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| Looks like Sony beat you to it, Gabe. |
Yeah I'll admit it, the blog has a slight Steam-centric slant.
Anyway, it would seem that Valve are finally preparing to drop some concrete information on their planned assault on gamer's living rooms, starting later on today. You can read the company's characteristically cryptic statement by following the link below; granted it's not offering crystal clear confirmation in of itself that the long in the offing Steambox is even coming at all, never mind going to be announced anytime soon, but it is at least an indication that Valve are ready to make their big screen master plan public, whatever form it ends up taking. The first of what appears to be three announcements is due around 6pm BST tonight.
Stay tuned.
Click Below For Updates:
Update 1:
So here's the first part of Valve's sofa-centric gaming triple header; a free, Linux based operating system with Steam at its core called simply SteamOS. While its true that large swathes of the Steam catalog aren't natively Linux compatible at the time of writing, Valve are offering a compromise of sorts whereby existing Windows and Mac Steam games can be streamed directly from a computer running either of these operating systems to one running Steam OS. The company is also promising further news on triple A games coming to SteamOS in the coming weeks, but isn't clear on if it is referring to ports of existing titles already available on Steam or upcoming releases pegged for 2014 and beyond.
The limits of SteamOS outside of gaming are also for the moment unclear. As an operating system with Linux at its heart it should have no issue at all playing your media, assuming it's free of any pesky DRM. Valve states that it is "working with many of the media streaming services [we] know and love", but they're no doubt referring to the small to medium fry here such as Spotify and Netflix; heavy hitters such as iTunes and Sky will never, ever make an appearance on it. Whether any kind of basic office tasks will be supported is anyone's guess, although web browsing and email are a given.
Few people would have predicted this would be Valve's opening salvo. What will the next two announcements be? I'd put my money on a Steam specific controller, Steambox hardware from Valve, third parties or both, or a formal acknowledgement of the existence of the much rumored Source 2 engine, and with it the promise of another round of, this time SteamOS compliant, Left 4 Dead, Portal and (whisper it) Half-Life sequels. I'll keep you posted.
Update 2:
So Steam hardware is definitely coming in 2014, and Valve is looking to involve gamers in the development process by issuing preview hardware to a select few and encouraging public feedback and discourse around their experiences. The company is apparently working with multiple partners on a number of different 'Steam Machines' (not 'Steam Boxes' after all), but the FAQ section of today's reveal page also states that Valve will be releasing their own in-house versions, and that they expect Steam Machines to vary greatly in terms of performance, features and price. They are promising more concrete information soon, but for the moment the most pressing questions on Steam fans' lips, i.e, when the first Steam Machines will be out, what kind of muscle they're packing beneath the bonnet and how much they'll cost, remain unanswered.
Update 3:
No, this isn't the bastard offspring of an Xbox 360 controller and an iPod speaker dock, it's Valve's controller solution for both its upcoming Steam Machines and existing Windows, OS X and Linux computers. The two standout features here are the clickable trackpads used in lieu of traditional joysticks and the touchscreen display in the center that can be uniquely tailored to any given game. You can't see them in this picture, but traditional FPS-friendly triggers also feature at the back.
Valve are employing what they dub 'super precise haptic feedback' to add a feeling of natural resistance to the trackpads and, theoretically, improve on the ancient and sacred union between thumb and 'stick. The controller can apparently be used with any Steam game originally designed around a mouse and keyboard setup, as well as software with native support, making living room Civilization V a tangible reality.
It's impossible to say how well the controller will work until it has been handed out to beta testers and the opinions start flooding in, but its fair to say that whatever happens, Valve at least deserve major kudos for attempting to shake things up a bit. As with all aspects of Valve multi-faceted living room invasion, the Steam Controller may be changed substantially before final release based on community feedback, and is allegedly 'hackable' at both a software and a hardware level.
That concludes Valve's big reveal. How successful will these ventures be? Critics are divided at the moment, but I, as a PC gamer at heart, am very excited to see how this all pans out. Check UDLR for more updates on SteamOS, Steam Machines and the Steam Controller soon.
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