Valve purges Steam Machines from storefront

[Shawn Knight]

Valve is quietly distancing itself from its failed Steam Machines initiative. The PCs, normally found under the Hardware tab on Steam’s storefront alongside the Steam Controller, Steam Link and HTC Vive, have been banished from the tab.

It’s not exactly clear when Valve purged the category although as GamingOnLinux suggests, it likely took place sometime in March (perhaps around March 20). Steam Machines are still on Steam’s website but you have to dig around a bit to find them.

Originally announced in late 2013, Steam Machines were console-style PCs meant for gaming in the living room. Unfortunately for Valve, the initiative was plagued by delays and once they did arrive in 2016, asking prices were higher than most were willing to pay. Fewer than 500,000 systems were sold within the first six months on the market. By comparison, Microsoft and Sony sold more than one million Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles on their respective first day of release.

Valve isn’t entirely done with hardware. As mentioned, the Steam Controller and Steam Link persist, as does Valve’s support for the HTC Vive VR headset. What’s ironic is that, as VG247 points out, Valve’s own Steam Link essentially made Steam Machines obsolete by making it easy for PC gamers to stream games to their television.

Valve has yet to publicly address the Steam Machine disappearance. We will reach out for comment and update this story accordingly if we hear back.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73975-valve-purges-steam-machines-storefront.html

 

[TomSEA]

This was a real head-scratcher releasing the Steam Link and Steam Machine at the same time.

Steam Link completely bypassed anything the Machine could do via simple connection to a home PC or laptop. I use mine all the time and it works great.

 

[cldmstrsn]

Just goes to show how Valves weird heirarchy is very hard to form ideas and execute. They just should have done steam link and been done.

 

[techdaz]

*

Just goes to show how Valves weird hierarchy is very hard to form ideas and execute. They just should have done steam link and been done.

* Valve needs a CEO* they needed a good OS to run Steam client on ~ An OS built for gaming only, with a Steam Experience interface.

Linux has not garnered enough attention from Game Developers so Using Linux as a STEAM OS is not a solution to bringing steam machine to market.

Microsoft should just buy Valve @ 1 Billion +/- perks etc. Use that brand to sell games in it stores, like Apple did With Dr Beats etc.

Then they should release a Gaming only OS. Where all the unnecessary windows functions are removed and only utilize services needed only for pure gaming.

Steam would run on a Windows Game OS ~ Bring with it a market of Games ~ Sell Steam Machines to a Market that will invest in Hardware to Run AAA Games.

The OS would be sold for $30 ~ Which boutique shops could use to build gaming systems with.

Eventually ~ MS would create Harwdare API that run on specific "Licensed" GPU CPU Motherboard hardware ~ Which would have Desktop performance ~ And would provide developers with tools to fit their games into that "Licensed API"> Thus reducing time to perfect the game currently required for multiple GPU Manufacturers etc.

 

[Axiarus]

*

Just goes to show how Valves weird hierarchy is very hard to form ideas and execute. They just should have done steam link and been done.

Microsoft should just buy Valve @ 1 Billion +/- perks etc. Use that brand to sell games in it stores, like Apple did With Dr Beats etc.

NO

 

[Evernessince]

*

Just goes to show how Valves weird hierarchy is very hard to form ideas and execute. They just should have done steam link and been done.

* Valve needs a CEO* they needed a good OS to run Steam client on ~ An OS built for gaming only, with a Steam Experience interface.

Linux has not garnered enough attention from Game Developers so Using Linux as a STEAM OS is not a solution to bringing steam machine to market.

Microsoft should just buy Valve @ 1 Billion +/- perks etc. Use that brand to sell games in it stores, like Apple did With Dr Beats etc.

Then they should release a Gaming only OS. Where all the unnecessary windows functions are removed and only utilize services needed only for pure gaming.

Steam would run on a Windows Game OS ~ Bring with it a market of Games ~ Sell Steam Machines to a Market that will invest in Hardware to Run AAA Games.

The OS would be sold for $30 ~ Which boutique shops could use to build gaming systems with.

Eventually ~ MS would create Harwdare API that run on specific "Licensed" GPU CPU Motherboard hardware ~ Which would have Desktop performance ~ And would provide developers with tools to fit their games into that "Licensed API"> Thus reducing time to perfect the game currently required for multiple GPU Manufacturers etc.

