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Valve's 'Steam Box' Console Is Real, Says Gabe Newell

Posted by Soulskill on from the come-out-right-after-half-life-3 dept.

symbolset writes "The Verge is reporting that the Steam Console we discussed in November is a real thing. Gabe Newell said it will be a locked down platform for the living room. The source is a Kotaku interview with Newell at the Video Game Awards. Newell said, 'Well certainly our hardware will be a very controlled environment. If you want more flexibility, you can always buy a more general-purpose PC. For people who want a more turnkey solution, that's what some people are really gonna want for their living room. The nice thing about a PC is a lot of different people can try out different solutions, and customers can find the ones that work best for them.'"

43 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. What I'd like to see... by crafty.munchkin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    is Steam Big Picture as a desktop environment for ubuntu, or something along those lines - a linux OS which boots up into Steam. So you can build your own steam console with the hardware you want (and is fully upgradeable when new tech comes out) and ready to rock as soon as the OS is installed.

    --
    ... wait, what?
    1. Re:What I'd like to see... by the+real+darkskye · · Score: 5, Informative

      We already have Ubuntu variants which boot straight to an application (XMBCbuntu), and use the official repos for updates.
      Chances are someone will mix up a Steamuntu, even if its not officially supported by Valve but gets all the official Ubuntu updates.

      From what I can tell of the beta Linux Steam client, its responsible for its own updates rather than adding a new repository (like Google Chrome does) and relying on the user to keep their OS up to date.

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    2. Re:What I'd like to see... by SeaFox · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...So you can build your own steam console with the hardware you want (and is fully upgradeable when new tech comes out) and ready to rock as soon as the OS is installed.

      That would defeat the strongest argument for the console: it just runs and you know it will runs what's available for it. Build-your-own comes with the all the headaches that come with it: driver compatibility, hardware reliability, and performance requirements for individual games. Console games are for all the Joe Sixpacks who just wants to flip a switch and play. When I used to buy games for my SNES, I didn't have to look at the box and wonder "do I have enough RAM for this?", "will I need to install a better graphics card to get smooth gameplay?"

      If you want a full-screen gaming environment for Ubuntu, when Steam is available for Linux, is there any reason you couldn't just build a dedicated gaming PC for the living room in an HTPC case, and then install Ubuntu and set it to auto-run Steam in Big Picture mode when it boots up. This sounds like a request you can already fulfill on your own.

    3. Re:What I'd like to see... by SeaFox · · Score: 3, Informative

      How is that any different than just building your own PC how you want and installing Steam on it?

    4. Re:What I'd like to see... by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That probably wouldn't be easy as too many things are evolving too rapidly in Linux ATM, you have the kernel changes, Pulse,Unity, and of course you have the issues with the graphics drivers, its just changing far too rapidly to make a good DIY console using Linux.

      I'll probably get hate for pointing this out but other than Tablets this is the one place where Win 8's metro GUI actually works well, its Metro interface is practically a 10 foot UI right OOTB, hard to miss those big ass fugly tiles with a remote on a 50 inch screen, and it probably wouldn't be hard at all to set steam to launch in BPM automatically at start up. And of course since neither the kernel nor the subsystems will be changed for the life of the OS once you have it set the way you like it just like a console that's it, it'll stay that way for the life of the system. And while I personally prefer Win 7 at $40 a pop Win 8 makes a cheap OS for a STB and of course that gives you access to the entire steam library and not just the few that use OpenGL.

      That said I wish Valve nothing but luck, with both Valve and Sony bringing X86 based consoles to market its gonna be another golden age for us PC gamers, since it'll be trivial to launch both the console and the PC version at the same time. Frankly its a great time to be a PC gamer regardless, you can pick up AMD triple kits for $200, quads for less than $250, slap a cheap copy of Windows on it along with an HD4850 or HD7770 and for less than $360 you have a system that'll play nearly any game out there with great graphics on a monitor or a TV with HDMI.

