Windows 10 App For Xbox One Could Render Steam Machines Useless

SlappingOysters writes: The release of Windows 10 has brought with it the Xbox app -- a portal through which you can stream anything happening on your Xbox One to your Surface or desktop. Finder is reporting that the love will go the other way, too, with a PC app coming to the Xbox One allowing you to stream your desktop to your console. But where does this leave the coming Steam Machines? This analysis shows how such an app could undermine the Steam Machines' market position.

Comments

Watch Out!

[Kiaser Zohsay]

Those vapors could be bad for you.

Streaming doesn't work

[jfdavis668]

No one has gotten streaming one machine to another to work anywhere near as well as just running on native hardware.

Re: Streaming doesn't work

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe not as well as running it natively, but they've definitely got it working well enough. I've already played games using Steam streaming from one computer to another. It absolutely works and the latency is nowhere near as bad as you'd think.

The problem comes with playing a game on a device with a totally inappropriate input system. They already make gaming laptops but they suck for gaming because the laptop form factor sucks for gaming. Sony offers PS4 streaming to the Vita and that sucks because the Vita sucks. Streaming PC games to the Xbox One is going to require hooking up a keyboard and mouse to really work well.

So streaming works - but is almost always worthless because generally if you have a "gaming computer" you're going to want to use it directly over any other device even if streaming were perfect. I can't imagine trying to game on one of those lousy Surface tablet things.

Steam Link

[Luthair]

is only what, $50 compared to $350 for an Xbox One? If you're looking for PC -> TV streaming that will be far more economical than buying an Xbox.

Steam Boxes have always had questionable value, they aren't going to be as efficient as consoles and do you really want that gaming PC in your living room?

Not sure I understand....

[nine-times]

I'm not sure I understand why this would make steam machines useless. The main value of a steam machine, as I see it, is that it allows you to have the convenience of a console in what is essentially a generic gaming PC. That is, it has a controller and a GUI aimed at connecting it to a TV and not using a keyboard or mouse, but it's not a locked-down console. It's just generic hardware that will play all of your PC games, and those games don't become obsolete and unplayable when you upgrade to the next generation.

The article says:

if you can use your Xbox One to play your PC on your TV, then your Xbox One can use Steam and effectively become a Steam Machine.

So what they're saying is, if you have a PC running Steam (which is really all a "Steam Machine" is) and an XBox One, then it's kind of the same as having a Steam Machine. Yes, it is... because you're starting with the scenario where you have a Steam machine. It's like saying, "There's no reason to buy a car, since if I already own a car and I buy a bicycle, it's like owning a car!"

Look, you shouldn't assume that I want an XBox. I can get a PC with better graphics and avoid being locked into Microsoft's ecosystem. I can install game mods, my games don't all go unnecessarily obsolete with every new generation of PC, Steam often has very good sales, Steam doesn't make me pay a monthly subscription for online services, and I can use that PC for other things if I like. To me, the only thing that would want me to buy a console at this point is if there were an exclusive game that I really wanted to play, and I've found that I can live without it. I don't want an XBox, so it doesn't make sense to me to say, "If you buy a Steam machine and an XBox, then it's like having a Steam machine!" I'll just buy a Steam machine, thank you, even if it's not a branded "Steam Machine".

"Don't buy it yet" strategy

[DrYak]

Somebody at Microsoft trying to breed a FUD strategy ("Don't buy SteamBoxes now, there's better 'planned in Microsoft's pipeline', it's gonna be much better: you'll see once it's there (eventually) you won't regret this, you're going to like it !).

Hmm..... I'm sure I've heard such stratgies before....
Where did it come from last time? Oh, yeah, from microsoft!

Re:"Don't buy it yet" strategy

[Kiaser Zohsay]

Toxic vaporware is tried and true Microsoft strategy. The fact that this time it is being deployed against a product that is still mostly vapor is noteworthy, but the fact that the actual name of the product is vapor is just too much irony too ignore.