Steam Machines unlikely to make “any impact at all” in 2014 – is Valve playing the long game?

EDGE - Overpriced, underwhelming to look at and destined to cater for a small niche, the Steam Machines unveiled at CES are unlikely to make any impact on the current console race when they launch later this year.

[Yo Mama]

I concur. I mean, who the hell are these for anyway? I thought they were coming out with these to go for the console gamer, but there are so many different versions that it's just confusing. Not to mention the fact that console only devs will probably not make games for it because of the different configurations. Which means gamers like myself will just stay on a dedicated console for the exclusives.

And they can't be going after current PC gamers because....what's the point? They already have a system that they've spent a good amount of money upgrading to run the latest games. Anyone with a PC basically already has a Steambox. All they have to do is buy the Steam controller, which is sold separately and download the Steam OS..which is also free.

These will die a short death.

[Sarcasm]

The strange thing is that it doesn't beat the consoles at what consoles do, mainly ease of use, accessibility, price of the system, and services. And having 13+ different versions from different vendors adds more to the confusion. If Valve really wanted to succeed they should have made their own and simplify it to 3 variations or something.

And it doesn't beat a normal PC's because let's be honest, most games are available on Windows right now and it doesn't look to be changing. And like you said, a lot of people already have a "steam machine" it's called their gaming PC with steam installed.

While the concept of the whole thing was intriguing, it's strange that it really feels half baked. And that controller pad thingy seems more like a novelty that could wear off.

[PSN-JeRzYzFyNeSt]

and how are people going to buy these systems? i doubt Walmart will have one whole isle for 13+ Steam machines lol. retail will not carry them all

[DC777]

Totally agree with Sarcasm here. I thought the idea was to move PC gamers to the couch by making a simplified, small, yet powerful box just for playing Steam games in the living room.

Yet now with have a complicated variety of boxes, basically iBuyPower premades who charge another hundred or two for installing a free Steam OS.

Valve takes no loss here but but I don't see much of a gain either.

[webeblazing]

how doesnt it beat what consoles do? it fix ease of use, its accessible if ordering online if thats what you meant, the $500 steamboxes is more powerful, steam services has always been better than ms, sony and nintendo. they even said that they are in close beta of streaming windows only games to steamboxes and steamos FOR FREE, while others ignore it and charge for streaming service(ps now different i get it but dont downplay their effort).

they are have different vendors because pc has always been open platform and this will weed out the vendors thats trying to over charge. competition breeds success. the overprice will be gone first and the ones focus on gamers will last. but some how so called gamers have problems with it. its funny because the most people that have a proble with it are console only gamers that dont like pc gaming. every hardware company is on board intel, amd, nvidia, msi, etc..

i may buy one in the future but im going to get a nvidia shield because streaming my games anyway for free(even tho valve said they gonna do this) in the size of a controller. i understand most gamers didnt pay attention to other conferences other than their favorite platform but please support things that will move the thing we love forward.

[Ogygian]

They're not going to die a short death. Steam in this case is Google, SteamOS is Android, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are Apple and Blackberry and what Valve are waiting for is a Samsung to come along with a marketing budget the size of a planet and let the public know these things exist.
I'm a PC gamer, so it doesn't concern me, but I can see the allure for console gamers.
Software is cheaper on Steam than it is on Disc for PS4 and XB1, so hardcore gamers will save money in the long run buying a steam machine over a console.

And while today these things might not sell too well, in a few years, once PS4 and XB1 start to show their age, people wanting a new console might opt for a future steam machine, with its superior graphics.

That's not to say these things won't sell well this year. The Oculus Rift is expected to release this year for the PC alone (well, Android too, but the graphics won't be as good), and console gamers who want to try it out but don't want a PC will have an easy choice in buying a Steam Machine. The Oculus Rift will benefit from the same innovation-led sales the Wii did back in 2006, and by extension, Steam Machines probably will too.

I'm not saying these things are going to be a hit, but I also wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them. There's certainly the potential for them to be a success.