      I have built several of these for customers and they just love it, a full blown HTPC is just so much more versatile than a console, you can rip all your music and movies to it and use it as a media center, through Steam gaming is cheap, streaming over the web means you can get rid of the cable bill, and most games support controllers now so you can just grab a couple of cheap wireless X360 pads and have fun.

      With LCD TV prices falling like a stone and all of them having HDMI the gamer boxes and the dirt cheap AMD E350 "wife wants her FB" boxes are my two biggest sellers ATM, its soooo much cheaper now than it was when I first started gaming. Remember when we'd have to replace our entire systems every year and a half just to play the latest games? So I'm personally all for this, more gamers on X86 means more games and plenty of selection, sounds good to me. Go Valve!

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    5. Re:What I'd like to see... by symbolset · · Score: 2

      A Steam box is a platform owned by Valve. They control its destiny. This control is important to them, and to the gamers who entrust them with their money. This control ensures that the platform can't be yanked out from under them, depriving their customers of their investment and ruining their good name.

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    6. Re:What I'd like to see... by Raumkraut · · Score: 2

      That probably wouldn't be easy as too many things are evolving too rapidly in Linux ATM

      Two words: Debian Stable
      Or, if they stick to Ubuntu, three words: Long Term Support

    7. Re:What I'd like to see... by realityimpaired · · Score: 2

      Given the constant evolution of graphics hardware and considering that open-source Linux drivers often lack behind by a generation anyways, the idea of relying on up to 2-3 year old drivers for gaming seems absurd.

      You do that all the time on consoles. You don't seriously think that the Nintendo Wii, which hasn't had a firmware update in a while, is running brand new drivers for its video card?

      Lock the kernel version, have it do automatic updates at 3am (with a check to delay doing them if the owner is gaming at the time), and there is no reason that a Linux-based console can't succeed. And by going with Linux as a platform, it does exactly what TFA said it would do... you can buy their console, or you can build your own. You also have buy once, play anywhere ability, which gives it a huge advantage over the other consoles... want to play your new game on your desktop computer, just log in and play it. Want it on the big screen/console? then play it there instead. You don't need to buy the game twice to be able to do this.

    8. Re:What I'd like to see... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      One of the key selling points of the Amiga, especially for parents was that not only was the system able to direct boot into games like a console (which kept the kids happy), but it could also be used to learn, do your homework and write programs etc - which kept the parents happy. This was the stated reason why my parents bought me one anyway.

      It certainly worked for me. I got an A500 and a Panasonic dot matrix printer with epson emulation and used it to print papers for many years. I had to write a lot of lines in elementary school and it hurts me pretty badly to write much with a pen or pencil, so typing really improved my academic output.

      --
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    9. Re:What I'd like to see... by Curupira · · Score: 5, Informative

      Chances are someone will mix up a Steamuntu, even if its not officially supported by Valve but gets all the official Ubuntu updates.

      Yeah, someone already did just that :)

    10. Re:What I'd like to see... by zippthorne · · Score: 2

      That is an interesting idea -

      Instead of having an actual steam box, publish a "steam standard" which pc makers can certify against and game makers can use in their requirements.

      Instead of a long list of requirements, the game can just say, "steam 2013 or better" and people can buy machines certified to those standards. The trick would be to publish useful standards frequently enough that they remain useful, but not so often that there are as many standards as possible configurations anyway.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    11. Re:What I'd like to see... by Kelbear · · Score: 2

      OP is right on the money. The difference between Console vs. PC has nothing to do with hardware or software, and everything to do with control.

      The bottom line is that all of the hardware and software in these categories have changed, and are going to continue to change. The fundamental difference is who gets to choose the direction of those changes. Under a vendor-controlled environment, there is one-size-fits-all convenience, and clarity in design for developers. Under PC environments, you have freedom to install/remove/modify, and numerous vendors vying for the acceptance of the users. Both carry their own upsides and downsides, and there will be situations where the lines will blur, but the controversy will go on, and will boil down to "who should have control?"

