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[Baleoce]

This became a necessary decision ever since Windows started going into heavy competition with closed platforms. Steam relies on the OS currently. And what better way to alleviate the issue, than to not have to rely on them. and/or worry about the direction they're going in. This way they are also covering backwards compatibility. Considering the streaming ability, the box is now the next logical announcement.

 

[c0de]

If you want to play all (and currently the vast majority of) PC games, yes.

SteamOS is so efficient, you can run Windows in a VM without losing performance.

 

[angular graphics]

Already did, babyskates: http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/133824-valve-opengl-is-faster-than-directx-even-on-windows

That's a little (or more than a little) silly though because today nobody should care if dx9 games are a little faster on Linux. With the release of the new consoles dx9 is going to be dead and dx11 has 5+ years of optimizations over dx9.0c..

How well would a DX11 Windows game run on Linux? Now THAT would be an interesting comparison.

 

[Aureon]

Stream? Ok.
That's the easy way i guess.

 

[FiveMinuteHero]

Why is everyone saying 'RIP Windows' when you obviously need a Windows PC for SteamOS to be of any use?

 

[Hari Seldon]

How can installing drivers be hard?

All I know is, my first experience with Ubuntu was doing the auto driver install thing for my AMD card. It crashed my install and I had no idea how to recover since I was new to Linux, so therefore I had to reinstall and not install my AMD drivers. So I cannot game on my Ubuntu install. Which is OK because I didn't install Ubuntu to game on it. If Steam can fix this, and this OS is an actual PC OS and not just a TV OS, then I will not need Windows anymore. If I could dual boot from Steam to Ubuntu desktop, or just switch between them somehow, that is the Holy Grail.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Sounds very cool.

 

[def sim]

I'm befuddled by the RIP Windows comments...this, as presented, does not make an impact on Windows sales at all...

If anything it opens a market for steambox to go up against something like appletv or vita TV.

If anything is going to kill Windows, it'll be because people no longer want to use a desktop for basic applications. Gaming wise, the OS should never fall off barring MS locking it out.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more from Valve. I feel this is a necessary step moving forward.

 

[Somax]

Interesting, waiting for the other two announcements to have a clearer picture of this thing.

 

[balohna]

This...I don't know. I'm not feeling that excited by this. It just seems essentially like Linux with Steam and Big Picture installed.

What if there to be excited about? Why should somebody go from a Windows 7 PC or their current Linux PC with Steam already installed to this? Help me understand.

I get that they can use this for Steambox. I understand that. But outside of that.

Right now it's whatever, a choice or a nice option for a second PC that can stream from your good one.

But if Windows 9 or 10 require all Windows applications are purchased through the Windows Store and run using the Metro UI ("Want to play games? We have a machine for that, it's called Xbox One.")? Having a choice will be necessary for PC gaming to stay alive in its current form.

 

[Bluemercury]

I don't get all the "RIP windows" comments. At the end you will need a Windows PC to play most of the games.

options are always a good thing, And MS is stuck in the past so this is good...

 

[Lunzio]

So the Steambox will certainly come in 2 forms: low cost one for streaming & and a high cost one for the supported games.

I welcome it, but definitely have no need for it.

 

[Deadstar]

Will games run better on stamos than on windows?

 

[Robot Pants]

I know this makes sense and all, but there are chances that the International Criminal Court would read that as an attempt to commit crimes against humanity.

Id honestly burn Gaben at the stake for that.

"I DONT CARE IF STEAMOS IS FREE! BURN HIM!"

 

[SteveWinwood]

Good point, it's Crystal Pepsi then.

youre talking but youre not saying anything of substance

All I know is, my first experience with Ubuntu was doing the auto driver install thing for my AMD card. It crashed my install and I had no idea how to recover since I was new to Linux, so therefore I had to reinstall and not install my AMD drivers. So I cannot game on my Ubuntu install. Which is OK because I didn't install Ubuntu to game on it. If Steam can fix this, and this OS is an actual PC OS and not just a TV OS, then I will not need Windows anymore. If I could dual boot from Steam to Ubuntu desktop, or just switch between them somehow, that is the Holy Grail.

no youre supposed to know how to type mad code and repackage all this stuff yourself

 

[Of All Trades]

It isn't really a threat to Windows when the only useful and marketable feature of the product is the fact that it can stream games FROM Windows.

