Ok not really, but I love how versatile my (well my wife's) new ITX gaming system is... I was bored yesterday, so I decided to see just how well it would work like a console; Quite well is the answer. My Xbone & PS4 (and WiiU I suppose) were most put out! (Please excuse the carpet, we need to get a new one but with house rabbits it makes it a bit tricky, they like to dig and chew EVERYTHING!) Initial set-up was a bit tricky as the system doesn't have Bluetooth thus I had to dig out my old wireless keyboard with built in track-pad. Steams big picture mode didn't work with the Xbox One controller either which is odd. It gave me the controller icons (RB/LB etc) but trying to navigate anything resulted in nothing happening . Once in a game though everything worked as expected. Any whoo has anyone else switched to a ITX system so they can use it as a pseudo console? I would love to hear how you are getting on with it. I might look to hook up my Laptop as a permanent addition to my lounge set-up. It has enough grunt for all of the games I play at 1080p (GTX780M Cheesecake) so would make a nice addition.
That does look rather smart Certainly better than the lash up that is my Dell C521 I'm using as a media PC.
This is going to sound like heresy around here, but I recently went the other way with an xbone. My TJ07 rig serves as a giant oversized HTPC in the bedroom. Its hooked up to a tv and only really get switched on for some jump in/out gaming and netflix. My Xbone has totally taken over such activities. It's silent in a way my TJ never is and the voice features really do come in handy to a lazy ass like me. Gaming at the range from the tv that I do is really not an issue about resolution. I can't tell the difference between 720 or 1080 from my bed. The line between console and HTPC is certainly blurring. Also, the xbone was alot cheaper than a decent spec gaming HTPC.
I have a wired pad I use normally so I don't really need anything else (the wire doesn't bother me as its long enough). Cheers! This was only a temporary set-up as the PC is now back upstairs under the desk. My laptop should fit on the cabinet to the right of the TV so hoping to get that up and running at some point this weekend. My Xbone gets used A LOT as I just like sitting down after a long day at work and just gaming without giving a crap about settings / issues etc. The PS4 & Wii U get used less but still quite a bit (mainly for the exclusives). I love gaming in general so I enjoy all of the platforms.
Just a warning on the 290X, if its a non-reference design with heatpipes close to the window, I do remember one guy complaining about his DirectCu melting the window. You should be fine if the card is a blower version or isn't very tall.
It's a reference design so no issue bar the noise... It's a great TV in my opinion. It was my mum and Dad's old one before they "upgraded". One thing I like is it still has a few legacy inputs for the retro consoles.
I built a HTPC/gaming pc for my family at Christmas, based around a 5700 (I think, can't remember exactly). At one point made it boot straight into big picture, worked fine with the xbox controllers we've got, obviously can't play all games as the integrated gpu, whilst good isn't up to it, but we've played a variety of games on it no problem. I think my brother still uses his PS3 more, when I'm home over the summer that will probably change as there are quite a few local multiplayer games we enjoy on the PC, and is one of the main reasons I built it (along with stuff like iplayer, media streaming etc) Currently have it boot into windows (8.1) and use a wireless logitech keyboard/trackpad to control it. Over time I can certainly see it basically replacing the PS3.
Kudos to the SFF rig/Bravia action, bro. Myself I use a KDL-37EX403 with an Orbitsound bar to juice up the audio output, with my 3570K/GTX780 rig housed in a Node 304, but much the same concept really. The rig is small enough to shift from desk to TV stand in about a minute, although it usually stays on the desk. It's already more powerful and imho better looking than any console will be this decade, and when the itch strikes, I can upgrade it in minutes. I can't see myself going back to a big rig for a long time now to be honest, I just don't need one.
