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No hype for Steam Machines?

G

goomba

Banned
So numerous Steam Machines running Valves SteamOS are due to release next month but you wouldnt think so with the total lack of hype or even discussions online.

I'm very interested in them, especially after reading a post that they are in fact cheaper than building your own equivilent gaming rig from pc parts (at least in Australia)

http://games.on.net/2015/06/steam-m...r-and-early-november/comment-page-2/#comments

There are a lot of things that make them appealing to me:

The steam controller looks fantastic and offers new imput method as well as traditonal analog stick.

The hardware is upgradable and can destroy ps4/xbone.

There will be over 1000 day games available on day one, including many not available on ps4/xbone.

Games will be cheaper than ps4/xbone and no online subscription costs!

Why the lack of hype , gaf?
 
Most people on gaming forums interested in PC gaming are probably already gaming on a rig and the only retail Steam machine I've heard or seen is that Alienware one with the 360 pad at Walmart.
 
It's focused at a market that doesn't fully exist and is very much Valve's long-term plan as opposed to a short-term one like, I don't know, releasing a new game. Even if it is successful, it will almost certainly remain a niche project. (Which is fine, don't get me wrong.)

Give it like five years and see where the hype's at then. If it's not there: Oh well!
 
You are in the minority in terms of interest. For the most part people either want the complete console experience or the complete PC experience. Steamboxes are in a weird no man's land between the two.
 
My view on Steam Machines

1) Totally inferior to a Windows based gaming PC, a minuscule selection of AAA titles is the major problem here, in terms of getting people to care about it as a gaming platform. Having 1000 games doesn't matter when the overwhelming majority of them are no name indie titles that got ported to every platform under the sun because of things like the Unity engine, that I can already play on my Windows PC.
2) Against consoles, it runs into the problem of not having any exclusive content to the platform. It doesn't matter how many Titans I shove into my PC, it can't play Bloodborne, so the fact that the hardware destroys a console is irrelevant. It's also not cheaper than a console, both the Xbox One and PS4 retail for 350 dollars, the cheapest Steam Machines are 449.99 and make enough cuts on hardware, especially on RAM, that they can fail to meet the minimum requirements of new games.

From what I've seen of anecdotes of the Steam Controller, it looks like its mixed overall. It accomplishes the goal of making KB/M games playable on a controller, but how playable is questionable. It seems like using it makes you wish you were using KB/M instead in many cases. For games you'd want to play on pad, it looks to be an inferior choice. Jack of all trades, master of none.
 
If you have a PC with at least "good"-level hardware, you can play of lot of games so there is no need of Steam Machines imo.

Even with a shitty hardware a lot of indies and doujin can runs fine. If users are trying to but a real gaming PC they are just wasting money, instead of buy a gaming rig.
If they want to play Indies and less-demand games they also wasting their money because even a good laptop can do that.

There is no market for Steam Machines
 
Not hyped, no.
Everyone is making their margins so it's not attractive until a really nice specs/price/form factor trio comes along
 
I see SteamOS as the console equivalent of Android for phones, the open OS that any manufacturer can use to power their thing.

But the big difference is that Android phones are cheaper than iPhones (the closed platform). In the console market it's the opposite: PS4 and Xbox One are much cheaper than SteamOS machines. I can't see a market for this, unless someone REALLY wants to play on a PC for whatever reason and still not be able to go with max settings unless you spend thousands.
 
I'm not hyped because there's no point for me personally. SteamOS is far too under supported and will be for the foreseeable future. Also, if I'm gonna buy a PC, I'd rather get an open box I can easily upgrade myself. In that case, it'll likely just be cheaper for me to build it myself.

I'm clearly not the market.
 
The importance of AAA games on PC is overstated. Most of the top played list (and therefore most of the active user base) are playing games that are available on Linux (70% last time I heard). Only a few AAA games a year make a significant impact on Steam.

As for the lack of hype, I dunno where the hype was ever going to come from, they're just Steam branded PCs, it's all they ever were. There is basically never any hype for other prebuilt PCs, why would there be for these?
 
Beautiful Ninja said:
My view on Steam Machines

1) Totally inferior to a Windows based gaming PC, a minuscule selection of AAA titles is the major problem here, in terms of getting people to care about it as a gaming platform. Having 1000 games doesn't matter when the overwhelming majority of them are no name indie titles that got ported to every platform under the sun because of things like the Unity engine, that I can already play on my Windows PC.
2) Against consoles, it runs into the problem of not having any exclusive content to the platform. It doesn't matter how many Titans I shove into my PC, it can't play Bloodborne, so the fact that the hardware destroys a console is irrelevant. It's also not cheaper than a console, both the Xbox One and PS4 retail for 350 dollars, the cheapest Steam Machines are 449.99 and make enough cuts on hardware, especially on RAM, that they can fail to meet the minimum requirements of new games.

