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Report: Steam Controller design finalized, more at GDC
After a number of revisions since its inception, the design of the Steam Controller has reportedly been finalized and will be introduced during March's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Origin PC CEO Kevin Wasielewski discussed the official Valve hardware with GameSpot at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. "So now they're going to production and at GDC is when they're going to announce more stuff," Wasielewski asserted, noting that Origin PC will be in attendance, though the CEO did not divulge what products the company will show off. Valve announced the Steam Controller alongside SteamOS and Steam Machines in September 2013. It later showed off an updated version of the controller in March 2014 that featured a more traditional face button layout (which we went hands-on with at GDC 2014). Valve then added an analog stick to the gamepad in July before seemingly tacking a d-pad onto it, according to images of the controller's design that surfaced last month. Origin PC launched two small form-factor "Chronos" gaming machines last year after announcing the SteamOS-compatible rigs just over one year ago. The company teased new living room gaming systems this week, though it is now downplaying the system's compatibility with Valve's operating software. Wasielewski told GameSpot that the "Steam Machines" moniker is "kind of pretty much dead," and while living room-focused systems are nothing new, "it seems like there's a legitimate demand and push for living room PCs." [Image: Valve]
Alienware to launch SteamOS-less Steam Box this year
Alienware Alpha is a small gaming PC designed for the living room, and it launches this holiday for $550. It's Windows-based and ships with an Xbox 360 controller, plus a dongle that supports up to four Xbox 360 controllers, and it will be able to run all games in 1080p and at 60fps. This is Alienware's Steam Machine in every way except technically: It won't ship with a Steam controller and it won't ship with SteamOS. These are the two things that make a Steam Machine, according to Valve. "It's absolutely Steam-ready," Alienware Global Marketing Director Bryan de Zayas told Joystiq on the E3 show floor. "It's not that we're bypassing Steam. It's critical. They have the majority of the digital downloads."
Behold: Valve's updated Steam Controller
Valve offered up a clearer side-by-side image of its updated Steam Controller today. The second iteration of the SteamOS gamepad was revealed in January, and peeled away the center touchscreen in favor of more traditional face buttons. The new buttons consist of a directional pad and standard A, B, X and Y buttons, the latter formerly located around the touchscreen. Valve left the large circular trackpads on the device, but also added a Steam icon button in the center with start and select-like buttons on either side with what appear to be stop and play icons. The Steam Controller was announced alongside SteamOS and Steam Machines in September 2013, and was followed up by a hardware beta program that already excluded the controller's touchscreen. We spent some time with Valve's beta hardware in early January and found the experience lacking on the previous version of the controller with Hotline Miami and Portal in particular. Head past the break for a closer look at the updated controller.
Alienware announces Valve partnership, Steam Machines
Alienware will beam a Steam Machine down to Earth in late 2014, the Dell subsidiary announced today. No spec details or price was given, but the Alienware Steam Machine will, according to a statement by Gabe Newell given in a press release, encapsulate "the full potential of what a Steam Machine should be." If by "full potential" Newell means that it looks pretty, well, we can't argue there. Sleek! "We have been working with Alienware since we began defining our vision of the Steam Machine," Newell said. "Alienware's historic commitment to gaming, their design and engineering capabilities and their global reach made them an ideal partner for us on our Steam Machine project." Alienware will also be offering a Steam Machine version of their X51 desktop PC in late 2014.
Origin PC launching two 'Chronos' Steam Machines this year
Origin PC, not to be confused with EA's Origin service, announced two of its own Steam Machines today. Dubbed the "Chronos" line, the Steam boxes will run Valve's SteamOS operating system, first announced in September 2013. Origin will launch both the normal and SLI-Edition versions of Chronos this year for an undetermined price. Both versions are customizable, though the noteworthy differences between the two is the 32 GB of memory, up to 14 TB of combined solid-state and hard drive space, as well as a 40-in-1 card reader in the SLI-Edition compared to the normal version's 16 GB of memory, and up to 6 TB of storage space. Both Chronos systems will include the ability to dual-boot a version of Windows 7 or Windows 8 in addition to SteamOS.
