Why is steamOS, steam machine and controller such an utter mess? What the fuck happened?
Pretty much no market for them and fuck-all compatibility.
at least steam link is good apparentlyexcept no power cycle button
Gabe doesn't care about video games anymore. He hates video games and he hates all of us. Half Life 3 is never coming out. Our father has forsaken us.
>>318127404
Half life 3 confirmed. Am I a top memester yet?
Falls in an awkward place between PCs and consoles. It doesn't provide the ease of use and brand recognition that consoles have and any PC gamer might as well just stick to their custom built PC and run Windows to get the most out of it.
That said, it does right in that there's no exclusives for it, but exclusives are what sell consoles. If you can play literally any worthwhile title on it on another platform, there's no reason to get a device. It's a shame because I hate exclusives, but not having them kills steam machines.
SteamOS though does provide an important function, and that is a competitor to Windows for gaming. Part of the reason Microsoft can't afford to be completely draconian with their newest release of Windows and Xbox is because there exists alternatives with more lax requirements for play. So really it was a necessity that Steam OS be developed, but because of the reason it exists (Solely an insurance policy against Microsoft to ensure they don't somehow require a cut of steam profits for being able to run on Windows 10), it's never going to get used.
Currently, the whole package is pretty much a decent version of the Ouya.
>>318126927
>SteamOS
Linux is difficult for gaymes. They're making headway. How SteamOS interacts with games obviously not built for the gnu/linux environment though I have no clue. Not really too knowledgeable about how SteamOS functions.
>Steam Machine
No market
>Steam Controller
Basic controller design as is didn't come about as some kind of short cut accident because the engineers were too lazy or stupid. It's very very hard to reinvent the wheel and actually have it function as a wheel.
>>318128171
Well, I wouldn't go that far. But the guy did come up through Microsoft. He's a businessman at heart.
With SteamOS and the controller et cetera it's also worth remembering that steam itself was fucking atrocious when it first came out. Not that at all guarantees that OS or the boxes or controller will be good, but valve and the steam platform are definitely not infallible like some might believe.
>>318128665
Have to work on your delivery a bit. Try all caps next time. Then you can be among the toppest memers.
>>318128912
>only businessmen work at Microsoft
Stop posting anytime.
I wondered for a long time who the fuck Steam Machines were actually being marketed too, because they're too expensive for typical console users and too limited for the type of person who generally prefers a PC for gaming.
The only demographic I could kind of sort of think who might like this is diehard Linux user who doesn't want anything to do with Apple or Microsoft, but would like an alternative for games. Even that is kind of iffy though because /g/ and similar places seem to hate it for other reasons. Freedoms
>>318129254
Wouldn't those rather use custom built PCs too? Or use Steam on with their existing Linux systems? I still don't see the point.
However, it's not like Valve is facing any risk there, given that they don't actually manufacture Steam Machines.
I'm kind of disappointed no one thought of making a handheld Steam Machine. I'd buy one in a heartbeat if they got it in a reduced form factor with a comparable size to a PSP. Sure, there's not a whole lot of titles you could play on one, but there's a steadily growing library of controller compatible games that have low enough requirements that could work.
Civilization 5, Valkyria, Darkest Dungeon, Metal Slug and Ikaruga, the new Shadowruns, all of them would be great on a portable device.
>>318129423
>Wouldn't those rather use custom built PCs too?
Yeah they most likely would, but i really don't see who else would ever have a need for this thing.
I think Gabe was thinking the baseline consumer would like it, because it offers them a prebuilt PC that has a standard set guarantee to play certain games they like, but the baseline consumer is probably not into PC's anyway. So I really tried to think and scrape any kind of person who would be interested in this other than for novelty reasons and people who hate the big two are the only ones who even kind of come to mind.
>>318126927
I thought they said the point of all this is to "future-proof" PC as a gaming platform. But it just seems like they're trying to make it be as close to consoles as possible.
How is it failing tho? Is it not selling? Do we even have any data?
Even if SteamOS and the Steam Machine never take off and go anywhere, they've already have had a good effect on the world of Linux gaming.
Since this Steam OS thing started, I've hardly had to boot back into Windows to play the games I want. Between wine and more developers releasing native Linux versions now that there's a proper distribution platform for it, I can play almost any game I want to play nowadays without any problems whatsoever.
SteamOS may or may not go anywhere, but Valve wins either way because they already got Steam on Linux and it's getting better every day thanks to the SteamOS hype and Valve's and Epic's backing.
Anyway, SteamOS and Steam Machines are still too young to make any real judgment on them.
>>318129645
I don't see a lot of opportunity to tap into the console market either.
You have essentially two relevant groups of console games:
One are complete morons, the dregs of society who essentially buy anything marketed to them in super bowl commercials. The other one are people who are basically reasonable folks with a peculiar taste in games however who are forced to buy these platforms due to the games they like being taken hostage through exclusivity.
The first cannot be reached without an enormous marketing effort, which none of the tiny manufacturers is going to handle. And the second isn't served here either, since they care about exclusives and would literally buy anything if it has the games they like.
>>318129645
If there were a cheap, lower end model around $100-150, I'd say it could be a good deal for younger kids and stuff. One of the other issues steam machines face is there isn't a pre-existing userbase in the age of online connectivity. A lot of times you'll hear people say, "I'm getting an Xbox because all my friends have Xboxes so I'll have someone to play with," but that won't be the case with Steam machines.
Valve is in it for the long-term. Gaben's hatred for Microsoft Windows is that strong. It's not about making money. It's about sending a message.
