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SteamMachines

store.steampowered.com

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Re: SteamMachines

#141

Post by cheald »

jmcqk6 wrote: post #133
cheald wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost assuredly not, since their DRM is a big part of their platform. They may include pieces of it, though.

Isn't most of their DRM encryption based? I mean, it's not all that restrictive, and it's quite possible that simply seeing the code for the DRM would not be enough to circumvent it. I think other companies would have a problem, but I don't think valve is probably one of of them. I could be wrong though.

Preorder delivery is encrypted, yeah. However, they also have bits in Steam-delivered games that can check for a valid Steam session, terminate the game session if the Steam session is lost, and the like. I don't think they'll be shipping some of those components because they wouldn't want to enable people building custom Steam installs that just stub out the DRM features.

Re: SteamMachines

#142

Post by masmullin »

breckinloggins wrote: post #39
simias wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That might have been true in the past (I remember having some trouble with a SideWinder controller on a dedicated control port in the 90's) but these days the 360 wired USB controllers are as plug'n'play as it gets (on windows at least). It Just Works. PS3 controllers are a pity though, you need those shady ad-ridden closed source third party drivers.

Very true, but remember that the issue I'm addressing is more about branding and marketing than about the tech. For example: "Wait, you mean I have to buy an XBox 360 controller to use my Steam Machine?" Well, no, but it's better that way. "What do you mean, isn't there a Steam Controller." Not exactly, you see any Steam Machine is compatible with any number of controllers. "So why can't I buy this other controller I…

Or they could buy an Arduino Leonardo and make their own completely custom controller.

Re: SteamMachines

#143

Post by Pxtl »

reledi wrote: post #114
sturadnidge wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be interesting to see how they tackle the player-with-controller vs player-with-mouse/keyboard issue... clear advantage in FPS games with a mouse. I'd buy a console tomorrow if they allowed mouse/keyboard - sick of all the cheaters in PC gaming, and having games get _better_ as the hardware ages would be a welcome change from having to constantly upgrade my video card to play new releases at a decent frame rate!

I've never played a match that was console vs PC, but I've heard people say that Halo 2 for PC (which can be played with the Xbox 360 controller or mouse & keyboard) is easier with the controller. Keep in mind that this is a game that likely has mostly console gamers playing.

Halo features aim-assist, and aim-assist is usually disabled in mouse mode. Also, you can assume the controller-based gamers are coming from console experience (and therefore have already played H2 and know the maps and weapons), whereas the mousers are coming from other PC-based FPS games.

Re: SteamMachines

#144

Post by prawks »

__david__ wrote: post #91
CrazedGeek wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And I've never been able to play Super Mario Bros. with a keyboard. It goes both ways.

Wait, that doesn't make sense. Super Mario Bros. uses digital inputs, not an analog stick, so it's essentially the same as a keyboard...Are you saying keys are somehow different than controller buttons?

Not easy to play on a keyboard using only two thumbs.

Re: SteamMachines

#145

Post by eli_gottlieb »

devx wrote: post #24
simias wrote: post #2

Sooo, it's what everybody's expected, except we don't know anything more about it. Frustrating. Also, only 300 boxes for beta? That seems a little small. EDIT: actually the latest answer in the FAQ is interesting: "Am I going to be using a mouse and a keyboard in the living-room?" "If you want. But Steam and SteamOS work well with gamepads, too. Stay tuned, though - we have some more to say very soon on the topic of…

I'd love to see Valve have the "defacto OS/console" for Oculus Rift. Oculus Rift will enable truly "next-gen" gaming, and Valve would be very smart to ride that trend , and grow with it.

I would hope not, actually. Many people are nowhere near hardcore enough to spend the money and time for Virtual Reality Gaming over regular gaming.

Re: SteamMachines

#147

Post by gabemart »

breckinloggins wrote: post #22

I'm excited about where Valve is going with this, of course, but to be honest I'm concerned about controllers the most. Buying a good controller for a PC is not hard, but it's not simple either. Picture yourself as a "living room console guy" getting into PC gaming. You'd like to use a controller for a certain game. Consider: - You can use your XBox360, PS3 controller, or WiiMote, but that's not obvious. You'll need…

> Buying a good controller for a PC is not hard

Is this actually true? I've been looking for a decent PC gamepad for a long time. The default recommendation seems to be the Xbox 360 controller, but with the caveat that the d-pad sucks. I play a lot of games that use the d-pad.

What's a good PC gamepad with a good d-pad?

Re: SteamMachines

#148

Post by meowface »

TylerE wrote: post #113
redthrowaway wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who said anything about "have to"? They're marketing SteamOS as the "do what you want with it" system. Why would they force you to use an expensive peripheral?

I responded to the typical Optimus Rift "future of gaming d00d" fanboyism.

I don't think it'll ever become mandatory, but don't you think that VR and deeper immersion is eventually where gaming is going to go? The technology still needs a lot of time to improve, but if the kinks can get worked out and if they're less likely to make people dizzy/nauseated, I imagine VR headsets will dominate the market in the next few decades.

Re: SteamMachines

#149

Post by jljljl »

programminggeek wrote: post #5

This is almost a non-annoucement. They've basically said they were doing this for the last year. The only news is a sign up process for early steam boxes.

That seems pretty big doesn't it? Going from "we are doing this" to "we are going to release some of these to early adopters"?

Re: SteamMachines

#150

Post by meowface »

devindotcom wrote: post #126
wvenable wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strange names are much easier to search for.

Their company is called "Valve" ;)

And they have software named Steam and a game named Half-Life.

The top Google hits for all of those things (depending on how Google rates what kind of consumer you are) are not Valve's products. They seem to do fine, though.

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