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News Xi3 opens Piston Steam Box-alike pre-orders

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Gareth Halfacree, 11 Mar 2013.

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  1. SexyHyde

    SexyHyde Minimodder

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    Anyone going to factor in the £200-300 of XBOX live you'll need for the 5-7 years you'll have the console?

    Yes its expensive. But early adaptors always get rinsed in the tech market.
     
    SexyHyde, 12 Mar 2013
    #21
  2. Pookie

    Pookie Illegitimi non carborundum

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    Hardly going to get many games on a 128GB SSD!!
     
    Pookie, 12 Mar 2013
    #22
  3. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    You don't *need* Xbox Live Gold unless you're planning to play online multiplayer - and there's no fee for online multiplayer on the PlayStation 3 (which means there likely won't be for the PlayStation 4 either.)
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 12 Mar 2013
    #23
  4. rollo

    rollo Modder

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    I personally never owned a Xbox live sub too many issues with getting rid of it once it was begun.
     
    rollo, 12 Mar 2013
    #24
  5. XXAOSICXX

    XXAOSICXX Minimodder

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    Since this isn't going to attract a single "console gamer", and it's not going to appeal to the casual gamer at that price, it can - surely - only be aimed at the PC enthusiast market.

    Given that it isn't going to play 99% of the games that PC enthusiasts with a humongous Steam library already own (i.e. all of us) because it's on Linux, it can't be a replacement for our main gaming rigs either.

    Which means it's a purely luxury item - something you might get it if you've got a bit of spare cash and fancy a new gadget around the house....and for that, it's just too expensive.

    Valve need to dig deep into their vast pockets and come up with something special for a lot less money if they want this idea to take off.
     
    XXAOSICXX, 12 Mar 2013
    #25
  6. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    This Piston certainly does make you wonder how valve are going to produce their own Steam Box with a decent price/performance ratio.
     
    theshadow2001, 12 Mar 2013
    #26
  7. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Same way as any other console manufacturer, I would guess: sell the hardware at a loss in order to make cash back on game sales. When the thing boots up straight into Steam, complete with massive SALE ON NOW SAVE MEGABUX BUY BUY BUY banners, it's not a terrible idea.

    Also, for everyone saying "it runs Linux:" you may notice I didn't make any reference to Linux in my article, for the simple reason that I don't actually know if it runs Linux or not. Valve's Steam Box is going to run Linux, but the Piston prototype on display at Valve's stand at E3 earlier this year was running Windows. Neither the press release nor the pre-order page actually say what the Piston runs, although evidence points to it shipping with Windows.

    I reached out to Xi3 to find out exactly what OS the device will be supplied with, but haven't heard anything back yet.
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 12 Mar 2013
    #27
  8. theshadow2001

    theshadow2001 [DELETE] means [DELETE]

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    Yeah that seems to be the only way to get it up and going. Its a big risk
     
    theshadow2001, 12 Mar 2013
    #28
  9. XXAOSICXX

    XXAOSICXX Minimodder

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    I might make a banner ad and use that myself...very catchy ;)
     
    XXAOSICXX, 12 Mar 2013
    #29
  10. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Sure enough, Xi3 has confirmed that the Piston will ship with Windows, not Linux:
    (Yes, the spokesperson did write "you own" instead of "your own." Could be worse: I somehow mistyped "list" as "l st" in an email I sent earlier today. I mean, how do you do that?)
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 12 Mar 2013
    #30
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