Could consoles have some form of local framegen based on the remote stream?
firestick and phones etc. get the raw stream version of xCloud, consoles with more GPU get xCloud + Framegen + maybe some better AA for local display on a tv.
I think with Xbox seamingly moving away from hw, Valve can come in next gen with a console steam deck machine. They can sell it for $1000 considering their OS is already great and they could precompile shaders for it.. Maybe release such a machine like 2 years after the start of next gen
Why would Valve release a console that runs Xbox Console OS instead of Steam OS? Why not Steam OS which is doing quite well. They could make much more money this way as well with their own Store front on their machine.Whats more I think MS would actually be pretty happy if this were to happen!
2027, release Nextgen Xbox. basically sell at cost price or small loss
2030, valve release a console like compatible product that runs Xbox console OS , with better settings..
Yeah thats a good point.Why would Valve release a console that runs Xbox Console OS instead of Steam OS? Why not Steam OS which is doing quite well. They could make much more money this way as well with their own Store front on their machine.
Yeah, I know MS or Phil have suggested having Valve's game store on a future Xbox which doesnt monetarily make sense either but Valve wouldnt do the reverse. The next step for Valve is to improve their handheld, Steam OS and increase the number of titles that play well on their steam deck devices. These will lay the ground work for better future hw and services including a possible hw console next gen. They dont need sales numbers comparable to Sony, if they can sell at double the price of a PS6 they can bring in a higher margin per console while bringing consumers into their ecosystem. If they can hit a quarter of PS6 sales that would be a huge achievement considering the higher margin. They can strike a decent middle ground between those looking for a more powerful system while still having the benefits of consoles i.e precompiles shaders. So Sony could take over most of the console sales while Valve could expand their ecosystem to cover PC, handhelds and AAA console gaming.Yeah thats a good point.
It would appeal to more customers,
MS could potentially offer them a cut of the sales on that platform? ( doubtful but possible.. )
I was thinking more of a case of Xbox console OS, as well as Steam OS not a replacement.
Still a hard sell though i guess.
Valve can actually justify subsidizing their hardware. They didn't do it with the Index, but they did with the Steam Deck. And they could do it again with some sort of new Steam Machine desktop PC, just this time, make it themselves and have it a single, fixed spec just like Steam Deck.
They make so much freaking money with Steam already, and they could totally increase their reach by bringing in new users to their ecosystem via such a Steam Machine, so that they could more or less kind of sell it 'at cost' or at least not too much more. I think that'd be very popular.
And this is also why I dont think Xbox could ever compete trying to make an Xbox-branded PC. Valve could do the same, and likely do it better.
I think it would definitely do both. PC gaming has gotten a fair bit more expensive lately with the rise in GPU and motherboard pricing and all, and it's definitely going to have put off plenty of people who otherwise might have been interested in checking out PC gaming. A subsidized, fixed spec box that offers truly good performance per dollar again would be super appealing to a lot of people, I think. Something relatively affordable, but also something that would get a fair bit of explicit performance profile support for in games due to its popularity(ala Steam Deck), making the experience very accessible for those coming over from console gaming.The justification questions are does it increase Steam users, which you mentioned, or does it increase Steam purchases?
I don't think there's a guarantee of the answer to either being 'yes'. I'll love for Valve to give it a punt though.
I think it would definitely do both. PC gaming has gotten a fair bit more expensive lately with the rise in GPU and motherboard pricing and all, and it's definitely going to have put off plenty of people who otherwise might have been interested in checking out PC gaming. A subsidized, fixed spec box that offers truly good performance per dollar again would be super appealing to a lot of people, I think. Something relatively affordable, but also something that would get a fair bit of explicit performance profile support for in games due to its popularity(ala Steam Deck), making the experience very accessible for those coming over from console gaming.
And it would be popular for existing PC gamers as well, and perhaps even people like me who have refrained from upgrading for quite a while now due to disgust at the pricing situation. My purchasing of games has died down a whole lot, because I straight up cant even play modern demanding games(at least not without unacceptable compromises), so I'm sticking to mostly my backlog and the occasional purchasing of an older game for fairly cheap. So yea, with a properly capable box, I'd definitely be more motivated to increase my purchasing habits on more expensive newer titles.
Microsoft doesn't have to pay licensing for Windows OS/VMs, so they have a small advantage. Wine compatibility only goes so far.And this is also why I dont think Xbox could ever compete trying to make an Xbox-branded PC. Valve could do the same, and likely do it better.