      I find consoles and PC both have unique experiences or games that are better experienced on a particular platform, so I just bought all 3 consoles in addition to my PC so I can enjoy all of the updates.

      Yet I still find value in what Valve is doing here. I've recently updated my PC hardware. This process entailed the following:

      1) BF3 takes 20-30minutes to load. That means a match is nearly over by the time I get in. This is likely a bug, but ultimately it means that I need loading to go faster to play with my friends. So I want to buy an SSD.
      2) I don't have a motherboard that supports an SSD. So I need a new motherboard
      3) I don't have a CPU that'd work on a new motherboard, so that means a new CPU. Ditto with my RAM, so I need to upgrade that too.
      4) So I have to research the CPU, RAM, and Motherboard for the best bang-for-buck hardware. This part has actually gotten FAR easier, since Tomshardware has ongoing recommended parts guides with multiple budget tiers.
      5) Installing a motherboard should be simple, except due to the extreme growth in size of modern GPUs, and a change in location of one of the power sockets, I can't stretch a power cable over the GPU and into the socket located as far away as possible from my PSU as possible. I have to disconnect everything and strip out plates and fans from the case just to gain an extra millimeter of space to plug the damn motherboard in.
      6) This causes the sound card to die. The extreme proximity of the power cable to the sound card causes too much interference and I have to remove it and go with on-board sound.
      5) Once installing these, I find that IDE cables are not supported by my motherboard, only SATA, so my dvd-drive is now obsolete. My driver disc is also useless now as a result, so I have to manually locate and load 6 driver packs, in a specific order, to ensure stability.
      6) After black-friday deals, I got my SSD, as well as a replacement DVD-drive that uses SATA cables.
      7) When I begin install these, though I have plenty of SATA cables find that my power supply only has 4 power cables for SATA drives, and 3 are already occupied by HDDs, so after adding my SSD I still don't have a dvd drive.
      8) I rarely find that after-market computer cases need upgrades for compatibility, but apparently my Antec P90 case does not have drive bays that support the tiny dimensions of the SSD, even using the tray-mount that was supposed to help fit it into a 3.5 bay. The case uses gel mounts with special long screws that help reduce vibration noise, so I don't even have screws for the SSD either. Ultimately I just remove two screws from other harddrives, and put them into the front 2 screw holes so that the SSD is left flopping around loose in the back. Luckily there's no mechanical components and I don't anticipate moving the case around so I left the issue alone rather than buy a new case. Eventually I'll upgrade the case and PSU, and the obsolete parts can be made into an HTPC.

      As a PC gamer I just take these annoyances in stride because this process has been worse in the past, and I know what the payoff is like. But for the wider market, it's a big obstacle in the user experience. Many people just buy pre-packaged dell PCs to spare themselves the hassle (and ge

  2. Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by GeneralTurgidson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Arguably, Valve probably wouldn't be pushing full "steam" ahead on this if Microsoft hadn't dreamt up a Windows Store. This is in my opinion a real game changer for the PC ecosystem and the future of Windows.

    1. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Microsoft's biggest mistake was putting a tablet interface in their desktop OS.

    2. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by tibman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      lol, what percentage of gamers is that?

      --
      http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
    3. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The game it'll be changing is Windows dominance of PC gaming.

      Already big publishers and new games under development are starting to look closer at Linux support because of the Steam beta. They don't like what they see in Win8 any more than Gabe Newell does.

      My prediction is Valve will get behind Linux in a big, big way and this will be looked back upon as a turning point in history.

      Start with a Steam box, then certify higher-end hardware Steam-ready with curated, updated, solid OSS drivers available for the build-your-own crowd, once that's done major vendors start taking some of that hardware, rebranding it, and adding a Steam-ready sticker. For cheaper than Win8 at equivalent specs. Remember, the reason companies that offer Linux consumer hardware usually have it more expensive due to drivers & support; if Valve takes a big chunk of that off of their hands, Linux can compete with Windows on an even playing field.

