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With GDC being in full swing we’ve had a chance to take a look at 14 different models of Steam Machine thanks to Ars Technica, and the findings are interesting.
When I say interesting, I mean a little frustrating. Please stick with me for a moment, as I don’t mean to be so gloomy after the masses of great news about ports.
The cheapest model is $459 (iBUYPOWER) with a lower end AMD CPU (Athlon X4 840) and an AMD GPU (r7 250x), and the most expensive is around $5K (Origin, wow!), and that’s really not positioning well against the consoles at either end of it.
With that iBUYPOWER console you will probably struggle to stay over 30FPS in a a few of the higher end games going by my research on the GPU and CPU, and that doesn't fill me with confidence. As it's those games people seem most interested in.
We will, however, try to get our hands on at least that lower end iBUYPOWER unit to test with, and really see how it performs. We will contact them closer to the time to see if we can get a review unit, otherwise it's going to destroy my bank account.
I fully understand there needs to be a good range of hardware, but when the lowest is still quite pricey with some rather low specifications, then something’s up. I could easily be wrong however, as I'm sure the manufacturers are actually testing the performance of their units, and until we see how they perform I will hold off on being too negative about it all.
Ars sum up my thoughts pretty well:
Of course, it remains to be seen how any of them sell, and I'm just being overly cautious here. I really do wish all of them the best, and I sincerely hope at least a few of them sell like hot cakes in a café. We need them to sell well to continue getting big ports!
Some of the units do have a mix of specifications from Intel to AMD processors, and a mix of Intel, AMD and Nvidia graphics. Not to harp on about it, but I really hope AMD start pushing for more performance in their Catalyst driver to make their SteamOS/Linux performance a force to be reckoned with. I am optimistic that they will push out a few good drivers before the full release of the units using their chips. See, I can be optimistic!
You can see the full article here on Ars, with pictures of everything. Sorry we can’t cover them all ourselves, but GDC + Flights = mega expensive!
What are your thoughts? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
When I say interesting, I mean a little frustrating. Please stick with me for a moment, as I don’t mean to be so gloomy after the masses of great news about ports.
The cheapest model is $459 (iBUYPOWER) with a lower end AMD CPU (Athlon X4 840) and an AMD GPU (r7 250x), and the most expensive is around $5K (Origin, wow!), and that’s really not positioning well against the consoles at either end of it.
With that iBUYPOWER console you will probably struggle to stay over 30FPS in a a few of the higher end games going by my research on the GPU and CPU, and that doesn't fill me with confidence. As it's those games people seem most interested in.
We will, however, try to get our hands on at least that lower end iBUYPOWER unit to test with, and really see how it performs. We will contact them closer to the time to see if we can get a review unit, otherwise it's going to destroy my bank account.
I fully understand there needs to be a good range of hardware, but when the lowest is still quite pricey with some rather low specifications, then something’s up. I could easily be wrong however, as I'm sure the manufacturers are actually testing the performance of their units, and until we see how they perform I will hold off on being too negative about it all.
Ars sum up my thoughts pretty well:
QuoteIn the case of Steam Machines, well, they're coming, and they're certainly more expensive than current-gen consoles. The 14 models that debuted at GDC start at no less than $460—the cheapest being an Athlon X4-powered rig by iBuyPower with a 1GB Radeon R7 video card inside—so Valve certainly isn't positioning any of its suppliers' machines to be affordable, mass-market living room devices.
Of course, it remains to be seen how any of them sell, and I'm just being overly cautious here. I really do wish all of them the best, and I sincerely hope at least a few of them sell like hot cakes in a café. We need them to sell well to continue getting big ports!
Some of the units do have a mix of specifications from Intel to AMD processors, and a mix of Intel, AMD and Nvidia graphics. Not to harp on about it, but I really hope AMD start pushing for more performance in their Catalyst driver to make their SteamOS/Linux performance a force to be reckoned with. I am optimistic that they will push out a few good drivers before the full release of the units using their chips. See, I can be optimistic!
You can see the full article here on Ars, with pictures of everything. Sorry we can’t cover them all ourselves, but GDC + Flights = mega expensive!
