The Potential of a Steam Console?

Are you in favor of a Steam Console?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 89 48.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 58 31.9%

  • Maybe.

    Votes: 35 19.2%
  • Total voters
    182
BennyBlanco said:
If they actually made a traditional console and scaled up mass production, put it in retail, spent a fortune advertising it, they would probably be competitive. They have the largest library of games by far.

But they would have to subsidize hardware which would lead to them looking for other ways to make money and start doing the things that make consoles unappealing, such as charging for online play and cloud saves.

So no I don't agree, I just don't think Valve would ever do all that because they are already making a fortune doing what they do and have more users than any console.

I think fleshing out SteamOS and letting other companies do what they want with it is smarter because they don't have to spend all that money in r&d , advertising, dealing with retailers, etc. At the end of the day it will just drive more business to Valve.
Click to expand...
Thats whole lot of nothing u just said, bro.
2 optioins:
1) Valve halfasses steam mashine again just like they did in 2015 and it flops again- u think thats very probable just like i do- in this case ppl gain nothing vs normal desktop pc/lappy by buying steam mashine.
2) Valve goes in balls deep with tons of R&D, buying at least 3-4 topquality dev studios and showing exclusive games- here u saying its almost impossible or at least very improbably coz at least short and mid-term it would make valve lose tons of money and its not even clear it would make them money longterm after crazy upfront investment(just like in microsofts case with xbox).
 
Last edited:
It depends on cost.

If Valve offered a device that was a lot cheaper than a PC, but allowed me to play any game on Steam on my TV, then I'd probably go for it.
 
It would suck.

In a way we already have it right now with the Steam deck. I have one and I use it daily and (on PC) it is my main gaming platform (my desktop is used for other stuff), and people needs to stop talking about stuff they dont know (Im not talking about OP, just in general internet comments) like a Steam OS would be amazing and shit, it would not.

I like to dock and sometimes play on my bed my SD, sometimes it would just crash its screen and it would give a black screen, which I would need to reset the console. This also takes more than one attempt, becuase for some reason it is not that automatic the boot up.
Sometimes I would just enter a game and close it beacuase i forget to set something (for example, the resolution, so it goes for 1080p rather than the SD resolution) and then it would start checking/donwloading/idk what its doing, and would have to wait.
Sometimes it would just mess up my controller layout and it I would have to apply it again (hopefully it did uploaded the newer version, once it just lost the template that I made for a game).

I love the Steamdeck, but it is more a PC rather a console (it is not a full open linux device either mind you), and Steam OS too. So whats the point? So it can be a digital only Steam device or it would just let you choose whatever you want to install like how SteamOS on the SD works? Then just get a PC.

This is exactly the issue of the Steammachines 10 years ago: why spent all that money on a device and then just let it do less than what it could do if you just install Windows on it? You can argue that if they lower the price (and thanks to the console market being expensive as hell) it can become a good alternative, but the people that play on console want other stuff:

- Plug and play
- Gaming with no hassle (like drivers, compatibility, etc)
- Always be up to date (updates in the night)
- Easiness overall (any cloud file ready, update installed, less stuff to worry about)

I dont think Valve can or wants to archive this. Currently they are a more open company giving more freedom (to some extent) to its users.
 
They're working on deckard. It'll be a long ass time till they get around to a stationary box.

The way forward here is non-valve mini-pc's with a good udna apu, steamos, and new steam controller out of the box.
 
I'm in favor of this. My only issue is the compatibility issues with Linux. Having used SteamOS for a year and a half now, I've had enough problems that I'm itching for a windows version. I think Mister Wolf Mister Wolf was right.
 
Fess said:
No I basically only used Steam on Steam Deck, it's why it felt so limited. They're so close to have the ultimate gaming UI but when the PC market is so fractured it all falls apart for me. I know what I want but nobody is doing it all. It's very annoying tbh. Those who let you link other store accounts usually only let you browse your library. Why can't I get one UI that let me browse multiple stores, libraries, see my playtime and screens, purchase, install, play, manage my games? One UI to rule them all. Why is that so hard? Every store/launcher owner has to see that it's needed. So who's doing the blocking?
Click to expand...
I hope this is what Microsoft is working on but I can't say for sure. Heroic does a pretty good job integrating GOG, Epic and Amazon launchers and they will be adding more launchers over time, but yeah I also wish there was a complete option right now.
 
i kind of hope that instead of valve working on its own console, they find some way to partner with MS so that the next Xbox ends up being compatible with steam at a rate that is similar to the deck. maybe a pipe dream, but a dedicated Steam + Gamepass box by the TV would be a pretty good value proposition, especially with cross-compatible saves where you can continue on other devices if you want.
 
