Why, or why not will you be purchasing the steam box?

[Doom972]

You can plug any PC to a TV and plug a controller into it and get the exact same experience. What distinguishes the PC from the consoles is the fact that it's an open platform. Valve already confirmed that the platform will be open and anyone can install anything on it. You'll be able to install Windows on it, plug in an external disc drive and never use Steam if you so choose (it would defeat the purpose of getting it though). So I wouldn't call it a console.

With that out of the way, I don't have a reason to get one since my PC still holds up pretty well, and will probably still be able to run any game that will be released in the next 2-3 years.

After my PC will no longer be adequate, I might get one if it's better than the alternatives.

 

[Teoes]

Steam box is a PC, not a console.

I'm a maybe, as I already have a PC that I'm happy to sit and game at. Depends on the cost of the thing, what else I need to be spending the money on and how willing I am to swap my perfectly reasonable monitor (and I'm planning on shortly buying a bigger and even more perfectly reasonable monitor) for a TV that's only slightly bigger and displays at a lower resolution.

I'm more interested in checking out the OS, which I can just dual boot on my existing machine; and the controller, which'll probably have to be an expensive stinker for me not to pick up.

Edit: If I could afford it I'd get one solely to contribute to sales and do my bit to make it a success, because I think it'd be a wonderful thing for the industry for something like this to be a success. This is not likely to be possible though, so I'll only be getting one if I can afford it and will use it.

 

[freaper]

I won't because I already have a box that runs Stea~ UGGGHHHH! Just read everyone else's comments...

 

[Saelune]

If the entire Steam library is available on it, I will buy it. If not, I will not, since that defeats the point to me. I assumed by default it was that way, but everyone keeps mentioning exclusives, and what games will and will not be on it, so it has me questioning. That is, are people stupid for asking those questions, or is Valve stupid for expecting me to have a second steam library...

So yeah, that. Excited for the controller either way though.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Well... My PC is 9 years old...
I'd upgrade it before I bought a Steam Box.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Steam OS will have to demonstrate what it does better than Windows first. I've used other strains of Linux, and none of them have impressed me. As nice as it would be to have a free, open operating system, all of my forays into Linux have ended with something that should have been dead simple (like installing wireless drivers) devolving into trying to patch together a series of command line arguments from five different help threads that it took a half hour of google-fu to find.

With the improvements Windows has made in speed, stability, and security since XP Steam OS is going to have to be a very polished, highly functional product to be worth bothering with.

 

[babinro]

Not buying.

So far it offers no compelling reason to buy it. I'm more interested in ANY other console on the market because they offer exclusive games. Gaming exclusivity is the only driving force in my console buying decision because without it...I'll just stick with my PC.

 

[Itchi_da_killa]

I'm not purchasing one because I have one already, my own computer that is...just waiting for their controller to be done. I may be interested in dual booting to steam os as well. I don't have the need for one but there are people who want to enter the pc gaming world who will need one. Not me though.

My PC:

Windows 7 pro/ Linux Ubuntu

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz

16 GB DDR3 1600MHz Ram (I also virtualize a fake network with VMware, so that's why I need so much RAM)

EVGA GeForce GTX 660Ti

1 Kingston 240GB SSD, 2 500GB HDDs

 

[MrFalconfly]

Not really the Steam Box.

But maybe the Steam Controller. I've been looking for a gamepad for my PC.

 

[Itchi_da_killa]

Not really the Steam Box.

But maybe the Steam Controller. I've been looking for a gamepad for my PC.

The XBOX 360 wired controllers work great and Razer even has one.

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-controllers

 

[CriticalMiss]

I'll get one because my current laptop is a bit crap for games that require any more than 2GHz of processoring even on the lowest of settings. Then I'd use my laptop for general use and a few casual games but use the Steam Machine for more power hungry games. So in short I'd get one as an upgrade from my current hardware, but solely for gaming use. But only if it's at a reasonable price of course.

 

[Miss G.]

As far as I can see, there's no point in me getting a Steam Box, which is basically a PC:

- all I know about VALVE is that they make games I don't play and have a service I don't use, so no brand recognition/loyalty there.

- aforementioned service (and the PC platform in general) doesn't have much of anything JRPG related to offer me, which is basically all I play. I need my exclusives. EDIT: 'exclusives' meaning my genre of choice.

- I don't care for open systems (in fact, I make sure to avoid them when possible), modding (outside of using Photoshop for digital art), building and such.

- I have never been interested in the PC as a gaming platform nor did I even think it was one before joining here, so I'm not in that demographic of 'console gamer looking to dabble in it or make the switch'.

- even if it was a viable platform for my niche gaming needs, the upfront costs are too pricey. Before anyone starts, nearly 2 years ago when I bought my new PS3 it cost me only $36 USD (would've been $21 USD if I hadn't forgotten the charger for my PSP in my home country) after trade-ins, and I highly doubt a good gaming PC will cost me so little if I bought one or paid someone to build one for me. I don't use PS+ (though that may be subject to change), so I'm not paying more to use services on my PS3 than I actually paid for it, and I like being able to trade in physical disks as it means whenever I'm truly done with a console generation I can get my next gen console new for chump change.

 

[clippen05]

I will not be buying a steam box as I already have a powerful small form-form-factor PC that I built myself. Sure, the Steambox is cool, and I would love to have one, but what I already have works fine for me. If I didn't have a PC, well technically 2, already than I would definitely pick one up.

 

[MrFalconfly]

Not really the Steam Box.

But maybe the Steam Controller. I've been looking for a gamepad for my PC.

The XBOX 360 wired controllers work great and Razer even has one.

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-controllers

Well they are my fallback options.

But I like the layout of the new steamcontroller (not to mention I'd also like to use it with more than just platforming and racing which is basically the only things I can do with a gamepad at present. Forget about aiming).

 

[Blue_vision]

I will likely be getting some sort of steambox rig. At any rate, I'm done with both Apple and Microsoft, so a gaming-oriented OS that runs steam is exactly what I need for my gaming needs, whether it's a modest gaming PC fitted with Steam OS, or a consumer rig. Along with that, I don't feel like getting an Xbone or PS4, so it'd be nice to get a more versatile "console" (as a backwards peasant who prefers console gaming to PC gaming) that can run next-gen games.

 

[Something Amyss]

I already have a PC, so I don't really have any need for a "steambox."

And I seriously doubt you can afford a Steam Machine and not a PC.

 

[Mersadeon]

I'll look into it. I want a good gaming PC (right now I'm using a gaming laptop because of University) in one or two years, so if the Steam Box is still around then, maybe.
I am pretty worried that it's going to be like Alienware, where it's prebuilt but you could just build it for a lot less even without assembling it yourself.

 

[Laughing Man]

Oh the reasons,

1). Well I already own a compact full watercooled high end PC that happily does everything that the Steambox claims it will do, it even plays games without requiring me to stream them from another device.

2). For a fraction of the price you could build your own Windows powered PC that would crush it.

3). MS have been developing Windows for the best part of 2 decades, for the most part it does the job, infact I can't remember the last time I had ANY issues with my Windows 7 install. Valve on the other hand have been working on Steam for the best part of a decade and it still isn't something I would want at the core of my hardware, then throw in all the issues that go with ANY new software.

4). It just seems so pointless, if it's aimed at a new market then I can't see what market that is, if it is aimed at an existing market then it seems to require the user make compromises to use the Steambox while it's rivals; PC, XBone and PS4 don't.