With the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week, Valve sheds light on the development progress of the controller it plans to trot out for more player feedback.
View the Original article
Showing posts with label Steam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steam. Show all posts
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Here's a much clearer look at Valve's new Steam Controller
You see that image above? That's the new Steam Controller, headed to SteamOS. Sound familiar? That's because this is the second iteration of the Steam Controller first unveiled last year. Astute readers might be thinking, "Haven't I seen this somewhere before?" That's also a strong possibility, as we got a first glimpse of it back at Steam Dev Days earlier this year (albeit via shaky cellphone camera). Today, however, Valve's deigned us worthy to see it in high-res glory. Heck, the folks at Valve even juxtaposed the new one (on the left) against the original version of the controller (seen on the right). Sad about that missing touchpad? We are too, but perhaps those fancy new buttons will help make up for it, eh? Head below for a much larger version.
View the Original article
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardware
byS. Prell
on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM0
Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think.
Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change?
That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
The Box
Pictures of Valve's Steam Machine flooded the Internet when hardware beta participants received their shipments, and what we saw was pretty much what you'd expect: a big, black box. The front of the Steam Machine we tried featured a minimalist design with just two USB ports and a large, circular power button surrounded by a larger ring.
The center circle is a physical button, so in that sense the Steam Machine beta hardware felt a bit more old-school than some of our modern, touch-oriented technology. Once powered on, a thin, white ring lit up to indicate power. The thicker part of the ring that goes around the power button doesn't seem to be anything more than visual flair.
The system was well ventilated, with holes and slots for air flow on just about every face. This design choice also gave the Steam Machine a very appealing side view, since the illuminated text on the installed Nvidia graphics card peeked through the grill. The top of the Steam Machine could be easily removed – just one screw kept everything in place, and removing the cover was a simple lift and pull. Unlike today's consoles, the Steam Machine looked as though it was built to be upgraded, just like a PC. Removable graphics cards, memory and hard drives were all on display.
While there will be many different Steam Machines with varying internal configurations, the one we experienced was likely the prototype for a higher-end model. Powered by an Intel i5 processor clocked at 3.20 GHz with 16GB RAM and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3GB of graphics memory, the system might not be the fastest horse in the race, but it's no slouch, either. The only real oddity here was the use of an external WiFi antenna instead an internal one.
If looking inside wasn't an option, just looking at the rear panel should give you an idea of how much technology was shoved into this box. There were multiple video outputs, including HDMI and DVI, along with inputs for mouse and keyboard, ethernet, and USB. Suddenly an external WiFi antenna makes a lot of sense; maybe there just wasn't room inside.
With all of its components so densely packed together, it should be said that this particular Steam Machine was heavy. We didn't have a scale available to weigh the thing, but we'd say it rested somewhere between the weight of an original Xbox and a high-end home theater receiver. This was not something you would pick up and carry leisurely around your local Walmart or Best Buy. For better or worse, the weight did give the Steam Machine a sense of value – this didn't feel like a flimsy, plastic toy, it felt like a machine, ready to go to work.
The same cannot yet be said of the controller.
Master Controller
Ever used a mouse with a trackball in it? That's what sliding your thumbs across the surface of Valve's controller felt like. The surface of each thumb ... pad? Thumb place? ... was a single, solid piece, but we could still feel a sense of sliding and spinning underneath the thumb, particularly when we gave a good, hard flick to any direction. There were tiny clicks for a bit of resistance, and listening to them also gave us an idea of how fast we were turning the wheel.
We played Hotline Miami and Portal with the controller, and found the experience lacking on both, though the issues were less obtrusive in Valve's signature puzzler. The lack of a physical stick means no resistance, and that takes some getting used to. We also noticed that for people with larger thumbs, there may be an issue of unintentionally sliding across the pad while reaching for the face buttons.
Thankfully, the controller can be remapped with ease because, interestingly, it doesn't register as a controller. When plugged in – the beta controller lacks an internal battery, so plugging in is required – Valve's controller registers as a mouse and keyboard. Keep that in mind, because it's going to be important in just a second.
The controller can be used on machines other than those from Valve, and the Steam Machine, in turn, can receive input from other manufacturers' controllers. We were shown how a wireless Xbox 360 controller could connect to the Steam Machine as easily as it could to any modern PC, and indeed it functioned just as well, with no noticeable lag or issues. The 360 controller, however, did register as a controller.
Since the Steam Machine saw the 360 controller as a controller and the Steam controller as a mouse and keyboard, it was possible to more or less "confuse" a game. I was able to take control of Chell in Portal by using the Steam controller while someone else used the Xbox 360 controller. Unintended benefit? Something to be patched out? Material for trolls in the household? You decide.
