Steam Console

[TheMightyEthan]

Steam OS is? Or the steambox?  Cause from my understanding you can stream to any PC.

[deanb]

All three. It's even the big ass words they have on the home page:

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

 

The Steam Universe is Expanding in 2014

 

And the in-home streaming is:

 

You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. 

 

So not just client to client.

 

The beta application process closes near the end of October, given time to then process those then distribute machines and get feedback and go into full development, and valve time on top of this, 2014 is looking pretty solid target for them right now. Even the start of this year at CES they were quite adamant we won't get this this year.

[madbassman39]

If anyone can make a controller like that feel right it's valve, but I guess I'm just not interested in seeing the controller evolve so drastically. I like the set up of current controllers, and the ps4 looks like a step in a new direction that doesn't make me feel scared.

[TheMightyEthan]

And the in-home streaming is:

You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too.

 

So not just client to client.

 

Right, sorry, I just meant that you can put SteamOS on any PC and dual-boot.

 

The beta application process closes near the end of October, given time to then process those then distribute machines and get feedback and go into full development, and valve time on top of this, 2014 is looking pretty solid target for them right now. Even the start of this year at CES they were quite adamant we won't get this this year.

That's for distributing the steam machines, but again I was under the impression you could just download and install Steam OS, which would obviously not be subject to the same time constraints that distributing beta hardware carries.

[deanb]

Once it's done and released, it's just regular linux so yeah unless they've ballsed something up on purpose you should be able to install it the same way you would any other client. Given that only one of the four main features of SteamOS has only just this week entered beta phase and the rest are all waiting to be seen SteamOS is likely not ready right now for them to just be hitting the launch button on. They've also said it'll be game announcements over the coming weeks, which runs alongside the timeline for getting people on the Steam Machines beta, where it largely makes sense they'd release the beta for it all at the same time.

Of everything, given it's the only thing developers are talking about that I've seen so far, the controller seems to be the only thing mostly cooked.

[FredEffinChopin]

I love how I got on a plane last week, landed, and found out that a beta signup had just begun that required me to play a game in BPM with a controller to sign up. Of course. I know I'll have time to get in before it's over, but still. I've been a really big BPM supporter, and am very interested in future living room ideas that are in the works. I'll be completing my signup first thing when I get back home. Anyway.

 

If anyone can make a controller like that feel right it's valve, but I guess I'm just not interested in seeing the controller evolve so drastically. I like the set up of current controllers, and the ps4 looks like a step in a new direction that doesn't make me feel scared.

 

This. I think they have some good ideas, but are going a little too far off the beaten path, and created something that isn't going to be quite ideal. We'll see what happens though. 

[TheFlyingGerbil]

[TCP]

Steam Machine beta specs:

 

 

 

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components: 
GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660 
CPU: some boxes with Intel : i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3 
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU) 
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD 
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold 
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

How much would this cost to build yourself?

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Steam Machine beta specs:

 

 

 

 

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components: 

GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660 

CPU: some boxes with Intel : i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3 

RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU) 

Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD 

Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold 

Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

How much would this cost to build yourself?

 

Considering a Titan and an i3 is involved the cost difference between all of the components is hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

 

There's a company in Oregon who sells something like what they're describing for like $2500 for the top of the line. I can't remember their name but I'm sure their builds are a big influence on Valve.

[staySICK]

450w seems light for those specs to me.  doesn't the titan require a 600w minimum?

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

450w seems light for those specs to me.  doesn't the titan require a 600w minimum?

 

Just looked it up  and you are correct. Perhaps they use a different PSU in that model? Or maybe 450w when it's that highly rated  works.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Faiblesse Des Sens

[deanb]

I don't get those specs at all. A quick look at http://www.logicalincrements.com/ puts you in about the $1395 for those specs. That's almost three times the cost of the Xbox One. And you also need an extra PC to actually play the games to stream off (or a spare copy of Window to replace Steam OS).

 

I don't understand what they're going for at all here. One would assume they'd have had a nice low powered PC of thin-client like capabilities that you would stream your games to, but those specs would, despite the fact Steam OS runs a marginal amount of Steam games, be the PC that's built to run the games. If only through brute force. "I don't care you're built for Windows 8, I have nearly 20GB of RAM and more power in a single GPU core than you're able to make use of on Max, now kindly run OpenGL not DirectX or I'll steal your lunch money".

 

Also here's the announcement, though on my phone it never opened the link properly:

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/2145128928746175450

It's kinda disappointing they're not going with anything even vaguely rigid, but a totally open ended upgrade path that we already have that's kinda one of the big turning off points for console gamers that prefer it if things go "1" "2" "3" "4" and so on, and get confused if it get's a "U" added on, never mind messing in the PC world of "GTX" and "4470" and 740 being less than 660.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Deanb, apparently you missed the part where this is their high-end build, and there will be plenty of other options.

[deanb]

The low end build is still Core i3s n GTX660's, putting it in the $900 dollar range. I understand, becuase it's essentially a PC and Valve couldn't really even stop them anyway, that other OEMs will be building "Steam Machines", but you'd think when Valve are beta testing they wouldn't just dive in with some of the highest specs they could think of. Kinda pointless really, I'd expect those kind of specs to be able to run pretty much anything. What you really want to know is what's the bare minimum to be able to run at least 95% of the Steam library without much of a hitch. That's why you'd want to do a beta test.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

That's the build for the test run. Not for anything else. And all of those components together are not $900 unless they're using top of the line everything. Drop a few hundred off of that.

 

but you'd think when Valve are beta testing they wouldn't just dive in with some of the highest specs they could think of.

 

 

...did you miss the part about the i7s and titans?

