Valve is still a few hours away from their big CES press conference, but we’ve now learned that there will be twelve different companies vying for a spot on your entertainment center with their version of a Steam Machine.
The biggest non event of 2013 was Valve’s week long hype fest for something we all knew was coming. What was once assumed to be a single Steam Box split apart into Steam Machines, a series of gaming computers running Steam OS. Combined with the Steam Controller, these creations are supposed to bring incredible gaming power to the television and properly compete with the likes of Microsoft and Sony’s consoles in the living room.
Valve is planning to start 2014 off with no less than 12 companies all working on their own Steam Machines, and the lineup is nothing short of impressive.
The motley crew of Steam Machine manufacturers includes little brand recognition, but plenty of power and skill when it comes to building gaming PCs. CyberPowerPC, Origin PC, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Next, Zotac, Scan Computers, Digital Storm, Webhallen, and Alternate make up the list of companies that will all be trying to get your attention soon.
There’s not a lot known about what hardware these guys are bringing to the table outside of what iBuyPower already announced. Their “Gordon” and “Freeman” machines are expected to start at $499, so it’s not hard to imagine most of these other companies with similar starting offerings. There’s also the Beta box made by Valve, which will also serve as inspiration.
Valve promises that there’s still more to come from their CES press event, which is at 8PM eastern. We know that there’s plenty of other things Valve has been working on lately, including an Oculus Rift competitor and the ever elusive Half Life 3, but it’s likely that this presentation will continue to focus on Steam Machines and Steam OS.
