General Discussion

I don't know. I'd have to feel it out. For the average, AAA FPS, it doesn't look like it would be even remotely competitive. It appears as if they may have sacrificed function over form. It's a neat idea - it looks hot, for sure - but I wonder if it will take.

A "middle ground" controller is what I'm worried about. If it can play most games "decent/kinda-good", then that seems like a wasted effort in a Steam move to the living room. I understand that a primary point for them to hit is creating a controller which can efficiently and comfortably handle the demands of games that are almost exclusively made for keyboard and mouse. If the FPS genre games on Steam suffer under Steam Controller usage, then people simply won't be playing FPSs on Steam in the living room (with that controller. Which would beg the question: Will the Steam Link support the XBox 360 controller driver?).

All of this is based on speculation, granted. It could perform wonderfully. I want it to perform wonderfully. I suppose I won't be a believer until I can get my hands on it ;).

I suppose buying alternate-system controllers isn't the worst thing, should the need arise.

IGN's take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdMe4mHUH2c

At the very least, I wish they would concave, to some degree, the top of that analog stick.

Since you asked....hehehe. My interested in a "Steam Machine" hasn't really changed since we last talked about it. However, this Steam Link seems like a neat idea. For me, it could mean that I could hook a Steam Link up to my 50" Plasma, instead of my 20+" monitor. The Steam controller would then come in handy. Sure, I could probably hook my PC up to my TV, just like I had done with my old PC, but I only used it for outputting video, which I now do with my PS3 and PS3 Media Server. If I were to do that idea now, I'd probably want a wireless keyboard and mouse, because I've been enjoying the keyboard and mouse game configurations. Although, that hasn't been the case with every Steam game that I have (Risk of Rain, I'm talking about you). I have been wishing I had a bigger monitor lately. It could be interesting to see and try out, perhaps. Anyway, I've kind of rambled a bit. All in all, I think it could be a way for my son to use his Steam account since his PC stopped functioning.

If the Link performs as well as they claim (and pending many tests on that "low latency"), I'd much rather have that, which would support my existing system, than a completely new computer. Eventually, I'd go full SteamOS, when I could afford to have multiple high-end computers in the house. Until then, Steam Link sounds like a nice option.

Wow, so many of them! The Alienware one costs much less than I expected. I expected it to cost about as much as some of the others in the $1-2k range.

Wow! I wonder how you physically interact with it and how it looks. I mean, is it just like attaching a small screen in front of your face? I also wonder how much it will cost, my guess is at least $1,000. It'd be cool to at least try it out. I'm only familiar with the Oculus Rift by name, but I know nothing of the OR and VR experience. It's pretty cool how some of our technology has caught up with Star Trek, but we have a long way to go still. One of my most favorite pieces of Star Trek technology is the Holodeck. If we can some how create that technology, or if these VR devices simulate it, well that would be pretty awesome!

That's cool. I knew Minecraft had an Oculus Rift option. You're right about my price guess. I may be off and yeah that would be kind of steep. I'm just assuming the hardware would be expensive, but you make a great point that at that price tag, it wouldn't really be affordable to many consumers. Maybe, also, they would have had to wait for the technology not only to be able to create such a thing, but also so that it would be affordable. Maybe since the PS4 is about $400, this technology will be similarly priced.

Ah, this is another reason I wish I lived over there on the West Coast. If I did, I might actually be able to go to one of those events and try this cool stuff out. Maybe GameStop will have the Steam VR and have a "demo" console that gamers could try out before buying (like they do with some consoles).

Great!

Awesome!!!! I love it and it seems to fit very well and looks professional. I think it'd be cool to have some. Perhaps I'd put one on my PC. I could also put one on my fridge with the CG magnet. I could also add one as a bumper sticker to my PT Cruiser, which already has plenty of bumper stickers on it (they're all Democrat kind of stickers).

I appreciate all you've done with this site. I also appreciate your goal of a community of positive gamers. I'm not really used to seeing much negativity with regards to gaming, though I've seen some of it. I think here, we're pretty positive.

That's going to be interesting, especially the SteamVR system. It seems only recently that VR become something people are working on, maybe technology has progressed enough to make it possible.

I'm not sure what to expect other than another Fallout game. Remember when I played Fallout 3 this summer? I saw some of the news on that that guy who played "Three Dog" hinted at another Fallout game. That said, do any of you think there's a chance for another Elder Scrolls game? I'm not sure how well The Elder Scrolls Online is doing, perhaps at E3 they will be showcasing an update for that game or something else. It's kind of hard to believe we're already talking about E3 this early in the year, but this news means I may have something other than Nintendo to pay attention to.

Well that seems like good news for anyone who wants to give ESO a try. Still, I understand your point. On the flip side, FFXI is still not free-to-play. I wish it were though. i still have the game, which came with some expansion packs. I also got Wings of the Goddess for free (I won it from the Wiki) and I haven't really explored those expansions.

As for the timing you mentioned, then maybe there's a possibility that they'll announce development of a new Elder Scrolls game. Still, I think right now all we can do is to speculate about what their E3 presentation will announce or show off. Although, I think there's a very good chance we'll at least find out about a new Fallout game.

While I would never pay a subscription for FFXI again, if it ever went free to play I would be all over that, even if just to occasionally see some old familiar sights. :D FFXI (and from what I hear, FFXIV) don't have the huge subscriber numbers as some other games, but the fan base they do have is very loyal. It seems they've found their niche and ran with it.

Once ESO goes F2P I'll definitely give it a shot. Going F2P isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's handled right.

I'm glad I stumbled across you ghostly folks. Congratulations on three years!

It's been a fun three years! Looking forward to more awesomeness! :D

I've only been a part of the site for a year now, but I've been loving it. Cheerful Ghost and GMail are the only sites I keep open tabs for in Chrome. I visit the site regularly, clicking on the logo to refresh to page to see if there is anything new (or if I have any notifications). I'm really glad to be here and glad to have met some cool people (even that weird Jon that Travis mentioned Hahaha). Thank you for giving me and others an awesome community to talk about video games and other "geek" things. Thank you also for giving me a place to write. Thank you also for giving me a cool place to find out about awesome games. I'm not sure how many games I probably wouldn't have played or known about if it wasn't for Cheerful Ghost, although I think Terraria, Starbound, and Diablo III are among them.

Keep up the good work. I look forward to continuing my membership!

It is possible that my Ozarka was fermented. Unlikely, but possible!