The Seattle Times recently published a detailed report that sheds new light on what we can expect from Valve’s entry into the world of console…er…”living room entertainment experience.”
One of the biggest differences that Valve has tried to galvanize in the minds of gamers is that they are trying to create a source of entertainment with its Steam Machines , not just another Xbox one or PlayStation 4 knock off. “We think the PC OEM space ought to have been doing this for quite some time. Really, every year you could watch one PC OEM or another say, ‘We are going to build the entertainment PC for the living room’ and build something that lives under the TV. They would often do pretty well at cooling or industrial design, but that was only a fraction of the problems they need to solve for customers to have a good entertainment experience in the living room,” said Valve Designer Greg Coomer.
The unique controller is also detailed (dropping the traditional thumb stick layout for touchpads) and suggests it will provide a better sense of speed and accuracy. However, industry insiders are not as impressed, as co-created of Super Meat Boy Tommy Refenes called it “…just another controller.”
Beta consoles will be out for testing soon, with the retail versions available sometime in mid-2014 (expect more details coming at this year’s CES as well).
Source: Seattle Times