SteamOS. Steam Machines. Steam Controllers.
Words cannot describe how excited I am, and I am sure that there are millions of people around the world experiencing the same feeling of elation. We knew for some time that Valve intended on finding its way into living rooms across the globe, but we didn’t quite know how. Those questions appear to have been answered.
SteamOS appears to be poised to provide free and resourceful access to a gaming platform that anyone can utilize in their homes. While the UI will certainly be controller-friendly, who’s to say that it won’t be a great PC gaming platform for desktop computers as well? We know that Valve loves putting creative power into the hands of their community, and I am sure that SteamOS will be no different. Plus, don’t forget that Valve has been updating Steam with many new features that would work wonderfully in SteamOS. Steam Cloud, for example, could be used to streamline the process of switching over to a Steam Machine making the entire process as easy as just placing the piece of hardware in a room. I’m sure most people (myself included) will likely have both their gaming rig and a Steam Machine present in their homes, so Steam Cloud would help to ensure that savegames and other facets of the Steam experience are brought over instantaneously. Brilliant!
While there’s still not a lot known about the Steam Machines, the information that Valve has provided is certainly intriguing. First off, current Steam users scared that they’ll be forced to buy new hardware can relax and sleep easy, as Valve has made it clear that the Steam Machines will complement the existing Steam platform, and not overwrite it. More importantly however, Valve stated that there will be multiple tiers of the Steam Machine available for purchase, which will likely coincide with the kinds of games a user may want to play. This is a great idea as it will provide people of any budget the opportunity to get into PC gaming which has traditionally had a technical (and financial) barrier to entry.
While this is purely speculative, one could suggest that the tiers could be designed in such a manner that gamers looking to get into indie gaming could purchase the more inexpensive Steam Machine in order to get their fix, considering that indie games generally have more forgiving system requirements for play. Gamers looking to play the high-end AAA titles with anti-aliasing set to the max would presumably have to shell out the coin for the higher end Steam Machine, which makes sense. The wildcard in this whole concept is the modding and customization potential for the Steam Machine. Who knows what enthusiasts will come up with?!
While it was no surprise that with SteamOS and the Steam Machines on the way, the Steam Controller would be next in line for a big reveal. What was genuinely a shocking surprise was the controller itself! While the design is certainly intriguing, the fact that Valve intends on ensuring that the Steam Controller works perfectly with every single game in the Steam library is exciting. So many games out there simply play better with a controller, and right now, one would argue that the xbox 360 controller is the defacto standard for indie gaming. Will the Steam Controller change that? Only time will tell!
As always, Valve continues to revolutionize our beloved PC platform and I for one couldn’t be more excited. Remember ladies and gentlemen, it wasn’t all too long ago that Steam itself came into existence. Can you even imagine life without it now? I most certainly can’t, and I am sure we will be saying the same thing about SteamOS, Steam Machines, and the Steam Controller ten years from now. There’s exciting times ahead 🙂