The SteamOS/Steam Machine thread

Kind of a letdown really...a new controller. Wow.

I can't stand touchpads...and I've never seen one that doesn't go to see after using it for a while so it's a definite "wait and see" thing. It's also weird because one of the things that people regularly WANT from a controller is a feeling of resistance...which is one of the reasons the 360 controller is generally favored over the PS3's.

But it could be something new, the idea is to make PC games more playable in the living room. I'll believe it when I'm playing Starcraft II with it.

This controller is definitely a wait and see proposition. I've been using analog sticks since I was like 12, so it may take a while getting used to. I also want to see the price, that touchscreen and the haptic tech probably won't be cheap but we'll see.

The DualShock 4 still seems like the controller to beat. Looks to fill the hand better than the DualShock 3 but keeps the symmetrical stick layout, because seriously, ruck the 360's layout, I cant fathom why people love it so much.

The whole Steambox announcement seems interesting to me. I'm not planning on getting any new gaming machine for another year either way, so I have plenty of time to wait and see. This thing sure as hell won't set the world on fire, but Valve is in this for the long haul.

Nothing will beat the PS4 in bang for buck for at least another 2 years, but for someone who already has a decent gaming PC, they could build a SteamBox out of hand me down parts (and a free OS helps) or hopefully buy a cheap streaming device. If it works like today where when you buy a game on Steam you get Windows/Mac/SteamOS versions, you can hopefuly build a decent enough library to eventually make it the primary gaming machine and have the Windows desktop PC be the hand me down one with just enough horsepower to play legacy games and strategy games where you really do need a keyboard and mouse.

Because lets be honest, I imagine many PC gamers are like myself and don't need a beastly PC for their non gaming Windows activities. So like I said, this won't set the world on fire imediately I can see it being a bigger deal over the course of this upcoming console generation.

And if you need a super powerful PC for gaming AND work AND will play with nothing but kb&m then realize this probably isn't for you.

That controller is a major red flag; I'll have to see it in action before I'm convinced. Just from an ergonomic perspective touchpads can be a pain in the ass. The appeal of a d-pad is that if I want right, I push the right d-pad button. That's the reason the NES Max sucked (or any controller with a round d-pad), you'd be trying to get just "right", or just "down", and the controller would be like, "LOL I thought you meant diagonal!" And good luck seeing the text on those buttons if you like to play a game with the lights off.

Honestly if anyone will pull it off Valve will.

Quit yer pissin' til you hold one. I expect one of you to compare it unfavorably to a Nomad any second now.

What has me intrigued are haptics. That could be awesome, but I am not sure how it would work without a battery draining pile of gear inside.

No battery needed. There is a headcrab larvae inside that pops up like a Mexican Jumping Bean when you touch it.