From what I've seen of anecdotes of the Steam Controller, it looks like its mixed overall. It accomplishes the goal of making KB/M games playable on a controller, but how playable is questionable. It seems like using it makes you wish you were using KB/M instead in many cases. For games you'd want to play on pad, it looks to be an inferior choice. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Click to expand...

Uhh, against consoles? You realize there are PC exclusive games right?
 
My view on Steam Machines:

The controller looks useless. I can't believe they thought that not having some kind of pointer system would be OK. That was the only thing I was interested in.
 
For me if I was going to get into PC gaming I would rather build a real PC. But as a console only gamer and Mac user, I doubt I'll ever get into Steam and PC gaming.
 
I would love to try the steam linking stuff, but the support for Macs seem poor and you can't even try the steam at home stuff on Macs. So, eh.
 
My only interest in them is opening PC up to some more people to some extent so maybe it can become better as a whole over time. Still, I don't know that any Steam machines on offer are a better deal than the $400 Windows Alienware Alpha on Amazon, so I don't know if I have to much hope besides just the SteamOS being there for people that want to just build a cheap PC without having to add the price of WIndows.

I'm personally more interested in the Link and the controller, especially for that comfy couch gaming.
 
I love the form factor of a living room PC, and I love the Steam ecosystem and big picture mode.

I've long been a console/comfy couch guy, so getting PC games in a console form is game changing for me.

But are Steam machines the way? Well, for starters, if installing Windows on it doesn't just give you the exact same experience with more games, I'm not interested. Sorry but SteamOS is a non-starter for me unless it somehow did support ALL the games. I expect a Windows install can be made to boot up in the same way, etc.
 
The idea of a Steam Machine is just so poorly thought out. There are too many variations number one, there isn't a real marketing campaign for the platform and most importantly nobody actually wants one. Console gamers are just fine playing what they have and are almost indignant at the idea of PC gaming for the most part. PC gamers aren't going to want something as underpowered and likely overpriced as a Steam Machine.
 
All the Steam Machine case designs are bad.

They all come from the world of extremely tacky GREEN GOO TRIBAL TATTOO PC accessories.

John Cowheel said:
The idea of a Steam Machine is just so poorly thought out. There are too many variations number one, there isn't a real marketing campaign for the platform and most importantly nobody actually wants one. Console games are just fine playing what they have and are almost indignant at the idea of PC gaming for the most part. PC gamers aren't going to want something as underpowered and likely overpriced as a Steam Machine.
Click to expand...

But why would console gamers be averse to what is basically a Steam console? It just joins the Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo club at that point.

Actually I rather think part of the issue is that Steam's biggest fanboys are nonplused by the desire for a living room setup, so they're not pushing the idea. Console gamers might be fine with the idea.
 
No hype because its expensive or has a bad ratio of price/performance. The only exception is the alienware alpha in USA (Its 600 euros for the base model in Europe).

Although, I really hope the Steam Machines will make manufacturers to build small factor cases. In fact, I hope Valve will release their Steam machine case !!
 
BocoDragon said:
But why would console gamers be averse to what is basically a Steam console? It just joins the Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo club at that point.

Actually I rather think part of the issue is that Steam's biggest fanboys are nonplused by the desire for a living room setup. Console gamers might be fine with the idea.
Click to expand...

Because Steam is the PC brand. In the narrow minds of the console warrior class, Steam is dirty.
 
BocoDragon said:
But why would console gamers be averse to what is basically a Steam console? It just joins the Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo club at that point.

Actually I rather think part of the issue is that Steam's biggest fanboys are nonplused by the desire for a living room setup. Console gamers might be fine with the idea.
Click to expand...

Console gamers will be fine for the idea up until the point they find out that Steam Machines don't play Grand Theft Auto 5 or Fallout 4, then it gets put back in its box and taken back to the retailer they got it from while they exchange it for a Windows PC or console that actually plays the games they want to play.

Asking people to take the time and the expense of buying and installing Windows on a Steam Machine to make it a worthwhile gaming PC isn't going to entice potential buyers.
 
BocoDragon said:
I love the form factor of a living room PC, and I love the Steam ecosystem and big picture mode.

I've long been a console/comfy couch guy, so getting PC games in a console form is game changing for me.

But are Steam machines the way? Well, for starters, if installing Windows on it doesn't just give you the exact same experience with more games, I'm not interested. Sorry but SteamOS is a non-starter for me unless it somehow did support ALL the games. I expect a Windows install can be made to boot up in the same way, etc.
Click to expand...



You can make your Windows installation boot on Big Picture mode. I mean, booting directly on Steam BPM before even windows explorer and such. Basically, having BPM right after the Windows loading screen.
 
Nothing to get hyped about really and Valve's lack of PR certainly isn't helping. I mean the Alpha has been available for a few years now along with many of the other "Steamboxes" just with Windows instead of Steam OS. I'm sure as we get closer to the 11/10 launch there will be some hype but it's not really a hype worthy product. It will for sure steal marketshare from consoles though and pay huge dividends for Valve before the next console cycle.
 
