Valve Software has finally revealed a range of Steam Machine gaming hardware which will finally hit shelves in November.
The console-style device is designed on the Linux-based OS and its own custom controller and partnered with numerous gaming PC makers like AlienWare and CyberPowerPC to create dedicated hardware. It was originally discussed in 2013, along with a Steam Controller and Steam Link, which allows users to stream content among PCs and Steam Machines on the same network.
Steam’s gaming operating system SteamOS, allows PCs, Macs and Linux PCs to be transformed into a gaming rig, all of which makes the Steam Machine the first credible gaming alternative to the consoles.
The Steam Link and Steam Controller will each cost $50, and will be unveiled at this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, along with a virtual reality system called SteamVR. The Seattle-based company also said it is “actively seeking VR content creators” and asking developers to sign up to try the system at GDC.
Valve also declined to host a second Steam-focused developer conference, the first of which took place in January 2014, and decided not to make a showing at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“We continue to see very strong growth in PC Gaming, with Steam growing 50 percent in the last 12 months,” said Valve president Gabe Newell in a statement. “With these announcements we hope that we are helping build on that momentum.”
Valve also officially announced the Source 2 engine, ‘the successor to the Source engine used in Valve’s games since the launch of Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life,’ which will be free for game developers.