Wer Lust hat sich im Detail über die Prototypen Steam-Machine, SteamOS und den Steam-Controller zu informieren, kann einen ganzen Abend damit verbringen, die Videos anzuschauen. Bitte sehr:
update 8, 28th december:
It’s been exactly 2 weeks since the first Prototype Steam-Machines arrived at Beta-testers. Time for an intermediate result to the components apart from the Steam-Controller based on the whole feedback I read and watched, which is not all existing stuff on the inter-web but certainly a lot:
- The Prototype itself and its hardware component are very well received
o no overheating, explosions
or similar bad thingso the chassis is generally quite cool except for the GTX 780 card, which has regularly a higher temperature than other parts of a system
o the airflow construction is well executed
o the three fans have a very low noise level, you don’t hear the system at all while playing a game
- Steam Big Picture
o remarkably most of the time not much mentioned at all
o which is no surprise, SBP is an already refined UI optimized for controllers and publically released more than one year ago
o It has to be mentioned that Valve has done an excellent job with SBP, it’s significantly more refined and offers more gaming related features than any other Sony or Microsoft console UI
- SteamOS itself
o it’s stable and has almost no crashes
o there are quite a lot of users (with the majority being downloaders of SteamOS and not owners of the prototype)
o some people reporting crashes, bugs or incompatibilities were mainly caused by them experimenting with the OS and putting stuff on it which regular gamers wouldn’t think of doing
o the performance is all in all on par with windows, some native Linux games have a bit better FPS, others have a bit worse FPS
o it’s surely solid but hasn’t achieved yet Valve’s own main goal of enabling a significant performance boost in comparison to Windows
Steam-Controller and Super Street Fighter 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjBVFcif2kE
some exciting points especially to the various hardware components:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTTR0SKLWC8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8O6KRrDeMc
Happy New Year!
I’ll be back at latest 6th january, on that day it will be determined which direction the PC and console gaming market will take in 2014. It's simply put a more important date than the PS4 and Xbox One launches as there was nothing not already known or anything excellently executed in particular.
update 7, 26th december:
Happy ongoing Holidays!
This time with intensive footage of “Singleplayer-FPS with Steam-Controller”.
Long story short - very impressive gameplay showing good results in movement, aiming speed and accuracy.
As always my side-note is that M+KB is surely still a bit better in aiming; but in comparison versus the twin stick pads the Steam-Controller definitely outperforms them in FPS games as seen below recorded by three different youtubers.
Another topic: I thought an idea up for a suggestion. One of the youtubers "Trial By Game" has currently more than 25 videos up with focus on Steam-Controller and very different games in good edited footage.
-> @Valve staff or moderators: If you like, invite this guy to SteamDevDays
http://www.steamdevdays.com/?p=sessionsI guess an on-stage interview with him would make a lasting and convincing impression to the attendant gaming industry people.
“Painkiller: Hell & Damnation”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iczY5GNfsY
“Half-Life 2”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T8ZYdjznXg
“Borderlands 2”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX870iHHZnY
“Metro: Last Light”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWnfEOGS6FA
update 6, 24th december:
Merry Christmas!
Seems like the Beta-Testers slowly but steadily come to the "core" of the Steam-Controller. Where it definitely shines very bright are all kinds of mouse cursor using genres like TBS, RTS, RPGs, Point and Click; games like Minecraft, Civ 5, Bastion, Arma Tactics etc. In those games it outperforms by far any regular twin stick gamepad.
Where it's at least on par in refer to the performance are traditional 2D platformers like Super Meat Boy, Spelunky etc. Although it might be another question if a twin stick pad "feels" better with a 2D platformer, because you have the feedback of an analog stick instead of having the "simulated" feedback of the trackpads.
On topic Singleplayer FPS there is currently not enough demo material to build a substantial opinion upon. Nevertheless by watching the Metro LL AI fighting sequence (link is somewhere below) I think the Steam-Controller works significantly better in speed and accuracy of aiming although it's surely not that good than a M+KB combo in an FPS.
In PvP modes there's definitely more material to review, though it concentrates on TF2 and CS PvP modes. In TF2 you can do a fairly solid job with most of the classes, while being advantaged by not so much accuracy requiring weapons like minigun, flamethrower or rocket launcher. I'm excited about seeing someone with a good level of practice doing a really great job in "owning" other players with the Heavy or the Soldier - at least I think it's possible.
Now with CS the "success" in terms of "collecting" kills is quite lowly, St-Controller players seem to have a K/D ratio of 1/5 or so. You can see on the videos that they often don't manage to keep the aim with the fast moving targets. But, that's not a real surprise, it was to be expected that a Steam-Controller will have a hard stand in any fast and high accuracy requiring PvP shooter against only M+KB players.
