Gabe Newell: Valve's Steam Machines Outperform Consoles at Same Price Point

Too bad PC only gets awful ports and iPhone games, that additional power won't be used well.

I thought they were selling those machines at $500? not $349..

Pcfans can argue all they want, 60fps crap, Mods and all other pc mantras!!!

As demonstrated the price point is what make a console success and the ease of use.

Average players won't care for all the technical marketing shit : Show me the price!!!

Now SW can fantasize about 4k, 120 fps and open worlds...this means naught in real life.

In other words if you can grab a console for 300 bucks this winter, no one will care if Steam machines can display 4k!!!Not even a second!!!

And on a gaming enthusiast forum, we ... enthusiasts are meant to care what casual peasants choose to buy just to play FIFA and CoD on? really?

So i heard SteamOS cant play all games on Steam, 99% of the games that do work is indie games.

Exclusives are bad for everybody but the platform owner. This is common knowledge. Valve has also brought its games to SteamOS, so I am not sure what you mean by a lack of first party titles. All future Valve titles are coming to SteamOS as well. In addition, since Steam Machines are consoles, why don't they get the same special treatment as other consoles in terms of cutting them some slack with regard to games upon launch and backwards compatibility? Does the PlayStation 4 run PlayStation 3 games? Or Xbox One games, for that matter?

Rocket League is coming. In addition, didn't System Wars just say that big marketing budget games are crap combined to indies? If you miss those games, then Steam Machines are not for you. Simple.

@Hexagon_777: because they are not consoles.

Not you as well...

SteamOS is a console operating system, not a fully fledged PC operating system, and Steam Machines come in console sized cases, not massive towers, coming with a controller, ready to sit underneath your television set.

They are very clearly consoles. Steam Machines are very open consoles targeting console gamers, not PC gamers, in fact.

@MBirdy88

Being a gaming enthusiasts, doesn't prevent you from preaching in the Desert, i see, and also without these casual peasants, as you call em, this industry won't survive...

Being an enthusiast is perfect if you know where is your exact place in the scheme of things and stop thinking that your standards are universal.

I agree they are targeting console gamers, I just think that the product is schizophrenic by nature and is going about it terribly. A Steam Machine costs more upfront than a PS4, Xbox One, or Wii U, does not play most, if not all, big releases of the year (no Call of Duty, no Batman, no Witcher, no Assassin's Creed, no Metal Gear Solid, no Need for Speed, no Star Wars, no Just Cause), which makes them inherently unappealing to begin with; they lack any compelling exclusives to make up for that lack of big games (something that the Wii U can at least make a case for, apart from of course also being cheaper); considering the state of Linux gaming, still don't provide a simple boot up and play experience (since Linux ports of games are most often just Windows versions wrapped in Wine, which means there will be issues with differing hardware configurations, and most of Valve's Linux library is optimized for Ubuntu, which is not what SteamOS is based on to begin with). The only way to make a Steam Machine actually amount to anything is to install Windows on it, which requires the kind of computer knowledge that the intended demographic for Steam Machines will not have- and those who do won't care for Steam Machines, because they are terrible gaming PCs. There is literally no reason to buy a Steam Machine, it is a schizophrenic product with no appeal to anybody.

Steam machines are out since Steam started,those are small cased PC you can run linux on them or what ever you can run on a normal PC because it is just that a PC with a steam branding.

So yeah it has over 1500 games but not it release already long time ago.

What Steam Machines will do better in contrast to consoles is a massive library of games. Consoles have no chance there.

But - Steam Machines need exclusive killer apps. Imho, the point of having a console are its exclusives.

Pretty much, but rather than the stuff that really stands out, it's mostly crap that nobody cares about.

My statement still stands regarding bribes, and I know of some targets for strategic cash injections, such as Bandai Namco Studios and Relic Entertainment to name a few.

And why not? Are you sure you don't have some facts misunderstood?

Independent video game developers that are first not owned by a publisher. Independent developers must also retain operational control over their companies, pipelines, and organizations and often may work with proprietary engines or other proprietary software. These teams may range in size from single individuals to major companies with hundreds of employees.

Independent developers may choose to work with one or more game publishers or to self-publish their titles.

Valve satisfies all the criteria, since it's not owned by a publisher, and still retains all its operational controls as a private company, allowing it to have "independence". Public companies like Microsoft have lost that independence (failing the second criteria), because the companies' operational control are handed over to tens of thousands of shareholders in exchange for financial investment. Their agenda is no longer independent, instead it is the agenda of those countless shareholders.

how's its sales performance next to the next gen consoles?

Steam Machines launch November 10, so... we don't know.

Did I just hear of Half Life 3 on steam machines?

IMHO, Valve should delay the Steam Machines by a year, so that Valve can focus on buying Linux ports.

Outside of Valve titles, the Steam Linux Library is mostly just random indie games nobody cares about (I'm not dismissing all indie games, just that most of the games on Linux are the ones where zero fucks have been given).

Way i see it, people are still asking for the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia, so there's already a good target for a cash injection.

For anyone that wants to game in the living room plus have access to a huge library larger than any console in history. So with the steam controller ( I have one btw) you can work games without swapping peripherals if thats what you want Or you can wireless mouse/kb and use gamepad/wheel...etc...far more choices than what consoles provide.

It's the same target audience that typically owns more than 1 device of anything in their home. Some people have several tablets, tv's, consoles, laptops and may even own more than one toaster. Some here seem to be stuck on the mindset that everyone just buys 1 thing and that's it...it's 2015, not 1986.

