Valve releases first generation Steam Machines

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/announcements/detail/1927838910223830657

I don't see anything here to be too excited about personally - they're pricier than self-builds by a long shot and considering SteamOS is free versus Windows which most current gaming rigs use I'm not overly impressed with the value for money for this first iteration. I suppose they're looking to cash in on the initial hype?

Anyway, thought you might be interested to read up on it a bit.

The price is probably down to the fact they're pre-built and are much smaller than conventional PCs with the same power

Also remember that this is for people who have no interest or experience with building their own machine, so they pay for the convenience. My only concern is that the large number of Steam Machines available initially may be intimidating to those who just want to jump in and start playing.

Indeed. The most interesting thing about this is the range of pricing. I don't see the high end models being that successful, as most of the people who are willing to drop that much cash on a gaming rig would probably build their own. On the other hand, there is a name for those who want a reasonable gaming experience without having to phaff around with setting up a rig and managing software. They are called console gamers. If Valve is going head to head with Sony and Microsoft, then it will have a lot of competition on it's hands. There will be a large segment of the console market consumers who have never heard of steam and only care about buying the magical box that plays the football games. In this market, the price point of the lower end models would be crucial.

Of course, we all know that specs don't matter that much. The only thing that really matters is game library, preferably with exclusives. Valve is coming to this game with a fairly strong hand to play, particularly with a controller that is meant to work in genres that have previously failed on consoles.

They also have a very substantial ace up their sleeve, if they ever decide to play it.

Ricochet 2!

No, it's clearly Ricochet: Episode 2.

way to improve the joke

Implying Jammy is joking.

Yep.

Valve already said that they won't be releasing any SteamOS exclusives.

I would actually pay $60 for Ricochet 2.

again with the jokes, poosad

If I were less lazy, I'd write a MadSci-length post about how Ricochet is an untapped IP.

L4D 3

The zombie shooter genre is already far more saturated than the frisbee deathmatch genre.

I think you mean far more popular

lol

Actually creating a console, competitive with current consoles in build and price, and integrated with steam on computer (same library ect)?

If they did that, it would be Playstation nuking Sega and Nintendo, all over again.

It won't have the same library as Windows, since it runs Linux, but I do remember hearing about a feature where you could stream a game from your PC to your Steambox.

You could just install windows. Save the hassle of streaming a game.