Steam Boxes, aside from excellent ways to release stress and hang out with people while you’re all naked, are being pitched as the next move forward for personal computing. The above video features the first to really get a proper amount of marketing behind it. It’s being produced by the company Xi3 with full permission from Valve.
It’s pushing what they’re calling “Modular Computing”. By that they mean somewhat of a half step between a console and a PC. It’s it’s own self contained box, but you’ll be able to continually upgrade parts as technology develops in order to remain at the forefront of modern gaming technology.
The thing’s also bloody tiny, with the video suggesting it to be roughly comparable in size to a 330ml Dr.Pepper can, but it’s able to show off Crysis 3 at an excellent rate and quality.
What’s the downside? Well, it’s coming out at the retail price of $1,000. That’s a significant investment for something that might as well just be a PC. The modular technology pitch only really works if there’s a massive userbase that latch on to it for the production of upgrades to be financially viable. The thing’s a risk, but it’s absolutely a risk worth taking to be certain if this idea will take off.
At best this thing is an great step forward for gaming, at worst it’s a strange half step between a console and a PC that almost suggests just getting a PC instead. Be careful.