Learning how to properly hold Valve's controller was another lesson that took some time. Both of the thumb pads can register depressions as button clicks, but there are also four face buttons (A,B,X,Y), a center face of four more buttons (these were currently not enabled), two shoulder bumpers, two triggers and two more buttons on the underside of the controller on the handles. These rear buttons required the biggest adjustment, as we couldn't wrap our fingers around the controller like we normally would, lest our fingers accidentally click one.
PC-centric gamers may come to love the quick and painless configuration of Valve's controller, but right now, we'd be hard-pressed to say it's as or more accurate than the mouse and keyboard they already own. Console gamers eyeing a Steam Machine should likewise be aware that the controller, if it remains as is, will likely be different from any controller they've ever used before. Either audience has a learning curve ahead of them if they want to use the Steam controller, but at least it doesn't look like they'll be forced to use it if they don't want to.ShareTags: beta, hands-on, hardware, pc, preview, steam, steam-box, steam-controller, steam-machines, steamos, valve.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM0Valve wants a piece of your living room, and it's taking several approaches to make it happen, not the least of which are Steam Machines. Watching Valve's Steam Machines evolution from rumor to concept to hardware beta has been a fascinating process, and now that we've been allowed some hands-on time with one of these quasi-consoles, we're here to tell you what we think.Before we get started, first thing's first: the hardware beta Valve is currently running is just that, a beta. This means everything you're about to read is subject to change. Heck, we already know Valve is partnering with multiple manufacturers to produce various hardware configurations, so who can say what elements will stay the same and what will change?
That being said, we're going to try and give you an idea of what to expect based on what we've experienced.
The Box
Pictures of Valve's Steam Machine flooded the Internet when hardware beta participants received their shipments, and what we saw was pretty much what you'd expect: a big, black box. The front of the Steam Machine we tried featured a minimalist design with just two USB ports and a large, circular power button surrounded by a larger ring.
The center circle is a physical button, so in that sense the Steam Machine beta hardware felt a bit more old-school than some of our modern, touch-oriented technology. Once powered on, a thin, white ring lit up to indicate power. The thicker part of the ring that goes around the power button doesn't seem to be anything more than visual flair.
The system was well ventilated, with holes and slots for air flow on just about every face. This design choice also gave the Steam Machine a very appealing side view, since the illuminated text on the installed Nvidia graphics card peeked through the grill. The top of the Steam Machine could be easily removed – just one screw kept everything in place, and removing the cover was a simple lift and pull. Unlike today's consoles, the Steam Machine looked as though it was built to be upgraded, just like a PC. Removable graphics cards, memory and hard drives were all on display.While there will be many different Steam Machines with varying internal configurations, the one we experienced was likely the prototype for a higher-end model. Powered by an Intel i5 processor clocked at 3.20 GHz with 16GB RAM and an Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 with 3GB of graphics memory, the system might not be the fastest horse in the race, but it's no slouch, either. The only real oddity here was the use of an external WiFi antenna instead an internal one.
If looking inside wasn't an option, just looking at the rear panel should give you an idea of how much technology was shoved into this box. There were multiple video outputs, including HDMI and DVI, along with inputs for mouse and keyboard, ethernet, and USB. Suddenly an external WiFi antenna makes a lot of sense; maybe there just wasn't room inside.
With all of its components so densely packed together, it should be said that this particular Steam Machine was heavy. We didn't have a scale available to weigh the thing, but we'd say it rested somewhere between the weight of an original Xbox and a high-end home theater receiver. This was not something you would pick up and carry leisurely around your local Walmart or Best Buy. For better or worse, the weight did give the Steam Machine a sense of value – this didn't feel like a flimsy, plastic toy, it felt like a machine, ready to go to work.The same cannot yet be said of the controller.
Master Controller
Ever used a mouse with a trackball in it? That's what sliding your thumbs across the surface of Valve's controller felt like. The surface of each thumb ... pad? Thumb place? ... was a single, solid piece, but we could still feel a sense of sliding and spinning underneath the thumb, particularly when we gave a good, hard flick to any direction. There were tiny clicks for a bit of resistance, and listening to them also gave us an idea of how fast we were turning the wheel.
We played Hotline Miami and Portal with the controller, and found the experience lacking on both, though the issues were less obtrusive in Valve's signature puzzler. The lack of a physical stick means no resistance, and that takes some getting used to. We also noticed that for people with larger thumbs, there may be an issue of unintentionally sliding across the pad while reaching for the face buttons.
