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[MrNyarlathotep]

With a life long iron clad grip on enterprise for fear of losing a statistically irrelevant number of PC gamers?

The reason Gabe left MS in the first place was he was looking at the numbers of installed programs, and the number one software penetration app was Doom.

Be dismissive of PC gaming all you want, but gaming is the primary activity on most OSes.
I wouldn't think Ms would be particularly happy with many people becoming familiar with using linux on a daily basis either.

 

[elektrixx]

I'm not seeing why I would benefit from this. Popularity is king and where development happens. Why would I personally choose this over Windows and let go of all that compatability, not just with Steam games but with all my games? Then there's every other thing computers do that only works on Windows.

 

[Tacitus_]

It has everything to do with computer security. They will absolutely be allowed to lock down permissions based on a curated store, and they absolutely will do it.

Windows' programs have been the wild west and every other OS has already cleaned their act up. Why wouldn't Microsoft do the same thing?

Right, all that walled garden going on in Mac OS and Linux. Except no. Even Mac isn't locked down to preapproved software.

I'm sure MS would be drooling at the mouth of the possibility of having everything go through their store. But they have a monopoly on desktops and that means they can't do it legally.

 

[Trickytoon]

So from the little I understand of Valve's development process they don't force people to work on projects, they allow individuals to coalesce naturally around projects that interest them. Is this a viable development strategy if you are maintaining an OS? How reactive are they able to be for urgent security patches etc within this structure? Am I going to be able to replace my desktop OS with Steam OS and if so, how is this going to be supported by ongoing development and maintenance?

It's an interesting idea but I'm withholding judgement until the next two reveals.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

I want to know what Valve's significant performance increases are.

Are they things like 300 fps in Windows vs 330 fps in SteamOS (basically pointless) or is it say 40 fps in Windows vs 60 fps in SteamOS (which would be quite big).

Linux has terrible 3D perf because of crappy drivers. At best you should hope for it to be on par with Windows, which would be quite a big win for Linux.

 

[GK86]

I haven't been this hyped in a long while.

 

[fizzgigg]

I really like the icon the whole purple space theme.
I'm excited to see the box I'm thinking it's going to look like that one box they showed off that they invested in.

 

[CodonAUG]

If this is as open as Valve says. Origin (EA), Amazon, GoG, etc. will be allowed to put their stores onto the SteamBox.
That has gotta help encourage them to support it.

 

[Gwanatu T]

Antonio Banderas gif for a new generation

I love you GAF. Best announcement I could possibly think of on my birthday. This is the best PC gaming news I might have EVER heard. It's about time we get a company in charge of the OS that actually gives a damn about gaming. Screw you MS, I hope this destroys Windows.

 

[Orayn]

But they all require the Steam client to be running, and require you to go online periodically to verify with Valve.

If I wanted, after the initial activation, I could keep Windows permanently offline forever and it would work just fine.

Offline mode is indefinite. There have been bugs that can mess with it, but they're all fixed or fixable.

 

[Artemisia]

The site keeps making mention to a 'living room machine'. Are they talking about hardware they've designed and is yet to be announced, or a desktop PC hooked up to a TV?

 

[cyberheater]

So an indie dev could develop a game and not use any Microsoft tools at all. Shocking.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Not sure I'm really clear on this, and I see TucoBenedictoPacifico has raised the same issue - people here are mostly saying the primary purpose of SteamOS is to stream games from a Windows PC? I thought this is just one of the features, or am I mistaken?

Is there a realistic possibility that they've made a greater breakthrough in running Windows games on Linux, a special virtualization environment and such? Genuinely curious.

I think it's more likely that they have been building tools that make porting D3D games to Linux easier and are making their case to devs.

 

[RulkezX]

I can absolutely see Dell selling SteamOS boxes under the Alienware brand.

While swallowing up that money they save on license fee's.

 

[StuBurns]

I can absolutely see Dell selling SteamOS boxes under the Alienware brand.

Yeah, of course, but the majority of their product line, and a greater majority of their sales, will remain with Windows.

The reason Gabe left MS in the first place was he was looking at the numbers of installed programs, and the number one software penetration app was Doom.

Be dismissive of PC gaming all you want, but gaming is the primary activity on most OSes.
I wouldn't think Ms would be particularly happy with many people becoming familiar with using linux on a daily basis either.

Is that right? This time last year, Windows 7 had sold 630 million units. Around 32 million W7 users are on Steam, so around 9% of Windows 7's users. Now 9% is a lot, it would hurt MS is they all left for SteamOS, but they won't, because the majority of Steam users don't exclusively use their computers for Steam, and SteamOS doesn't seem like it will provide enough reason for those people to leave Windows. Some will, maybe a few million, but that's not going to hurt MS.

 

[opticalmace]

The site keeps making mention to a 'living room machine'. Are they talking about hardware they've designed and is yet to be announced, or a desktop PC hooked up to a TV?

