Valve’s Rumored Console Could be a Game Changer

The rumors of Valve announcing a console came out late last night, and it’s a rumor that will most likely be confirmed at GDC 2012. The idea of a PC being build around Steam makes a lot of sense, but the question is, if it would be successful idea.

[ATi_Elite]

Steam Box?

and I guess it launches with Half Life 3!

[Mr-Zex]

Well.. It would actually be a good move if executed by Valve correctly, I mean, a lot of people have been waiting for HL3, if they make t exclusive for their console, flocks will come to buy it!

[Yi-Long]

... Valve is one of only a few companies which really seems to 'get' it, and puts the gamer's best interest up front!

[ljh217]

But...how would I play EA games? =P

Oh god I hope EA don't follow suit with an origin box.

[Autodidactdystopia]

I love valve but with their history of delivering things on time i worry about their ability to be proactive with a console.

can you imagine system updates on "valve time"

I dunno maybe.. steam seems to work well.

plus they're known for making sure things actually work before they release them.

[Jobesy]

Hmm, no BR drive? Seems like it's more of an answer to Onlive than consoles. It better have a huge hdd (500 GB-1 TB) if no physical media is to be used.

[SilentNegotiator]

What Valve fan would WANT that? They're primarily a PC gaming community, so why would any fans WANT them to release a console and make things exclusive to it?

As for a cheap PC, ehhhhh, maybe. I would have to see some specs and price. It would have to be a really good deal. I'd probably rather BUILD a PC than buy a cheap one, since I have that option.

[da_2pacalypse]

If Gabe newell took a poop and decided to sell it, I'd buy. That's how much respect I have for that man.

[tokugawa]

i dont think there is enough room in the market for a fourth console. even though valve have some great franchises, team fortress, counter strike, half life, l4d etc , who else is going to support their hardware?

will there be cod, bf, fifs, madden, mass effect, elder scrolls, rainbow six and all the other multi-plats on their hardware??

i think that i would rather see valve work harder on a new source engine, and release more games in a quicker time frame on the next gen consoles and pcs

[BattleAxe]

I hope this is true. This might be the only next gen console I buy, especially if I can't play any of my PSN Download games (Crysis, GTA4, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 ect ect....) on the PS4.

[T900]

As a PC gamer and a diehard Steam fan i wouldnt buy it.

Simply because my Current PC is simply too powerful and nothing any console maker or valve can provide will out do it.

[MaxXAttaxX]

ALL of Valve's games are playable on PC and consoles.

HL3 as the only exclusive to justify one system? I don't think so. It's gonna be on PC anyway, like all of their games.

Buying "officially licensed upgradeable parts"? Seriously?
That's called a PC!

[Saladfax]

I don't think they'd go for exclusivity anyway. Valve tends to go more for distributing toward market demand. The reason Newell ate his earlier criticism and put Portal 2 on PS3 is because it became a viable market.

[Sarcasm]

lol, this article is suggesting that Valve build a machine that can play games right out of the box. Sounds like... a console...

I understand that there are people out there who want to play higher end PC games, but the fact is that you simply cannot have a PC at $249 to play today's PC games at the levels of regular PC gamers.

"Mid-Ranged" cards are already $150-$200. And this type of thing has already been tried by Alienware called the X51. It's $599 and $699. In comparison to what you can do with your own money, it's overpriced. And to top it off, a regular consumer will NOT justify spending that much.

Not unless somehow Valve manages to build $600 machines and sell them for $299, this concept is pretty far fetched at the moment.

[joab777]

This is beautiful...maybe. My first issue is his price point. I understand the specs but would they not b competing with next gen? I would pay up to $800 if the specs were right...and...

My second ssue is that at a time when most companies are going Kirkpatrick, we may see more and more exclusives for the sole purpose of selling consoles/pc. On valve, u may not be able to play halo, uncharted, any ea game and vice versa. Yes, they had a deal w microsoft, whicj i assume ends when they become competition. I may blog this, but it could mean disaster for gamers. Will they keep steam on PC's? If so, why would anyone with a good pc buy their consloe? If not, to b a hardcord gamer may now mean owning a ps4, xbox360, a valve machine, and a pc for windows or origin. This could get messy.

