Steam Modern App for Windows 8/RT

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Steam needs to develop an modern app for Windows 8/RT. It would be the 'one metro/modern app for all games'. Having the original Half Life ported to Windows 8 modern language would be an amazing thing.  There is the desktop steam program obviously, but there isn't a WIndows 8 modern steam app yet. What do you think, and do you wish for a modern steam app also?

[xendrome]

Since their aren't any Modern UI games from Steam that I am aware of, it seems like it would be pointless at this time.

[TAZMINATOR]

You should have used Surface Pro instead... which I am sure Steam works on it...

 

On Surface Pro, you can do whatever you want on it like you usually do on your desktop PC.

 

Unless someone has workaround for RT users to give you a workaround for it.. that I don't know of.

[George P Global Moderator]

Developers can just put their games in the Windows Store and have success.   With MS starting it's new indie program for the XB1 and giving them full access to all the Live services for free I think they should extend that same offer in the future to any games in the Windows Store that want to use Live as well.

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

Steam needs to develop an modern app for Windows 8/RT. It would be the 'one metro/modern app for all games'. Having the original Half Life ported to Windows 8 modern language would be an amazing thing.  There is the desktop steam program obviously, but there isn't a WIndows 8 modern steam app yet. What do you think, and do you wish for a modern steam app also?

 

Sure that's gonna happen cos Gabe's love for Windows 8 is legendary.

[spaceelf]

Steam needs to develop an modern app for Windows 8/RT. It would be the 'one metro/modern app for all games'. Having the original Half Life ported to Windows 8 modern language would be an amazing thing.  There is the desktop steam program obviously, but there isn't a WIndows 8 modern steam app yet. What do you think, and do you wish for a modern steam app also?

Modern apps are contained in a single folder and can't touch the registry iirc.  I don't believe they can target dx9 or any of that either.

 

So it'd basically be pretty much useless.

[Max Norris]

Never going to happen...  per Gabe, Windows 8 is pure evil.   Of course Steam still works with 8/Pro anyway, a modern version would be interesting though.. just another target they could market if they wanted to.

[George P Global Moderator]

Modern apps are contained in a single folder and can't touch the registry iirc.  I don't believe they can target dx9 or any of that either.

 

So it'd basically be pretty much useless.

 

 

You can code games in DX on modern.  They specifically made changes in DX11.2 in Windows 8.1 to help on lower powered tablet devices that don't have the best of GPUs etc.  It was talked about back at BUILD.

[spaceelf]

You can code games in DX on modern.  They specifically made changes in DX11.2 in Windows 8.1 to help on lower powered tablet devices that don't have the best of GPUs etc.  It was talked about back at BUILD.

He's talking about playing non WinRT games in WinRT though.  If you'd have to virtualize a DX9 game through DX11...I don't think that'd even work.

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

Having a modern app for Windows RT would greatly help Windows RT in general, and Windows RT could also become a more legitimate gaming platform. I am not a developer so I don't know the workings of or know if a steam app is even possible.

[vcfan]

steam app? no. you cant have a store within the windows store.

directx ports of games? yes, possible and easy to port. if dx9 game, they just replace fixed function stuff with shaders,and replace dx9 renderer with dx11 renderer.

[George P Global Moderator]

He's talking about playing non WinRT games in WinRT though.  If you'd have to virtualize a DX9 game through DX11...I don't think that'd even work.

 

 

Well I think a developer can port their win32 DX9 game to a WinRT DX11.x game if they wanted to and sell it through the Windows Store.   It'd be more work, I'm sure, so for now you see only ports of arcade type games that you also find on Steam and other phone stores.   Still, MS should be more aggressive with it, they could be waiting to better unify the APIs with Windows Phone 8.1 first though.

 

With them allowing indies to get full access to use all of the Live services/features in their games for free then I also think they should extend that same policy to WP and Windows 8/RT games as well.  Just let anyone who's already paying to have apps on the store be able to use Live in their games for no extra charge and red tape.     Also, I see no reason why MS can't charge a small fee and have desktop games that use Live sold through the store directly as well.   They let free desktop apps be listed for no charge but they should go right after the market and at least for full x86 Windows let the Store handle them.   Developers would probably just have to repackage their games/apps.