Steam Machine

[Winjer]

Isso é verdade. ele sabe de jogos e de fazer vídeos, mas de hardware e software, tem conhecimentos muito fracos.
Não é raro ver em vídeos dele a falar de jogos, onde troca os pés pelas mãos a falar de certos termos técnicos.

Para um gajo que ganha a vida a fazer vídeos deste tipo, ajudava que começasse a ler umas coisas do assunto.

Ele desligou os comentários no youtube e com verta razão, pois aquilo é muito mau. Mas ainda tem a conta no Twitter, por isso se o quiseres corrigir, cá fica: https://twitter.com/totalbiscuit

[Jorge-Vieira]

A peek inside Zotac's console-killer Steam machine

I was intrigued by the Steam machine Zotac announced earlier in the week, so I stopped by Valve's booth at GDC to talk with Zotac about the system. As we noted in our initial report, this particular Steam machine is a fairly high-end affair that looks to be a stone-cold console killer.

The SN970 box is relatively compact and slim, since it's intended to sit near a TV in the living room. Despite its size, the system houses some pretty beefy PC hardware: a GeForce GTX 970M GPU and a next-generation Intel Skylake processor with a 35W power rating. You can see the SD card up front that can be used to expand the system's internal storage.

There are multiple HDMI ports around back, including a pass-through that could be used to attach another game console or a set-top box from a cable TV provider. There are also dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, a Wi-Fi antenna connector, a mini-DisplayPort output, and more USB ports.

Jackie, who heads up Zotac's Zbox mini-PC design efforts, is pictured above holding his Steam machine creation. He told us Zotac built this system for reconfigurability. The GPU rests on a laptop-style MXM module, and the Skylake CPU is socketed.
It may be possible for users to upgrade the graphics in this system over time. The complication is the fact that Zotac uses a custom heatpipe to cool the GPU, and that heatpipe may not exactly fit future MXM modules. Even so, Jackie pointed out that the modularity should allow Zotac to release upgraded S-series Steam machines in this same enclosure pretty easily.

Jackie let us pop the lid off of the demo unit so we could get a look inside. He cautioned us, though, that this prototype's storage slot config differs from the final product's. This version has dual SATA interfaces, and I believe the final version may switch to M.2 for at least one of those interfaces. Obviously, this board isn't populated, and major components like the CPU will mount on its other side. We didn't get to see the Skylake socket, unfortunately.
As you may have noticed, this system is pretty compact, even compared to an Xbone or PS4. I asked about the noise levels, and Jackie expressed confidence that Zotac could keep fan noise and heat in check. He explained that the enclosure's internal volume isn't always the most important factor involved in effective cooling. The placement of components and the routing of airflow, for instance, can make a big difference. He cited Zotac's long experience in building Zbox systems as an indication that his engineering team is up to the challenge. I think we first reviewed a Zbox five years ago, so it's hard to argue that point.
The SN970 should hit the market this coming November, according to Valve's current schedule for Steam machine availability. For its part, Zotac looks to be ready to go now, even though Intel hasn't even released Skylake processors. The SN970 will list for $999, and it will come with a single Steam controller and a copy of SteamOS preinstalled.
This is just one of many possible Steam machines—the options look to be almost as varied as the systems available in the wider PC market—but the SN970 could be a very nice option for folks who can afford it.

Noticia:
http://techreport.com/news/27927/a-p...-steam-machine

[Jorge-Vieira]

ASUS announces the GR8S Steam Machine

ASUS has announced its GR8S Steam Machine. The compact 2.5 litre PC, scheduled for a November release alongside all the other upcoming Steam Machines, is essentially the same as the GR8 Console PC with Steam OS. ASUS notes that, by launch time, the GR8S will be "updated with any future Intel Core i5/i7 and Nvidia GeForce hardware available at the time."

