SteamOS

[Growled Member]

Ditto this.. I'm not a fan of gaming on Linux but the drivers are actually (usually) fairly easy to get up and running, even the proprietary ones. It can just get messy when it doesn't work right, which does come up from time to time or if you run into unsupported hardware. (When it goes wrong on Windows it can be a little tricky too.) 

 

It's difficult on any platform. If Valve is serious about this they will need to make sure driver issues are almost nil on SteamOS. 

[HawkMan]

The way it will likely work is OoB the OS will automatically load Steam which will in turn automatically open in Big Picture, so you'll have your TV optimal experience. What that doesn't mean however is that the desktop will be absent or inaccessible.

 

So you can stay in BPM entirely if you wish to, but the option to go to the desktop and install another client or non-steam game would be there if wanted.

 

No steam is going to run as the shell/DE. So it's not going to run the Steam linux app, it's going to run the new Steam linux DE. which always runs in big screen mode and has built in functions for media playback to some degree. there is no other linux desktop on it. 

[HawkMan]

That is completely hyperbolic. In most cases the drivers are either fully functional out of the box (intel), partially-mostly functional out of the box (AMD), or need a proprietary driver for any decent functionality (Nvidia). Most distros have automated installation for the proprietary drivers where its just a few clicks to install and run them... Not really any harder than installing them on windows.

 

I guess if you consider a few clicks rocket science...

 

That would be great if the AMD and Nvidia installers worked reliably and you know actually managed to install the drivers all the time.

 

as for intel... umm yeah, this was meant for gaming...

[Atomic Wanderer Chicken]

I am very skeptical of Steam OS. The first thing I would like to know, will it install on almost any computer like Windows does. What else can Steam OS do like internet browsing or even light word processing.

[incendy]

I wish they would fix their buggy store before moving up to an OS :D. I love Steam but I have a bad feeling about them making an OS.

[HawkMan]

I am very skeptical of Steam OS. The first thing I would like to know, will it install on almost any computer like Windows does. What else can Steam OS do like internet browsing or even light word processing.

 

Probably a browser built into the SteamOS enviroment, but word processing and any non entertainment stuff you can wave goodbye to. 

[ViperAFK]

That would be great if the AMD and Nvidia installers worked reliably and you know actually managed to install the drivers all the time.

 

as for intel... umm yeah, this was meant for gaming...

In most cases they do. Windows can have driver problems too, it happens sometimes. Its still very hyperbolic to make blanket statements like "it takes rocket science to install video drivers on linux". It doesn't, they either work out of the box or are a few clicks away.

 

And the new intel haswell chips are powerful enough for basic gaming :p Also in the future (kernel 3.12/mesa 9.3 and above.) the oss amd drivers have become good enough for decent 3d performance, with the new "radeonSI" driver, and AMD has been increasing focus on the OSS driver. Hopefully someday the proprietary drivers will be needed less and less.

[Alwaysonacoffebreak]

Boy the fanboys jumped on this one quick. Hows about we actually let the announcements finish before dismissing the whole project just because it's Linux-based. Newsflash guys, the PS4 will be BSD based, so there's a very popular Unix based OS that'll win big at Christmas.

 

The Steam OS has got a lot of potential going for it. Consider the following:

 

• Steam on Linux already has nearly 200 games. That'll give a SteamOS-based PC two hundred launch titles. More than both the other consoles combined. This doesn't include the possibility of Steam working with WINE, which would include many other Windows games.

 

I don't understand this point. How should WINE do any good? It's an emulator which means it just need even more processing power to play the game. Let's say MP3 which already needs s***loads of power now needs even more thanks to going trough WINE?

[Athernar]

No steam is going to run as the shell/DE. So it's not going to run the Steam linux app, it's going to run the new Steam linux DE. which always runs in big screen mode and has built in functions for media playback to some degree. there is no other linux desktop on it. 

 

You don't know that, and I'm not really sure why you're acting as if you do.

 

It doesn't make sense either, they could easily just have it boot into BPM by default (*cough*like8andmetro*cough*) rather than waste time writing a whole new DE. Especially if they intend for SteamOS to one day be a platform on the desktop PC too.

[AngelGraves13]

Let's give it a chance and see where the market is in a year.

 

If all the games from the PC work on there, I don't see the problem.

[HawkMan]

In most cases they do. Windows can have driver problems too, it happens sometimes. Its still very hyperbolic to make blanket statements like "it takes rocket science to install video drivers on linux". It doesn't, they either work out of the box or are a few clicks away.

And the new intel haswell chips are powerful enough for basic gaming :p Also in the future (kernel 3.12/mesa 9.3 and above.) the oss amd drivers have become good enough for decent 3d performance, with the new "radeonSI" driver, and AMD has been increasing focus on the OSS driver. Hopefully someday the proprietary drivers will be needed less and less.

Most cases simply isn't good enough. And the ratio of fails are quite high in my experience. Sometimes it's an easy fix(for me), sometimes it's a bit more complicated or at least convoluted.

[HawkMan]

You don't know that, and I'm not really sure why you're acting as if you do.

It doesn't make sense either, they could easily just have it boot into BPM by default (*cough*like8andmetro*cough*) rather than waste time writing a whole new DE. Especially if they intend for SteamOS to one day be a platform on the desktop PC too.

Nothing in their statements indicated they are simply auto starting the stream client. The whole talk about custom this and that pretty much says it's not. And if it's not a steam shell/DE. they're going to be laughed off by every gamer and computer enthusiast north of the South Pole.