[joab777]

After reading more about it, i digress. It appears, if rumor is fact, that it may b a gamers dream box with the ability to play any pc game, steam and origin and windows. It's upgradeable and allows 3rd party usb devices. Damn. I hope this is true. I will buy it. Valve has always been good. Maybe they do simply want gamers to have the best hardware possible. Obviously, if it's modeled like google, it will cater tremendously to steam, but I'm down. Sign me up.

[Kewl_Kat]

Steam's very own "Fanboys" would be called "Steampunks". That would be badass.

[rob6021]

I don't think other console fans would let them get by without a derogatory name, nice try though.

[Ducky]

You should stop being such a Hammer Legion Member.

[SilentNegotiator]

And they would be no less pathetic than the others.

[JsonHenry]

GIMME GIMME GIMME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mikhail]

Half Life 3 would not be an exclusive on this Steam box. My gaming PC had waited so many years for it!

[dazreah]

I agree Valve would not shaft all its Steam and PC fans, it would prob release on the PC and there console only.

[Double_O_Revan]

No it wouldn't be exclusive. But to launch with it preloaded would be cool

[EditorAtGNG]

It would sell the console for sure.

[GhostofHorizon]

I don't see how this would benefit Valve more than what they already have going for them.

They will just build a gaming PC, staple the Steam logo on it and ship it off.

[JsonHenry]

Royalties. Assuming they are in fact going the console route.

Or in case of it being a pre-made PC- Imgaine companies being able to put on the cover of their game "Plays on Steambox". It would, in effect, make a console out of a PC by promising all you have to do it put in the disc, install, and play worry free. No drivers to worry about, no compatibility, it just works like a console would. Steam takes care of all your updates/hardware bios updates and it just works. Not to mention Steam itself is like Xboxlive on crack. So they already have that much right 100% before even starting. And being a PC that just acts like a console they can easily allow for netflix and all the other streaming services on a PC without charging you to use their online services or having those companies special taylor their service to a "console" setting.

LOTS of possibilities here folks. LOTS.

[OpenGL]

There are already royalties that Valve collects from every game sold on Steam, I really don't understand why Valve would want to jump into consoles with the market at this point in time.

[lelo2play]

Were would they get the exclusives ? They release a game once a year (or once every two years). That's not enough exclusives for a console, unless they get 3rd party companies to make exclusives for them.

And what about steam... are they going to ignore it and release exclusives for a console.

I don't believe in Valve’s rumoured console.

[AtomicGerbil]

It's not strictly a console, it's rumoured to be a gaming PC in the form of a console capable of running any PC game or service.

[-MD-]

Flatbattery has it right. Clearly the majority of N4G users are unable to read an article.

[IaMs12]

Leaked image:

[Irish84]

Leaked photo of the steambox. This will take down all other consoles. Take my money...now!

[ThanatosDMC]

So basically a PC?

[wazzim]

maybe you should read the article before commenting and taking conclusions.

[kevnb]

exclusives arent that important really, its getting the most third party support that wins. This gen is a little weird since sony and microsoft both have tremendous third party support, more than Ive ever seen from two different consoles at once.

[lelo2play]

Yes you right, i saw the title and didn't read the article... now i have read the article.

They basicly want to sell a PC that has officially licensed upgradeable parts. If that happens, the consumer will suffer. Say goodbye to competition and low priced hardware. They will make there own prices and nobody can do anything about it.
NO THANK YOU. I like competition. Leave PC gaming as is.

[Motion]

I have to disagree entirely with you. There is no reason this would raise hardware prices, there will not be any one company making these boxes, but will be available for any manufacturer, think of something similar to the android platform. The best thing that this could cause would be to have base point for standardizing pc hardware. Of course you can build a bigger better rig if you want, but developers will start making sure that at least on basic settings these boxes will run their games flawlessly.

[Saladfax]

Selling a manufactured unit at fairly low prices to promote the also incredibly low prices of their software?

