Valve’s console-like PC that is designed to run SteamOS and play its library full of thousands of games is now open for pre-orders. Everyone that pre-orders will receive the new piece of hardware on October 16th, while the official release for store shelves is on November 16th. Alienware and CyberPower are the first two companies that will release a Steam Machine, but soon many more companies will follow suit.
Each of these newly built machines will be have the SteamOS installed onto them. Although this only allows for games that are compatible with Linux, this still gives the user from anywhere between 1,100 and 1,200 games to choose from. With that said, you also will be able to run any game from your Steam Machine as long as it is being streamed from your PC.
The machines from Alienware start at a cost of $449, but can range to $749. The Steam controller will sell for $49 and the Steam link will also sell for $49. Also everything but the GPU will be upgradeable for users, and that the graphics card will be the equivalent of a NVIDIA GTX 860m.
Below are the listed configurations for each price on Alienware:
$449:
- Intel Core i3 – 4130T DC
- nVidia GeForce GTX GPU w/2GB GDDR5
- 4GB DDR3
- 500GB 7200RPM HDD
- 1×1 802.11 Wireless Card
- Steam Controller
$549 :
- Intel Core i3 – 4130T DC
- nVidia GeForce GTX GPU w/2GB GDDR5
- 8GB DDR3
- 1TB 7200RPM HDD
- 1×1 802.11 Wireless Card
- Steam Controller
$649
- Intel Core i5 – 4590T QC
- nVidia GeForce GTX GPU w/2GB GDDR5
- 8GB DDR3
- 1TB 7200RPM HDD
- 2×2 802.11 AC
- Steam Controller
$749
- Intel Core i7 – 4765T QC
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU w/2GB GDDR5
- 8GB DDR3
- 1TB 7200RPM HDD
- 2×2 802.11 AC
- Steam Controller
The configurations for CyberPower’s Syber box are around the same, although some might appreciate the extra boost in the GPU for a little less of a price. There is also a $1419 configuration for their machines:
$499:
- Intel Core i3 – 4160
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 GPU w/1GB GDDR5
- 4GB DDR3 1600 MHZ
- 500GB SATA III HDD
- 802.11 ac/g/n Wireless Card
- Steam Controller
- Keyboard and Touchpad
$729
- Intel Core i5 3.40 GHZ
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPU w/2GB GDDR5
- 8GB DDR3 1600 MHZ
- 1TB SATA III HDD
- 802.11 ac/g/n Wireless Card
- Steam Controller
- Keyboard and Touchpad
$1419
- Intel Core i7 4.0 GHZ
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPU w/4GB GDDR5
- 16GB DDR3 1600 MHZ
- 1TB SATA III HDD
- 802.11 ac/g/n Wireless Card
- Steam Controller
- Keyboard and Touchpad
Gamestop’s director of merchandising, Michael Turner, loves the idea of the new Steam Machines as he pushed for a partnership with Dell and Alienware. In an interview with Polygon, Turner was quoted saying:
“Buying computers can be a very complex process with the variety of hardware and software options available. We think offering machines which are optimized for Steam will be very helpful to our customers.”
Being uncomplicated is one of the major weapons that the console holds against the PC. Its ease of use and simple plug and play, is what helps bring in a huge chunk of its audience, and it helps new gamers get into the gaming world. It looks like now Valve is also giving players everywhere the choice of simplicity, and maybe it will be able to persuade some console gamers to join the PC race.
Although Valve is pushing out new hardware for PC gaming to be playable on the couch, is it enough to draw in some more fans? How will people adapt to the SteamOS, and how will those on console react after switching over? Give us your opinions down in the comments below!
