03-04-2015, 01:55 AM
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/steiger...28646.html
Valve could have learned from the failure of HTPCs when they were considering Steam Machines, but of course Valve can't even learn from their past and make SteamOS exclusives.
Valve could have learned from the failure of HTPCs when they were considering Steam Machines, but of course Valve can't even learn from their past and make SteamOS exclusives.
Quote:Even with a wide variety of products available, the idea of using an HTPC instead of a regular PC isn't widely accepted. Most people choose a regular desktop computer for daily use, or a decent laptop, or some combination. We spoke to Steiger Dynamics CEO Martin Gossner about the current state and future of HTPCs, and how they can compete in the PC market.
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"…a typical living room has a lot of single devices, like a Blu-ray player, cable box, NAS, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and gaming console. When you sum up the cost for all of those devices, the cost of an HTPC is redeemed really quickly. Furthermore, an HTPC does not only replace those devices, but does the same functions even better. This means fewer cables, fewer remotes, and no constant switching between TV and HDMI inputs."
Even with all its features, the hefty price tag is still a big concern. That's why people still buy Blu-ray and DVD players or gaming consoles to satisfy most, if not all, of their living room needs. However, Gossner pointed out that HTPCs, unlike other living room devices, can easily be upgraded.
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Although PC gaming has been mostly based in users' bedrooms or personal offices, companies like Steiger and Origin, as well as the whole array of Steam Machines, sparked the idea of bringing PC games out of the bedroom and into the living room. Again, the biggest issue is not necessarily cost, as many gamers have a budget in mind that does the job for a little less than the cost of an HTPC. Also, console gamers pay even less than PC gamers, but unlike PCs, consoles don't have the flexibility to upgrade components.
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The challenge now is convincing people to ditch their home theater system or PC for an HTPC. Gossner believes that there many assumptions that go along with having an HTPC, such as TV latency issues for gaming. He also mentioned that companies must look at demographics to determine the advantage of using an HTPC versus owning a home theater system or desktop PC.
However, it seems that HTPCs are slowly being adopted for a wide range of uses.
"We have a lot of customers who completely gave up their desktop and do everything on their HTPC. We even have customers who work from home and want to use our system for all their creative tasks," he said. This is one of the reason [sic] why we launched the LEET Pro at this year's CES."
So where does that put HTPCs in the long run? At the moment, it's still uncertain, but early adopters, from Gossner's perspective, are very happy with Steiger's products and wouldn't want to go back to a regular desktop PC. There's a lot of work to be done on Steiger's end to convince diehard PC fans to switch to an HTPC, but as long as people are interested, Steiger, Origin, and the multitude of companies with their Steam Machines will continue to improve on HTPCs.