I said maybe because it largely depends on how Valve will execute a Steam console. Will they target a single spec akin to the Steam Deck and up the specs every 3-4 years? Or will they release different tiers?
 
The Mad Draklor said:
I said maybe because it largely depends on how Valve will execute a Steam console. Will they target a single spec akin to the Steam Deck and up the specs every 3-4 years? Or will they release different tiers?
Click to expand...
I would imagine the power spec will be the same across all models across the board. The only options will be hard drive size. Same as the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck had 3 options initially, but they killed the lowest spec altogether, so I imagine just 2 this time. I would gather the ram can be changed by the user.
 
Last edited:
The Mad Draklor said:
I said maybe because it largely depends on how Valve will execute a Steam console. Will they target a single spec akin to the Steam Deck and up the specs every 3-4 years? Or will they release different tiers?
Click to expand...

if they do it they should have 2 specs. a high end one that is nearly cutting edge, and a mid range one that is essentially a small upgrade over the base PS5 and the Series X... just a little headroom above them to assure most games will run better or at least on par with PS5.

that way they'd have a direct competitor to the consoles, and one that is future proof for maybe even next gen.
 
Last edited:
It would be less of a failure than before, but there is still something we need: Steam Controller 2. It needs to match Deck's input, otherwise it falls apart.

The whole reason SD works is the functionality of it: the fully realised Steam Input, and Proton. They turn it from a Linux machine (old Steam Console) into a Steam machine.

A Steam Console would work in the sense that it would be a screenless docked Deck. Whether that's a niche within a niche or a separate, wider market is unclear. The anti-cheat issue would be a limiting factor there.
 
It's quite a ridiculous proposition, Steam users are overwhelmingly PC gamers.
They are not interested in consoles, by definition.
 
At the right price with a normal controller I'd be all over it. I don't like sitting at my pc and I don't want to do a media pc.

Make it easy like steam deck and hell yeah!
 
Ziglax said:
A real gaming OS with strong support by Steam as an alternative to Windows is what we need, not a plastic box.
Click to expand...
What if I don't want to build my own PC any more? If I could have an easy streamlined solution where I could access my entire steam library and be free from windows I would be there so fast.
No more paying for online like on PS, Nintendo or Xbox and have the ability to use whatever controllers I want.
 
demigod said:
The potential is called HUGE FLOP. We've been down that road. Just get a PC, it's better since you can upgrade and don't have to pay extra for prebuilt.
Click to expand...
Prebuilts are quite popular, I know several people IRL that own one. They want to play on PC, but can't be bothered or don't understand the build process. If nobody would buy these things there wouldn't be such as massive amount of them on the market. It's also the reason why the 3050 and 3060 are so popular because for years almost all these prebuilts included one of those crappy cards. Laughably enough they get paired with something like an AMD 5800X, which is overkill, and a PSU that barely provides enough power for the package, let alone offers an upgrade path for the GPU. Prebuilts might be a bad deal, but a LOT of people buy them.

With that in mind, I'm absolutely sure a console-like Steam PC would sell well.
 
If Microsoft is struggling with their console, Valve has no chance of success with theirs unless they start to release their own games again. Free online might be appealing to some, but its poor value if none of your friends have the same platform.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Poll
The embarrassment of playing with a handheld console in public
Drama Cringe  3 4 5 6 7
330
2K
Mhmmm 2077 replied
Aksys Games Looking to Potentially Bring the Tokyo Xanadu eX+ Switch Localization to PS4 & Steam
1
153
Danny Dudekisser replied
Boulder Punch: A Licensed Game With Wasted Potential | Saw: The Video Game
Opinion Analysis Trailer 
1
90
March Climber replied
  • Poll
ARC Raiders - What's the market potential for this game?
8
418
Men_in_Boxes replied
[Notebookcheck] Steam Deck 2 and Valve home console in the works as quiet Sony partnership hints at strategic alliance // Moore's Law Is Dead
Rumor Hardware  2 3
115
374
kevboard replied
Top Bottom