Steambox is confirmed.

Valve has confirmed that it is working on a Linux-based console dubbed the Steam Box, according to a report.

Engineer Ben Krasnow revealed at a conference in Germany that the company is planning to unveil the hardware at one of this year's gaming expos, Golem.de claims (via NeoGaf).

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

lundy86_4

Not much choice in the matter.... if Valve is selling this thing as their hardware... they can't really use MS's operating system. Perhaps this move will entice more devs to release a Linux version of their game? Hard to say, but should be fun to watch this story develop.

It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I have a lot of questions about the hardware such as upgradeability, but nobody will be able to answer them, so I'm waiting to see Valve coming out to demonstrate it.

Sum1 made a thread about this yesterday and clyde46 said it was old news. Now he makes a thread about the same thing:lol:

Not much choice in the matter.... if Valve is selling this thing as their hardware... they can't really use MS's operating system. Perhaps this move will entice more devs to release a Linux version of their game? Hard to say, but should be fun to watch this story develop.

moistsandwich

I'm wondering if they could have worked with Microsoft. Hell, many PC manufacturer's pre-install a Windows OS. This is a slightly different situation, though, naturally. However, I wonder if it was completely out of their grasp.

Sum1 made a thread about this yesterday and clyde46 said it was old news. Now he makes a thread about the same thing:lol:

PCgameruk

[QUOTE="moistsandwich"]

Not much choice in the matter.... if Valve is selling this thing as their hardware... they can't really use MS's operating system. Perhaps this move will entice more devs to release a Linux version of their game? Hard to say, but should be fun to watch this story develop.

lundy86_4

I'm wondering if they could have worked with Microsoft. Hell, many PC manufacturer's pre-install a Windows OS. This is a slightly different situation, though, naturally. However, I wonder if it was completely out of their grasp.

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

[QUOTE="moistsandwich"]

Not much choice in the matter.... if Valve is selling this thing as their hardware... they can't really use MS's operating system. Perhaps this move will entice more devs to release a Linux version of their game? Hard to say, but should be fun to watch this story develop.

PCgameruk

I'm wondering if they could have worked with Microsoft. Hell, many PC manufacturer's pre-install a Windows OS. This is a slightly different situation, though, naturally. However, I wonder if it was completely out of their grasp.

[QUOTE="PCgameruk"]

Sum1 made a thread about this yesterday and clyde46 said it was old news. Now he makes a thread about the same thing:lol:

clyde46

[QUOTE="clyde46"][QUOTE="PCgameruk"]

Sum1 made a thread about this yesterday and clyde46 said it was old news. Now he makes a thread about the same thing:lol:

PCgameruk

M$ had there chance years ago when Valve approached them about steam. Probably the worst decision M$ has made in gaming.PCgameruk

To what decision are you referring? I'm not sure why a decision that happened years ago, should affect one they make on the Steambox. Heck, it could have made it far more viable.

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

lundy86_4

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

savagetwinkie

[QUOTE="PCgameruk"]M$ had there chance years ago when Valve approached them about steam. Probably the worst decision M$ has made in gaming.lundy86_4

To what decision are you referring? I'm not sure why a decision that happened years ago, should affect one they make on the Steambox. Heck, it could have made it far more viable.

it won't hurt them, it'll help linux. I don't this is going to be a "PC", it sounds more like a console which means developers will have a dev kit, the difference being I think that it'll be real easy for developers to just release this on mac/windows/linux/steambox simultaneously savagetwinkie

I have no doubt that this will help Linux. Which can only be a good thing.

If this is a full-blown console, I can see the issue being lessened. However, are they planning on very much making it a completely seperate system to PC, and thus, losing the library?

[QUOTE="savagetwinkie"][QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

clyde46

Valve Asked Microsoft To Build Steam (Microsoft Said No, Thanks) Sure, it had a rocky start to life, but Valve's Steam platform is probably the best thing PC gaming has going for it right now, and has given the company far more clout in the industry than it could muster from its games alone. But how different could things have been if Valve had looked to somebody else to build the system? Somebody like...Microsoft? Or maybe even Yahoo? Valve's Doug Lombardi tells GamesIndustry: You know, we went around to Yahoo, Microsoft...and anybody who seemed like a likely candidate to build something like Steam. We basically had our feature list that we wanted. We wanted auto-updating, we wanted better anti-piracy, better anti-cheat, and selling the games over the wire was something we came up with later. We went around to everybody and asked 'Are you guys doing anything like this?' And everyone was like 'That's a million miles in the future...We can't help you.PCgameruk

That's interesting. I never knew that.

Still, i'd see this as an entirely different decision. For one, Microsoft would not be building and hosting an entire third-party store (assuming it would have stayed third-party).

Steams games in a Console would be great. I'm not expecting it to be successful though.

[QUOTE="lundy86_4"]

[QUOTE="moistsandwich"]

Not much choice in the matter.... if Valve is selling this thing as their hardware... they can't really use MS's operating system. Perhaps this move will entice more devs to release a Linux version of their game? Hard to say, but should be fun to watch this story develop.

PCgameruk

I'm wondering if they could have worked with Microsoft. Hell, many PC manufacturer's pre-install a Windows OS. This is a slightly different situation, though, naturally. However, I wonder if it was completely out of their grasp.

