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PC SteamOS

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Another Steam Machine prototype revealed today. It looks damn ugly but importantly it is powerful and cheap, dispelling the myth that the Steam machines won't be able to compete with console prices.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/25/5146398/ibuypower-steam-machine-499-radeon-r9-270
Valve's official Steam Machine prototype isn't cheap, but it won't be the only Steam-powered video game console available come 2014. This morning, iBuyPower revealed a prototype of its own upcoming Steam Machine, which will go on sale for just $499 next year. For the price of an Xbox One, the computer will offer a multicore AMD CPU and a discrete AMD Radeon R9 270 graphics card — that's a $180 GPU all by itself — and come with Valve's Steam Controller as part of the package deal.
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dexter_ said:
Controller announced. Well...it looks interesting..wonder how it feels.

controller.jpg


http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/
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Looks like that cheap s*** floating around the bargain bin
 

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I didn't know where to put this but I guess this is as close to an official steam thread so I'll put it here.

Does anyone here play Valve's multiplayer games? And how do you feel about the way they monetize things? I don't play their games but from what I understand there's a bit of gambling involved. For example:

http://toddhunterreport.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/steam-valve-gambling-and-regulations/


Further, with your weapon case? You can also choose to buy a key to unlock it. If you do so, you are presented with the chance of winning an extra rare gun or perhaps something more common. Inevitably, curiosity will get to you. You buy a key, you select the “open” option and the graphics spin like a slot machine. It cost you around $3 for the chance, but what is that small amount when you could win something potentially worth a hundred?
The wheel stops, you win something like this:
capturefzu2v.png

Which is worth all of $0.05. You gambled, you lost, life goes on and it is all just part of the game.
But wait, “you gambled”? Suddenly it may not be just part of the game at all.
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It sounds borderline unethical to me, but I'm interested in hearing what people who play these games think of it.

 
It began in Team Fortress 2 with crates.

I don't have a problem with it because you don't have to buy the keys to the crates - most of what you get in them will 'drop' in the game anyway. The only things that don't are the 'unusual' hats with special effects, which are purely cosmetic. I haven't spent a cent on TF2. There is nothing pay-to-win about Valve's games, because everything that affects gameplay is available just as readily to someone willing to spend $100s as it is to someone not willing to pay a thing. I just delete my crates, or occasionally trade them to someone for someone weapons to craft.
 
dexter_ said:
I didn't know where to put this but I guess this is as close to an official steam thread so I'll put it here.

Does anyone here play Valve's multiplayer games? And how do you feel about the way they monetize things? I don't play their games but from what I understand there's a bit of gambling involved. For example:

http://toddhunterreport.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/steam-valve-gambling-and-regulations/


It sounds borderline unethical to me, but I'm interested in hearing what people who play these games think of it.
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It's similar/same as EA are doing with the majority of their micro-transactions now. They had it in Mass Effect 3, Dead Space 3 and do it in all the Ultimate Team sports titles.

It's definitely a grey area really. Since G rated games are not allowed to promote gambling in advertising, but they can seemingly offer it in their games? (obviously ME3 and DS3 are not G rated, but FIFA, NBA, NFL certainly are)

I'm not necessarily against it as you aren't obligated to buy them to actually succeed at whatever you're buying this content for. But it's absolutely aimed at kids for at the very least this Ultimate Team stuff and no doubt in the future more of it will be as well and that shit is easy to fall into the trap of. It really is just another form of gambling though, hell, EA have even used a 'slot machine' like system in the past to reveal items in the Ultimate Team arena.

It's not purely evil, but it sure is ****ing dubious.
 
HBK619 said:
It's similar/same as EA are doing with the majority of their micro-transactions now. They had it in Mass Effect 3, Dead Space 3 and do it in all the Ultimate Team sports titles.

It's definitely a grey area really. Since G rated games are not allowed to promote gambling in advertising, but they can seemingly offer it in their games? (obviously ME3 and DS3 are not G rated, but FIFA, NBA, NFL certainly are)

I'm not necessarily against it as you aren't obligated to buy them to actually succeed at whatever you're buying this content for. But it's absolutely aimed at kids for at the very least this Ultimate Team stuff and no doubt in the future more of it will be as well and that shit is easy to fall into the trap of. It really is just another form of gambling though, hell, EA have even used a 'slot machine' like system in the past to reveal items in the Ultimate Team arena.

It's not purely evil, but it sure is ******* dubious.
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Bit of a stretch to compare Valve's microtransactions with Dead Space 3.
 
It can pay off though, i spent .05 on a card i needed to craft the badge for the steam summer sale. On creating that badge i was gifted three items, 2 were hats for TF2 and 1 was something for DOTA. I don't play DOTA so i instantly put it on the market for $15 and someone bought it 40seconds later.
 
As long as it all remains simply cosmetic, I have no problem what so ever with it.

When upgrades and new weapons that can only be got in it start rearing their heads in, that's when it's a problem, that's when Valve starts to lose a whole lotta respect.

If people want to spend money for cosmetics, sure let them, it's all cool and it's an ingenious marketing idea by Valve.
 

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don't play any of valve's multiplayer games myself and off topic from the gambling stuff, but I heard a fascinating letter on the idle thumbs podcast about the TF2 russian hat trading black market a couple of weeks ago which is worth a listen.

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPCMCzNhTB8&t=91m45s

segment goes for about 6 minutes.

hilariously bizarre.
 


Audience Member: "Microsoft just announced 3 million units of Xbox One were sold at launch for the last three months, can you hit that target by the end of the year? Can you do 3 million units?"
GabeN: "Well, it'd take a while for them to catch up. I mean, we're at 65 million."
 

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So are these steam machines the 'steam box' or is that another thing to come? As it stands at the moment these machines certainly aren't going to be invading the regular/console market any time soon.

Price wise it looks like you get something fairly similar to a PS4/XBOX ONE, so what's the real incentive?
dexter_ said:
Steam Controller impressions from media at CES have been underwhelming.
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Not surprised.
 
HBK619 said:
Price wise it looks like you get something fairly similar to a PS4/XBOX ONE, so what's the real incentive?Not surprised.
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In fact it might be cheaper to get a pre-built system (without monitor + peripherals) from a place like Scorptech than getting a Steam Machine, especially considering that the prices mentioned are American prices. Origin PC and Alienware machine could be a decent buy depending on price (and specs for the latter). But at the moment they aren't convincing me to buy a machine over a PS4 or an actual PC.
 
The Speaker said:
It began in Team Fortress 2 with crates.

I don't have a problem with it because you don't have to buy the keys to the crates - most of what you get in them will 'drop' in the game anyway. The only things that don't are the 'unusual' hats with special effects, which are purely cosmetic. I haven't spent a cent on TF2. There is nothing pay-to-win about Valve's games, because everything that affects gameplay is available just as readily to someone willing to spend $100s as it is to someone not willing to pay a thing. I just delete my crates, or occasionally trade them to someone for someone weapons to craft.
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The only time it really becomes an issue is in MvM, where some groups will kick a player for not being sufficiently decked out in unusuals.

I've played 125+ hours and have never been tempted to open a crate. The odds of an unusual are so low as to make it quite unattractive.

I just traded for a couple of strange weapons because I like the stat tracking, and sold my marketable drops and rewards (just sold a killstreak minigun for a few bucks, and made quite a bit by selling presents over Halloween).

Most of the key market is for trading, not actually opening crates.
 

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