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware
Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think. Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change? That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
Watch the Steam Controller play more than a dozen games
YouTube channel Trial By Game issued a slew of Steam Machines and Steam Controller videos in the last week. Using its prototype hardware, the channel delivered 23 related videos to date, many of which show the Steam Controller in action with games like Surgeon Simulator 2013, Metro: Last Light, Civilization 5, Bastion and Super Street Fighter 4. We included a few more of the channel's videos after the break. Valve announced its hardware and accompanying operating system in September prior to kicking off the selection process for its 300-person hardware beta program, which Trial By Game seems to be a part of. Valve created its own video to demonstrate the Steam Controller in October, but as with Trial By Game's looks at the game pad, the controller shown isn't final hardware. The Steam Controller's final form will feature a touchscreen between its circular trackpads.
Steam Box prototype from iBuyPower [Update]
Wow. This is a prototype Steam Machines box from iBuyPower, courtesy of our friends at Engadget. The box comes in two flavors (codenamed "Gordon" and "Freeman," of course), as the center strip is either clear or black when not illuminated with varying colors. Much glow. While iBuyPower wasn't willing to share the specs of its version of the Steam-powered hardware, it said the system will run Steam games at 60 frames per second in 1080p. The system is expected to be ready for a 2014 launch, and the two prototype models currently run an early build of SteamOS, the operating system Valve announced would be on its own Steam Machines hardware. Both were announced alongside a Steam Controller in September. Very Steam Box. Much update: The Verge reports that the system will include a "multicore AMD CPU and a discrete AMD Radeon R9 270 graphics card" and comes with a 500 GB hard drive, bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. That CPU is very core.
Valve demonstrates Steam Controller in new video
Valve issued a video demonstrating its Steam Controller today. The game pad, which features two track pads in lieu of joysticks, is used for its series of Steam Machines, announced in September. The controller shown in the video isn't final hardware, but rather a prototype controller lacking a touchscreen to be included in Valve's hardware beta program. Among the developers that have seen the controller, Super Meat Boy developer Team Meat said it was able to execute some of the game's more demanding moves on the pad.
Valve unveils prototype Steam Box specs
Valve Software has plans to ship 300 prototype Steam Box machines to eager testers by the end of 2013. This morning the company revealed the hardware to be included within these computers: The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components: GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660 CPU: some boxes with Intel : i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3 RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU) Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high Instead of shipping top-of-the-line technology to each tester, Valve has opted to ship a variety of configurations. This allows the company a more accurate view of how Steam Box will perform in the hands of the public, as not every player will have access to the latest, greatest hardware. However, if you grow tired of how your Steam Box performs, Valve claims that each of these prototypes is fully upgradeable using relatively common components.
Recap: Valve's trio of Steam Box announcements
Valve took its time delivering three announcements this week, each related to the long-rumored Steam Box. Since March 2012, Valve has seesawed on the existence of a Steam-based piece of hardware, but one thing has remained constant: If the Steam Box existed, it would run on Linux. Here we present a rundown of the week's major news, and some thoughts on Valve's living room strategy. On Monday, Valve unveiled SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system designed to stream games, music, TV and movies from a PC and to a living room screen, with native Linux games. On Wednesday, Steam Box was officially announced as Steam Machines, a series of different boxes for varying player needs, all running SteamOS. On Friday, Valve revealed its Steam Controller, a gamepad with trackpads in the place of analog sticks, attempting to bring keyboard-and-mouse gaming to the couch Valve is sending out 300 Steam Machines and controllers (sans a few features) to Steam users in a beta program.
Harrison: Microsoft is watching what Valve does 'with great interest'
With this week's SteamOS and Steam Machines reveal, Valve's grand step into the living room might make the other major inhabitants uneasy. Microsoft's corporate VP Phil Harrison acknowledged the Steam creators in a recent interview with Eurogamer, saying that "Valve is a very impressive company, and obviously we're going to be watching what they do with great interest." While the Xbox One's impending launch is set for November 22, Harrison recently said in his Eurogamer Expo keynote that the console will be around for ten years. Valve's Steam Machines doesn't seem to impact that projection. "I think the death of the video game console was prematurely announced," Harrison continued, going back to an earlier question in the interview about the future of gaming consoles. "Clearly there is a lot of excitement around gaming in the living room on the biggest screen in the house, often times connected to a great sound system and creating that real intensely high quality game experience with a very powerful CPU and a very powerful GPU." "Our point of view, clearly, is that Xbox One is the best incarnation of that, but competition is good," he said. If Microsoft wants to watch Valve's approach closer, its best bet is getting in on the Steam Machines hardware beta, which includes the Steam Controller announced today.
