Valve has seen tremendous success in terms of gaming, and are now moving into the hardware business, though Alienware’s Steam Machine is a PC dressed up as a console, so it’s difficult to pinpoint their approach.
- The Steam platform has earned over 75 million users
- Alienware’s Steam machine has an Intel Core i7 process, 8 GB of RAM, and a custom-build Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card
- It will present with a Linux-based operating system, called SteamOS
- The hardware will become available on November 11th, for $450 in the United States
Valve is famously responsible generally for two things. For one, it’s the fact that they seemingly refuse to make a third game for successful franchises, to put it loosely. Hit installments like Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead or others, have seen the gaming community waiting for the third game of the series, but to no avail.
The second thing that makes the company so famous is Steam. It has been the go-to platform for gamers that has essentially burst with popularity since 2014. It now has an impressive over 75 million users, and it’s not slowing down. Valve is looking into professional gaming competitions, searching for partners that would further improve the scene, with hit games such as CounterStrike: Global Offensive.
However, they’re now dabbling into the hardware market. Valve will be releasing their Steam Machines, likely to start being developed by numerous retailers.
Alienware is one of them, and with their high-brand name of incredible PC performance, it’s expected to surpass most of the rest. The machine is powered with an Intel Core i7 processor, a Nvidia GeForce GTX that is custom built, and 8 GB of RAM. For today’s gaming, it’s considered an above average gaming system.
The biggest perks, however, might just be its SteamOS. It’s essentially a custom version of Linux that will work on the tiny box that looks more like a console than a PC. However, users should not be fooled by the sleek design that is roughly the size of the Wii U. It’s, in fact, a PC.
Through the SteamOS, gamers will be able to take advantage of the platform’s familiar interface. It’s TV friendly, all packed up with HDMI ports for high-quality viewing. It’s especially more appealing when paired up with the Steam Controller.
Staying true to the vague field between PC and console, Alienware’s Steam Machine could be an excellent platform for local multiplayer. It has slots for four separate controllers, so it makes it easy to enjoy gaming around your living room with three other people at the same time. It should be noted though, that all games need to be Linux-compatible.
The PC will provide with easy access to the Steam community, including forums and mods to easily browse through, or recording/broadcasting gaming sessions, which is good news for online streamers. And, leaning more toward a PC hardware, the device is customizable in terms of components. If its power is not up to standards, users can open it up and swap pieces.
On the better end, Alienware’s Steam Machine is small, decently powerful, portable, and customizable. On the other end, it’s a Linux-based operating system, so tread carefully.
Image source: agentsofgeek.com
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