the people professing surprise and/or outrage.

What were you expecting?
Alienware selling old hardware for years when new components are available which perform better and/or are cheaper?
Upgradable components in something that is scarcely larger in total than a single high-end GPU?

Honestly, if you just thought about it for a few seconds both of the huge "revelations" in this thread should be blindingly obvious.

 

[Mudkips]

So you really think that a $6k rig with SLI Titans or hell, a $2k model is aimed at the average console Joe? Fucking lol. These companies obviously know their target audience better than you. Being niche is ok you know.

You can "fucking lol" all you want, but that target doesn't exist.

The only thing Steam branded boxes have going for them is the "simplicity" aspect it brings to PC gaming. They absolutely are competing against consoles, and that's the market segment they need to convince if they want to be successful.

 

[massoluk]

The benefit of getting this over off the shelves PC is....?

 

[sixteen-bit]

totally misreading the market

 

[RooMHM]

I have a question for all the people professing surprise and/or outrage.

What were you expecting?
Alienware selling old hardware for years when new components are available which perform better and/or are cheaper?
Upgradable components in something that is scarcely larger in total than a single high-end GPU?

Honestly, if you just thought about it for a few seconds both of the huge "revelations" in this thread should be blindingly obvious.

One would think Valve would force them to keep the platforms open...

 

[ashecitism]

You can "fucking lol" all you want, but that target doesn't exist.

The only thing Steam branded boxes have going for them is the "simplicity" aspect it brings to PC gaming. They absolutely are competing against consoles, and that's the market segment they need to convince if they want to be successful.

And how do you know? Are you from the same people who always questions Nvidia products?

 

[iNvid02]

personally i dont see any of this shit working, at least not for several years if at all.

 

[TheExodu5]

This is completely fine. That's the price to pay for the small form factor. Modularity requires space.

If you're in the market for something that's fully upgradeable and maintainable, then you should be building your own box anyways.

 

[megabytecr]

By 2015 or 2016 this cheap, small box will outperform consoles.

For the ones in the look out for a PC or a SM a lot of options makes so much sense. I will wait for reviews and performance, I can see myself getting one little box every 2 years, moving the older one to the bedroom. I just don´t have the time to play that often anymore to justify an expensive rig but I want a PC environment. Still undecided lets see.

It can have Windows right?

 

[Shambles]

The point of PCs is choice. You are free to choose to buy some crappy console wannabe version of a PC if you'd like. I'm not sure where all this confusion comes from. Not every piece of CE is targeted directly at you.

 

[gribbles]

By 2015 or 2016 this cheap, small box will outperform consoles.

For the ones in the look out for a PC or a SM a lot of options makes so much sense. I will wait for reviews and performance, I can see myself getting one little box every 2 years, moving the older one to the bedroom. I just don´t have the time to play that often anymore to justify an expensive rig but I want a PC environment. Still undecided lets see.

It can have Windows right?

Why not just buy one of the, oh i dunno, DOZENS of other steam machines that can, you know, be upgraded and customized? Wouldn't that make more sense???

 

[Durante]

The point of PCs is choice. You are free to choose to buy some crappy console wannabe version of a PC if you'd like. I'm not sure where all this confusion comes from. Not every piece of CE is targeted directly at you.

It's amazing that this should be so, but clearly people do need to be told this surprising fact.

I have no interest in any pre-built PC, running SteamOS or otherwise, but that doesn't mean that I cannot follow the thought process for each of their designs, or understand which market they try to satisfy or which niche they try to fulfill.

Why not just buy one of the, oh i dunno, DOZENS of other steam machines that can, you know, be upgraded and customized? Wouldn't that make more sense???

Because you don't want to bother upgrading or customizing and would rather get a cheaper and/or smaller box.

There, was that a superhuman feat of reasoning or something you could have figured out on your own?

 

[Mutanthands]

One would think Valve would force them to keep the platforms open...

Open platform does not equal upgradable platform. You can install windows, or whatever you want on it. SteamOS will run the same as it does on any other PC hardware.

But the components are not upgradable. Why? Because it's a laptop. In a box. It's nearly as small as a WiiU.

It's an option, if you want something tiny to play indies, or blockbuster stuff at 720p.