Yeah, I can't see how that could be a good thing /s

[Knight_Cid]

a console, is not a PC and what they are talking about is making it so specs were constant

so really it sounds like it kinda sucks

[closnyc]

why are people here like...dumb? claiming this as a console? this is going to be a PC with console features in order for valve to introduce big picture mode. It simply IS A PORTABLE pc, with features such as peripherals etc. It will stay open source and for those who think this is going to be a console and half life 3 will launch exclusively on this, keep dreaming. This is meant for those "comfy couch" lazy noobs with a pad. The good thing is you people will finally get to play games at true 1080p on your tv just like a console. However, whatever is done for steam box, will be done for PC and steam. Whatever is exclusive to steam box, is exclusive to PC. If valve does this right, and for less than 500 dollars we get an i7, 8gb, and nvidia gpu like the specs say, then console may as well say bye bye and valve and pc gaming will reign supreme, once again. And did you guys read the aprt where it says stuff can be added every 3 or 4 years? as in UP GRADABLE? jesus, read the article, go on gaf and read the thread about it too.

[xer0]

1080P for a next gen system... pales in comparison to PC resolutions - as well as Ultra HD on the next gen consoles from MS and Sony.

[bozebo]

"as well as Ultra HD on the next gen consoles from MS and Sony. "

This will not happen unless they wait until ~Q3 2013 before finalizing the hardware (and I would guess the hardware has already been finalized for a while)

[adorie]

Ultra HD is out of the question for next gen consoles. I will even dare say a Steambox. 4k by 8k is achievable but would take a display capable of such as well as the <u>hardware</u>,. I do not consider multiple monitors in what I am saying, since consoles are a 1 monitor shin-dig.

[DeadlyFire]

The great thing about this is there is no dev kit needed or no licensing fees to put your software on it. So basically it invites EVERY publisher to throw games on it. No Dev. Kit makes me wonder if its sporting Windows 8/Mac OSX or something.

This is in a sense what I believe the PC platform needs. A place in the console space. The specs alone show that this will be fully compatible with next generation game engines. I am not expecting this to be cheap.

My only question is will there be keyboard/mouse support for every game? I personally use Monitor + console. A keyboard/mouse would fit nicely on desk with my console.

[KrimsonKody]

Primarily, no.
It may be keyboard/mouse compatible, but to make it part of the system would defeat the purpose of making it console/couch friendly.

[Proxy]

Your post made me realize half the problem with PC gaming is the complexity of choosing a PC. You can build your own, which requires a considerable effort. You can buy one from a shop, which will be overpriced. You can buy a cheap Dell modal or something, which will still be a little overprice, and come loaded with their special bloated-crappy-software-suite which will make the PC hardware seem like crap because the CPU is too busy serving up Dell advertisements all the time. If Valve can build a simple, powerful, portable PC, and not ruin it with a bunch of added software, then it will be a success.

[kevnb]

its not really a console, its a prebuilt pc from the #1 dd store.

[xer0]

lol @ all the above comments, financially - it makes no sense for Valve to build their own hardware.

1. They specialise in making good games
2. It costs a sh*t load of money to build a console - even from generic PC parts.
3. You also have to invest in an eco-system
4. They need launch partners like EA + Activision
5. Digital distribution is cheap - which brings us back to points 2 + 3 above.

Why would Valve commit to the burden of having their own hardware? Get real. There are already 3 Big companies in the console Business... each with, perhaps enough money to swallow Valve whole.

Besides, how would they position their product if it's for gaming purposes only? Xbox 360 and PS3 both do more than games... they are media centers with movie streaming capabilities.

The contracts they tied up with Hollywood and the media, didn't come overnight, it took years.

As much as i love Valve... a console or PC from them would be novel and dead on arrival. Nintendo was a game changer; Playstation was a game changer; Apple iOS was a game changer. I doubt a Valve device would have much to offer to be a game changer.

It's worth noting that all the big 3 are already pushing digital distribution.

[Series_IIa]

If anything Valve will just create a cloud based gaming service and dish out a small hub like OnLive does...

