steam

So far, the only game that's caught my attention is The Stanley Parable. What about you, have you made any Steam sale purchases yet?

Now through January 3rd!

NeoGAF user Tizoc spotted the above ad for the Steam Summer Sale that says it will be taking place on June 19th-30th. Are you ready for a miracle?

Watch the welcome address above, then click here if you're interested in more presentations.

When can I buy one?!

Beginning in 2014, there will be multiple SteamOS machines to choose from, made by different manufacturers.

I'm pretty happy with my PC Gaming setup, do I have to buy a new piece of hardware now?

No. Everything that we've been doing on Steam for the last 10 years will continue to move forward.

If you guys are delivering an OS to hardware manufacturers, why is Valve also making its own box?

We're conducting a beta of the overall Steam living-room experience, so we needed to build prototype hardware on which to run tests. At Valve we always rely on real-world testing as part of our design process. The specific machine we're testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware. Other boxes will optimize for size, price, quietness, or other factors.

How will you choose the 300 beta participants?

A small number of users (30 or less) will be chosen based on their past community contributions and beta participation. The remainder will be chosen at random from the eligible pool.

Should I create lots of Steam accounts to increase my chances of getting selected?

No, that won't work.

What are the specs of the Valve prototype?

We'll tell you more about it soon. Remember, there will ultimately be several boxes to choose from, with an array of specifications, price, and performance.

Where's a picture of it? How big is it?

We promise we'll tell you more about it soon.

When will the prototypes ship?

This year.

Will beta testers be allowed to share info about their experience and post pictures and opinions online?

Yes, that really is the whole point. The input from testers should come in many forms: bug reports, forum posts, concept art, 3D prints, haikus, and also very publicly stated opinions.

Will I be able to build my own box to run SteamOS?

Yes.

Can I hack this box? Run another OS? Change the hardware? Install my own software? Use it to build a robot?

Sure.

Can I download the OS to try it out?

You will be able to download it (including the source code, if you're into that) but not yet.

Read more about the controller here.

If you needed an excuse to buy something spooky, your time is now! Otherwise, hide your wallets and cancel your credit cards; a steam sale is upon us.

Pictured above are the old Steam controller prototype and the new mockup with buttons from Valve's Steam Dev Days conference.

Woooooohooooooooooooo

Scribbles out 2015, writes 2016

Bring on the self published titles!

If you're having the issue, try the fix posted here.

According to Engadget, these companies are signed on to develop Steam Machines.