Retail Steam Machine Prototype

Not bad. Hopefully they'll make one in black. I'm definitely interested in seeing just how many varieties/designs manufacturers come up with down the road.
 
I like the ring that goes around the machine. Sure makes Xbone and PS4 look ugly in comparison.
 
dunno, the light looks neat, but for something that will be placed near the tv won't that be distracting?, if there is an option to turn it off Im guessing it will just look like a bland box though,lol
 
Looks pretty cool, different at the very least. I'll stick with my gaming htpc, but here's to Steam!
 
why are all consoles so "box-like"? because it's easier than finding a sleek, curvy design? and if i stack an xbone, ps4 and steam box, will it turn into a borg cube and assimilate me?
 
why are all consoles so "box-like"? because it's easier than finding a sleek, curvy design? and if i stack an xbone, ps4 and steam box, will it turn into a borg cube and assimilate me?

Stackability. Loads of complaints from people being unable to put their 360s and PS3s on anything but the top of everything else or its own shelf because nothing could be put on top of it.
 
looks ugly as hell IMHO, worse than the original xbox360. yuck...

making it black would help, but that slit-light is also very distracting and awkward looking - hopefully we can tone it down during use. I don't mind the boxy design, the colors just look icky.
 
looks ugly as hell IMHO, worse than the original xbox360. yuck...

making it black would help, but that slit-light is also very distracting and awkward looking - hopefully we can tone it down during use. I don't mind the boxy design, the colors just look icky.

lol. I agree. If it was black, not glossy, with a light glow around it in orange or red. it would look much better
 
dunno, the light looks neat, but for something that will be placed near the tv won't that be distracting?, if there is an option to turn it off Im guessing it will just look like a bland box though,lol

Yeah the ability to turn it off though would be amazing. And to leave the light on even when the machine is off would be cool too.
 
Yeah the ability to turn it off though would be amazing. And to leave the light on even when the machine is off would be cool too.

Especially if it does the KITT effect from Knight Rider. Whoew Whoew, Whoew Whoew....
 
I think it looks great, it's nice to see that designers aren't putting functionally worthless design features on these. Nothing is more annoying than a machine that's made bigger by curves or other design features. It should be functional first, then designed.
 
Looks ok but white + glossy + lights is like 3x infinity wrong for a pc case imo
 
why are all consoles so "box-like"? because it's easier than finding a sleek, curvy design? and if i stack an xbone, ps4 and steam box, will it turn into a borg cube and assimilate me?

You mean a "sleek, curvy design" like the 360 and ps3, so I'm stuck standing them both vertically wasting even more shelf space? Frankly, it's great that console makers are getting away from the god awful designs that just waste space, as if the super mega dream box play cube is supposed to be the monolith from 2001 a space odyssey in my living room. Ironic I say that two black monolithic boxes are an improvement, but from the standpoint of integrating into a stack of hardware like the everything else does in the cabinet of crap connected to my TV, they are an improvement.
 
i like valve, but not being able to play all the directx games from my steam library makes it pretty useless, especially since i have a pc.

unless valve is miraculously converting many dx games to opengl and linux, i lose interest.

it could be targeted at the popcap gamer though.
 
Am I the only one who doesn't give a shit what a console looks like? I buy electronics and I actually use them but I don't stare at my setup every 2 minutes like I guess some people do. I can understand for something like a phone since its a very personal device and constantly in use , you stare at it directly all the time because that's how it functions.

But seriously everything else I just put on a shelf or put into a closet so I don't even have to look at it and just do whatever. My big HTPC (well gaming PC as well) is in my closet (its vented well) and I just have a flat HDMI cable running out to my TV and when I PC game I hook up my Qnix DVI cable. You wouldn't even know I had a PC running and I have actually not told some people I even use a big DIY PC just to see their reaction when I open the closet.

I mean for most electronics (minus obvious things like a TV) you are not looking directly at them 95 percent of the time.

Also I don't think I wanna be an early adopter to the Steam Machine. When Steam first released it was ambitious but terrible. It needed a good year and half before it would stop crashing for me. So I think early adopters of the Steam Machine are going to be in for some nasty headaches. Plus the fact that the non-hardware OS takes over your PC while you are gaming entirely kinda puts me off it to begin with. But I do like the idea of Steam being competing directly with the next gen consoles , any extra competition always ends well for the consumer.
 
