When it comes to gaming in the living room, consoles are currently dominating because that’s usually how it has been all this while. PC gaming, on the other hand, was more or less limited to your room which is not a bad thing, but this is something Valve is hoping to change with its Steam Machines and SteamOS.
For those unfamiliar, Steam Machines is Valve’s answer to the console. Instead of being merely another console, the Steam Machines will basically allow gamers to play games from their Steam library on their TV, sort of like Big Picture except with dedicated hardware. It’s an interesting idea but could it be a worthy competitor to consoles? Sony seems to think that it has potential.
Speaking to ArsTechnica, Sony’s Head of Worldwide Studios America, Scott Rohde, said that “maybe someday” Valve’s Steam Machines could end up being a competitor to their console, or any other console for that matter. However he notes that Valve could face some hurdles and cited examples like the 3DO, which was a hardware standard that was licensed out to various OEMs, much like Steam Machines.
He also adds that the device is still in its early stages and might be too soon to tell. “It’s in its infancy, we don’t know exactly what it is, even, or when it will happen or what it will actually be. I guess they’ve settled on a controller. We’re not even really sure. They’ve been bouncing around for a while.” What do you guys think? Does Valve have what it takes to challenge the status quo with its Steam Machines?
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