Have you heard the good news? It appears that Valve may be working on a competitor to the Nvidia Shield. This tentatively-named "Steam Box" appeared in a kernel update to the Steam Deck. After looking through how the device works through its code, it appears to be a console-like device that attaches to a screen via HDMI and even features some ChromeOS hardware.
It's a bit of a mystery machine right now, but from these small nuggets, we can piece together what this potential new device could become. As such, here are some things I really want to see from the Steam Box.
3 Premium game streaming quality without any third-party apps
I feel this should be a default requirement
So here's the thing: if the Steam Box is a real device, it's not going to be an independent console. If it's penned as a competitor to the Nvidia Shield, then its hardware isn't designed to run the games. Instead, you'll link it up to something like a gaming PC, which does all the heavy lifting. Your PC then beams the game to your Steam Box, which you can attach to any TV in the house and play your games without lugging your PC around.
As such, I don't feel like I'm being too harsh when I ask for the Steam Box to give me a top-tier game streaming experience without needing to install an app like Parsec or Moonlight. If the streaming software in the Steam Box isn't on the same level or better than third-party offerings, then what's the point of getting a Steam Box? If I'm just going to use an alternative service to what Valve offers, I'll just use alternative hardware too. No need to buy into a Steam Box.
Interestingly, the person who discovered the code for the Steam Box noted that its hardware is a great deal faster than the Steam Deck's own. This may be Valve making room to allow for high-quality audio streaming and upscaling, which would definitely help it outdo the competition.
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2 Compatibility with Android apps
Adding a little extra
When the Steam Box's details were first unearthed, they were a little confusing. The initial finder noticed that the Steam Box contained some ChromeOS hardware, too. There was some speculation about why this is, including using ChromeOS over SteamOS. However, I think they hit the nail on the head when they suggested that the presence of ChromeOS hardware was to handle Android apps.
And it makes sense, right? After all, if Valve is making a competitor to the Nvidia Shield, and Nvidia's offering supports Android apps, then it'll want to do the same thing with the Steam Box. Even if it's not for gaming, having entertainment and media apps on the Steam Box would make it a great deal more useful than just a gaming box.
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1 A new Steam Controller
We're kind of overdue for one, anyway
So, in our ideal Steam Box scenario, it streams games better than Moonlight, sports high-quality audio and visuals, and lets you use it as an Android box. That's great and all, but how are you going to control it? Well, this pairs nicely with another rumor that Valve may be working on the Steam Controller 2.
The original Steam Controller has been discontinued, which would have been a nice thing to bundle with the Box. It would make a lot of sense if the company either revealed the Steam Controller 2 and then announced the Steam Box as a perfect companion or showed off the Steam Box with an additional Steam Controller 2 you can buy as an add-on.
Of course, I do hope the Steam Box would work with other popular PC controllers. Locking people into only using the Steam Controller 2 would be a bit overkill. But I do believe that Valve has the opportunity to pair the two up and make them an essential accessory for each other. Plus, I really want a new Steam Controller in general.
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Opening Valve's Pandora's Steam Box
With all that said, we still don't know for sure if Valve will ever release a Steam Box. All we have to go off of is some code changes in the Steam Deck kernel and a lot of speculation. However, not only does a Steam Box make a lot of sense for Valve to produce, but it also has the power to dethrone long-standing favorites like the Nvidia Shield. It has the perfect storefront, hardware know-how, and even a rumored controller coming out; it just feels like all the stars are aligning for one to release. And if it does, I sincerely hope it comes with my wishlist of features.