Valve announces the Steam Machines initiative alongside prototype SteamOS hardware

Just the other day, Valve announced SteamOS. Built on Ubuntu, the world’s most popular Linux distrobution, Valve gave PC gamers everywhere hope that PC gaming might yet rise from the ashes, transformed into a more living room capable version of its former self. Today, Valve is taking yet another giant leap towards the step of living room domination with the announcement of their new Steam Machines initiative. And yes, for those whose minds are already racing at the prospect, Valve has announced their own hardware to go along with it.

Valve hopes that Steam Machines, which will launch in the marketplace sometime in 2014, will become a whole new class of gaming-oriented computers running the company’s gaming SteamOS operating system. Steam Machines will be manufactured and sold by a wide variety of OEMs, just like Windows machines today, though the company is remaining tight lipped on any specific names for the time being.

To get the ball rolling, Valve has announced that they will be producing an extraordinarily limited, of what has been commonly referred to up until now as the “Steambox” – hardware designed and manufactured by Valve itself. The company considers this to be a “prototype” version of their Steam Machine model, not all too dissimilar from Google’s original Cr-48 hardware back when they first announced their Chromebook platform.

For those interested on getting their hands on their very own prototype Steam Machine, you best act quickly and hope to have a bit of luck on your side. Valve is only producing 300 units of their prototype Steam Machine for now, and will be allowing users to register for their chance at one until October 25th. That means you’ll essentially need to be the winner of one of the gaming industry’s most popular lotteries – and if there’s one thing you can be sure of, it’s that there will be a large demand.

Valve has published a “Steam Machines” information page for those curious about the new initiative, which I advise you check out if you’re at all interested in getting your hands on some early hardware. Ladies and gentlemen, Valve’s quest for domination of the living room has begun.