What are your thoughts? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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So, how much are the current console gen at the moment? These are a bit expensive, perhaps prohibitively so.
One thing I've not thought of before, but often the reason that consoles are the price they are is because they are sold at a loss. When you have 1 company selling the machine AND the games then you can push out the machines at a loss to ensure a large market for the games. That sort of logic isn't going to apply here.
One thing I've not thought of before, but often the reason that consoles are the price they are is because they are sold at a loss. When you have 1 company selling the machine AND the games then you can push out the machines at a loss to ensure a large market for the games. That sort of logic isn't going to apply here.
2 Likes, Who?
wooo! great photo coverage by ars, and nice VR and controller stuff too! =3
Lol, I like the caption:
I bet the specs would receive a nice update / price slash with >2 quarter's worth of hardware developments though!
Price is crappy though - I guess these manufacturers don't have licence fees from Steam to be able to subsidize their hardware ...
Valve is cool for releasing the $50 streaming box (which uses your desktop PC if u have one at home already, meaning no further expenses!).
Lol, I like the caption:
Great ready for 14 exciting computer form factors! I mean, Steam Machines!The thing I'm most interested in is how they manage to fit in such small form factors (some of them) with the discrete graphics. Would love to see the internals! =P
I bet the specs would receive a nice update / price slash with >2 quarter's worth of hardware developments though!
Price is crappy though - I guess these manufacturers don't have licence fees from Steam to be able to subsidize their hardware ...
Valve is cool for releasing the $50 streaming box (which uses your desktop PC if u have one at home already, meaning no further expenses!).
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The cheaper version is the one that allows you to only stream for 50€ :)
Im a little torn... I would like to update the gpu of my main rig and put my current medium/low gpu to my steam machine. But I probably wont be able to do that without
a) not buying a steammachine (tm) and doing it manually. I wont be able to give money to the cause
b) moving my current huge tower next to my tv instead of buying one of those sexy miniboxes
Lets hope all this cater for the non-believers and lots of them buy them. This is way I think is good they removed the linux icon and only used steamos icon on their sale. They are not aiming expecifically at us... and im okay with that as long as is still debian underneath
Im a little torn... I would like to update the gpu of my main rig and put my current medium/low gpu to my steam machine. But I probably wont be able to do that without
a) not buying a steammachine (tm) and doing it manually. I wont be able to give money to the cause
b) moving my current huge tower next to my tv instead of buying one of those sexy miniboxes
Lets hope all this cater for the non-believers and lots of them buy them. This is way I think is good they removed the linux icon and only used steamos icon on their sale. They are not aiming expecifically at us... and im okay with that as long as is still debian underneath
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Metallinatus 5 Mar 2015
So, how much are the current console gen at the moment? These are a bit expensive, perhaps prohibitively so.
The most expensive ones are costing $399 if I'm not mistaken, so yes, it will be a tough competition for the Steam Machines
Well, we can hope for them to do well, but it really won't be easy....
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The Pricetags are really ... high.
But yeah, you can compare to XBone / PS4 on raw money, but that leaves out that theres basicly no XBone/PS4 Game under $60 and the fact that you need to buy the Premium Subscription Service (XBox Live / Playstation Plus) with a monthly fee to play online.
Whereas, on the Steam machine you have a higher hardware cost but no mandatory Subscription Fee to play online, and you can rely on the Game-Key market for new releases which mostly comes down to 10-30% cheaper for Day1 releases of new games.
But yeah, you can compare to XBone / PS4 on raw money, but that leaves out that theres basicly no XBone/PS4 Game under $60 and the fact that you need to buy the Premium Subscription Service (XBox Live / Playstation Plus) with a monthly fee to play online.
Whereas, on the Steam machine you have a higher hardware cost but no mandatory Subscription Fee to play online, and you can rely on the Game-Key market for new releases which mostly comes down to 10-30% cheaper for Day1 releases of new games.