Valve are a rich company, but they don't have the capacity or resources to just start flushing out PC-esque consoles to a market which is already fulfilled by consoles and OnLive.

[Cosmo811]

Yes, just read about this on Reddit. Honestly I think they have a very, very strong chance of being the leaders of the next generation of consoles. They're by far the most forward thinking company with the strongest innovation, and they actually have a very solid reputation. They're nice people, they have built some of the best game's ever and they really understand the digital platform.

I'm thinking this is going to be like OnLive (in terms of the way the hardware & software works together) but with downloads rather than streaming. I think, if this turns out to be a correct rumour, I will be buying one at launch. I only have a mac (my old PC died) and so I've been missing Steam greatly (mac selection is pathetic), hopefully this will be even better.

Also, Half Life 3 at launch as system exclusive? That on its own should convince many people to buy it.

[Waddy101]

In all honesty if this rumour is true i can see it turning out to be something similar to the Alienware X51 where it is basically a PC just in a smaller more compact form factor.

[joeorc]

that Microsoft's xbox360 or future xbox's platform would be hurt, but I doubt very much Microsoft would mind anyway. The fact is that

a) no licence fee's for 3rd party developers, no kits needed
b) XBL right from this box, means many XBL users would most likely migrate over to this platform.
c)kinect can be used on this unit. so no loss for kinect
d)microsoft does not really make that many 1st party games anyway, but this would allow an increase in 1st party msft games.
e)it would have more windows OS users in the market using a PC for gaming
f)no overhead for Xbox platform hardware it could be licenced outsource to any PC company that wants to make the hardware. Microsoft would just do the games software.

it would most likekey kill the xbox platform

too many people would move from the xbox platform over to this, thus they would gain pretty much the entire xbox platform user base, but also would be killing the xbox platform at the same time.

some would say they could have both platforms can run each other's software, which would be fine but that dilutes the concept of a living room console. one it would fragment your userbase trying to target both platforms.

an why would 3rd parties develop for the xbox platform over this platform when there is no licence fee's to develop for it?

@ people that would disagree, cue starwars theme music of luke an vader on bespin. search your heart you know it to be true.

[AtomicGerbil]

If this is successful it will put the boot into all of the console manufacturers, and I could also see it harming Onlive substantially aswell.

[joeorc]

"If this is successful it will put the boot into all of the console manufacturers, and I could also see it harming Onlive substantially aswell."

not really, both Nintendo an Sony 1st party studios make games only for their respective platform. Thus this would be more in the lines of all 3rd parties making games for this box. but the question would they ignore the Nintendo an Sony console system for more sales?

most likeley no. it my be exclusive 3rd party for a short time that is if valve go's in on some investment or payment of some sort. other than that its still 3rd parties choice to go with which platform they go with.

what would hurt Nintendo an Sony is no licence fee's for 3rd party developers, that's what would hut them if anything, Sony has the Playstation Suite so right off the bat that's more indie an 3rd party friendly. but Nintendo has no such platform.

like i was stating, this would have an adverse effect on the viability of the xbox platform forward than the other two.

[AtomicGerbil]

What's already been stated on numerous articles is that there won't be any license fees for 3rd party developers as it's an open PC platform. That's what I based my opinion on.

[bozebo]

joeorc you just described PC games sort of. (the whole license fee thing).

And, in actual fact, that is all this rumour is even about.

All they want to do is make a standard PC under their name, just like Dell etc.

It might be a good way to get noobs to realise that PC hardware and software is superior for use as a console to what a console would ever be anyway (except for the first few months after console launches when their harware is genuinely impressive while the technology is under embargo).

[caperjim]

I think its a great idea

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Not gonna happen unless there is a change to the model suggested in the rumors. Valve not charging license fee means they would need to sell the box at a profit otherwise the oem's making the box would have no incentive to make it...so this box would run $600+ based on those specs. At that price point this box is now competing not only with xbox, ps3 and wiiU. But its also now competing with Apple and PC's in general.

Let's also not forget that valve makes steam a gaming platform UI... NOT an operating system. So what would valves plan be on the OS? License Windows so the can get the games to run....otherwise it runs no games.

