游戏邦在:
杂志专栏:
gamerboom.com订阅到鲜果订阅到抓虾google reader订阅到有道订阅到QQ邮箱订阅到帮看

“Steam Machines”不会颠覆电子游戏产业的原因

发布时间:2014-02-07 17:57:50 Tags:,,,,,

作者:Erik Kain

专为大屏幕设计的、基于Linux操作系统的游戏PC——“Steam Machine”(曾被叫作“Steam Box”)引起了人们的广泛关注。

Valve的这个先锋项目似乎有意与Windows操作系统的竞争“客厅游戏”。制作过《传送门2》和《求生之路》的Valve已经花了数年时间进行硬件研究和设计,而Steam Machine及其周边产品正是这些努力的初步成果。

不幸的是,我怀疑Steam Box将对Windows或主机市场产生冲击。

虽然冲击市场通常是了不起的——或至少是有新闻价值的事件,但Steam Machine似乎拿不出什么东西能吸引大量主机玩家放弃他们偏好的系统,或者说服PC玩家淘汰他们的PC。

说到底,我认为Steam Box只会催生一个强大的小众市场。

以下是原因。

STEAM_M_console(from theverge.com)

STEAM_M_console(from theverge.com)

1、多样性不是卖点。说到购买游戏系统,主机玩家基本上有三个选择:Xbox、PS或任天堂。这些品牌都包含多种机型,但基本的选择就是这三种。Steam Box不会成为“第四种”,也不会出现第五种,第六种,第七种……

这是因为永远不会有唯一的Steam Machine,而是,会有大量基于Steam操作系统的不同的Steam Machine。这些不同的Steam Machine会有不同的定价、外形尺寸和制造商等。基本上,它们会成为一种运行Valve自己的版本的Linux、设置为Steam的“Big Picture Mode”、具有更适合高清电视和游戏手柄的新Steam UI的游戏PC。

对于消费者而言,大量选择可能比单一的Steam Box更好,但最终这并不是主机玩家所期待的。因为,选择太多,带来的混乱比便利更多。

总体上说,主机玩家更偏好自己已经拥有的游戏设备,通常选择一种品牌就不再改变了,因为知道这个品牌的主机的系统都是一样的。如果你用Xbox玩《使命召唤》,你可以大胆地相信其他使用这种设备的玩家看到的图像、操作等都是一样的。

Steam Machine的情况就不是这样了。不同的Steam Machine会有不同的功率、不同的输入,等等。

2、目标玩家?这可能是Steam Machine面临的最大问题:谁会购买这些设备?谁是目标消费者?

坦白说,除了“最狂热的支持者”,我还真不知道谁是目标消费者。

PC玩家对目前的系统基本上是满意的,特别是对于非游戏的任务,满意度甚至翻倍。不少Linux迷会选择Steam Box,但仅仅是因为它使基于Linux的游戏更便利,而其他许多Linux迷可能倾向于他们自己最喜欢的Linux版本。

虽然有些PC玩家可能选择购买Steam Machine作为首选或次级游戏系统,但很难看到同样多的主机玩家做出这么跨跃性的选择。为了在客厅游戏战争中夺得上风,Valve和它的设备制造合作商必须多多少少说服主机玩家购买一种事实上没有提供任何新意的新系统。毕竟在TV上玩PC游戏已经是完全可行的事了,我觉得要吸引这些玩家转移阵地会非常困难。

3、价格仍然是问题。就像多样性未必是卖点,这些设备的价位也很成问题。所有人都花同样的钱买到PS4是个件好事。你和你的朋友购买PS4都花了399美元,打开盒子看到的机子都是一模一样的。

但Steam Machine可能便宜到几百美元,也可能昂贵到过千美元——跟一台PC差不多。玩家怎么知道什么价位才是合适的?什么是“合适的”价位?主机的便利之处不只是能够连接到电视再用游戏手柄操作。它是一个统一的平台,且价格也是很大的优势。

主机玩家通常能接受的Xbox价格上限就是499美元,而PC玩家通常愿意花得比这个更多。那么对于Steam Machine,理想的价位是多少?消费者如何知晓那些价格信息?