Both/either. I think that's the point.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I bought a mid-range PC (not for gaming) a couple years ago for about $400, and Dark Souls PC was unplayable, no low settings or anything... so it is not possible to compare the longevity of a console to that of a gaming-rig without breaking the bank.

????????


My laptop from 2009 that has a core 2 duo (P8700, a Penryn-3M architecture released in March 2008) runs Dark Souls.

 

[Pachimari]

If I'm going to build my own pure monster Gaming PC, then SteamOS would be preferred over Windows 7? Sorry, I'm not much into PCs and I'm looking into building my own come this Winter/Spring.

 

[BiggStankDogg]

This thread's moving fast. Has this been asked?: Could an OG PS3 running Other OS feasibly install Steam OS and run Steam games through the PS3 using a DualShock 3? Am I a dummy?

 

[Salsa]

hdd partition here we go

 

[Jackl]

And will continue to. Do you think Dell and HP are going SteamOS?

No, but if Linux gains universal app & hardware support what do you think that will do?

 

[TheFightingFish]

So at least at the start this does little for me. My PC currently is stashed behind my TV where I do all my PC gaming on, so I don't really see any compelling reason to greatly reduce the library that I can run on it for no real gain over big picture mode. But I do acknowledge that I'm not really the target customer here because of this. One thing that could be interesting to me is a reverse of the usual SteamBox scenario. I have an older netbook that I don't use much anymore. Can I put SteamOS on it and then basically use the streaming service like a WiiU would use the gamepad for off screen play? Being able to play my full library from a little portable device around the house would be pretty cool if the lag is acceptable.

 

[Anteater]

And will continue to. Do you think Dell and HP are going SteamOS?

Alienware x51 already has an linux option at a cheaper cost

Edit: man this thread moves fast, ignore my reply

 

[Ikael]

I've read almost the entire tread, I love Steam and gaming on my PC yet I fail to see how this is remotely exciting or relevant for me as a gamer. It only makes sense as a first step into a full SteamBox reveal.

 

[cyberheater]

If this is as open as Valve says. Origin (EA), Amazon, GoG, etc. will be allowed to put their stores onto the SteamBox.
That has gotta help encourage them to support it.

I really hope not. Or they should be forced to fully integrate into Steam so there isn't a separate stupid app you've got to run to authenticate the game.

 

[cbox]

I like being able to finish some work in photoshop, then load up hitman absolution. No thanks, valve...

 

[Opiate]

Not sure I'm really clear on this, and I see TucoBenedictoPacifico has raised the same issue - people here are mostly saying the primary purpose of SteamOS is to stream games from a Windows PC? I thought this is just one of the features, or am I mistaken?

Is there a realistic possibility that they've made a greater breakthrough in running Windows games on Linux, a special virtualization environment and such? Genuinely curious.

If they'd made that breakthrough, it would have been clear in the text. It hasn't happened.

But this is not just streaming Windows games to a Linux box. Apparently there are already a good number of games coming natively to SteamOS (i.e. not streaming) and more on the way. If SteamOS takes off, you can expect that to increase.

The Streaming option is clearly there as a stop gap; for now, you can continue to play your Windows Steam games through streaming, but as SteamOS grows and builds its library, you may eventually no longer feel the need to stream as most/all of the games you're playing 3 years from now will have SteamOS ports from the ground up. That's the idea, anyway.

 

[Ne0megaZX]

Probably something to do with a 3.

Maybe is simpler. the first circle is the SteamOS the second circle is the Steambox and the third the Steamcloud

 

[terrisus]

Offline mode is indefinite. There have been bugs that can mess with it, but they're all fixed or fixable.

Is it? Everything I've heard from everyone is that, if you activate offline mode and are offline, it makes you go back online to check in with them like once every 2 weeks or something.

 

[Astery]

I don't get the hype, is it just because it's from Valve?
I guess it's irrelevant to me when my desktop monitor is better than my living room tv monitor and I do all my gaming on my desktop monitor for years now.

 

[EVIL]

Where is all the media coverage, interviews etc.?

propably after all 3 announcements are done. this is simply step 1

 

[sixteen-bit]

Wonder how this will affect the industry.

 

[scitek]

If be interested in SteamOS if there were actually significant performance gains with it. I wouldn't mind rebooting for a few games.

 

[Anteater]

I don't get the hype, is it just because it's from Valve?
I guess it's irrelevant to me when my desktop monitor is better than my living room tv monitor and I do all my gaming on my desktop monitor for years now.

You can still use your monitor, I'm not sure why people keep bringing up tv in this thread

 

[Corto]

With a life long iron clad grip on enterprise for fear of losing a statistically irrelevant number of PC gamers?

You're right of course, but PC desktop hardware evolution was always driven by gaming first. If they lose that they'll be in trouble. It will stall their development cycles. Tablets and smartphones are a wishful thinking at the moment for Microsoft. So if they get cornered into enterprise desktop business they'll lose more than the overall percentage of that slice on their current total revenue.

