Steam OS

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

How many ppl actually use steam in their living room???

There will be more soon. Big picture mode is something that I have used in my living room.

If they really keep the Steambox and SteamOS as open as they claim it might blow a lot of fresh air into the ridiculously rigid and closed console world...

So it does everything a living-room PC that's running the Steam application can already do, but stops you being able to use that PC as, well... a PC?

This is exactly what Linux needs to grow in to a popular mainstream OS, proper gaming support from a big company.

Meanwhile, Microsoft completely ignores Windows as a serious gaming platform as they've done ever since the original Xbox... instead we get metro bullcrap.

Quote from Mysho :

How many ppl actually use steam in their living room???

I do.

Big Picture is pretty buggy, though, and more Steam games need full controller support.

Quote from Crashgate3 :

So it does everything a living-room PC that's running the Steam application can already do, but stops you being able to use that PC as, well... a PC?

As I too like to put my PC in the living room and use steam big picture, I am definately looking forward to that. But as my PC is both huge and loud, I look especially forward to the streaming functionality. With that, you only need a pretty barebones PC silent hooked up to the TV and let your main rig do all the computing.

Damn steam modern!

Linux based? No DirectX.

It won't support a lot of existing games so doesn't that defeat the purpose of a game based OS?

I can't see it taking hold in the market place.

More games will go towards OpenGL, and the AMD Mantle, and will break free of the DirectX chains that Microsoft has chained game developers in.

My pc is the gaming/front room entertainment centre in my house. In fact we don't actually have a tv to speak of. And I think steam are seeing that this will be more and more the case as the gaming youth grow up and have families themselves, they know what they got up to as kids, they want to see what their kids are doing on the computer.

So yea, I am looking at this Steam OS with interest. Let's see what it can do.

At least it's not microsoft or Apple.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Linux based? No DirectX.

It won't support a lot of existing games so doesn't that defeat the purpose of a game based OS?

The whole idea behind SteamOS and Steambox is to create a brand new gaming platform based upon free and open technologies. I suspect that one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) why is Valve going this way is to make their products independent on Microsoft. They'll naturally face the chicken and the egg problem (plus some devs might not be willing to move away from Windows-only development), but Valve might just have a big enough influence on the gaming market to break through this. After all the big game dev studios always go where the money is so if the Steambox sells they will target it...

The pad looks interesting. They've done away with analogue sticks completely and given it dual trackpads instead.

Quote :

"The trackpads allow far higher fidelity input than has previously been possible with traditional handheld controllers. Steam gamers, who are used to the input associated with PCs, will appreciate that the Steam Controller's resolution approaches that of a desktop mouse,"

http://www.eurogamer.net/artic ... steam-controller-revealed

Quote from MadCatX :

The whole idea behind SteamOS and Steambox is to create a brand new gaming platform based upon free and open technologies. I suspect that one of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) why is Valve going this way is to make their products independent on Microsoft. They'll naturally face the chicken and the egg problem (plus some devs might not be willing to move away from Windows-only development), but Valve might just have a big enough influence on the gaming market to break through this. After all the big game dev studios always go where the money is so if the Steambox sells they will target it...

The other thing that increases the actual practicality with playing most games is that any gamer that already has a Windows PC that can run most of their games, can buy a Steambox and then still be able to play their non-Linux games via in-home streaming.

It's a decent compromise.

Quote from dawesdust_12 :

The other thing that increases the actual practicality with playing most games is that any gamer that already has a Windows PC that can run most of their games, can buy a Steambox and then still be able to play their non-Linux games via in-home streaming.

It's a decent compromise.

2 PC's for 1 player to play a single game?

The world has gone mad. Totally and utterly and completely insane.

It would be a stupid waste of electricity, and you deserve the extra bill just for wasting the planets resources if you think it's anything but ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I've been running 2 PC's most of the night: One streaming television whilst coding on the other.

But if I was to run your model it would have been 4 PC's: One to stream television off the internet and another streaming the television to my TV whilst another PC compiled my game which I viewed on a fourth... Heck, why not type the code on a 5th machine and compile over the network too... Whilst we're at it, I'm sure I could fire another PC or two up for some background music, and maybe a few more to control the volume balance.

We may aswell never have invented multi-tasking.

What Gabe is doing is to try and break free of Microsoft's stranglehold on PC gaming. Things will be slow at first, but losing compatibility with older games is nothing new, it has been happening on PC for long enough and consoles have been doing it since the 80s.

Any old games I want to play are on Steam and Valve are shovelling a lot of money into porting them all over to Linux/MacOS. I will be taking the plunge into SteamOS when it is released and I doubt I'll go back to Windows if it does all I ask of, an ability to play my Steam Library and the ability to carry out basic computing tasks (browse web, YouTube, play music, etc.).

The 2 computers thing is a stopgap for now. Besides, there's still nothing preventing you from just using your PC in the living room with Steam. It's progress towards Windows losing its crown as PC gaming, especially considering Microsoft doesn't seem to care about the last 25 years of people making Windows the cornerstone of PC gaming.

If you have a PC in your lounge then you can dual boot it, from what I see you don't need a specific console. Steam is designing an OS, not a box.
The controller will work with pc's, windows whatever.
Seems a great idea, especially getting games to work on Linux.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Linux based? No DirectX.

It won't support a lot of existing games so doesn't that defeat the purpose of a game based OS?

I can't see it taking hold in the market place.

Lack of DirectX is the best thing about this whole thing. Microsoft have left PC gamers alone in the dark woods ever since xbox happened. Valve has a chance to take us out of the woods and back in to the world where PC gaming can actually continue developing past closed source single platform API's.

At the same time, they can bridge the gap between console and PC gaming with a single blow, which benefits PC more than consoles as bringing games over on a common graphics API will be less of a pain in the bum. Sure they're not going to be selling millions of units like consoles do in the start, but the plan and idea seems solid.

As windows drifts more towards what Microsoft wants (W8, metro, ribbon) rather than what the users want, Linux with gaming support sounds fantastic and I would personally jump over in a second if developers are willing to start using OpenGL/Mantle and device manufacturers start making better Linux drivers.

Quote from Racer X NZ :

If you have a PC in your lounge then you can dual boot it

This is my case and this may be a stupid question but how do I play with controller so far away from PC?

Let's say I don't wanna cable my whole house, it would be enough only to merge PC with living room via one monster cable to my TV... Will the wireless controller work in such a distance? (Not speaking about Steam controller, let's say it's X360 wireless one)

Never had a console so I'm just curious how this controller thing works...

The range on my Xbox 360 controller is basically my whole house, and it's in a loft room. So it's about 10 meters, and it works through walls and floors, so I can control my Xbox 360 from my living room, even use voice chat without a drop in quality.

About wireless range:
Even my wireless mouse works just fine from another room with a load-bearing wall blocking it.

Thanks guys.

Quote from Matrixi :

Lack of DirectX is the best thing about this whole thing. Microsoft have left PC gamers alone in the dark woods ever since xbox happened. Valve has a chance to take us out of the woods and back in to the world where PC gaming can actually continue developing past closed source single platform API's.

DX does a lot more than OpenGL. You can wave goodbye to force feedback for a start. That means no more driving sims worth playing... Especially with Steam encouraging the use of game pad style controllers.

Quote from Keling :

About wireless range:
Even my wireless mouse works just fine from another room with a load-bearing wall blocking it.

Good luck doing that in my house, the walls are 2ft thick! The downside of living in a 17th century cottage :/. I guess I could put a repeater in, although I am not sure browsing Facebook on the toilet warrants that level of investment