SteamOS

Valve's Steam has been the de facto standard for downloadable PC gaming for some time now, and it has long been reported that they intended to move into the console gaming arena, with the "SteamBox" rumoured to be announced at a trade show/convention (E3, PAX, GDC, etc) for the past few years.

The first tentative steps have been made over the last 12 months, with Valve first releasing "big screen mode" to make the transition from PC gaming with a keyboard and mouse to console gaming with a control pad simpler. Following this came the Linux Steam client, and its steadily increasing library of games, although still lagging behind the numbers available on the Windows and Mac clients. The next big announcement came just this past week with the announcement of SteamOS, an Ubuntu-based Steam operating system that will be made available for free to hardware manufacturers, similar to Google providing the Android OS to mobile device manufacturers. However, I don't think this is going to be as big a success as Android (now the dominant mobile OS) in the gaming market.

Firstly, PC gamers are unlikely to spend money on hardware to play the games they already play on their desktop/laptop. Modern laptops can easily be connected to modern TVs with HDMI cables, and I've used a PC to play DVDs on a TV using a graphics card with a TV out port for almost a decade. A similar setup could easily be used for gaming, if you really wanted to use steam on a TV.

Secondly, console gamers are unlikely to be interested in buying another console in the near future. Sony's PlayStation 4 and MicroSoft's XBOX One are launching in November, costing 400 and 500 respectively (according to gamestop.ie). After that initial outlay plus new games, gamers are unlikely to be willing to pay for another box to sit under their TV, no matter what it offers, unless of course it is ridiculously cheap.

 Finally, and what is most important on any console, games. Steam's main rival in the downloadable gaming market is EA's controversial Origin platform. EA are unlikely to make any of their big franchises available on any Steam platform - FIFA, Madden, Modern Warfare, etc - which are among the top selling games on consoles every year. If they are not available, then gamers will simply not buy the platform. There are two more announcements to be made by Valve, the first coming this evening at 6pm GMT, which may change my opinion, but as it is, there's little to be excited about.