      Suddenly Linux becomes EASY for Joe sixpack, he can buy it in a store, it's exposing an interface he's more familiar with (more Windows-like than Windows), comes with loads of free software, games, and the sticker price is lower. This is a potential nightmare scenario for Microsoft, and I think this is Valve's endgame.

      I certainly hope it is.

    4. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by nschubach · · Score: 2

      Estimates have Steam at just over 50 million active accounts and Xbox Live at just over 40 million.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    5. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by symbolset · · Score: 4, Informative

      Um, they put it on the server too. Tiles with Facebook and Twitter integration on your Domain and Exchange servers. How is that not worse than the tablet interface on the desktop?

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      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    6. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by artor3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      5.6 million concurrent Steam users.

      Google "concurrent xbox live users", and it looks like they set a record of 2 million a few years back. That's all users, not just the paying Gold users. I'm sure they've grown since then, but tripled?

      Now, the obvious caveat is that it's more common to play on an Xbox without an internet connection than it is to play in Steam's offline mode. But Steam's user base is definitely at least comparable to Xbox's.

    7. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Ha-ha. Running Windows on a server. That's funny.

    8. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by symbolset · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, really, it's not funny. Nor fun. But it is true.

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    9. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Steam measures logged in users as concurrent users. Many people (myself included) are counted 24/7 as a concurrent user even though I rarely play a steam game (usually civ when I get bored) as the steam client starts up by default when your computer is on, people only load up an xbox when they are going to play a game.

    10. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by jones_supa · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, no, no. It's confirmed research published in 2012 by authors Stetson, Harrison.[1]

    11. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by realityimpaired · · Score: 2

      And if we're reading this right, the Steambox is basically a Linux-based computer with connectivity for your TV.

      How many desktop monitors are out there with HDMI input these days? And do you really think they're going to invent a new connector when there's already a huge number of game controllers that connect with USB? What's to stop you from plugging your mouse/keyboard into it, and plugging it into a desktop monitor? A majority of games being made for PC these days already have native support for game controllers or a more traditional pc/mouse interface, and it's unlikely that's going to stop any time soon. XBox is using USB for the controllers, and the Nintendo Wii has USB ports that let you plug in a keyboard for use in the browser and configuration screens, after all...

      If Valve is halfway smart about it, they'll continue giving you a choice between the traditional and the "big picture" interfaces, and have a way to escape out to a normal desktop on the device as well, or at least integrate apps in. They're already selling non-game software on Steam, and it's really a short trip for them to start offering stuff like LibreOffice and Firefox there, too.

    12. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Bert64 · · Score: 2

      And even more things where a serial console server is a lot faster...
      I don't even enter the server room unless i need to fix a hardware fault, the idea of standing in a cold noisy server room operating a touchscreen or slide out keyboard is riduculous! In fact, the servers are a good hour's worth of travel away from me and i haven't been there since new year's eve last year (when we moved stuff from another location to minimise disruption).

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    13. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Suddenly Linux becomes EASY for Joe sixpack, he can buy it in a store

      That's what I did in 1995 with a six CDROM set.

      Joe sixpack buys operating systems with computers.

      --
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    14. Re:Microsoft's Biggest Mistake by Electricity+Likes+Me · · Score: 2

      No, but work and other forms of entertainment have always worked great on Linux. Hell, I can use random off-the-shelf printers more easily on Linux then on Windows now. It's a superb OS when you want to get some data analysis done.

      There are only two reason to boot into Windows - Office, and gaming. Office is a legacy issue - my professors are now using iPads and other devices which don't speak "native" office and I suspect sending them ODFs would lead to less "your formatting is all broken" problems.

