First released in 1985, Gauntlet was a genre-defining arcade dungeon crawler. Now, it's being re-released for PC, in the form of a top-down co-op action RPG, all prettied up and modernized for a new audience.
During Valve's CES 2014 event last night, the company released a brochure featuring images, prices, and specificiations for 13 third-party Steam Machines. Let's take a look-see!
At this point, I'm convinced that Project CARS isn't actually a racing game. It's a playable art installation that lets you take pretty pictures of cars. And things other than cars.
Curious about Valve's new SteamOS? Eurogamer's Digital Foundry takes the beta version of the new TV-friendly operating system through its paces, finding some issues that hold the OS back but allowing that it "could well be the direction PC gaming needs to find a home in the living room."
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--2A9pDKM3--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/1994m305vvvuojpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--yz0vw803--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/1994m305vvvuojpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--0VDnL9P8--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1994m305vvvuojpg.jpg, (large)])
Valve might be aiming for the living room with its idea of the Steam Machine, but that doesn't mean every "console" released in the family is going to be small and cheap. Digital Storm's third-party offering, for example, is going to cost a ton.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--NtBe8wpR--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/196qq37s77zxnpng.png, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--CqfAFQPl--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/196qq37s77zxnpng.png, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ITwbuUDd--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/196qq37s77zxnpng.png, (large)])
On January 15 and 16, Valve is holding a special event. I'm not invited. You're probably not, either.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--MWao2MAH--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/195kc7tr59x6pjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--p4EuiRsL--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/195kc7tr59x6pjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--aPCKmWSX--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/195kc7tr59x6pjpg.jpg, (large)])
For a game so impossibly beautiful, it always seemed strange that Project Cars was headed not just for the PC, but dated hardware like the Xbox 360 and PS3. It's less weird now, then, that those old machines will no longer be seeing the game.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--nu9AxHHQ--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/195c7p20jzi67png.png, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--P757rTe2--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/195c7p20jzi67png.png, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rG9je8YQ--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/195c7p20jzi67png.png, (large)])
Steam Machines will start launching next year. One of Valve's proprietary Steam Controllers will ship with each one. And you shouldn't expect to get your hands on any of Valve's prototypes... unless you're one of the 300 lucky people selected for the beta this year.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--O9tPL32d--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/192hl7mo26exsjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_L-_3tR4--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/192hl7mo26exsjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--gs3xg8uc--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/192hl7mo26exsjpg.jpg, (large)])
When Valve officially announced their Steam Machines two weeks ago, they skimped a bit on the details—we know that there will be a wide variety of living-room-centric PCs, and we know they'll run the Linux-based SteamOS operating system, but we don't know much about specs, or prices, or options.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--dOPtoORC--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/191gwegsol1kopng.png, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OtOPzaxC--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/191gwegsol1kopng.png, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--suEGyh-4--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/191gwegsol1kopng.png, (large)])
We've got the operating system, we've got the hardware, and now we've got the human interface device. The third prong of Valve's all-out attack on living room gaming is the Steam Controller, a hackable gamepad with dual trackpads, haptic feedback and a touch screen.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--7_SwsZc5--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/1919o836201qqjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--82iYR6zt--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/1919o836201qqjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--vH5oaFS7--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1919o836201qqjpg.jpg, (large)])
Three hundred lucky gamers will get their hands on Valve's Steam Machine prototype this year, and we want to make sure you're one of them.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--unVzNfGQ--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/1919l8a45534yjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--guLRRYM3--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/1919l8a45534yjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--B3Vz6Dyd--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1919l8a45534yjpg.jpg, (large)])
Hope you weren't too attached to the name "Steam Box"—Valve is partnering with various companies to release hardware that they're calling Steam Machines. These are PCs designed to play games on your television, and they'll compete with the next generation of gaming consoles for control of your living room.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OIws4GZ4--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/1912ijv90m60cpng.png, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Zu_YW88B--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/1912ijv90m60cpng.png, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Nr4eMrKZ--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/1912ijv90m60cpng.png, (large)])
Steam is the most popular electronic desktop game distribution method in the planet. So popular that its developers think it will be a great idea to make a Steam Box, a custom gaming and media PC that will connect to your TV and compete with the Xbox One or the PS4.
