Remember when all those valvadrones were claiming the steam machines were killing to kill console gaming? Where are they now?
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@stanrezaee:
I mean valve did not even market them at all, valve are utterly incompetent
That's because they aren't producing them. They just slap their brand logo and name on them. It's up to the individual companies making them to actually promote them.
Valve fails at marketing, no doubt, makes Steam Link then turns SteamOS and Steam Machine irrelevant.
I think next year will have to be better since some of the killer apps coming out exclusively for PC will also be available for Linux/SteamOS like Total War: Warhammer, XCOM2, Squadron 42, and Unreal Tournament 4. Vulkan won't be commercially out till Q2 2016, SteamOS needs more time to get performance that is at least just as good as Windows 10 and AMD and Nvidia to keep on making better drivers.
CyberpowerPC had their Steam machine on sale for as low as $300 for a day and it got sold out in a couple of hours, not sure how many units they sold though. The only Steam machines currently available for purchase and to actually use are Zotacs, Alienwares, and CyberpowerPCs. Some companies dropped out of the selling Steam machines like Falcon Northwest and Origin. I'm glad they did was their PCs were too expensive and overpriced plus less brands/models means less confusion for people interested in getting one but aren't from a PC gaming background.
They are where all unwanted video game items go...
Steam Machine's were dead the second they made the decision to release many different models which will only confuse and overwhelm non-PC gamers. And PC gamers are just going to stick with their PC which can do everything a Steam Machine can do and more. If they wanted to have any chance at success, they should have released no more than three models at most (a low, medium, and high tier).
i would like a PC with that form factor...one i can stick under the telly. if i bought one i would stick a linux distro on it instead of using steam OS though.
but no one has really nailed it hardware wise imho..especially on the GPU front. the closest is the syber system. its possible to stick some pretty powerful off the shelf hardware into something that can stick under the telly which is cool.
slowly but surely its also becoming possible to get cases that are entertainment cabintet friendly and can also be packed with some sweet hardware. as this improves im less inclined to buy an off the shelf box.
but i do like the idea and i also want to see gaming improve on linux.
Wait people were hyped about this?( I've seen only 1 or 2 people going gaga over them most of us expected what was the future of the steammachines.)
They are where all unwanted video game items go...
Steam Machine's were dead the second they made the decision to release many different models which will only confuse and overwhelm non-PC gamers. And PC gamers are just going to stick with their PC which can do everything a Steam Machine can do and more. If they wanted to have any chance at success, they should have released no more than three models at most (a low, medium, and high tier).
Yeah, the place they buried the ET cartridges. They dug those up and safely stored the steam machines there.
Only for them to be dug up some 20 years into the future and there be made a documentary about them.
Proof that you can't do PC gaming on the cheap.
Yeah you can... PC gaming is WHAT ever you want it to be... Something like a Alienware Alpha, weighing in at like 6 lb's, and is about twice as thick as a Wii does that.. All at a price point of around $400 if you get it on sale.. That is a helluva a deal when you think about it for the size, performance and the fact that it opens you up to the ENTIRE pc library.. This horse shit about needing to spend $1000+ is the only way to enjoy pc gaming is absolute horse shit.. You don't need that machine to fully enjoy the titans on the platform.. In fact the most popular, and most competitive games on the platform can be run on 5 year old hardware easily..
I don't have a clue who the steam machines are marketed to? Anyone that want's a pc will buy a pre-build at least. They got released into a market that was already filled, there was/is no spot for them.
Not quite, I can't build a machine with the specific dimensions, performance and cost currently on the market.... Even if I were to ignore the cost, and performance, you literally can't physically fit a computer with a dedicated video card into most of these steam machine sizes currently.
I don't have a clue who the steam machines are marketed to? Anyone that want's a pc will buy a pre-build at least. They got released into a market that was already filled, there was/is no spot for them.
Not quite, I can't build a machine with the specific dimensions, performance and cost currently on the market.... Even if I were to ignore the cost, and performance, you literally can't physically fit a computer with a dedicated video card into most of these steam machine sizes currently.
One can find plenty of small cases that allow for full-sized GPU's. There are also several Steam Machines on the market right now that aren't much larger than a Xbox One and have full GPU's: http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/10/every-steam-machine-coming-out-this-month
Remember when all those valvadrones were claiming the steam machines were killing to kill console gaming? Where are they now?
Those guys probably ran away, the steam machines can't put a dent in the console market, companys like nintendo, sony have a strong reputation and make great games, I think steam should just stick to the PC.
But Steam Machines are just PC's. Valve is exploring the prospects of PC's that are practical in living room type settings.
@mesome713:
Same place custom PCs have always been, on the shelf waiting to be bought.
ouch
@hansbeej: Steam machines are not exactly PC's because they do not run windows, now do they?
PC is an acronym for "personal computer". It's a PC whether it's running Windows, Linux, Mac, or even Android or Chrome OS.
And one can install whatever they want on a Steam Machine. Dell sells one with Windows already installed.
I don't have a clue who the steam machines are marketed to? Anyone that want's a pc will buy a pre-build at least. They got released into a market that was already filled, there was/is no spot for them.
Not quite, I can't build a machine with the specific dimensions, performance and cost currently on the market.... Even if I were to ignore the cost, and performance, you literally can't physically fit a computer with a dedicated video card into most of these steam machine sizes currently.
One can find plenty of small cases that allow for full-sized GPU's. There are also several Steam Machines on the market right now that aren't much larger than a Xbox One and have full GPU's: http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/10/every-steam-machine-coming-out-this-month
Not as small as a alpha.. A alpha literally is 8 by 8 inch square and is like 2 and a half inchs thick.... And Zotac I believe has another.. I am wishing for the day pc hardware comes to the point I can build something as small as a alpha with a dedicated video card.
