My Summer Build Project

Every summer, I build a new PC. I alternate between a desktop and a laptop each year. In some cases, I actually build them, but as I've gotten older, I more frequently 'build' them (order them, with some heavy customizations, off a website.)

This summer, I'm due for a new laptop, but I may actually hold off. Yeah, my Alienware laptop has some aspects that I don't like, and I really would like to move into a new one, and their new 'trade-up' program has me tempted, but ...

The Steam streaming beta has really given me a lot to think about. Using the streaming feature, I really could, finally, have the big-ass TV gaming experience I deserve. Yeah, my Xbox One is great, but I only buy games for it if I can't get them on PC (Titanfall, because all my friends are luddite mouthbreathers that are primarily console players, may be the exception). Why? Visual fidelity. Control schemes. Modding. Every game on PC is portable. No disc. Infinite backwards compatibility. You get the idea, right?

I keep going back and forth on this, and I actually really would like some feedback from you.

I've got a minimum of two TVs up to a maximum of 4 TVs that I'd like to which I'd like to be able to stream. You'll understand that range in a moment.

No matter the implementation, I want the following: wireless keyboard/mouse w/ 10-20ft range), wireless 360 controller (same range as k/m), and HDMI out.

My two nicest setups are in the basement and the front room. In both cases, I have a big-ass TV and 5.1 surround. I have two lesser setups in the sun room and the bedroom.

The streaming feature requires a computer with either Windows, Mac (lulz), or Linux.

I've narrowed myself to two options:
 - build two cheap SteamOS boxes that will permanently park themselves under the two big TVs, but ONLY be used for games
 - customize and order a really nice gaming laptop that can dock at any TV easily into a setup that already has the wireless control options and HDMI out set to go; if I got the Alienware route  again, I can shave about $500 off the cost, AND get an upgraded mobile gaming experience, too; additionally, since I'll be rocking Windows 8.1 on it, I can also use this for any other media need I have, as well

While I'm heavily leaning toward #2, the size of the laptop is something I'm concerned about being able to mitigate. I need a minimum of a 1920x1080 display on it, and I HATE not having the numpad on my current Alienware, so we're probably looking at around 17inches.

Also, gaming laptops tend to be pretty thick, and I'd really like to have a low profile on this thing. And they can be pretty heavy.

What's nice, though, is that since local resources aren't being used in the streaming (yeah, a handful of games will be local), heat will not be an issue.

The other choice is the cheap SteamOS boxes. I probably have the ability to implement these at a very low cost. I hold onto hardware forever, JUST IN CASE, and that may pay off here.

Another thing, too, is that the Steam streaming isn't perfect yet. It doesn't work if the host computer is locked, and if it's Win8+, it better not be at the start screen. Also, if it's a non-Steam game that you've added to the Steam menu, it'll puke if it has a launch menu prior to the actual game (commonly seen in MMOs).

Which means that I'd want some games to be able to run locally (ESO, any BioWare games for which I use Origin cloud saves, SWTOR), which nukes the cheap SteamOS box idea, almost.

There's also a wild card in all this. My old gaming desktop, which was replaced last year, is now a Windows Server 2012 R2 box, which is running a Hyper-V instance, and acting as a file share. It's still got that NVIDIA 260GT in it, which will still run a lot of modern games, so local instances of games is possible, and I'm sure I can get the Steam streaming running on it. I could, theoretically, move that out to one of the TVs.

So, I dunno. I'm mulling this over until E3 week, which is my target for pulling the trigger one way or the other. That's usually my build week, since I always take the whole week off from work.

I'm not going to rush this decision, and I want to have time to plan out the infrastructure for it, so feel free to comment away with your thoughts. When it comes to design, never operate in a vacuum. Unless you're a space-bound alien.

SPRAY YOUR THOUGHTS ALL OVER ME, PLEASE!!!

-Blaine

RAWR! Consoles Hate Freedom! RAWR!

So, I was perusing the comments (WHY do I that?! WHY?!) of some article on GameSpot, when I came across an unexpected explosion of the anti-PC vitriol that has only intensified with the release of the 'next-gen' consoles.

I think the subject in question may have been the re-release of Tomb Raider for XB1 and PS4, with visuals that are closer to PC-quality than the PS360 release. I believe some trolling PC player may have made the mistake of disclosing poorly-timed truth and pointing out that all the new Tomb Raider release is a better-looking version that PC players have been able to enjoy since its actual release.

What followed was your predictable flame war, in which each child involved assigned some kind of emotional value to what a total stranger on the internet enjoys. I was tempted to jump into one of my alts and fan the flames a bit, but decided I was too out of practice, and that I had an actual life to go enjoy.

The Future
What both sides don't realize, I believe, is that we're marching toward a hybrid future, in which there won't be two disparate sides, but more of a spectrum. Ideas like the SteamBox offer a potential glimpse into what I'm talking about, in which you have a box that is built to a prescribed minimum standard, with a prescribed OS, like a console, but with the option of upgrading, similar to a PC (side note - I heard someone say, and I'm not kidding, 'simUlar;' I wanted to smack them. I don't even know how you arrive at that pronunciation.)