      People make gaming out to be a triviality, yet gaming has made commerical-scale flight simulation an off-the-shelf affair - and I remember when Voodoo graphics cards were a big deal for Descent 2. If you don't need to boot windows to do your gaming, then that's significant - suddenly people are thinking "what else don't I need to reboot for?" and looking at that $300 Windows license as over a year's worth of purchases on Steam weekend sales.=.

      That change infiltrates. It may take time - it won't be overnight - but again, I've lived through the growth of PC gaming from cube-model software rendered graphics to wanting the latest and greatest graphics cards to not caring because mid-range will last for years.

      But we'll know when Microsoft is worried, because Mono will suddenly be good enough to let us run Office on Linux.

  3. The countdown begins... by mpoulton · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How long until someone has it cracked and running general-purpose Linux? Bonus: How long until someone makes a cluster of them?

    --
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  4. Re:Dammit Valve! by gmueckl · · Score: 2

    Have you read the Kotaku story? Newell expects 3rd party hardware specifically for Steam and its big screen mode; these would obviously be PCs. Their own hardware will be locked down, but you don't have to buy it.

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  5. Re:Dammit Valve! by symbolset · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He's not saying they're doing away with Steam on PCs. Steam will still be available on Windows, Mac and - soon - Linux. If Steam stops working on Windows it won't be Valve's fault. And if it does stop working on Windows you'll be able to get most of your Steam games without buying them again - complete with all the in-game content - on a platform that is less hostile to successful Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). They'll maintain Windows Steam for as long as it is possible and financially feasible to do so but given the history of Lotus, Wordperfect, Borland, Aldus, Sun, Star, Netscape, Novell and many others, that won't be forever. Sooner or later Windows will be updated in a way that Steam won't run on it, and that won't be Valve's fault. They're hanging in there for you as best they can, but they don't write the platform.

    By doing this he's maybe building an intimidating counter-threat to Microsoft: break Steam like you break the OS for other competing ISVs and we'll take our users elsewhere. By doing so he may be incentivizing Microsoft to not break Windows-based steam. By making a platform they DO own, Valve is making a commitment to continue to offer you a platform your Steam games will run on, in as much as their participating developers will support it. They can't make the developers support it, but this is the best they can do. Buy the Steam console, and your Steam games will be able to continue to be supported because they DO own the platform.

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  6. Knowing Gabe by Kryptonian+Jor-El · · Score: 5, Funny

    It won't make it past its 2nd iteration

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  7. Re:Dammit Valve! by caitsith01 · · Score: 2

    Sooner or later Windows will be updated in a way that Steam won't run on it

    Given that Windows 7 (what I use... haven't tried 8) still natively runs things designed for Windows 95 and 98, I'm not sure when or how you think Steam is going to "stop working" on Windows.

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  8. Steam Still Locked to One Concurrent User by deweyhewson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Until this is resolved, I'm wary of locking myself into Valve any more than I already am. The thought of a locked down environment worries me, too; that seems antithetical to what has made PC gaming and enthusiasm what it is.

    Still, it's Valve, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but being trapped in one more walled garden not only with software but hardware is not the direction I like the industry to move.

    1. Re:Steam Still Locked to One Concurrent User by Hadlock · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Can we keep the reddit imgur spam on reddit please? If you can't explain your point in complete paragraphs without an image macro for assistance, you might want to look elsewhere.

      --
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    2. Re:Steam Still Locked to One Concurrent User by SpeZek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So have the wife and kid play in offline mode?

  9. Meh by Dunge · · Score: 2

    We don't need more hardware, the current PC is good enough. Just give us some good software/games for it already.

  10. Re:Dammit Valve! by symbolset · · Score: 2

    You do know that Gabe Newell used to work for Microsoft, and knows how they play this game, don't you? When he was there he worked this to his advantage and now that he's competing with them he's working his understanding of the way they do things to his advantage also.

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  11. You do know those numbers arn't comparable. by tuppe666 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    70 million xbox sold, 5.6 million simulatenous users on steam tonight(presumably more total)

    Yup, microsoft wouldn't even notice.

