Glass Rebel
Member
Yeah. I mean, not primarily but as an extra function.
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Valve and Xi3 announce Steam-based mini-PC
- Thread starter ToyMachine228
- Start date
Yeah. I mean, not primarily but as an extra function.
an 40 watt pc.. its an extra lightbulb and its super small. I dont see the issue. i'd rather have such a device sit next to my tv or behind it and have it recieve stuff from my pc then another 200 watt console.
Takamura-San
Member
I don't know how to feel about this.
Can't wait for either confirmation or dubunkedtation of this.
Can't wait for either confirmation or dubunkedtation of this.
fluffydelusions
Member
This.
terrdactycalsrock
Member
This is all apart of Garry's plan. He wanted to watch us sweat before giving any kind of solid details
Microsoft and Sony lose billions of dollars doing it. Can Valve?
sry but why not just only use wireless HDMI (will be more lagfree than wlan) for your PC if u really want to connect your PC with your TV withou any Cable? Why buy such an expansive Box to stream your windows PC on the TV oO?
not knowing exactly how much investment money valve has its hard to say.
FatalMuzza
Banned
I don't get it. So how powerful is this thing? Twice, three, four, ten times an xbox360? At 40w?
Have I missed something? has tech advanced so far as to provide a high end PC in a box the size of Rubik's cube? This will run the latest pc games at 60fps 720p, 1080p?
In this case what's stopping Microsoft or Sony creating a 200w, 5 times bigger package that obliterates anything we've ever seen or dreamt of?
Have I missed something? has tech advanced so far as to provide a high end PC in a box the size of Rubik's cube? This will run the latest pc games at 60fps 720p, 1080p?
In this case what's stopping Microsoft or Sony creating a 200w, 5 times bigger package that obliterates anything we've ever seen or dreamt of?
Gucci Messiah
Banned
Looks like we're going to have to just sit tight until some new details are released...
Basileus777
Member
This isn't going to directly compete with Microsoft or Sony's consoles. It's a niche product with a limited audience.
if this thing costs around 499, expect a 5 times better machine to set you back 2.500 dollars
PapaJustify
Member
It's obviously not the Valve-developed hardware (Steambox) if it even exists, but it is the linux hardware running Steam, that the Valve engineer mentioned as of late (which is not the Steambox, if it even exists).
there is no valve engineered steambox. all evidence in retrospect point to them investing in another company to develop it for them.
the mention that valve is working on hardware is not hardware in the shape of a console but in the shape of an input device to ship with the 3rd party developed steamboxes.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
Broken culture? What the fuck are you talking about?
ToyMachine228
Member
Here's everyone on GAF reading about this announcement. And here's everyone at Valve in the window.
Interfectum
Member
It's a garbage post, I wouldn't worry about it.
Yeah exactly. If its primary purpose were really streaming... well, Apple (of all companies) sells an excellent wireless AV receiver for $99. We should be heading south of that figure given how simple the hardware involved can be.
I'll admit I don't get this product at all. A tightly integrated, APU-based miniature Steambox could be a great entry product for their platform at $250. That's as a complement for a few higher performance tiers and form factors perhaps topping out with something resembling an enthusiast gaming PC in specifications and price.
Technosteve
Banned
This thing doesnt have the horse power to run games in 1080p, specs released yet?
The A10 that some people think is being used in the current version is about 2x-3x a 360. In most areas, less than that in some (e.g. no eDRAM).
Who says the Steambox will be 40w?
Mr.Squirrel
Tom
I expect a lot of people to be extremely disappointed with this thing.
maniac-kun
Member
How about waiting for the actual specs to be revealed before you you post stupid speculations.
Sentenza
Member
I already posted it in the Steambox speculation thread, but just to reiterate: I've never been very interested with the Steambox as a piece of hardware to begin with; I'm far more interested in what they are going to do with the software side and Linux support.
But yeah, so far this sounds quite underwhelming in terms of rough power.
Still, we are not even sure if this is supposed to be the Steambox or not.
Valve backing them financially doesn't mean much; maybe that's just to take advantage of some patent or something.
Interfectum
Member
This just seems like another way to get PC gaming in the living room. I wouldn't read much more into it than that.
What about that and the branding of piston? or the Cnet article that says that Piston is a specially designed piece of hardware that will have unique specs and unique form factor, posted just a few pages back? (the unique specs are still based on the 7 series Xi3 however)
Valve moving in to disrupt the console market at a time when it's incredibly vulnerable to being disrupted. Very smart business move and Gabe is first and foremost a businessman.