Thankfully, the controller can be remapped with ease because, interestingly, it doesn't register as a controller. When plugged in – the beta controller lacks an internal battery, so plugging in is required – Valve's controller registers as a mouse and keyboard. Keep that in mind, because it's going to be important in just a second.The controller can be used on machines other than those from Valve, and the Steam Machine, in turn, can receive input from other manufacturers' controllers. We were shown how a wireless Xbox 360 controller could connect to the Steam Machine as easily as it could to any modern PC, and indeed it functioned just as well, with no noticeable lag or issues. The 360 controller, however, did register as a controller.
Since the Steam Machine saw the 360 controller as a controller and the Steam controller as a mouse and keyboard, it was possible to more or less "confuse" a game. I was able to take control of Chell in Portal by using the Steam controller while someone else used the Xbox 360 controller. Unintended benefit? Something to be patched out? Material for trolls in the household? You decide.
Learning how to properly hold Valve's controller was another lesson that took some time. Both of the thumb pads can register depressions as button clicks, but there are also four face buttons (A,B,X,Y), a center face of four more buttons (these were currently not enabled), two shoulder bumpers, two triggers and two more buttons on the underside of the controller on the handles. These rear buttons required the biggest adjustment, as we couldn't wrap our fingers around the controller like we normally would, lest our fingers accidentally click one.PC-centric gamers may come to love the quick and painless configuration of Valve's controller, but right now, we'd be hard-pressed to say it's as or more accurate than the mouse and keyboard they already own. Console gamers eyeing a Steam Machine should likewise be aware that the controller, if it remains as is, will likely be different from any controller they've ever used before. Either audience has a learning curve ahead of them if they want to use the Steam controller, but at least it doesn't look like they'll be forced to use it if they don't want to.ShareTags: beta, hands-on, hardware, pc, preview, steam, steam-box, steam-controller, steam-machines, steamos, valve.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Posted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
View the Original article
Konami investigating Metal Gear Rising's region lock on Steam
byMike Suszekon Jan 6th 2014 6:30PM0
Konami is looking into region-locking concerns related to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Steam. The news comes from a tweet recently issued by JP Kellams, a creative producer at Platinum Games. Kellams assured players that the "first thing I did in the office today was talk about the MGR region lock thing."
The game's Steam community includes a number of discussion threads questioning players' inability to give the game as a gift to others across the globe, locking Russian and Argentinian copies to those regions, as an example. One discussion noted that Ireland-based players were unable to access the game's page, but seemed to find a work-around by being gifted the game from other European countries. The PC version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will launch Thursday, and is currently 20 percent off on Steam until then.SiliconeraTwitterShareTags: argentina, ireland, jp-kellams, Kojima-Productions, Konami, metal-gear-rising-revengeance, metal-gear-solid-rising, pc, Platinum-Games, region-locked, regions, russia, STEAM.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px}Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance InfoDescriptionDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwareSuper abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq 
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 6:30PM0Konami is looking into region-locking concerns related to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Steam. The news comes from a tweet recently issued by JP Kellams, a creative producer at Platinum Games. Kellams assured players that the "first thing I did in the office today was talk about the MGR region lock thing."The game's Steam community includes a number of discussion threads questioning players' inability to give the game as a gift to others across the globe, locking Russian and Argentinian copies to those regions, as an example. One discussion noted that Ireland-based players were unable to access the game's page, but seemed to find a work-around by being gifted the game from other European countries. The PC version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will launch Thursday, and is currently 20 percent off on Steam until then.SiliconeraTwitterShareTags: argentina, ireland, jp-kellams, Kojima-Productions, Konami, metal-gear-rising-revengeance, metal-gear-solid-rising, pc, Platinum-Games, region-locked, regions, russia, STEAM.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px}Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance InfoDescription
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is the new name for Metal Gear Solid: Rising. The project is now a collaboration between Kojima Productions and Platinum Studios for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The project was originally announced at the Microsoft E3 2009 press conference.
Show moreMSRP59.99 USD
Release DateAvailable Now
GenreAction
DeveloperKojima Productions, Platinum Games
PublisherKonami
RatingM (Mature)
View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwarePosted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
View the Original article
The $500 Steam Machine from iBuyPower is 'not a PC'
byJessica Conditton Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0
IBuyPower built its Steam Machine, the SBX, to compete in the console market. It looks like a console – a rectangle smaller than the Xbox One with the Steam logo pressed into the top – and it's priced to compete with new systems at $500. A few details make it a Steam Machine rather than another new console: It has no disc drive, it runs SteamOS only, and it will ship with the Steam Controller and in-home streaming capabilities.
