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[spwolf]

The economic limitation is that any game running inside Playstation Mobile pays 30% of sale price to Sony.

If Valve wants to do that, again, it's perfectly possible technically, but that sort of closed platform is precisely the reason Valve is hedging their bets against Windows in the first place, so it doesn't seem likely.

So Valve is doing SteamOS to promote open platform? What?

They are doing it so their main source of revenue does not rely of someone else's software.

I can see Sony having SteamOS streamer app as soon as Valve includes Gaikai streamer app to SteamOS.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

I dunno, Valve doesn't seem to do exclusive content if they have the option not to. Team Fortress 2 outgrew console limitations as far as resource usage and updates and Dota 2's input demands are just too much for a controller, but they've done an admirable job of keeping Portal 2 and the L4D series up to parity with PC. As much as their platforms would allow, at least.

It's not quite the same thing, but the PC version of Portal 2 has a small amount of content that can be accessed only if you purchase third-party peripherals.

 

[OldAsUrSock]

Hardware manufacturers such as Alienware can sell gaming rigs with the option of SteamOS installed - drivers and all.



With far more exposure and attention, OpenGL could become the dominant API.

I actually did not even think of computer hardware manufacturers making SteamOS pre-installed. Pre-built gaming desktops and laptops will probably use this.

360 Controller Support.
This is critical.

Don't forget Xbone, DS3 and DS4 controller support!

 

[SteveWinwood]

so how open will SteamOs be?

If it's as closed as iOS/metro, then it can go die in a fire.

It'll most likely be just as open as Ubuntu.

 

[Corto]

so how open will SteamOs be?

If it's as closed as iOS/metro, then it can go die in a fire.

Wide open. At least Valve claims it is.

 

[Train of Midnight]

Right. This interfaces with the console market in the sense that Valve is targeting a portion of the "casual comfy couch" gamer market that consoles also target, but by and large this is an attempt to expand PC gaming downmarket (and, primarily, to hedge against vendor lock-in with the Windows platform) rather than to compete with consoles directly.

That makes more sense, but I don't see this threatening the existing console market any more than standard PC gaming does. It seems like 90+% of the people buying a Steambox, or using SteamOS are people who are already dedicated PC gamers, if not at least casual PC gamers. This might be making space in the living room, but I don't think it's taking that space from anyone, really.

 

[LonelySeal]

hmmm. I'm pretty interested in the SteamOS. I want to see it in action. I wonder if itll be more like a console OS or if itll be a full blown PC OS with a controller in mind. Speaking of controllers I wonder if one of their announcements will be a controller. I'd most likely buy one if it has a track pad like the ps4 controller does.

 

[Trouble]

A Steam streaming client for PS4 would be amazeballs. I know that will never happen, though.

It'll most likely be just as open as Ubuntu.

It will most likely be Ubuntu, just with all the default crap stripped out and Steam set to auto-launch in big picture mode on boot.

 

[Sothpaw]

Maybe Valve would offer some sort of extra content on the SteamOS version. I'm not endorsing it, but I wouldn't put it past Valve.

Valve doesn't necessarily need HL3 on consoles. They're not EA or Activision; they think about the future. What better way to promote your new OS than to make the most anticipated FPS of all time exclusive to it?

 

[cbox]

At no point are they hinting this is a desktop solution in any scenario. Otherwise they would have just replaced steam window ui with bpm a long time ago. I wouldn't plan to do any serious work on a 360/ps3 either.

Yeah but it seems as though they want you to have a separate steam box in your living room, effectively ( in my case ) replacing your pc/workstation.

 

[Grief.exe]

The economic limitation is that any game running inside Playstation Mobile pays 30% of sale price to Sony.

If Valve wants to do that, again, it's perfectly possible technically, but that sort of closed platform is precisely the reason Valve is hedging their bets against Windows in the first place, so it doesn't seem likely.

Valve does not take a cut from competing storefronts through the Steamworks platform.

If Sony sold Steam games through their store, that subsequently activated on Steam, then they could take the full 30% cut for themselves.

Stores like Amazon and GMG do the same exact thing, except they usually reduce the percentage cut they take for the sake of price competition. And that competition is very strong right now on the platform.

 

[Opiate]

So Valve is doing SteamOS to promote open platform? What?

I'm saying it is an open platform. Whether it is intending to "promote" open platforms is irrelevant.

They are doing it so their main source of revenue does not rely of someone else's software.

I can see Sony having SteamOS streamer app as soon as Valve includes Gaikai streamer app to SteamOS.

So you're suggesting Sony is going to let a direct competitor set up shop inside their ecosystem? When have they ever done this? Do they plan to make the money back on hardware like Apple does?

