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Valve Has its Own Operating System Now in SteamOS

This new OS is free of cost and designed for your living room.

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Finally, Valve has found a way to combine Gabe Newell's love of the Linux OS architecture with its own aims at servicing your living room. Today, the company announced SteamOS, a new, free-to-license operating system built on the Linux infrastructure, expressly designed for living room-based computers.

The announcement is available on Valve's website area dedicated to living room functionality, and includes this message on what the company's aim is with SteamOS.

As we’ve been working on bringing Steam to the living room, we’ve come to the conclusion that the environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself. SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen. It will be available soon as a free stand-alone operating system for living room machines.

In addition to "significant performance increases in graphics processing," SteamOS is also designed with features like game streaming from other computers, support for as-yet-unnamed music and video services, and the family sharing features that had previously been announced for Steam.

This is, of course, just the first of three announcements Valve has scheduled for this week. Still, this is kind of a big deal, and potentially a very cool thing, depending on how Valve plans to push and support this OS. Will one of those ways be on a dedicated "SteamBox" living room PC? I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

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Captain_Lone_Wolf

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@markwahlberg: He means that the OS is built for big screens, hence what you would have in your living room. Well if your that lucky.

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Captain_Lone_Wolf

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So does this mean that steam games will run more smoothly on this OS? Also can Linux users finaly play games that they couldn't before? Like Call of Duty, ect

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Edited By NekuSakuraba

I don't really "get" the point of needing a Steam OS. I mean, I guess I kinda do if you're playing in the living room? But does it bring any benefit at all to normal PC users or like big picture mode is it just a better UI for your tv?

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Creme

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colin_lashley

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finally we kinda get the best of both worlds. kinda...

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jakob187

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I love how so many people are excited...

...but I remember the Steam launch as well.

We'll see how it goes whenever the thing is released.

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Paraptorkeet

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TinyGrasshopper

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Edited By TinyGrasshopper

I think it should be noted that the SteamOS is mostly regular Ubuntu. When you look at the valve repo, there are very few packages in the repo.

I anticipate that it would be something along the lines of Lubuntu or Xubuntu where it's mostly the same OS as Ubuntu but configured to be lean and only ship with the packages that are needed to accomplish its goal, which is to get you to Big Picture as soon as possible after pressing the power button. I figure the ISO when it is released will be very small.

Also since it would be mostly the same as Ubuntu, I think you would be able to turn the default SteamOS into regular Ubuntu relatively easily and Steam Desktop can be treated like another desktop environment that sits alongside Ubuntu's Unity or LXDE.

To educate the non-Linux users: Desktop Linux supports multiple desktop environments. A desktop environment is a different user interface. So when you get to the login screen you normally login to Ubuntu's default Unity which is the one that looks like MacOSX with the dock on the left hand side. But it is really easy to install a lighter one like LXDE and then you can just choose it at login.

I imagine that since it's a Linux distro and will be relatively open, Big Picture will be the default desktop environment on a standard Ubuntu but with no Ubuntu or Canonical branding anywhere, and it would be trivial to add the Ubuntu Unity or any other desktop environment to it and just switch back and forth.

I think that's what people are confused about. The interface is going to look console-y, but it will still be a PC OS. I think you'll be able to do all the stuff that you can on any other PC operating system, like install packages, install desktop environments, run a browser, install VMs, run a server, all that nerdy stuff.

And as for the people who think that there aren't PC gamers that want a console-like experience, I can't speak for other people, but for me, the older I've gotten the lazier and wearier I've gotten. I want to have the option of upgradeability and maintainability that comes with PC gaming, but I don't want the hassle of actually having to take care of the PC. I want something in-between console and PC. I think there's a space for this.

And the valve approach makes sense, take the most tinkerable OS in Linux and like Ubuntu, make up the difference in the ease of use department, but take it to another level for gaming than Ubuntu would.

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Budwyzer

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@2kings said:

@jayjonesjunior said:

@besetment said:

My steam library is in the hundreds, and all of them are Windows games. Why would I "stream" them to a SteamOS machine when I can just play them on my Windows PC? It's already hooked up to a TV.

Maybe it is not meant for you, Mr. Center of the Universe.