"We're telling all of our vendors that this is not a PC," Tuan Nguyen, iBuyPower director of product and marketing, said during a demo at CES. "Valve doesn't like to admit that they're really competing with the consoles, but they are."
The retail SBX should include built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth, an internal power supply, a 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU, and a Radeon R7 260X graphics card supporting AMD's Mantle API, iBuyPower's Brad Soken said. Those specs aren't expected to change too drastically leading up to launch.
"With Mantle and everything, and the whole GCN up and running, you're very much on par at least with the current generation of consoles, if not even better," Nguyen said. iBuyPower Steam Machine - SBX
IBuyPower's relationship with Valve began in June, when Nguyen sent Valve an email with a render of its idea for a Steam Machine. The prototype Nguyen showed off was mostly complete, missing the Steam Controller module and with a Raspberry Pi in the place of the box's lighting control. Users will be able to control the color of the LEDs embedded around the box with an app for iOS and Android. Four squares supporting the bottom of the console are yellow, red, green and blue, mimicking Xbox controller colors.
"Hitting that $499 price point is actually not that easy," Nguyen said.
IBuyPower had planned to announce a second SBX tonight, after Valve's press conference – a box with integrated Oculus Rift. It was going to be the ace up iBuyPower's sleeve, Nguyen said, but the Rift wasn't ready. The Oculus team is working with Valve now to tweak problems with the headset causing motion sickness, Nguyen said.
SBX on its own would be ready to ship early this year, but iBuyPower is waiting for Valve to finish the Steam Machine experience, including a new version of SteamOS. Instead, Nguyen said it should hit around June – just in time for E3.ShareTags: ces-2014, ibuypower, Linux, pc, SBX, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwareSuper abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq 
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0IBuyPower built its Steam Machine, the SBX, to compete in the console market. It looks like a console – a rectangle smaller than the Xbox One with the Steam logo pressed into the top – and it's priced to compete with new systems at $500. A few details make it a Steam Machine rather than another new console: It has no disc drive, it runs SteamOS only, and it will ship with the Steam Controller and in-home streaming capabilities."We're telling all of our vendors that this is not a PC," Tuan Nguyen, iBuyPower director of product and marketing, said during a demo at CES. "Valve doesn't like to admit that they're really competing with the consoles, but they are."
The retail SBX should include built-in wi-fi, Bluetooth, an internal power supply, a 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, quad-core Athlon X4 740 CPU, and a Radeon R7 260X graphics card supporting AMD's Mantle API, iBuyPower's Brad Soken said. Those specs aren't expected to change too drastically leading up to launch.
"With Mantle and everything, and the whole GCN up and running, you're very much on par at least with the current generation of consoles, if not even better," Nguyen said. iBuyPower Steam Machine - SBX
IBuyPower's relationship with Valve began in June, when Nguyen sent Valve an email with a render of its idea for a Steam Machine. The prototype Nguyen showed off was mostly complete, missing the Steam Controller module and with a Raspberry Pi in the place of the box's lighting control. Users will be able to control the color of the LEDs embedded around the box with an app for iOS and Android. Four squares supporting the bottom of the console are yellow, red, green and blue, mimicking Xbox controller colors."Hitting that $499 price point is actually not that easy," Nguyen said.
IBuyPower had planned to announce a second SBX tonight, after Valve's press conference – a box with integrated Oculus Rift. It was going to be the ace up iBuyPower's sleeve, Nguyen said, but the Rift wasn't ready. The Oculus team is working with Valve now to tweak problems with the headset causing motion sickness, Nguyen said.
SBX on its own would be ready to ship early this year, but iBuyPower is waiting for Valve to finish the Steam Machine experience, including a new version of SteamOS. Instead, Nguyen said it should hit around June – just in time for E3.ShareTags: ces-2014, ibuypower, Linux, pc, SBX, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwarePosted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
View the Original article
Digital Storm's $2,000 Steam Machine is a PC for the high-end market
byJessica Conditton Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0
The Bolt 2, revealed today as a hybrid PC and Steam Machine, is not for the everyday market, Digital Storm Chief Brand Officer Harjit Chana told Joystiq at CES. The Bolt 2 will cost $1,900 when it launches later this month, and the system ranges in price from $1,500 to $2,800.
"Our brand itself is more about high-end systems," Chana said. "We're not really a more mainstream type of brand; we're focused on higher-tier. So that's where the Bolt 2 came in. We wanted to create a product that appeals to this type of market as a Steam Machine. Because obviously, when someone thinks of a Steam Machine, they think of something compact, hybrid – something they can place in their home theater environment as well."
