Steam Machines Can't Ship Until Valve is Ready
A short interview with iBuyPower's Marketing Manager Ricky Lee on Slashgear reveals why we're not really getting any answers in regards to a Steam Machine launch date. That's because Valve holds all the cards; Steam Machines will go on sale when Valve is ready. That means SteamOS needs to be ready as well as the controller.
First, a little background. In order for OEMs to actually sell PCs with SteamOS or the Steam client pre-installed, they must first license the software from Valve.
"In very simple terms, you need a license to redistribute our proprietary Steam Client, whether on its own or whether as part of SteamOS, and you need a license to use any of our trademarks in a commercial context," Valve states. "That includes, without limitation, using the Steam symbol and terms like Steam, SteamOS and Steam Machine in any of your commercial communication, whether from product design, advertising or PR. And unless you are a licensee, you should not publicly suggest any connection to Valve or Steam."
That goes back to what was previously said: Valve must have a final, complete and distributable version of SteamOS for OEMs before Steam Machines can license and ship to customers. Valve must also give the OK for each Steam Machine to be released. And as previously stated, the Steam Controller must be finalized; Steam Machines cannot ship to gamers without this controller.
With all that said, the Steam Machine ship dates rests solely on Valve. Ricky Lee said iBuyPower's Steam Machine could theoretically ship next month, and there's speculation that the green light may be given in February. But again, it's speculation until Valve is officially ready to move forward.
Slashgear also talked with Lee about iBuyPower's strategy with its first Steam Machine. There was talk about some of the other competitors with huge machines and huge price tags, and a comment that "they just don't get it" in regards to the overall Steam Machine philosophy of bringing a price-competitive console PC into the living room.
Read about all the latest Steam Machines here.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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zipspyder By the looks of the SteamOS alpha that February release reminds me of the saying "fat chance in hell"!Reply -
vmem Unfortunatly the whole steam OS thing is turning out to be an over-hyped ship that crashed before it was launchedReply -
Innocent_Bystander-1312890 Oh Steam Machines are going on Valve-Time, are they? Look for their release right along with Half Life 3 then...IBReply -
daekar I'm still trying to figure out who they're marketing these machines to, and for what purpose. Why would I buy one of these if I could buy a PS4? And if I wanted PC games, wouldn't I be better served with a gaming rig? I just don't understand.Reply -
Zenuts ReplyI'm still trying to figure out who they're marketing these machines to, and for what purpose. Why would I buy one of these if I could buy a PS4? And if I wanted PC games, wouldn't I be better served with a gaming rig? I just don't understand.
It's for people who either want a PC on their living room (for gaming mostly) or want a more "portable" desktop (for LAN parties, for instance). The specs range from entry level Iris Pro to the GTX 780 TI so, whatever you want to build, you can (with a premmium price over a DIY regular-sized PC). -
ubercake I really can't wait to see how these work out. I also hope they have some offerings priced to compete with consoles. Otherwise, this will just be another boutique-ish type PC build that companies charge a premium for (like alienware or others of that ilk).Reply -
Zenuts Reply12455241 said:I really can't wait to see how these work out. I also hope they have some offerings priced to compete with consoles. Otherwise, this will just be another boutique-ish type PC build that companies charge a premium for (like alienware or others of that ilk).
A preview list with price has already been posted a few days ago. Here it is: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/steam-box-machine-ces-2014-valve,25661.html -
tomsworkshop i thought SteamOS will be open for download and install like other Linux distro, they may be the next top Linux distro like Ubuntu if soReply