Valve's Steam Machines: How Did They Fail? - Krazy Ken’s Tech Talk

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Valve is a wildly successful video game company, but when they tried to make their own video game console line… perhaps it didn't work out how they expected. Is there a silver lining to this failure? Perhaps a life lesson? Let's see…

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Special Thanks To Folks Who Provided Game Systems and PCs:
Delicious Damian
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Linus Media Group / Linus Tech Tips

More Thanks To:
Savvy Sage: Research
Brainiac Brent: Assistant Editing, Recording, Linux Troubleshooting
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0:00 Introduction
0:38 Valve and Steam Early History
3:09 Steam Box Rumors and Big Picture Mode
6:28 Xi3 Corporation
11:08 Valve’s Major Announcements
14:07 Valve Steam Machine Prototype
16:21 Steam Machine Partners and Delays
20:18 Controller, Steam Link, SteamOS 2
23:19 Launch and Failure
26:30 Losing Steam
28:41 Steam Deck
32:09 Something New from Me : )

#KrazyKen #ComputerClan

[ComputerClan]

Thank you, SHARGE, for sponsoring today's episode! Get their power bank and SSD enclosure here:

Also, thanks for your patience with this new episode. It was a big challenge, but I hope you love it! The next one should come out quicker! It's about the Boomball, aka the SPHERICAL "GameSphere" console! 🔴

[MonadoBoy]

Valve still being a privately owned company is a good thing in these days.

[RavenThePlayer]

As a Linux user, I can't overstate how important Valve has been to the community.

[BigRigCreates]

I just dusted off my steam link literally yesterday, and it still works great. Crazy that its latest update was two weeks ago. I think your editorial instincts were on the money.

[StudioKelpie]

I love how Valve LEARNS which is nothing the bigger companies do, because they learnt from this familiar and gave us the amazing Steam Deck, basically the Switch of PC Gaming

[tekgamer]

The Steam Machine business model reminds me a lot of 3DO. They didn’t make their own hardware and relied on external partners, so the systems were also comparatively high-priced.

[golong]

"1...2...C..."
Because Valve can't count to 3! Well done, Ken!

[MacRobbSimpson]

One thing that we've missed here is the entire /reason/ for Valve to go for Linux and open platforms - why not just use Windows?
At the time the whole project was started, Microsoft was trying to push *everything* into the Windows Store. (See: S mode and related things from the time)
If this would have happened, you would end up with all software needing to be packaged for the new Store, and Steam would be redundant.
You would also likely lose a ton of older software that nobody would/could remaster into the new Store.

Valve going with SteamOS provided a backup plan, and something people could fall back on if Microsoft went ahead with their plans.
Once Microsoft backed off on this, Valve didn't have to push as hard or worry so much, so it fell on the back burner for a while.

[JamesR]

It's interesting how essentially, the Steam Deck is to the Steam Machine as the Switch is to the Wii U. "Our console is failing. Make it portable!" _Instant success._

[Violant]

oh yeah, uploaded right in time for my lunch, I didn't even need to waste 10 minutes in youtube finding something to watch

[Faselbob]

Valve has done a lot to make Linux gaming much more feasible than it was in the past. The steam deck being a success ensures these efforts will continue. While there's certainly things to criticize about Valve that effort is greatly appreciated.
Also I did quite like the steam controller back in the day, the bottom paddles were awesome and way better than the ones on the xbox elite controller.

[JessicaFEREM]

Honestly I would _love_ for valve to come out with a steam controller 2 with the same buttons as the deck. they have the best controller on the market for playing PC games, becaue it was made for it.

[clifflogan]

I remember when I first baught HL2 at WalMart. Got home, opened the DVD case and all was inside; a DVD to install steam and a code to redeem HL2. I didn't have broadband internet. I ended up having to take my computer to my friend's home and connect to his internet.

To this day, I proudly wear my 20 years in service badge.

[amandajacobsen]

Oh cool! I work at Free Geek Twin Cities and I oversaw the troubleshooting/testing of this very prototype model (it was sent to us before we sent it to Linus)! Ken isn't joking when he comments on how heavy that thing is. Glad to see it make an appearance again.

[thedungeondelver]

That came from LTT?

Wonder how many times it's been dropped and broken.

That'd explain the hard drive, plus the wonky alignment of the USB3 ports on the front...

[mixk]

Never thought I'd see a Computer Clan-LTT line of communication

[NexXxus]

The hardware didn't suck, it was the software before proton when they still used native linux ports, and there weren't many of them.

[SavvySage]

Thanks for having me involved in the research! The Steam Machines were...interesting to say the least.

And I don't even have time to mention the Smach Z, the first attempt at a Steam Machine handheld.

Anyways, good episode as always!

[MultiPureEnergy]

I love the Valve doesn’t count to three joke at 11:58

[vbbox]

Bringus, ltt, computer clan in one video??? Awsome!