The current ASUS GR8 Console PC was launched at Computex 2014. It had prepared the design for a launch of Steam Machines which failed to materialise but decided to go ahead with marketing the living room friendly design with Windows 8.1 installed. "The first GR8 runs Windows 8.1 and is fully compatible with SteamOS and the Steam Controller. A SteamOS-powered ROG GR8 will be launched at a later date, in alignment with Valve’s Steam Machine schedule," explained ASUS at the time. Other Systems makers did the same with the machines they had prepared; for example the Alienware Alpha.

Given that the core performance components of CPU and GPU are subject to change, what do we know about the ASUS ROG GR8S? ASUS list the following key features:

• Precision-engineered SupremeFX audio for immersive sound
• Intel Ethernet and GameFirst III for lag-free online gaming
• Built-in Miracast receiver and dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• Incredibly low heat and and power use with a low operational noise of 20dB idle
• Slide-off covers for additional 2.5-inch HDD/ SSD and DIMM upgrades

The ASUS ROG GR8S product page on the Steam Store reveals a more traditional spec list:

• CPU: Intel Core i5/i7 processors
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9-series graphics
• Memory: DDR3 4GB ~ 16GB
• Storage: 500GB/1TB 7200rpm HDD, or 128GB ~ 512GB SSD
• Audio: ROG SupremeFX 5.1 HD audio
• Network: Intel Gb LAN with 802.11 ac Wi-Fi
• Price: Starting at $699

Other Steam Machine hardware
If you hadn't noticed, the Steam Store is now overflowing with Steam Machines, all scheduled for a November release. You have examples starting from $459.99 all the way up to $4,999.99. All in all there are 15 brands listed, which all offer at least one Steam Machine variant in their store pages. Among examples from the likes of ASUS, Gigabyte and ZOTAC our friends at SCAN have the 3XS ST Steam Machine listed with configurations priced from $999 to $1,299.

In the Steam Store hardware section you can also look at the Steam Controller page and the Steam Link page. There's no purchasing or pre-ordering right now, you can just 'follow' to be notified of updates to these hardware items, due in November.

Noticia:
http://hexus.net/tech/news/systems/8...steam-machine/


Mais umas excelentes Steam Machines da Asus, specs excelentes e um aspecto muito bonito

[LPC]

Boas!
Está a começar a ganhar forma e tracção a história das steam machines e o steamOS + Vulkan.
Penso que este ano e o próximo vai ser mesmo o ano do gamming PC mas fora do Windows!

Cumprimentos,

LPC

[Minion]

eu ja estou a pensar trocar para SteamOS, consigo fazer la praticamente tudo oq faço aqui, no Windows, talvez ainda venha a trocar mais cedo que oq pensei

[Jorge-Vieira]

Alienware Alpha Steam Machine Seen Pumping Pixels At PAX East

The PAX East show in Boston, MA raged on this weekend with a massive crowd as large as we've every seen it overrunning the venue. From crazy Cosplay types to hardcore, no mercy gamers, there's an absolute heat of humanity pushing the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to what must be close to max capacity. PAX East appears to have outgrown their venue.

That said, though there was lots of people watching to do, frankly, with a few notable exceptions, there wasn't a whole lot of new technology on display at PAX. Between MWC 2015 and GDC, most manufacturers have already pulled the curtain back on their latest and greatest PC and mobile gear. And with NVIDIA's GTC is happening next week as well, it feels like a lot of manufacturers are trying to catch their breath from the show circuit.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...-SteamBox2.jpg

However, one little machine we had yet to see in action, but that was offered to us for an opportunity with some hands-on time at PAX East, was Dell Alienware's forthcoming Alienware Alpha Steam machine, powered by SteamOS.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...-SteamBox3.jpg

Alienware Steam Machine A: CPU: Intel® Core™ i3 Dual-Core processor GPU: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX - 2GB GDDR5 Memory: 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz Storage: 500GB Hard Drive Alienware Steam Machine B: CPU: Intel® Core™ i3 Dual-Core processor GPU: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX - 2GB GDDR5 Memory: 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz Storage: 1TB Hard Drive