He makes a good point and you're being kind of a dick. To replace your OS just to take advantage of this would make sense if it offered something more than streaming to another PC. Otherwise it seems redundant to say the least. With his PC hooked up to a TV, as is mine, SteamOS is being directly targeted at people like he and I. Who else would it be meant for?

Not you. You actually just ran around in a circle and contradicted yourself. You said it's redundant for you install, yet it is somehow directly targeted at people like yourself.

No, this seems more targeted at people that have an HTPC in the living room and would like an easy way to stream their games into said space. Build a Gaming Rig Server, and play from any room in the house. Maybe even from anywhere in the world, depending on the robustness of the streaming application.

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Budwyzer

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Edited By Budwyzer

@besetment said:

My steam library is in the hundreds, and all of them are Windows games. Why would I "stream" them to a SteamOS machine when I can just play them on my Windows PC? It's already hooked up to a TV.

Not everyone has a TV hooked up to their gaming PC. My gaming PC, for example, is in my office. I have HDMI over Ethernet extenders going to the living room to my 70" screen, along with a USB over ethernet extender as well.

The problem here is that the extender creates a strange resolution conversion and will only use 80" of the screen. Zooming makes it too big, yadda yadda. Also, video/audio extender takes 2 network cables. So that PC is using up 4 network cables. Whereas, putting SteamOS on my already decent HTPC and streaming the content over the network should fix my resolution issues as well as free up 3 of those network cables!

Plus, if someone at the XBMC community were able to create an add-on that pulls up my Steam library and I could start a game from within XBMC itself instead of having to jump over to Big Picture Mode, that would be boss.

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Corvak

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Streaming never worked out for OnLive - but SteamOS removes the internet from the equation. You're simply streaming from another PC on your network, instead of bouncing all over the internet and adding potential weak links between the source and your steam box.

Using SteamOS in a box that purely streams could be very affordable ($100 or less) for people who own a gaming PC but dont want to put it in their living room, or want to keep their current setup for some games. It also opens the door for lower end media center PCs being able to also stream games from a gaming PC elsewhere in the home.

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Nethlem

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@fminus said:

@flacracker said:

@fascismo said:

So this is probably a stupid question, but you won't actually get to play any games on steamOS unless a Linux version exists, right? I'm all for circumventing Windows 8, but there just aren't enough games that I can run outside of Windows for switching to make sense to me

There aren't enough games on the PS4 or XOne but that doesn't stop people, or even maybe yourself, from buying it though. People will buy those consoles and games will get made for them. People will switch to SteamOS now that it is being marketed and push and games will get made for it.

You compare this to PS4 & Xbox One? Both consoles are guaranteed to get a massive library through their lifespan, developers/publishers are working to create games specific for that platform, on the other hand we have just another distribution of Ubuntu called Steam OS and you expect developers to jump on it, just because it's Valve? If developers wanted to create games for Linux they already would have done that without waiting for Valve, even if Linux gains 10% of games because of this, and I guess a lot of indies will bite the bait, it's still nothing compared to Windows.

But that OS wont ever be on my PCs, simply because I don't just use them to play games and so do other people.

Besides looking at the track record of Valve fixing issues I don't really trust them that this thing will work without problems, especially cause it's Linux and we know how things work on that OS, seldom and one day yes one day not. Steam isn't able to properly fullscreen on a portrait oriented monitor since it exists, the bug is mentioned on Steam forums almost daily and they keep ignoring it or are unable to fix it, well, an approach like that wont fly with an OS, on another note I have a 21:9 TV among other will the OS scale with that screen, I know it does with Windows but I seriously doubt Steam OS will.

Calling this "just another Ubuntu distribution" is grossly understating the potential all this could have.
Even if SteamOS and a "Steam Box" start out only being streaming clients, for a Windows gaming PC somewhere else in the house, this is still great news.

Long term Valve can keep on strengthening the Linux support, they have enough experience on the Hardware level to do some magic with the graphics API, not much to support out there anyway, Nvidia and AMD. I've always waited for Valve to take exactly that step, having it all based on Linux makes way more sense then trying to build something new from the ground up.

Linux gaming support has been on the rise for quite a few years and this is gonna help pushing it further.

