PS4 and Xbox One in Danger: Steam OS, Steam Machines and the Steam Controller to Take Over?

Valve's SteamOS was just the first step in its attempt to put PC gaming into the heart of the living room gaming experience. It is also the first step in its thinly veiled attempt to get into the dedicated gaming war with the PS4 and Xbox One.

Then Steam Machines came into the picture, allowing for people to basically find the machine that was suited to their level of frequency of gaming.

Now the only missing piece of the puzzle is the controller. When Valve finally revealed it, quite a number were stunned by the two touch pads where the usual directional pads and face buttons would be located. Design-wise, this is pretty much the most unique of all the controllers out there, which usually only vary the positions, shape, and size of the device.

Is Valve on the verge of a breakthrough, or are these Steam devices and software just a prototype that still needs work? And the next question is whether or not Valve can tap into the monopoly of the two giants, PS4 and Xbox One.

The Steam Machines: A Good or a Bad Thing?

On the surface, Valve's Steam Machines may seem like the next big thing. Its platform and push is quite simple to understand. The Steam Machines are basically different devices that have different capacities and coming from different vendors, and each kind will have different standards, but will run the SteamOS for gaming, according to PC Mag.

It seems revolutionary enough-instead of just one PS4 or Xbox One, which has the same capabilities and features all throughout, you can choose which kind of Steam Machine you want to match what you need.

However, one good point brought up by TechCrunch is that the reason why multiple vendor deals like this one has not yet been executed perfectly or functionally mostly because it can be hard to handle.

Expectations can only go so high if Valve is in control of everything, from the software down to the details of the hardware. However, if the Steam Machines are to follow its trend, then this won't be the case, and the manufacturers will have more power and say over the matter.

Aside from power, the pricing may also be a dubious factor. There's no telling just how much the Steam Machines will cost, what with all the modifications and standards that they will have to meet. But then again, there have been prototypes of Steam Boxes, and Valve may not be far behind on the innovation pathway.

Steam Controller: Love It or Hate It

Speaking of innovation, there's also the Steam controller, which takes the design of gamepads to a whole new level.

According to the announcement page on Steam's official page:

"The trackpads allow far higher fidelity input than has previously been possible with traditional handheld controllers. Steam gamers, who are used to the input associated with PCs, will appreciate that the Steam Controller's resolution approaches that of a desktop mouse. Whole genres of games that were previously only playable with a keyboard and mouse are now accessible from the sofa."

But the seemingly lack of buttons is anything but, as this diagram of depicting the different parts of Valve's strange new contraption shows that there are more than 10 buttons or touch surfaces to execute commands with.

There is a touch pad in the middle, which has four commands, Quick Save, Quick Load, Screenshot, and Chat Message. The entire controller has 16 buttons all on all, though not physically present.

On the outset, this may seem like brilliant new look and has a more next-gen feel to it compared to the PS4 and Xbox One's specific controllers. But for given the need for simplistic commands when you're at the height of the game, as Wired has suggested. Would you see this as a potentially good and innovative device?