Alienware Steam Machine C: CPU: Intel® Core™ i5 Quad-Core processor GPU: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX - 2GB GDDR5 Memory: 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz Storage: 1TB Hard Drive Alienware Steam Machine D: CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 Quad-Core processor GPU: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX - 2GB GDDR5 Memory: 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz Storage: 2TB Hard Drive ** Pricing Starts at $479.99

The initial specifications outlined here for Alienware’s SteamOS-based Steam box are right in-line with the Alienware Alpha, which runs full-blown Windows. If you’d like some more detail on the Alpha and a closer look at all of the ports and amenities on the machine, we have a full review with video posted right here. In essence, what you’re looking at is an Intel Haswell-based small form factor PC, with discrete NVIDIA graphics, in a user-serviceable enclosure.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...e-SteamBox.jpg

With the exception of the Steam logo emblazoned on the angled, corner lighting, there’s nothing to distinguish this Steam machine from is Windows-equipped cousin. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though—we think the Alienware Alpha looks pretty great.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...ontroller1.jpg

One other differentiator that will come with Alienware’s Steam machine is a Steam Controller. Valve has been fine-tuning the controller's design for what seems like a couple of years now, but what you see pictured here should be the final iteration. The Steam controller has been designed to replace mouse / keyboard type controls, with haptic feedback, in a typical game controller-type form factor. Using the Steam controller definitely takes some getting used to, but there is real promise here. Last we heard, the Steam controller won’t be shipping until the November time frame.

image: http://hothardware.com/ContentImages...Box-Gaming.jpg

We saw the Alienware Steam machine running the recently-released game Dying Light. The in-game imagery looked quite good, though we didn’t get to dig any deeper and run benchmarks or even see the Steam OS itself in action. Representatives from Alienware noted their new Steam Machine will be shipping sometime in November, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Between now and then, it would make sense that Alienware could upgrade the internals to Intel's latest Broadwell architecture and possibly the latest NVIDIA Maxwell GPUs as well, but we didn't get any commitments on that. We would underscore that the platform is user upgradable for CPU, GPU and memory, so regardless there's room for expansion to a degree down the road. We'll keep tabs on Alienware's Steam Machine for you with updates as we get them.

Noticia:
http://hothardware.com/news/alienwar...bHZhCkwTpv1.99

[Jorge-Vieira]

Here are Valve’s first 15 Steam Machine partners

GDC saw Valve’s PC-meets-console range of devices, the Steam Machines, burst back onto the scene. SYBER
Price: $500 to $1,400 (£332 to £929)
Syber is a side division of previous Steam Machine partner CyberPowerPC. The firm will offer six varieties of its machine, starting with the low-tier Syber Steam Machine A, featuring a quad-core AMD processor and Radeon R9 270 2GB graphics card for $500 (£332) and moving up to the $1,400 (£929) Steam Machine X, equipped with an Intel i7-4790K and Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 4GB.



ASUS
Price: from $700 (£465)
Asus has kicked off 2015 with a slightly revised model of the Steam Machine it revealed last year. The Asus GR8S comes in a number of configurations, with users able to choose between Intel i5 or i7 processors, Nvidia’s 9-series of GeForce graphics cards, up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and either up to 1TB of hard drive or 512GB of solid state drive storage. Prices start at $700 (£465).



ZOTAC
Price: $1,000 (£664)
Emblazoned with the Steam logo, Zotac’s two-tone Steam Machine is designed for integration into a living room setup. As well as looking distinctive, the chassis is also designed to maximise airflow, in order to keep internal components cool. The Zotac Steam Machine SN970 allows up to four displays to be connected simultaneously, and gamers to play in resolutions of up to 4K. A sixth-generation Intel processor and discrete Nvidia GTX graphics card with Maxwell architecture are coupled to boost in-game graphics using technologies such as VXGI, MFAA and DSR. Storage is provided in the form of both a 64GB solid state drive and a 2.5-inch 1TB hard drive. The box is also equipped with 802.11ac wireless connectivity for online gaming.



