Anybody got any idea when unity will build for them? I’ve already got the OS sitting on a piece of hardware. At this stage I think Sony and MS have a serious long term problem on their hands.
The OS is called “Linux” and Unity already does. 
Oh, and they’re actually called “Steam Machines” BTW.
As for Sony and Microsoft:
Nobody can tell right now, but you cannot deny that Valve is a serious competitor with a lot of potential.
Besides that I really think that Sony can relax. Microsoft on the other hand…not only is Windows Phone relatively unsuccessful, but the launch of the Xbone was everything but stellar too. What Valve does there is tackling their desktop OS almost-monopoly.
Let me put it like this:
Chances are good that the PC gaming - and desktop OS market - will look significantly different in a few years thanks to Valve.
Their developer event in January should be interesting. If the number of confirmed Linux/SteamOS supporting games/ports increases afterwards, everything will be in place for Valve to change gaming forever…again.
Let’s just sit back and see…
I imagine they’ll add in a specific “SteamOS” build option, unless they explicitly state that since SteamOS is just a pretty version of Linux, it can technically already run!
Since they already support Linux, it shouldn’t be too long before they say anything on the matter.
If I were Unity I’d be all over this. Looks like the perfect indie platform.
No, they don’t have a serious long term problem because it’s about games. It’s about Halo. Uncharted, Last of Us and so on. And unless Valve have platform exclusives, it’s not going to ever turn into a problem. That steambox going to cost as much as a PS4? or is it going to cost more?
At this stage? preposterous.
Think about that before blindly mashing the keyboard.
Regarding unity’s plans, I wouldn’t be surprised. Seems like a good fit for unity.
Sony and MS have a problem because in two years time their boxes will be completely outdone by a wave of new Steam Machines, Sony and MS are locked into a hardware platform for at least the next 6 years, probably more. In regards to software, all it takes is one or two killer apps to appear on the steam platform for the steam machines. They don’t even need to have massive marketing budgets now, if they have quality product social media does a large chunk of it.
Valve are engaging sony and MS in the same basic market forces battle that Apple and Google are fighting out in the mobile phone space, and that Apple lost to Microsoft / IBM in the late 80s early 90s - that is how open(er) implementations eventually out innovate and out price a closed systems. If open systems gain a toehold eventually the shear weight of people innovating drives up the feature set and down the price, outclassing the players that did well out a closed system. It’s a well understood and fairly basic economic argument.
Regardless of weather or not some people still want Uncharted, Halo, etc, Valve is likely to put a serious dent in the market over the space of a few years. This will affect earnings and growth of MS and Sony - which will affect the share price - and therefore as a they are publicly listed companies represents a serious problem. It’s simply a question of how much future market share the Steam Machines will take.
I did think about it before blindly mashing the keyboard. Thanks for the flame…
Yikes. Be a little more courteous, and a little less judgmental, maybe?
I agree with rob_b30, to a certain extent. I don’t think the Steammachine will put MS or Sony out of business or anything, but Valve certainly will become a very competent competitor in the next year or so.
No… They won’t.
Where did you draw the fact that Sony/Microsoft are locked in?
One or two killer apps to overthrow the leading console manufacturers. I really don’t think so… And social media, yes, bur it also works in favour of the other companies also, don’t forget.
So far the steam machine has been… not very impressive to me for the price they originally(unless they have updated it) pushed.
Here you are speaking a lot of sense however, and I can understand how you think Steam will take over, the problem is that current consoles are relatively affordable, from what I have heard of the steam box it is really expensive (Again if I am wrong please inform me).
And if said the whole closed off idea behind it is the reason people go to steamboxes well, I’m sure that eventually MS and Sony will accommodate.
As for the whole point of the steambox, Xbox PS are simple to set up and are easy to find in most stores, I really don’t see the point of buying one if I could simpily plug in my tower or my Laptop(which I can then unplug and take with me). All I can see this being is a PC for TV which you can do easily anyway with a really, really bad controller (In my opinion, if what I have seen is correct)
So how much does all this kick ass hardware cost?
This article ( How Much Will a Steam Box Cost You? | VG247 ) quotes: $1,577.46
And so, who exactly is willing to pay 1.5k? That’s just a PC gaming machine. Even in 4 years it won’t match the consoles for price, since they’re be far lower by then. There is no way a steam box can be price competitive and stay competitive.
It’s down to the low end steambox, the entry level one. For a console to be competitive it’s going to have to retail at $300 just to get a look in vs the big names. But the low end one is $500. Same price as a fully loaded xbox one. And that’ll pay for what?
This:
As good as the new consoles? and it will never be as cheap as them. Lets say it gets down to $200 in 3 years time (it’s a stretch unless you’re an enthusiast with loads of junk lying around)? Well the consoles will be less than that by then and still be more powerful.
No mainstream user (and these are the 90+% we’re talking about that buy xbox or ps4) buy consoles because they don’t want to build stuff or mess about with stuff. They want a cheap console they can buy and use.
