Last week I saw a few articles like the one below which are making it seem like Steam Box will be the next big thing.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/6/3958162/valve-steam-box-cake
I am really struggling to see why the Steambox is a game changer. At this point no one really knows what Steam Box is going to be and the information that these articles are discussing are nothing game changing. It could me many things, and all at once.
Lets look at possibilities...
1. X86 based Windows PC in a console-like package that sits next to your TV and has Steam Big Picture preinstalled. It runs Steam PC games at predetermined settings that hardware specs allow it to run.
2. X86 based Linux PC in a console-like package that that sits next to your TV and has Steam Big picture preinstalled. It only runs Valve and few other games and may have OnLive-like game streaming capabilities for rest of the Windows based Pc titles.
3. A variety of PC's from which are Windows or Linux based and are "steam box" certified. All of them would sit next to your TV and play Steam based games.
Essentially it looks like it will be a gaming HTPC that looks like a console and sits next to your TV while running a Big Picture UI. It will most likely launch with a sliding price tag, depending on what hardware and features you want and it will be marketed towards the mainstream console gamers in stores like Best Buy, WalMart...
Can someone explain to me why being touted is this revolutionary? How is this new or a threat to Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo console strategy?
What am I not seeing that can make this in to the next gaming revolution?