Too bad about you not being able to fullscreen the Steam interface, that sounds like something really really critical that's massively impacting your ability to use Steam, so it's really a wonder that Valve hasn't gotten around fixing such an non-issue.

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Cirdain

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"SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux..."

ROCK-SOLID?!

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I have no idea what these mysterious "living room machines" are but I'd be interested in using this for my PC.


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xymox

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I have no idea what these mysterious "living room machines" are but I'd be interested in using this for my PC.


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Brackynews

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Edited By Brackynews

@spiritof said:

My only problem with a Steam Box/OS is the same as its ever been, how do they deal with the ever evolving system specs of PC gaming?

Keep it cheap to the point of being almost disposable, or at least tradable, like consoles but at a handheld price point.

Whether you buy a new box, or a new thing that swaps into the box, it's all the same if it's cheap enough. Make consumers think less, and you'll get more sales. It just backfired on Nintendo because people thought Wii U was an expansion. But I own at least 4 versions of Nintendo handhelds, even though there's a certain amount of backward compatibility.

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James_ex_machina

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Edited By James_ex_machina

F U Valve! Don't make me back into PC gaming...

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kagato

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Unfortunately we are already seeing the rise of several new clients such as ARC, Origin and Uplay, had Valve gone to market even an year earlier instead of pussyfooting around id have been all over this. Now the whole market is just way too splintered for this to make sense to anyone that has games installed outside of Steam. Im so ready to ditch windows but not for linux, at least not in its current state.

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TeleToko

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Some stuffz:

The announcement of SteamOS is not the announcement of a Steam box. SteamOS is just a linux based Steam optimized OS, free and open source. What this means in practice is that Samsung can build a TV With Steam built in, Philips can make a dvr device with Steam built in, HP can built a nas with SteamOS, heck you can even install it on your Roomba if that's what you want. So instead of the OS owner dictating which companies are allowed to use their OS, everybody is free to take it. This is huge.

There will be 3 types of boxes - good, better, best. The simplest box will be a box with the stream capabilities revealed today. A 99 dollar apple tv like open source system on which you can play your pc games through streaming, but also works as an htpc. You can install xbmc netflix etc. On it, plus all the other stuff people will develop for it since its all open source. Primary target for the streambox will be current pc gamers who get an awesome roku/atv like open source box which can stream their complete Steam library.

The second box will be around 300 bucks and will be more console like in the sense that it has enough compute power to run games, has a good gfx card etc. This will be the competition for the xb1 ps4 market, and this is probably the main target for Valve since they want to expand their market. If this succeeds it will be HUGE. A no hassle console with Steam prices and sales, free and open to any developer, no subscription needed for multiplayer gaming, modding through workshop etc., you know, all the good stuff pcgaming has over consoles. I bet the timing of these announcements, shortly before the release of the new gen consoles, has something to do with this as well.

The third option will be some kind of super console, up to date with the latest hardware. Remeber this being open source any company can make their own systems and drop SteamOS on it, it doesn't have to be Steam fabricated. This means that instead of going through a 7 year cycle you can upgrade your console at any given time, drop SteamOS on it and you have your up to date console experience. A company like Nvidia could built their own box with a cartridge like gfx card which even your grandma could switch out if needed. Endless possibilities.

I also am confused at the short sightedness of some people saying the linux library is currently so small. Yes it is, but it is way bigger than any of the other future systems library atm, I can not buy a single xb1 or ps4 game at this point in time. I'm sure Valve has done their homework and knows developers are willing to work with linux, and Valve certainly has the knowledge and means to make this a succes and to incentivise developers into linux development. Cutting DirectX out of the game industry in favor of OpenGL is basically all that has to be done to cut Microsoft out of their hold on pcgaming. A boost by a company like Valve can make this happen.

I am excite! Hope you are a bit more excite now too.

