Valve Has its Own Operating System Now in SteamOS

Awesome. I have another computer thats ready to test this out on. I love Big Picture Mode and can't wait to see whats up. XD

Still surprising to me that people don't already have their main PC next to a TV. Feels like the 90's in here.

I don't get it. From what I understood, this OS will run OSX, Windows and Linux games. Now, most of those Mac and Linux games work on a Windows as well, but apart from that I wonder if Steam OS will allow me to run the programs I use on my Windows PC and Macbook? I don't see why I personally would use this instead of my PC or laptop...

UBUNTU FTW!!!

SteamOS must be installed to play Half-Life 3

Prediction on next 2 announcements:

1. The SteamBox with this newfangled OS is launching in November - right with the 2 new consoles. Preorders are being taken now (through Steam!)

2. HL3 is launching exclusive with the SteamBox.

Sign my ass up.

The only reason I've used Windows my whole life is gaming.. This changes fricken EVERYTHING. Not because I'll switch to steamOS, it doesn't seem to do what I need in the first place which is a desktop computer.. But.. What it does do is make devs want that SteamOS label, which means they will develop a linux version.. I've been mocking Linux since day one, but man.. This could be kinda big.. If I get the choice when buying my next PC (hypothetically. I always build my own) between a linux box for 499 or a winbox for 599.. both now able to run the exact same software.. Windows being a shitty OS that coasted on its monopoly for 20 years... Guess I might go Linux then..

It's a shame Microsoft stagnated the way they did. They've done nothing new since Gates left. And after ONE successful console gen they believed they had monopolized the console market as well, offering us the sad pathetic expensive ugly Moviebox that is the Xbone. They just have no idea of how to innovate. NO idea. Apple will probably also make some money off of this, should MS lose its grip on the OS market. Would be hilarious if MS fell back on its spreadsheet days. 30 guys working in an office somewhere, cranking out the next excel and word.

This OS is not for me, at least right now. I already have my PC hooked up to my TV and Windows runs basically everything. This would be awesome for whatever this Steam Box is going to be, but the SteamOS seems like it's for the most rabid Valve fans.

As a PC gamer, I would be happy to exchange my Microsoft leash for a Valve one.

Saw this coming a mile away, i'll be interested to see if they can drum up all the needed vendor support at a driver level.

Oh, hello.

Love Steam, couldn't care less about this; I just hope they finish it soon so they can get back to making games.

Uh, it doesn't sound like that to me. This seems like an OS for a console-use device. Not a PC as we use PC's. Granted, there aren't many details on this, but it doesn't seem like this can replace Windows, MacOS or Linux. It's meant for a console.

Additionally, if all you do is game this is not the thing you want as it will be unable to run 98% of games out there.

This just seems like a first move in a list of many moves needed before this becomes a viable option for anyone. Just like Steam was when it first launched. Also, while I have no numbers to back anything up, I tend to think that hardcore PC gamers are a market that is so small, that Microsoft wouldn't even notice it if they all went SteamOS once it is a viable option. Windows makes their business primarily off companies and such.

It's simple really, we're all slaves. We're Valve's bitches.

@churrific said:

My thoughts exactly. I don't even feel like we can intelligently respond to this announcement before we get the rest of the news. Also there is a lot about this announcement that wasn't made clear.

This is going nowhere. Normal consumers won't know or care about it, and generally do not install OSes. Hardcore gamers either prefer real consoles, or have tonnes of legacy PC titles this software requires a second computer to run. Why would they build 2 PCs when they could build one much more powerful Windows PC? Now a dedicated Steambox, if they announce one, possibly has more legs as a PC-console hybrid which serves as a living room accessory to a PC (sort of like the Vita TV acting as a bedroom accessory to a PS4). But this OS on its own merits? Worthless.

so there are only a few games that run native on Linux, but we can stream to this box/OS... so we'd still need a windows machine to stream games to our SteamOS box in the living room.

i need this why?

rant...

i know it's likely not for me and would work for others... but, at least, it sounds like they want to make a console (which PC people say they don't want) but they kind of have one but since it's based on Linux you still need to have a windows box to stream games to it and they announced it (like all Linux based projects) because they want to get the news out about this half an idea even though it doesn't work yet and is half baked and has not even a remote suggestion about a release date other than "soon" and we still need to build our own box (which we can do but most of the population can't) but we don't know when we can and they are staggering their announcements to gauge response.

you know the PS4 is based on FreeBSD, but, the PS4 has games that it can run on it's own, and it's cheaper, and it's one box, and i don't have to build it or maintain it or fix it when it breaks. What devices will games release on first? right xb1/ps4 so i'll stick with the appliance style machine since... like most normal adults I have a job and a family and will not sit around having to maintain yet another broken Linux machine.

i've worked with the Linux ecosystem directly for 15+ years, even did some projects, but Linux outside the server space is a joke. (fragmented andriod included). you can't build a coherent whole when literally everyone involved is pulling in different directions.

a machine is useless without an os, and os is useless without a machine and they are both useless without relevant apps that consumers demand.