[Mustang300C2012]

None of this makes any sense.

[tee_bag242]

Yep. Valve have only to gain from this move. It is almost entirely a risk free move for them since other vendors are fronting all the hardware except the controller.

Too early to call. But I wouldn't underestimate that Valve's strategy is a good one.

@Mustang300C2012

Can you read ?

[TechNews]

Steam Box NC10: It has only a 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 4000M. For the GPU it features an Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M. It also comes with 8GBs of RAM and 500GBs of storagee. This unit will sell for $1,090, but there's no shipping date yet. WHAT?

[DC777]

That's worse than my laptop aside from the graphics card. I think the bad side of this is people may get ripped off.

[b163o1]

I'd purchase one, only cause I'm an imbecile when it comes to building PC's. I hate missing out on games like DayZ and SimCity. Not to mention going back and playing games like fallout and elder scrolls on PC the way they where meant to be played. I mean I hate to say it I'll just get there cheapest one, but yeah I'd buy one.

[TechNews]

So you would rather buy steam machine with laptop specs.. The M means mobile.. It's just not worth the money. Btw there are sites where you just pick the parts you want for your rig and they build it for you :D

[3-4-5]

They are trying to get the " In between " console / PC gamer who kind of wants both.

The Problem.

That person most likely already has both + Handheld.

The only thing that concerns me is all the stuff that may be tricky or not compatible with STEAM OS...like the non gaming every day small stuff we aren't thinking of yet.

[Gabenbrah]

I think Oculus Rift will play a big role for the Steam machines, its going to be PC exclusive and a device that everyone is going to want to try and play on and that's where the Plug and Play Steam machines come into play.

[PSN-JeRzYzFyNeSt]

i can just goto besttbuy or a friends house to try it out if they have it i don't need to buy it, and I'm sure Sony and Microsoft are looking into making their own VR headsets

[Gabenbrah]

They won't work on consoles, they're too weak. Its minimum that games in VR are 60+ FPS 1080p and these consoles can barely reach that, what chance do they have when the game has to be in 3D and on next gen engines? No chance.

[Ogygian]

Unless you're planning on squatting in your friend's house or Best Buy until Sony or Microsoft release their version (and that's *if* they do), you'll probably want to buy your own.

[tee_bag242]

Good luck. Like Gabenbrah said - you need a high frame rate in the 60's ALL the time otherwise you literally get motion sickness.

[SonyKong64]

bingo

[ABizzel1]

@Gabenbrah

Oculus Rift will do absolutely nothing for Steam Machines. The average consumer will walk into Best Buy see the demo, enjoy playing around with head tracking, and as soon as they find out their cheapest option of walking away with the full experience of Steam Machine + OR is going to be close to $1000, he/she is going to walk over to the next aisle and buy a PS4 or XBO.

Steam Machines start at $499, and Oculus Rift is going to be "less than $499" starting Summer 2014. With tax you're back up to around $1000.

Steam Machine is DOA, and it shouldn't have been and could have easily upset the market.

It's DOA because:

1. There are too many versions.
2. They cost too much, and the $499 versions and $1499 version are the only reasonable deals for the hardware.
3. The $499 price point is their only chance at mass appeal, and those versions just aren't where they should be spec wise. They're solid, but not console stompers (lol console stompers)
4. Only 3 of them look appealing (the two $499, and the Alienware)

It could have been the next big thing if:

1. Valve invested in making their own, and exclusively using their own for at least the first full year, with 2 price points for market $499 (AMD, FX 6300, R9 270X, 8GB) / $999 (i7 4770k, GTX 770, 16GB), and custom builds online.
2. They offered every member who registers their new Steambox before December 31, 2014 they get a $10/$20/$50 credit to their Steam account.

Anything to compete. This was their chance to break into the hardware side and they failed. Steam OS is a good idea on its own, but the failure of Steam Machines could do a bit of damage to it's image.