 

[Grief.exe]

If they'd made that breakthrough, it would have been clear in the text. It hasn't happened.

But this is not just streaming Windows games to a Linux box. Apparently there are already a good number of games coming natively to SteamOS (i.e. not streaming) and more on the way. If SteamOS takes off, you can expect that to increase.

The Streaming option is clearly there as a stop gap; for now, you can continue to play your Windows Steam games through streaming, but as SteamOS grows and builds its library, you may eventually no longer feel the need to stream as most/all of the games you're playing 3 years from now will be SteamOS from the ground up.

Valve is probably testing their current OGL wrapper for more widespread use in the library. Source games don't natively support Linux, but they all function better than the Windows versions due to this wrapper.

Stopgap indeed.

 

[Dinda]

WOW

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

Then there's every other thing computers do that only works on Windows.

I'm curious what those are, because it's not even "use Office" anymore.

 

[The Cowboy]

Question.

As someone who's never used Linux for gaming I don't know this, can Linux users play online with Windows users?.

 

[chadskin]

The site keeps making mention to a 'living room machine'. Are they talking about hardware they've designed and is yet to be announced, or a desktop PC hooked up to a TV?

The In-Home-Streaming description is interesting: "Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have - then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!"

I'm thinking both options are possible. A full-blown PC hooked up to the TV or a little box like Apple TV/PS Vita TV hooked up to the TV.

 

[vasametropolis]

If this is as open as Valve says. Origin (EA), Amazon, GoG, etc. will be allowed to put their stores onto the SteamBox.
That has gotta help encourage them to support it.

In the long run, I think this is the only way to really succeed. I hate it to all hell because I'd prefer to own as much as possible on one service, but if they want EA titles on their OS, they'll probably have to throw them a bone.

On second thought, it seems smarter to create SteamOS as a centralized, feature-filled backbone for multiple store fronts, where your games will appear in one library regardless of where you bought them from. Also, friends on various platforms could be linked/mapped to a universal Steam account where functionality between services would not be an issue. I think this is the only way to really make everyone happy. Let publishers take their profit, and let users not be punished by this decision.

This would also be in line with Valve's thinking that revenue sharing with content producers is the future of the business. They do not need to make a cut on game sales outright, they just need to provide the platform and games, then everything can fall into place.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Question.

As someone who's never used Linux for gaming I don't know this, can Linux users play online with Windows users?.

Yes.

 

[MaximoffZero]

This thread's moving fast. Has this been asked?: Could an OG PS3 running Other OS feasibly install Steam OS and run Steam games through the PS3 using a DualShock 3? Am I a dummy?

With some serious tweaking, maybe. Most likely the SteamOS would only run on x86 hardware, but hey people have gotten old-school Windows to run on PS3 (albeit poorly), so why not?

 

[siddhu33]

I suppose this is how valve will go after consoles? Make a "Steambox", which runs on the SteamOS, which is tied to your steam account...

It's not for me yet though...

 

[lightning2k3]

Question.

As someone who's never used Linux for gaming I don't know this, can Linux users play online with Windows users?.

Yes. You are connecting to the same servers.

 

[Artemisia]

The site keeps making mention to a 'living room machine'. Are they talking about hardware they've designed and is yet to be announced, or a desktop PC hooked up to a TV?

 

[ignaciogc]

????????

My laptop from 2009 that has a core 2 duo (P8700, a Penryn-3M architecture released in March 2008) runs Dark Souls.

crappy game card on mine. I didn't look at it, as it wasn't for gaming. Just tried out Dark Souls to play the extra content, but even though it ran, it was at 15 FPS, so... playable but not enjoyable.

 

[Madrugador]

I wonder how EA must be feeling right now and how will they react to this.

Same for Ubisoft.

 

[fizzgigg]

You can still use your monitor, I'm not sure why people keep bringing up tv in this thread

Because it says living room lol

But yes it's a OS it can be used anywhere you want.

 

[ichtyander]

I think it's more likely that they have been building tools that make porting D3D games to Linux easier and are making their case to devs.

Thanks for clarifying. Right, that might fragment and increase the workload for devs, but if it pushes trough and becomes widely used, it'll be OK. Still, seems to me like it's a slippery slope for now. Looking forward to this in any case.

If they'd made that breakthrough, it would have been clear in the text. It hasn't happened.

But this is not just streaming Windows games to a Linux box. Apparently there are already a good number of games coming natively to SteamOS (i.e. not streaming) and more on the way. If SteamOS takes off, you can expect that to increase.

The Streaming option is clearly there as a stop gap; for now, you can continue to play your Windows Steam games through streaming, but as SteamOS grows and builds its library, you may eventually no longer feel the need to stream as most/all of the games you're playing 3 years from now will be SteamOS from the ground up.

Thanks for the clarification as well. I was wondering if this "native" SteamOS support might be a roundabout way of saying "We're running it all on Wine" or something similar, but I guess that's not really the case.

Anyway, sounds like an exciting endeavor for Valve, hope this works out well.