That's practically a quote from many posters just before the first iPad came out...now look at the tablet market.

The iPad was something genuinely innovative and came from an internationally known corporation in Apple.

Videogame consoles have been around for almost 40 years. The SteamBox is just a souped up console without nearly the name brand recognition to the average consumer as Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.

It's jaysonguy, he won't listen to a thing you said. And yes, Valve is technically an independent.

@charizard1605: you can install Windows on it (I think)

Id consider a steam box... I have a huge steam library and I've list the desire to keep a pc rig around the house.

It will....

If PS4 runs at 720p 30fps it will run same DEMANDING multiplat at same settings.

Sadly thats how it works.

Thats fine, but in terms of gamespot and system wars....

the only people that benefit from the casual market are the companies themselves... I couldn't care less how much they earn, games were great before and after they got big.... many of the big name franchises actually tried harder to stimulate our brains too.

Which one? The two steam machine manufacturers that are close to console price range would be Alienware and SYBER.

Hey what happened to ibuypower's steam machine?

Note that this is the same guy who thought it was okay to charge for mods.

And them.

You don't really know linux do you. Being optimized for Ubuntu over Debian/Fedora/Arch makes little difference. They are all based on the same software and part from a few kernel patch differences and maybe slightly specialized software... those games will likely perform the same all over linux. The biggest problem is making sure you have updated drivers for opengl which are usually proprietary.. that's essentially the difference from steam's perspective. And most DYI linux ports are from wine, thats when there isn't any port. I'm pretty sure most linux games on steam right now use the Unity engine which supports cross platform development, Unreal Engine 4 which now supports linux...

Right now I find the best distro to play games on right now is manjaro. Its a rolling release based on Arch, but keeps the GPU drivers up to date with the latest stable packages. There are tons of games on linux now too, I think about one third to one half of my library is on there. But that is still at most a half...

And there are good reasons to get a steam machine, PC's generally don't come in console format and most HTPC's are still pretty big compared to a ps4/wiiu/xbone.

@walloftruth: it will outperform the console for 5+ years, don't worry

Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt have been confirmed for Linux. Just Cause 3 might be coming. SteamOS will provide a simple boot up and play experience. Linux ports are not most often just Windows versions wrapped in Wine. This is blatantly false. Please don't troll. You are a GameSpot moderator. SteamOS is based on Debian. Ubuntu is based on Debian. Windows does not provide a simple boot up and play experience as it is not a console operating system. There literally are reasons to buy a Steam Machine, please don't utilise hyperbole.

Steam started i.e. came out in 2003. SteamOS and Steam Machines are officially coming out tomorrow. In addition, it seems there are over 1 600 games that Steam Machines will launch with. My bad.

Judging from my reading, most Linux gamers don't want exclusives as it's a practice in very poor taste, benefiting nobody but the platform owner. Seeing as Linux gamers know best what it's like to deal without certain games, why would they want to wish that upon anyone else?

82.66% of SteamOS titles are labelled as indie on Steam.

Wouldn't mind more big marketing budget games myself. Feral and Aspyr are taking care of that, along with other publishers doing their own ports. Thing is, you have the leaders and you have the followers. Companies like EA, Ubisoft, and Activision are followers, not leaders.

Yea I'll pass, some of the prices of those steam machines are ridiculous and you might as well just make a GD PC (like the $949 ones that are actually worse than my current PC)

It is clear that this individual does not know Linux. I am, frankly, appalled that they are here in System Wars, mouthing off falsehoods as facts. And yes, cross platform development is a big thing right now. Unity 5, Unreal Engine 4, CryEngine, and more, all cross platform and support Linux. That is why the vast majority of games on Linux are native, not wrapped up in Wine. Vulkan is cross platform as well. DirectX 12? Windows 10 only. **** that noise.

True, some of the prices are nowhere near console level. Still, some others seem to be good value, especially with regard to the form factor.

@MBirdy88

SW doesn't prevent from serious posts.

My point is that casuals are good thing for a healthy industry ans for us in the end.

Piece of advice : pick up a chess game or something alike, most video games don't come even close for stimulating your brain in this regard.

There will always be great games, regardless of their origins ( big corps/indies) in a healthy industry...as long as it's healthy!!!:

You forgot to add 'since coming to console'.

For the price of the good steam machines, ill just build a new PC

Honestly I don't even think the steam machine is that. The problem is why buy a steam machine when you can hook up a PC to a tv and still have the steam library and if you get the driver off the internet can still use the steam controller, ps controller, or xbox controller along with a mouse and keyboard. Not to sound mean but you have to be darn near an idiot, or someone who just has to have something new in order to consider buying this thing. The Steam Machine is stuck in a limbo zone. Watch I bet Valve will be like ok we aren't moving these things like we thought time to unleash Half Life 3 as an exclusive for the steam machine.

For me PC + PS4 is more than enough.. Have no interest in getting the steam box/machine

@Juub1990: except those handful of exclusives are worth it.

Also, consider that no one else you know will have a Steam machine. So you buy one, it has better performance but all your friends have consoles and you cant play with them. Not really a good time. Some games on XBox will eventually have crossplay but not the major ones.

Steam machines are the betamax of this generation.

so per this article there are 13 different configurations and the cheapest is $450? Why the hell would someone want to buy this again? PS4/XBone will have comparable power but at least a hundred dollars less.

To play games that are appreciably better looking you will need something far more powerful than a stripped down bargain basement linux based PC.

>King of multiplayer FPS

>Console FPS

Pick one.