[webeblazing]

valve is a company thats trying to make money like all companies, but do it seem to hard to understand they are just trying to give gamers more options and further gaming. these vendors are making their steam machines and like you said some of them are over priced. companies that charge too much for no reason tend to not sell. competition falls to the steam machine like they do for consoles and every thing that people sell right.

they are trying to improve the gaming pc scene in it will change the console scene if the do well. it would make sense for them being pro pc open platform to lock people in. you can choose best deal for you. the best thing about pc gaming that console gamers dont get is choosing whats best for you. from hardware to software even how the games the devs sold for you perform.

let embrace companies that trying to move gaming forward instead of the ones that ripped people off, because i always see people on this site that praise shady pubs just because exclusives, content, and because its they console of preference aren't people tired of this. this will loosen consoles up if it works. can you say mods on console, or free mp, etc..

sorry if i dont reply fanboys take bubbles to people that speak reason. have a bubble it was good input tho.

[ABizzel1]

@webeblazing

I have no problem with the concept of Steam OS itself. It's the Steam Machines that are the problem. There's no point in them, since they're nothing but standard PC's squished into odd cases. The problem I have with them is that none of them are a great value, all of them range from decent to flat out OVER-PRICED.

I just feel like it's a completely missed opportunity, and could have been a big boon to PC gaming, but instead it feels more like a "Look PC's can do HDTV gaming too."

Any PC gamer who was looking into Steam Machines have seen these specs. and prices and just decided to build there own. That's not how you start a revolution in any industry. The only people Steam Machines are for are for people who are ignorant when it comes to building a gaming PC. I'm sure there are millions of them, but the fact that there are so many Steam Machines is a HUGE turn off, especially when you're dealing with something you know little about. It's like going to buy a car and not knowing anything about the Engine, Gas Mileage, if it's a Manual or Automatic, etc...

The concept was there, but the execution has more than likely failed, and it could have been avoided if Valve made their own, or worked with a single company to build their very own Steambox, then released the OS, and more for 3rd party companies.

As I said the 2 versions I listed above, would have been perfect, and would have been worthwhile checking out if you were trying to upgrade you gaming PC or buy a new one, but with the price : performance of the majority of the Steam Machines these things are nothing, but a pass.

Another thing, against Steam Machines, is that since they're on the smaller side, upgrades are going to be extremely limited. The motherboards probably only support 2 channels of memory on the smaller machines (which means if you really want an upgradeable PC, you'll have to buy the overpriced versions). On top of that you won't be able to upgrade your CPU to the newer Intels scheduled for this year. Then you have to really worry about heating and cooling for such a small case if you want to try Xfire / SIL, and hope the Motherboard even supports it.

There's just little reason for anyone to buy a Steam Machine if they have remotely any knowledge about PC's. If you can look a the main components of a computer and tell what part is what, then you can build a gaming PC without any problems.

[d3nworth1]

Doubt it. First you have to buy a Steam machine $499 for the cheapest version plus the oculus rift which will probably $200-$300 the most. That roughly $700-$800 dollars not including games. The oculus isnt going to help the steam machine one bit. The problem is that there are 13 steam machines and people who aren't PC savvy will most likely be confused.

[annus]

I thought it was common knowledge they were playing the long game? They are getting developers to START developing their games for SteamOS, so that eventually the OS will have a large amount of games from here onwards. Of course they aren't magically going to get every single game on the console, but in say 5 years, they will have a large collection where people will be able to move away from Windows if they so desire.

It's just like the new consoles, many people will still stick to the PS3/360 (or at least still game on them as well as next-gen) until their is a larger library.

[Aleithian]

Yeah, I'm not seeing it. I mean, really, the only innovation here is a new OS and a new controller. Otherwise, it's just a name-brand of gaming PCs.

As to the OS, it's a great idea, but being linux-based it's got a backwards compatibility problem. Going forward, everything depends on the developers having incentive to put in the time and money to make their games linux compatible. Arguably, that incentive isn't there.