They exist, but as I predicted, they are a product without a market. They are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist, they are catering to a demographic that isn't there.
I don't know what Valve was thinking when they decided to make these.
It was never going to be a thing, even more so if they aren't performing as well as a Windows 10 desktop...
Remember when all those valvadrones were claiming the steam machines were killing to kill console gaming? Where are they now?
When was this? I dont recall this reality
EDIT: If anything it seems PC gamers were just as confused as console gamers on trying to find out who is the steam machine market for.
They are where all unwanted video game items go...
Steam Machine's were dead the second they made the decision to release many different models which will only confuse and overwhelm non-PC gamers. And PC gamers are just going to stick with their PC which can do everything a Steam Machine can do and more. If they wanted to have any chance at success, they should have released no more than three models at most (a low, medium, and high tier).
^ ^ this. They are probably in a landfill somewhere.
@sSubZerOo: does it really need to be that small though? i would have preferred if alienware made something a bit bigger and used more off the shelf parts.
the best steam machine, imho, is the syber system. its industry standard off the shelf parts in a case that can fit under the teally.
i mean if they can make it PS3 fat sized and get some top notch hardware in there (that is upgradeable) then that would be better imho.
so far many steam machines are cutting corners to try and be really small. is that really a seller?
I've seen them at Best Buy and GameStop. Maybe Fry's Electronics has it as well.
A brick-and-mortar Best Buy? I ask because there are no Steam Machines listed on bestbuy.com, only the Alienware Alpha (which is not a Steam Machine, despite having identical hardware configurations to the Alienware Steam Machine), the Syber Vapor (which should also not be confused with its Steam Machine cousin), and a few ZOTAC ZBOX mini PCs (but not the ZOTAC NEN SN970 Steam Machine). The Vapor and one of the ZBOX models are available from Best Buy, and the Alpha is only available through the third-party marketplace, with no in-store availability for the Alpha listed for Los Angeles, New York or Chicago. Frys.com also doesn't carry Steam Machines, though several Alpha models and a ZBOX are available.
That's because they aren't producing them. They just slap their brand logo and name on them. It's up to the individual companies making them to actually promote them.
IMO, it really should be Valve promoting the Steam Machine brand, as it is Valve's brand; the hardware manufacturers are merely licensees of the brand. The manufacturers are already operating at thin margins on the Steam Machines when you take their costs (such as labor, equipment, insurance, utilities, etc) into consideration. Valve receives 30% of the revenue for every game sold on Steam and an undisclosed chunk of the 75% it appropriates from mod sales, surely it could invest a little of that in promotion of the Steam Machine brand? Valve's current approach reminds me a lot of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin#Marketing_failure
Not quite, I can't build a machine with the specific dimensions, performance and cost currently on the market.... Even if I were to ignore the cost, and performance, you literally can't physically fit a computer with a dedicated video card into most of these steam machine sizes currently.
Of the 10 manufacturers listed at http://store.steampowered.com/search/#category1=993, all but 3 (Dell/Alienware, ZOTAC, CyberPowerPC/Syber Gaming) use non-custom cases and components.
ALTERNATE's Steam Machine shown at https://www.alternate.de/html/theme/9335 uses SilverStone's RVZ01 case.
Digital Storm's Eclipse Steam Machine shown at http://store.steampowered.com/app/353430/?snr=1_7_7_230_150_1 uses SilverStone's RVZ01 case.
MAINGEAR's DRIFT Steam Machine shown at https://www.maingear.com/custom/sff/steamos/index.php uses SilverStone's FTZ01 case.
Material.net's Steam Machine shown at http://www.materiel.net/ordinateur/materiel-net-steam-machine-haswell-pc-gamer-99543.html uses Fractal Design's Node 304 case.
Next's NextBox Steam Machine shown at http://nextbox.nexths.it/ uses Cooler Master's Elite 110 case.
Scan's/3XS Systems' Steam Machines listed at http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs/custom/gaming/steam-machines offer a choice from among the following cases: CiT's S013B, Fractal Design's Node 202, SilverStone's RVZ01, and SilverStone's RVZ02.
Webhallen.com's Steam Machine shown at http://store.steampowered.com/app/353520/?snr=1_7_7_230_150_1 uses BitFenix's Pandora Core case.
Anyone can go buy any of these cases and build their own systems, with standard desktop graphics cards. PCPartPicker is a resource available if needed (and I can often find better prices than PCPartPicker lists).
As for the Syber Steam Machine, while the case is unique to CyberPowerPC/Syber, the internal components are not custom.
The Alienware Steam Machine and ZOTAC NEN SN970 Steam Machine have custom cases, and use nonstandard (if you want to call it that) GPUs. The Alienware uses an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M GPU that is soldered to the motherboard. The ZOTAC NEN SN970 uses an NVIDIA GeForce 970M which has been rebadged as a GTX 960 (case in point, the GPU in the NEN is advertised as having 3 GB of memory, but a GeForce GTX 960 in actuality comes with either 2 GB or 4 GB of memory, whereas the GeForce GTX 970M comes in 3 GB and 6 GB configurations, and the NEN was originally advertised as including a GeForce GTX 970M).
If I wanted a Steam Machine with console-like dimensions and aesthetics, I would get the NEN, but not at $899.99. The Alienware Steam Machine is gaudy, although undoubtedly there are people that would appeal to.
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