[PC] Steam Machine Thread

[padman59]

The Steam Universe is Expanding in 2014

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.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/

There is a countdown on the site that ends Monday at 10AM PT for their first of three announcements that are scheduled for next week.

I'm interested to see what this could be. An expanded/improved Big Picture Mode? Something like Vita TV where you can play stream games to another room? A Linux based Steam Box?

[jms493]

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/

There is a countdown on the site that ends Monday at 10AM PT for their first of three announcements that are scheduled for next week.

I'm interested to see what this could be. An expanded/improved Big Picture Mode? Something like Vita TV where you can play stream games to another room? A Linux based Steam Box?

its called an HDMI Cable...

[padman59]

its called an HDMI Cable...

:mindblown2:

[padman59]

SteamOS announced. A free Linux-based OS. Allows you to stream games from a PC/Mac machine running Steam to any SteamOS machine.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

Next announcement is Wednesday, and I'm guessing the final announcement will be Friday.

It's too bad Sony had to take away the OtherOS feature from PS3 because you'd probably be able to stream your Steam games to your TV without having another box taking up space next to the TV.

[jms493]

This could potentially be huge. Gabe is give the big "Fuck You" to MS and Windows.

[jms493]

In-home Streaming
You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have - then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!

So a steam box would essentially be a "Stream" box.

[padman59]

In-home Streaming
You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have - then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!

So a steam box would essentially be a "Stream" box.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next announcement is a barebones machine for just streaming games to your TV and another with a lot more horsepower that can actually run the games.

[jms493]

I wouldn't be surprised if the next announcement is a barebones machine for just streaming games to your TV and another with a lot more horsepower that can actually run the games.

I don't think they will bother with a full machine. I think a "Stream" box and a Steam OS is a good move for them. There is plenty of places to buy Gaming rigs.

The only thing I can think of is them being able to make a Steam box with a graphics card cheap because it doesn't have to have Windows on it.

[padman59]

Today's announcement is that Valve is prototyping different configurations of hardware to eventually put on the market, and you can try to join a hardware beta to test one of these configurations.

Finally, a multiple choice answer
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.

But first, Valve’s prototype
While these products are still in development, we need your help. As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go. We have designed a high-performance prototype that’s optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam. Of course, it’s also completely upgradable and open.

This year we’re shipping just 300 of these boxes to Steam users, free of charge, for testing. You can make yourself eligible to get one. How? Read on!

THE HARDWARE BETA ELIGIBILITY QUEST:

Before October 25, log in to Steam and then visit your quest page to track your current status towards beta test eligibility
1. Join the Steam Universe community group
2. Agree to the Steam Hardware Beta Terms and Conditions
3. Make 10 Steam friends (if you haven't already)
4. Create a public Steam Community profile (if you haven't already)
5. Play a game using a gamepad in Big Picture mode

When can I buy one?!
Beginning in 2014, there will be multiple SteamOS machines to choose from, made by different manufacturers.

I’m pretty happy with my PC Gaming setup, do I have to buy a new piece of hardware now?
No. Everything that we’ve been doing on Steam for the last 10 years will continue to move forward.

If you guys are delivering an OS to hardware manufacturers, why is Valve also making its own box?
We're conducting a beta of the overall Steam living-room experience, so we needed to build prototype hardware on which to run tests. At Valve we always rely on real-world testing as part of our design process. 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.

How will you choose the 300 beta participants?
A small number of users (30 or less) will be chosen based on their past community contributions and beta participation. The remainder will be chosen at random from the eligible pool.

Should I create lots of Steam accounts to increase my chances of getting selected?
No, that won’t work.

What are the specs of the Valve prototype?
We'll tell you more about it soon. Remember, there will ultimately be several boxes to choose from, with an array of specifications, price, and performance.

Where’s a picture of it? How big is it?
We promise we'll tell you more about it soon.

When will the prototypes ship?
This year.

Will beta testers be allowed to share info about their experience and post pictures and opinions online?
Yes, that really is the whole point. The input from testers should come in many forms: bug reports, forum posts, concept art, 3D prints, haikus, and also very publicly stated opinions.

Will I be able to build my own box to run SteamOS?
Yes.

Can I hack this box? Run another OS? Change the hardware? Install my own software? Use it to build a robot?
Sure.

Can I download the OS to try it out?
You will be able to download it (including the source code, if you're into that) but not yet.

If I’m not in the beta, how can I help and contribute feedback?
The Steam Universe Group is where feedback is being collected. Most areas of the group will remain open for participation by all Steam users. Some may be limited to beta participants only, but there will be plenty of ways to contribute feedback for everyone.

What games will be available during the beta?
The nearly 3,000 games on Steam. Hundreds already running natively on the SteamOS, with more to come. The rest will work seamlessly via in-home streaming.

What is SteamOS? What’s included?
Here's a link to what we said earlier about SteamOS. We'll have more details to tell you, soon.

Am I going to be using a mouse and a keyboard in the living-room?
If you want. But Steam and SteamOS work well with gamepads, too. Stay tuned, though - we have some more to say very soon on the topic of input.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamMachines/

Also, I don't think it's a coincidence that Nvidia just said they're going to increase support for Linux systems. I'd expect these Steam Box configurations to have various Nvidia cards in them.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/09/25/nvidia-pledge-to-help-linuxs-open-source-driver-community/

[padman59]

Steam controller.

Complete catalog

The Steam Controller is designed to work with all the games on Steam: past, present, and future. Even the older titles in the catalog and the ones which were not built with controller support. (We’ve fooled those older games into thinking they’re being played with a keyboard and mouse, but we’ve designed a gamepad that’s nothing like either one of those devices.) We think you’ll agree that we’re onto something with the Steam Controller, and now we want your help with the design process.

Superior performance

Traditional gamepads force us to accept compromises. We’ve made it a goal to improve upon the resolution and fidelity of input that’s possible with those devices. The Steam controller offers a new and, we believe, vastly superior control scheme, all while enabling you to play from the comfort of your sofa. Built with high-precision input technologies and focused on low-latency performance, the Steam controller is just what the living-room ordered.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/

[Swarley]

Trackpads?

[padman59]

Trackpads?

Kind of a jarring controller. I'd like to see how they perform though.

[Swarley]

Kind of a jarring controller. I'd like to see how they perform though.

I'm sure the trackpad input is pretty good on this controller, but it just reminds me too much of touchscreen controls on tablets/phones (which I despise).

[jms493]

Shit looks awful...will have to see how it feels in hands. Ill stick to xbox controller please.

[Swarley]

Shit looks awful...will have to see how it feels in hands. Ill stick to xbox controller please.

Hope the Xbox controller will be compatible with the Steambox.