I don't think SteamOS and Steam Machines are marketed towards the users. I think they're marketed towards developers (both hardware and software).
Valve is trying to sell the idea of PC gaming without Microsoft's stranglehold, and for that they need to convince developers to build Linux drivers and port their games to Linux. Once the developers are on board, more people will (hopefully) start moving away Windows.
If that bears fruit, it's very convenient for Valve that their online video game store already has a solid foothold.
Also, by far the biggest reason for Window's near total domination of the PC market is the fact that it's the default option, Steam machines look like an attempt to chip at that.
Who is even surprised? Like please tell me who would ever buy a Steam Machine? Or use SteamOS? Literally who?
>>318126927
Because no one wanted them.
How does Steam Link work? Does it really need to be hardwired? What's the point of playing games on my living room couch if I have to run an Ethernet cable across the room?
>>318129559
Smach Zero
2016
>>318126927
Steam controller is good it's take only sometimes.
If you are IGN follower you will don't like it.
>>318130513
>Steam controller is good it's take only sometimes.
>If you are IGN follower you will don't like it.
This is the level of retardation of people that like the steam controller.
>>318126927
In the pursuit of money valve forgot how to make something goodat this rate I hope they never release hl3
>>318126927
I can't believe anyone thought it would be anything less than a complete utter fuck up.
Literally he tried to sell a console experience (locked up and controlled with limited options) to a group of people whom literally left that space specifically to be freed and have options.
Why didn't it stop before it even started; is what I want to know.
I mean even if we assume he was selling to the console crowd... why would they give up their cheap consoles for these monster machines that cost insane amounts of money because of mark up? Not to mention it's still not as easy to understand as consoles. And god forbid you want to play all games... oh wait you can't if you paid for the cheaper units. It's like if you bought a ps4 but could only play 50% of the games unless you paid for the better and far more expensive ps4 w/ gtx980. I mean... wth?
>>318130186
This is retarded because nobody is going to buy Steam machines, and nobody is going to run a PC oS that isn't Windows.
It's pretty much just Valve being bored and throwing money away.
>>318130571
SteamOS and Steam Machines are the only recent projects from Valve that don't feel like they were done with profit in mind.
Does anyone still care about Half Life 3?
>>318130635
Nobody actually needs to buy Steam machines, though. Valve just needs to convince developers that people will buy them so they improve their non-Windows side of things, so that Steam can offer a bigger library on Mac and Linux.
So far, it has worked very well, seeing how Mac and Linux now have sizeable game libraries with tons of good games to play.
>they wasted time and resources developing these
I want Valve pre-2011 back, when they actually developed games and not just managed patches
>>318129254
Literally the only way this SteamOS & Box thing could work is if they miraculously cut costs of production AND sold at a loss anyways. I mean... actually why in the flying fuck didn't they do that? They clearly could have. I mean for god's sake the money they make everyday off of that damn store front alone would have made it possible. Certainly they would be willing to take that loss initially to build up a hard and stable userbase over the next 5 or so years so that you could sell at a slightly higher price later.
>>318126927
The one thing to come out of all this that works well, makes sense, and has a great investment/value ratio is the Steam Link. It does exactly what it's supposed to, and if you are in a setting where a long HDMI and USB connector to your home theater are not viable, it's perfect for accessing your PC from your TV, and it's only $50 which is comfortably comparable to the aforementioned alternative in most instances.
Steam OS / Steam Machines, and the Steam Controller both seem like they are basically paid-alpha products. They have a long way to go before they are viable. The whole idea was to give the console market access to PC gaming with the ease, convience, and general price range of a console, but right now it has none of that. The Steam Controller requires tons of tweaking just to be usable, Steam OS is confusing to a newcomer (it's very hard to tell the difference between Steam OS compatible games and "streaming-capable" games, which will result in a lot of frustrated customers), and the software support is currently not very good. There are tons of problems that console users will get frustrated and angry if they have to deal with, and they are the primary market for Steam Machines. They just want a box that they can put under their TV and play games on, just like a console, and the Alienware Alpha is definitely not there yet-- not to mention that it doesn't even perform as well as a console despite being more expensive.
What do the employees at Valve do all day?
>>318129254
I didn't buy a Steam Machine but I bought an Alienware Alpha.
You can launch Steam/Origin right at the start with a controller, it's pretty nifty and it's nice to have a PC under the TV.
>>318131034
Not hard to figure out. Valve is probably most engineers and the like. Look at their jobs postings.
>>318129254
Tell /g/ it's easier to eat the skin from your feet while on the couch.
>>318131117
Also, it's just a Windows 8 PC with an optional console interface. I think this is the right way to do this instrad of being locked into Steam Only OS for Steam Only games.
You can flip to PC mode and run everything straight from desktop pretty well. I can run Battlefront on High.
>>318126927
There's no Half-Life 3 to play on it.
Why would I willingly buy a DRM machine?
>>318126927
Idk. Since they where announced I've literally heard nothing about them. I don't even know if they've been released. All I know is that there's cheap ones and stupidly expensive steam machines.
>>318131498
Do you gayme on gnu/linux? lmao
>>318131548
nah, I game on Ganoo Plus Linux
>>318131548
I game on a Raspberry bitch.
>>318131034
Eating 7k kcal cookies in a ballpit
>>318126927
They said the same thing about Steam 10 years ago.
>>318128775
You sound like one of the faggots telling us why Steam was a bad idea 10 years ago.
"Falls in an awkward place between PCs and consoles." Sounds like the shit people were saying about tablets 5 years ago.
>>318126927
Half-Life 3 when?