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@djjoejoe said:

You know why this is interesting? You know why everyone on this site should be at least paying attention? Because I think it's the first potential Operating System to be built with the purpose of playing video games at it's core... Windows runs games great and I adore it because it's the easiest place right now to play all of the video games ever pretty much... but Windows is legacy, it's old as fuck and the fact that it runs games is almost a happenstance, barring any surprise interest shown from Microsoft once the Xbox One era for them gets going I highly doubt they will be pushing gaming on Windows any harder than they have already, there's been almost zero effort publicly put forth from them for gaming on computers and even the way the 360 controller has found new life on the PC has way more to do with Valve and Steam pushing it's integration in an official way than anything else, it's lucky and it's sad for Microsoft.

So why should you care about an operating system purportedly built for games? How could you NOT care... your on giantbomb dot com I assume you like video games, maybe even love them, so start showing your love for games and the possibilities for even better games under a possible new platform that could help make them better for you! :)

I agree about this. Still, it's Linux at its core, and there's a reason why Linux has never caught on with the mainstream (hint: even the "easy to use" Linux versions are not easy to use for the avarage Joe, and Windows works okay enough for people not wanting to add another OS to their machine). I agree that this is very interesting for gamers, but I still feel that this is only gonna appeal to just a tiny fraction of hardcore gamers.

We'll see, I guess. It's clear that the business side of Valve is one of, if not the, best in the industry, so they probably know something we don't. I'll never bet against Valve, but right now I can't really see the market for something like this and (if it's announced) a "steam box".

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The thing I like about consoles is that you make your investment for the generations and you know you're never going to be left behind. PC can discriminate in terms of specs and if they solve that prob. more people would be interested I reckon.

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DJJoeJoe

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You know why this is interesting? You know why everyone on this site should be at least paying attention? Because I think it's the first potential Operating System to be built with the purpose of playing video games at it's core... Windows runs games great and I adore it because it's the easiest place right now to play all of the video games ever pretty much... but Windows is legacy, it's old as fuck and the fact that it runs games is almost a happenstance, barring any surprise interest shown from Microsoft once the Xbox One era for them gets going I highly doubt they will be pushing gaming on Windows any harder than they have already, there's been almost zero effort publicly put forth from them for gaming on computers and even the way the 360 controller has found new life on the PC has way more to do with Valve and Steam pushing it's integration in an official way than anything else, it's lucky and it's sad for Microsoft.

So why should you care about an operating system purportedly built for games? How could you NOT care... your on giantbomb dot com I assume you like video games, maybe even love them, so start showing your love for games and the possibilities for even better games under a possible new platform that could help make them better for you! :)

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inspectorfowler

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I don't care about the control scheme as much as I do about the common sense of this. It seems like they're making this box for an insanely small percentage of current PC gamers and virtually zero console gamers.

I know we should wait for the next couple announcements, and I also know this plays into their plan - get everybody talking. But unless they are like, "Okay, guys, it's a $500 device equivalent to a $1000 PC and it will play every Steam game you own!!!!!" I am really not sure who the OS and any resultant device are for. Linux lovers? Nope, they already run it on their own PC. People who wanna play PC games in the living room? Well, they are probably already doing that, and without any network complications coming from streaming the video through a router. Console gamers? Sorry, they are looking at relatively affordable boxes in a couple months with a decent launch lineup and guaranteed followups, as opposed to a total unknown future.

I feel like Gabe is so upset about Windows 8 that he is somehow convinced the rest of us are too. I'm not - I'm going to skip it, just like a lot of us did with Vista.

Oh well. It's not like this is going to bankrupt Valve, they could probably wipe with gold toilet paper at this stage.

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inspectorfowler

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I don't care about the control scheme as much as I do about the common sense of this. It seems like they're making this box for an insanely small percentage of current PC gamers and virtually zero console gamers.

I know we should wait for the next couple announcements, and I also know this plays into their plan - get everybody talking. But unless they are like, "Okay, guys, it's a $500 device equivalent to a $1000 PC and it will play every Steam game you own!!!!!" I am really not sure who the OS and any resultant device are for. Linux lovers? Nope, they already run it on their own PC. People who wanna play PC games in the living room? Well, they are probably already doing that, and without any network complications coming from streaming the video through a router. Console gamers? Sorry, they are looking at relatively affordable boxes in a couple months with a decent launch lineup and guaranteed followups, as opposed to a total unknown future.

I feel like Gabe is so upset about Windows 8 that he is somehow convinced the rest of us are too. I'm not - I'm going to skip it, just like a lot of us did with Vista.