If there is no market for it, it won't sell, and Alienware will adjust their strategy accordingly.

I don't see the need for Drama.

 

[megabytecr]

Why not just buy one of the, oh i dunno, DOZENS of other steam machines that can, you know, be upgraded and customized? Wouldn't that make more sense???

Yes, I am looking at options like I said, but it all comes down to price. If it is really cheap, I mean like a middle ground GPU $300, so it all comes down to price and specs. I really love the size.

 

[Massa]

I have a question for all the people professing surprise and/or outrage.

What were you expecting?
Alienware selling old hardware for years when new components are available which perform better and/or are cheaper?
Upgradable components in something that is scarcely larger in total than a single high-end GPU?

Honestly, if you just thought about it for a few seconds both of the huge "revelations" in this thread should be blindingly obvious.

People were expecting a Steam Machine that was as good as Valve's prototype, small, compact and upgradable. This was looking like the one commercial option fulfilling that criteria, but that's obviously not the case now.

 

[Conscience Falls]

Welp, guess I'll have to look into the other boxes. Disappointed, but not too surprised.

 

[Atolm]

People were expecting a Steam Machine that was as good as Valve's prototype, small, compact and upgradable. This was looking like the one commercial option fulfilling that criteria, but that's obviously not the case now.

Yep, that Valve prototype set the bar way too high.

 

[ashecitism]

That Valve prototype would cost more than $1k.

 

[Mudkips]

And how do you know? Are you from the same people who always questions Nvidia products?

"Steam Machines" is a branding campaign aimed at providing simple, pre-built systems geared at simplifying PC gaming on a TV. The campaign is targeting the console space in an attempt to attract console gamers to the PC platform (a PC platform with Steam OS and the Steam store installed out of the box).

Branded boxes that don't target the console space are pointless. They will live in the same shriveling niche as existing gamer-focused PCs.

Branded boxes that do target the console space have to compete with consoles on the value proposition. They currently aren't.

What does any of this have to do with nVidia?

 

[Durante]

People were expecting a Steam Machine that was as good as Valve's prototype, small, compact and upgradable. This was looking like the one commercial option fulfilling that criteria, but that's obviously not the case now.

According to reports, the volume of this box is less than 3000 cm³. Valve's prototype is 7541 cm³. You can (barely) fit a (barely) upgradable system in that volume. You can't do that in less than half. (For comparison, PS4 is 4445 cm³ and XB1 is 7216 cm³)

And it also doesn't explain the surprise at the fact that there will be a new version frequently. Technology gets better.

 

[TheExodu5]

According to reports, the volume of this box is less than 3000 cm³. Valve's prototype is 7541 cm³. You can (barely) fit a (barely) upgradable system in that volume. You can't do that in less than half. (For comparison, PS4 is 4445 cm³ and XB1 is 7216 cm³)

Exactly.

People apparently want something that can never exist. This is the price to pay for the form factor and cost reduction. It's as simple as that. Upgradability requires space and money.

 

[ashecitism]

"Steam Machines" is a branding campaign aimed at providing simple, pre-built systems geared at simplifying PC gaming on a TV. The campaign is targeting the console space in an attempt to attract console gamers to the PC platform (a PC platform with Steam OS and the Steam store installed out of the box).

Branded boxes that don't target the console space are pointless. They will live in the same shriveling niche as existing gamer-focused PCs.

Branded boxes that do target the console space have to compete with consoles on the value proposition. They currently aren't.

What does any of this have to do with nVidia?

People always make remarks when Nvidia announces an enthusiast product. "who would buy those?" Yet, there's obviously a market for it. It's the same here. Digital Storm for example doesn't want to compete, but aims at people who want high performance in their livingroom. Maybe only a couple of thousands will buy it, but it might be a success for them. Different companies, different expectations.

Valve said they're not aiming for consoles crowd, but want to give options to their existing user base. Options. It's really not their fault gamers and media can't understand this, because they got used to getting their mouth fed by corporate suits on a big stage.

This initiative was always about Steam and not the hardware. If it doesn't take off well, then it doesn't. Valve got nothing to lose here.

 

[KingSnake]

Why not just buy one of the, oh i dunno, DOZENS of other steam machines that can, you know, be upgraded and customized? Wouldn't that make more sense???