John Cowheel said:
Because Steam is the PC brand. In the narrow minds of the console warrior class, Steam is dirty.
Click to expand...

I don't know anyone who actually thinks like that.

I think you'd have to dig deep into grade school playgrounds to find attitudes like that.


Beautiful Ninja said:
Console gamers will be fine for the idea up until the point they find out that Steam Machines don't play Grand Theft Auto 5 or Fallout 4, then it gets put back in its box and taken back to the retailer they got it from while they exchange it for a Windows PC or console that actually plays the games they want to play.

Asking people to take the time and the expense of buying and installing Windows on a Steam Machine to make it a worthwhile gaming PC isn't going to entice potential buyers.
Click to expand...

Wii U doesn't play Grand Theft Auto 5 or Fallout 4 either, and it's doing just fi-.....

...you have a point.
 
The article lists prices in USD and the price of parts in the comments is in AUD($449 USD=$620AUD). We also haven't factored in the 'australian tax' on gaming that everything has over here so in the end the prices will be close. Not really that hype considering the pitiful amount of games that will be on it.
 
Steam OS seems like a bit of a dud and the boxes themselves dont offer any substantial discount or advantages over their Windows equipped counterparts.
 
GhostTrick said:
You can make your Windows installation boot on Big Picture mode. I mean, booting directly on Steam BPM before even windows explorer and such. Basically, having BPM right after the Windows loading screen.
Click to expand...

Yup. I figured as much since I've set up a PC with XBMC this way.

John Cowheel said:
I think I'm too far down the console war rabbit hole, but it certainly seems that way.
Click to expand...

There is a kind of person who rages against any brand that isn't their narrow tribe.

But in terms of "console gamer", the kind of person who maybe has a Wii U and a PS4, they're not gonna be averse to Steam.
 
I don't think console gamers view steam/pc as something they're averse to - I just think they're not interested in playing the types of games that usually are released on PC.

They can get Fallout, Battlefront, Assassin's Creed, and more this fall on their consoles. They're not exactly clamoring for Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition (although they'll get a port of that too, eventually) or Vermintide.
 
BocoDragon said:
All the Steam Machine case designs are bad.

They all come from the world of extremely tacky GREEN GOO TRIBAL TATTOO PC accessories.



But why would console gamers be averse to what is basically a Steam console? It just joins the Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo club at that point.

Actually I rather think part of the issue is that Steam's biggest fanboys are nonplused by the desire for a living room setup, so they're not pushing the idea. Console gamers might be fine with the idea.
Click to expand...
Either because all the the games that they consider important games already releases on the consoles and if they do have steam and a lot of games on it, they probably already have a gaming PC.
 
If I were to game primarily on PC, I'd buy a custom rig instead.

That said, the other issue is unless I install windows, there are games I won't be able to play.
 
Southwark said:
I don't think console gamers view steam/pc as something they're averse to - I just think they're not interested in playing the types of games that usually are released on PC.

They can get Fallout, Battlefront, Assassin's Creed, and more this fall on their consoles. They're not exactly clamoring for Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition (although they'll get a port of that too, eventually) or Vermintide.
Click to expand...

There are lots of games that are very "console-like" exclusive to Steam, though. For example, Mushihimesama comes to Steam next month. Or all those indie games with roots in Japanese console games from the 80s and 90s. Or even stuff that might not be on their console (i.e. Ori and the Blind Forest for non-Xbone users, or Freedom Planet for non-Wii U owners).

Am I talking about slam dunk AAA selling titles? Well no. But I do look at Steam and think "there are a lot of console-style games I can't actually get on a console".


Abinash117 said:
Either because all the the games that they consider important games already releases on the consoles and if they do have steam and a lot of games on it, they probably already have a gaming PC.
Click to expand...

In my case, I have scores of games on Steam because of the sales and whatnot, and I've never been able to afford a decent gaming PC, nor do I really want to invest in a "war rig" desktop setup because I don't like that format of gaming. Putting all those games in my living room gets my attention.

So maybe the answer is that the Steam machine was made for someone like BocoDragon. I'm sure I'm a niche though. And even I'd just put Windows on it....
 
BocoDragon said:
Am I talking about slam dunk AAA selling titles? Well no. But I do look at Steam and think "there are a lot of console-style games I can't actually get on a console".
Click to expand...

Right, but these games lack the marketing to typically reach console gamers and thus are not part of their social circle's zeitgeist. My friends list on consoles seems to switch games weekly or monthly based on what the newest release is. I just don't think they're used to combing through Steam for recommended titles or looking outside the typical AAA release calendar.
 
I don't know about anyone else, but as for me, as a console only owner, this type of thing just doesn't interest me at all.

PC's trying to become consoles isn't something i am really interested in. I'd rather just play with my closed ecosystem console complete with its own games like i always have if i want a console like experience.

If i were to ever get into Steam, i'd rather just buy my own PC at my own price and select my own components, instead of wasting my time with a prebuilt PC that doesn't do half the things.
 
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