EuroGamer - Valve hit the headlines this week with the confirmation that it will enter the console business with its own Steam Box.
For the Half-Life company it marks a desire to take on Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo with its own hardware powered by Steam and Linux.
Phil Harrison discusses the future of gaming and how Stadia's cloud-based service aims to be a big part of it.
In this month's IGN Unfiltered interview, Phil Harrison revealed a big reason why the PlayStation 3 released a year after the Xbox 360.
I’m glad Sony didn’t rush PlayStation 3’s launch. Microsoft did so for Xbox 360 just to get an advantage over the competition and their console had one of the worse hardware malfunctions in history. Scratched discs, overheating and RRoDs out the wazoo. Add that to the no HDMI out of the box on launch units, no WiFi & myriad of other cost cutting decisions showed Microsoft cheaped out on so many things just for that headstart.
Another interesting reason for the delay was that the first batch of chips which Sony funded and ordered were defective, where as Microsoft bought backups from a 3rd party. So Microsoft got chips Sony funded even before Sony did, as Sony didn't consider the chance of Microsoft asking IBM for a chip, with IBM showing them what they were working on for Sony
Neither company had great luck during RnD last gen
- PS2 launches ahead of Xbox: PlayStation outsells it
- Xbox 360 launches ahead of PS3: PlayStation outsells it
- PS4 launches alongside Xbox One: PlayStation outsells it
Seems no matter what timeframe Microsoft releases their console they’ll still have less marketshare than Sony.
Even if PS5 were somehow delayed a year behind the next Xbox, I’m certain it’d still outsell it just like PS3 did to 360. Unfortunately for Microsoft the PS5 will release alongside the next Xbox.
And still against all odds the PS3 surpassed Xbox 360. Xbox has finished last in each of their console generations.
PS3 launch was a fail. $599! Riiiidge Racer! Backlash!
Xbox One launch was a fail! The system will always be online. Backlash!
If these two consoles are taking turns on launch fails. PS5 launch will be a fail.
Oh no!
Creative engineers Phil Harrison, Jade Raymond, Majd Bakar, and more take you behind the scenes of Google Stadia
Valve came out of nowhere and turned PC gaming around in a positive way. I can't claim to know enough about the industry to say they will succeed, but I feel that if anybody has a chance of succeeding, it's Valve.
Valve has already positioned themselves (rather adeptly) as a major player in PC gaming - and as a distribution channel. It seems almost natural that they'd want to focus their attention on hardware as well. From a strictly gamer perspective, I'm kind of excited to see the Steambox in action and will love to own one.
So nice to read a article with a positive vibe
If I didn't spend $800+ on a new PC last year id definitely buy the Steambox. Valve can definitely do this though, their steam sales are amazing. One thing that would be cool would be for them to make their own "Steambox" controller. Sure the Xbox controller and various 3rd party controllers work but if they want to capture the casual audience, a Steambox with a Steambox controller would look really nice and not confuse customers.
People always give MS flak for their past sins (any PC gamer can tell you why, or any PC enthusiast lol), but their PR department is classy, which is more than can be said of other companies. EA are the absolute worse, and will attack at the throat any chance they get.
I never like companies that attack each other, as it is childish. Glad to see a great response from ms. Right now Gabe Newell is probably slowly putting on suglasses; "challenge, accepted".