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Valve Announces Steambox, Sort Of

Posted by timothy on from the rumor-of-a-leak-of-a-buzz-generation-machine dept.

wbr1 writes "A new page has appeared over at Steam with this slightly cryptic text, a countdown, and an image of a console controller. 'Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepads. This year we've been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living-room. Soon, we'll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam.' It appears Gabe Newell wants to throw his hat in the console ring now with the Xbox One and PS4 about to be released. The countdown to the announcement is targeted at Monday."

19 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. They've got a good shot at it by msobkow · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think Valve has a very good shot at taking on the console market.

    They have a recognizable and respected name.

    Their online delivery system is tested and reliable.

    Their software quality is generally good.

    What I know of their test betas has been solid.

    They have a huge catalogue of games for the platform before it's even released.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    1. Re:They've got a good shot at it by Torp · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually they don't have a huge catalogue, since it will supposedly run Linux.
      Unless they'll provide a lot of games prepackaged with a version of Wine customized to run like lightning on their hardware... hmm...

      --
      I apologize for the lack of a signature.
    2. Re:They've got a good shot at it by wertigon · · Score: 5, Informative

      200 launch titles is nothing to scoff at, actually...

      --
      systemd is not an init system. It's a GNU replacement.
    3. Re:They've got a good shot at it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well the current count on the store's Linux list is 297. Maybe not huge, but I don't remember many consoles having nearly 300 games before being even announced...
      And yes, they ARE working on releasing games with Wine. System Shock 2 and Wizardry 8 are on the list AFAIK (ok, not the freshest games, but still...)

    4. Re:They've got a good shot at it by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      They may not have a huge library of linux games, but what they do have are some exclusive AAA titles they could trot out. L4D3, HL3, Portal 3, etc....

      --
      Silence is a state of mime.
    5. Re:They've got a good shot at it by ubersoldat2k7 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Apart of the 200 already existing titles already mentioned, SteamBox + HalfLife3 would be a killer move from Valve and place them, at least, at a very good starting position. I can dream, can't I?

      What worries me is that, some big shots like GTAV are not in those 200 titles.

    6. Re:They've got a good shot at it by Alef · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's one part of the equation; a few big titles is more or less necessary for them to stand a chance at all. But they still need someone to produce the consoles cheaply (if they cost like a gaming PC it'll never compete with XBone or PS4), and that requires volume, which in turn requires a huge initial investment and commitment. I'm not saying it's impossible, and as a Linux user, once a gamer myself I really hope they succeed, but they only way I'd bet on it is if they've managed to attract some of the big players in the hardware industry (e.g. Samsung, LG, Asus, Acer) that might be interested in grabbing piece of the console gaming pie and are willing to chip in some serious resources to do it.

    7. Re:They've got a good shot at it by Rolpa · · Score: 5, Funny

      Who cares about GTAV?.

      I have a billion dollars that would like to have a word with you.

    8. Re:They've got a good shot at it by aliquis · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Bundle it with all their own titles (Half-life, HL2, CS, TF2, Portal 1 & 2) would be a start for people who haven't played it, maybe not that exciting for people who play games though.

    9. Re:They've got a good shot at it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      They may not have a huge library of linux games, but what they do have are some exclusive AAA titles they could trot out. L4D3, HL3, Portal 3, etc....

      Oh come on guys, lighten up. Just because its called a Steambox doesn't mean it actually has to be filled with vaporware.

  2. Re:that name.. by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 5, Funny

    XBone.. is that really what people are calling it, in a non derogatory way?

    Some of us had assumed all references to XBone were derogatory, one way or another.
    But it's hard to tell, as even fans of the XBone seem to use the same term. It's as if they somehow enjoy being boned.

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  3. Console controller? by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That device is called a "gamepad" and has existed on the PC for years.

  4. Re:Not gonna happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Then you, my friend may not be their target audience.
    If Valve make titles available to play on both PC & Steambox with just the one license then I would likely purchase one.

  5. Re:that name.. by wbr1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    OP here. I meant it as derogatory.

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
  6. Re:Not gonna happen by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Half Life 3? Left for Dead 3? Portal 3? Team Fortress 3?

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
  7. Re:that name.. by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

    And what would you call the next one after that? Infinity+1? Infinity++?

    You have to be careful with superlatives and absolutes when naming your product, unless you're pretty sure that it will be the swan song to your line of ...

    You're right. XBox Infinity would have been fitting.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. They want my input by Aboroth · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Soon, we’ll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam.

    Oh great, because I have some features I've been wanting for a long time, like being able to sell or trade my games to other accounts, or selectively appearing offline to different contacts on steam, or at least not broadcasting what I'm playing to certain people...

    Oh, you don't want that kind of input. You don't really give a shit about what I want.

    Well screw you then.

  9. Re:Not gonna happen by Nerdfest · · Score: 3, Informative

    Windows is pushing towards the "Metro"/Apple model where they get 30% of all software sold. Valve sees this coming a little earlier than most.

  10. Subject matter by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    There's no Nintendo GTA5

    There's also no Nintendo Katamari, despite the Wii being more powerful than the PS2 on which the series debuted. Perhaps Nintendo just doesn't want the subject matter of GTA5 on its console.