For a long time there were rumors about Valve making their own console. As with many rumors, there were not many reliable details, so it was hard to know the real state of things. Finally, with the announcement of Big Picture mode and Steam on Linux in 2012, we knew that development of some sort of “Steam Box” was not just a rumor. Now, after CES 2013 there is a lot more information about Valve plans for hardware and Steam in the living room.
It wasn’t hard or expensive to build the Steam Box, more of a case of know-exactly-what-you-are-doin g. Purchasing wrong parts for the build can be costly or even dangerous, but it’s something that can be solved with decent research.
Is PlayStation Neo Sony's answer to the onslaught of console like devices ushered in by Valve?
Thats how I have perceived the direction for Xbox since Spencer discussed it at Build earlier this year. Backward/forward compatibility and more frequent hardware releases spells it out plainly.
Nope. Neo (if it is happening) is just a way for people to watch 4k movies with their PS4, and play VR with a little extra power.
I thought this was well established?
Major videogame brick-and-mortar retailers GAME UK, GameStop, EB Games, and Valve have announced that the stores will be including special "Steam Sections" dedicated to selling Valve's upcoming hardware coming 10th November 2015. The hardware will include the Steam Controller, Steam Link, and Steam Machines. The sections will of course also include a variety of Steam prepaid cards, which most stores already sell.
I imagine the Vive will eventually be on the shelf? Its already into October and still no release date, preorders, or price. Valve/HTC better have a good strategy in place.
I'm very interested in seeing where Valve goes with the Steam Box(s). The prices have (somehow)get to get to a reasonable level though - why spend $1000 on a "box" when you can build a dang good gaming desktop that can use Big Picture for the same price?
Either way, I see where this is going and I really like it. Having a small PC-based multimedia box that does most everything is most likely going to be an affordable thing in the next decade.