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Verge Interview: Gabe talks about the Steambox
- Thread starter Mr_Elysia
- Start date
You've never had an OS just fall over for no apparent reason? Don't pretend like PC and console OS's are the same, they're not. All it takes is bootloader corruption to make a Linux install unrecoverable for the average user.
The OS used on a (dedicated Linux) Steambox would be more console-like in that a lot of features not directly related to gaming would be dummied out by default, and a lot of attention would be focused on getting it to run Steam as smoothly and conveniently as possible.
Yeah cuz I'm sure Valve will just put grub and a copy of Debian on the Steambox and call it a day.
outunderthestars
Banned
So then it becomes a console with only one store? I'm not sure I'd want to buy a console that only has one way to purchase games....
I had figured this to be the case. Now those doubting the ability to do just that can set aside concern.
You are familiar with Steam, right? Steamworks games are free to be sold outside of Steam.
You can already buy Steam enabled games from other storefronts. You might not be able to do it easily on a browser on the Steambox, but you can activate it on your steam account on another computer if you really wanted.
CountAntonius
Member
You can install windows...
I didn't mean that everything but Steam would be locked out, just that there would probably be few non-Steam features enabled by default. Big Picture Mode would be front and center, but it'd probably have a normal Linux window manager under that, which you could access and use to install whatever you felt like. It would be just slightly out of the way for idiot-proofing purposes.
No details on how much of the current library will coming to Linux in the future, or how. Some people think Valve is working on a wrapper like WINE that would allow compatibility with a good chunk of current titles, but there's no way of knowing.
LoftyTheMetroid
Member
Didn't you know? Motion controls are like dialup, but controlling games with your emotions is much better than ethernet, faster than even light speed!
But seriously, I agree. I'm even hesitant to pick up ZombiU because of the dual-analogue. (Everything else looks Grade A survival horror though, so I probably won't be able to resist...) I purchase my FPS games almost exclusively on PC.
A Kickstarter for a motion controlled game. The ironing is delicious.
Gabe doesn't hate motion controls on principle. I'm sure he thinks motions controls for Clang! are about as appropriate as using a joystick for a flight simulator or a wheel for a racing sim.
Felix Lighter
Member
I'm not sure cursor based pointing devices are the kind of motion controls that he has a problem with. It utilizes the precise movement of the hand and wrist. It seems to be the accelerometer or low precision laggy body part tracking stuff that he's talking about.
I'm getting some trouble understanding how this would work
First I thought it would be a closed Steambox using linux and cheap because of "console economics" (gillette business model)
Then it turned out to be several steamboxes made by different companies and running windows or linux
Now its that and a Valve version running linux that you can do whatever you want with it, and for as little as $99
How would Gabe make this for $99 without subsidizing it and with people probably using it as a cheap PC and not Steam?
First I thought it would be a closed Steambox using linux and cheap because of "console economics" (gillette business model)
Then it turned out to be several steamboxes made by different companies and running windows or linux
Now its that and a Valve version running linux that you can do whatever you want with it, and for as little as $99
How would Gabe make this for $99 without subsidizing it and with people probably using it as a cheap PC and not Steam?
outunderthestars
Banned
Where did the $99 price come from?
Felix Lighter
Member
I missed this mention of $99.
Horse Detective
Why the long case?
How much of a loss would Valve be taking if this is under $400? Obviously we don't know what the specs will be but they did say high performance...
<- Not spec pricing savvy.
<- Not spec pricing savvy.
outunderthestars
Banned
They haven't shown their hardware yet so it is impossible to guess.
That's impossible to answer without any idea of what the specs will be -- "high performance" is an empty statement without any indication of what hardware will be running the device. Literally all we know of Valve's take is that it'll run Linux and be tailored towards running Steam/BPM, though not at the cost of user choice.
Edit: Beaten.
Horse Detective
Why the long case?
I hope video settings won't be locked console style.
Felix Lighter
Member
I'm sure they won't be considering there will not be a single hardware spec. The games will just be Linux ports of PC games with the same kinds of options.
There's be no sense in such a move since PC games are made to run on a wide variety of hardware, and the Steambox isn't fixed-spec. That's the important thing to remember -- the Steambox isn't a new platform in and of itself; it's still a PC at heart.
Edit: I'm slow today.
Since Valve wouldn't be paying retail prices, they might be able to sell something like the small form factor build in the "I need a new PC" thread for around $500 if they decided to go at cost or close to it.
Right, but it is supposed to feature some of the things people like about consoles. An example would be a powerful auto-configure for graphic settings, probably enabled by default, that would be tailored to give 60FPS in specific games when played on Steambox.
There's be no sense in such a move since PC games are made to run on a wide variety of hardware, and the Steambox isn't fixed-spec. That's the important thing to remember -- the Steambox isn't a new platform in and of itself; it's still a PC at heart.
Edit: I'm slow today.
