Steam Box Part 1: Coming in 2013

The current buzz going around the internet is that the rumored ‘Steam Box’ will be released in 2013.  Rumors started that Valve began actively looking more into hardware a number of months ago.  Since that time Valve has been busy showcasing their Big Picture mode as well as ramping up their support for Linux.  Seemingly unable to connect the dots, a lot of the online chatter on the subject has tried examining each of these items in isolation.  News flash: they are all related.

Why does Valve want to get in the hardware business anyways?  The obvious answer is that over the past decade or so consoles have dominated sales charts.  If you look at recent top selling games, most of them sell far more copies on consoles than they do on the PC.  Moving into the living room would be a good way for Valve to broaden their market.

Another reason has to do with the new direction Microsoft is taking.  For a long time PC gaming on Windows was seen as the most open platform where developers and consumers had a great ability to do whatever they wanted.  However, with Windows 8 Microsoft is beginning to pivot in significant ways.  They seem to be more and more willing to build up their own walled garden in their quest to compete with be more like Apple.  Microsoft is increasingly trying to turn Windows into the master gateway that PC consumers will use to procure everything.  This has rightfully ruffled some feathers and recently Mojang, the develper behind Minecraft, spoke out against this shift (Rob Pardo of Blizzard commented in the past but the company has since toned things down).  All of this certainly serves as a motivator for Valve to lessen its dependence on Microsoft.

People interact with their PC’s differently from the way they interact with their televisions.  On the PC the mouse/keyboard combo rules whereas on the big screen people use controllers.  This largely has to do with the fact that the mouse/keyboard combo is better for productivity while sitting at a desk but not as feasible for comfortable use while lounging on the couch.  Different methods of interaction require corresponding user interfaces (sure Valve could just keep everything the same, but user experience would suffer).  Out of this necessity was Big Picture mode born – to provide a quality way to interact with Steam from the living room.

Valve’s recent increase in support for Linux hasn’t gained a whole lot of attention the last couple months.  Linux users remain a very small minority and history has taught them to be skeptical of promised linux support.  So when Valve started talking about developing more content on linux most people didn’t take the news as being hugely impactful.  That’s because no one stopped to ask why?  Did Gabe Newell suddenly develop an overnight love for the platform?  As he’s been a well-entrenched techie for a long time this is doubtful.  So how does supporting linux help Valve?

Enter the Steam Box.  While not officially announced yet, the Steam Box will be a hardware unit put out by Valve for you to plug into your television and play Steam games from your living room.  No one knows what the Steam Box will actually be called or what kind of hardware specifications it will have, but Valve has been putting in a lot of effort to make sure it’s done right.  Their new Big Picture mode will provide the quality user experience needed to succeed.

Linux is the answer for multiple reasons.  The first is simply a money issue.  Can you imagine what kind of cut Microsoft would take from every Steam Box if it ran on Windows (or Apple for OS X)?  The second reason goes along with the earlier described desire to move to a more open platform where Valve can do what it wants.  The third reason is that linux is already available and serves as the best option to get things moving forward.

Whenever Valve’s new hardware ends up coming out, it is going to be a game changer.