Oh well. It's not like this is going to bankrupt Valve, they could probably wipe with gold toilet paper at this stage.

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inspectorfowler

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I don't care about the control scheme as much as I do about the common sense of this. It seems like they're making this box for an insanely small percentage of current PC gamers and virtually zero console gamers.

I know we should wait for the next couple announcements, and I also know this plays into their plan - get everybody talking. But unless they are like, "Okay, guys, it's a $500 device equivalent to a $1000 PC and it will play every Steam game you own!!!!!" I am really not sure who the OS and any resultant device are for. Linux lovers? Nope, they already run it on their own PC. People who wanna play PC games in the living room? Well, they are probably already doing that, and without any network complications coming from streaming the video through a router. Console gamers? Sorry, they are looking at relatively affordable boxes in a couple months with a decent launch lineup and guaranteed followups, as opposed to a total unknown future.

I feel like Gabe is so upset about Windows 8 that he is somehow convinced the rest of us are too. I'm not - I'm going to skip it, just like a lot of us did with Vista.

Oh well. It's not like this is going to bankrupt Valve, they could probably wipe with gold toilet paper at this stage.

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inspectorfowler

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I don't care about the control scheme as much as I do about the common sense of this. It seems like they're making this box for an insanely small percentage of current PC gamers and virtually zero console gamers.

I know we should wait for the next couple announcements, and I also know this plays into their plan - get everybody talking. But unless they are like, "Okay, guys, it's a $500 device equivalent to a $1000 PC and it will play every Steam game you own!!!!!" I am really not sure who the OS and any resultant device are for. Linux lovers? Nope, they already run it on their own PC. People who wanna play PC games in the living room? Well, they are probably already doing that, and without any network complications coming from streaming the video through a router. Console gamers? Sorry, they are looking at relatively affordable boxes in a couple months with a decent launch lineup and guaranteed followups, as opposed to a total unknown future.

I feel like Gabe is so upset about Windows 8 that he is somehow convinced the rest of us are too. I'm not - I'm going to skip it, just like a lot of us did with Vista.

Oh well. It's not like this is going to bankrupt Valve, they could probably wipe with gold toilet paper at this stage.

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inspectorfowler

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I don't care about the control scheme as much as I do about the common sense of this. It seems like they're making this box for an insanely small percentage of current PC gamers and virtually zero console gamers.

I know we should wait for the next couple announcements, and I also know this plays into their plan - get everybody talking. But unless they are like, "Okay, guys, it's a $500 device equivalent to a $1000 PC and it will play every Steam game you own!!!!!" I am really not sure who the OS and any resultant device are for. Linux lovers? Nope, they already run it on their own PC. People who wanna play PC games in the living room? Well, they are probably already doing that, and without any network complications coming from streaming the video through a router. Console gamers? Sorry, they are looking at relatively affordable boxes in a couple months with a decent launch lineup and guaranteed followups, as opposed to a total unknown future.

I feel like Gabe is so upset about Windows 8 that he is somehow convinced the rest of us are too. I'm not - I'm going to skip it, just like a lot of us did with Vista.

Oh well. It's not like this is going to bankrupt Valve, they could probably wipe with gold toilet paper at this stage.

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AlexGBRO

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@penguindust: this could be a problem but it is coming in 2014 so they some time to get big AAA on their platform

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AlexGBRO

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AlexGBRO

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@inspectorfowler: the funny part that most is that you now will have to play fps on a controler

so ........

also rts and mmo.........

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Pop

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I'm a noob. If let's say I put this OS on my PC, would it use my video card and processor better than windows does? Would it play games better? Thanks.

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inspectorfowler

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Edited By inspectorfowler

@amonkey said:

Right now I'd be very happy to buy a SteamBox. I just moved country and only have crappy laptop to play video games on. I have hundreds of Steam games, and more I'd like to buy and play. Yet I can't justify building (another) gaming PC in case I move again in a year or two.

A SteamBox would solve these issues. Its a dedicated, cheap (theoretically) machine which will allow me to play all my Steam games, with no fuss involved. If I move again I can just take it with me.

