Irishjohn

Steam Box

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I would jump at the chance to get something like this, assuming the price isn't too outrageous. I don't currently have a computer capable of running decent games, but boy do I have plenty of games on steam.

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I think the idea is interesting, but like every idea Valve concocts it's fucking insane. I'd love to see it if they can pull it off, but I'd worry about what size audience actually exists for the product.

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I would jump at the chance to get something like this, assuming the price isn't too outrageous. I don't currently have a computer capable of running decent games, but boy do I have plenty of games on steam.

Given the specs of the system, the price would be... uh, ouch. Not unless Valve subsidizes the cost.

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Given the specs of the system, the price would be... uh, ouch. Not unless Valve subsidizes the cost.

Isn't most gaming hardware sold at a loss?

I'm very intrigued by the idea, though of course, everything is in the execution.

What would they call it, though? I'm going with "Pipe".

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Isn't most gaming hardware sold at a loss?

Not always. A huge priority for hardware vendors is to revise and make it more profitable over time, which partly comes from revisions of the internals, and partly from hardware of the same spec becoming cheaper to produce. I doubt the current generations of 360 and PS3 are loss-making, and apparently Nintendo made sure each Wii was profitable from the start.

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This would be huge, if the price is right. Even though Steam is a closed service, it's still very much open when compared to stuff like XBox Marketplace (which requires a publisher and all) so this could mean more indie games marketed to mainstream consumers.

Also, I would definitely consider buying something like this.

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Isn't most gaming hardware sold at a loss?

It certainly used to be. I doubt it's changed now. MicroSoft, Nintendo, and Sony all make money on software sold for their system, so it's in their interest to make the user base as large as possible.

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If you need dramatic examples, the PS2 was sold at a loss for the short-term, but over the long-term it produced a profit. And yeah, first-party published titles are also a means to recoup costs.

So yeah, Valve could sell this thing at a 'loss' but even then, an i7 seems excessive for a mass-market machine.

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Yeah, I mean even if they do sell at a loss, what price would it be? I would think they'd be almost working miracles to sell it at original PS3 prices. I know you'd be getting a heck of a lot more bang for your buck, but still.

I'd be interested though. I use a laptop exclusively, but I wouldn't mind being able to relax a little the next time I buy a laptop and not have to try and get a gaming-capable machine knowing I have the Steam Box at home. Then again, not sure if Indie games alone could get me through the long research trips.

It's pretty bloody exciting though. Half-Life 3 as launch title? :getmecoat

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I have a beast of a PC already, but given that the price is reasonable I would totally buy a Steam Box for my TV and for little LAN parties when a friend comes over. :grin:

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I think, if this thing sees the light of day, STEAM BOX is the best name for it.

Don't know what else to think of this, Valve is certainly crazy/powerful enough to pull this off.

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Wouldn't that be a nice shake-up to the console market though? The idea is exciting! They'd have to do something about their customer service though, because as it is right now, it's pretty awful.

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Wouldn't that be a nice shake-up to the console market though? The idea is exciting! They'd have to do something about their customer service though, because as it is right now, it's pretty awful.

I've never had to deal with the customer service at Valve, incidentally. Bonus points to the Steam service being that reliable, but I admit I may be some outlier.

I also have a hard time from looking at this at the perspective of being another "console" per se. I keep seeing it as the first big stride in affordable computer game capable PC. Not in the false sense of "it can kinda run the latest games!" that has shown up in the past, I mean, "No really, this machine plays all the latest stuff damn well."

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Bonus points to the Steam service being that reliable, but I admit I may be some outlier.

Bonus points for a service that is working as advertised? :campbell:

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I never expect anything in life to work out as perfectly as planned or advertised. That way, my expectations don't take a nose-dive. It's also a way for me to be fair (like I'm not the kind of guy who gets mad at an online service, be it Steam or an MMO, whatever, having the rare unexpected downtime).

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Would they really have to sell shitloads of these things out of the gate? With a more traditional console if no one buys the thing, the hardware manufacturer isn't selling any software. With this thing, even if its not selling millions of units, they're still selling the same amount of stuff that they've been selling all along. Obviously they need to make back whatever it takes to develop the box, but it seems like this would have a very different business plan than something like the xbox.

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I think, if this thing sees the light of day, STEAM BOX is the best name for it.

Suck Box? Crap Box? Sex Box? Ice Box? STEAM BOX?!

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Gives an interesting new perspective on "steam powered"

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If you need dramatic examples, the PS2 was sold at a loss for the short-term, but over the long-term it produced a profit. And yeah, first-party published titles are also a means to recoup costs.

So yeah, Valve could sell this thing at a 'loss' but even then, an i7 seems excessive for a mass-market machine.

Yes, but most of the rumours I've seen suggest that Valve is going to simply define hardware specs and leave manufacturing and marketting to other companies. If that's true, those companies won't want to sell at a loss because they probably won't get any cut of the game sales.

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Yes, but most of the rumours I've seen suggest that Valve is going to simply define hardware specs and leave manufacturing and marketting to other companies. If that's true, those companies won't want to sell at a loss because they probably won't get any cut of the game sales.

They could still get some of that money from Valve, which means they could sell it for below cost.

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