valve may have a new console box

[goldenfooler]

Valve May Introduce Its Own Video Game Console - Rumour.
Valve May Be Readying "Steam Box"

[03/05/2012 06:07 PM]
by Anton Shilov
While some market observers believe that one of the current game console designers may quit making hardware, other say that Valve Software, a well-known game developer and the owner of Steam video game delivery system may enter the market with its own game console. In case Valve introduces its own game platform, it may redefine the market of home entertainment.

Valve's game console is projected to be based on off-the-shelf hardware, but will allow it to ensure high performance in games provided that game developers design their titles with the system in mind. Valve has already started to hold meetings with other industry players to discuss the console and The Verge web-site even reports that it demonstrated a system powered by Intel Corp.'s Core i7 microprocessor, Nvidia Corp. graphics adapter and 8GB of memory behind closed doors at the consumer electronics show.

The "Steam Box" hardware will reportedly be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up. The boxes will not require special devkits, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform. Unfortunately, it is unknown what will be the difference between "Steam Box" and typical systems with installed Steam software. At present it is only reported that Steam Box will feature proprietary controllers.


Zeebo game console

The system from Valve will not exactly be like Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation or Nintendo Wii, but will rather be a platform with rich set of features that will allow Valve to sell not only video games, but other types of content and/or provide different non-gaming services. In any case, with Valve going hardware business, the competition on the market of home entertainment will be significantly different than it is today.

Many companies tried to enter the market of game consoles in the recent years, but all of them failed due to intensifying competition between Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo and consequent inability to offer something truly different and competitive

[WalkinTarget]

A whole lot of discussion about this already on other gamer/tech websites already. I find it interesting that Valve wants to dip its toes into the hardware side of the pool. Ask Microsoft how that worked out

From routers to keyboards, game controllers and even the Zune - many have been buried a long time ago. I still own a Sidewinder GameVoice and a Force Feedback 2 joystick from them.

I still fail to see how gaming on my sofa with their choice of a controller will equal or exceed my sitting at a desk with a keyboard and mouse combo. It just ... cannot .. be done.

[WalkinTarget]

The comment I read that was most interesting for this is as follows:

What if this new "Steam console" were actually a thin client that simply hooked up to your TV, and then streamed the games from your desktop PC? That would be absolutely brilliant. Think OnLive, but instead of the game being rendered on a server hundreds of miles away, the game's actually running on a computer somewhere else in your house, and the video is being streamed to your living room HDTV.

Now THAT is an idea that I like, but again, the 10' interface kills it. They already own a patent for a special controller that allows button remapping, so this may actually be what Steam is trying to do.

http://v.cdn.cad-comic.com/comics/ca...0305-20729.png

[Pumpkin_Jack]

Is it its own platform or a way to connect with PC gamers? Only way I think this will be able to get a foothold is if it make cross platforming possible btw it and pc, to use Valve's already potent community to help it along

[goldenfooler]

I think this will just run steam through a box and let you play online like a PC with a controller.
In my mind steam would run like it does now, why change an operating system that is already running well.

I bet there is alot of money behind this, maybe steve allen wants to get back at bill gates.
The good thing is they already have a online store made. All they need is something powerfull enough to run a game like skyrim.

[harpy]

SteamBox as a development platform would be great. It's virtually a no brainer. Assuming it is essentially a windows PC, we would reap a ton of benefits if this were to take off:

1. More "pc" games. The `target` platform would ultimately be a PC, meaning more titles ported to the PC.

2. More "pc" gamers. They may not realize it but people logging in would be `PC` gamers. This may not be a big boon, if they're partitioned into their own user space. But if they bunch us together, it'd be great. This assumes we don't run into the Mouse/Keyboard vs Console Controller problem.

3. A more open market. The article said anyone could develop for steam. It'd be great for indy developers. *HOWEVER* ... Steam is selective, just because you make a game does not mean they will allow you to deploy it. This point is strikingly similar to (1) in that we will have more PC games as a result.

Now, what benefits would Valve reap? Well assuming you have a PC platform:

1. Leverage existing windows code. There is a ton of stuff already written for windows. They could provide chrome, webkit, or firefox + flash. A decent web browser, that is constantly updated. Not to mention they have all the components available for a HTPC.

2. An upgradable console? With reasonable engineering, they could make the console upgradable. Future proof it to a degree - have plug-and-play graphics cards.

3. Obviously, they have the distribution system. Discs are dying. Steam fights piracy and lets people shop for games @ home. Every game distributed by them makes them $.

There are a ton of other reasons this is a pretty big deal for PC gamers. But these are the reasons that come to mind.

[NateTheBrewer]

Recent press release says the photos posted were just a development box they use to test games on - they verified they are NOT building a console.

[Pumpkin_Jack]

That's just because its not technically a console?

[NateTheBrewer]

That's just because its not technically a console?

No its just a PC build they use for gametesters... they have done that going all the way back to the first HL...

http://www.vg247.com/2012/03/08/valv...any-time-soon/