In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Valve CEO Gabe Newell make clear the corporate’s {hardware} plans, confirming that its personal “Steam Box” will be primarily based on Linux OS. The Steam Box has largely been sheathed in rumor over the previous 12 months, however we have realized a variety of attention-grabbing particulars in regards to the deliberate machine — maybe most significantly, the Steam Box will not simply be a locked-down PC console designed for use solely in the lounge. “The Steam Box will even be a server,” Newell says, “so you can have one PC and eight televisions and eight controllers.”
Newell additionally confirmed among the firm’s plans for modern controller inputs; one thing Valve has already said it’s working on. Newell says he is most enthusiastic about biometric applied sciences that may have an effect on gameplay on a degree beneath the participant’s aware ideas; “I believe you will see controllers coming from us that use a lot of biometric information,” Newell says. “Biometrics is actually including extra communication bandwidth between the sport and the individual enjoying it, particularly in methods that the participant is not essentially aware of.”
Newell additionally tipped Valve’s hand on track pricing for Steam Boxes constructed by companions, saying that the corporate sees three tiers of {hardware} specs: “Good, Better,” and “Best.” He says the aim for a “Good” platform is a free machine, however that one would in all probability begin round $99 and ultimately come down. Newell says a midrange machine ought to price round $300, and that the top-tier is simply restricted by how a lot somebody is prepared to spend.