It's not even possible for Microsoft to buy Valve as they aren't publicly traded. Gabe Newell would never sell his company to Microsoft, ever.

Otherwise, you're other ideas are crazy. You want Microsoft to start "Licensing" specific hardware? If people want to be forced into buying specific hardware, they will buy a console.

 

[D3z4R1]

If the Steam Machines had a proper OS to utilize the hardware and if they were priced more competitively with other consoles it would have had potential.

Nevertheless, I picked up the Steam Link and accompanying Controller and am pleased with the set up of being to stream my Steam library hosted on my gaming rig (situated in the bedroom) to my television in the family room; albeit both connected to my network via Ethernet.

 

[treetops]

It's funny now with the rising GPU prices a steam machine might actually make sense and they do way with it.

 

[98hlkjahe]

*
Then they should release a Gaming only OS. Where all the unnecessary windows functions are removed and only utilize services needed only for pure gaming.

That is an Xbox One.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

If the Steam Machines had a proper OS to utilize the hardware and if they were priced more competitively with other consoles it would have had potential.

Nevertheless, I picked up the Steam Link and accompanying Controller and am pleased with the set up of being to stream my Steam library hosted on my gaming rig (situated in the bedroom) to my television in the family room; albeit both connected to my network via Ethernet.

Vavle's own hardware, like the steam link and controller are really good, and made sense to introduce to the market. Shame there has been no follow up from them.

I also feel the multitude of small gaming cases from the likes of silverstone and in win that only popped up after steam machines were a thing is a major benefit as well. Before steam machines, ITX boxes were just generic boxes only meant to hold a CPU, now you can get cases that are mini ITX but can hold 2 or 3 slot GPUs in an xbox sized case.

Vavle's biggest issue was the lack of any selling point to steam machines, outside of tiny machines like the alpha. There was no 'killer app'. Perhaps if HL3 or portal 3 had launched as a timed steamOS exclusive things would have turned out different.

 

[Kibaruk]

What’s ironic is that, as VG247 points out, Valve’s own Steam Link essentially made Steam Machines obsolete by making it easy for PC gamers to stream games to their television.

It's not ironic, it's as ironic as labels saying they are loosing money because of pirating. People that never wanted to get the extra hardware (Gamers who had their own rigs) had no reason to get a Steam machine, so they aimed for the Link. People that didn't have their own rigs or never got into computer playing, would probably go for the ease of setup of the Steam Machine.

 

[OortCloud]

I have a Steam Link and its been nothing but trouble. Despite having it wired into a gigabit LAN and claiming to have the highest quality video and least compression its still really blurry. Small text is almost unreadable on my 4K TV. Very disappointed by it so it languishes in a drawer now getting dusty. As for the Steam Controller that's an abomination - I tried to get used to it, but in the end reverted to an XBOX controller.

 

[mbrowne5061]

I have a Steam Link and its been nothing but trouble. Despite having it wired into a gigabit LAN and claiming to have the highest quality video and least compression its still really blurry. Small text is almost unreadable on my 4K TV. Very disappointed by it so it languishes in a drawer now getting dusty. As for the Steam Controller that's an abomination - I tried to get used to it, but in the end reverted to an XBOX controller.

If its blurry, and not laggy, you have a scaling problem. The Link is outputting 1080 to your 4K screen, either because that is the signal it is receiving from the desktop, or because you have an older model of HDMI cable that can't provide the bandwidth for 4k and is falling back to 1080.

Can't help you with the control though; that's preference. I found it weird at first too, still do in some respects.

 

[Kibaruk]

I have a Steam Link and its been nothing but trouble. Despite having it wired into a gigabit LAN and claiming to have the highest quality video and least compression its still really blurry. Small text is almost unreadable on my 4K TV. Very disappointed by it so it languishes in a drawer now getting dusty. As for the Steam Controller that's an abomination - I tried to get used to it, but in the end reverted to an XBOX controller.

I have one and it's on wifi and it works beautifully, I use it to stream movies, play games and whatnot and no lag nor blurred images.

 

[D3z4R1]

I have one and it's on wifi and it works beautifully, I use it to stream movies, play games and whatnot and no lag nor blurred images.

Yup, mine works beautifully streaming to my 60” LG 1080p plasma which hosts my PS3 slim, PS4 Pro and Xbox One S (I just need the Nintendo Switch to complete my console collection). My gaming rig and PlayStation TV are situated in the bedroom and all connected to my network via Ethernet.