We don't know neither the price (but we know that it will be under X51's one - $699 for the entry configuration) nor the configuration (but we know that it will be Intel Haswell CPU and Nvidia GPU and we know the other configuration for the $500 machines and it's a high probability to be better). So it's way too early to judge the appeal or how competitive is this one. It could well be on cheap side and better than the others,

 

[mrklaw]

why should I prefer a steam machine over a custom built PC?

I still don't get the idea behind it

Anybody that has ever built a custom PC is unlikely to be the target market for this. Unless you want a custom ultra SFF PC for your living room and are willing to accept a fixed spec, which may be possible

That this is in any way confusing or upsetting for people astonishes me.

 

[DarkFlow]

Why are steam machines useful again? I asked this before and got blasted for not liking options.

 

[Exuro]

Why are steam machines useful again? I asked this before and got blasted for not liking options.

The VR future of course.

 

[Mattias]

What is the problem? Buy a STEAM machine that is upgradeable instead then. There are other brands as well.

 

[megabytecr]

Why are steam machines useful again? I asked this before and got blasted for not liking options.

For
1) People that want all or almost all the benefits of a PC
2) Small or custom form factor for the living room
3) Cheap and decent specs
4) Do not want to or are intimidated by building there own SM or PC

Now most people around here have multiple gaming Hardware, what if someone that gets most of the consoles but would love to experience PC gaming, but most of the time does not want to build a system, wants something cheap an easy to set up.

I fall somewhat into a probable customer for a SM. I have Wii U and PS3 but I don´t want any of the other next gen consoles. My gaming time is limited so I am not sure yet if a should spend a lot in a high end rig.

So all I see are the benefits from a console, plus all the benefits from the PC, nothing to lose here, but some people feel insecure for their closed gaming boxes, that can be seen from miles away.

 

[ShinobiFist]

I wonder if we ever get a new X51. I love mine to bits, but goddam it's ugly. A new, proportionally as poweful one would be amazing.

Same here. I love mine as well, but love to see a sleeker one with more juice.

 

[DarkFlow]

For
1) People that want all or almost all the benefits of a PC
2) Small or custom form factor for the living room
3) Cheap and decent specs
4) Do not want to or are intimidated by building there own SM or PC

Have we been looking at the same machines?

 

[cyberheater]

Any idea how much this will be?

 

[gribbles]

Because you don't want to bother upgrading or customizing and would rather get a cheaper and/or smaller box.

There, was that a superhuman feat of reasoning or something you could have figured out on your own?

But it's not fucking cheap. They've already confirmed it costs as much as an Xbox One. If they expect me to fucking pay full price for a new PC every year, then they should at the very least not take away one of the things that make PC gaming great, which is customizability.

You also keep berating everyone else for supposedly being "surprised" that Alienware would pull something like this. I'm not surprised, Alienware has been doing this shit for years and I expected nothing less from them. And yes, I know that there's a market for fucking idiots who are happy to be price-gouged out the arse for a locked-down PC. I didn't need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to know that, as you so fucking eloquently put it. But just because Alienware has the right to do this as a business, it doesn't mean their business practices are consumer-friendly, or even ethical, and I have the right to call them out on that. And if you're vigorously defending a company that so wilfully price-gouges its customers while taking away their options, then you're only reinforcing Alienware's belief (and companies just like them) that they can get away with this shit. You're a part of the problem.

Oh and before I forget to mention, this lack of customizability also goes COMPLETELY against Steam's overall philosophy, which is to give their customers as many options as possible, both in terms of software and hardware, as well as their support for the most free, open platforms that can be easily modified. Do you think Valve is happy that Alienware is pulling this shit? Valve went to great lengths to emphasize that one of the Steam Machines' main strengths is their customizability, and Alienware is basically pissing all over that stance with their machines. There, did you need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to figure that out, or would you like me to explain it to you again, slowly?

You know, for some who knows a lot about making fixes for games, you're not a very good spokesperson for standing up for consumer rights.

 

[Reg]

Legit question: is this going head to head against the ouya?

 

[megabytecr]

Have we been looking at the same machines?

