Apparently, The Verge got the scoop on a project titled "Steam Box." Essentially this would be a home console that would rival Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. They'd be able to get partners like Activision for the ability to publish games on this system. Basic specs for the system include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The device will be able to play PC games and rival services like EA's Origin. The craziest thing out of this is that it won't require a devkit and will not have licensing fees to create software for the Steam Box. The Steam Box will apparently be unveiled at GDC. Remember that this is a rumor for now, until Valve confirms this. More info can be found here.

So what you do you guys think? Crazy, right?

I'd buy it.

Sounds neat.

Sounds pretty cool, like a Boxee Box for Steam games.

I'd buy it too. I fucking hate installing PC games. I have both The Witcher and Amnesia and can't get them to work. With basic specs, it would be a much smoother process.

I don't want to be crazy, but this would change everything.

What about inputs? Lack of physical media? Offline play? Cool idea, but seems unlikely (happy to be wrong!)

@Tim_the_Corsair: For more details, click the link. It has a lot more info on their site.

Is this literally just a small form factor PC to put next to a TV, or a legit console? I get how that sentence sounds crazy but you know what I mean :P

Will Episode 3 be a launch game?

@Tim_the_Corsair: Possibly a proprietary controller, but either way, the thing would almost definitely have USB inputs for controls, so as not to alienate PC gamers... though most hardcore PC users will stick to their own systems. This could make PC gaming more "casual-friendly" though.

@Brendan said:

Is this literally just a small form factor PC to put next to a TV, or a legit console? I get how that sentence sounds crazy but you know what I mean :P

I think it's the former, basic specs to and gaming-centric to keep installation and graphical settings simple. Maybe they'll release new versions every year or two like most Apple products. I would buy one in a heartbeat, if it's priced halfway decently.

No evidence at all? Okay, try again later.

I would definitely buy that.

@gladspooky: It's a rumor. That's how things work. The Verge has some sources that can't be named because of NDA. Believe it or not, but it is believable.

So they're making PCs?

Hopefully all that crazy shit they're doing to it will transfer over to the PC side of things.

@Brendan: A console like the 360. It'll probably play Steam and console games that are published by companies like EA. More info is too come, just a guess for now.

I was just saying how this was going to happen the other day ;p

Personally i'm all for it but it all depends on how it's structured, steam has evolved alot over the years but it still isnt perfect. In order for this to work it has to be reasonably priced, support mods, and a M&K. But at that point most people who would be interested in this already own a gaming PC, which has all that and more(except the reasonably priced part). So I dont know who this is intended for. Sounds like it might go the way of On-Live if not handled correctly.

Still though, looking foward to it, if it actually happens that is... Consoles are way too restrictive (compared to PCs at least) and I find the Xbox marketplace discusting ;(

@Doctorchimp: This is more than just a PC. This would let Valve have both console games that don't get ported to the PC and Steam games. In other words, Valve would be able to dominate two markets. It'll be easier to make games on the Steam Box as it won't need a devkit or licensing fees.

My question is how can a private company afford to do something like this. They would need a lot more capital to pull something of this magnitude off.
 
I'm not seeing it.

That's NEVER going to happen. Mark my words, if this actually is true, I'll eat 1 roll of toilet paper, take pics and upload them to this same forum...

An i7 is total overkill for gaming unless they're using laptop parts. 8GB is also way too much RAM, most games barely break 2GB.  
 
The only way I can see this coming to fruition is if this whole thing is some sort of a partners program with Dell/Alienware. Like the PlayStation Suite for Android. The SteamBox label would be applied to a manufacturers product if it could be guaranteed it would play every game on Steam.  
 
Besides, what does Valve know about making consumer electronics? 

Sounds too awesome to be real, hard to see someone like EA playing ball.

but hey if they pull it off, I'd probably make it my number 1 console.

hope they improve the acehievement system though.

@Claude: Steam is probably the most popular way to buy PC games. They make around 4 billion dollars a year. It doesn't seem that crazy to me.

@Gav47: That's the most likely outcome. Alienware is apparently helping make the Steambox. Read the article for more on it. My summary doesn't show every detail.