But this doesn't seem to be the case - the Steam Box would only play the Steam games that are running on Linux. Unless they have some kind of Gaikai trick up their sleeve, you'll need a Windows PC running on your home network that can run all your Windows games.

I am still not seeing the advantage vs a traditional console unless you are really, really intent on playing your Windows PC games in the living room without moving your desktop PC in there.

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TinyGrasshopper

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Edited By TinyGrasshopper

@fminus said:

@flacracker said:

@fascismo said:

So this is probably a stupid question, but you won't actually get to play any games on steamOS unless a Linux version exists, right? I'm all for circumventing Windows 8, but there just aren't enough games that I can run outside of Windows for switching to make sense to me

There aren't enough games on the PS4 or XOne but that doesn't stop people, or even maybe yourself, from buying it though. People will buy those consoles and games will get made for them. People will switch to SteamOS now that it is being marketed and push and games will get made for it.

You compare this to PS4 & Xbox One? Both consoles are guaranteed to get a massive library through their lifespan, developers/publishers are working to create games specific for that platform, on the other hand we have just another distribution of Ubuntu called Steam OS and you expect developers to jump on it, just because it's Valve? If developers wanted to create games for Linux they already would have done that without waiting for Valve, even if Linux gains 10% of games because of this, and I guess a lot of indies will bite the bait, it's still nothing compared to Windows.

But that OS wont ever be on my PCs, simply because I don't just use them to play games and so do other people.

Besides looking at the track record of Valve fixing issues I don't really trust them that this thing will work without problems, especially cause it's Linux and we know how things work on that OS, seldom and one day yes one day not. Steam isn't able to properly fullscreen on a portrait oriented monitor since it exists, the bug is mentioned on Steam forums almost daily and they keep ignoring it or are unable to fix it, well, an approach like that wont fly with an OS, on another note I have a 21:9 TV among other will the OS scale with that screen, I know it does with Windows but I seriously doubt Steam OS will.

Who portrait orients their TV to play games on it?

@tomba_be said:

To make it a successful OS some things need to happen:

* It has to 'just work' on 99% of the hardware. Most gamers just don't have time to browse the internet for hours to find a driver.

* It has to have a way to make the vast majority of Windows games (past, present, future) run without any significant performance loss.

If only the first one is there, it will still make an interesting OS for a media center or a more office/home-centered machine.

But since even the big Linux companies have never succeeded in either of those, I doubt Valve will make it happen.

I doubt the graphics drivers are going to be a problem, from looking at their package repo, they'll be maintaining their own set of nvidia drivers apart from ubuntu's, probably harnessing all that work with hardware manufacturers that they've been touting since this push started. I haven't had problems with the ubuntu repo's nvidia drivers anyways. http://repo.steampowered.com/hometest/pool/steam/n/

SteamDB folks found Spotify and local/network share/itunes playlist playback support in Steam so we know that will be one of the media services http://steamdb.info/blog/25/

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@amonkey said:

Right now I'd be very happy to buy a SteamBox. I just moved country and only have crappy laptop to play video games on. I have hundreds of Steam games, and more I'd like to buy and play. Yet I can't justify building (another) gaming PC in case I move again in a year or two.

A SteamBox would solve these issues. Its a dedicated, cheap (theoretically) machine which will allow me to play all my Steam games, with no fuss involved. If I move again I can just take it with me.

Because taking a PC with you is a no-go when you move :D, make sure to not buy a car while you are at it, cause you will need to leave it at your old address. I got my car shipped from Slovenia to Sweden when I was studying there btw on a container ship and it was cheap, cheaper as if I had to buy a new car there, and my PC went with me on a plane.

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Right now I'd be very happy to buy a SteamBox. I just moved country and only have crappy laptop to play video games on. I have hundreds of Steam games, and more I'd like to buy and play. Yet I can't justify building (another) gaming PC in case I move again in a year or two.

A SteamBox would solve these issues. Its a dedicated, cheap (theoretically) machine which will allow me to play all my Steam games, with no fuss involved. If I move again I can just take it with me.

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ezdude

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What the heck is going on?

