There are other gaming platforms on PC, but they are all compared to Steam: the catalogue, the community and the versatility for consumers and developers that Valve offers is unattainable and even disappoints console manufacturers. What if Gabe Newell's company dared to launch your own desktop system? The truth is that there are more and more detailed rumors about this matter, and after the warm reception of Steam Deck, it is impossible not to fantasize about it.
Through means that have proven their reliability such as The Verge o Insider Gamer Not only have several sources been compared, but they all point to a common name: the Fremont project. What is proposed, in general terms, is a desktop hardware that would work on SteamOS and whose functions are those of a console. Furthermore, as is being detailed, this system would be accompanied by a new Steam Controller whose code name is Ibex. With the above established, a reminder: Valve has not announced anything. Neither confirmed nor denied at the time of writing these lines. But, as you will see, There are unmistakable signs.
What is said about Fremont, Valve's “Steam Box”
The unannounced but popularly referred to as “Steam Box” is not a revision of the Steam Deck or a dock to connect it, since among the information offered very specific features are specified such as an HDMI system that already is being used internally at Valve. All in all, this desktop would share functions with Steam Deck, such as the possibility of transmitting games remotely via Steam Link. On the other hand, this video game console-style system is being built (according to rumors) around al hardware AMD Lilacwhich is speculated to be more or less comparable to an AMD 8540U. Not bad.
From here, a note. According to The Verge sources, they are being developed various hardware models. We know that Valve is in no hurry to launch a new generation Steam Deck, but among what is suggested we find a wireless virtual reality device that obeys the code name “Deckard” that, in fact, is taking shape along with the new systems of motion control (called “Roy”) and about which we do not have much more data either. The common denominator between all projects? The Steam platform as the epicenter of the experience.
However, what is significant, and what draws attention as a result of what was collected, is precisely that there is a generalized and established idea about what the already mentioned second generation of Steam Controllers will be like. Where is the leak coming from? The short story is that a render of the “Ibex” model appeared among the SteamVR controllers.
He Steam Controller 2 found in the controllers has a much more traditional design than the original and, in many ways, is a direct extension of the layout that we can find in the Steam Deck: we now have two symmetrical Sticks, the buttons become raised and there is a wide margin for trackpads, which would serve to fulfill the functions of mice in those games that need it.
All in all, we return to square one: Valve has announced absolutely nothing and the only thing we are clear about is that tests are being carried out and models are being tested. However, the idea of a console being launched is not far-fetched if we take into account that the first steps in that same direction were taken a decade ago.
The rise and fall of Steam Machines and what lessons to take from that initiative
If Valve takes the initiative, it will not come to the after-dinner table again. A little over ten years ago, Steam Machines were launched, which more than a traditional console would be systems approved by and for Steam, but developed by different manufacturers such as Alienware or Syber. The general idea was to take advantage of the SteamOS ecosystem, infrastructure and features. Your Achilles heel? Its price.
If you wanted to have a Setam Machine, the different proposals started at 599 dollars, but the most interesting models skyrocketed in price to $1,099.99. Basically, what a PC cost then. It is worth remembering that at the time Steam Machines were launched, the eighth generation consoles were much cheaper than those of the previous generation. Logically, that also made them more attractive.
That said, if we were betting big, the hardware that was in front of us was in another league and, to be fair, they were machines that offered the best of PCs and the comfort and simplicity of consoles. If those Steam Machines didn't finish working, What changes with respect to the Fremont project?
The secret of Steam Deck's commercial success is summarized in one key concept: the ability to enjoy the games we already have wherever we want. The big difference in approach compared to Steam Machines is that Valve itself manufactures them, and although they have hardware that, in general, is adapted to the titles of the current generation of consoles, the great plan is to offer a device that extends the reach of Steam's own video game platform.
If they take a step forward to launch the Steam Box, or whatever it ends up being called, it is expected that its hardware will be a system with the versatility of a PC that, like Steam Machines, opens the door to the current SteamOS ( much more evolved than a decade ago) and allows you to enjoy the launches that require cutting-edge equipment for the current and next generation. A head-on competitor with PS6 and the next Xbox? Yes, but no.
Valve very recently updated its trademark reference document for those manufacturers interested in promoting their technology and software and one of the most significant is the “Steam Compatible” logo in reference to the hardware that will take advantage of Valve's controllers and control systems. So the idea of launching their own devices seems to be more aligned with enabling Steam content on new systems, including the rumored Fremont project.
In other words: although everything we discuss is still rumors and found data, Valve's strategy is aligned with that of Microsoft and, by extension, it is different from that of Sony or Nintendo: making as many devices as possible compatible with the Steam platform (just as everything is sought to be an Xbox) instead of focusing exclusively on selling hardware units of after-dinner A seamless plan, given that both Xbox Game Studios and PlayStation Studios release their best titles on Steam.
Although in the end they are all rumors, the viability of the Steam Box, the Fremont project or whatever the desktop that is being tested ends up being called will depend directly on the attractiveness of its price. Because the true success of the initiative involves taking the Steam platform beyond PCs. And the good commercial reception of Steam Deck has shown that it is possible.
In iGamesNews | The most anticipated games for PC of 2024
A iGamesNews | Microsoft needed Bill Gates with a shotgun and the father of Steam to beat Windows 95's biggest rival: the original Doom
