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[Bouchart]

I'm thinking that Ricochet 2 is somewhere on the horizon.

[Chaoswizkid]

Do they really lose anything by going into the market, though? Razor owns the top of the market, Alienware has pretty much lost its luster (or as much as I can gather, anyway), and I don't see anyone controlling the middle of the market (I consider Dell and the like to own the bottom of the market). They could make a big move to appeal to a broad audience with mid-range to mid-high range specs that game designers design around which would likely guarantee sales. Given that there are still developers releasing games for pretty darn old hardware at this point (Rockstar and GTA V comes to mind), a potential SteamBox computer could also have a guaranteed longevity. Sure it wouldn't appeal to people who have gaming computers. I wouldn't buy one, as I've got my rig and I will probably only ever buy my own parts and assemble my own computers. However, it might appeal to a lot of other people, like the sort who only play on consoles and don't want to deal with all the different PC specs. It could be an attempt to create a standard for the PC Gaming industry. That's a pretty big deal.

I understand it's a whole lot of conjecture on my part, I'm just saying that it sounds reasonable, and if they go in the direction I'm thinking they are, it could be really successful.

[umiman]

Have patience. Tomorrow we shall know if they plan to compete with consoles or with PCs.

[ductape]

Im actually excited to what this might do for Linux software. Having games built to run on linux right out of the gate will change a lot for the red headed step-child of OS's, and I think thats great.

[Bouchart]

Eh, there are already so many Linux distros that I can't imagine another one having much of an impact.

[Krevsin]

Eh, I still want to know if this SteamBox will be a Micro PC (like that wossname, the Piston or whatever it was) or a Console.

Now, Seeing as how one of the pictures they used in the SteamOS launch was from Rome 2, and these sort of games are notoriously difficult to play with a controller, I think it's more likely to be a Micro PC. But then again, we'll just have to sit and wait.

And please, please make it look like Xi3's Piston. Because that thing looks sweet.

[Sensei]

Eh, I still want to know if this SteamBox will be a Micro PC (like that wossname, the Piston or whatever it was) or a Console.

Frankly I don't see what the big difference is. They talk about Big Picture, which is just a gamepad interface for Steam. I imagine their steam OS will have controller support from bootup like a console, and that will be the biggest difference compared to any other linux distro. That aside there's absolutely no reason for them not to include M+KB support, even if most of the new work they're doing is to not require it. If it's linux based, I'd expect it to do pretty much everything linux could do normally, including, say, office programs and web browsing.

[Krevsin]

Eh, I still want to know if this SteamBox will be a Micro PC (like that wossname, the Piston or whatever it was) or a Console.

Frankly I don't see what the big difference is. They talk about Big Picture, which is just a gamepad interface for Steam. I imagine their steam OS will have controller support from bootup like a console, and that will be the biggest difference compared to any other linux distro. That aside there's absolutely no reason for them not to include M+KB support, even if most of the new work they're doing is to not require it. If it's linux based, I'd expect it to do pretty much everything linux could do normally, including, say, office programs and web browsing.

The difference between a console and a micro PC is that a micro PC still has some versatility. You can plug in a keyboard and a mouse and play with those if you so desire. And it will most likely have web browsing. It's not entirely a console (purely gaming and bullshit social media nowadays) but not entirely a PC (much more focused on gaming).

The thing is that SteamOS will most likely support the entire Steam gaming library without having to use WINE. While not a big deal and truly something that does not bother most Linux users, for some it just might be the tipping point to make them switch to a Linux-based OS.

[Chaoswizkid]

They mentioned better graphical results from their software. Essentially, with the OS, they are streamlining everything so that they get maximum gaming performance on the software side. Instead of getting operating systems that have a bunch of programs running in the background, a bunch of features that are hardly used, etc. etc., this would be specifically designed for gaming to free up as much power for processing and memory allocation as possible, and make drivers as easy to code and use as possible. It's all about software efficiency. Sure, they can still have word processors, web browsing, etc., but they would simply be extra stuff you could do. They wouldn't be the focus. I think gamers would appreciate that.

The next step would be to streamline the hardware. I heard that Playstation 2 emulators used to have so much trouble on PCs because the PS2's hardware and software were designed so efficiently that even more powerful specs-wise PCs couldn't handle it. Hence the (potential) SteamBox.

[Krevsin]

Sure, they can still have word processors, web browsing, etc., but they would simply be extra stuff you could do. They wouldn't be the focus. I think gamers would appreciate that.

Well, I want access to the internet to check guides, mods and whatnot. The only thing I really need is an internet browser and I can also do word processing, presentations and all that stuff.

But yeah, the gist is having what is basically a purely gaming-oriented machine for the masses. If a person wants a gaming computer, they can jolly well build it themselves, but most people don't have the money or knowledge to do it. This should be a nice alternative.

[umiman]

It was primarily because consoles were built with different architecture. Think of it as them being programmed for different OSes in a different language on weird hardware.

Hard to emulate so many things at once.

[Sensei]

It's not like consoles CAN'T support keyboards. Hell, I had a keyboard attachment to go with my original Xbox. The limitations of consoles are pretty much invented, and related to their firmware. I wouldn't expect SteamOS to be anything other than a lightweight gaming-oriented Linux distro with full controller support. They have no reason to artificially add the limitations normally ascribed to consoles. Just throw a bunch of USB ports on the sucker, and you're completely covered. The support for other programs is already there because Linux.

[timferius]

My bet is it's going to be something similar to the Nvidia Shield thing. It'll be a basic PC with mediocre specs, but will lean on the abilitiy to stream all your games from your pc.

[Shadowgandor]

My bet is it's going to be something similar to the Nvidia Shield thing. It'll be a basic PC with mediocre specs, but will lean on the abilitiy to stream all your games from your pc.

That's what I'm betting too. Compared to the onLive idea, this one isn't depending on a fast internet connection as you can directly plug a cable between the PC and the box.

[miauw62]

Anyone wanna bet that the Blue Sun is gonna make place for another announcement?