As to the controller, I haven't tried it, but I also have no incentive to try it. It's ugly, bulky, and I seriously question the touch pad idea. And now that I can use a dualshock 4 on PC, there's no need to get it for PC games.

[floetry101]

The steam box was never intended to compete against the console market, it can't and it won't. It's designed as a middle-man to get console gamers to dip their feet into PC gaming without the overwhelming sense of "What the hell am I doing building this thing?".

Basically, it cuts out the hassle of designing a PC that fits your budget. With the steam box you have everything built to spec, at a price that won't rip your wallet apart like Alienware, with all the benefits of the PC community, modding, development etc. etc.

I think the concept is lost on a lot of people and while it won't do gargantuan numbers, I think it will give the majority of console gamers the opportunity to experience some of the great pleasures of PC gaming.

[Jubez187]

What you are saying is 100% right, but everyone else is 100% right in saying that nobody gives one fck about being in the "middleman" range.

[webeblazing]

well its a sad state in gaming than. if so many people on this are saying that they have a ps3 xb360, wii, and dont want a pc because not want to build a pc or like lugging around a tower, buy bash vavle when coming up with this. we already know people are bashing this because its a pc, but come on it solve a lot of complaints but people bashing it for no reason when it can increase the standards of gaming. they are just steering people away from it that may be interested in it. $500 almost 2x the power of ps4 and xbone, free online, cross chat even to people on xbone through skype, streaming BC with windows, new controller along with any controller, cheap games, mods, better dev support, high gfx fidelity, great gaming community like ps xb and wii, emulators, ftp games galore, mmos, real internet browser, every hardware maker support(intel, amd, nvidia, msi, asus, etc). seriously what is the problem.

like i said im not gonna buy till most likely '15-16 but its kinda look bad when gamers dont see the value when we can stick together and weed out the companies that want a quick buck the the beauty of open market.

[GreenRanger]

Just stick with regular PCs and give these a few more years.

[Chrisgamerguy]

The steam machine won't even outsell the wii u

[DCfan]

Probably true.

[weirdo]

i want the scan nc10 steam machine!

[JBSleek]

You could just hook up a PC to your TV and use Big Picture Mode and a 360 controller. Seems like the way to go at the moment but I'm not one to count Valve out.

If they can get all developers to also release on linux this could have a chance to be a really good platform.

[kevnb]

It is the long game for sure, and since it's an open source project there is no hurry.

[Grimhammer00]

So let me get this straight. The concept is to bridge console gamers into PC gamers? Fail

1st) console gamers are in it for the ease of use. So unless these steam machines can equal that & have big enough games to convince console gamers to drop $500 min. Fail

2nd) gamers that are hardcore enough to consider PC gaming along with their established console addiction already have fatter rigs than a steam box!

3rd) has valve got the ad power to get into our heads at a level remotely close to ninny, ps4 or xbone?!?! Lol

4th) still needs an incentive! If they could sell these $500 steambox ver. for $199......that's get people's attention! This issue coupled with above assures PC ports of AAA titles that aren't wholly owned by Sony or Ninny....are going to be at min a year behind their launches. So these games will have hit their market already.

I think Gabe got miffed one day at MS and consoles in general and lost his sh!t!

[MadLad]

It's been my belief that this is a slow burn attempt by Valve to bring more people to PC gaming while helping developers move away from their reliance on Windows and DirectX.

[mochachino]

I rather just build a gaming PC. I thought economies of scale would provide some price advantage but it steam machines seem to follow the same business pricing model of gaming PCs. Way too overpriced.

[jukins]

I wonder how long these hardware manufacturers will stay in the steambox game seeing as its going to be a niche market with not a lot of support initially.

I'm just not seeing it I mean why would someone spend money on steambox when there's consoles for the entry level or high end pcs for enthusiasts.