And it makes a lot more sense than running the app on startup, then it pretty much wouldn't be a SteamOS. And I two would be a lot more problematic in regards to updates and such. Besides that, they're adding so many media functions to it, it's getting a big rewrite anyway.

So what makes you think they'd be going for the cheap hack route of auto running the steam client. You seem to be the only person in the world who thinks so.

[HawkMan]

If all the games from the PC work on there, I don't see the problem.

We already know they don't.

[Athernar]

Nothing in their statements indicated they are simply auto starting the stream client. The whole talk about custom this and that pretty much says it's not. And if it's not a steam shell/DE. they're going to be laughed off by every gamer and computer enthusiast north of the South Pole.

And it makes a lot more sense than running the app on startup, then it pretty much wouldn't be a SteamOS. And I two would be a lot more problematic in regards to updates and such. Besides that, they're adding so many media functions to it, it's getting a big rewrite anyway.

So what makes you think they'd be going for the cheap hack route of auto running the steam client. You seem to be the only person in the world who thinks so.

 

I guess that makes Metro a cheap hack too, because they're basically the exact same thing. Different UIs targeted at different form factors / use cases on the same software platform.

 

Valve gains nothing from making it a DE. They limit their cross-platform potential and increase their workload. It also makes it harder for anyone wishing to run SteamOS on the desktop.

[HawkMan]

I guess that makes Metro a cheap hack too, because they're basically the exact same thing. Different UIs targeted at different form factors / use cases on the same software platform.

Valve gains nothing from making it a DE. They limit their cross-platform potential and increase their workload. It also makes it harder for anyone wishing to run SteamOS on the desktop.

Umm modern UI is a full shell that runs in parallel with desktop shell on top of explorer. It's not an app, an auto start app would be steam on windows set to auto start.

Valve gains everything by making it a DE. They already have the client for Linux computers running as regular desktops, this is not a desktop, this is a gaming and media machine, not an all purpose OS/machine.

That's why it's SteamOS and not steam for Linux.

And how does it limit their cross platform potential. It doesn't affect it at all. Are you even reading what you write ?

[Dotdot]

Im just very, very unsure about uptake. I mean what are they going to do/say to publishers?

There were several times this gen when it was suggested PC gaming was having a hard time and weve seen many a staggered release, speaking of which GTA 5 anyone?

So why ask devs to essentially port/create a Linux version aswell?

Plus whats to stop MS fighting this?

Nice idea, but think this might be a bit of a step too far. Love the concept of it, but just can see this being a bit hard to get off the ground.

Yes, steam has a huge huge publisher base, but theres signing up to digital dload system, and then theres re-writing/porting whole games.

[spaceelf]

Plus whats to stop MS fighting this?

What, indeed?  What exactly would they be fighting?  The entire open source community?

 

They haven't exactly stopped Android in any way.

[HawkMan]

What, indeed?  What exactly would they be fighting?  The entire open source community?

 

They haven't exactly stopped Android in any way.

Free publishing on MS distribution service if you don't use steam

Here a solid cash bonus if you don't release a Linux version.

Like that.

[ichi]

Here a solid cash bonus if you don't release a Linux version.

 

A solid cash bonus to developers, the EU, or both?  :laugh:

[HawkMan]

A solid cash bonus to developers, the EU, or both? :laugh:

Why would eu be involved anyway, this is how it already works in the console business.

[ichi]

Why would eu be involved anyway, this is how it already works in the console business.

 

Because they like to be involved  :shiftyninja: all it takes is someone filing a complaint, and if Microsoft went overboard with monetarily enticing devs to release all games as Windows exclusives then Valve might do just that.

[spaceelf]

Free publishing on MS distribution service if you don't use steam

Here a solid cash bonus if you don't release a Linux version.

Like that.

That would be anticompetitive and both the EU and the DoJ would step in, not to mention every other country with the resources to do so.

[HawkMan]

That would be anticompetitive and both the EU and the DoJ would step in, not to mention every other country with the resources to do so.

I don't see AI complaining about console exclusives being anti competitive.

MS is perfectly in their right to purchase exclusive rights on the PC like they and everyone else can on any other platform.

[trooper11]

I guess that makes Metro a cheap hack too, because they're basically the exact same thing. Different UIs targeted at different form factors / use cases on the same software platform.

 

Valve gains nothing from making it a DE. They limit their cross-platform potential and increase their workload. It also makes it harder for anyone wishing to run SteamOS on the desktop.

 

 

I guess what this comes down to is what you believe Valve's intentions/goals are for SteamOS.

 

To be honest, we are at a point of argue over personal speculation.  Valve was nice enough to not give us any idea of how SteamOS will look or work, just teasing us with a name and some stated goals.

 

We just need to be patient and wait to see what this will really be.

[trooper11]

As far as MS 'fighting' this, I don't think MS needs to do anything as direct as trying to secure exclusives.

 

I know some people like to just bash MS and try to make them out to be incapable of improving or changing in reaction to competition, but all MS needs to do is to improve their OS and software to compete.

 

I believe that MS is not ignorant to Valve's plans and I doubt they are sitting still.  What they need to do is aggressively pursue improvements to DirectX and work with game developers/hardware devs as much as possible to keep them in a good position as a gaming platform.  They also need to work hard to fine tune the OS itself to work as well as possible for gamers.

 

Honestly, I think MS' long term goal is to combine the pc and xbox platforms.  I think they want to offer gaming as a service, just as Steam does today on the pc, across pcs and consoles.  The 'consoles' at that point could be small boxes for streaming gameplay like SteamOS will try to do. 

 

MS needs competition in this space to spur them to improve, and SteamOS could provide that motivation.