 

What you really want to know is what's the bare minimum to be able to run at least 95% of the Steam library without much of a hitch. That's why you'd want to do a beta test.

 

 

Perhaps that's what they're doing with this i3 build? Valve is a mysterious company. Don't claim to know why they're doing things or what's best for them.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Faiblesse Des Sens

[deanb]

As I'm not American I'm just having to go off the Logical Increments, and that puts it between $900-$1400. Which is quite a bit more than even the priciest console.

 

 

but you'd think when Valve are beta testing they wouldn't just dive in with some of the highest specs they could think of.

 

 

...did you miss the part about the i7s and titans?

Unless I'm a bit out of the loop, that is top of the line at the moment right? I don't know of any Core i9's or anything to yet replace the Titan, which is so flagship it doesn't even have a number.

 

The i3 build isn't exactly low-end. Low-end is Pentium and Celeron.

 

And I've certainly not claimed to know what they're doing, in fact:

 

I don't understand what they're going for at all here.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

i7s and Titans are as high end as you get so they are diving in with the highest specs they can think of.

 

And no that build would be about $700 and not $900-$1400. That's ridiculous.

 

You are making a claim about their beta testing.

 

That's why you'd want to do a beta test.

 

[deanb]

i7s and Titans are as high end as you get so they are diving in with the highest specs they can think of.

Right. We've covered that point, why'd you imply otherwise before?

 

Also as mentioned I'm just having to go off the Logicial Increments site to base the costs off (Since it links to the stores it uses the prices off). A GTX Titan over here is about £800, which minus VAT is £665, and in dollars is $1000 alone. So $1400 for a PC seems about right if a GPU is about $1000, but if they're significantly cheaper in the US I wouldn't much know. For the GTX770 and i7 4770K build, those are about $750 alone, not including 16GB of RAM, hybrid hard drives and the boring bits.

 

You seem to be missing the grand scheme of my "I've no idea what Valve seem to be aiming here with going with relatively high end parts to beta test with, when it would be the expected result that high end will run the games and OS fine." If these machines run fine it tells us nothing more than hey, 14K/7K worth of parts works as you'd bloody well hope that much cost of parts would work. If they don't run the games on Steam or the Steam OS, then it's a major revisiting to the drawing board.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Right. We've covered that point, why'd you imply otherwise before?

 

 

Because you said this:

 

but you'd think when Valve are beta testing they wouldn't just dive in with some of the highest specs they could think of.

 

 

Also you weren't talking about the titan when you brought up a specific price:

 

The low end build is still Core i3s n GTX660's, putting it in the $900 dollar range.

 

 

I Newegg'd the components and it was much cheaper than that.

 

 

You seem to be missing the grand scheme of my "I've no idea what Valve seem to be aiming here with going with relatively high end parts to beta test with, when it would be the expected result that high end will run the games and OS fine."

 

It's a new OS and a new controller. It needs real world testing as far as I can tell. I do believe that Valve themselves have said that they value real-world testing very much. They also probably want to see how much people like their hardware packages.

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Right. We've covered that point, why'd you imply otherwise before?

 

Because you said this:

 

but you'd think when Valve are beta testing they wouldn't just dive in with some of the highest specs they could think of.

 

He was saying "they are going with the highest of the high end, which I don't understand, you'd think they wouldn't do that."

[deanb]

So Ethans already covered the first part.
 

Also you weren't talking about the titan when you brought up a specific price: 

The low end build is still Core i3s n GTX660's, putting it in the $900 dollar range.

 
I Newegg'd the components and it was much cheaper than that.

 

Well obviously at the point where I specifically ID the parts as i3 and GTX660 I wasn't talking the Titan as costing $900. But at the start:

I don't get those specs at all. A quick look at http://www.logicalincrements.com/ puts you in about the $1395 for those specs.

Well yeah the GTX770 and i7 version of the specs cos there is no Titan version in Logical Increments. As I've said, I'm not a Yank so I only have limited scope on what US prices are like, hence , for the fourth time of my saying this, I'm using Logical Increments as a ballpark guide. If you can get the i3/GTX660 Pc cheaper than their suggested price range then good on you. It's still not a cheapo streaming box price.
 

 

You seem to be missing the grand scheme of my "I've no idea what Valve seem to be aiming here with going with relatively high end parts to beta test with, when it would be the expected result that high end will run the games and OS fine."

It's a new OS and a new controller. It needs real world testing as far as I can tell. I do believe that Valve themselves have said that they value real-world testing very much. They also probably want to see how much people like their hardware packages.

 

I've said nothing against real world testing, I understand the need for real world testing very much. But in which "real world" do people stream games to a $1400 PC? Or even to a $700/$900 PC? I understand that even before founding Valve they many of them were already MS Millionaires, but how warped is their view point of monetary reality where they seem to be under the impression that folks just have $1400 for a streaming PC lying around? At what point do they think it'll be useful to know if thier OS and games will run on one of the absolute best PC builds around, instead of checking if it'll boot up and run to an acceptable level on a poopy cheap HTPC build with integrated GPU, no SSD, n such?

[Saturnine Tenshi]

What makes you think the parts will cost as much as it would for an average Joe?

[deanb]

It's still a PC, it's going to cost as much as buying PC parts, not the price of a custom built SOC with expected lifetime unit sales of 50million+ a console would have. Valve have impressive video game sales, this does not create some magical force field around them that gives them ungodly gifts. Especially in the hardware sector where, as many seem to forget, they've never entered in before.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

That doesn't prevent them from making manufacturing deals with companies or taking a loss and making up for it later (or not).

 

And as far as PC gaming is concerned, I think they've just as much clout as Sony or Nintendo.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah, they can still make use of bulk discounts if they're manufacturing lots of the things.