[unknownbystander]

Most likely they are. With the advance of PC components, there is a higher chance that PC components are going to get cheaper faster, and can lead to cheaper yet powerful enough PCs that can rival/out rival consoles over time. One advantage of PCs is their stability. They don't change in general as a whole system every 6-10 years like consoles (Example is that they never change architectures like consoles and are modable). There is no absolute change of policy to their usage and are actually quite open. Like having no fee subscritions like online multyplayer (unless needed for MMO)

Unlike consoles, PCs never have to fear the lack of power to run games unless you need an upgrade. However, like I said before, upgrades are cheaper because if you buy PC components from 2-4 years ago, it would still run the games fine. While as for consoles, they might be limitations unless you're a very talented programer/coder for games.

Plus, PCs are the ultimate paradise for lazy bum developers who are untalented in their profession. The x86 is a very simple architecture that is widely know to all, if not, most developers. Which brings me to another point as to why consoles should never take the route of the PC (PS4, XBOX ONE). They can simply throw an unoptimized code in their x86 and call it a day. Maybe that's why so many PS4/XBOX ONE games are so large in files (It's not solely because of the graphics, there is also A.I behavior or environmenrts, etc.) While in comparison, look at Super Mario 3D World, with its file size of 1.76GB, I'm surprised how it looks so good.

The less challenge for a developer and they will lack in creativity. On the other hand, more challenge is going to spark more unique ways in which the game is made. Don't take this the wrong way because I'm not telling you that they should once again make a Cell Architecture difficulty type of a console. All I'm saying is that they shouldn't make developers be so laid back, but put them in the edge of their seats and make a game the will make us go to the edge of our seats.

[mysteryraz11]

what are you talking about the consoles are still consoles, using x86 architecture doesnt make them suddenly gaming pcs, get your facts straight

[unknownbystander]

Let me elaborate. What I said about consoles going to the way of PCs is that they are using the same architecture as one. Console x86 architecture like the ones in PS4/Xbox One are NOT excactly the same as PC x86 architecture. However, most of their software programing are familiar with each other. They are the same basically from the base, but not when it comes to standard features.

By the way, I had many points in my comment. Is that the only thing you'd bring up?

[mysteryraz11]

that doesnt mean they are gonna max them out in 1 year the original xbox used similar architecture and its games improved, thats what happens when all the units have the same hardware and they study it so long, they learn how to use it better and more effiecntly, pcs are all over the place in hardware in power, its done differently on pcs thats why the ps3 is producing shit like uncharted 3 and god of war 3 with a puny amount of ram actually less then 500mbs because unlike the 360 its not unified

[d3nworth1]

You have it mixed up. PC have to fear the lack of power to run games, consoles don't. With console developer know the specs of every ps4 and xbox 1 are the same so they design the games with these specs in mind so if it runs on 1 ps4 it'll run on all ps4s. With PC there a thousands of different configurations which is why they put the system requirements at the back of every PC game. For you to see if your PC had the "power to run the game".

[unknownbystander]

"Unlike consoles, PCs never have to fear the lack of power to run games unless you need an upgrade."

I'm aware that consoles have no differences to one another, maybe I should've included that in my comment.

[d3nworth1]

"Unlike consoles, PCs never have to fear the lack of power to run games unless you need an upgrade." Your state is still false. You make it seem like you have to worry about your console have the power to run games. Developers aren't going to design a ps4 game that the ps4 can't run. All Ps4 games now and future ps4 games will run on all ps4s without upgrading anything.

[ginsunuva]

Just because it's in a compact box means it's a direct console competitor?
What happened to the overall average intelligence of the gaming community?!?

It's just a pre-built PC for people who are intimidated by real PC's. (which isnt too many people)

[Saryk]

I made a $100 yesterday because some woman couldn't set up here email and forgot her password (she got a new computer). Now come again?

[Maxor]

This is a zero risk move by Valve. Since they are not producing the hardware they have absolutely nothing to lose.

[Jubez187]

Also, guys, youtube exists. My little brother wanted to build a PC so he typed in www.youtube.com and now he builds all our friends' PC's as well. Could you imagine?