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New developments in Valve "Steam Box"


LiQuid BioniX

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Many people have been speculating about the Valve game company getting into the console race. They already have in many aspects by implementing their Big Picture Mode. Basically what that is, for those who don't know, is an update to Steam software that allows uses to play, when hooked up to an HDTV, their PC games on HDTV's fully optimized.

 

Recent developments at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2013 have furthered these speculations when Valve announced that they are investing money with a company, Xi3, in order to have them create a very small computer, meant to be be a much more simplified pathway that allows users to use Steam's Big Picture Mode on Televisions.

 

The implications for this are astounding when concerning PC games. It allows people to much more easily play Steam games on their Televisions. This computer, in combination with Big Picture Mode, is coming at a perfect time when the next generation of consoles are hitting.

 

The specifics aren't knows as to whether Valve will try this on their own, or who would be partnering with them, but the signs are pointing in the direction that Valve is branching to not only encompass the PC market, but the console one as well.

 

UPDATE: The device will reportedly run Linux as well.

 

UPDATE 2: Gabe Newell has gone more in detail about the Xi3. He has stated that this box will not be the last to receive Steam support, but it isn't the "Steam Box" that everyone has been talking about. “We’ll come out with our own and we’ll sell it to consumers by ourselves,” he said. “That’ll be a Linux box, [and] if you want to install Windows you can. We’re not going to make it hard. This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination. We also think that a controller that has higher precision and lower latency is another interesting thing to have.”

 

The Steam Box is coming, and will eventually be here.

 

Xi3-Piston1.jpg

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I really hope so, steam sales on console? that would be amazing and they would give a chance for indie developers trying to get into the console business a lot easier, also I think Valve would be better to consumers and give people more of what they want, Microsoft is still awesome but Valve stands apart for me, great find!

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Wouldn't it be amazing if they team with Microsoft.

 

Nice post by the way, thanks for the info :)

I would think not haha. Steam will hopefully not be anything like microsoft in the terms of wanting money for everything possible.

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