MAINGEAR
Price: $850 (£564)
Maingear’s orange and black DRIFT Steam Machine packs an Intel Core i7-4790K processor and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 or AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics card. These are joined by up to 16GB of RAM and a choice between dual 1TB solid state drives or a single 6TB HDD. One touted feature is ‘whisper-quiet’ operation, as well as 4K gaming capability.



IBUYPOWER
Price: $460 (£305)
One of the first vendors out of the gate, iBuyPower teased its Steam Machine back in late 2013. Built around the firm’s illuminated SBX design, the hardware was originally priced in line with Microsoft’s Xbox One. SBX options include 500GB or 1TB of hard drive storage, 4 or 8GB of RAM and an AMD Athlon X4 840 processor.



DIGITAL STORM
Price: $700 (£465)
A revision of its Eclipse gaming PC, Digital Storm’s Eclipse Steam Machine will boast a Pentium G3220 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 2GB graphics, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Currently, only one version of the box is confirmed, costing $700 (£465).



MATERIEL.NET
Price: $900 (£597)
Housed in Fractal Design’s Node 304 chassis measuring 25x21cm, the Materiel Steam Machine includes a 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 4440 CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 OC 2GB graphics card and a 1TB solid-state hybrid drive. The launch price is $900 (£597).



SCAN
Price: £589 to £851
British vendor Scan has a range of Steam Machines on offer, ranging from the low-end £589 3XS Steam MC10, with an Intel Core i5 41210M CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M graphics, up to the high-end £851 3XS ST15, complete with Intel Core i5 4460 and Superclocked EVGA GTX 970 graphics card.



ALTERNATE
Price: $1,100 to $2,000 (£730 to £1,327)
German vendor Alternate is holding up the high end of the Steam Machine offerings. The Alternate Steam Machine starts at $1,100 (£730) for an Intel i3 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 750Ti, 8GB of RAM and 500GB of storage. Three further configurations will be available, stretching up to the inclusion of Nvidia’s GTX 980 graphics card.





WEBHALLEN
Price: $950 (£630)
Considerably slimmed down from its design revealed in 2014, Webhallen’s newly svelte Steam Machine will contain an Intel Core i5-4460 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 2GB graphics card, 8GB of DDR3 memory and a 1TB solid-state hybrid drive, all for the price of $950 (£630).



GIGABYTE
Price: $600 (£398)
Gigabyte’s Brix PC has been around for a while now, but the Brix Pro Steam Machine will mark the firm’s first SteamOS effort. The barebones machine will come with an Intel Core i7-4770R CPU, two SO-DIMM DDR3L memory slots and a selectable 2.5-inch hard drive.



FALCON NORTHWEST
Price: up to $5,000 (£3,318)
Starting at $2,000 (£1,327), Falcon Northwest’s Tiki Steam Machine, will offer users an Intel Core CPU up to i7-4790K and Nvidia GeForce GTX 900-series graphics, including Titan and Titan-Z, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of HDD space. The box is just four inches wide.



NEXT
Price: $800 to $1,300 (£531 to £863)
Next’s Steam Machine is named the NextBox, and will start at $800 (£531). For that price, users will get an Intel Core i3 CPU with Haswell architecture, Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 graphics capabilities, 8GB of RAM and 1TB of hard drive storage space.



ALIENWARE
Price: from $480 (£319)
launched separately last year as the Alpha Windows PC, Alienware’s Steam Machine starts at $480 (£319). It includes an Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and between 500GB and 2TB of hard drive space.



ORIGIN
Price: $900 to $5,000 (£597 to £3,318)
Origin’s Omega Steam Machine joins Falcon Northwest at the top of the range, with prices between $900 (£597) and $5,000 (£3,318). The top model incudes an Intel i7 4770K chip, three Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 graphics cards, 32GB of memory and 14TB storage.