Apparently, Vox Games got the scoop on a project titled "Steam Box." Essentially this would be a home console that would rival Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. They'd be able to get partners like EA for the ability to publish games on this system. Basic specs for the system include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The device will be able to play PC games and rival services like EA's Origin. The craziest thing out of this is that it won't require a devkit and will not have licensing fees to create software for the Steam Box. The Steam Box will apparently be unveiled at GDC. Remember that this is a rumor for now, until Valve confirms this. More info can be found here.

So what you do you guys think? Crazy, right?

@The_Laughing_Man: Should change that, main point is that publishers would be able to publish games on it. EA probably won't play ball at first.

Why would EA agree to this when they have more or less said fuck you to steam and pulled their games? 

@The_Laughing_Man said: 

Why would EA agree to this when they have more or less said fuck you to steam and pulled their games? 

The article says its more likely to be an affordable PC that is capable of running games with some Steam branding.

@The_Laughing_Man: Should change that, main point is that publishers would be able to publish games on it. EA probably won't play ball at first.

I encourage you guys to read the verge article on this. It helps explain this rumor more.

@The_Laughing_Man: Yeah it seems crazy. I think ti'll just be another way to play games with console hardware. Don't know yet, just rumor talk for now.

That's NEVER going to happen. Mark my words, if this actually is true, I'll eat 1 roll of toilet paper, take pics and upload them to this same forum...

Valve taking over the world.

If true and reasonably priced this sounds like something I'd be into.

Sounds cool for people that don't have a powerful PC.

It should be called the Steam Station or the SS

It's clear that most of y'all didn't read the article. Here's a key point that most of you (who CLEARLY didn't read the article) are missing:

At a glance that would simply be interesting fodder for a gaming forum debate, but we've uncovered information that suggests that not only has Valve been secretly working on gaming hardware for the living room, but that the company is actively pursuing a strategy which would place Steam at the center of an open gaming universe that mirrors what Google has done with Android. Backing up that concept, in the same interview we quote above, Newell says that Valve doesn't really want to do hardware on its own, stating, "We'd rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it's important enough that if that's what we end up having to do, then that's what we end up having to do."

http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2840932/exclusive-valve-steam-box-gaming-console

If you'r telling me Valve's making a console, I'd imagine it would be the best thing ever. The best of PC with the best of Consoles.....

Sorry, I just envisioned perfection.

@Djratchet said:

I'd buy it.

Wow, I'd seriously buy that.

Crazy with a K.

This sounds like a great way to get people back into PC gaming. Valve, always bringing the industry forward!

One or both of these things will happen:

1. "Steam Box" is actually their initiative to make a Steam interface that is usable for TVs, and this rumor is a product of both exaggerations and things getting lost in translation.
2. Valve is teaming up with a hardware partner (I doubt it would be a large corporation like Dell or HP; I'd guess a company like Origin - the original guys behind Alienware) to produce a machine not unlike the X51. The PC will be aimed to be used for the living room/television and Valve will leverage this area of the market to get more "console-only" developers to port their games onto their service. Valve will not have financial stake in the product's sales; their commitment will be to levy their brand as a selling point and to have their service preloaded on the machine.

As for Valve actually entering to market with their own console: complete bull. There is no reason for Valve to enter the console race where everyone (Nintendo excluded) releases a product at a loss and hope that licensing fees will keep them above water. Valve's number one goal is simple: to get everyone, both publishers/developers and consumers, onto their digital platform. Making a console would be an extraneous strategy.

So this is going to be a fourth console? Yeah, until some story comes out explaining the reasoning behind it, I'm disinclined to believe this.

Netflix wanting to become a cable channel and Steam wanting to become a console. Weird times. Is regression the in thing for the twenty-doz? Maybe YouTube will start dealing exclusively in VHS tapes next.

Seriously, if they want to build a moderately powerful console that runs anything one might have in their Steam library, that'd be neat, but it'll get soon be outclassed by traditional PCs with their constant state of flux. Not that it hurts other consoles too much, I guess. I'm also hoping this doesn't start a trend of "hot scoopz" from Vox Games that turn out to be unsubstantiated rumors; the author of that article does appear to have done his homework, but it's not a promising precedent to set this early on.

That controller reminds me of an EGM article I read about 7 years ago. Well, the interchangeable buttons at least and it was about Nintendo. I scanned a few pics. 
 

So... It's just a pc that runs nothing but Steam?

So it's basically a Valve-branded computer that has Steam pre-installed? Not really seeing the benefits here.

Sounds like a fantasy I had 2 years ago.