 

[BadAss2961]

The primary purpose of SteamOS is to make sure Valve still has a future in the event that Microsoft actually ends up walling up future versions of Windows. Supposedly, there are four types of PC user... The first, the casual user, has already drifted towards smartphones and tablets. The other three are still currently served best by Windows, but one, the PC Gaming enthusiast, will likely drift to wherever they can best continue to play and support their massive PC gaming library which is likely to be on Steam. Should Microsoft kill the desktop, and thus support for the PC gamer's gaming library, PC gamers, at least, now have an alternative backed by the biggest seller of PC games... Valve.

Valve could've just kept this in their back pocket in the event that Microsoft abandons the desktop. SteamOS would look a whole lot more useful on that day, but Windows isn't dead yet.

 

[Orayn]

Surely you jest? Portal 2's level creator isn't even on consoles. It didn't have the Super 8 trailer and that was on PC at launch.

My mistake, I thought the PTI was on consoles for some reason.

It's not quite the same thing, but the PC version of Portal 2 has a small amount of content that can be accessed only if you purchase third-party peripherals.

Well, that's because that added content was made by the peripheral makers for that peripheral specifically. It has features that can't be used without the Hydra.

 

[angular graphics]

No, it's just been practically demonstrated by the leak of Valve's JIRA install with a barren and inactive set of HL3 projects.

That's not quite true.

Paul Pepera joined Valve in March 2013 and he was in the HL3 mailing list (which was leaked in June). So you can't say it was inactive.

 

[Kadayi]

Need to see more of this in effect to know whether I should give a damn. As I use the home PC for more than games being a freelancer, and the rig is built to burn its hard to see much benefit. I guess if all you do is game however there might be some appeal.

 

[BY2K]

So is this an OS within an OS or is it something that will replace Windows?

I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

For a common end user it will be completely transparent. Our TVs, SmartPhones, DVRs have OSes at their backbone. Most of them are Linux based. The UI abstraction and how intuitive/unobtrusive it is will be the source (or removal) of confusion.

Video drivers, sound drivers, etc. will all have another build. It's another OS, not just a menu for a TV or device. Again, I see no benefit to users. It's a benefit to Valve, and to manufacturers who want to save on Windows.

 

[kinggroin]

Streming means a super scaled down SteamBox.

Gonna say $100 or $150.

It's not streaming ONLY. That's just a temporary solution until more titles go native.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

This... Is... Amazing

Innovation. Linux liveS!

 

[LowEndTorque]

I'll be interested when Windows gets completely cut out of the equation. For now, nothing groundbreaking here.

 

[Weyland Y.]

Thinking out loud here:

Current Linux games on Steam use OpenGL, correct? Since DirectX is a MS Windows only thing, I'd think that's a fair assumption.

My guess is Valve has worked and is working closely with Nvidia and AMD to optimise their drivers for Linux/SteamOS. It could allow devs to get better performance out of the hardware compared to Windows/DirectX by letting them program more directly 'to the metal' or at least with fewer software layers between the actual hardware in a PC.

Devs are currently using PC based devkits to develop games for the PS4. Since the PS4 runs its own version of a Unix based system (Orbis) and also uses OpenGL for its games, could this mean it's relatively easy for devs to bring over games to a SteamOS based PC?

 

[Tobor]

Valve could've just kept this in their back pocket in the event that Microsoft abandons the desktop. SteamOS would look a whole lot more useful on that day, but Windows isn't dead yet.

You skate to where the puck is going, not where it already is.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

This is the OS that the SteamBox runs on.

Cool. Handsome people know everything j/k.

This thread moves fast.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?"


For the desktop PC gamers with no interest in a living room box? Not a whole lot.

 

[DieH@rd]

Your posts are basically the equivalent of port-begging in a game thread. I don't think this fantasy-world stuff is going to lead to any kind of interesting discussion.

OK I will stop. I know chances for that are near zero.

 

[maniac-kun]

I actually did not even think of computer hardware manufacturers making SteamOS pre-installed. Pre-built gaming desktops and laptops will probably use this.


Don't forget Xbone, DS3 and DS4 controller support!

On Windows DS4 just works when you plug it in. The touchpad support is easy too.

 

[JLuke2600]

They're realizing Krazy Ken's vision. P2P cloud processing. Donate some cycles to the Grid.

 

[JNT]

I am a work Mac user and and Windows gamer. I can do every single thing I need to do on my Mac, except play games. And that includes using Office on the Mac. The potential of SteamOS for me is still keeping a second physical game PC, but not having to install Windows on it. I realize this can't happen immediately because all the game I want to play won't be there natively. But a couple year from now maybe it will let me cut the cord.

OS X also has a good selection of applications for the things I was referring to (except the IDE). Heck, I even think I prefer Pages over Word. The discussion, however, specifically mentioned Windows and I thought to give examples pertinent to that line of thought.

 

[Freeman]

But the prices for those are not even close. A PC that would allow me to play games for this whole generation from start to finish would be huge; more than a day one PS3, and much more than a day one PS4.

