Steambox finally was revealed.
Apparently, Valve Corporation invested in a computer maker out of Utah that makes the above little computers. That is the Steambox.
Hysteria and laughter ensued from the Internet.
The thing about Steam junkies is that they tend to be cheapskates. They have become conditioned to think every game should be 75% off when they purchase it. This is why a Steambox will ultimately fail. Any Steambox is going to cost around $500 or more which is too much for a cheapskate. In their imaginations, they imagine the Steambox to be like $99 or something.
If you want to see what Gabe Newell sounds like in panic mode, read his damage control. The best example of it was the Verge interview.
I understand Apple’s [approach]; all the way back in ’83 when I met Jobs for the first time, he’s was so super anti-gaming.
Hahahahahaha. The name dropping of Steve Jobs is an instant give away to the desperate damage control going on. Steve Jobs was so anti-gaming that he worked for Atari and the Atari II was in color because it was designed by a gamer. The Jobs name dropping has no relevance but he dropped it because it for PR reasons.
If Gabe Newell knew the Apple approach back in 1983, then WTF didn’t Gabe Newell make the iPod or Macintosh or iPhone or anything except for a digital store whose sales depends on price cutting everything.
He starts doing crazy talk like ‘biometric data’ (really now?). I recognize this type of marketing from Microsoft. Bill Gates would talk the same way by mentioning all these ‘future technologies’ that have no use but ‘sound’ futuristic to the reader.
“We need to have a theory of fun…” And I need to have a shovel to dig myself out form all the BS.
I think that with many game companies these days, the Valve Corporation is out of touch with society. This is why they did their greenlight system and keep relying on What The Internet Tells Them because they haven’t a clue.
I think the Valve Corporation was hoping for a big reception for the ‘Steambox’. However, they had a contingency plan in case it didn’t succeed. So what we’re seeing now is that contingency plan in action. “That’s not the actual Steambox…” Valve Corporation is saying right after saying that it was. And suddenly, we’re getting photos of ‘prototypes’.
A week ago, we were told that Valve Corporation would spend the week talking about the Steambox that was just unveiled and that the Valve Corporation had invested money into the company. This does sound like an about face.
“Why you talking about this, then?” snorts a reader. “Are you just attacking precious Valve? Are you assaulting the angelic Gabe Newell?”
Not at all! I’m just pointing out how the Valve Corporation’s marketing works. The marketing appears to be geared to crafting an image of Newell-the-Prometheus and Valve Corporation as not a corporation but ‘NASA-for-Gaming’.
I don’t buy it. Neither should you.
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