And before anyone says, "that IS a console" or "I already own one of those...it's called a Xbox" please note that consoles on the market do not offer graphics as good as PCs, they don't offer PC exclusives, and they don't have Steam.

Personally I hate gaming with a keyboard mouse.  I know I hear everybody talking about the accuracy on FPS games but I still prefer being comftorable with a controller.  Too bad they are right and if you use a controller on multiplayer you will just get rocked.  

But yeah steam is pretty amazing so it could win over a lot of fans from the console market.  I think we need to see if they make Valve games exclusive now too though.

JayWood2010 said: hunter_alien said: Yes... if they can all deliver high quality content at a reasonable price. The idea of a console is outdated anyways. We have soooo many healthy game ecosystems already: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam, iOS, Android, Facebook... and the list goes on I wouldn't consider IOS, Android, Facebook consoles.  I see a lot of people talking about that kind of stuff on this website but lets face it, you don't buy IOS or Android products for gaming.  They're in the mobile market not the console market.  Just because they have games does not mean they're competing.

Thst is my point. Its redundant to talk about consoles at this day and age. We have to talk about gaming ecosystems, and we have passed the console/PC market a couple of years back.

But if you want a direct answer to your question, then YES, 4 consoles can survive

1. it is a box that you connect to your PC wireless conection similiar to the Wii U and GamePad maybe

2. or it is a box(console) that is upgradable like a PC (would be stupid)

3. it is a box with no disc drive uses UN4 uses mouse keyboard controlers any on the market steam only downloadable games NO retail

3rd I guess :))

this.

OT - no.

From other discussions on the net, it's rumored to be a PC running a Linux distro (because they won't go with windows after their Win8 declarations) that boots directly onto Steam.

The problem they will face is that if they go with a closed machine then it's basically a console and developers will work like they do with console, coding to metal and skipping unnecessary middleware, preventing those games to work with another Linux powered PC with Steam as the hardware will be different, but if they go with an upgradable machine then they will force developers to work with 4 or 5 platforms in mind: PS4, Nextbox, Win-PC, Steambox and WiiU. Will publishers give that extra money to port/develop for Linux when (almost) all the people who use Steam already game on a Win-PC?

OT: 

Yes, 4 consoles can survive and be successful, but only if the makers accept reality.

It will depend on their expectations. If any console maker expects to sell +100 million consoles next gen then they wont be successful, but if their plan is to sell 30-40 millions then they will probably sell that amount and more.

Of course, that implies building and selling a machine that makes a profit with those sales in mind, but that is another story.

4 consoles can exist in the same market. The question is how much of the overall market each platform can successfully hold.

I see one or two becoming smaller niche products catering to more specific audiences. It's far too early to guess which will be what with any reasonable degree of accuracy, but if I had to, I'd say the Wii U and the PS4 would likely fall into the marginalized category.

But there just isn't enough information at this point in regards to the Steam Box or whatever Valve decides to call it.

I'm a huge Steam customer, largely due to cross hardware portability (being able to access my library of games on any PC I build or buy) and naturally, Valve's ridiculous sales on relatively new titles during the summer and the winter, plus the weekly deals, etc. etc. Presumably, most if not all of my back catalog of game licenses will be playable on Valve's hardware. I suppose the only question is why would I buy it and replace the PC that's already permanently plugged into my living room HDTV?

Presumably "Steam Box" will provide the same ease of use and speed of connectivity as any existing console. No turning on the console by kicking the power button on the box, booting up Windows and then launching and logging into Steam via the Start Menu. Instead, push button on controller, box powers on and boots up to game launching menu within seconds, ready to play.

If I'm fortunate, Valve's new box could end up replacing my next gaming PC build (I use separate PCs for gaming and work at home) and will likely prevent me from ever buying an Xbox 3.0 since I have no intention of being a paid subscriber for XBL for the occasional MS Studios title.

I am more than a little sketchy over the prospect of a Steam Box that I presumably won't be able to upgrade since the main reason for a console is to have one set hardware standard with preset specs for all developers to be optimizing for. Naturally, the main reason for a gaming PC is the flexibility of upgrades as needs require.

On the other hand, I really don't have any problem buying a new Steam Box every two or three years if Valve does what every PC maker does and releases a new/updated version of their box every year.

Price/performance will tell.

I don't see the Steam "boat" going anywhere.  Most of their appeal will be to hardcore computer game players most of who will already have a computer that's more powerful.  If it comes out, I see it being in an extremely distant 4th place.

50m is probably correct.  Think about it, you just have to signup.  their was 80m PSN accounts a few years ago.  That doesn mean they are using it though, that is just something so a company can brag about numbers even if its not entirely true.  

Steam however does have 6m concurrent users at the moment though.  I think that is how they stated it.

i have a steam acc last time i used it was 4 years ago playing counter strike