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.

Tell me how much would I have had to spend on 2007 (or even 2008) on a PC that was able to play GTA5 and look like it does on a PS3/Xbox360 (or the last of us, or any game released today)

Also, I only had to buy one console this generation. Granted, my original PS3 died a year and a half in, but the $60 extended warranty covered it, and got a new one for free that still works today. Where is the $60 warranty when my graphics card / hard drive / etc craps out, or won't play games at all because it doesn't meet minimum specs?

I'm not saying PC gaming is not viable, I'm saying Valve might have issues marketing SteamOS devices to a wide audience... and PC gamers already have high end PCs, and won't buy a whole new system for a few years, and not 90% of their Library is playable on it.

Its not an easy comparison to do, I will use my own example, as I sold my 6970 and started using my old 4850 again.

The HD4850 release for what according to Google was a minimum of $179 in 2008. It perform considerably better than current gen console at console resolution (720p). Sure you must add the price of the other pieces, but that is a little unfair to the PCs strengths, as most people already own a desktop that could simply be upgraded,etc. Also, I'm talking mainly about PCs you build not the ones you get at the supermarket and you get warranty for each PC part(extended if you want, some part like power supply have 3-5 years warranty sometimes), if one part dies you don't have to replace the whole system

This time we have a complete different scenario:
- console hardware in the PS3\Xbox360 was considerably more powerful in comparison to gaming PC of the time.
-PC platform has evolved on all fronts, we now have Steam consolidated (and alternatives like GOG, Origin, HumbleBundle,etc)
-We had no Steambox, SteamOS. Now we have at least one company that have an agenda of pushing the platform.
-We get much more ports now, than we use to at the end of PS2 gen.
-Hardware in general is more mature as well, we have the possibility of multi-gpu setups, gaming capable integrated graphics, robust cooling solutions, extremely more powerful CPU/GPUs for affordable prices, etc. Next year we will probably have mainstream notebooks that have a comparable processing power to consoles(the new consoles use what are pretty much notebook parts after all).
-1080p is hard (most PS4 games managed to hot this mark, XONE ones aren't' doing great on that front).
-x86 architecture for both consoles and PC.
-Minimum spec are easily achieve on PC today, even for next gen games like BF4.

Don't get me wrong, I still have PS3, just bought a Vita and plan on getting a PS4 next year, console companies still offer great exclusive to their platforms and a great cost benefit, but there is a case to be made about the PC open nature, cheaper games and raw power, and since you asked...

 

[SteveWinwood]

"I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?"


For the desktop PC gamers with no interest in a living room box? Not a whole lot.

But I'll get 20 more fps over 340 in L4D!

 

[Tacitus_]

So is this an OS within an OS or is it something that will replace Windows?

I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?

It's an OS. As for PC gamers, increased chance of Linux getting ports. Which is a Nice Thing, though if you already have a gaming PC, this won't be more than expensive HDMI cable for you.

 

[BrickArmour]

What if the PS4 *is* a steam box and Valve and Sony have teamed up!? Announcement tomorrow. Mind blown! Haha

 

[Opiate]

Valve does not take a cut from competing storefronts through the Steamworks platform.

If Sony sold Steam games through their store, that subsequently activated on Steam, then they could take the full 30% cut for themselves.

Stores like Amazon and GMG do the same exact thing, except they usually reduce the percentage cut they take for the sake of price competition. And that competition is very strong right now on the platform.

Amazon and Green Man Gaming aren't platforms in their own right; they're simply sellers. Sony has its own ecosystem, and its entire business model is built around making money off that ecosystem (typically by loss leading the hardware). Actively encouraging the growth of a competing ecosystem which provides many of the same products and features is simply not in Sony's economic interest.

If Playstation becomes an open ecosystem that allows or even encourages competitors to set up shop right inside Playstation Network, then things will be different, but this would require a dramatic reconfiguration of the entire business strategy of Playstation.

 

[Grayman]

So is this an OS within an OS or is it something that will replace Windows?

I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?

It sounds to be linux, with improvements to the kernel or at driver level for latency, and something based on big picture mode as the window manager itself or starting as a full screen app.

Linux is a wholly separate OS from windows coming in many different flavours of distributions customized in their own ways. PCs can dual boot and have an option at start up of which OS to go to.

In theory you could install missing features back into SteamOS to make it a more featured OS or take a non SteamOS and install/setup the program so it runs like SteamOS.

 

[InsaneZero]

Valve doesn't necessarily need HL3 on consoles. They're not EA or Activision; they think about the future. What better way to promote your new OS than to make the most anticipated FPS of all time exclusive to it?