PC gamers, by necessity, are more tech-savvy than console-only gamers, and by and large recognize this fact. I think a lot of us PC-heavy players look at it, shrug, quietly hope it doesn't destroy the wide-open world of PC gaming, and then move on with our lives (or MMOs, in some cases.)

I'm concerned about the console-only gamers, though. Many have been reduced to parroting whatever the branding behind their console of choice is currently pushing ("M$ is MORE WORSER AND GAY!" "SONY IS FOR FAGS! RAWR"), and both Microsoft and Sony want NO infiltration into their space by Valve and its cadre of Steam Box manufacturers. The console-only kids, if Steam Box makes in-roads, are gonna be blindsided.

The Present
What's crazy, though, is that if you compare the Xbox One, PS4, and SteamBox, the SteamBox reflects precisely what is in play already among every single other device type. Blu-Ray players play all Blu-Ray movies, so long as you can pull firmware updates, no matter who the manufacturer is. Digital receivers all output HDMI, no matter the manufacturer.

In MS and Sony's worlds, many Blu-Ray titles would play on both platforms, but certain titles would only play on one or the other's platform, necessitating that all consumers buy two Blu-Ray players if they want to watch all movies.

This is stupid, folks, and we've all been endorsing it.

While I don't think the SteamBox is for me, since I already own multiple gaming PCs, and I have an Alienware laptop that I frequently and easily connect to the TV, I do hope it heralds an end to this console nonsense.

Don't get me wrong, I think consoles are great, but in their current form, they're a relic. Their closed platform model doesn't make sense anymore. In order to play all modern console games, you need an Xbox One, an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 4, and a PlayStation 3. That is four goddam machines. Yeah, it'll be down to two in the next couple years, but that's still two devices to play a single user's library of desired titles.

I don't need more than one optical movie device to watch my Blu-Rays, and I shouldn't need more than one console.

I'm not sure what the console player's argument against this is.

And don't even get me started on how stupid it is, in this day and age, to have a device that does only one thing. All devices can easily be multi-purpose now, without diminishing functionality on any one function.

Hope For Change
Frankly, I'd love to see the SteamBox come in and burn the whole thing down, but then see MS and Sony get back in the game, and offer a competing SteamBox-like platform. I think the Metro interface is ripe for it, and MS has the chops, if they ever give a fuck about PC gaming ever again, and not through their walled-off store. Maintain the current open PC gaming standard, so that you can play all titles via any box, and let the race be decided by better UI, ease of service, price, and who can be the first company to make a good mouse/keyboard combo for the couch.

At the same time, I hope Valve is careful in preserving what it is that makes PC gaming so great, and that's the openness of it. Anyone can release anything for PC. Period. There's no gatekeeper. It's truly open, and SteamBox inherently curbs some of that, since you have to get all your games through Steam. That means no Dragon Age: Inquisition or Titanfall or Diablo III or StarCraft II on SteamBox. That, right there, is the second-biggest reason I won't do Steam Box, but instead, my own solution. I love BioWare way too much to invest in a specialty device that automatically excludes them. Activision, though, I can easily live without.

The best part about PC gaming, besides the face-meltingly amazing visuals and bleeding-edge technology and the amazingly precise control schemes, is the proliferation of ideas. Because there's no platform-holder that can block your ideas, you are free to put them out there, and try to get to them to the masses any number of ways.

On the console side, there is no such freedom, and you better be prepared to play ball in the manner of the platform holder's choosing, should you choose to try and publish on their platform.

Also ...
I own an Xbox One and really like it. Forza 5 and Dead Rising 3 are a blast, and I love that the box is the perfect family entertainment hub. It handles anything from TV to movies to audio to games to fitness without batting an eyelash. I just wish it did 3D. And I wish I could at least stream my PC games through it.

This post was originally going to be about how restrictive it is to swear allegiance to just one platform, and then that kinda morphed into this. I guess where I kinda arrived with that was that there should only be one platform, which is an open platform.

I dunno. Maybe PC gaming is 'too open' for some folks, and they need their entertainment purchases spoon-fed to them. These must be the people watching 'Dancing With the Stars' and shit like that. Or maybe they're part of that massive conspiracy that insists that there has, in fact, been a REALLY good entry in the Killzone series, even if they can't name which one it was.

Side Quests
 - beta invites went out for this weekend's Elder Scrolls Online beta test. I don't know if you can still get in or not, but you can apply here. If you're playing the beta this weekend, PM me.

 - the next BioShock: Infinite episode arrives 3/25. I've finished the core game, but haven't tried to the first episode. I was gonna wait til they're both out.

 - I've gotten way back into Morrowind, and am loving it again. I've been kicking it Legion-style up on the northern coast, and am really digging being a ninja-thief-impCult-impLegion-dude.

In Closing ...
I love gaming, and I want it to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. I know that the platform and 'couch vs office chair' experience can be a deal breaker for some folks. I was a straight-up console gamer until I had children. I was not at all into PC gaming until a bit after my first child was born, and then multiple factors pushed me into PC gaming.

The key thing is that you don't one of those miserable fucks that uses your lack of income as a the basis for an elaborate fiction in which the only platform and games you can afford are the only viable gaming experiences to be had.

*HUGGLES*

-Blaine