I'm with the group that thinks this is going to be a Streaming device like slingbox but with the added benefit of syncing with the steam client on a gaming PC. It would explain all the USB ports and it's something that has definite value as I know many people who have clunky setups that let them play PC games on their TV. If you can make it easy and seamless and throw in Netflix and other apps as well then why not? Computer technology is small and powerful enough and home wifi networks have enough bandwidth to do all this. Piston can make it really easy and simple.
I know I use my PS3 as a Netflix player most of the time. Piston would take up less space and power to do the same thing.
It's not going head to head with consoles as that would require power that Piston does not have. It's co-opting it by bringing the power of a synced gaming PC to the living room (big picture mode view into your full library filled with 5 dollar Holiday Sale games!).
I'm with the group that thinks this is going to be a Streaming device like slingbox but with the added benefit of syncing with the steam client on a gaming PC. It would explain all the USB ports and it's something that has definite value as I know many people who have clunky setups that let them play PC games on their TV. If you can make it easy and seamless and throw in Netflix and other apps as well then why not? Computer technology is small and powerful enough and home wifi networks have enough bandwidth to do all this. Piston can make it really easy and simple.
I know I use my PS3 as a Netflix player most of the time. Piston would take up less space and power to do the same thing.
It's not going head to head with consoles as that would require power that Piston does not have. It's co-opting it by bringing the power of a synced gaming PC to the living room (big picture mode view into your full library filled with 5 dollar Holiday Sale games!).
Principate
Saint Titanfall
The branding of the thing (Piston) seems to imply Valve has more than a decent hand in this though unless Xi3corportation has used branding similar to industrial engineering before. If Valve was simply a financial backer it doesn't make as much sense to brand it in the way that they have.
GravityMan
Member
Wireless HDMI is still pretty expensive, last I checked.
Trogdor1123
Gold Member
im kind of disappointed in this. I was expecting a valve branded PC that would have good specs but have a snazzy case.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Nah its not too bad. Prices range from $50 to $150. And of course there are a few cards with wHDMI built in.
Interfectum
Member
This is going to be a niche product that does / doesn't grow and evolve over time.
What this PC does show us is a glimpse of Valve's longterm plans...
- Reduce dependency on Windows, encourage multi-platform OpenGL development
- Reduce dependency on the 360 controller if the Valve controller rumors are correct
- Make it easier to play PC games from anywhere you want (desk, TV, etc)
- Prepare for the inevitable desktop PC collapse thanks to devices like iPad
In terms of this device, if you have a PC connected to your TV already there's not much to be excited about. That excitement should be saved for whatever controller Valve is working on.
Krauser Kat
Member
Any chance this thing has a thunderbolt ish port so you can drop a bigger GPU on it. I would love a standard CPU box you upgrade every other time and then gpu box the other years.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
I would expect one to have either Thunderbolt or MXM. Makes little sense to exclude any sort of expansion and hope to compete for any long period of time.
At least, I wouldn't buy a box unless it does offer one or the other.
Betta Lines
Member
The collapse that has been predicted for every year for the last 5-10 years?
MrCunningham
Member
The PC collapse doomsayers usually come around at the start of every new console cycle. It's like clockwork
More Fun To Compute
Member
Low power usage. Almost small and light enough to be wearable you could say.
Is the idea of the steambox for it to be a conventional 1080p console with steam big picture mode only more powerful?
Is the idea of the steambox for it to be a conventional 1080p console with steam big picture mode only more powerful?
Interfectum
Member
...? Financially backing a mini-PC is diluting their brand and, to you, that's 'perfect?'
Dictator93
Member
yep and crazy hipsters still keep making the same prediction every year.
Hardware looks pretty bad imo. But for 720p it seems ok.
Have prices been announced yet?
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Yeah. Valve is being a bitch for investing in something that can be great for the future.
They've always been all about diluting their brand: letting Gearbox and Hidden Path work on flagship IP, allowing their characters to be used in Renegade Ops and Poker Night at the Inventory, granting licenses for a million crappy tchotchkes that fill sites like ThinkGeek. However, unlike a lot of companies, they also put out ultra-high end stuff, like their games developed in-house and the threeA toys.
Valve has always had an all-fronts approach and I don't think it will properly dilute their "brand" whatsoever as long as they also keep putting out Stuff that's better than anyone else's Stuff.
Chittagong
Gold Member
This has to be the worst managed hardware announcement ever, including Gizmondo. I mean, some random ODM guy waving a cube with some cryptic hearsay specs, no pricing, no publisher announcements, no gaming demonstrations, no use cases explained, no controller. They really couldn't even bother to get Gaben on stage to do, you know, a mini keynote, or put the tiniest product page up.
You'll see more today.
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