    A more comparable figures would be Steam is 54 million active user accounts [concurrent peak users did peak at 6 million]. The numbers seem surprisingly close to seriously threaten Microsofts console gaming platform with Steam Cross-Multi-Platform

    As for Microsoft not even noticing, they would be incredibly foolish not to, Microsoft has very little benefit over other platforms right now, even installations will be overtaken by android as soon as next year. Its gaming...and its control of the Graphics API lock-in are essential to if remaining relevant to the consumer market, which is being increasingly challenged.

    Microsoft ALWAYS notice the competition they will be out with their chequebooks and lawyers banking on steams door.

  12. Cartridges should make a comeback by MindPrison · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And you would have the console everyone missed.

    You could just plug it in, and play straight away few seconds later, nothing beats that feeling.
    Today everything has to boot forever, it takes several minutes just to wait for another game to boot up, I hate that. I live with it, but I don't like it.

    With todays amazing solid state drive developments, this shouldn't be impossible. USB-memory sticks costs almost as little as CD's and Floppy Disks did back in the days, so we're getting there.

    And the first console to do this, will win.

    --
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    1. Re:Cartridges should make a comeback by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 4, Informative

      The reason why that worked was that the pins in those cartridge slots were basically pins to system memory. So when you plugged in a cart it was like plugging in roms directly to the board.

      Flash just isn't as fast for reading as you think it is. Even on the ds and vita, you're still waiting for load times.

      --
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  13. Re:thanks for all the beta test work suckers by fa2k · · Score: 2

    It's happened before, it happened again.

    A prime example is Boxee. It started as a fork of XBMC, and the software was free. They made some hardware (Boxee box) to make it easier for people. Then they gradually phased out the software, and it's no longer being maintained (don't know if it can be downloaded). It seems that it's easy for companies to get fixated on money^W control^W hardware.

  14. Re:Dammit Valve! by Chryana · · Score: 2

    Wow, a Valve fan. Kinda like an Apple fan. I really don't know how to answer to this, because there is nothing to answer to. I'll try to rephrase my last post, even though I know it is a waste of time.

    symbolset: Since Steam will stop working on Windows, Valve is doing this to protect us...
    caithsith01: I can still run programs written 15 years ago on Windows. Why would Steam stop working?
    symbolset: MS is well known to take over the market previously occupied by ISVs....
    chryana: What the hell does this have to do with caithsith01's point?
    symbolset: Gabe protects his customers. You're so heartless.
    chryana: I'll try to rephrase what I just said in a way that you can understand, but I don't think it's possible.

    If will not bother replying to any further post you make, because I think you missed the opportunity for a rational discussion to take place.

  15. Re:"locked down" by realityimpaired · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Locked down, in this case, I think means something different from what you think it does. When developpers talk about locking down hardware requirements, they mean having a set spec to develop for.

    If, for example, the "Steambox" ends up being a Core i3 dual core @ 2.9GHz, with 4GB of RAM, and a Radeon HD 7750 video card, then hardware developpers know that if they make sure their game runs on this spec then they're safe. It's a fairly cheap spec which could easily hit the sub-$400 PC market and go directly for consoles (could probably get it sub-$300 with that spec), and yet it's still powerful enough to run most modern games at max settings on 1080p.

    Similarly, if you'd prefer to build your own, maybe have a bigger hard drive (which they'd have to skimp on to keep it sub-$300) and a more powerful processor or an optical drive, then you can. Stick Linux of your choice on there, pull down Steam from the repositories, and you have a reasonable assurance that anything built for the Steambox will also run on your own computer. And if you *really* want to continue running Windows, then you can, for now, and will be able to do so until Microsoft finally kicks Steam out. But Steam is going to be pushing developpers to start making stuff that works on Linux (and is making sure their own engine works on Linux for starters).

    I would be surprised if this isn't similar to Gabe's vision, given what he said in the interview itself.