Valve have announced SteamOS, their own operating system based on Debian Linux that will be placed on a variety of gaming machines due for release in 2014.
Well now looks like the SteamBox isn't far away at all, 2014 in-fact! This is really fun news and best bit I think is that anyone can win one of the 300 they are giving away as well!
How To Win
Very nice of them, it's all marketing though of course to get people to picture them, video them etc.
Their FAQ is very fun to read as well, especially this;
So their consoles will be very open, so they are sticking to what they said about it before. You could install Windows on it if you wanted but that defeats the pointing of buying a SteamBox as you would be buying it for SteamOS ideally, at least that is what I hope people would buy it for.
The Last Announcement
So I don't think a controller will be the last announcement, I will be surprised if it is considering their FAQ mentions they will give us more info on that soon so that blew my last prediction out of the water. What do you think it will be? It could be any number of things now:
You know the drill though, another two days to wait, let the waiting game commence!
Personally I hope it isn't Android integration with a store and games for it because that will move it away from the desktop some more.
Lots of questions, lots of fun to be had. We shall see how this all pans out, be sure to send us in all the info you lot get so we don't miss anything, best way for that is the Submit Tip button on the navbar. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
QuoteSteam Machines - Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS.
QuoteWhile these products are still in development, we need your help. As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go. We have designed a high-performance prototype that’s optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam. Of course, it’s also completely upgradable and open.
This year we’re shipping just 300 of these boxes to Steam users, free of charge, for testing. You can make yourself eligible to get one. How? Read on!
Well now looks like the SteamBox isn't far away at all, 2014 in-fact! This is really fun news and best bit I think is that anyone can win one of the 300 they are giving away as well!
How To Win
QuoteBefore October 25, log in to Steam and then visit your quest page to track your current status towards beta test eligibility
1. Join the Steam Universe community group
2. Agree to the Steam Hardware Beta Terms and Conditions
3. Make 10 Steam friends (if you haven't already)
4. Create a public Steam Community profile (if you haven't already)
5. Play a game using a gamepad in Big Picture mode
Very nice of them, it's all marketing though of course to get people to picture them, video them etc.
Their FAQ is very fun to read as well, especially this;
QuoteCan I hack this box? Run another OS? Change the hardware? Install my own software? Use it to build a robot?
Sure.
So their consoles will be very open, so they are sticking to what they said about it before. You could install Windows on it if you wanted but that defeats the pointing of buying a SteamBox as you would be buying it for SteamOS ideally, at least that is what I hope people would buy it for.
The Last Announcement
So I don't think a controller will be the last announcement, I will be surprised if it is considering their FAQ mentions they will give us more info on that soon so that blew my last prediction out of the water. What do you think it will be? It could be any number of things now:
- A controller
- Source Engine 2, imagine source engine 2 that's freely licensable and easily accessible to any developer
- Android Integration (For selling/playing games), they already have an application on Android after all
You know the drill though, another two days to wait, let the waiting game commence!
Personally I hope it isn't Android integration with a store and games for it because that will move it away from the desktop some more.
Lots of questions, lots of fun to be had. We shall see how this all pans out, be sure to send us in all the info you lot get so we don't miss anything, best way for that is the Submit Tip button on the navbar. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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As they're saying in the FAQ about controllers that more info is to come soon, I guess that friday's announcement will be for a new joypad (probably three buttons and bundled with a cat).
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I don´t think it will be the controller or Source 2 (I really hope I am wrong here), but considering the symbol of the first announcement is a circle, well I could bet that it´s integration with other OS (I read some rumors it could be compatible with PS4), but it´s my speculation, considering it´s Valve everything is possible. I don´t think Android integration fits here because Steam Machine is much more than a cell phone, it´s targeted to hardcore players in my point of view.
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"(I read some rumors it could be compatible with PS4)"
Lord Avallon, where did you read that?
Lord Avallon, where did you read that?
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This site needs a way to distinguish quotes pasted from other sites, and editorial blurbs because it's messy to read like this.
In any case, I'm pretty excited about this. If there's a hardware option I can justify spending on, my PS4 purchase will be suspended indefinitely.
Edit: As for the next-to-last comment in the article, the whole point of SteamOS and Steam Machines is not to move away from the desktop, but to expand into the living room. That's the whole goal. Nobody in their right mind is going to run SteamOS on a desktop PC on a desk - what's the point? All your Steam games will work on your regular desktop OS natively or via streaming, and any performance increases etc afforded by SteamOS will be offset by the time you spend rebooting between OSes to do real desktop PC tasks.. Yeah, some crazy people might do it, but it's really not the intent and seems foolish, truly.
Also, I don't expect to see an Android Steam Store. It's possible, but it makes little sense. I think a more robust Steam client, with streaming capabilities, maybe the ability to use an Android device as an input device and second screen - those things make sense. Even Sony's doing that. But is that Friday's announcement? I dunno. The earlier rumors suggest Source2 and a game, and that seems believable, but there's gotta be more to it.
Edit Again: if there is an open-source engine, they should call it OpenSource. haha
In any case, I'm pretty excited about this. If there's a hardware option I can justify spending on, my PS4 purchase will be suspended indefinitely.