Successful mainstream solutions... Apple, Sony and MS... love them or hate them... they sell a solution (hardware, os and useful apps consumers demand to use the devices) (an appliance turn key thing you simple plug in and turn on) at a price the market can bare for people who either don't have the knowledge or time to build it themselves but still want to enjoy the device. SteamOS fills none of those criteria.

... /rant.

sorry, i respect the whole PC thing and Steam but thus far, personally, i'm not all that into it... yet at least.

if you want PC games in the living room, plug your PC into your tv. done.

Yes or they would have to create some kind emulation, though on the the website it it states: Hundreds of great games are already running natively on SteamOS.

That doesn't seem to indicate emulation but it is still a bit vague what that means. I would assume that is Linux games, I mean it isn't too long ago Valve released Steam for Linux, and they do seem to have strong Linux focus in any case.

Exciting times for gaming.

They're realizing Krazy Ken's vision.

So yeah, it's ubuntu based.

Here's a link.

Component: steam Origin: Valve Software LLC Label: Steam Architecture: amd64 Description: Steam packages and updates for Steam based on Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS

Besides 95% of games who don't support Linux, while that number might shrink, I doubt most games will support Linux or Unix in the near future (5-10 years). Besides how does Microsoft ignore PC gaming, by being the only OS on the market which runs 95% of video games on the market, or their DirectX which is the best API out there, I really don't know how.

Or do you think Linux with its constant driver issues and hardware support is so much better? I got a AMD 7950 and Team Fortress 2 runs like shit on Linux, compared to Team Fortress on Windows 8 on the same hardware.

As I said above in another comment, yet another Linux distro, with a Steam overlay - if developers and publishers don't jump on the Linux boat, this wont change much in the world of PC gaming. I think they say they can stream Windows games from a Windows PC to the Steam OS box, but that is the same as putting instant noodles into the microwave and then the microwave in the oven, why not just have a Windows box below the TV and have everything there, Steam Big Picture is already all a gamer needs, well maybe a more refined one, but really, I don't need another OS to play games when Windows does everything people could possibly want from an OS to do.

The only thing Microsoft could do is release a cheaper version of Windows for gamers, but I bought 5 copies of Windows 8 for 20EUR each when they had that promo at release time, that's 5 licensed copies for a total of 100EUR, well worth it if you ask me, whilst the price for Windows 8 now is around 250-300EUR and that is quite expensive I give you that.

A lot of people have been asking, "What's the point," and "Who is this for?" I personally don't have my biggest TV by my gaming setup. If I wanted to play games on that TV, I can build a system that runs SteamOS for less than it would cost to buy the HDMI baluns and run the cable to hook things together. I'm interested in seeing how this all plays out.

Free, game focused OS (probably based off Ubuntu, practically everything is) with practically no native games for it. But it will let you stream games running on your non-free OS running OTHER gaming PC.

Obviously the third announcement is announcing a partnership with VinCo's VinOS.

Ok so... if it's just a free, game-focused OS that (presumably) cuts out all the Windows bullshit, then why didn't they just say so? All the 'living room box' crap makes it sound like you still have to buy a bunch of peripheral stuff that renders the OS itself irrelevant. And considering their website refuses to say this runs on computers (instead referring to hypothetical 'boxes' and 'machines', because what the fuck does that even mean) I'm not 100% convinced you're right.

Regardless of what this fucking thing even does, this is the most obtuse marketing I've seen in a while.

Ohhhhh man, this is super exciting. With two more announcements, I'm pretty sure one of them will be the "Steam Box," and the other would be something related to services or a unique controller device.

what this guy said.

freaking HUGE. I really hope this will become Microsoft's day of reckoning in regards to ignoring the PC gamer base. If all you do is game, there's no reason to own Windows anymore. Awesome.