Steam Machines beta program includes controller, sans touchscreen
The 300 individuals selected for Valve's Steam Machines hardware beta program will receive one of Valve's fancy new controllers as well. Along with the controller announcement today, Valve specified how the beta program controller will differ from the final version. The controller will not include the clickable touchscreen in the center, which will be replaced with four buttons. Additionally, the beta program controller will require a USB cable instead of being wireless. It's a small sacrifice the chosen 300 will have to make, but at least they'll have their hands on the first Valve-created Steam Boxes. We're still calling them that, right?
Valve reveals Steam PC game controller
Valve has revealed a new controller optimized for Steam and Steam Machines devices, concluding this week's string of announcements aimed at bridging the gap between PC gaming and the living room. The peripheral will support the full catalog of Steam games released to date, and will include legacy support for older titles that lack controller support. Contrasting "traditional gamepads," Valve's peripheral uses two trackpads, rather than the dual-analog setup common to consoles. Balancing the lack of physical sticks, Valve's controller uses haptic feedback, "allowing precise control over frequency, amplitude, and direction of movement." The controller additionally features a touch-enabled surface with a high-resolution screen. The screen can also be clicked as a button. When a player taps the touch screen, its display overlays on top of the game itself, eliminating the need to look down at the controller during gameplay. According to Valve, "The screen allows an infinite number of discrete actions to be made available to the player, without requiring an infinite number of physical buttons."
Valve's Steam Machines beta hints at new controller
With two of Valve's three big "living room" announcements already in the books, there's a chance that the third one, due Friday, revolves around a controller for its SteamOS-based Steam Machines hardware. Among the hardware's beta program eligibility forms is an agreement all beta testers must abide by, which states that Valve "has developed and produced prototypes of entertainment system hardware and software, including a set-top box running custom software and a game controller." Valve's Steam Machines FAQ also addresses the hardware's to-be-revealed controller, noting that the hardware's various forms will be compatible with mouse and keyboard controls, and that the company will "have some more to say very soon on the topic of input." Now that we know the Steam Machines' controller exists, we can start cooking up predictions on what it will look like. Our guess: It will have three analog joysticks.
Steam Machines' 'Eligibility Quest' offers beta program to lucky few
Along with the announcement of its Steam Machines hardware today, Valve pulled back the curtains on a related beta program. The program will grant 300 lucky testers access to prototype hardware for free. In order to be eligible for the program, players must first join the Steam Universe community group, agree to the beta program terms, obtain ten friends on Steam if they haven't already, create a public Steam profile and play any game in Big Picture mode. Valve says the steps can be performed in any order, and your eligibility status can be tracked online at any time on your "quest page." The eligibility list locks on October 25. Update: Valve's final announcement, made on Friday, is the Steam Controller.
Steam Box exists, will come in a variety of Steam Machines in 2014
Valve revealed the Steam Box today, under the name "Steam Machines." These boxes will come in multiple forms from different manufacturers in 2014, but all Steam Machines will run SteamOS. First, Valve is sending out 300 prototype boxes to Steam users, free, for testing purposes. See if you're eligible here. "Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world," Valve writes. "We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS." Valve announced SteamOS on Monday, a Linux-based operating system designed to play Linux games and stream Windows and Mac games, along with other media, from a computer to the big screen. SteamOS streams over a user's home network and onto a TV using "any living room machine," as Valve put it. "Any machine" now includes the Steam Machines. Steam's Big Picture, the UI portion of a living room gaming system, entered public beta in September 2012. Valve founder Gabe Newell has been pitching the Steam Box (in everything but name) as a device to unify mobile, desktop and living room technologies, all possible with a Linux backbone. On Monday, Valve announced that "hundreds" of games are already running in native Linux on SteamOS, and AAA titles are making their way to SteamOS in 2014. Valve has one more announcement to make this week, in 48 hours. Update: Valve's final announcement, made on Friday, is the Steam Controller.