Wow, I'm very pleased that Steam had nothing to do with MS!

If MS touched the platform, we all would be charged to use the service and it wouldn't be any good.

streamingbox

You mean StReambox?:|

Linux based, flop confirmed?

I'm wondering if making this Linux-based is going to hurt them. Steam only has 41 Linux Steam games, so I aqm sincerely hoping that getting out of the Beta will help them.

lundy86_4

I think the idea behind the steambox is that it is its own entity, and not a PC.

It'll probably use a custom-tailored Linux OS, and anyone who wants to put a program on it will probably be able to. Anyone who wants to port their game to it will also be able to, and it won't come with the restrictions that PSN/XBL put in place that hinder updating, and DLC.

I think the idea behind the steambox is that it is its own entity, and not a PC.

It'll probably use a custom-tailored Linux OS, and anyone who wants to put a program on it will probably be able to. Anyone who wants to port their game to it will also be able to, and it won't come with the restrictions that PSN/XBL put in place that hinder updating, and DLC.

Ly_the_Fairy

That would be the way I assume it would work, given the info. It's a shame that it will bypass a lot of games, though.

[QUOTE="Ly_the_Fairy"]

I think the idea behind the steambox is that it is its own entity, and not a PC.

It'll probably use a custom-tailored Linux OS, and anyone who wants to put a program on it will probably be able to. Anyone who wants to port their game to it will also be able to, and it won't come with the restrictions that PSN/XBL put in place that hinder updating, and DLC.

lundy86_4

That would be the way I assume it would work, given the info. It's a shame that it will bypass a lot of games, though.

According to valve, the goal is to open up an ecosystem involving multiple manufacturers making their own Steam-based consoles, and some of them will run Windows 8 and offer the full PC experience on a TV. The Steam Box is going to be kind of like the Google Nexus phones-- it will be the cheapest, and it will define the base requirements for what Steam-based TV systems should have. From there, will will could see a lot of other companies like Asus, Samsung, Dell, etc. all jump on the bandwagon with more souped-up gaming HTPCs with more bells and whistles. The Alienware X51, overpriced and underpowered as it is, is an easy example of something like a third-party "Steam Box" that's already out-- the big difference is that Steam Box will standardize what to expect in terms of the baseline graphical performance, and it will also introduce the linux-based Steam OS for cheaper models that do not include Windows (which adds an extra $100 or so onto the cost of manufacturing the system).Timstuff

That's an interesting concept. When did they state this?

[QUOTE="Ly_the_Fairy"]

I think the idea behind the steambox is that it is its own entity, and not a PC.

It'll probably use a custom-tailored Linux OS, and anyone who wants to put a program on it will probably be able to. Anyone who wants to port their game to it will also be able to, and it won't come with the restrictions that PSN/XBL put in place that hinder updating, and DLC.

lundy86_4

That would be the way I assume it would work, given the info. It's a shame that it will bypass a lot of games, though.

I don't think so.

If it sells units the game developers will come :P

lol

Its gonna bomb so hard.

I don't think so.

If it sells units the game developers will come :P

Ly_the_Fairy

lol, true. I'm essentially saying that it's Valve creating a system that won't (or will barely) utilize their existing game distribution system. Missing a lot of great PC games.

According to valve, the goal is to open up an ecosystem involving multiple manufacturers making their own Steam-based consoles, and some of them will run Windows 8 and offer the full PC experience on a TV. The Steam Box is going to be kind of like the Google Nexus phones-- it will be the cheapest, and it will define the base requirements for what Steam-based TV systems should have. From there, will will could see a lot of other companies like Asus, Samsung, Dell, etc. all jump on the bandwagon with more souped-up gaming HTPCs with more bells and whistles. The Alienware X51, overpriced and underpowered as it is, is an easy example of something like a third-party "Steam Box" that's already out-- the big difference is that Steam Box will standardize what to expect in terms of the baseline graphical performance, and it will also introduce the linux-based Steam OS for cheaper models that do not include Windows (which adds an extra $100 or so onto the cost of manufacturing the system).Timstuff

This is going to be such a flop

[QUOTE="Ly_the_Fairy"]

I don't think so.

If it sells units the game developers will come :P

lundy86_4

lol, true. I'm essentially saying that it's Valve creating a system that won't (or will barely) utilize their existing game distribution system. Missing a lot of great PC games.

Right, but like I said I don't think that's the idea.

They want a console with the freedom of the PC, and the hope is they get a lot of dev support as a result.

will fail unless it does some thing awesome.

Right, but like I said I don't think that's the idea.

They want a console with the freedom of the PC, and the hope is they get a lot of dev support as a result.

Ly_the_Fairy

Wow, totally had a brainfart there lol. That makes sense, though it's going to be interesting to see the competition, and whether Valve could essentially market themselves as releasing a console/PC hybrid.

I don't see a real pc gamer getting this.

[QUOTE="Ly_the_Fairy"]

Right, but like I said I don't think that's the idea.

They want a console with the freedom of the PC, and the hope is they get a lot of dev support as a result.

lundy86_4

Wow, totally had a brainfart there lol. That makes sense, though it's going to be interesting to see the competition, and whether Valve could essentially market themselves as releasing a console/PC hybrid.