This is just starting, there is little information, but we are sure that there will be multiple options. So this question cannot be answered yet.

And again, you don´t have to buy the thing every year in this case, and for the others they will probably be upgradable. My bet is that one of this can hold on at least 2 years.

Legit question: is this going head to head against the ouya?

lol, no.
I see it as not going against anything, they are offering additional options in the PC space to expand Steam. Some people say they are competing with consoles, I see them as another PC option.

 

[~~Hasan~~]

lol so basically, they are :

- taking the best part of a PC out which is the upgradable specs
- taking the best part of a console out which is the longevity " 5 years for 1 down payment"

and on top of this all they tell you we will release a better one in 1 year or less depends on when you decide to buy the damn thing..


sure... lets throw a 700 to 1000 bucks every year. because why not right ?



what a #%#$ idiots

 

[MercuryLS]

But it's not fucking cheap. They've already confirmed it costs as much as an Xbox One. If they expect me to fucking pay full price for a new PC every year, then they should at the very least not take away one of the things that make PC gaming great, which is customizability.

You also keep berating everyone else for supposedly being "surprised" that Alienware would pull something like this. I'm not surprised, Alienware has been doing this shit for years and I expected nothing less from them. And yes, I know that there's a market for fucking idiots who are happy to be price-gouged out the arse for a locked-down PC. I didn't need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to know that, as you so fucking eloquently put it. But just because Alienware has the right to do this as a business, doesn't mean their actions are consumer-friendly, or even ethical, and I have the right to call them out on that. And if you're vigorously defending a company that so wilfully price-gouges its customers while taking away their options, then you're only reinforcing Alienware's belief (and companies just like them) that they can get away with this shit. You're a part of the problem.

Oh and before I forget to mention, this lack of customizability also goes COMPLETELY against Steam's overall philosophy, which is to give their customers as many options as possible, both in terms of software and hardware, as well as their support for the most free, open platforms that can be easily modified. Do you think Valve is happy that Alienware is pulling this shit? Valve went to great lengths to emphasize that one of the Steam Machines' main strengths is their customizability, and Alienware is basically pissing all over that stance with their machines. There, did you need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to figure that out, or would you like me to explain it to you again, slowly?

AW has been working with Valve on this box for over a year. Valve is fully aware of the locked down nature of this box, they don't give a shit.

 

[Newboi]

lol so basically, they are :

- taking the best part of a PC out which is the upgradable specs
- taking the best part of a console out which is the longevity " 5 years for 1 down payment"

and on top of this all they tell you we will release a better one in 1 year or less depends on when you decide to buy the damn thing..


sure... lets throw a 700 to 1000 bucks every year. because why not right ?



what a #%#$ idiots

-The Alienware Steam Machine will be under $500.
-PCs don't lose compatibility with games after a year so neither should the Alienware Steam Machine.
-It costs nearly $500 or more to upgrade to a new high-end GPU every year (that's just the GPU). In this case you'll be getting a brand new Machine, which you don't even need to upgrade yearly.

Most PC games after 2007 have been bound to the spec limitations of the dominant consoles at the time. I don't think that's changing much this generation so a single Steam Machine could last you 5+ years with the right specifications (if you are purely liking for slightly above console quality, which would be PS4 and Xbone in this case).


Either way, I think people are manufacturing a problem that isn't really there. Alienware has already stated that the X51 will actually be marketed as a high-end PC/Steam machine that would probably fit the criteria you're thinking of (upgradability, great performance, and portability). This particular Steam Machine is merely an option out of many.

 

[DarkFlow]

-The Alienware Steam Machine will be under $500.
-PCs don't lose compatibility with games after a year so neither should the Alienware Steam Machine.
-It costs nearly $500 or more to upgrade to a new high-end GPU every year (that's just the GPU). In this case you'll be getting a brand new Machine, which you don't even need to upgrade yearly.

Most PC games after 2007 have been bound to the spec limitations of the dominant consoles at the time. I don't think that's changing much this generation so a single Steam Machine could last you 5+ years with the right specifications (if you are purely liking for slightly above console quality, which would be PS4 and Xbone in this case).

For $500 what kind of GPU do they plan on putting in there, a GTX 760 is $269 alone. That's not going to be sitting any games on fire if that's the case.