4、拥挤的市场。Steam Machine来迟了拥护的聚会。

我们不断听说各种可能冲击电子游戏市场的新技术。基于Android的Ouya主机,以其模拟性能和可编程性和低至99美元的价格,被认为可能颠覆市场。但是,到目前为止,它还是没有火起来。

其他爱好者设备如nVidia的掌机SHIELD就那样:爱好者设备不可能与主机、掌机或手机抗争。到目前为止,Steam Machine还没有显示出任何足以打入已经相当拥挤的市场的新意或魅力。

在过去几年,真正冲击了主机市场的事件只有智能手机和平板的崛起。但即使现在基本上人手一部智能手机或平板,也没有像许多人预测的那样,主机市场因此而崩溃。Steam Machine也不会产生那样的影响力。

5、没有真正的独占性。最后,Steam Machine将不会有真正的独占性也是事实。

你用Steam Machine玩的任何东西都可以轻易地用基于Windows的PC玩。几乎所有人都讨厌独占性(想玩但不能玩,因为没有专用的设备),但只是独占性拉动了主机的销量。当然,其他因素如联网性能、好友列表和游戏手柄偏好都会影响消费者的选择,但独占性内容才是关键。

除非Valve决定不再制作Windows游戏,否则我们就不太可能看到真正的Steam Machine独占。即使Valve确实走出这非常有风险的一步——只在Steam Machine上发布《半条命3》,我也不认为这足以从根本上改变电子游戏机市场的格局。

同时,许多大IP都是Sony、Microsoft和Nintendo的大三主机独占的,这就保证了能玩到这些游戏的唯一办法就是购买专用的设备。

Steam Machine的概念没有什么错。作为一款给一些玩家更好的客厅游戏体验的小众产品,它不是很棒的。但不要指望Steam Machine能极大地改变这个产业。Steam存在已经好几年了,尽管它冲击了PC游戏,但它并没有为游戏机市场的游戏推广或定价带来革命性影响。(当然,我想念游戏机正在朝着类似Steam的方向前进,但不一定是直接因为激烈竞争的压力)。

具有基本上相同的服务的新硬件不会改变什么。技术和游戏爱好者,以及花了大量时间思考和撰写相关报道的记者,通常痴迷于新事物和源源不断出现的颠覆性技术的前景。

但我认为更可能的结局是,Steam Machine仍然是客厅游戏战争的旁观者。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

5 Reasons Why Valve’s ‘Steam Machines’ Won’t Disrupt The Video Game Industry

by Erik Kain

There’s plenty of hype and excitement over the coming of the Steam Machine—a Linux-powered gaming PC designed for big-screen (formerly known as Steam Box.)

The Valve-spearheaded project looks to be as much an attempt to distance PC gaming from Windows as it is a push into the living room. Valve, the makers of games like Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead, has spent years focused on hardware research and design, and the Steam Machine and its various peripherals are the first major fruits of that labor.

Unfortunately, I doubt the Steam Box will have a huge impact on either Windows or the console market.

While disrupting a market is often a noble—or at least newsworthy—pursuit, the Steam Machine doesn’t appear to offer anything that would lure many console users away from their preferred systems, or PC gamers away from their PCs.

Ultimately, I think the Steam Box will command a strong niche and little more.

Here’s why.

1. Variety is not a selling point. Console gamers have essentially three choices to make when purchasing a video game system: Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo. Each of these brands consists of more than one offering, but the basic choice is between a simple three. The Steam Box will not be a “fourth way” so much as a fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh way, ad infinitum.

This is because there will never be one Steam Machine, but rather myriad different Steam Machines built around Steam OS. These will range in price, form factor, and manufacturer. Essentially, they will be gaming PCs that run Valve’s own version of Linux and are set up for Steam’s Big Picture Mode, an updated Steam UI which makes makes the service more accessible on an HDTV and via a gamepad.

Lots and lots of choices  rather than one unified Steam Box might sound great for consumers, but ultimately this isn’t what console gamers are looking for. It’s confusing more than it’s convenient.

Console gamers, as a whole, prefer the simplicity of the choices they already have, often picking a brand and sticking with it, knowing that the system is the same for everyone. If you play Call of Duty on Xbox One you can rest assured that everyone else is on an even footing in terms of graphics, controls, and so forth.

