http://www.gamespot.com/news/valve-readying-steam-box-console-report-6364279
Could this be perhaps the best of both worlds? A console with the power of a gaming PC?
As far as I can tell it's literally just a PC. No proprietary hardware, no devkits. Basically just a preconfigured PC.
" We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. "
Nothing crazy there. And without the massive volume or purchasing power of Microsoft and Sony, can they even make this cheaply? I.e., how would this not be MORE expensive than an equivalent PC?
supersaiyan - http://www.gamespot.com/news/valve-readying-steam-box-console-report-6364279
Hey I've got a blue name, what am I doing wrong that my links can't be accessed? Haha. 
Yeah, my first thought was would there even be a market for this with established titans like Sony and Microsoft already in place? It's no secret though, that developers love Steam. They have more control over their titles in terms of advertising, sales, etc. Most of Valves projects turn out to be very successful. So who knows? Competition is alway good and just the thought of a new console excites me.
Very interesting, but seems hard in concept for them to deliver.
They won't be charging licensing fees to make games for it either....which is a big reason why Sony and MS were able to sell their hardware at a loss.
Every submission to go through 1st party testing costs a chunk of change, it adds up quick when single titles have to resubmit half-a-dozen times between pre-lots, going gold, and patches.
So cost is a HUGE question mark here...
Phantom, imo
Dude I would totally buy that!
So me get this straight..
It's a console that has pc specs that can download and play games from steam?
If they make it upgradable like a PC, then I don't see how they can lose.
I don't see how they can win, I'm a little confused as to what it offers that a PC doesn't or how it could possibly compete with consoles in terms of cost.
In other words I don't understand how it can be anything other than a dumbed-down PC that is much more expensive and/or underpowered compared to consoles.
The case needs to be in the shape of a companion cube.
orcus - As far as I can tell it's literally just a PC. No proprietary hardware, no devkits. Basically just a preconfigured PC.
" <span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); ">We're told that </span><b style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); ">the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU</b><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); ">. </span> "
Nothing crazy there. And without the massive volume or purchasing power of Microsoft and Sony, can they even make this cheaply? I.e., how would this not be MORE expensive than an equivalent PC?<br type="_moz" />
I'm guessing that making them in just 1-3 configurations and buying TONS of the parts would lower their costs somewhat, but I'm still not sure how cheap they could be, even if they're sold at a loss like a lot of consoles.
Well if it costs the same as the Xbox and ps3(which it SHOULD) then it will be awesome.
If its even 100-200 more then it's a fail
The Adversary - If they make it upgradable like a PC, then I don't see how they can lose.Then it's a pc. Whole reason I went from pc gaming to a console is the cost of constantly upgrading a pc. A Xbox/ps3 is more or less set ready to go from release to end day. No upgrade needed. If you can upgrade this, then why not just buy a pc. This will only become the next cash cow. However if it's going to be on more like a console then the games would be very cheap, would all but wipe out the second hand market making games even more cheaper. This could be a really interesting concept.
If it worked out it would also set a standard system that developers could build games for. This would be good for the average gamer who would have to upgrade their systems less. But the hardcore gamer/moder would hate it. 
I am guessing that they will turn Steam into a service where you can download/stream and play any game for a monthly fee but that will only be available on the Steam box.
I am guessing that is how they will sell it.
Could be a good deal when all is said and done.
PC gaming was the most frustrating hobby ever. I will NEVER go back to upgrading or searching infinite message boards trying to find the right "patch" to make the game work. Punk Buster on or Off? The whole experience was a nightmare.
No thanks.
My XBOX360 on my HDTV is perfect.
" I'm guessing that making them in just 1-3 configurations and buying TONS of the parts would lower their costs somewhat, but I'm still not sure how cheap they could be, even if they're sold at a loss like a lot of consoles."
But consoles can be sold at a loss because they get a $10 licensing fee on every unit of software sold. These would just be PC games -- no licensing fee. Nothing to subsidize the cost.
Valve gets a cut from every game sold on Steam instead of licensing fees. One would think Steam-box would be Steam only without hacking it. Seems like a nice way to try expand market place if they can drive the price of hardware down. Also Valve has to start looking forward towards streaming and subscription based services. Onlive is rolling out its console soonish.