Valve announces SteamOS

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This could work. A PC using TV as a monitor wouldn't need most of the Windows software. A media center app and integrated Steam is all that's necessary.

If they can solve the input problem (anyone that has a PC connected to their TV for media center purposes is stuck with a mouce and a keyboard, which sucks as input when You're on the couch), this could be great.
 
This is massive.

Valve already schooled Microsoft on PC gaming, now they're going after the entire OS. And just like they did with Steam they'll probably build a much better product than MS did. HUGE.

This probably won’t register with console fans right away but SteamOS is potentially as big a story as Xbox One/PS4. Maybe bigger.

This is a niche product, you're way overestimating its reach here. A gaming Linux skin isn't going after Windows.
 
I knew it.

A Linux distribution labeled as SteamOS with streaming capabilities for Windows games.
Nice, nice, nice! I hope that means in the future it is mandatory for Steam titles to run on SteamOS. Then FINALLY Windows is obsolete and gaming on Linux can thrive!

Talk about killing the golden goose.

you cant play your normal game without windows or mac, this is just essential ui change to fit better for tv?
can anyone clarify

Only Linux games so far, yes. Don't expect that to change.
 
So I need 2 computers for this? A laptop thar run SteamOS and my standard gaming desktop?

To run Windows only games, yes. They'll most likely be announcing a box with SteamOS on it later this week. Sounds like they'll be trying to get more games on Linux, too.
 
I've never been a PC gamer before. Did Valve just make building a PC $100 cheaper by cutting out Windows? If I build a PC or buy a Steambox can I play old PC games or just new games going forward built for Steam OS?

You can do that already and install a regular Linux distribution. You can just play the Linux library with this and need the Windows or Mac OS to play games that do not have a Linux port.
 
Well, underwhelming.
I expected them to push for DirectX alternative.

It already exists, it's called OpenGL and it's very capable. The tricky part is getting it better drivers and convincing developers to use it, and those are things that Valve is undoubtedly working on as we speak.
 
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i don't think valve accidentally picked three games which would be impossible to play without a traditional monitor/MKB. the controller must be designed to specifically remedy this.
 
It's a repackaged Ubuntu Linux.

The real question is how much it's going to cost to get a Steam-approved label as a reseller. Not using Windows means they avoid paying MS a per-box fee, but will you actually be able to say your box is Steam-compatible without forking over cash to Valve?
 
Exciting news indeed. I'll wait for the rest of the reveal before trying to understand and speculate about what this all means.

For now colour me very interested.
 
From the sound of it, it's good for PC gamers. For me as a non-PC gamer this does absolutely nothing to make me become one. Linux...blech.

I actually just had this conversation with someone on Steam. I agree.

I will stick to my PC Steam.
 
It already exists, it's called OpenGL and it's very capable. The tricky part is getting it better drivers and convincing developers to use it, and those are things that Valve is undoubtedly working on as we speak.

Well this is interesting:

Hundreds of great games are already running natively on SteamOS. Watch for announcements in the coming weeks about all the AAA titles coming natively to SteamOS in 2014.
 
Absolutely nothing. The main feature keeping this thing possibly relevant is that you can stream your PC games from your windows machine to whatever is running this OS. Streaming needs to be absolutely top notch otherwise this thing is not very attractive to people who already run windows (95% of their userbase).

Tomorrow it will still need a Windows computer to run today's game. But the day after tomorrow? If more and more publishers go the multiplatform way, targeting Xbone, PS4, Windows, SteamOS, then Windows will take a hit. Streaming is good, but it's not the ideal solution yet.
 
Here's how it seems to work.

SteamOS is a Steam centric operating system you can install on a device. Valve has been working with developers to get games working natively on the OS.

Not all games will work natively though. Games that do not work natively can be streamed to a SteamOS device by having your Windows/Mac PC library active on another system.

Sooo if I have, say, Left 4 Dead 3 it will run on Windows, Mac, and SteamOS. I can install it directly to my SteamOS device and run it straight from the source. However, maybe I also want to play BioShock Infinite, and BioShock Infinite does not (hypothetically) have SteamOS support. What I can do is have my normal computer turned on, and then use my SteamOS device to stream the game via the network from my source computer.

I can imagine input lag is a problem. What I really want to know is what kind of performance increase SteamOS native games will benefit from under SteamOS. If it's significant I'll definitely be installing a dual boot on my computer: one for Windows, and another for SteamOS, and just boot the latter when I want to take advantage of full performance.
 
So a gaming PC and a low powered Linux PC connected to TV?

Linux PC can play some games, the bigger ones streamed.

If this is the case its a bit like Vita TV.
 
I'm just waiting for the 3rd announcement: Half-Life 3.

This looks like a good push however. I'm sad it's focused on the living-room and not the pc environment.
 
Still dont get who this and the steambox is aimed at.

Linux guys.


The over all idea, that eventually a central home PC similar to a hypervisor/virtual machine that serves nodes through out a house is a great idea. It's just a ways away and games are still going to be on Windows. The Netflix/app crowd is gonna stick with smart TVs or i* devices.
 
Agreed.

I don't think this is the megaton people think it is.

I love me some Steam and Valve but let's not get too clouded about this just because it's based Gabe doing it.

I could be 100 percent wrong here, so apologies in advance, but the people who swore Linux was going to take off, just watch people were the equivalent of people who are SURE European Football will eventually take over the US sports scene.

I mean, the functionality seems really cool. But people saying Windows is dead? Come on, guys.
 
Neat idea but unless one of the other announcements is a box this is useless. Can't wait to see what is left to announce.
 
Great news, MS had this coming for a long time. Now we will see how important games really are to windows success. For me, personally, if not for games/drivers support I wouldn't need windows anymore.
 
sooo, you gotta have a pc powerful enough to play those games?

or can i just grab the steamOS and an unfit laptop and play games on TV?
 
Maybe Valve can shape up the state of the graphics drivers on Linux...

For all the shit that Windows gets, supporting all this hardware configurations is pain in the ass. If Valve manage to beat AMD and Nvidia into submission that would be fantastic as well.

I wonder what native games will come to the os. Titanfall? GATV? HL3? TF3?
 
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