This will not be the case with Steam Machines, which will have wide-ranging horsepower, different inputs, and so forth.

2. The target demographic? This ties in directly to perhaps the biggest question mark surrounding the Steam Machine: Who is going to buy these in the first place? Who is the target consumer?

Frankly, I still can’t figure this one out beyond “the enthusiast.”

PC gamers are largely content with the systems already available, which often double as work stations for other, non-gaming tasks. A good chunk of Linux enthusiasts might show up for a Steam Box, if only because it makes Linux-based gaming convenient, but many others will likely prefer their own favorite versions of Linux.

And while some PC gamers may opt to purchase or build a Steam Machine either as a primary or secondary gaming system, it’s trickier to see nearly as many console gamers making that leap. To make a real dent in the living room wars, Valve and its manufacturing partners will need to somehow convince console gamers to spend money on a new system that doesn’t really offer anything new. Since it’s already perfectly possible to set up a gaming PC with your TV, I have a hard time seeing what will compel these gamers coming over in droves.

3. Price is still a problem. Just like variety isn’t necessarily a selling point, a wide price range for these machines is also problematic. It’s nice to know that everyone pays the same dollar amount for a PS4. Your friends’ PS4s are all going to cost $399 just like yours, and each of you will have the same hardware when you open the box.

But Steam Machines could cost as little as a few hundred dollars, or well over a thousand dollars—just like a PC. How will gamers know which one is the right one to buy? What price point is the “right” price point? The convenience of a console isn’t just the ability to hook something up to your TV and play with a controller. It’s the unity of the platform, and price is a big part of that.

Console gamers are pretty much tapped out at the $499 price-point the Xbox One costs, whereas PC gamers often spend much  more than that. What will be the ideal target price for a Steam Machine, and how will consumers be privy to that information?

4. Four’s a crowd. The Steam Machine(s) is also a latecomer to a crowded party.

We keep hearing about possible disruptions to the video game industry from various new bits of tech. The Android-based Ouya console was supposed to come in and disrupt the market, landing at just $99 replete with emulators and hackability. But, so far, it’s failed to catch fire.

Other enthusiast devices like nVidia’s handheld SHIELD are just that: enthusiast devices that can’t truly compete against consoles, handhelds, or mobile. So far, nothing on offer from the Steam Machine is novel or compelling enough to penetrate an already crowded market.

The only thing that’s truly disrupted the console business in the past few years has been the rise of the smartphone and the tablet. But even these haven’t made as much of a dent into the market as many predicted, in spite of the fact that basically everyone owns one now. The Steam Machine will not have the same kind of reach.

5. No true exclusives. Last, but not least, is the fact that there will be no true Steam Machine exclusives.

Everything you can play on a Steam Machine you can play just as easily on a Windows-based PC. As much as people hate exclusives (that they want to play but can’t because they don’t have the right console) exclusives are what drive console sales. Sure, other factors like the quality of online networks, friend-lists, and gamepad preference all influence consumer decision-making, but exclusive content is key.

And unless Valve decides to no longer make games for Windows, it’s hugely unlikely that we’ll see any true Steam Machine exclusives. Even if Valve did take the very risky step of releasing Half Life 3 (if they ever do) on Steam Machines only, I can’t see it being enough to radically alter the video game landscape.

Meanwhile numerous major IPs are released exclusively to each of the big three consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, ensuring that the only place to play these games is on this specific hardware.

There’s nothing at all wrong with the concept of a Steam Machine. As a niche product that gives some gamers a better living room PC set-up, it’s great. But don’t expect the Steam Machine to drastically alter the industry anytime soon. Steam has been around for years, and while it’s had a huge impact on PC gaming, it hasn’t revolutionized how games are distributed or priced in the console market. (Granted, I believe the consoles are moving toward something similar to Steam, but not necessarily as a direct result of competitive pressure.)

New hardware with essentially the same exact service won’t change that. Tech and gaming enthusiasts, as well as journalists who spend a lot of time thinking and writing about this stuff, are often entranced with the new and with the promise of an endless supply of disruptive technology.

But I think it’s far more likely that the Steam Machine remains largely on the sidelines of the living room wars.(source:forbes)


上一篇:

下一篇: