http://www.destructoid.com/valve-will-offer-pc-hardware-for-the-living-room-240222.phtml

Thoughts anyone?

75% off hardware sales? Yes plz.

Meh.

Already have one, it is called a laptop and I can connect it to the big TV, and then connect controllers and other crap to it.

But sure, please do bring in more junkware to the market, don't fear, people will buy it. As we all know how Razer sold hundreds of billions of their laptops, right?

It sounds...strange. I don't know what to think. Will it be a regular PC or just for gaming? If it's that than it's basically a console. I don't know what's the target demographic for this. If it's a user of Big Picture than don't they already have a gaming PC? If it's the regular public isn't it simpler to get a console already?

If someone likes the idea tell me if you intend to have that as a second pc and why.

If Valve can repopularize PC type platforms with the home market I'm all for it. I'm scared to death PC hardware is going to start losing economies of scale. AMD already seems finished. I need my cheap powerful PCs!

That said, I'd be quite reluctant to buy a proprietary Valve box. I need general purpose open hardware.

Since most games require Windows to run properly, I doubt it will be anything other than a regular PC in a branded box.

I assume this will just be a media center PC with set specs and a Valve logo on it that loads Steam on boot.

Making an actual console like environment on Linux and getting companies to port games to it wouldn't get enough support to happen.

I agree on both points.

I would definitely support anything that gets PC's back into the mainstream. I am just curious exactly what they plan on doing, and pricing points.

As if the threat of account based DRM wasn't already bad enough with next year's consoles.

I hope this is a massive flop and puts Valve out of business. Seriously.

With the number of people who refuse to buy anything if it's not on Steam I doubt that will happen.

I know, but I can dream. :P

Won't bother. I have an HDMI cable I connect from my desktop to my PC; which, when I do this, tells my PC that my TV is my new main monitor (I use 2 on average). So no need to buy any fancy hardware that will just collect dust.

Did valve kill your pets=) lol...such hostility towards a single company.



Also there are already account based crap on current consoles so I fully expect the same from the next gen consoles. Do not forget the WII was one of the worst offenders in that your DLC and crap only work with that specific WII it was bought on...does not matter if the WII craps out it will not work on any other WII. The PS3 has multiple games where the DLC only works for the account it is purchased on...thats nothing new, and the 360...it has similar issues already.

As vocal as that crowd is, there wouldn't be enough of an audience to support a locked down Valve only console.

The cost would be more than next gen consoles as Valve can't afford to subsidize hardware and make it back on game sales like Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo can. Unless we have another 599 US Dollars! incident, a device made out of PC hardware will cost more unless it's low end.

It wouldn't get a big push from major retailers. Gamestop might be ok selling Steam gift cards, but try getting them to push a no used games system and see how far it gets. Also when people come in to buy a console for their kids for Christmas, they won't go for the unknown one that won't let Jimmy trade games with his friends.

They would have to convince developers to support their version of Linux on the machine. If they used Windows, it would be prone to being cracked open easily, plus they would have to pay Microsoft for every console sold. Getting even the majority of games from Steam working in Linux would take a huge effort of which Valve doesn't have the man power. Companies like EA and Activision get far bigger sales on other consoles than PC to bother porting games to Linux or Valvebox.