Edit: As for the next-to-last comment in the article, the whole point of SteamOS and Steam Machines is not to move away from the desktop, but to expand into the living room. That's the whole goal. Nobody in their right mind is going to run SteamOS on a desktop PC on a desk - what's the point? All your Steam games will work on your regular desktop OS natively or via streaming, and any performance increases etc afforded by SteamOS will be offset by the time you spend rebooting between OSes to do real desktop PC tasks.. Yeah, some crazy people might do it, but it's really not the intent and seems foolish, truly.
Also, I don't expect to see an Android Steam Store. It's possible, but it makes little sense. I think a more robust Steam client, with streaming capabilities, maybe the ability to use an Android device as an input device and second screen - those things make sense. Even Sony's doing that. But is that Friday's announcement? I dunno. The earlier rumors suggest Source2 and a game, and that seems believable, but there's gotta be more to it.
Edit Again: if there is an open-source engine, they should call it OpenSource. haha
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Quoting: adolsonThis site needs a way to distinguish quotes pasted from other sites, and editorial blurbs because it's messy to read like this.We do, I'm using it right now ;)
In any case, I'm pretty excited about this. If there's a hardware option I can justify spending on, my PS4 purchase will be suspended indefinitely.
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Well, I'm drunk and optimistic, so I'm very hopeful that Friday's announcement will involve HL3 and it being exclusive on SteamOS/Linux. Cos that would rock.
In fact, in a little epithany : I wonder if there will be a Half Life 3 / Portal 3 tie in. Players on full HL3 Steam for Linux will be playing a full FPS kill-fest, while players on Portal 3 / SteamOS will be playing a more cerebral, puzzle-based adventure that influences the online adventures of your Freeman-based friends?
Yeah. Maybe not. But a sweet idea while I'm wallowing in my alcoholic fuzz.
In fact, in a little epithany : I wonder if there will be a Half Life 3 / Portal 3 tie in. Players on full HL3 Steam for Linux will be playing a full FPS kill-fest, while players on Portal 3 / SteamOS will be playing a more cerebral, puzzle-based adventure that influences the online adventures of your Freeman-based friends?
Yeah. Maybe not. But a sweet idea while I'm wallowing in my alcoholic fuzz.
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Quoting: liamdaweWe do, I'm using it right now ;)
The top part is not properly quoted, though. In the first paragraph: "We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines..."
It's almost certainly not GOL's "partners" who will be bringing Steam machines into commercial availability (unless there's some huge stuff going on!).
"How to Win" is a direct quote, as well.
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Quoting: Kristian"(I read some rumors it could be compatible with PS4)"Here: http://kotaku.com/created-this-about-3-days-ago-so-far-i-got-the-first-o-1371938678
Lord Avallon, where did you read that?
But as I said it´s pure speculation and imagination, I really don´t think it will happen but, as PS3 had a limited support from Steam, who knows? I also read here: http://ps4daily.com/2013/09/sonys-gaikai-could-stream-playstation-games-to-pcs-and-tablets/ that Sony wants to stream Playstation games to other platforms, have you ever imagined an agreement between Sony and Valve to stream PS titles through Steam? I am entering in the field of total speculation and exercise of imagination but it would be awesome!
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Quoting: scaineWell, I'm drunk and optimistic, so I'm very hopeful that Friday's announcement will involve HL3 and it being exclusive on SteamOS/Linux. Cos that would rock.Haha, well last week, with the exception of one "hedging my bets" version of my third prediction, I've pretty much called the majority of this week's announcements. The only prediction that hasn't been fulfilled is my HL3 prediction :)
So, there's still time for Source 2 to debut with HL3, which I don't think would be an exclusive, as that would be suicidal and not really Valve's style. I don't think they want to pit platforms against each other, and are careful not to belittle Windows gamers directly, just MS itself. What they'll do, I think, is to optimize the game to Hades and back, and simply release the performance numbers in an understated way... which is exciting to me, since those will be kernel changes, and as such will get contributed back. hough the kernel maintainers may not accept them right away (e.g., Google's Android & wakelocks).
That said, regarding Portal, I could totally see them doing something there, since Portal came out of the Half Life universe to begin with.
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Quoting: s_dHaha, well last week, with the exception of one "hedging my bets" version of my third prediction, I've pretty much called the majority of this week's announcements. The only prediction that hasn't been fulfilled is my HL3 prediction :)The streaming thing is their alternate to wine, so it doesn't seem like Valve will be pushing wine ports. For high-end games, they want native ports for optimal performance, so I think we dodged that bullet. It all sounds promising so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Steambox offerings will be next year.
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I qualified for the beta..so i have my fingers crossed. I hope i get in.
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Quoting: Kristian"(I read some rumors it could be compatible with PS4)"Since the PS4 runs off of BSD, i wonder how many of those devs who make the PS4 versions are going to attempt a native BSD / Linux version. Then i wonder how many of those programs that they use in windows to develop those games have the option to export to Linux / BSD. I hope by having a BSD based PS4 OS, brings more games to the table. I know BSD is slightly different, but it could possibly be a option.
Lord Avallon, where did you read that?
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Quoting: OrkultusI qualified for the beta..so i have my fingers crossed. I hope i get in.You are now one out of 100,409 eligible beta candidates.
You can do the math to see what percentage chance you have of being one of the 100,109 disappointed qualifiers at the end of October, but the bad news is that the number is going to keep going up, up, up... Best start saving pennies now if you really want a Steam Machine.
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Quoting: adolsonIf by chance i can score a free one, that would be great..but i am not worried..i could make a PC for the living room 10x better from newegg, for the same price. No worries here...just throwing in that chance. Just like the lottery.Quoting: Quote from OrkultusI qualified for the beta..so i have my fingers crossed. I hope i get in.You are now one out of 100,409 eligible beta candidates.
You can do the math to see what percentage chance you have of being one of the 100,109 disappointed qualifiers at the end of October, but the bad news is that the number is going to keep going up, up, up... Best start saving pennies now if you really want a Steam Machine.
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Quoting: SpeedsterThe streaming thing is their alternate to wine, so it doesn't seem like Valve will be pushing wine ports. For high-end games, they want native ports for optimal performance, so I think we dodged that bullet. It all sounds promising so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Steambox offerings will be next year.
I agree, on both counts. Wine would definitely be a performance step backward, but I'm not sure that even the best streaming is going to be more performant, but it would probably be a superior experience. There's no tweaking each and every game in existence, and would work with DX10/11 games, cases where Wine is not strong.
One the second count, that's a pretty big bullet to dodge, for sure! If SteamOS is functional & speedy enough for my other games as well, I might ditch my Ubuntu LTS gaming install. That is, as long as the Steam client can be easily shut down and such, i.e., if it's truly free, SteamOS should be a great Linux gaming distro even minus the Steam bits.
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Quoting: s_dOne the second count, that's a pretty big bullet to dodge, for sure! If SteamOS is functional & speedy enough for my other games as well, I might ditch my Ubuntu LTS gaming install. That is, as long as the Steam client can be easily shut down and such, i.e., if it's truly free, SteamOS should be a great Linux gaming distro even minus the Steam bits.
Yeah, that's a good point -- I have room for another root partition or two on my SSD in addition to the current ubuntu and gentoo, maybe SteamOS will be next!
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Valve's news for today ?
http://technabob.com/blog/2012/06/25/trackball-game-controller/
http://technabob.com/blog/2012/06/25/trackball-game-controller/
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Quoting: Quote from HolgerValve's news for today ?God I hope not, not only is that ugly as hell it would be really annoying to use.
http://technabob.com/blog/2012/06/25/trackball-game-controller/
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Hm...this depends on. Have you ever played a typical FPS with a standard XBox 360 controller or something similar ?
I have a XBox 360 and COD - Bad Company 2 for it. The user experience (compared to the average keyboard / mouse double on PCs) is horrible. Fast and accurate aiming is close to impossible. Gaming with a wireless keyboard & mouse combination via PC connected to the TV suffers from lacking a flat surface for the mouse. I played around a bit with the Nintendo Wiimote and my Linux PC but latency was bad when playing OpenArena.
All "free handed" controller we saw so far were badly expensive, lacked support for games and often had high latency when being compared to keyboard / mouse.
For me an input device which is handable on the couch but provides the opportunity to make precise fast aiming possible, means the wholy grail of couch gaming. Streaming stuff from your Windows steam PC to your TV is nice but we have HDMI wireless thingies or very long active HDMI cables which can solve this as well.
So beside a taylored Linux distribution which provides Steam as desktop with some basic Windows manager and some sort of pre-build HTPCs, a new input concept / strategy fits in best. We most likely will then see some AAA titles poping up for SteamOS. Maybe Portal 3, L4D2 or even HL3. Also other dev studios already annouced the migration of the games to Linux, such as the Stalker sequel.
I have a XBox 360 and COD - Bad Company 2 for it. The user experience (compared to the average keyboard / mouse double on PCs) is horrible. Fast and accurate aiming is close to impossible. Gaming with a wireless keyboard & mouse combination via PC connected to the TV suffers from lacking a flat surface for the mouse. I played around a bit with the Nintendo Wiimote and my Linux PC but latency was bad when playing OpenArena.
All "free handed" controller we saw so far were badly expensive, lacked support for games and often had high latency when being compared to keyboard / mouse.
For me an input device which is handable on the couch but provides the opportunity to make precise fast aiming possible, means the wholy grail of couch gaming. Streaming stuff from your Windows steam PC to your TV is nice but we have HDMI wireless thingies or very long active HDMI cables which can solve this as well.
So beside a taylored Linux distribution which provides Steam as desktop with some basic Windows manager and some sort of pre-build HTPCs, a new input concept / strategy fits in best. We most likely will then see some AAA titles poping up for SteamOS. Maybe Portal 3, L4D2 or even HL3. Also other dev studios already annouced the migration of the games to Linux, such as the Stalker sequel.
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Projectile Vomit Sep 27, 2013
I can't play with a gamepad. I'm a keyboard and mouse type of guy.
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