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| [Jan 08, 2013, 9:55 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments |
Engadget has follow-ups to comments recently attributed to Ben Krasnow about plans for Steam hardware. Ben says he was misquoted (or mistranslated) and that he did not confirm Linux support and he does not think they will be showing off anything of the sort this year as reported (thanks HARDOCP). Meanwhile, there's an interview with Valve's Gabe Newell on The Verge where the Valve honcho talks of how they are working with many hardware partners on "Good, Better," or "Best" boxes for playing Steam games, and also goes ahead and says they will be releasing Linux-based "Steam boxes," among other things, also discussing their interest in low-latency controllers, biometric controllers, and other cutting edge-ness. This includes much discussion of open versus closed systems.
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| 17. |
Re: More on Steam Hardware |
Jan 9, 2013, 11:18 |
RollinThundr |
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Beamer wrote on Jan 9, 2013, 09:52:
RollinThundr wrote on Jan 9, 2013, 08:49:
Dades wrote on Jan 9, 2013, 07:34:
StingingVelvet wrote on Jan 8, 2013, 23:35:
I'm not even sure who this is for, really. What market do they think they are appealing to? I can't think of anyone, from PC gamers to console gamers, casuals to Android indie worshipers, who isn't better served with a different product.
Helps if you try thinking about it for 10 seconds. The hardware in there could make it everything from a kickass HTPC to a living room console that has access to a massive existing library of games. The biggest barrier to the PC in the living room has been form factor and input, this combined with the ten foot interface solves both problems.
- DADES - This is a signature of my name, enjoy!
The biggest barrier is hardcore PC users generally couldn't care less if they're wired or not or on the couch or not. You're thinking of the casuals who will move on to something else as soon as the "oooh shiny" wears off.
Well, you have to consider two things:
1) Valve has captured the hardcore PC market. Captured. Exhausted, even. How is Steam supposed to grow? Nearly every game is released on Steam, and I think we all agree that Steam is probably doing more revenue than B&M at this point. So where is Steam supposed to grow? How do you grow when your market share is already monumentally larger than the next guy?
2) That casual market you think is all "oooh shiny" brings in more dollars collectively than the hardcore market. You think only PC gamers are hardcore. PC gamers spend less than console gamers. Yeah, they may spend more per user, but there are fewer users
It only makes sense that Valve, wanting to continue growing but running out of space in its own market, and seeing another fat market just sitting there, would want to reach into that market.
So hardcore PC users aren't a barrier here because they're not the market here. Hardcore PC users can keep dedicating a desk or a room to their hobby and sitting in there away from anyone else in their home. Non-hardcore (which isn't necessarily casual) want something more social and requiring less space. So long as some of those hardcore users are early adopters to create buzz they're fine.
Convincing someone like you to buy a Steambox is not their plan.
Steam is a digital storefront, what is there to "grow"? It's a god damn marketplace that has done well out of how convenient it makes it to buy PC games. Are we going to see a Origin box next? How bout a Gamer's Gate box? Some of you guys talk up Valve and Steam like they're Christ reborn. Stop it, it's ridiculous. |
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