MonstaTruk on 28 January 2014
| Scoobes said: I think it's more about Steam OS than SteamBox. For consumers, it's about choice: - The advantage of PC gaming (e.g. mods, third-party fixes, upgradability etc.) whilst having an optimised OS for gaming without the overheads of Windows. - Play in the living room with a SteamBox and the custom controller, or just install SteamOS on your current desktop PC and stick with keyboard and mouse. - Hardware is still upgradeable for those who wish to update their hardware (and has been made easier for at least some Steam boxes). - Streamlining PC games so you know if your machine can play game x, y, z (at the OS level). - If you don't want to mess around with the system, you can simply use the Steam Store for software and media. If you are tech savy you can install other software and/or dual-boot using a different OS. -Legacy software will still be compatible (e.g. if you've already got a copy of Left 4 Dead, you can simply use that to play multiplayer with users already on Valve's eco-system; no need to pay an extra $10 like with current gen to next-gen upgrades) For Valve, they want to guarantee an open platform and by starting this themselves, their well placed to reap the benefits. I think this will be a long-term endeavour for them. They may struggle if hardware manufacturers don't get the level of return they're expecting, but if developers start supporting Linux because of this, we may see more support. |
I'm SERIOUSLY considering to invest into a SteamBox in the near future. One of the points you made has me curious, though:
"If you are tech savy you can install other software and/or dual-boot using a different OS"
I'm NOT tech savy, but I'd like to play games that aren't on Steam OS. For example, any modern day EA game... :-/ Is this still possible, EASILY? Or would I have to jump through hoops to achieve this, if possible at all?