If anything it only makes Windows stronger by creating an incentive to buy games that work on Windows.

 

[Symphonic]

So Steambox is gonna be a PC with this on it

I mean this is what every console is. PC with "that" on it.

 

[MBR]

Assuming there are performance boosts in some games, you could dual boot Windows/SteamOS on your gaming PC.

I could see there being performance gains, but unless they are extremely big, I don't know if I'd actually bother to reboot into another OS for a select number of titles.

 

[U-R]

This is Valve's "LOL, it's just a bigger ipod touch!" moment.

Spoiler

Still waiting for that AAA games list to jump on the RIP windows bandwagon.

 

[neoanarch]

Depending on how low the required specs are for the OS,. If all you want is the streaming option you'd be able to build a super cheap fanless system. I think people would be surprised what you can squeez certain Linux builds into. 1080p video can be done on a Rasperry Pi with OPENElec buiild after all.

 

[Daingurse]

Interesting announcement for sure, a little boring for me since my PC is already hooked up to my TV lol. But if I ever build a dedicated HTPC, this might be the OS I'd load onto it . . .

 

[Lagamorph]

What about non-Steam games, will you be able to stream those too. GoG, Desura or Origin for example.

As far as I understand it from the information available so far, no. Not unless those games are already up and running on Linux.

 

[IT Slave]

Who wants to bet that HL3 will be the killer app for SteamOS and will release for Windows or Mac a month or two later?

 

[Gully State]

It requires two computers and I'm not going to build a new PC just for SteamOS. Simple as that for me.

Where does it say it requires you to build a new PC? The steam box could be essentially a console or something cheaper if you have a gaming PC.

 

[harSon]

Upgrades are cheap vs. free.
K.

It's a worthwhile price of entry considering its 100% compatibility versus a mere fraction of that.

 

[-MD-]

The third is obviously the family sharing

Why would they make us wait 4 more days to reveal something they've already revealed?

 

[Rolodzeo]

I don't get it. If it's a linux distro with some kind of modification... why not just use ubuntu + normal steam? It'd be massively more capable and you can always use big picture... seriously I don't get it.

 

[shaolinx1]

Makes me wonder if SteamOS can be installed on mobile hardware like tablets/ipads or phones.

Would make a helluva difference in gaming if suddenly you could stream from you PC or steambox to your phone or tablet.

Would prefer to play on TV, but sometimes you have to share you know. Would be nice to be able to stream it over to a tablet and keep going.

 

[AzerPhire]

One of us has a hole in their ceiling

Nope! Clean installation for me, one for the computer and one for the TV.

 

[Celegus]

Cool I guess? I don't have a problem playing games on my monitor, I really don't need an additional machine in the living room just to play Steam games.

 

[Prophet Steve]

So what about when I want to do something other than gaming? What if I want to use a Windows application? I need to totally restart my computer to go between gaming and not-gaming? Why bother when I can just load up Windows and have it all right there and have saved myself a few gig of hard drive space?

I can't see any reasons for software/hardware developers to go to the expense of adopting this at all when Windows does everything they need already and more.

You specifically said gaming-PC, although I do agree to you that this does not matter all that much for people that already use their gaming PC with steam and have it connected to a tv with a controller.

But there are plenty of people who do not have that.

 

[Kater]

So, there are still two announcements this week?
God, I'm as excited as a little kid driving to Legoland.

 

[Gustav]

I have a x51 under my TV. Not interested in playing over a laggy stream. If it'd run Windows games natively I would have put SteamOS on my x51. This however looks like a waste of my time.