 

[Clawww]

lol so basically, they are :

- taking the best part of a PC out which is the upgradable specs
- taking the best part of a console out which is the longevity " 5 years for 1 down payment"

and on top of this all they tell you we will release a better one in 1 year or less depends on when you decide to buy the damn thing..


sure... lets throw a 700 to 1000 bucks every year. because why not right ?



what a #%#$ idiots

welcometoneogaf.gif

 

[antronoid]

Meh, Alienware is overpriced garbage anyway.

 

[ashecitism]

But it's not fucking cheap. They've already confirmed it costs as much as an Xbox One. If they expect me to fucking pay full price for a new PC every year, then they should at the very least not take away one of the things that make PC gaming great, which is customizability.

You also keep berating everyone else for supposedly being "surprised" that Alienware would pull something like this. I'm not surprised, Alienware has been doing this shit for years and I expected nothing less from them. And yes, I know that there's a market for fucking idiots who are happy to be price-gouged out the arse for a locked-down PC. I didn't need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to know that, as you so fucking eloquently put it. But just because Alienware has the right to do this as a business, it doesn't mean their business practices are consumer-friendly, or even ethical, and I have the right to call them out on that. And if you're vigorously defending a company that so wilfully price-gouges its customers while taking away their options, then you're only reinforcing Alienware's belief (and companies just like them) that they can get away with this shit. You're a part of the problem.

Oh and before I forget to mention, this lack of customizability also goes COMPLETELY against Steam's overall philosophy, which is to give their customers as many options as possible, both in terms of software and hardware, as well as their support for the most free, open platforms that can be easily modified. Do you think Valve is happy that Alienware is pulling this shit? Valve went to great lengths to emphasize that one of the Steam Machines' main strengths is their customizability, and Alienware is basically pissing all over that stance with their machines. There, did you need a "superhuman feat of reasoning" to figure that out, or would you like me to explain it to you again, slowly?

You know, for some who knows a lot about making fixes for games, you're not a very good spokesperson for standing up for consumer rights.

He said cheaper, not cheap. There's a difference. Compared to the other models and a great custom rig, this is cheaper. Don't like it, don't buy it.

Also, no one said you'd have to buy one every year. How is this anti-consumer? AW hans't even revealed their strategy yet. This topic isn't about their business practices. All Durante is saying tha if you look at the size of thew thing you can see that's not possible to upgrade it, yet people expected to do so. This should have been obvious from the beginning. You threw a tantrum for no reason.

Also, Valve couldn't give a shit about what Alienware does with their machine. They don't mandate anything. And they have been working with AW on this, so they know. The customizability aspect has been regarding their own prototype ("you can even build a robot!") not with other models. It was always up to the OEMs.

 

[Abinash117]

By 2015 or 2016 this cheap, small box will outperform consoles.

For the ones in the look out for a PC or a SM a lot of options makes so much sense. I will wait for reviews and performance, I can see myself getting one little box every 2 years, moving the older one to the bedroom. I just don´t have the time to play that often anymore to justify an expensive rig but I want a PC environment. Still undecided lets see.

It can have Windows right?

The next gen consoles will get price cuts too. Ps3 got one in 2007 and $400 version was released in 2008.

The system will not get optimized unlike the consoles as along as the next gen games look and plays really well not many people who plays consoles will care. Besides more powerful hardware doesn't mean the system will sale well as history shows. Microsoft and Sony has a large part of the marketshare in consoles because of various reasons one including exclusive games that the steambox won't get and that is a big reason many console gamers will get steam machines are at least may not use it often .

It is more like a good sell to Pc gamers who don't want to upgrade or steam users. But getting console gamers to play this is going to be a little different. If some of these manufacturers think more powerful hardware = more people will buy than the current consoles then they are mistaken .

 

[Dolor]

For $500 what kind of GPU do they plan on putting in there, a GTX 760 is $369 alone. That's not going to be sitting any games on fire if that's the case.

I don't think so.

 

[DarkFlow]

I don't think so.

Typo, 369 is a 770, well a cheap one anyway. Point still stands, add the cost of a at least a i5, plus mobo and the fact they are shrinking this shit down, and I don't see how it's under $500 for something okay.