I'll be the first to admit - this is more Zoë's field than my own - after all, they've been the one heading up the Ouya, and the alternative console market that keeps attempting to wrangle the deadlock which Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony profit from. But lets be honest, it hasn't exactly happened yet - the Ouya is a great idea, but as Zoë has said before, it has quite a way to go. The Oculus Rift project is huge and phenomenal, but right now, translating that into the modern market seems quite a ways off.
The Steam machine though...its not just a concept piece. Its not crowd-funded either. Its being made by Steam, and if anyone knows games, well...their sales certainly show that they know how to work their audience well. Also? Its here. Articles are pouring in about how beta versions are out of the computer/console hybrid. And just today, Gabe Newell announced and showed many of the console casings, and the specifications. Yes, there are more than one. In this article, as well as a few others you can find on places like Kotaku, it breaks down how individual computer companies are making their own steam machines - you can go as cheap as you want to a monster that would probably cost me four months worth of salary.
Heck, Kotaku even has a separate article about their favorite steam machine version. These guys are really going all out - trying something new, giving options, and really, really making a scene with both console and computer gamers, for many different reasons.
But...I have to ask myself, what does this all mean? What is this all heading towards? Isn't this just a computer in a shiny console box? Is this a hybrid that will be the best of both worlds...or worse than either? Will this shake up the industry of gaming entertainment, or just be a curious side note? What do you all think, or is it still too early to tell? Please, tell me what you think, because I'm not sure what to think yet myself.
