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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
SteamOS/Steam Box versus PS4 & Xbox One
Posted by:
eesh
()
Date: October 19, 2013 06:55PM
Is this seriously going to make a dent in the console market?
http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/167144-valve-announces-steamos-a-free-linux-based-os-for-your-steam-box
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-machines-not-a-threat-to-xbox-one-says-microsoft/1100-6415588/
http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/168084-valves-steam-box-specs-revealed-seems-like-a-letdown
There isn’t a single static spec — even for the Valve-made beta units. The prototype units will ship with an Intel Core i7-4770, an Intel Core i5-4570, or an unidentified Core i3 CPU. As far as GPUs go, there will be a mix of Nvidia Titan, Nvidia GTX780, Nvidia GTX760, and Nvidia GTX660 models — all with 3GB of GDDR5. All units will ship with 16GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, hybrid 1TB/8GB SSHDs, and a 450w power supply. Impressively, all of this equipment is designed to fit inside a 12-inch x 12.4-inch x 2.9-inch case.
Even though this hardware is what Valve thinks gamers want most, this isn’t what you’re stuck with. Obviously, the Linux-based SteamOS can run on pretty much any decent x86-based PC. Even better, the hardware itself is customizable. If you want to upgrade your CPU, GPU, hard drive, or even your motherboard, you’re encouraged to do so. More so than ever, Valve is planting its flag squarely on the side of flexibility and hackability. Even the controller itself can be completely customized to your liking, so you’re in the driver’s seat.
On the downside, this likely means that you’re going to be paying a pretty penny when real Steam Machines hit the market. Unless Valve and its partners are willing to subsidize these machines, you’ll likely be paying at least double the going rate for a brand new console. Even with the best of intentions, this part of Valve’s plan doesn’t seem to be adding anything exciting to the market. After all, this is just a small case filled with standard, off-the-shelf parts.
If anything, the lower-cost streaming solution Valve has spoken of previously has the most potential. With the rise of quirky streaming gear like the Nvidia Shield and the PS Vita TV, Valve might be in a position to take a nice chunk of this emerging market. Frankly, the full-fledged Steam Machine seems like something of a letdown.
http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/167144-valve-announces-steamos-a-free-linux-based-os-for-your-steam-box
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-machines-not-a-threat-to-xbox-one-says-microsoft/1100-6415588/
http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/168084-valves-steam-box-specs-revealed-seems-like-a-letdown
There isn’t a single static spec — even for the Valve-made beta units. The prototype units will ship with an Intel Core i7-4770, an Intel Core i5-4570, or an unidentified Core i3 CPU. As far as GPUs go, there will be a mix of Nvidia Titan, Nvidia GTX780, Nvidia GTX760, and Nvidia GTX660 models — all with 3GB of GDDR5. All units will ship with 16GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, hybrid 1TB/8GB SSHDs, and a 450w power supply. Impressively, all of this equipment is designed to fit inside a 12-inch x 12.4-inch x 2.9-inch case.
Even though this hardware is what Valve thinks gamers want most, this isn’t what you’re stuck with. Obviously, the Linux-based SteamOS can run on pretty much any decent x86-based PC. Even better, the hardware itself is customizable. If you want to upgrade your CPU, GPU, hard drive, or even your motherboard, you’re encouraged to do so. More so than ever, Valve is planting its flag squarely on the side of flexibility and hackability. Even the controller itself can be completely customized to your liking, so you’re in the driver’s seat.
On the downside, this likely means that you’re going to be paying a pretty penny when real Steam Machines hit the market. Unless Valve and its partners are willing to subsidize these machines, you’ll likely be paying at least double the going rate for a brand new console. Even with the best of intentions, this part of Valve’s plan doesn’t seem to be adding anything exciting to the market. After all, this is just a small case filled with standard, off-the-shelf parts.
If anything, the lower-cost streaming solution Valve has spoken of previously has the most potential. With the rise of quirky streaming gear like the Nvidia Shield and the PS Vita TV, Valve might be in a position to take a nice chunk of this emerging market. Frankly, the full-fledged Steam Machine seems like something of a letdown.