I am pretty sure that this goes against everything that Steam Machines were meant to be, but Alienware have stated that their Steam Machine will have “no customisation options, you can’t really update it.”
“Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year,” Frank Azor, Alienware’s General Manager told TrustedReviews.
In other words, if you want new tech you are going to have to shell out for a brand new Steam Machine which will cost you around £429 each year.
The bombshells don’t stop there as Frank has a rather unique solution to those who want a machine they can upgrade: Buy a PC instead.
“If you actually want to customise your Alienware Steam Machine, maybe change your graphics card out or put in a new CPU, you would be better off with the standard Alienware X51,” suggested Frank.
If we had a puzzled face emoticon on TSA, I would be using it right now.
Source: TrustedReviews
bunimomike
Not for a moment did I think you could upgrade it. {meant nicely}
However, everything else you mention makes sad, sad sense. Did anyone honestly think they were going to out-do Microsoft and Sony for pricing? Not a chance in hell.
Also, you have preset Steam boxes to choose from and that’s that. They wanted to make the PC more palatable and a little more “bonnet welded shut” like the consoles. However, any games dedicated to the PC world will have to allow for multiple hardware versions. Sure, not the current twelvety-five million possibilies we have but there’s still more than one option (ie. Sony has one option with the PS4 and Microsoft has one with the X1) which means more dev time if they are to be as optimised as the console titles.
The entire rollout of the Steam Machines has been a yawn-fest so far. :-\
94jdh
“Buy a PC instead – “Did they sign up Don Mattrick for their PR? Not the best comments to make to prospective customers!
Severn2j
To be fair, Valve have stated that they aren’t trying to compete with consoles, they are trying to expand the PC gaming eco-system from the desktop to the living room. The philosophy behind it seems to be more in line with Android than with consoles.
baggyg
Certainly confusing news and can see no reason for the limitation. Surely if anything it would be exactly the same as a PC? I wouldn’t expect the same from the other manufacturers.
Regarding Steam machines I will only be convinced once I have seen the game support list. If it turns out I will need to stream half the games then I may as well just keep my PC which is already in my living room connected to the TV. I already use a wireless 360 control, keyboard and mouse.
The steam controller looks interesting though, Ill probably just get that.
Severn2j
http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/
There ya go, a search for Linux on the Steam store returns 768 results.
baggyg
Hmmm getting better but a lot of omissions from my existing library.
Severn2j
Agreed, its not there yet but if you consider how long Steam has been runing on Linux (just under a year, according to Wikipedia) its not a bad amount of games.
gernboes
I thought the Steam machines were supposed to unite the positives of PC & consoles, not the negatives…?
Tuffcub
Yes the whole point was you didnt need to buy a new console to upgrade. Which technically is stil true, you actually have to buy seven consoles.
beeje13
Not surprised, most of the announced steam machines are small or non-standard form factors.
Kennykazey
I’m in the market for a small form factor, but powerful, PC. I’ve waited to hear about these steam machines to see if they could be an alternative, but this means it’s a strong no then. I’ve been looking at the x51, but it can’t fit a large GPU and the PSU is just 330w. So now I’m leaning towards building my own mini ITX instead.
beeje13
Yes, I would recommend building it yourself, much more flexibility and upgradability, and satisfaction. and GPU manufacturers basically throw free games at you nowadays. Only hassle would be sorting SteamOS dual boot with windows (if you need windows anyway).
pitbullmern
Alienware PC’s are overpriced and look tacky so no doubt their steambox will look just as cheap and be underpowered compared to what you could build yourself for the same price.
TSBonyman
It’s hard to see which market they are aiming for now. A console is good for at least five years, and those who choose PC for gaming often quote the upgrade capabilities of that platform as a factor in their choice. I guess there must be a market for PC gamers who want an alternative solution for their livingroom?
ron_mcphatty
Terrible PR. I think I’d rather buy a PS4.
gazzagb
Pretty sure this isn’t what Valve had in mind, hopefully the other manufacturer’s will have some sense and let people upgrade.
Severn2j
I’m a pretty big evangelist of where Steam’s going with this, especially with regard to SteamOS, but I wouldn’t buy a Steam Machine like these. I think what the Alienware guy was trying to get across is that these are just the first generation and they will improve and get cheaper over time. However, a lot of PC gamers wont buy these as they already have gaming PCs and in my case, I’ll just dual-boot Windows and SteamOS on my existing PC and buy the controller. Hopefully, once SteamOS reaches a tipping point and all games are released for that as well as Windows, I can ditch Windows entirely.
Valve aren’t trying to pull people away from consoles, they already have a massive player base on Steam, and those are people they are aiming this at. PC gaming is a huge part of the games industry and it sits on a single moving platform, namely MS Windows. Valve are being very smart in trying to move that to a more open platform and I think it benefits all PC gamers in the end. Consoles have nothing to do with it as far as I can see..