Valve needs the SteamOS to support Steam and the products on it, not the other way around. HL3 won't be exclusive to any single Steam-supported platform because it doesn't actually do anything to expand the overall userbase of Steam.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Windows is pretty expensive. I basically use my PC for gaming, media, web browsing, and some lite image editing and word-processing. I could see my next build being SteamOS. Frankly, the word-processing I do through online apps anyway. I can't think of any professional grade software I use that requires Windows.

 

[Baron von Loathsome]

Valve doesn't necessarily need HL3 on consoles. They're not EA or Activision; they think about the future. What better way to promote your new OS than to make the most anticipated FPS of all time exclusive to it?

If anyone can convince a large amount of people to switch their computers' OS's for a single game, it's Valve, but even that is a very massive stretch.

 

[thefil]

nice

Now how will Valve ensure that people who buy a steambox will use it to play steam games and not Battlefield4 or Diablo3 LOS or even pirate games.

Maybe sell Steamboxes with a contract? Cheaper hardware but you pay like 20$ each month for the next 2 years and get 20$ in your steam wallet each month.

They won't ensure it. They'll continue to use the convenience and superiority of Steam as a service for as long as they can.

This may be misplaced faith, but I think when this is no longer possible and we've reached peak platform, they will open up Steam and start working on something else to make money. They are already expanding their revenue with their novel F2P model.

 

[Raydeen]

HL3
LEFT 4 DEAD 3
TF3 - TRIFICA HAT EDITION

pack in.

Valve = FOR GOD SAKE TAKE MY MONEY GABE AND MY SOUL!

 

[Raticus79]

You cant seriously believe that....Half Life 3 isnt coming!

HL3 SteamBox/SteamOS exclusive? Yeah, no chance.

Yes. This will happen.

Ha, I have to go all-in on this now. Too much time on SaltyBet. Look at those odds. Believe!

Bonus points if it's been developed in some crazy high security Batcave-like facility all along.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

"I know I should be excited, but I don't know why. What does a SteamOS mean for PC Gamers?"


For the desktop PC gamers with no interest in a living room box? Not a whole lot.

Even for a living room box, if I'm putting together a decent HTPC, I'm buying a proven, full featured OS.

This is most likely for the Valve box and not for any future proofing or Windows replacement for gaming PCs.

 

[spwolf]

But at that level you are dealing with UI not OS. You won't be compiling code to run games, you will click a button or do a gesture or make a natural voice command to start a game. The UI will be what the end user will interact with. If that is intuitive/unobtrusive there will be zero confusion.

I dont understand what are you trying to say. UI's in SteamOS, Windows PC, SmartPhone, DVR and TV are all completely different.

All the code, or most of it will be quite different.

At the end, it is all very different.

but again, thats not bad... question is what will Valve do to incentivize gamers and publishers to invest into the platform and for how long they will do it.

I dont think this is anything like Android though... It is probably "just another" linux distro, built specifically to run on TV, with optimized gui. This is actually good, as porting games will be easy, with cross-platform solutions already existing.

As long as they do it right, it might bring Linux revolution back in the PC world.

 

[maniac-kun]

The Steambox also means endless backwards compatibility. When console people have to buy the 3rd hd remaster of the same game. You can just redownload it and start playing.

 

[Robert J. Sullivan]

Most interesting announcement for me is that Steam is going to have music and movies. I'm wondering if we're going to see sales for thoses though.
Probably won't happen.

 

[Orayn]

The Steambox also means endless backwards compatibility. When console people have to buy the 3rd hd remaster of the same game. You can just redownload it and start playing.

Only if you have a Windows PC to stream it from, since it's unlikely that massive portions of the back catalog will get ported to SteamOS.

 

[Dr.Acula]

They won't ensure it. They'll continue to use the convenience and superiority of Steam as a service for as long as they can.

This may be misplaced faith, but I think when this is no longer possible and we've reached peak platform, they will open up Steam and start working on something else to make money. They are already expanding their revenue with their novel F2P model.

I imagine the SteamBox will be aimed at people who don't want to, or can't, build their own media PC. They'll likely leave it open, and sell the hardware at a profit, and not care if people root it.

 

[Sendou]

Most interesting announcement for me is that Steam is going to have music and movies. I'm wondering if we're going to see sales for thoses though.
Probably won't happen.

Sales already happened with programs though.

 

[AngryMoth]

Interesting news.

I predict whatever hardware they put out will not be as cheap as people expect. Console makers subsidise the hardware because they make money back on software but valve already gets the same cut from a game sold through steam on windows that they would through a game sold on a steambox. So they must be wanting to make money on the hardware otherwise what's the point? I suppose they could see it as broadening the steam username but I expect the vast majority of people interested in a steambox are already steam users.

 

[plagiarize]

My mistake, I thought the PTI was on consoles for some reason.



Well, that's because that added content was made by the peripheral makers for that peripheral specifically. It has features that can't be used without the Hydra.

Valve ported that content to the PS3 version with move support. let's not forget that.