 

[astonish]

The windows graphics stack has really been locked up by some copy protection since Windows Vista. I wonder if with some more openness and better driver support people can really push the PCs more the way consoles can push their hardware further (see GTA V on 8 year old hardware). The linux kernel can be lower latency AFAIK. Anyway totally going to give this a spin on my HTPC. Hopefully I can convert my media drives into a big ZFS share

 

[Xellos]

Streaming from a Windows PC to a Linux PC does nothing for me. I'd rather just build a small form factor gaming PC and hook it up directly to my TV. I guess Valve has to start somewhere, though. Hopefully, over time, they can get AMD/Nvidia/game developers on board and offer a genuine alternative to Windows.

 

[Lynn616]

What about non-Steam games, will you be able to stream those too. GoG, Desura or Origin for example.

If it doesnt run on Linux it will not run on SteamOS.

There is an OS that runs all of those.

 

[Shenzakai]

I've just built my very own HTPC/Steambox this July which is only running plain Win7 + Steam in Big Picture Mode.

This whole thing with SteamOS just frikkin' AWESOME! My body is ready as well as my HTPC

Dat GabeN!

For sure I'll give this a try in dual-boot, but I won't buy a second PC to stream it to my HTPC just for the sake of using SteamOS. As soon as the majority of games will be released natively on SteamOS, I'm fully in!

If they release a cheap, small SteamOS Streaming box then I would consider buyin' it to stream my games from the then relocated (HT-)PC to the SteamOS box.

Hell, yes, this was the announcement I've waited for. Can't wait for the two upcoming ones!

 

[imfinnegan]

Why is everyone saying 'RIP Windows' when you obviously need a Windows PC for SteamOS to be of any use?

You do right now. In two days time, you very likely will not. The way I see it, the only way Steam OS makes sense in terms of how it fits into the current living room entertainment setup is if it runs on Steam Box, which I think is what Valve will announce on Wednesday.

 

[c0de]

How can installing drivers be hard?

Oh, there you go, brave wish of hiding the core from an interface. I loved you, back in 1998...

 

[spadge]

Why would I chose this over a PC running XBMC, Advanced Launcher and Steam Big Picture Mode?

Game streaming is enough for me to want to switch. my little media box isn't nearly powerful enough to game, so streaming sounds great.

 

[rekathon]

There's my 3rd console. Gaming just got even more epic. Living room setup will be PS4, Xbox one and one SteamOS machine. Thank you Valve.

 

[TommyT]

Nope! Clean installation for me, one for the computer and one for the TV.

Can't wait until I can build my own house where multi-port outlets like these will be in every room.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

I don't get all the "RIP windows" comments. At the end you will need a Windows PC to play most of the games.

They already have some developers onboard. I have to imagine that Valve will offer some incentive to develop games for Steam OS, take less of a cut on Steam or something.

Assuming this catches on and you only need a pure gaming machine no longer do you have to spend £80/$100+ on a Windows licence, you can put it towards a better GPU etc..

 

[LiK]

Meh

 

[JaseC]

Who wants to bet that HL3 will be the killer app for SteamOS and will release for Windows or Mac a month or two later?

SteamOS isn't the platform.

SteamBox isn't the platfom.

Steam itself is the platform. There will be no exclusives tied to a specific flavour of it (excluding games from developers who don't develop for Mac/Linux, obviously). Valve's goal is squarely horizontal: get Steam and its array of content into as many hands as possible.

 

[Aeana]

Nope! Clean installation for me, one for the computer and one for the TV.

Yeah, we did this in our house too.

 

[SteveWinwood]

If it doesnt run on Linux it will not run on SteamOS.

There is an OS that runs all of those.

That doesn't even come close to answering his question. In fact it has nothing to do with it.

Not sure if you can't read, or are intentionally trolling.

 

[SentryDown]

Seems pretty useless to me, why would someone buy a second computer to play PC games on TV ?

 

[bug_42]

I think we have more coming...........soon, very soon

 

[ComputerMKII]

I would assume installing steam and games-related stuff would be pretty easy, it's probably one of the reasons for their own distribution, it come pre-packaged with the softwares required and there should be minimum troubleshooting.

I hope so. This is one of the main problems of Linux to me. Even on the most 'user-friendly' distributions, things break and sometimes require subtle command-line trickery to work.