Noticia:
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/conten...chine-partners


Máquinas muito bonitas, poderosas e que envergonham qualquer uma das actuais consolas

[Viriat0]

Será que vai vingar?

[Jorge-Vieira]

Tem tudo para isso, mas só o futuro o poderá dizer.
O sucesso vai depender muito da aposta no Vulkan, se o Vulkan for visto da mesma forma que o DX12 e os jogos chegarem ao mesmo tempo ou quase a estas maquinas e ao Windows, isto rapidamente ganha avanço sobre as consolas, sendo que nestas máquinas não há limitações cinematograficas por HW fraco.

[Nelson1400]

Há aí algumas máquinas com preços upa upa, não acham?

[Winjer]

Tal como nos PCs pré-construídos, começa-se a ver muitas Steam Machines com problemas graves semelhantes.
Um dos problemas são as configurações desiquilibradas. Desde máquinas com GPUs integrados, máquinas com CPUs de topo e gráficas de gama média/baixa, etc...
E depois temos o problema dos preços, com algumas marcas a abusar da sua marca e da marca do Steam, para puxarem os preços.

Para quem quer entrar no PC Gaming e não sabe de hardware, ainda não é desta que não têm uma solução.
Depois temos pessoal a dizer que pagaram mil euros e a máquina não corre bem os jogos. Pudera, hardware mediano a preço de ouro....

[LPC]

Tal como nos PCs pré-construídos, começa-se a ver muitas Steam Machines com problemas graves semelhantes.
Um dos problemas são as configurações desiquilibradas. Desde máquinas com GPUs integrados, máquinas com CPUs de topo e gráficas de gama média/baixa, etc...
E depois temos o problema dos preços, com algumas marcas a abusar da sua marca e da marca do Steam, para puxarem os preços.

Para quem quer entrar no PC Gaming e não sabe de hardware, ainda não é desta que não têm uma solução.
Depois temos pessoal a dizer que pagaram mil euros e a máquina não corre bem os jogos. Pudera, hardware mediano a preço de ouro....

Boas!
A solução é a Valve criar uma guide line, para as specs.

Indicando o price point pretendido e as specs que acha necessárias para a máquina.

Essa guide-line poderá ser actualizada todos os anos e só certificando pela Valve é que o produto recebe o nome de Steam Machine.

Isto poderá impedir os valores altos e as configurações desiquilibradas...

Cumprimentos,

LPC

[Winjer]

A solução é controlar as máquinas que podem meter o nome Steam Machines.
Mas já está visto que a Valve vai fazer com o hardware, o que fez com o software.
Nada de controlo, lixo a entrar por todo o lado, uma loja inundada de porcaria não terminada, jogos de péssima qualidade, etc...
Depois o consumidor que se lixe a tentar descobrir o que é bom ou não.

[Jorge-Vieira]

Should You Build Your Own Steambox?

Introduction

---

Steambox has been a topic of much debate in the PC gaming community, promising a more gamer-centric PC experience, removing the need for the Windows operating system by providing you with a free alternative, while also bringing PC gaming into the casual mainstream, much like consoles, only a lot better.
It’s been an ambition of mine to buy a Steambox, simply because “why not” and while that’s all good and well, there’s not really a lot of options out there that I’m happy with. A few system integrators have released beta-systems, but what I would like to call a “final product” still seems to be sitting on the horizon. What if we could simply do it ourselves? A Steambox is just a PC with a fancy Linux Distro installed on it anyway…
I’ve picked out a few choice components to build my own Steambox, nothing crazy expensive or overly powerful, but more than enough to provide good 1080p gaming performance. I’m sure many of you love to bash consoles from time to time, so we’ll just round that up with “it’s going to be more powerful than consoles.”