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@fascismo said:

So this is probably a stupid question, but you won't actually get to play any games on steamOS unless a Linux version exists, right? I'm all for circumventing Windows 8, but there just aren't enough games that I can run outside of Windows for switching to make sense to me

There aren't enough games on the PS4 or XOne but that doesn't stop people, or even maybe yourself, from buying it though. People will buy those consoles and games will get made for them. People will switch to SteamOS now that it is being marketed and push and games will get made for it.

You compare this to PS4 & Xbox One? Both consoles are guaranteed to get a massive library through their lifespan, developers/publishers are working to create games specific for that platform, on the other hand we have just another distribution of Ubuntu called Steam OS and you expect developers to jump on it, just because it's Valve? If developers wanted to create games for Linux they already would have done that without waiting for Valve, even if Linux gains 10% of games because of this, and I guess a lot of indies will bite the bait, it's still nothing compared to Windows.

But that OS wont ever be on my PCs, simply because I don't just use them to play games and so do other people.

Besides looking at the track record of Valve fixing issues I don't really trust them that this thing will work without problems, especially cause it's Linux and we know how things work on that OS, seldom and one day yes one day not. Steam isn't able to properly fullscreen on a portrait oriented monitor since it exists, the bug is mentioned on Steam forums almost daily and they keep ignoring it or are unable to fix it, well, an approach like that wont fly with an OS, on another note I have a 21:9 TV among other will the OS scale with that screen, I know it does with Windows but I seriously doubt Steam OS will.

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I must be tired cause it took a couple of minutes for this joke to soak in.

My only problem with a Steam Box/OS is the same as its ever been, how do they deal with the ever evolving system specs of PC gaming?

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While I love linux for everyday use and am excited to see where Valve is going to take this, I can't help but feel a Linux based gaming box (presumably what SteamOS is intended for) is not going to do very well in the mass market with how few games currently support linux.

I love indie games as much (probably a lot more) than the next guy, but let's be honest they aren't going to sell a $500 gaming box to the average joe. I think if this is going to succeed Valve needs to double down and get more AAA publishers to jump aboard the linux train. Once we start seeing Activision, SquareEnix, Ubisoft, and other big name publishers and developers, then I think SteamOS and a SteamBox running it will have a chance.

The way I see it now however is simply another cool idea from Valve, but not one that is likely to have the mass appeal they expect. Either way I'm very excited to see what the next two announcements are ^_^

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cloudnineboya

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ok give it to me tomorrow, ill just have last day party with windows.

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I keep reading the comments, and I still do not see a compelling reason why, unless it is to eliminate the HDMI cable, and location of the pc in the living room. A lot of cases do suck as home furnishings, that's why I use a cooler master full tower, I do not mind big. A few others also have a decent look and certainly function (Just to mention it, latter day Alienware looks bizarre).

As for an alternative approach, I'd use a wireless keyboard and mouse on the living-room table in conjunction with full PC plus TV, and a controller for steam games. For the moment I have a wired gaming keyboard and mouse, but a controller dedicated to steam might be feasible. then I would adopt my previous model.

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"deus ex music"

It's 2047, the only two companies left on the surface of planet earth, Valve and Google are in vigorous battle for world domination. Using augmented agents, in proxy wars around the world the evil mega corporations fight for the domination of the ultimate resource, Humanity.

"bwaaaaam"

by directors M. Night. Shyamalan? and McG!

written by gary whitta

coming 2014

If it's an M. Night joint, there has to be a big reveal.

The big reveal turns out to be that Valve and Google are the same company, and the corporate "wars" they have been fighting have been an elaborately staged play calculated to make people side with one or the other, meaning that virtually 100% of the planet would be siding with Voogle, even if they didn't know it.

BWAAAAAAAAAAMMM

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DarkWaterSong

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@scarabus: Unless the already have a fully working emulator that does not eat resources for every OS...like DosBox...for their OS.

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My concern in all this is what happens when Gabe tries to force his OS onto users who don't want it by releasing Half Life 3 or something equally important as a Steam OS exclusive? Transitioning to Linux is not something I have any intention of doing and I don't want Valve punishing me for not going along with Gabe's hatred of Windows 8. Valve is typically a positive force in gaming but TF2 hats and Dota 2 keys have always seemed extremely exploitative to me and Valve could easily use their OS for something sinister.