Mar 14, 2013

Gabe Says Valve’s Business Grew “50%” In The Last Year

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Craig Pearson)

Harry Potter: The Next Generation

This is kind of cool. When Gabe Newell accepted his BAFTA fellowship last week, he crowd-sourced his speech in the Valve offices. All he received was sarcastic responses, which he then told to the audience. He was then interviewed backstage, and without the yoke of his cruel workmates he dropped a few amazing stats. The first one is that Valve’s business grew massively in the last year, by about 50%. I’ll bet it’s mostly Dota 2 related. And it’s an easy way to put paid to the notion that Valve’s recent lay-offs might be because of financial trouble. That was never going to be the case, but now it’s unfathomable. The other one is actually more impressive, and I’ll tell you that and include the video below. You’ll never guess. (more…)

Mar 14, 2013

Exclusive: Incredipede For Steam Trailered, Discussed

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

Incredipede was one of last year’s most delightful surprises, and you should feel ashamed for not playing it. The grotesquely adorable creature constructor was not, however, without its flaws, and creator Colin Northway has no trouble admitting it. Now, though, Qwozzle’s got her tiny yet mighty sights set on Steam, and she’ll be completing her dogged climb into Newell’s house of wonders (and hopefully apples) on March 18th. But this isn’t the same game the most beautiful and handsome among you played late last year. Among other things, version 1.5 includes an entire new set of less-punishing Normal mode levels, a much more versatile control scheme, and eagles (!!!). After the break, you’ll find a trailer of the new features and levels in action, plus a rather massive chat with Northway and artist Thomas Shahan. So go forth! Peruse!>

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Mar 14, 2013

Crack: Surgeon Sim Steam Version Adding Brain Surgery

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

Isn't it amazing to think that's exactly how all eggs look inside before we cook them?

I think a lot of people were pretty surprised when Surgeon Simulator 2013 made the cut for Steam Greenlight. I mean, it’s an impressive, exceedingly hilarious little production, but it emerged from the bounty-filled chest cavity of Global Game Jam. It’s amazing that something with such high production values came out of such a short development period at all, but the fact is, Surgeon Sim’s roots show. It’s a silly sideshow, but it hardly seems primed for primetime. Fortunately, Bossa’s not hanging up its gore-caked coat just because it’s sharing a practice with the likes of TF2′s Medic and, er… yeah, mostly him. New additions are on the way, so as to make this the most realistic simulation of a deranged, depth-perception-less sloth creature performing surgery ever. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to operate the break, after which you’ll find a video conclusively proving that you also don’t have to be a brain surgeon to be, well, a brain surgeon.

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Mar 13, 2013

Er, OK: Xi3 Claims Valve Asked Them To Make Piston

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

My, my. So much trouble over something so small and easily consumed on accident if I'm not paying attention.

The strange and sordid saga of Xi3′s Steambox/apparently not a Steambox/grapefruit of the fuuuuuuuuture slogs on. You’ll remember that Valve publicly denounced the little-PC-that-could (cost $1000) yesterday, which came as a strange turn of events after it was first announced with an investment from the very same Steam-powered empire. Right hand, meet left? Or maybe this was all an evil plot hatched by none other than Nega-Newell, who’s spent the past couple years masquerading as the real deal and making a series of baffling decisions. It sounds just as plausible as anything else, I think, given that Xi3′s now revealed that the rabbit hole runs even deeper. Apparently, it was actually Valve who commissioned them to make the damn thing in the first place.

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Mar 12, 2013

New Twist In 'Steam Box' Saga: Piston Makers Say They Were 'Asked To Build A Product Specifically By Valve'

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New Twist In 'Steam Box' Saga: Piston Makers Say They Were 'Asked To Build A Product Specifically By Valve'

Hardware maker Xi3 has addressed today's confusion, telling Kotaku tonight that despite Valve's statements this morning, the Steam makers actually asked Xi3 to design the Piston PC.

In a strange statement this morning, Valve distanced themselves from Piston, a living-room-friendly PC that some have taken to calling an unofficial 'Steam Box' because it is designed to hook up to your television and play games in Steam's Big Picture mode—and because Xi3 said it had been backed by Valve.

"Valve began some exploratory work with Xi3 last year, but currently has no involvement in any product of theirs," Valve marketing head Doug Lombardi said in a statement originally obtained by Eurogamer (and by Kotaku later today).

Lombardi's statement was tough to square with what Xi3 had announced in January, when they first showed off the Piston at CES in Las Vegas. At the time, Xi3 said that Valve was helping back the new hardware.

"Xi3 also announced today it has received an investment from Valve Corporation," Xi3 said in a press release then. "Xi3's new development stage computer game system is also being showcased in Valve's booth (#25730) at CES 2013. No additional details about Xi3's new system or Valve's investment in Xi3 will be released at this time."

Last weekend, Xi3 announced that the Piston will launch this holiday season with models starting at $1,000.

We've been reaching out to both Xi3 and Valve all day to get some clarification, and in a statement sent to Kotaku tonight, Xi3 said that Valve not only invested in the Piston, but the Steam makers actually asked them to make it.

Here's the full statement from Xi3:

"We reaffirm the fact that we received an investment from Valve Corporation (as we previously disclosed during the 2013 International CES trade show), and we did so with Valve's written permission," said Jason A. Sullivan, founder, president and CEO of Xi3 Corporation. "Second, we were asked to build a product specifically for Valve, and both companies showcased this product—the Piston Console—in their respective booths at CES 2013.

"Then, during a meeting with Valve at CES, Gabe Newell personally asked me that we not disclose additional information about our relationship with Valve. We have honored that request and will continue to do so. That said, there are other items we need to cover.

