Steambox, would you buy one? HL8 Confirmed.

[Arthur]

it's a great way to easily hook up another room with your Steam library

Also cool will be the ability to stream multiple games simultaneously from one PC with future nVidia graphics cards.

[Arthur]

Alienware: We will launch new Steam Machines every year « Trusted Reviews

 

Having officially unveiled its first Steam Machine console last week at CES 2014, gaming specialist Alienware has confirmed that it intends to launch new models every year.

 

Speaking out on its first Steam Machine, the Dell owned company has revealed that due to a lack of upgrade options on the Steam OS powered console, it will be forced to launch new models every 12 months.

 

“Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year,” Frank Azor, Alienware’s General Manager told TrustedReviews.

 

Detailing the need for annual Alienware Steam Machine launches, Azor stated: “There will be no customisation options, you can’t really update it.” Despite the lack of customisation options he added: “The platform will continue to evolve as the games become more resource intensive.”

[LosOjos]

Alienware: We will launch new Steam Machines every year « Trusted Reviews

 

So they've made a PC that you can't upgrade? Smart. Real smart.

 

On a related note, my budget Steam Box is now built, just working through the tweaks to make it more appliance-like

Edited January 21, 2014 by LosOjos

[featured_spectre]

If the steam OS works flawlessly with my current library then I will likely dual boot.

[LosOjos]

If the steam OS works flawlessly with my current library then I will likely dual boot.

 

I wouldn't bank on it. Most indie and Valve titles on Steam work in Linux now but not a lot else.

 

At the moment dual booting is a PITA. Hopefully they'll change this when it's out of beta but currently installing SteamOS completely formats your HDD, no dual boot option. You can dual boot, but you have to install SteamOS first then your other OS. I'm thinking it might be possible to disconnect your primary HDD, install SteamOS on to a blank HDD then reconnect the primary and use something like Grub to fix the boot table to see both but I haven't actually tried it.

 

Personally, I'm just starting Steam in Big Picture mode on Windows 7.

[Arthur]

This is what the new Steam Controller looks like.

 

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/announcements/detail/1838898818826593734

 

[Arthur]

Valve delays Steam Machines and controller until 2015 « The Verge

 

Valve, the company behind Portal, Half-Life, and digital video game download service Steam, has delayed the launch of its first pieces of hardware, pushing the release window of its Steam Machines and Steam controller from 2014 to 2015. In a post on Steam, Valve's Eric Hope suggested the release dates were pushed back to allow the company to work on the controller, after live playtests with wireless prototypes generated a "ton of useful feedback." While Hope said that feedback means Valve will be able to make its Steam controller "a lot better," it's also keeping the team behind the project "pretty busy making all those improvements."

 

The delay is an annoyance for those hoping to have their small-form living room PCs by the end of the year, but it's not an unexpected move. After all, Valve is a company so well-known for lengthy release schedules that fans have coined the term "Valve time" — "like a New York minute, but in reverse" — to describe the glacial pace of release cycles.

[Arthur]

Dell's Steam Machine is going to come with Windows 8.1 instead of SteamOS.

 

Alienware Alpha Steam Machine set for autumn launch « Bit-tech

 

Dell subsidiary Alienware has confirmed plans to release a Steam Machine later this year, dubbed the Alienware Alpha and based on Windows rather than Valve's Linux-based SteamOS platform.

 

While it's not clear whether the company's decision has been impacted by Valve's move to delay the launch of its own Steam Machine and Steam Controller hardware following tester feedback, the Alienware Alpha will ship with Windows 8.1 as its stock operating system with the option to install SteamOS as a replacement or dual-boot operating system once it is officially released commercially.

 

UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, but Alienware has stated it will launch a base model Alpha at $549 featuring a Haswell-based Intel Core-i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 2GB GDDR5 Nvidia Maxwell-based GPU which the company claims represents a semi-custom design, and integrated gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. Interestingly, the machine includes both HDMI output and input, similar to the pass-through capabilities of Microsoft's Xbox One console.

 

Upgrades available at launch will include a move to Core-i5 or Core-i7 processors, 8GB of memory and improved wireless capabilities. All models will also ship with a game pad, but thanks to Valve's decision to delay the launch of its Steam Controller Alienware has opted for the tried-and-tested Microsoft Xbox 360 controller. The system will also boot into Steam's Big Picture Mode by default, although this can be quit or overridden to expose the standard Windows 8.1 user interface.

 

The Alienware Alpha is one of a number of small form factor PCs due to launch as part of Valve's Steam Machine programme this year, even as Valve itself has shifted its own focus to a 2015 launch for the first own-brand device from the company.

[X-13]

All the comments I've seen about the Alienware machine can be split into either "this is stupidly expensive" or "I just want the case".