Steam Box Beta

booman

booman

Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming
Staff member
Some awesome pics, video and detailed descriptions of Steam Box and the Steam controller:
The Verge
Instead of building your next computer, maybe look into a Steam Machine
But does it give you full control of the Linux OS?
Can we Install PlayOnLinux?

Is the full functionality of Linux there or is it dummied down for consumers?
 
Its actually kinda funny if you think about it. I could build my own Steam Box by purchasing parts from Newegg.com and then installing Ubuntu. Then I can install Steam and use Big Picture mode.
Whala! Steam Box!
But I'm sure Valve will get better prices on the hardware due to mass quantities. So it should be cheaper than a custom build.
Hopefully the BIOS will allow us to install our own Distro on it.
Sounds like Valve has closed off the operating system, but I could have sworn they were claiming "freedom" with SteamOS.
Doesn't sound so "free" if we can't install Chromium, VLC, PlayOnLinux, etc.
 
I don't think Valve will be buying parts or building machines, other than the prototypes. Same as nvidia doesn't manufacture video cards.
 
So do you think manufacturer's will build Steam Box with different specs or according to Valve's specs?
What I mean is, will manufacturer's upgrade video cards, hard drives, CPU as games get more demanding?

This is what PC gamers do... so I would hope Steam Box would follow suit.
 
Based on IFixit's teardown , it looks like the following components.

Code: 
Component              $ Newegg
CNPS 2X Mini ITX CPU cooler    29.99
Intel Core i5-3570            209.99
Asrock Z87E-ITX mobo          129.99
Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 (x2) 129.99
Zotac GeFore GTX 780 3GB      499.99
Seagate ST1000LM014 SSHD      119.99
700W power supply              59.99

Things like cost of controller and case I can't do much about, as I've no idea what they'll be like. That list is $1179.84 worth of machine, and fairly well specified, so they really better do a whole bunch better than a console! Interestingly, they didn't include an SSD, rather going for one of Seagate's hybrid drives.

Make of it what you will...
 
Wow, nice teardown!
How is it going to be competitive with consoles if the price is over $700?
I love how half the computer is that massive video card?
I love the box too! its a keeper and you can take your SteamBox with you in total safety.
Nice job Valve!
 
PS4 and controller without any bundle is $399 - see IGN's PlayStation 4 Price and Bundles

As far as I've been able to work out, the PS4 CPU looks to be two quad core AMD Jaguar processors at 1.6GHz tied with something roughly like a Radeon HD 7870, talking to 8GB of GDDR5. To my mind, that would look to be about right for 1080p gaming. There's no reason why a Steam box couldn't be in the same ballpark cost-wise, but how it'd compare to one of the consoles I'm not sure.
 
You are right!
Why are they $650 on Amazon and $400 on Newegg?

I really doubt that the SteamBox needs a $500 video card.
I've never spend more than $150.00 on a video card and they have lasted for years.
 
Apparently some testers don't like SteamOS or at least the limited choice of games and have already installed Windows on their Steam Machine.

On this thread from reddit/r/steam many people say this was to be expected, but I must admit I was disappointed.

If this becomes a trend, once the boxes are sold to the general public, this could be a blow to our hope that more games are ported to Linux.

What do you guys think ?
 
We all expected this because your favorite Steam games are not on the list.
This is why I am not using Linux Steam.
This is only the beginning... but I think a lot of developers would be encouraged to make/port games to Linux if SteamBox has success.
At the same time, people who only play on consoles may see SteamBox as a possibility for their gaming platform.
The cost is concerning, but those of us to already use Linux know that we can still play most of our favorite Steam games in Linux already.

If people shoot down SteamOS and just install Windows, then they might as well just build another Windows PC instead of gaining the freedom of Linux and games in PlayOnLinux.

I admit, I still use Windows for games, but as we continue testing our favorite games in PlayOnLinux (and having success) the doors are still wide-open for Linux to be a gaming platform.

All SteamOS needs is the developers attention...
The developers need the money's attention...
The gamers have the money but need their favorite games or new ones to replace them.

If Valve can keep SteamBox at $400 or lower then the price is right. Steam games are already cheaper than the console games.
They just need more HITS!
 
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