"For example, the assumption of many in the media has been that Piston is the ‘official' Steam Box. We've never said that and neither has Valve. That hasn't changed. But just because Valve may not ‘currently' have any ‘involvement with any product of (ours)' doesn't mean that such involvement won't exist in the future.

"It's also important to note that the Piston Console will allow gamers to access Steam regardless of what our relationship is or isn't with Valve. Additionally, Piston will also support a raft of other Internet-based gaming and entertainment platforms, which is more than what Valve apparently has planned for its official Steam Box. In this way, the Piston Console could be perceived as something more than just a Steam Box, which makes sense because at its core the Piston Console is a Modular Computer that can run any operating system or application designed to run on an x86-based 64-bit computer.

"To be clear, the Piston Console will ship initially with a Windows operating system specifically because that's where the vast bulk of game software and computer gamers are today. That said, the Piston Console can also run Linux (and other operating systems), which means it can support the Linux-version of Steam.

"Contrary to Valve's vision, Xi3 believes that the way to take this to market today is to do so with a Windows OS at the core, coupled with the ability to not just get to one platform/store for games, but to get access to all game stores/platforms. Studios should have the option to go through Steam if they choose or to go direct to the end-user if they so choose. That will be the difference between Piston and other Steam Boxes. You'll be able to access Steam if you choose, but you'll also be able to access other platforms as well-all through the Piston Console.

"We have opened Piston Console pre-orders and have been amazed at the interest and amount of pre-orders we have received thus far. This just reaffirms to us our decision to open pre-orders, because we are seriously concerned we will not be able to meet the demand for Piston Consoles for the 2013 Holiday Season.

"In closing, what Valve does or doesn't do with its Steam Box will be up to them. So Gabe, it's up to you. The ball is in your court."

Mar 11, 2013

SPACEBEARS: Preorder StarDrive For Beta Access

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Cara Ellison)

OMG SPACEBEARS

If you don’t watch the trailer for 4X Action-Strategy game StarDrive and immediately go 1) “HOLY BALLS SPACEBEARS” 2) “JINKIES! That captain-type man smoking a pipe looks jolly good wot wot” or 3) “I really want to make my own little ship to laser people with” then you are probably not me>. But don’t worry! I hear that if you do> like the look of this space shenanigan you can preorder it on Steam now and get immediate access to the Beta along with a 15% discount on it at the same time. >I can bearly> contain myself. Have a look:

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Mar 9, 2013

The First Unofficial 'Steam Box' Will Launch This Holiday Season Starting At $1,000

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Xi3's Piston—the first unofficial Steam Box console—will launch this holiday at a starting price of $1,000, the hardware manufacturer announced today.

If you preorder it before March 18, you'll get a $100 discount.

The Piston is the first PC designed specifically to play games in your living room using Steam's Big Picture mode. Valve is helping finance the machine, although the Steam makers are developing their own Steam Box that will also be released this year, according to Valve boss Gabe Newell.

"Clearly, the computer/video gaming market is huge, both in the personal computer and traditional console markets," Xi3 CEO Jason Sullivan said in a press release. "That being said, we believe there is a crying need for a machine that captures the best of both worlds, with the upgradeability of computer gaming rigs and the design and form factor of consoles. We believe our Piston Consoles do exactly that-deliver the beauty and small size of consoles with the upgradeability of computers."

Mar 8, 2013

Natural Caution: The Perils Of Cheap Game Keys

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alec Meer)

I chew-chew-chews you

Here’s a cautionary tale, and a stark reminder that digital goods are still the World Wide Wild West. While a majority of PC games these days seem to ultimately involve a Steam key (which is itself an understandably controversial state of affairs), ownership of one of those keys can be sold by any number of third parties. So we see online stores both reputable and troublesome striving to offer downloads for less than a direct Steam activation, less than each other and, most commonly, less than the frequently outrageously inflated official pricing in some territories. Such was (and presumably is) the case for Natural Selection 2. Revealed developer Unknown Worlds yesterday, “Recently, a batch of 1,341 NS2 Steam keys were purchased using stolen credit cards. These keys were then offered for sale by various resellers. The owners of said cards disputed the transactions, and thankfully received their money back.”

Thankfully for them, but less thankfully for a) Unknown Worlds and b) the people who had bought the keys.

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Mar 8, 2013

In This Lovely Fairy Tale Game, Your Right Thumb Is Your Little Brother

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I've been waiting to see more of the world of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The downloadable game looks so different than most of the games that Starbreeze has put out and seems to be an eye-catching mix of exploration and co-operative puzzle-solving. The twist, though, is that you'll need to co-operate with yourself. Specifically, each thumbstick on a gamepad will control one of the game's siblings.

I really like how characters will react differently to each Brother. It's not the most novel mechanic in the world but it does resonate with how kids from the same family can rub adults different ways based on their personalities. Brothers will cost 1200 MS points on Xbox Live when it comes out this spring; pricing for Steam and PSN is still pending.

Mar 8, 2013

Age Of Empires II HD Advancing To The Steam Age

Steam Community Items - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

These aren't your father's textures. And who does he think he is, trying to lay claim to them anyway?

The Age of Empires series has seen better days. Days like the year 1999, for instance. That’s when Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings charged onto the itsy-bitsy adowwwwable killing fields, and oh what a grand thing it was. It even looked quite nice for the time, eschewing 3D razzle-dazzle in favor of goode ye-olde-fashioned sprites. Times, however, have changed, and monitors have grown wide and voracious in their appetites for tender, succulent resolutions. Thus, Microsoft’s deemed it high-time for a re-release, on that newfangled, installation-frisbee-free Steam contraption that’ll probably never catch on, no less. Graphics, however, aren’t the only thing getting a modern makeover here.

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