Valve may be developing a “Steam Box” powered by SteamOS
The new kernel designed for “AMD Lilac” hints at possible new hardware
The device seems more of a competitor for Nvidia Shield than an upcoming Steam Deck 2.
Would buy this day one. I really hope these rumors are true.
If I could put a decent linux TV targeted distro on a minipc then I’d happily use it now.
Probably could with Bazzite but you’d still have to tinker.
This is what I’m using, and required no tinkering.
I use it for VR and step mania, too.
I use Bazzite on a handheld and there was absolutely some tinkering at first. It’s definitely not a simple as boot up and log in.
Depends on your hardware. It mostly just works.
It’ll primarily be a gaming device but if they did ever push to be a HTPC type box, Roku is more vulnerable than Google and Apple I think. I’d love to see HTPCs get another shot at the living room and get app support from the popular streaming services
I definitely think that’s the last big item steamos is missing, a bar at the top of streaming services.
Edit, that sounded sarcastic but it wasn’t, I honestly want that, it would allow me to convert the rest of the family TV’s to steam
It’s funny cause Valve was selling movies on Steam for a while.
TIL the Steam Deck isn’t doing the same thing as the Shield.
I am definitely interested if it has decent apps to replace my aging Roku. I do have the Steam deck docked to my TV. I was interested in an updated Nvidia Shield Pro if it ever came out, but I would like to see what Valve comes up with.
I really hope they do…
I love my Nvidia Shield, but it’s definitely aging, and sometimes getting it to actually play 2160p Blu Ray remuxes without stuttering is a chore. Plus Dolby Vision does not even display properly due to “red push” issue, and Nvidia has no plans to fix (they have abandoned the device and the entire market segment).
Currently the only method to get a streaming box to actually display Dolby Vision properly (profile 7 FEL) involves installing Linux (CoreELEC), and I believe the only device with all the proper support (licensing, hardware, etc) is the Ugoos Am6b+.
I much prefer the Jellyfin android client to Kodi, so I’ve been sticking with the Shield for now. I’d love another Linux based competitor, and hopefully a more polished streaming box from Valve could spur some development of better clients and tools.
I am a bit nervous about Valve actually being able to get all the licensing in place to pull this off.
When I think about how many hours of my life I’ve wasted and how much room in my brain is dedicated to all these stupid modern formats…my hope is that a player like Valve entering the market could do some good work. We are in a very sorry state when it comes to compatibility.
Though again… While I don’t have a deep understanding of the issues, it seems like a large chunk of it revolves around licensing, and I don’t know how much of a dent Valve can make in that.
I’d love a shield replacement (even though it’s pretty much fine), but how are you going to get streaming to work properly? Are you going to support all the DRM stuff platforms require to stream reasonable quality video in Linux?
I’ve been waiting for a new shield to replace my Chromecasts for a long time.
I’d choose this one over it in a heartbeat. Hope it’s true.
I mean all they have to do is the Steam deck without the screen and with a controller. Steam deck 2 hardware to get 1080p.
The steam link pucks could’ve been this the whole time.
I mean…is it though? I thought they stopped selling the NVidia Shield. So, there isn’t exactly any “competition”.
They still sell them. They made newer models since, though I have no idea if it’s still as popular as it once was.
They haven’t updated the models since 2019 yet still charge the same full price on older chips and parts ($200 for the pro). The value proposition has collapsed especially considering they originally didn’t have ads but now do. So they’re just pocketing profit off the decreased costs since then. Frame-rate switching still doesn’t work right. Meanwhile Apple has eaten their lunch in the premium segment with price-dropped Apple TVs for $50 less which get active feature and hardware updates annually.
So I hope Valve does jump in. I’m doubtful the major streaming services would allow their apps unless Valve locks it down though. Though they could do what Dune-HD does and run Linux in a container and another OS for Android TV in another container or something.
I wish it was cheaper too but I would argue the value is still there. Yeah I have to run a custom launcher now to truly be ad free but this is still leaps and bounds better than what’s built into televisions.
I don’t quite understand the appeal of a streaming box in most cases. What is the appeal?
It turns any TV into a smart TV. Compared to just using the features built into a smart TV, it has a more capable processor, more timely updates with a longer lifetime, and possibly a wider selection of apps. Compared to using something like a game console or PC, it is smaller, more power-efficient, and (if the only feature you care about is streaming) has fewer unnecessary features.
I use a laptop hooked up to my TV which is vastly superior in the most important way for me: ad blocking.
How much did your laptop cost compared to something like a $199 Shield?
This one cost me about $300 refurbished because I also use it for some light gaming. The one I used prior to this one was $160.
The shield is a bit stronger than light gaming.
The shield isn’t meant as a gaming device, it’s a streaming device. I mean you can run games on it, I guess, but it’s an Android device and its purpose is to stream from PC to your TV.
No, it isn’t.
You can install emulators on the shield to play classic roms and you can stream games from your PC or the cloud to it. My laptop does both of those things. Plus I can install some modern games like Hades 2, block ads on every video and music streaming service, and be more in control of where my data goes.
I’m pretty sure the only thing the Shield does that my laptop won’t is a.i. upscaling which is not an important feature for me.
Most people, when speaking about a gaming device, aren’t talking about the ability to play things from 40 years ago that you could run on a smart toaster
That makes sense. I still can’t see the appeal of a bespoke solution, but at least I understand it
Of course it depends on the OS, but when NVIDIA started showing ads I installed a 3rd party launcher. It also allows me to install apps that block and skip ads on a major streaming platform. And, if I upgrade my TV I’m not entering my info into a new system, I just plug in the Shield.
Yup FLauncher, SmartTube, Stremio, and steam for game streaming from my PC to living room.
To watch stuff?
Dang, wish I had a device that allows me to watch stuff.
Smart TV hardware (and most software) is a dumpster fire.
In addition to what others have said, the ShieldTV is also a moderately capable emulation device. It’s how we play N64 games in my household.
And when set up right, it’s hands-down my favorite way to watch TV, especially when compared to the modern smart TV experience.