Right, but it is supposed to feature some of the things people like about consoles. An example would be a powerful auto-configure for graphic settings, probably enabled by default, that would be tailored to give 60FPS in specific games when played on Steambox.
Felix Lighter
Member
I'm sure they'll save at least $15 on the optical drive. 
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
So for somebody who has no idea what's going on, is this essentially just a cheap yet decent PC to play games on or is it a full-fledged console meant to compete with PS3 and Xbox? I haven't been following this.
outunderthestars
Banned
The question then becomes what incentive do third party hardware companies have to make a steambox if Valve is going to undercut them by subsidizing their machine?
From what I've read so far I think it leans more towards being a cheap yet decent PC as opposed to a major console launch. There will be multiple companies making and selling steamboxes.
Commanche Raisin Toast
Member
This. I won't say he's explained it better than I typically do, but at least he does it in fewer sentences. Low latency isn't just about the wireless tech in the controller, it's also about how long it takes the user to perform the action and supply the console with the input.
Well, a foothold in a market for one. Intel would LOVE to get their hardware into more living rooms, so I'm sure they'd happily play along with Valve.
outunderthestars
Banned
I meant what would make Dell or Lenovo want to make a steambox when Valve is selling theirs at or below cost?
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Ah, I see. Thanks
Felix Lighter
Member
Valve's machine will be mid tier specwise. It sounds like there will be room higher and lower for other vendors to make their own boxes.
Yeah, I've said before that the Steambox is, among other things, an attempt to consolidate the key positives of console gaming within the PC space (although I think a general auto-config tool for Steam games is something of a pipe dream).
Horse Detective
Why the long case?
Off topic, but do mods have to be made specifically for Linux? For say, New Vegas?
Why would you go and ruin a perfectly good machine like that?
They're essentially trying to imitate what Google did in the smartphone business with Android. Instead of taking the leader on head-to-head (in this case Sony/Microsoft), they'll unite smaller players together under the 'Steam' banner. This'll range from expensive high end stuff to lower end 'Ouya' style stuff, they'll just all be under Steam.
outunderthestars
Banned
So you can actually play games on it?
because to have access to way way more Games and Programs?
Chittagong
Gold Member
There's a great official Netflix app for Windows 8 though. Not crap and slow like the PS3 or Apple TV apps but nice and snappy like the iOS app.
SneakyStephan
Banned
Gabe Newell is the ray of hope in videogaming.
Every word out of his beard rings true.
He knows what matters since he is a gamer, a programmer, a game developer AND an indepentant (private company) man.
It's easy to forget the small mistakes and missteps valve makes (Quality control for steam store for example) when you can see that his intentions and priorities are in the right place.
Every word out of his beard rings true.
He knows what matters since he is a gamer, a programmer, a game developer AND an indepentant (private company) man.
It's easy to forget the small mistakes and missteps valve makes (Quality control for steam store for example) when you can see that his intentions and priorities are in the right place.
He genuinely cares for core gaming and it shows in interviews like this.
LoftyTheMetroid
Member
But even regardless of pointing (which he hasn't explicitly excluded in the interview), that doesn't make it any less ironic that, in the same breath, he talks about the potential of biometrics.
Or, perhaps I'm ignorant to advances in biometric feedback. Nowadays, is it "fast" or "accurate"? (I'm actually really interested in this stuff, I was disappointed to see the industry seemingly turn its back on it after the Vitality Sensor. It has a lot of potential.)
D
Deleted member 102362
Unconfirmed Member
Great interview. His candidness is always appreciated.
A long time ago people started talking about a single console gaming "format" that would run on multiple machines from many manufacturers, Dennis Dyack being one of them. If other manufacturers actually start putting out steamboxes, and they all run either Windows or Valve's Linux-based Steam OS, isn't this kind of it?
Also, any chances of the other PC DD services ever specifically accommodating these boxes? At the very least it would be nice to see the following apps come out with big picture modes:
UPlay
Origin
GameFly
Desura
Impulse
Lastly, what are the chances other manufacturers could package their own boxes with Windows? If they do, what are the chances of them making it so it'll just instantly boot into Windows on first start-up with Steam already installed? Remember, the target audience for these things are console gamers who want the advantages of PC gaming, but still want to just buy a box, plug it in, turn it on, and immediately play games.
Also, any chances of the other PC DD services ever specifically accommodating these boxes? At the very least it would be nice to see the following apps come out with big picture modes:
UPlay
Origin
GameFly
Desura
Impulse
Lastly, what are the chances other manufacturers could package their own boxes with Windows? If they do, what are the chances of them making it so it'll just instantly boot into Windows on first start-up with Steam already installed? Remember, the target audience for these things are console gamers who want the advantages of PC gaming, but still want to just buy a box, plug it in, turn it on, and immediately play games.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
well steam does apps now... so if netflix made an app...? Otherwise if you have win 8, you get the win8 netflix app.
If it's Linux then browser unless an app was created and delivered somehow.
it's going to seem a lot like a computer, because it is, in fact, a computer. they're not going to shy away from that I don't think.