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To be honest, instead of pushing to Catalysts drivers should AMD push more to their open source drivers
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abelthorne 5 Mar 2015
Playstation 4 is at $400, XBox One is around $350. So, yeah, these Steam Machines are quite expensive even for entry range and even if they're more powerful. But I think there are other things to take into account:
1) the Steam Machines cost more but the games cost less (and they can be really cheap with the constant sales) than on PS4/XB1 which, on the long term, can make a big difference
2) the SM are mainly aimed toward people that don't own a gaming system (for them, back to point 1): people already owning a Windows/Linux PC (or Mac) can buy a cheap $50 streaming device and a controller to play their games on TV
This is a new offer on the market, you have to see beyond the fact that the console itself costs more than the ones from Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo. Of course, the SM will only work if the average customer can see this too.
1) the Steam Machines cost more but the games cost less (and they can be really cheap with the constant sales) than on PS4/XB1 which, on the long term, can make a big difference
2) the SM are mainly aimed toward people that don't own a gaming system (for them, back to point 1): people already owning a Windows/Linux PC (or Mac) can buy a cheap $50 streaming device and a controller to play their games on TV
This is a new offer on the market, you have to see beyond the fact that the console itself costs more than the ones from Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo. Of course, the SM will only work if the average customer can see this too.
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abelthorne 5 Mar 2015
After checking the Ars Technica article, the main problem of the machines IMO is not their price, it's their design. There's not a coherent ensemble, some of them look like basic desktop PCs (the Falcon Tiki looks like a joke). It will be pretty hard to communicate on the Steam Machines as a whole with these.
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The most expensive ones are costing $399 if I'm not mistaken, so yes, it will be a tough competition for the Steam MachinesNot really, you save a lot of money on games. So although the initial prize may be higher, on the long run you're saving money with a Steam box. Plus you can play them on your computer, and on future generations of the "console".
The only competition the Steam box really has IMO is computers. And that's not a problem for Valve, anyone playing on a computer probably buys from them anyway. It is however a problem for the companies making steam boxes...
So steamy, I like it.
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For me, the main reason I never bought a console is because I see them as intentionally crippled pieces of hardware, vendor locked-in and with overly expensive games. I have no problem with paying 2x more for a console-shaped machine that is basically a full-fledged PC, with open system and loads of cheap games. Currently I have 582 Linux games on Steam (and that's not counting f2p games like Dota2 or TF2), it took me a little over a year and a few hundred euro to build that library. I have many games I enjoy myself, as well as several games bought with kids in mind. What would it take to achieve the same on a console? From what I know and imagine, most console owners have just a few "hit" games and that's it. Sure, it may be fun to play Mario Kart over and over again, but personally I prefer more choice.
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The only advantage of these Steam Machines is the size and arguably the better case design. The prices however are too high. With smart shopping you can get a much better PC for 460 dollars.
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Metallinatus 5 Mar 2015
The most expensive ones are costing $399 if I'm not mistaken, so yes, it will be a tough competition for the Steam MachinesNot really, you save a lot of money on games. So although the initial prize may be higher, on the long run you're saving money with a Steam box. Plus you can play them on your computer, and on future generations of the "console".
Try saying that to their target market who only looks at the price of the hardware....
They are not aiming those machines at the #PCMasterRace who is always saying that.... they are aiming at the ones we try to convince that.
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Yeah, with this pricing I guess this machines are doomed to fail.
Strange It almost seems like they're not even trying to give it competitive prizes. Seems something like "let's release with this high price and hope that Valve in the name of Steam Machines will help us sell these all"
IMO building a new PC will always be more interesting than building a dedicated Steam Machine, therefore I guess this concept won't be successful. Just update your PC and have a good Steam Link and BAM! Nothing more is needed.
Strange It almost seems like they're not even trying to give it competitive prizes. Seems something like "let's release with this high price and hope that Valve in the name of Steam Machines will help us sell these all"
IMO building a new PC will always be more interesting than building a dedicated Steam Machine, therefore I guess this concept won't be successful. Just update your PC and have a good Steam Link and BAM! Nothing more is needed.