*yawn*

i'll just stick to my HTPC with windows connected to my pc :P

If this is something I can put on a Raspberry Pi, then stream all my games to my TV, then this is pretty damned useful for me. There are plenty of games on PC I rather use a controller to play, and right now I don't have any way of displaying them on my TV. So I'm liking what I am hearing!

or whose tv is too far from their pc

To be fair, he is the center of his own observable universe.

So, what is the end-game here? I don't really get it.

Step 1: New OS that by itself will only play a very small fraction of games. You can install it (presumably) on most current PCs, but then you can only play that small fraction of the games you own. Valve goes for a hardware solution too, so:

Step 2: Valve releases a "box" that can run this OS. PC Gamers will go crazy with excitement despite having spent the last 15-20 years insisting that building a PC from the ground up is the only way to go, and that "we can always do this cheaper than the retailers". Still, to play the 95% or more of your non-linux Steam games, you need a regular PC running Windows.

Step 3: You put this box in the living room, where you can play Linux games, or with the help of a $600-$1200 accessory (your gaming PC) you can stream all your Windows Steam games from your study/office/bedroom.

So it's a two-computer solution to getting PC games onto a big screen? Wha huh?

Now, if the Valve "box" is like, a $50-100 dongle that just lets me stream from any Steam platform on my network, that would be cool. But with this whole Steam OS thing, it doesn't seem like they're headed that way, and I'm not sure it's a solution most people will be willing to pay for.

It's fairly obvious. It's for people who already own a gaming PC running windows and who are too dumb to figure out a way to connect it to their TV.

What's extra funny is that the games that matter that run well on linux right now are games you cannot play with a controller (DOTA2, TF2, CS, L4D2, CK2, EU IV).

It probably would've helped if they made all 3 of their announcements as one big announcement. There's little to no context as to what/who this OS is for, as made apparent by some of the confusion in the comments here. Why drag it out over the course of the week?

Eh, I hope that the streaming stuff works well. This sounds totally useless otherwise, having an OS that's dedicated to TF2 and bad indie games doesn't exactly sound great.

So. I would imagine that having Half-life 3 as an exclusive to this SteamOS would be the way for them to get people to use it.

I'd be down for this. Perhaps a dual-boot system or maybe, if there is even basic driver support, this could even be my main OS. I mean all i do on my desktop is play games and loot at the internet.

What makes my excited about this most is having a smaller, faster OS might allow more memory and processing power to be used directly by the game instead of running a full on windows in the background.

Well... looks like I need to order myself another SSD. There id no reality in which I do not install Steam OS.

I'd run VinCo Vinnux on EVERYTHING. Someone get a kickstarter going.

How is Vinny's Linux distro coming along? I'm more interested in that.

@tjuk said:

That would be the dumbest decision in the history of video games. Ballsy, but so incredibly dumb

This makes a lot of sense, considering that gog.com just gave up on Linux because they couldn't guarentee that their games would run on every perumatation of Linux. Having one LinuxOS that Valve is focused on makes this all a lot easier for them to support.

Half-life 3. Coming exclusively to SteamOS.

@rafaelfc: Well, yeah. Essentially there are four categories of computer hardware for computer entertainment consumers. Giant server clusters, somewhat powerful local computing units, small power mobile devices and really tiny embedded devices. Gaming consoles and PC:s are most likely the second category and now and in the future there aren't much reasons to use different hardware in them. Heck, maybe Nvidia Shield, WiiU and PSvita actually show the future where low power mobile devices are used to stream video feed from more powerful, but still quite local computing unit which today happens to be PC or gaming console.

Looks like I'll have to stick with windows a bit longer to stream my games. I use OSX for work and only have a Windows installed on my gaming PC. Maybe in a few years all games will be Linux compatible. It is nice to see an OS built from the ground up just for games. There is a lot of improvements they can make to the input/output pipeline.

Shut up and take my Free.

@rafaelfc: Well, yeah. Essentially there are four categories of computer hardware for computer entertainment consumers. Giant server clusters, somewhat powerful local computing units, small power mobile devices and really tiny embedded devices. Gaming consoles and PC:s are most likely the second category and now and in the future there aren't much reasons to use different hardware in them. Heck, maybe Nvidia Shield, WiiU and PSvita actually show the future where low power mobile devices are used to stream video feed from more powerful, but still quite local computing unit which today happens to be PC or gaming console.

Except it won't run the VAST majority of their games unless they have a windows PC running the actual game someplace else. For someone who already has a gaming PC running windows hooked up to their PC this announcement is meaningless.

Potentially cool and important in the coming years, but it's not actually cool or important yet.