[quote name='Fell Open Ian']You have to really think about the breadth and depth of the library available to PCs now and apply that to a set-top box: Each and every past console or computer or calculator or whatever with an emulator has their libraries playable on a Steambox. Any OS which users can cram onto a PC or emulate or virtualize has their libraries playable on a Steambox.
Now consider that both the Durango and the Orbis are converging towards more standardized PC architectures and you can even envision a time when those games are playable on some future Steambox. (because it's a friggin PC afterall)
A Steambox, in the right hands, will be able to play most of the games ever made. It's just going to take some time, effort, and knowhow and that's exactly what PC users are known for. (and those more complex operations eventually get made into very simplistic ones for the users who lack the technical prowess)
With a Sony console you can play in the Sony ecosystem, with a Microsoft console you can play in the Microsoft ecosystem, and with a Nintendo console you can play in the Nintendo ecosystem but only with a Steambox can you tap-into all of the previously mentioned ecosystems plus a ton of others. It's baffling, for me, to think of how any closed walled-garden console maker even begins to compete with that.[/QUOTE]
So Steam has Mario and the other many exclusives that sell tons? I don't see Soccer Mom buying a Steambox at Walmart, the market is more niche than you think it is.
Everyone already has a PC or laptop to use Steam. They can already find a way to hook it up to a TV. The trick is if Steambox is CHEAP, then it will be viable. Anything over $100-150, why not just put that towards a PC upgrade or a console you don't have, so you have access to more exclusives. I'm hoping it will be more of a "Streambox", were it isn't a flat-out mini-PC, but instead can stream any game from your Steam library. No downloads/installs necessary. Would fix the patching/drivers issues.
[quote name='ShockandAww']Edit: I still don't understand why so many people give a damn about backwards compatibility. Do you really go back and play your PS2/PS1 games now? Granted I know there are people that do actually do this but it seems like they'd be a large minority. I've tried it before and for me it just ruins the memory. I try to play an old ass game and I wonder why I ever found it so great to begin with. For me it's better if I just have the memory of it from back then and not what it actually is today.[/QUOTE]
Backwards compatibility is a huge issue, more so this next gen because of digital. How long will the old digital front last? I can hook up my SNES anytime and it will work, but a digital game from an old unsupported/ditched service? Why buy anything digital on PS4/NextBox if they'll just drop it in a few years? Steam has it down, this is old news, and if "next gen" says they can't, that isn't very reassuring going into a new gen.
Personally, it's more of a "How many systems do I have to hook up to my TV?" for me. I have a huge backlog of current gen games, I'll be playing those for quite a long time into next gen. Why add an expensive console with no games to my buy list? People are still complaining about how there are no games for the WiiU, and there have only been "announcements" not release dates for upcoming games. Lucky the WiiU has BC and you can see some Wii games in HD.
I must be in the minority too, because I had to hook up my PS2 to play Tales of the Abyss recently. It's pretty annoying to have a wired controller, old TV, memory cards, etc. Wished I could have just popped it into my PS3 Slim.