The Bolt 2 is designed ideally for 4K gaming, with an eye on the future, Chana said.
"A $500 Steam Box isn't going to run a 4K TV," he said.
One $500 Steam Box, the SBX from iBuyPower, won't run 4K, but neither is it a PC. The SBX is presented as a console Steam Machine, while the Bolt 2 is very much a PC Steam Machine. The Bolt 2 launching in January won't ship with a Steam Controller, but it will have the option to install the beta of SteamOS, which anyone can download now. The true Steam Machine version of the Bolt 2, with the controller and SteamOS, will launch later in the year. The Bolt 2 will always run both SteamOS and Windows.
"The whole idea with it being such a high-end product, is we had to make it a hybrid because they're so high-end you can't just run SteamOS because SteamOS is still very limited, for what it is," Chana said.
There is a "pretty big" market for high-end gaming PCs, Digital Storm Senior Technician Robert Wall said. The Bolt 1 launched last year and did "extremely well," he noted:
"We've got a ton of great interest. Even online right now, there's tons of interest, people that want this."ShareTags: bolt-2, ces-2014, digital-storm, Linux, pc, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking NewsDead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwareSuper abridged Joystiq news review of 2013EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq 
View the Original article
on Jan 6th 2014 9:00PM0The Bolt 2, revealed today as a hybrid PC and Steam Machine, is not for the everyday market, Digital Storm Chief Brand Officer Harjit Chana told Joystiq at CES. The Bolt 2 will cost $1,900 when it launches later this month, and the system ranges in price from $1,500 to $2,800."Our brand itself is more about high-end systems," Chana said. "We're not really a more mainstream type of brand; we're focused on higher-tier. So that's where the Bolt 2 came in. We wanted to create a product that appeals to this type of market as a Steam Machine. Because obviously, when someone thinks of a Steam Machine, they think of something compact, hybrid – something they can place in their home theater environment as well."
The Bolt 2 is designed ideally for 4K gaming, with an eye on the future, Chana said.
"A $500 Steam Box isn't going to run a 4K TV," he said.
One $500 Steam Box, the SBX from iBuyPower, won't run 4K, but neither is it a PC. The SBX is presented as a console Steam Machine, while the Bolt 2 is very much a PC Steam Machine. The Bolt 2 launching in January won't ship with a Steam Controller, but it will have the option to install the beta of SteamOS, which anyone can download now. The true Steam Machine version of the Bolt 2, with the controller and SteamOS, will launch later in the year. The Bolt 2 will always run both SteamOS and Windows.
"The whole idea with it being such a high-end product, is we had to make it a hybrid because they're so high-end you can't just run SteamOS because SteamOS is still very limited, for what it is," Chana said.
There is a "pretty big" market for high-end gaming PCs, Digital Storm Senior Technician Robert Wall said. The Bolt 1 launched last year and did "extremely well," he noted:
"We've got a ton of great interest. Even online right now, there's tons of interest, people that want this."ShareTags: bolt-2, ces-2014, digital-storm, Linux, pc, STEAM, steam-machines, steamos.fyre .fyre-comment-media-expanded{display:none!important}.fyre-notifier-container{display:none}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>span.fyre-comment-reply-wrapper{top:18px}.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a,.fyre .fyre-comment-divider>a:hover{top:20px} InfoDescriptionShow moreMSRPRelease DateGenreDeveloperPublisherRating View on Amazon.comBreaking News
Dead Rising 3's first DLC episode delayed, now coming Jan. 21More →Featured StoriesNow Playing: January 6-12, 2014Posted on Jan 6th 2014 7:15PM
Hands-on with Valve's Steam Machine beta hardwarePosted on Jan 6th 2014 5:05PM
Super abridged Joystiq news review of 2013Posted on Jan 5th 2014 10:30AM
EngadgetKindle for iOS updated with flashcards, notebook ...Equil JOT nabs Evernote integration for easy ...meMini's wearable camera gives you the gift of ...TUAWEvening news roundup for January 6, 2013 ...Cut the Rope 2 perfects the art of having in-app ...8 Time Machine excuses that don't make sense ...MassivelyNot So Massively: LoL downed by DDoS attack, Star ...The Stream Team: Heroics continue in World of ...DayZ destroys Hall's early sales expectations ...WoWThe WoW Insider Show LIVE! ...How to PvP ...WoW Moviewatch: Brief History of WoW ...AOL TechJoystiq© 2014 AOL Inc. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | AOL A-Z HELP | About Our Ads | Advertise With Us
View the Original article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
