Level 3
According to The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2840932/exclusive
Here's the Article for those who don't wish to click on the link:
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Recently there's been chatter that Valve — the company behind the massively popular gaming service Steam — has been considering getting into the hardware business. Specifically, there have been rumors that the company has been toying with the idea of creating a proper set-top console which could potentially pose a threat to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell even recently told Penny Arcade: "Well, if we have to sell hardware we will."
At a glance that would simply be interesting fodder for a gaming forum debate, but we've uncovered information that suggests that not only has Valve been secretly working on gaming hardware for the living room, but that the company is actively pursuing a strategy which would place Steam at the center of an open gaming universe that mirrors what Google has done with Android. Backing up that concept, in the same interview we quote above, Newell says that Valve doesn't really want to do hardware on its own, stating, "We'd rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it's important enough that if that's what we end up having to do, then that's what we end up having to do."
That jibes pretty well with this rumored arrangement.
According to sources, the company has been working on a hardware spec and associated software which would make up the backbone of a "Steam Box." The actual devices may be made by a variety of partners, and the software would be readily available to any company that wants to get in the game.
Adding fuel to that fire is a rumor that the Alienware X51 may have been designed with an early spec of the system in mind, and will be retroactively upgradable to the software.
Apparently meetings were held during CES to demo a hand-built version of the device to potential partners. We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The devices will be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up.
Part of the goal of establishing a baseline for hardware, we're told, is that it will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years. Additionally, there won't be a required devkit, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform.
We're hearing that a wide variety of USB peripherals will be compatible with the boxes, though it will likely ship with a proprietary controller. It's possible that the controller will even allow for swappable components, meaning that it can be reconfigured depending on the type of game you're playing. Think that sounds odd? Well Valve filed a patent for such a device last year.
Additionally, we're told that the kind of biometrics Valve uses in game testing will somehow be incorporated into these devices. Sources of ours say that the realtime biometric feedback in games will be a sea-change for users. To put it more succinctly, the sentiment we've heard is: "You won't ever look back." These biometric devices could come in the form of a bracelet, or be part of the standard controller.
The consoles will also take advantage of Steam's "Big Picture" mode, a feature Valve touted last year at GDC, but has yet to release to the public. According to the company's press release in 2011 "With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."
The most interesting piece of this puzzle may be related to that statement. According to sources, the Steam Box isn't intended to just clash with current gaming consoles. Rather, Valve wants to take Apple and its forthcoming new Apple TV products head-on. Newell has clear questions about Apple's strategy, telling the The Seattle Times "On the platform side, it's sort of ominous that the world seems to be moving away from open platforms," adding that "They build a shiny sparkling thing that attracts users and then they control people's access to those things."
The Steam Box could be unveiled at GDC, though we're also hearing that the company may wait until E3 this year to show off what it's been working on.
One thing is for sure, however: if these rumors turn out to be correct, there could be a whole new kind of battle for control of your living room happening in the near future. Of course, much of this is pieced together from a variety of sources, and there could be moving parts which we can't see. Some of this information could change.
We've reached out to Valve for comment, and will update the post with any new information we receive.
If true, this could be absolutely massive. Depending on whether or not it's a games console or just a Valve-certified/made PC, this has real potential. A next generation games console, with Steam's library and high specifications? Count me in. The only concern is the pottentiallyy high price but even at €450/€500 this could be a major competitor to any current or future console. Personally, if this is a reasonable price then this will be the only console I'll buy next generation unless Sony and Microsoft have something seriously impressive to tempt me away from Valve.
Also, I'll admit I stole/took this theory from Neogaf but, Half Life 3 as a release title anyone? It would help explain why there has been such a huge wait for the game (although more than likely it will not happen, I admit).
EDIT: Also, while this is currently a rumour and should be treated as such, there is still some evidence that lends a decent amount of believability to it, mainly detailed within the article. I hope, however, it is true.
Level 3
DrTrouserPlank wrote:I don't think it will be a console as we know it, and I don't think it will be open to developers in the same way the PS3 and 360 are. I think it will basically be a PC in a box that will open up the Steam and Valve library to people who don't own gaming PCs.
Getting into designing and producing genuine games consoles is a very expensive business and it's not something Valve does. They probably think that they are losing out on a large revenue stream because their games and Steam is still very much a PC based venture, and all the money is in the more console-centric market these days.
I'd agree with that. Based on the specifications listed in the article it seems pretty much like it will be a gaming PC targetted at the console market and optimised for gaming. The major advantage to this however is that because of the huge success of Steam there will already be a major catalogue once the console is released. Howeve:
The Article wrote:
Additionally, there won't be a required devkit, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform.
would suggest it would be much more open to developers than either the PS3 or 360. In addition to this Valve have also demonstrated regularly that they do not really approve of a closed platform, their recent critiscm of Live (and initial criticism of the PS3) being examples of this.
As for designing game consoles:
The Article wrote:
Newell says that Valve doesn't really want to do hardware on its own, stating, "We'd rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it's important enough that if that's what we end up having to do, then that's what we end up having to do."
it seems to me like they don't really want to design it. They literally want to create a standard set of hardware requirements that developers can keep in mind for when designing games, in a similar way to how Steam has become a standard platform for computer games.
As for "They probably think that they are losing out on a large revenue stream because their games and Steam is still very much a PC based venture, and all the money is in the more console-centric market these days." That's probably true. Due to Steam however and being privately owned Valve are basically sitting upon a constantly renewing source of income that is unlikely to be lost anytime soon. It seems likely that they are hoping that this will make Steam even larger than it already is and the main platform for game distribution.
Of course, I'm probably just after letting the possibility of a Valve console get to my head 
.
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If anything, PC gaming needs some form of walled garden, albeit a low and easy to hop over wall.
Level 3
It will probably be like the alienware x51 http://www.dell.com/ie/p/alienware-x51/pd.aspx?c=i
cept cheaper
on - last edited on by
bambaroo
C1U7CH_P4ND4 wrote:
If its inexpensive, say 50 quid then It may be worth picking up.
[removed - Please mind your language]
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