Rumour - Steam Box - 15/04/12 [DAILY DOSE]

SUNDAY 15TH APRIL 2012 - DAILY DOSE

OK - why on Earth they've made the Steam Box all Borg-y is beyond me.

Today's DAILY DOSE is a look at some of the rumours floating around about a new "Steam Box" console - a console designed by Valve to stream games - and even a pair of glasses to merge computer-generated graphics into the real world.

The rumours have been confirmed and denied equally - with several top Valve employees making it clear that they are researching something along these lines while at the same time other execs are denying we'll see anything come of these rumours for the next couple of years.

One thing seems clear - they are working on something.

Last week a job vacancy was posted for an Electronics Engineer - the job blurb is here:

For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we’re developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen. Join our highly motivated team that’s doing hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms. We’re not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here – help us invent whole new gaming experiences.

The vacancy requires the applicants to have prototyping experience, knowledge of ARM/X86 system design, knowledge of board layout and hardware definition languages.

Valve have always created top-quality stuff and games that have defined a generation - now can they take that one step further and create a new gaming platform to change the gaming landscape?

It seems we may have to wait a couple of years to find out - but I'm looking forward to the results.


What does everyone else think?
Is a new Valve console on the way?
Will it be any good?
Comments in the box below.

Some links to the job vacancy itself and some sources that are looking closely at these rumours are posted below:

http://www.valvesoftware.com/jobs/job_postings.html

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/03/03/report-valve-developing-steam-box-console

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/03/08/valve-denies-steam-console-rumors

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/04/13/valve-rd-experimenting-with-wearable-computers

www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2840932/exclusive-valve-steam-box-gaming-console

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: http://www.facebook.com/ign

Rumour - Playstation Orbis - 29/03/12 [DAILY DOSE]

THURSDAY 29TH MARCH 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a heads-up about the rumours floating around at the moment regarding the next Playstation - apparently codenamed ORBIS.

Now these sort of rumours spark up pretty regularly - often that someone guesses what graphics unit or processing power the next console will be packing - however this time there's a whole wealth of information being circulated.

Here's a round-up of the rumour:

• It is currently codenamed "Orbis", which is Latin for "circle" or "ring". When joined with the latest PS Hardware, the PS Vita, you get "Orbis Vita" - which roughly translates as the "Circle of Life".
• There will be AMD top-spec processors and graphics card.
• There will be no backwards compatibility with the PS3 (lame).

AND THEN HERE COMES THE BIG ONE:

• There will be strict second-hand game restrictions. You must register your physical disc copy of your game online, and then you be given a one-time access pass in order to play.
• This is likely to be an effort to restrict the flourishing second-hand market, which currently means that poor, hard-up game publishers only get bucketloads of cash the first time you buy the game.
• If the Orbis works the way described, then each consumer will have to pay the game publisher directly before they can play.

I must say - I hope these rumours aren't true. The second-hand market is great for so many reasons, and if publishers too their heads out of their asses then they could see what a great market it is:

• It allows small businesses to operate without needing the massive capital to approach publishers to buy the latest releases.
• It reduces waste - yes, the second-hand games market is more environmentally friendly!
• It allows people the option of waiting a few weeks for the hype over big releases to die down, then buy a second-hand copy at a much more reasonable price.

Sooooo.... all-in-all I'm worried. Very worried. 

I'm hoping this is all hot air being blown around by inventive minds. 

If not.... my next hardware purchase may not be with Sony....

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
More information on these rumours can be found here: http://kotaku.com/5896996/the-next-playstation-is-called-orbis-sources-say-here-are-the-details