I think the reality on this rumor is valve is looking to create a steam standard for pc devs and then partner with pc makers to put steam in the pc's at manufacturing with that standard in mind.

[gypsygib]

I like the idea of cutting out the middlemen (Sony and MS). I'm not a fanboy, they restrict content and add a lot of costs.

I think a Console PC (CPC?) with universal specs could have the benefits of consoles (optimization) without the hassles of PC. I'm curious about the OS though, certainly it would need something less resource intensive than Windows.

I think it's success would depend on wether devs treat is like a console and optimize games for it or treat it like a PC and ignore it's set specs.

I could essentially be the developers console which would be fantastic. All the devs should get together and make a console, a developers union of sorts.

[Soldierone]

I only agree they put a lot of costs, but the restriction is them making sure the content is up to par. I wish more indie stuff would make it through though.

As for that I rather have them quality testing and saying "Sorry this isn't good enough" than having all kinds of "apps" filling up the store just so they can say "we have thousands of apps! (that suck)."

[gypsygib]

I was talking about mods, MS didn't allow free DLC, devs having to submit updates for approval and stuff like that.

[GraveLord]

If the rumored specs are true it will easily be over $600.

Don't know how many PC gamers will actually buy this closed system. The mainstream won't. So its left to the Valve/Steam super fans to make this a success.

[humwha]

IF valve had stock i would be throwing bank at them. I don't see how this can fail. upgrade-able console valve would corner the market. You can buy a 65 dollar on a ps3/xbox or a 49 or less on sale version on steam. Controller or keyboard and mouse open's up RTS to people who don't normally play them. So much potential.

[MaverickStar7]

This wouldn't make a dent in the console market if its based off of Steam alone. You immediately eliminate all the offline customers. That OnLive is working out great isnt it.
Then is it more pc or more console? If it is still more of a pc focused on a mouse and keyboard it doesn't have a prayer in the console market. Console gamers and PC gamers are two different species. The big 3 console makers have nothing to worry about with this. Most likely this will turn out to be a PC built to Valves specifications. It doesn't make sense why Valve would choose to go into battle in the console market based on just Steam alone without any of the offerings that other consoles have.

[stragomccloud]

Does the term, "market oversaturation" mean anything to anyone???

[rob6021]

Can Valve afford to moneyhat multiple studios? Their first party barely does 1 game a year I don't see how they can compete..

Sounds like it's going to be quickly forgotten about, or if they dare attempt to make HL3 exclusive it will be the HL3 box. I will admit having another player on the field will force MS to step up it's investment, so they can't coast on being just another 3rd party game console.

[enfestid]

Why did an article that hardly has any information get promoted instead of the source article, which actually has tons of information?

[4logpc]

the source article did get approved. This is an opinion piece on the rumor itself.

[NellyNel_7_1_3]

So Im guessing only valve's games will be release for this console only... I remember a company was going to release a console called the Phantom, but it got canned. I just hope that Valve is not building up too much hype, and at the end this console get canned...

[MultiConsoleGamer]

It's definitely not just a PC

[YodaCracker]

I can just imagine a console race between Valve, Microsoft, and Nintendo; the new "big three".

[Soldierone]

Valve making a console? I can respect that A LOT more than Apple making one. At least we know it will be good.

[WildStyles]

This thing is going to be expensive as hell. The PS3 got roasted by a shitload of people because of the price. I don't see the mainstream crowd jumping on this.

[Somebody]

It's a PC but classified as a console (PC parts, hardware upgrades). I see the logic in Valve's effort to boost PC gaming but I feel sorry for it's competitors (other smaller PC online distributors). Feels like Valve is forcing the other distributors out of the game by making SteamBox exclusively use Steam.

That's NOT what I want to see the PC turned into. It has always been an open platform and having one company keep all form of exclusivity to itself is totally against that principal. There is a perceived potential competition between Valve and the original consoles (probably through OnLive-like capability of streaming console game) but the biggest thing to watch for is that Valve will have no competition at all in the PC sales chart. No competition at all. For me that should raise a red flag somewhere.

