For the cost, I hope Valve doesn't expect more than a few people to fork out the money for a "Steambox"....
What is it with Valve and Nvidia thinking what PC gaming needs is more overpriced pre-packaged hardware and software bundles. As per every other thread I've commented about this, can anyone explain who these are aimed at? PC gamers will build their own, while console gamers will buy a console. This was likely to fail before Mantle was announced, now it had no chance.
I can see their entry level being at $400-500 . . . Their prototype entry level gaming box is looking nice with a GTX 660. Remember guys... this is rumors for prototype/beta boxes. Final pricing and specification is sure to be more competitive. Signed up for the beta, really interested in seeing how these turn out.
Core i3 + GTX660 (or any other card on that list) = horribly unbalanced system.... And in retail, is likely to be horribly overpriced as well.
Well no one has announced a price yet, but unless Valve subsidies the price of these, which wont happen as they wont be able to recoup that money without increasing the price of games then thewy will be expensive a feck. I don't see Valve shoving a 25% price increase on game either in a effort to recoup hardware losses as that would make them as bad as the people they "claim" to be working against. It will be a nice distraction to mess about with, but these and the joke that is SteamOS will go nowhere but down.
So they are trying to sell us PCs, ridiculous. And running a Linux OS even more ridiculous. Linux is a fine OS, but so is Windows and its huge backlog of games and future ones.
Mask performance and software issues with the new SteamOS behind a wall of pure power. They are prototype units so it's better for Valve to brute force any potential performance issues with the new OS than to have a bunch of Beta testers complaining at length about how the new OS can't emulate a Windows environment and play their games at a decent frame rate. Of course Beta testing hardware that is much more powerful than the final release devices doesn't make much sense but then not a great deal about the Steambox and SteamOS has made much sense so... business as usual from Valve it seems.
I don't think a PC with console specs just to meet the same price range stands a chance either seeing that development is different and they get way more out of consoles. Sony says they are selling at a loss of around $64 or something like that so I think Valve would have a hard time competing directly which I don't think they are even trying to do. Agree, I think they would literally have to make it a static console with standards and licenses to make it work however there is only room for 3 in the console world and that is pushing it.
Saying there's only room for 3 consoles, is like saying there's only room for 3 cellphone models or 3 vehicle models. There's always room for more competition. More competition is always better for consumers.
In the console world, look up the historical facts, only 3 consoles ever make it at any given generation. The others die off. Console gamers have a tendancy to pick 1 as their main choice, some others may get another or two for the exclusives. Developers also don't tend to make a game for the less popular consoles. As it is, several publishers have already abandoned the Wii U including EA. Cellphones are a completely different market not to mention type of product and usage. Horrible analogy but history of consoles speaks for itself.