SteamOS streams from computer to a big screen using Linux
SteamOS is a Linux-based operating system built to stream Windows and Mac games, music, TV and movies from a computer to the big screen, along with native support for Linux games. SteamOS allows users to stream over their home networks and onto their TVs, "running on any living room machine." The new OS will be available "soon" for free. "In SteamOS, we have achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing, and we're now targeting audio performance and reductions in input latency at the operating system level," Valve writes. "Game developers are already taking advantage of these gains as they target SteamOS for their new releases." Valve says it is working with well-known media services for music, TV and movies on SteamOS. The new service of course incorporates Steam Family Sharing, allowing users to share their game libraries with friends, and will include more robust parental controls. This is the likely software portion of Steam Box, a device that Valve has been publicly toying with since March 2012. (In terms of Valve Time, a 1.5-year turnover is some seriously hyperspeed hardware.) Last week at LinuxCon, Valve boss Gabe Newell talked Steam Box and unified couch computing, noting that closed platforms can't bring together disparate technologies. Big Picture Mode, the supposed UI side of Steam Box, entered public beta in September 2012. Valve has two more announcements to make, with the next one scheduled in two days. The anticipation.
Valve boss Gabe Newell on Linux in the living room, more info next week
Valve has long touted the power of Linux as a gaming and networking platform, but at LinuxCon 2013 bossman Gabe Newell was really able to let his Linux love fly. He takes the crowd on a tour of gaming history, and how Valve is addressing the connected living room with the Steam Box and Steam Big Picture mode. Big Picture modifies the desk-focused UI of Steam for a couch-bound audience, making menus and games accessible with a controller. The Steam Box is the hardware extrapolation of Big Picture, putting a Linux-run PC that unifies mobile, desktop and living room technologies in a common family area. This unification is something other platforms can't do, Newell said. "Yes, in fact, you can take everything that you liked about your PC and get it to work in your living room – that's called Big Picture," Newell said. "Our next step, having done these other pieces, is now on the hardware side. There are sets of issues to making sure that whatever computing platform you have works well in a living room environment. There are thermal issues and sound issues, but there are also a bunch of input issues. The next step in our contribution to this is to release some work we've done on the hardware side." Next week Valve will release more information about its approach to unifying technologies and it will outline "the hardware opportunities that we see for bringing Linux into the living room," Newell said. In March, Newell said customers would see some Steam Box prototypes within four months. Other fun facts: Valve is developing a Linux debugger alongside its LLVM debugger, and when it updates a game such as Dota 2, Valve generates up to 3 percent of the worldwide LAN-based IP traffic.
Xi3 says Piston is 'something more' than Steam Box
Piston creator Xi3 issued a stark response this morning to Valve publicly distancing itself from the company. In a press release, Xi3 founder, president, and CEO Jason A. Sullivan reaffirmed the investment Xi3 received to build a device "specifically for Valve" earlier this year, before launching into an aggressive counter, stating Xi3's Piston is perceivably "something more" than Valve's Steam Box. The Xi3, "contrary to Valve's vision" according to Sullivan, won't be limited to supporting particular platforms and game stores."We reaffirm the fact that we received an investment from Valve Corporation (as we previously disclosed during the 2013 International CES trade show), and we did so with Valve's written permission," Suillvan wrote in today's statement. "Second, we were asked to build a product specifically for Valve, and both companies showcased this product - the Piston console - in their respective booths at CES 2013."Sullivan noted Valve boss Gabe Newell "personally asked" him to not disclose further information on Xi3's relationship with Valve. While, according to Sullivan, Xi3 continues to honor that arrangement, Newell's statement clearly caused (or added to) friction between the two companies, with Sullivan going on to state arguments for why the Xi3 is a stronger proposition than the Steam Box.