I don't care much what it looks like. I'm a modder, I can make it look like whatever I want. But what I really care about is if it works well and encompasses what I think a proper Steambox should and operates seamlessly.

With that said, I'm happy with my homebrew "steambox", but it has taken a lot of tweaking to get it to this point, with everything launching cleanly from Steam big picture mode and operating almost souly with wireless xbox360 controllers.
 
Am I the only one who doesn't give a shit what a console looks like? I buy electronics and I actually use them but I don't stare at my setup every 2 minutes like I guess some people do. I can understand for something like a phone since its a very personal device and constantly in use , you stare at it directly all the time because that's how it functions.

But seriously everything else I just put on a shelf or put into a closet so I don't even have to look at it and just do whatever. My big HTPC (well gaming PC as well) is in my closet (its vented well) and I just have a flat HDMI cable running out to my TV and when I PC game I hook up my Qnix DVI cable. You wouldn't even know I had a PC running and I have actually not told some people I even use a big DIY PC just to see their reaction when I open the closet.

I mean for most electronics (minus obvious things like a TV) you are not looking directly at them 95 percent of the time.

Also I don't think I wanna be an early adopter to the Steam Machine. When Steam first released it was ambitious but terrible. It needed a good year and half before it would stop crashing for me. So I think early adopters of the Steam Machine are going to be in for some nasty headaches. Plus the fact that the non-hardware OS takes over your PC while you are gaming entirely kinda puts me off it to begin with. But I do like the idea of Steam being competing directly with the next gen consoles , any extra competition always ends well for the consumer.

Because not all of us have the ability or desire to shove everything in a closet hidden away. So yes aesthetics are also of interest when purchasing a new device. I know Surprise surprise, not everyone wants just a plain beige box. It isn't about just the TV. Some of us have invested quite a bit of time and effort making our "entertainment space" Look nice. From the furniture, to the walls and lighting to even how the media space is laid out. So yes, having one device that sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest is undesirable.
 
why are all consoles so "box-like"? because it's easier than finding a sleek, curvy design? and if i stack an xbone, ps4 and steam box, will it turn into a borg cube and assimilate me?

because box is the new curve.
 
Would have been cool if they made it look like those turrets in Portal.
 
i like valve, but not being able to play all the directx games from my steam library makes it pretty useless, especially since i have a pc.

unless valve is miraculously converting many dx games to opengl and linux, i lose interest.

it could be targeted at the popcap gamer though.

We'll see what plans Valve have up their sleeve regarding Linux gaming.

However, Gabe Newell have said Valve won't be making it difficult for the user to install Windows 8 on it if one wishes to do so. This could be a powerful HTPC for anyone looking for such system without having to go through the trouble of building one.

For me, I'm looking forward to see how it turns out. If the performance is right, I'm willing to pay for a ready-made compact system. I no longer want another oversized casing for my next build.
 
We'll see what plans Valve have up their sleeve regarding Linux gaming.

However, Gabe Newell have said Valve won't be making it difficult for the user to install Windows 8 on it if one wishes to do so. This could be a powerful HTPC for anyone looking for such system without having to go through the trouble of building one.

For me, I'm looking forward to see how it turns out. If the performance is right, I'm willing to pay for a ready-made compact system. I no longer want another oversized casing for my next build.

There are hundreds of HTPC cases and complete builds out there that look way better than this one or the official steam cases.
 
next step, warm fondant in hands and spread over cake:

Layer-square-cakes-350x242.jpg
 
well, for a prototype i would say its looks cool and im sure they are trying to differentiate it from the xbone and ps4.
But i wouldn't put that thing in my entertainment center.
As a pc gamer, i just cannot see buying a pre-made box, but i hope they do well.
Maybe this will bring more console gamers over, but with the content of xbox live, i think it will be an uphill battle.
 
well, for a prototype i would say its looks cool and im sure they are trying to differentiate it from the xbone and ps4.
But i wouldn't put that thing in my entertainment center.
As a pc gamer, i just cannot see buying a pre-made box, but i hope they do well.
Maybe this will bring more console gamers over, but with the content of xbox live, i think it will be an uphill battle.
You're right. Though black would end up looking better (imho), it would look a lot like the freshly released PS4 and Xbox One. Probably would not be the best marketing move. It might it cast out as a "console wanna be" if it doesn't differentiate itself well enough from the get go.
 
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