Steam-Controller and Bastion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ug8Uq9sPvQ
Steam-Controller, TF2 PvP as Pyro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGOeg-WZGE
Steam-Controller and Arma Tactics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4QRvvUZTlY
Steam-Controller and Starbound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ5uCqGi1Xo
update 5, 21st december:
Good news for that update! In the following videos you see four different Beta testers doing a really good job using the Steam-Controllers. Let's get into the details:
Here's ST-Controller on Minecraft, the Controller outperforms e.g. a 360 pad by far, you see that especially in the inventory crafting sequences, where he is very fast in grabbing the items and putting them down. Might be not as fast as a M+KB but definitely way faster than a twin stick controller:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38GP2fDxgFw
Skip to 7:10 mins for the AI fight, the changing between the target that fast wouldn't be possible on a traditional 360 or PS controller:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20XC_V2u2dY
Here's a Tester on "Super Meat Boy", remarkably he's only played a few levels with the St-Controller before recording the video. The result is amazing, he shows a really good performance on a platformer which belongs to the rather tougher ones in terms of overall difficulty. That said, a 360 might still perform a "perfect 10" on that platformer, but the Steam-Controller gets the job really good done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZvD2AqVnn8
Here's Civilisation 5 with the Steam-Controller, being impressingly performed way better than with a regular analog stick pad. Very nice how fast the Tester gets the clicking on the small click boxes done. Of course, K+M might still be faster, but the difference is not so big as with the traditional controllers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZIACsZEHpk
Here's TF2 Coop MvM mode. While that St-Controller performance is not so impressive as the four ones above, it's still clearly visible that a player with more practice and presumingly more balanced sensitivity probably is able to be a good team asset at least in TF2's Coop mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioAGIAeEbN0
update 4, 19th december:
total Teardown of Steam-Machine into parts:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Steam+Ma ... ionid=HEAD
How to install a second HDD in prototype:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2ZW5ZSK3s
changing HDD+OS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbWT9CdXHgU
Steam-Controller + Metro Last Light; skip to 10:30; first time one of the Beta tester actually really likes the controller and states it in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLS2sBXozYg
Steam-Machine - cold boot in 29 secs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59dpABnPKrI
video itself might not be very interesting, but the fact that you can totally play with a 2nd HDD with a totally different OS environment (here: Windows) is a thing which neither a PS4 nor an Xbox One are able to offer; it should be a feature which can be used for the Marketing of Steam-Machines, because it's superior to Sony's and MS's consoles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i9RKkOWsAE
a good edited video, interestingly with a total console guy speaking over the ST-Controller:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUbTtUqAJvI
two videos with ST-Controller bindings+settings detailed record:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZh-qvUcIxE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg1yhGmKJhQ
ST-Controller with platform game "BitTrip Runner 2":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMObVZYX6m4
update 3:
FPS comparison SteamOS vs. Windows with Metro Last Light:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfThaG975uQ
the first video where someone plays at least solid in a PvP TF2, though
the weapon is the "medigun" which doesn't require much accuracy. I hope he puts another one up with Heavy gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTD7tjUtge8
here's very detailed benchmark comparison SteamOS vs. Win 8.1:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=a ... inux&num=1
and a "keep track" website of all sent 300 Steam-Machines:
http://cynagen.com/steam-machines/
update 2:
droobie on Metro:Last Light:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxgqEpodt1U
Corey on Steam Machine Tear Down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVkas2E3NAg
on SteamOS and Left4Dead 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ0WuFcUPCg
1st big update:
the first beta participants got a hands-on to their devices;
youtuber "droobie21" made excellent and intensive video coverage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyyNg1oDfqI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftNIgjK9tO8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih7Rol3-0KU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZT6xHMIV0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYnJ8Xa2yfo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqInCpiANbQ
Big thanks to youtuber "Corey Nelson", intensive coverage in 5 vids, here you are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXCbdn00pKY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khC927-1fRY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaZHFyoLlg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_k9EklXqqU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC2go6LiDco
also two exciting reddit threads with question & answer:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/ ... s_arrived/
http://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/ ... ebox_came/
links to the two big "closed" groups for Beta participants, you can't write of course but read, some interesting feedback inside the discussions:
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/300beta
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Hardwa ... ateWinners
Title says it, while I'm no beta participant (Europe) I want to contribute to the beta test by gathering all kinds of beta user feedback no matter in what form, may it be
- video demonstrations
- blog posts
- twitch recordings
- personal website on Steam-Machines
- or whatever...
I'll update this thread regularly and would be happy about heads-up findings from everyone who wants to contribute. I'll put those findings in my OP, so it should soon contain a wide collection of user feedbacks on all related topics.
So, right now here are the first beta user feeds about SteamOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTxRlT1RpM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS4sTG_Fueg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUyQhwRYeqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZYzkTTOSMA