Valve announces SteamOS

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MrNyarlathotep said:
I'm going to assume all of the people in this thread posting variants on "Here is what the market currently looks like, why would anyone bother doing anything different to that because the current status quo will never ever change for any reason" don't invest in the stock market and aren't senior enough at whatever jobs they do to have to be aware of SWOT analyses.

Let me break it down for you;

- Right now Windows has a kung-fu death grip monopoly on the PC gaming industry. If anything happens to dethrone MS, or if MS make any changes themselves to adversely affect gaming (and why would they? It's not like they have some gaming specific hardware they want to push), and company whose primary source of operations is PC gaming is fucked.

- Right now there is reluctance from embedded customers to switch platforms, due to their amassed libraries and reluctance to give that all away (for more of this, watch this holiday seasons NPDs)

- Right now Linux in particular and Open Source in general find it hard to appeal to content producers to put their software onto, as the market is perceived as 'niche', 'fragmented' and 'freeloaders'. A lot of marketing money has been spent to help foster this perception ("Get the facts!").

Here's what SteamOS brings to the table;

- A mature and well respected digital store front with a loyal customer base (why would Amazon sell their own apps on their own store? There's already a Google store on Android!). Why is this important? Because it provides a service that allows people who want to buy content a trusted way to buy that content.
This is good for both consumers and producers; consumers know if their machine can run SteamOS, it can run the 'app' they buy from the SteamOS 'appstore'.
Producers know products they sell on the 'SteamOS appstore' are piracy free, and can also see how many users the SteamOS appstore has to estimate potential sales in advance. Or indeed the value of porting costs of a product already available elsewhere.

- A method of accessing prior content; this is obviously a stop-gap solution, but it solves the whole "why would I buy a steambox if I already have a Pc and loads of games" question, until software and hardware solutions which don't yet exist do.

- Independence from Windows at a company level; the biggest factor by far. With this, Valve are no longer entirely entwined in the fate of MS and whatever it is they're choosing to do with regards to Pc gaming this month.
This independence is also there for others who might not be as super-peachy-keen on Windows as some of you are to join in on.
Click to expand...

Very well put, great post.

I think a lot of people are saying 'meh' because they don't see this for what it is. Valve's first step. And it's the first step of a broader strategy. I think Valve's long view will become more apparent very soon. SteamOS support will become standard... Can't wait to see the next two announcements.
 
ALM5252 said:
So is this a home console type of thing? I'm on my phone and can't tell.

if so I'll get one for left4dead and some other games. I've never used steam because my computer sucks. lol
Click to expand...

would you spend $399 on a computer that has steam OS already installed and can plug into your TV and use a gamepad?

that is the question here.
 
NoPiece said:
Because of Android, because of Iphone, because of Google Drive, because SteamOS is just one more cut that is slowly bleeding them to death. I'd argue that pc gamers are the group most beholden to Microsoft, so please, free my people!!

If Microsoft believes their competitive advantage is their ease of use and and customer support, they are doomed. Their main competitive advantage is inertia at this point.
Click to expand...

I think MS is too full of themselves to realize this. I think you would be right if they weren't so arrogant, they should be worried but they're not.
 
It's certainly a curious announcement. I'm personally not convinced it works. Yes a dedicated steambox with a Steam OS installed will likely be better and cheaper than a current day high performance gaming PC but I can't see it being anything near a console in terms of mainstream appeal. At the end if the day it's still a PC. It will still have a PCIe bus which means it will still need to brute force it's way to performance which means costly hardware. It will still come with a built in obsolescence clock that locks a user into a costly upgrade cycle. The biggest advantage consoles have are their forward compatibility. One can be absolutely confident in buying a PS4 today that it will run every game released on the platform for the next decade or so at equal fidelity. A gaming PC, no matter how focused just can't do that at the same price point.

I think Valves purpose here is more subtle. Console transitions are generally bad for PC gaming. The overlong current generation forced many gamers to move to PC gaming and steam to get the best fidelity for their games. With new consoles finally on the market for much lower prices than equivalent PC hardware Valve is concerned about losing these gamers back to Sony and MS. My guess is that this whole thing is an attempt to entice these recent PC gaming converts to stay.

Where Valve should look is Android. Android's biggest handicap vs iOS has been a lack of the biggest mobile games due to the real issue of piracy on the platform. Steam could provide both a best in class storefront for publishers and developers as well as the confidence that it's DRM provides and completely dominate gaming on one of the biggest platforms out there.
 
MrCunningham said:
They're talking about the entire Linux library :P

http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/

nuqv2X8.png
Click to expand...

Ah, this is great news if all devs have to do is support Linux to support SteamOS.
 
yami4ct said:
We'll see. Depends on a lot of factors, like the quality of your home Wi-Fi and how well Valve optimizes. The local network remote play mode on PS3/Vita for example is pretty laggy in my experience. If anyone can do it, it's probably Valve but I won't be completely convinced until we see these working well in real people's homes.
Click to expand...

Ah I was thinking wired, ya wifi will be a bit more.
 
lightning2k3 said:
This is a great post that illustrates why valve is releasing the Steambox. However, it doesn't address the value add for your average consumers vs buying a console. The steambox wont be cheaper than a console if it wants to run similar games natively(not streaming) and people who have high end gaming pcs are a much smaller and niche market.
Click to expand...

here are a few:

User generated content, i.e. mods.
Not having to pay for an OS.
Being able to run all kinds of apps without being under the monetizing thumb of apple or microsoft.
Being able to upgrade whenever and however a person wants.

I'm sure there are lots of others. And yes not everyone is going to want something like this, but some will find value in it.
 
LDAF said:
Wait a second, I'm a little confused by this. At first, I thought this was the OS for the Steam Box, and that it could also stream games from Windows (let's say your PC is next to your Steam Box under the TV). But now I'm hearing that it's an actual OS that you'd put on your computer to replace Windows/dual boot? Is that what's going on?
Click to expand...


Its both of those.

Some base hardware to compete with consoles is likely to be announced soon.
 
I have my PC desk right beside my TV. I hook up an HDMI cable and I have PC stuff on my TV. Im not sure how this OS really helps me yet.
 
Tacitus_ said:
That's a highly optimistic number. Only ~1% of Steam users bother to use it on Linux currently and that brought people to fold who didn't even have a Windows machine.
Click to expand...

That's because of the usability issues with Linux. Valve has been working on all of that. You should watch the linuxcon vid.
 
After having a few hours to think about this, I am pretty convinced this will be looked upon historically as one of the biggest announcements the gaming industry has ever seen.
 
Opiate said:
I agree. Is there a reason why everyone keeps specifically singling out Sony here as a likely candidate? Samsung, Google, HTC, LG, and others all seem like more immediately likely partners to me, if Valve is interested in working with large partners like that.
Click to expand...

It's because two of Sony's executives (who are no longer there) thought Linux was a good idea, and had managed to allow people to install Linux on the PS3 for years. Later on, Sony executives (who are presumably still there) thought it was a good idea to work with Valve to allow the Steam middleware to work on the PS3. After that, Gaben has talked about rewarding Sony for the openness of their platform. I think it's pretty clear why people think Sony would allow it.

The problem is that the reasons Sony allowed Linux on the PS3 had nothing to do with Linux gaming (the GPU was off-limits), and was about making the system a tax dodge in Europe and/or giving developers a chance to figure out the Cell. Maybe a touch of giving MS some heat in the home computer arena. Another problem is the Steam PS3 middleware was no longer cool at Sony as soon as Valve announced they were thinking about a Steambox (or was it BPM?), according to rumor (from a third-party developer that nearly used it on a PSN game).



The only way SteamOS is winding up on the PS4 is if Valve gives Sony most or all of the licensing revenue for titles purchased on PS4 in SteamOS, and even then it's highly unlikely. Sony would have to desperately want to bring down MS in the gaming space enough to damage their own ecosystem.
 
I should note, that even if I stick with Windows in the short term, I'm at the very least going to put this on my computer for a Dual Booting setup.

Probably my laptop too, the OS on that machine's kinda going Fubar anyway.
 
trixx said:
So why would someone get a steam powered console over a ps4/xboxone this is my question. Because this announcement seems huge to pc gamers but not significant for console owners. I'm not even sure if console owners are a target audience with this announcement
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I admit I don't see the huge benefit to end users (besides the fact that it's kinda neat), but as Newell said in the linux conference: Strategically Valve needs this because consumer desktops and even laptops are a sinking ship. Increasingly the only people that use those sort of machines are IT people.

SteamOS/Steambox is their ark.
 
So, remind me, how would this increase number of games that support Linux/Unix?

StuBurns said:
A PS3 pad works through multiple walls and though floors without an issue, and that tech is really old now, I'm sure it's possible to have a wireless tech that's even better now.
Click to expand...
Can't get through a single floor in my house... (nothing fancy, Wi-Fi works just fine)
Actually it's bluetooth so it isn't even supposed to.
 
MrNyarlathotep said:
I'm going to assume all of the people in this thread posting variants on "Here is what the market currently looks like, why would anyone bother doing anything different to that because the current status quo will never ever change for any reason" don't invest in the stock market and aren't senior enough at whatever jobs they do to have to be aware of SWOT analyses.

Let me break it down for you;

- Right now Windows has a kung-fu death grip monopoly on the PC gaming industry. If anything happens to dethrone MS, or if MS make any changes themselves to adversely affect gaming (and why would they? It's not like they have some gaming specific hardware they want to push), and company whose primary source of operations is PC gaming is fucked.

- Right now there is reluctance from embedded customers to switch platforms, due to their amassed libraries and reluctance to give that all away (for more of this, watch this holiday seasons NPDs)

- Right now Linux in particular and Open Source in general find it hard to appeal to content producers to put their software onto, as the market is perceived as 'niche', 'fragmented' and 'freeloaders'. A lot of marketing money has been spent to help foster this perception ("Get the facts!").

Here's what SteamOS brings to the table;

- A mature and well respected digital store front with a loyal customer base (why would Amazon sell their own apps on their own store? There's already a Google store on Android!). Why is this important? Because it provides a service that allows people who want to buy content a trusted way to buy that content.
This is good for both consumers and producers; consumers know if their machine can run SteamOS, it can run the 'app' they buy from the SteamOS 'appstore'.
Producers know products they sell on the 'SteamOS appstore' are piracy free, and can also see how many users the SteamOS appstore has to estimate potential sales in advance. Or indeed the value of porting costs of a product already available elsewhere.

- A method of accessing prior content; this is obviously a stop-gap solution, but it solves the whole "why would I buy a steambox if I already have a Pc and loads of games" question, until software and hardware solutions which don't yet exist do.

- Independence from Windows at a company level; the biggest factor by far. With this, Valve are no longer entirely entwined in the fate of MS and whatever it is they're choosing to do with regards to Pc gaming this month.
This independence is also there for others who might not be as super-peachy-keen on Windows as some of you are to join in on.
Click to expand...


This post should be required reading before posting in this thread.
 
I REALLY hope this OS works out great. As it is now, gaming is the only real reason I have for sticking with Windows.

I can do my job and just about everything else with online apps now. Yeah sometimes it's nice to have a dedicated app for bigger tasks but for the rare times that happens, for me at least, there are options on every OS to do anything.
 
Tacitus_ said:
That's a highly optimistic number. Only ~1% of Steam users bother to use it on Linux currently and that brought people to fold who didn't even have a Windows machine.
Click to expand...

True, but I'm not talking about people who permanently switch, just those that want to bite even for a few minutes to see what the fuss is about. If they get it right though, and make the OS great, they will have a huge amount of word of mouth from all those people. It also of course depends partly too on if the launch of SteamOS coincides with a beta or release of some big game from Valve to help push the numbers, even if it's not exclusive to SteamOS, being able to load up SteamOS and try out the brand new thing from Valve will have a nice draw to it, especially if it runs better on SteamOS than Windows 7 or 8 or OS X.
 
Proelite said:
Because it's free for OEMs and OEMs are not in the best of relationships right now with MS.

What if OEMS decides to spend their marketing dollars on their own customed SteamOS machines? Sooner or later it's going to eat into the already declining desktop market share.
Click to expand...


this is not the phone market or tablet market where you are reinventing the wheel(touch screen). This is the PC market which Microsoft has a strangle hold on, if Apple with all its money and resources can't make it past 5% what do you think Valve can do??
 
I'm so fucking confused by this. What's the difference between this and big picture? Are they just saying they're going to have support for future hardware like Blu Ray players? What the hell
 
JetBlackPanda said:
would you spend $399 on a computer that has steam OS already installed and can plug into your TV and use a gamepad?

that is the question here.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I got an all in one PC so I can't upgrade it as it is. plus valve is pretty cheap in the long run and very reliabl from what I hear. :)
 
Minions said:
Missing how this would even affect windows as a viable platform.... unless Steam stops releasing games on windows.... which I don't see happening. This just seems like another product which would affect the console market more than the pc market.
Click to expand...

If they release hardware as well then this does affect the console market. Does not affect the PC market at all.
 
In some years it could be really big. You can put it inside a TV, VR device like Oculus Rift, a gaming Tablet, every PC etc. for free.

I dont think Stamos will change alot in the first 1-2years but it could become really big after 3-8years.
 
lightning2k3 said:
This is a great post that illustrates why valve is releasing the Steambox. However, it doesn't address the value add for your average consumers vs buying a console. The steambox wont be cheaper than a console if it wants to run similar games natively(not streaming) and people who have high end gaming pcs are a much smaller and niche market.
Click to expand...

An official SteamBox today will not likely compare well against the new consoles at launch from a price to performance ratio because Valve is not going to invest the billions needed to do so, which is a damn good thing. But in a few years, it just might since these machines won't be locked in hardware-wise and can improve with the latest advances, unlike consoles.

This is a starting point. A serious transition will take years of commitment and they need to prove to publishers that it's viable. There is no time when they can release this that would magically trigger an instant transition, so the best time to launch is as soon as possible.
 
I am looking forward to seeing how this pieces together with the other announcements. I do run an HDMI cable around the floor but don't like how windows handles 3 monitors so I could potentially go for a cheap streaming option with a good living room controller.

I have always been interested in alternative operating systems so if this living room OS starts the ball rolling for linux gaming to get better support as a desktop OS that could save me some money in the future.

It has just dawned on me that my netbook with a processor too weak for most games could probably stream from my main PC now if valve gets that all working nicely. Even as someone who doesn't need this at all I found a practical use for it.
 
StuBurns said:
They aren't apps though, they're just in-game options. Steam is on PS3 too in that sense.
Click to expand...

StuBurns said:
Zero, they're competitors. And SteamOS isn't going to end up in any Sony TVs either. Sony are building their streaming technology in the hope it'll be used in everything eventually, they'd never allow SteamOS on there.

VitaTV is an interesting similar product to what I imagine the low-end SteamBox will be, and in fact, just with a very different long term goal.
Click to expand...

I don't think they will either. I expect Valve to sell their own SteamOS device and it could be priced very low. This will target more against something like AppleTV and Google Chromecast. It's funny how console suppliers tout how they love working with indie developers but in reality it's just to get consumers to buy their hardware as it's a closed box. That's why I want PC gaming to evolve and this looks to help make that happen.
 
VicDaMoan03 said:
How does streaming work? Is the Windows PC or the Seambox running the game?
Click to expand...

You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. 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!
Click to expand...

tldr; your pc runs it, the steamOS box shows it to the telly.
 
I don't get the appeal of 2 separate machines at all. Why would you want to keep 2 machines up to date and have them sucking power when you can easily do it with just one machine?
Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man, but what is so difficult in having a 10m HDMI cable+10m USB hub going into the living room? I can easily switch, have 2 mice, 2 keyboards and no input lag.
 
Ryaaan14 said:
I'm so fucking confused by this. What's the difference between this and big picture? Are they just saying they're going to have support for future hardware like Blu Ray players? What the hell
Click to expand...

big picture is a feature of the steam program running in windows. This is an announcement of a stand alone operating system. You can build a gaming computer now and instead of figuring in windows for the budget you can just install SteamOS.

plus it has some streaming stuff for games that are already on your gaming windows PC.
 
The big announcement here is this is this is the FIRST real step a company has made to move away from Windows as a gaming platform. IMO it is not a gaming platform.

Gabe said screw it and decided he is going to have to develop an OS with Steam/Gaming/Media as the center piece. Not only that but he is making it FREE! In the future when more and more games are supported by the OS more and more people will install it on their rig. We might finally have a viable choice now. For people that only game on their PC why they do we need Windows?!?!

The other theory is that having an open source OS like this he can continue with his ideas of centering his software around the community.

This is real interesting but we wont see any real impact of it for many years.

The "Stream" box is more interesting for me...I would buy for $99.
 
JetBlackPanda said:
would you spend $399 on a computer that has steam OS already installed and can plug into your TV and use a gamepad?

that is the question here.
Click to expand...

The only way I can see this becoming a major seller is if Valve became like Nintendo or Sony and offered exclusives and in general became a first party developer/publisher.
 
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