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The only advantage of these Steam Machines is the size and arguably the better case design. The prices however are too high. With smart shopping you can get a much better PC for 460 dollars.For the target audience the form factor is important. As is the fact that SteamOS is pre-installed and ready to go. They also come with a Steam Controller. And due the competition, prices will drop much faster than current crop of consoles.
Indeed, investing up front is not something the general public likes to do.So although the initial prize may be higher, on the long run you're saving money with a Steam box. Plus you can play them on your computer, and on future generations of the "console".
Try saying that to their target market who only looks at the price of the hardware....
Strange It almost seems like they're not even trying to give it competitiveIt's just not possible to get prices as low as Sony and MS without (mass production & ) subsidising the hardware costs, which requires crippling the device to ensure it's used for gaming.
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Yes. Seems like if they wanna sell it they have to make some heavy marketing to convice people who want to buy a console that a steam machine is the better deal. Or they have to come with loads of Steam-Games bundled.
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Or they have to come with loads of Steam-Games bundled.I fully expect Valve to make more of their games free to play with the launch of the consoles.
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That was to be excepted but if those sell well the competition should make the price drop rapidly, also maybe some manufacturers are waiting to see what happen but already have great units to be released.
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Wow, Origin is lazy. They didn't even make their own chassis, they just used a Silverstone Grandia GD09... Which is what I used to build my own Steam machine. It's a decent case, but gigantic.
The prices are certainly worrying. It seems like they think they're targeting PC gamers, which I'm not sure is the correct market for these devices. Well, we'll see what happens.
The prices are certainly worrying. It seems like they think they're targeting PC gamers, which I'm not sure is the correct market for these devices. Well, we'll see what happens.
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The only problem I have is that all these steam machines want to be console-PC hybrids. If they are too small then they have to gimp the power, and if they don't have similar specs devs can't program to specific hardware like a console. At this rate I feel like it's going to turn out like android powered consoles (which hasn't turned out well).
If they are going to be consoles then they need to limit selection. If they are going to be computers then they need some big name manufacturers like Dell, HP, and ASUS because everyone and their grandmothers know them. The average consumer doesn't know who gigabyte, MSI, Zotac, Origin, or iBUYPOWER is let alone Valve or steam.
Honestly I think Valve should just make a partnership deal with one or two manufacturers and make a few steam machines. As I think 14 (and possibly more in the future) steam machines is too much for the average consumer to deal with.
If they are going to be consoles then they need to limit selection. If they are going to be computers then they need some big name manufacturers like Dell, HP, and ASUS because everyone and their grandmothers know them. The average consumer doesn't know who gigabyte, MSI, Zotac, Origin, or iBUYPOWER is let alone Valve or steam.
Honestly I think Valve should just make a partnership deal with one or two manufacturers and make a few steam machines. As I think 14 (and possibly more in the future) steam machines is too much for the average consumer to deal with.
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Segata Sanshiro 5 Mar 2015
Yup, it's like some of these were put together by Master Race mongoloids who got a pretty nice setup then started adding i7 processors and SSDs. The price of a PS4 is $400, so that's the price that at least the 3 cheaper models (Alienware, iBuyPower and CyberPowerPC should aim for).
EDIT: It occurred to me that these manufacturers are alot smaller than Microsoft and Sony, so might not have as many Chinese Gulags at their disposal, hence the price.
If you're going to do that, at least get the CyberPowerPC one which at least has an Nvidia GPU (probably a GTX 750). Or spend $20 more and get the Alienware one. Compared to these two, the iBuyPower machine seems like terrible value for money.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/03/cyberpowerpc-syber-steam-machines/
EDIT: It occurred to me that these manufacturers are alot smaller than Microsoft and Sony, so might not have as many Chinese Gulags at their disposal, hence the price.
We will, however, try to get our hands on at least that lower end iBUYPOWER unit to test with, and really see how it performs.
If you're going to do that, at least get the CyberPowerPC one which at least has an Nvidia GPU (probably a GTX 750). Or spend $20 more and get the Alienware one. Compared to these two, the iBuyPower machine seems like terrible value for money.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/03/cyberpowerpc-syber-steam-machines/
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