
Has Ethernet ?
Californian games PC maker iBuyPower has become one of the first vendors to take the wraps off an upcoming box based on Valve’s Steam OS. It is, of course, a high-end PC in a console-style box - which is, after all, what today’s next-generation games consoles are. It just happens to run Linux rather than Windows, though the …
Yes, Steam does in fact have an offline mode. This does not work for all games though. This may not still be true, but I know for a fact that games that rely on cloud storage won't save progress, etc, but in addition to that, I was on vacation in northern Maine back in the summer of 2011 and not one of the games I'd had installed at that time would play in offline mode at all. I think it really does depend on the game, unless Steam has updated offline play since that time.
"It is, of course, a high-end PC in a console-style box - which is, after all, what today’s next-generation games consoles are."
No. No they are not. My four year old gaming PC that I'm thinking about replacing is higher end than any of these consoles. Hell the work PC under my desk that I've just bought a replacement for has more RAM, HDD and a better GPU.
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A console doesn't need to be as high spec as a general purpose system, although the idea of steambox gives up some of the traditional console advantages in favour of flexibility...
On a system which is designed solely for gaming, you won't be running all kinds of other cruft in the background so at the very least you need less memory, less cpu and less disk space. It's also likely that SteamOS, although linux based will be significantly stripped down to remove things which are not necessary for gaming - similar to what MS have done with the xbox.
Ofcourse on a traditional console the hardware is static, so you can do away with the overhead of an OS and driver layers entirely. Many Amiga games did this because performance was significantly better, and AmigaOS is considered extremely lightweight and efficient compared to modern systems.
The downside of either machine might seem to be a relative lack of games, at least compared to the next-gen
Errrrrr, what? The Steam for Linux store just broke the 400 entry mark. How many games are currently available on the PS4? Sure, Linux is missing the AAA market right now, but that's changing*, and Steam, PSN, XBL long since proved the market for the games that are available.
*Metro: Last Light and Arma: Tactics being recent high-profile converts, as well as Serious Sam before them.
Yeah, but most of those 400 games are slightly pants indie titles.
Can't agree. My Steam for Linux list includes the Double Fine games, the Valve games, the Introversion games, Mark of the Ninja, Bastion, X3, Hotline Miami, Penumbra, Amnesia, Strike Suit Zero, Serious Sam, FEZ, etc. These games won awards for a reason. Hell, I'm currently replaying one of my all-time favourites - Psychonauts!
Every platform has its share of shit games, but the Linux set has more than enough games worth playing, especially compared to a freshly-launched console.
"I really like the idea of the steam box, but it needs to be cheaper or better than the console, not slightly more expensive for a similar spec?!?!"
Just no.
You're aware that console hardware, with parts bought in the millions, is still generally sold at a loss, and then the money clawed back through game licensing, which makes every single game more expensive, right?
Personally, I'd rather not be stung for those console prices, even if it requires the ability to see past the end of my nose.
Also, punctuation is a finite resource, use it carefully.
It's all about attracting the creative individuals, that see it as a way out from their slave working conditions under EA and the like. Many will fail, but many will like it far more than the minor Android devices out there. So I have some hope for it, especially if it shares the RAM with the GPU. If.
I know that Valve are aware of the problem that a lot of PC games are click fests as they have designed a fancy new controller to enable this in front of the TV but... I just don't see their touch pad controller working anywhere near as well as a mouse.
Also, if I am going to be clicking on small objects on the screen, I prefer to be sat in an upright position with my face about 1.5 feet from the screen, not leaning back on the couch a few meters away.
I think I will always play PC style games at a desk, and console FPS, third person shooters, and driving games on the couch in front of the TV.
I'm happy to be proved wrong by Valve, but this device looks like falling between two stools.
"I know that Valve are aware of the problem that a lot of PC games are click fests as they have designed a fancy new controller to enable this in front of the TV but... I just don't see their touch pad controller working anywhere near as well as a mouse."
It's a PC. If you want to use a mouse, just plug one in.
As for the article:
"iBP’s hardware incorporates a multi-core AMD processor"
Is this really something we still need to say? I'm not sure it's even possible to buy a single-core processor any more. What that sentence actually boils down to is "PC has a processor". Yeah, no shit.
"Output is 1980 x 1080 for modern tellies"
Wouldn't it make more sense for the output to be the 1920x1080 that modern tellies actually use?