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?

BECAUSE VALVE DUDE!!!!! THANK U BASED GABEN!!!!!!

Nothing. It's not.

I dunno? I hate change so I probably wont touch nor look at it for a few years after its release.

Something about apple taking over the living room and this is pc/valve's response to that. Unlike most other consoles i am also assuming there will be a new steambox every year. The steam library games will also work with this supposed consoles. I know they don't have many linux games right now but they do plant to theoretically make most of their library compatible with it. 

Rest is the GABEN (Gary) factor. 

All I can tell you is that I'm super excited for the cheapest Valve steambox that streams (aka wirelessly connects) your PC to your TV. I might get one.

It'd do good by us PC people disolitude. Think about it, if they are successful, then it'd push the linux platform further and we'd have actual driver support and most likely good SLI/Crossfire support for linux at really fast performance and can steer away from direct3d and go back to good ol' opengl and then we can give the finger to MS and use a very capable and free OS! Then we can at least have the option to say good bye to windows! :D

I completely agree with you, it just seems non-sensical, they divided it into cheap, better, best

I like the sound of cheap, that is a good idea to allow me to play my games from my PC on my tv, that is a good idea

The "better" one, a $300 device that will rival consoles just doesn't make any logical sense to me, without optimisation it is going to be far inferior to a Sony/M$ backed one

Essentially, they are thinking that it will automatically succeed due to the Valve brand and given their tiny game output, comapred to the big 3, I don't really see what the draw is. They can't do anything to change the PC landscape apart from selling more HTPCs and if they are actually better than consoles, they have to be really expensive, it just seems pointless

I don't feel too confident in it. Same goes for Ouya and the other newcomers. They won't flop, but they'll never reach that level some feel they're destined to.

Steam sales.
They nailed digital distribution, now they are giving a portal to the content that you don't need to be a "tech wizard" (gaming PC builder) or rich (Alienware PC buyer) to use. I fall into the tech wizard* camp & kind of already have my own Steambox that I built.

Console fanboys hate Steam box & Ouya, but that's just because they feel that their consoles which they've pledged to protect to their dieing breaths are threatened.

*minimum required technical skill

Valve reality distortion field.

The thing has no technical or creative advancement. All it has is marketing.