https://www.1up.com/news/steam-console-shake-up-next-gen
Apparently Valve is playing around with the concept of making a console.
Didn’t see a thread for this.
I have a console, in addition to a capable computer that’s cheaper to upgrade than replace.
I feel like a Valve console would be kind of redundant to anyone who has either of these things.
It is my understanding that most of valve’s demographic has these at least one of these things.
I agree with that. I feel like this console will be too involved for people who only buy consoles, and not involved enough for people with gaming PCs.
Its not going to happen. If anything Valve should get in the OS market, but even that is a little bit of a stretch me thinks.
I think this whole rumor is a great example of how much gamers blow small things out of proportion. Gabe says Valve would get into the hardware industry if necessary and Valve happens to own a patent and now all of the sudden Valve is making a console.
This is silly. Valve isn’t stupid just entering the console race with what has been proposed would be suicide. All they’d be doing is complicating a simple process for people who don’t want it. Most console users aren’t enthusiasts. The majority of the market are just normal people. Complicating things = mass market failure.
Valve isn’t stupid and neither is this “The Verge” site, sensationalist articles like this bring in readers like none other.
gabe wants a new platform he calls “wearable computers” to play steam games and social services…
google invests billions to make their “goggles” app into actual wearable glasses which will augment reality
the future is here!
I’m not really psyched about this rumor either. Hopefully it’s not true, but not because I necessarily think it’s a bad idea, but because I fear the repercussions would probably affect PC gamers negatively. The time and effort a console takes to manufacture, mass-produce, sell, and update would probably distract Valve from what makes them so great – their close-to-community attitude toward PC gamers. Just last year when Gabe was talking about Portal 2 being on PS3, he said, and I quote, “I want to make Portal 2 on PS3 the best version of Portal 2 on any platform.” Not that I take that too literally or greatly read into it, but I do have my fair share of premature fears.
I don’t trust Valve like I used to - not ever since the Free-2-Play scheme. Not that it wasn’t a good idea on their part financially, but it reminds me of another company that started acting in the concern of profiting-schemes and slowly lost their spirit; Blizzard.
What with the Gordon Freeman toy and Left 4 Dead statues and models being manufactured right now, I’d say it’s all too familiar.
I just don’t want to see Valve go nuts with this whole entrepreneur thing and forget what they’re all about – making great games.
Hopefully they will be able to do both.
Unless you can site that quote I believe you are miss quoting a statement of “Portal 2 on the PS3 is the best version of any console”. Which changes its meaning significantly.
On trust you should also note that as an artist you want as many people to experience your work as possible. Free 2 Play also gets more money but from an art perspective it gets more viewers which is nice.
Statues are at extreme request of fans also.
I have no doubt about any of that – you’re absolutely right.
But like I said, “premature fears.”
I’m not actually saying that I think this will happen, I’m just saying that it can happen.
But I have a lot more faith in Valve than I do in any game-company.
Blizzard became a cash-cow due to employment-related issues. A lot of the original members of Blizzard left and/or got fired or moved to other projects.
Basically, Blizzard got internally screwed over.
Valve still have most, if not all, of the main members that have been with the company from the start.
Also, if Gabe did indeed say “console,” than I’m glad. I was just pulling that from memory.
They still need to make another half life no matter what
There have been so many rumours lately. Some websites already made advantages and disadvantages of a possible steam console, which is completely stupid, cause they haven’t shown anything until now. Fact: Valve’s stand is bigger than many others at the GDC. So they will show something big. And I think it’s in addition with the Steam Big Picture.
Who says, that they aren’t doing it right now? Portal 2 Development started 2008, but they announced it in 2010 and we all didn’t expect it.
I don’t believe for a second that Valve is trying to produce, market, and sell a console with its own OS and such.
I DO believe Valve would partner with someone like Nvidia to create a living room product that is modular, has a TV-friendly UI, and does things like auto-update all your drivers to target the console crowd who want a PC-like experience without any fuss.
I don’t think this is aimed at any of us. We would just have to HDMI our PCs to our TVs, hook up a wireless gamepad, and wait for Big Picture Mode to release. And I’m sure Valve knows that. But they also know that barrier of entry is holding PC gaming back to an extent.
Literally nothing is holding PC gaming back except a lack of advertizing support. That is literally it, if you don’t understand this you don’t not understand what makes a successful product in our modern world.
That might literally be the stupidest thing I have ever read on this messageboard.
If you think the majority of the Apple/Xbox generation of gamers are willing to meet gaming half way and learn all the things you have to know to PC game (what’s a video card? what are drivers? why do I have to update them? Why doesn’t my headset automatically work when I plug it in? etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. You know, all the shit you don’t even think about any more because you know it already) then you are absolutely clueless about how the current entertainment market works.
Barrier to entry is hugely important. If it was just a marketing issue, that would have been solved years ago. Don’t be dumb
With companies like Alienware and to an extent other OEMs barrier isn’t that big a deal. It’s a marketing issue.
We’ve already HAD a Steam Console for a long time!!
- Open up any Valve game.
- Press ~.
- Eat your own lips.
I agree. But I wouldn’t worry too much about the toys. It’s a good way to make a quick buck off some of the eager Valve fans. Valve kind of reminds me of Nintendo in a way. They like to try new and crazy ideas. Look at the Wii, it looked pretty weird when it was first announced way back when. But it’s super popular now. I think Valve knows what they’re doing. A “Steambox” may just be a way to bring in the market who can’t afford to buy a nice computer. But I just hope that their real fan base of PC gamers doesn’t get left in the dust.
Seems more like a PC for the living room than a console. Its compact, less expensive, runs steam/other programs, accepts mice and keyboards and might have an interesting controller.
Also note that Valve usually avoid making games for consoles due to update limitations (costs time and money for a single patch). For example: CS:GO no longer has multi-platforming due to these limitations that might hold back the PC version.
They want more freedom with consoles.
If they pull it off, it will be legendary.