Steambox is real

[fastbilly1]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/01 ... steam-box/

Details are sparse but apparently it was showcased in Germany recently. But per the article:
"Size of a grapefruit"
"an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles"

“Today marks the beginning of a new era for Xi3,” said Jason A. Sullivan, founder, President and CEO of Xi3. “This new development stage product will allow users to take full-advantage of their large high-definition TV displays for an amazing computer game experience. As a result, this new system could provide access to thousands of gaming titles through an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand.”

Price and launch date please? For once specs matter less to me. Xi3 is a bangup hardware manufacturer. Their stuff is not the most powerful, but it has a enough punch, runs really quiet, and really low power consumption. Last I checked their base machine was $700 and had a bad intergrated GPU, but that was also a couple years ago.

Edit:
Per Xi3 website:


Also they go for about $500 now for their base level machine.

[bmoc]

The size is certainly impressive. I am curious what kind of processor and video card it will have that will run on less than 40 watts. Also that thing has a ton of eSATA and USB ports.

[isiolia]

The size is certainly impressive. I am curious what kind of processor and video card it will have that will run on less than 40 watts. Also that thing has a ton of eSATA and USB ports.

It's something they've been showing for a while, had a Kickstarter for it even.

Given the specs given on the Kickstarter, what seems to line up most would be low power versions of AMD's A-series (other than the clock speed). Pricing would actually put it above current E-450 based nettops.

Intel is showing 7W Ivy Bridge CPUs at CES though, so it could be something different. Honestly, I would kind of hope that a future product would be using a future CPU, but it is supposed to be "modular"

Main thing I wonder is actually getting a high end GPU in there. A-series have better graphics than Intel integrated, but they're still pretty terrible in the overall scheme.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Getting under 40w shouldn't be too hard. The WiiU pulls around 30w and is still a bit more powerful than the other older systems. With some clever design, and maybe a lack of disc drive, it shouldn't be too hard to get something relatively powerful packed in.

[fastbilly1]

Endgadget is supposed to have a full rundown tomorrow, but they said it has an AMD quadcore, most likely from the Fusion series. Im going to guess its from their new series, but the ones that came out at the end of last year had either a HD 7600G series chip like the 7620G or 7660G - depending on power consumption. Which is a soso chip for gaming. I guess we just need to wait and findout.

[isiolia]

Apparently this is not a/the Steambox per se, but one of a number of prototypes.

[isiolia]

Nice big interview here with Gabe Newell talking about Valve's ideas for the Steam Box.

[dsheinem]

Nice big interview here with Gabe Newell talking about Valve's ideas for the Steam Box.

I just read this and a few other related articles. Here's what I don't get: How is this not just a branded small-form PC (with multiple licensed manufacturers) that I could probably build on my own for less money?

If somehow this thing is comparably priced to next gen consoles (PS4/Xbox720) and thus sells reasonably well, I see it ushering in a new age of lazy/underpowered PC ports that try to adhere to A) whatever Valve's standard hardware is and B) whatever console-like controller they implement to try and grab that market. In any case, I don't see this as a big win for people who like to play games on a PC. I also don't see any console being very successful without a substantial retail market of physical software.

I wish Valve all the best, but I currently have little interest in this and fail to see why I or anyone else would want to purchase this if I already have a PC.

[s1mplehumar]

$1000 in Newegg currency buys a whole lot of PC.

[J T]

If somehow this thing is comparably priced to next gen consoles (PS4/Xbox720) and thus sells reasonably well, I see it ushering in a new age of lazy/underpowered PC ports that try to adhere to A) whatever Valve's standard hardware is and B) whatever console-like controller they implement to try and grab that market. In any case, I don't see this as a big win for people who like to play games on a PC. I also don't see any console being very successful without a substantial retail market of physical software.

I wish Valve all the best, but I currently have little interest in this and fail to see why I or anyone else would want to purchase this if I already have a PC.

AGREED!