Hardware

---

Chassis

I’ve chosen the Fractal Design Node 304 chassis for this build. It’s a gorgeous looking chassis, it’s small enough to fit under the TV or next to your AV stand, desk or wherever you want it really. It’s got a super clean looking front panel, a built-in fan controller and lots of room on the interior for some decent hardware, as well as future expansions.
CPU

I’ve got a Dual-core i3 4330 3.5GHz, which may not sound like a massive powerhouse, but that’s because it’s not. However, I’ve put this chip through its paces in a few gaming rigs here at eTeknix HQ and I wouldn’t be fooled by that dual-core moniker, it’s nothing fancy, but it will get the job done without spending a huge amount of money. If you can spend more money on a faster CPU, go nuts, it’ll be even more awesome.
Graphics

The Sapphire R9 285 graphics card is a great option for a compact build and while this chassis can actually house a card bigger than this, I was drawn in by its excellent price vs performance ratio and compact form factor.
Memory

Again, nothing crazy here, but our set of Crucial 8GB 1600MHz Memory 9-9-9-24 will be more than enough for any gaming we’ll be doing and it’s also reasonably priced too.
Storage

The Crucial BX100 120GB SSD is fantastic, not only is it affordable, but it still gives you all the modern high-speed thrills that SSDs offer; this will be perfect for our SteamBox. Although it’s worth keeping in mind, you’ll likely want a larger capacity drive for lots of games, but for the sake of testing, 120GB is enough for me today.
Motherboard

The Gigabyte Gaming 5 GA-Z97N Mini-ITX motherboard is a little more expensive that some options, but it has been designed to work especially well in gaming systems. You shouldn’t skimp on such an important component and the Gaming 5 series has plenty of cool features to justify the price tag.
Cooling

The CoolerMaster Gemini Low-Profile CPU cooler isn’t the most powerful cooler in the world, but it’s more than capable of handling the chip I’m using today, whilst also staying pretty quiet. If you’ve got a system next to your TV, you certainly want it to be seen and not heard.
Power Supply

The Fractal Design Integra 750 is nice and simple, it has just enough connectors for a compact to mid-size system, good efficiency and a reasonable price tag. The wattage is more than we need, but it never hurts to have a little room for expansion.

Todo o artigo:
http://www.eteknix.com/should-you-bu...-own-steambox/

[Jorge-Vieira]

Valve Introduces the Steam Controller with New Video; Steam Machines & Steam Link Pre-orders Open

Valve released a new video introducing the Steam Controller. Valve notes that a limited quantity of orders will be shipped on October 16th, wekks before the official launch.



The Steam Controller provides a new way to play

The Steam Controller is an innovative input device that allows you to play games from all genres, including traditional gamepad-style games as well as games usually reserved for play with a mouse and keyboard. The Controllers are wireless and completely configurable.








View Store Page

Valve has also made available for pre-order the Steam Link

The Steam Link allows existing Steam gamers to expand the range of their current gaming set up via their home network. Just connect your Steam PC or Steam Machine to your home network, plug into a TV, and stream your games to the Link at 1080p.








View Store Page






Valve introduces two Steam Machines available for pre-order with more coming soon

Steam Machines are stand-alone devices that let you enjoy the Steam gaming experience in one box, providing gamers with a host of hardware devices at a variety of price points and configurations. Customize a gaming experience that best suits your needs while choosing from Steam’s thousands of games, user-generated content, and more from any room in the home.
ALIENWARE

The Alienware Steam Machine combines the awesome experience of console gaming with a massive library of over 1000 games, all in full 1080p HD on your TV. You’ll experience powerful and immersive gaming with the high performance NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX GPU 2GB GDDR5 graphics and Intel® Core processors.








Starting at $449.00 USD – View Store Page
SYBER

Welcome to a new generation of games and entertainment. Break away from the traditional confines of your desktop and enjoy your PC gaming anywhere, from your living room to any place in your home. The Syber Steam Machine is small but powerful and ready to go.









Starting at $499.00 USD – View Store Page

Noticia e mais imagens:
http://wccftech.com/valve-introduces...#ixzz3cC9YvKJ6