What you should know about SteamOS and Steam Machines
Something that could quite possibly change the entire gaming industry, is SteamOS. If you haven't already heard, this is essentially an operating system based off of the software distribution program, appropriately titled Steam. Millions of gamers are already using Steam to purchase, download, and play a lot of popular titles, including those available on PS4 and Xbox One, as well as previous generation consoles. Although gaming is the main attraction for SteamOS, the operating system will also feature media streaming functionality, for watching videos and listening to music.
Desktop OS? Sounds more like a Gaming Console.
The entire operating system was designed to act more like a gaming console, in-fact, Valve (developers for Steam and SteamOS) is planning to release what they call "Steam Machines". These Steam Machines will be pretty similar to a gaming console, and users will be able to hook them up directly to their TV. Obviously, this means you probably don't want to uninstall Windows and start loading up a SteamOS on your home PC, but it is available. If you are interested and would like to test it out, you can actually install it as a virtual machine to run within your current operating system.
One of the major benefits of using a Steam Machine instead of another gaming console, is that the graphics will be phenomenal. A Steam Machine is essentially a high powered PC, but since it's using the SteamOS it just feels more like a console. This also means you should be able to upgrade your Steam Machine pretty easily, as long as you know your way around the inside of a PC. Another thing to look forward to, is that even right now Steam often has sales on popular titles, and you can snag them for up to 75% off. You don't typically see any sales, at least as good as the ones you'd find on Steam, if you're looking on the Playstation or Microsoft Store.
When is it coming, what is inside, and what is the cost?
As of right now, there's no information regarding an official release date for the Steam Machine, but Valve did send out several hundred prototypes for users to test. It isn't certain that these will be the specifications on the final release, and there will be a variety of options available, but the prototype gives you an idea of the hardware: Intel Core i7-4770 (i5 and i3 available), Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan (GTX 780, 760, and 660 available), 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM, 1TB Storage Drive with 8GB SSD, 450W PSU, 12" x 12.4" x 2.9" measurement. Not bad.
You probably guessed these aren't going to be priced anywhere near current gaming consoles, except for the very low end Steam Machines, but some of the higher-end ones could go for as much as $6,000. For some, it may be out of the question to purchase another dedicated computer just for gaming on the TV, but if you've got the money to spare it would definitely be worth it. Remember, Steam often has sales, so you'll likely end up saving money on games in the long run (or spending way more due to the enticing prices).
Requirements for running SteamOS on your PC
As mentioned above, you can actually run the Steam operating system right now, but it's recommended you run it in on a virtual machine instead of changing your root OS. Currently, the minimum specifications to run SteamOS is any Intel or AMD processor with 64-bit capability, 4GB of RAM, any dedicated AMD, Intel, or Nvidia graphics card, and 500GB of storage space. Since Valve is still developing the operating system, these specifications could easily change, but they're pretty minimal at the moment.
Media streaming, which is almost positively going to be added sometime in the near future, could be a factor in how powerful of a processor and how much RAM you'll need. Also, keep in mind that if you're running SteamOS on a virtual machine, you need to have some resources left over for your root OS, otherwise you're going to crash.
How big is Steam?
Steam has recently added its 3,000th title to the store, and there's more being added every single day. Valve has reported that there are over 75 million Steam accounts, with roughly 7 million of them being active players. Steam offers a rather intuitive buddy system, which actually allows people to gift games to their friends, and they'll be able to download it right after it is gifted. Another fun statistic about Steam's popularity, is that roughly 75% of all downloaded PC games, are acquired via Steam.
Besides all of the popular console titles, there's quite a few indie games available as well, and even quite a few free games. You can even purchase several MMORPG titles directly through Steam.
It is certain that SteamOS will be evolving very quickly over the next few months, and Valve is already off to a running start with the beta release -- which is doing quite well. Keep your eyes open for more news about Steam, SteamOS, and Steam Machines, as it is released by Valve.