I’m not saying steambox will be a failure. but it’s going to play 4th place forever, or until nintendo drops the ball. Lets say there’s enough units out there (around 10 million) within 2 years and the ideal steambox costs 500 dollars? Lets assume the Titan version will be 500 dollars in 2 years time?
There’s still the fact that you need a constant slew of platform exclusives. On the steambox side you’ve got indies (which everyone else has, and these guys don’t exactly tax hardware) and you’ve got valve themselves. So that forces valve into a position of making left 4 dead 3, portal 3 and half life 3 steambox exclusive. Otherwise nobody bothers. MS, Nintendo and Sony all make their own exclusives.
If steambox is going to be successful, it’s going to do it with the next steambox, it’s not going to do it on a first showing. To win a console war you’re going to need a lot of people. The mass market. So Sony and MS aren’t in trouble.
Add to this, it’s too late to the party. People have already invested, and we all know what being late for the party does. Best valve can do right now is what MS did with xbox original: build awareness, get people buying them instead of regular windows PCs (good luck with that, considering the average joe needs a bit of porn or whatever).
One Steambox is coming out for $500 and the specs are… about what you’d expect from a $500 gaming PC. Unfortunately, by the time it comes out, the Xbone and PS4 will both have sizeable libraries.
Like, a big thing people forget about the games on Steam that already have Linux compatibility is that a large number of them are indie titles. Which is great since, as an indie, I am all for the ability to have that much less competition in a market I’d like to enter. But at the same time, the PS4 and Xbone will both have a lot of indie support by then too. And they’ll also have a lot more AAA support. They’ll have SO much content that drives market sales and they’ve already got a huge head start, with both consoles already having sold more than 2.1 million units.
So really, the question around the Steambox is “why would anyone buy this over the other 5 consoles on the market that are still selling?”
I edited my post as you were posting, to bias fairer on the steam machine, rather than argue against it. I still couldn’t reconcile it.
Anoooother important thing to note is that Valve has said that there won’t be any Steambox exclusives. Linux build games will always run on regular Linux Steam too.
Oh no … not another thoughtless “steambox is taking over the world” thread!
Im beginning to wonder whether some sort of brain washing scheme has begun rolling out in the latest distro of linux builds. Subliminal messages been flashed on screen etc ------------ “We are superior”----- --------- “F**k Sony” ---------- “Screw Microsoft”----------“Delete rational”----------
haha relax im joking but seriously…
as mentioned already price is a concern as well as content
content is king ,exclusive content even more so.
This is the very reason Linux has not overthrown any other OS yet either
I agree, it’s like the "mobiles are going to make consoles extinct’ threads.
Exclusives AND lack of polish is what causes Linux to not overthrow anything. It keeps stumbling with it’s mistakes and does not have the financial backing MS Apple does.
You should do some research before talking such nonsense.
I don’t know how you think Linux is developed, but it’s not a single company that does it while pulling money out of its ass (considering Linux is free).
Companies that use it contribute.
Google, Intel, Nvidia, AMD, Red Hat, Samsung, Oracle and many more. So rethink your “financial backing argument”, because Linux clearly doesn’t lack it.
Also, desktop != everything. Essentially Linux has taken off in everything except desktop OS’. Smartphones, servers, supercomputers and embedded systems like routers for example.
Besides that you won’t see exclusives on a platform with such a small market share, period.
Sure, everyone who thinks that Windows will just die, is delusional. However, it is possible considering that even a giant like THQ has fallen and Microsoft is doing one misstep after another.
In the best case scenario it will lead to a similar situation to what have in the console and smartphone markets now. Multiple big players. Stuff like exclusives will happen then.
The biggest gain for both users and developers will be the fact that MS will be under pressure then. Right now they can do what the hell they want. Just look at the BS they pulled off with Vista and DirectX.
Odd of you guys to miss mods from the entire argument. Bizarre in fact… or did i miss this somewhere?
This is not about consoles. This is all about Gabe not happy for Micro$oft’s plans to turn windows into a closed eccosystem just like OSX with its App Store.
When Windows hits that point, there will be no place for Steam anymore because every single game will have to go through Windows app store…
Gabe is running after linux machines and featuring Linux games now to make sure Steam won’t be dependant on Windows anymore to keep selling games in the future.
They don’t really care about consoles, that is not the point. They are still in the PC gaming market.
Amongst gamers, I think Steam is the strongest of the brand names right now, by a long shot. They have that going for them.
I’m not really sure what you mean. Could you please elaborate?
Also this.
They are there to bring PC gaming to the livingroom; To make PC gaming feasible to console gamers that want to dive into the world of PC gaming. The Steam Machines aren’t there to compete with consoles directly. They are not for hardcore PC gaming enthusiasts either.
While they will have an impact on the console market if they become successful, consoles are here to stay.
You mean “PC-gamers”, right?
Lots of console gamers don’t even know what Steam is. One colleague of mine who only plays on his 360 never heard of Steam. When I showed him the frontpage with all the sales his first reaction was: “Wait! Is this even legal?”
If you haven’t played halflife but you describe yourself as a gamer, you should be flogged, repeatedly.