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Valve Announces Hardware Beta Test For 'Steam Machine'
Valve's second major living-room-gaming announcement landed today: they have produced a prototype model of their first "Steam Machine." They've made 300 units, and they'll be sending the machines to users in a very limited beta test. Valve hastens to add that this device isn't the only Steam-focused hardware: "Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS." They haven't released specs, but they guaranteed the prototypes will ship this year. They explicitly permit using it in any way — swapping parts, changing the OS, installing any software, etc. "The specific machine we're testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware. Other boxes will optimize for size, price, quietness, or other factors."
I simply don't trust valve. They are currently the lesser of all evils but still evil nonetheless. Give me a gaming kernel replacement (kind of like the real time kernel) in a general purpose OS that I remain in control of and that doesn't spy on me and I'll be a cheerleader. But this thing will do all the same old same old such as spy on me, try to control what I can and can't do on my own machine, try to lock my content, impose artificial limits that I have to buy back etc. etc. etc.
Digital is, by definition, imperfect. Analog is the way to go.
30 testers, hand picked for being forum trolls and reporting the obvious .
270 testers, picked at random when they do the following:
- Join some random group (facebook like anyone?)
- Add 10 friends (10 random people you've never met, nor, give a shit about)
- Launch and play a game using a gamepad in Big Picture mode (Play a game with a restricted console controller, on your PC!)
If you cant beat facebook, just be facebook.
This isnt a beta test, its a marketing gimmick using muppets to promote the product.
No offence, but i expected a more "controlled" beta, using people with experience, hell, even fill out a form of YOUR EXPERIENCE. Not some typical facebook users with an IQ less than 10.
Bloody worlds gone to pot, shame Valve has followed the trend.