Sure it's a PC and runs Windows (unless there's a SteamOS in the work) but since it's a Steam exclusive console, will it let you instal Origin? Sprocket? GoG? If it doesn't, that would be rather restrictive for a PC but letting those other parties, competitors really, installable would be against what a console should be.

[2pacalypsenow]

If the prices are good then this would be very good for pc gamers

[jay2]

This is 'The Phantom' all over again, what's the point here, the games would really have to be exclusive and locked to a spec, in a few years (2-3) Better PC hardware would be out and what ever the settings of these games are would be below 'Low' settings on the more up-to-date hardware. So I have to buy basically another PC (come on, that's all this will be as there's no locked down specs that the devs need to stick to on the games etc) then upgrade the steambox again sooner than a console? NO!

[Klad]

Just found this....

[Klad]

Found this, shows patent too...

http://mygaming.co.za/news/...

[urwifeminder]

Sounds like a big risk the greed may lead valve down a rocky path.

[jonnyjd1]

Even with the updates by the author, this is still seems like a dumb idea to me. I could be wrong. Businesses have done dumber things before.

...end of line...

[susanto1228]

Must buy for me! I'de rather buy a console from Valve before buying one from either Sony or Nintendo. Kinda sad but if Valve
builds this console it will probably sell the PS4 and the new WII I don't seeing it toppling Xbox720 but I bet it will compete very well with it....Steambox on your entertainment center sounds very appealing too me.

[Legionaire2005]

The funny thing what this guy said in the article that, people would buy an Hp Computer and expect to play Crysis 2. Well I was one of those people lol!!! Good I got the Hp Elite and it's customizable. I bought the parts and came up with a good Rig: AMD 6970 with power supply 750 watts and etc. Happy to announce it could run both Crysis 1 and 2, even Battlefield 3 on the highest settings.

I hope Valve make a new console. It would be a game changer, that I agree with. Plus the advantage of Steam, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft will be down on their knees. So why not? It adds more jobs to the gaming industry. Going to school for game design, so this would be great.

[parasit3]

I built my own Gaming PC, I'll just buy new parts to upgrade my old ones to match or out-do those new consoles.

[Raoh]

If you think its just a pc, your wrong.

That's like calling an htpc just a pc.

Some fools think a wii is an hd console.

If that's the case, why but an xbox? its just a low budget outdated pc, that's why third party devs like it, cause its like a pc.

[BongSmack]

or a ps3 it's just a high budget outdated pc.

[Raoh]

But people are ok with the way ms is forcing people to pay for the use of xbox live gold? while every other company offers the same services for free?

what's funny is people love xbox live fees and xbox proprietary hard drives and accessories but complain about an open psn and steam environment.

[Fel08]

New consoles are always welcome on my book.

[Legion]

A console is a system that enables you to run proprietary games on it. It is a device that does not allow you to run a game that is not made for it.

What is being referred to in this article is a PC as it appears to be no different from a PC except that it is being sold with a specific game/steam mindset. And what happens when PC games need more power to run them? Is this so called console going to upgrade itself? Or will it just be another PC that needs to be upgraded to play the latest games?

[BongSmack]

"Just because the parts are something you could build with a PC, doesn’t mean it’s a PC."

An excellent point.

The fact that it plays PC games makes it it a PC.

[EffectO]

Things are getting hot in console marketplace.History repeats,Valve making a console lolol---people were saying the same shit about Xbox and look at Xbox now...

Fanboys should be scared because this almost certainly means that someone will be kicked out of console race.Things change and consoles are not what they used to be.

[C0MPUT3R]

A device designed for the living room, using a controller with a Steam front end?
.
Awesome!!
.
It's not just a PC. Devs are going to be able to optimize their code for the Steam Box's specs, just like a console.
.
It's basically getting the Best of BOTH worlds. Take the things you like about console gaming + take the things you like about PC gaming = STEAMBOX.

[RGB]

Game changer! Possible end of consoles as we know it! Steam over anything else!

Imagine Xbox Live or PSN deals, 10-25% off.

Steam sale, 70% off!

Microsoft and Sony need to sort their policies! Valve is coming!