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.
This is very interesting a true gaming orientated version of Linux for the living room, the OS is completely free and freely licensable for manufacturers enabling anyone to make a SteamBox (they already said they would do that previously).
What is interesting is that it notes it can stream games from your PC to your SteamOS box:
Note Linux isn't listed, the question is does Linux need this option? I don't think so since anything that works directly on the SteamOS should I hope work on desktop Linux.
The problem is though, this still doesn't give an incentive for bigger developers to publish for Linux/SteamOS since they will now say, "just stream it to a SteamBox", it just lines up another reason not to do a Linux version. Unless they really care about SteamOS+SteamBox itself, if it's popular and people start using it as an actual console, then they will need to start porting, so it remains to be seen how it will pan out for us all!
The next announcements will probably be:
I think for a SteamBox direct from them it would need to be partnered up with a big manufacturer to ensure it meets demand.
The big question for us is how well will they support the stand-alone Linux client after all this? They have put in a lot of work so far, will it continue? I really hope so they have done some great work so far, they do have different teams working on different things after-all so I hope it continues.
The next announcement is scheduled for two days time, so stay tuned on Wednesday to see if we're right on what they next two will be!
What are your thoughts? Could this be dangerous for the desktop Linux client?
UPDATE: So games targetting SteamOS will work on desktop Linux, looks like my fears for now can be laid to rest, AAA games here we come!
Source Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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.
This is very interesting a true gaming orientated version of Linux for the living room, the OS is completely free and freely licensable for manufacturers enabling anyone to make a SteamBox (they already said they would do that previously).
What is interesting is that it notes it can stream games from your PC to your SteamOS box:
QuoteYou can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have - then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!
Note Linux isn't listed, the question is does Linux need this option? I don't think so since anything that works directly on the SteamOS should I hope work on desktop Linux.
The problem is though, this still doesn't give an incentive for bigger developers to publish for Linux/SteamOS since they will now say, "just stream it to a SteamBox", it just lines up another reason not to do a Linux version. Unless they really care about SteamOS+SteamBox itself, if it's popular and people start using it as an actual console, then they will need to start porting, so it remains to be seen how it will pan out for us all!
The next announcements will probably be:
- 2) The first SteamBox from them directly
- 3) A controller for SteamOS, possibly even with dedicated buttons for things like friends lists
I think for a SteamBox direct from them it would need to be partnered up with a big manufacturer to ensure it meets demand.
The big question for us is how well will they support the stand-alone Linux client after all this? They have put in a lot of work so far, will it continue? I really hope so they have done some great work so far, they do have different teams working on different things after-all so I hope it continues.
The next announcement is scheduled for two days time, so stay tuned on Wednesday to see if we're right on what they next two will be!
What are your thoughts? Could this be dangerous for the desktop Linux client?
UPDATE: So games targetting SteamOS will work on desktop Linux, looks like my fears for now can be laid to rest, AAA games here we come!
QuoteGot a response from Valve about games and the normal Linux distros:
My question:
I was wondering about the SteamOS and if games that work on it will also work on normal Linux distros (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc)?
And the response:
Yes.
Source Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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philip550c Sep 23, 2013
For streaming its likely something like how the NVIDIA shield streams through the geforce experience, something built into the steam client that just sends compressed video out and sends control signals.
Did anybody else get excited when they heard this? "Hundreds of great games are already running natively on SteamOS. Watch for announcements in the coming weeks about all the AAA titles coming natively to SteamOS in 2014. Access the full Steam catalog of over nearly 3000 games and desktop software titles via in-home streaming."
Says all the AAA titles coming NATIVELY to SteamOS. Were going to get suprised soon, lots of AAA titles. Metro Last Light is just the beginning. Because of the little hints being dropped since march, I would not be suprised to see InfinityWard's Call of Duty game.
Did anybody else get excited when they heard this? "Hundreds of great games are already running natively on SteamOS. Watch for announcements in the coming weeks about all the AAA titles coming natively to SteamOS in 2014. Access the full Steam catalog of over nearly 3000 games and desktop software titles via in-home streaming."
Says all the AAA titles coming NATIVELY to SteamOS. Were going to get suprised soon, lots of AAA titles. Metro Last Light is just the beginning. Because of the little hints being dropped since march, I would not be suprised to see InfinityWard's Call of Duty game.
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philip550c Sep 23, 2013
They do have plans for TV as well. http://www.ubuntu.com/tvDesktop? You mean television, right? Ubuntu isn't aggressively targeting the TV last I checked.Could this be dangerous for the desktop Linux client?To me it sounds like another Linux distro, except it's aiming for the desktop aggressively (like Ubuntu) and has financial backing from Valve. I'm actually pretty excited to try it out once it's downloadable.
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You, liam, always finds the negative or FUD in a story :) I mean, couldn't you also turn this around and ask if it was a threat for the Windows client and the OS X client? After all, Valve could just tell people to install their free OS instead of making a client for those OSes! The Linux client will not be hurt by this, there must be vast amounts of code shared between the Linux client and the SteamOS Steam client. They have no reason to not keep the Linux stand-alone client.
If anything, this ought to be a strength for the Linux desktop. Other services will have an incentive to support SteamOS, and if they manage that, it's not far to support other distributions.
Sure, streaming might be a reason for some or even most developers to hold of on porting games to Linux. But what is the alternative? You can't demand that they port their entire back catalogue of games. Most likely they would want to target the native experience, streaming is not yet a viable alternative for every game and certainly doesn't suite hardcore gamers. I'm thinking streaming will make it easier for everyone to adopt SteamOS and Steam Boxes, and future games will support SteamOS/a Steam Box.
This FUD need to stop, it's so tireing!
If anything, this ought to be a strength for the Linux desktop. Other services will have an incentive to support SteamOS, and if they manage that, it's not far to support other distributions.
Sure, streaming might be a reason for some or even most developers to hold of on porting games to Linux. But what is the alternative? You can't demand that they port their entire back catalogue of games. Most likely they would want to target the native experience, streaming is not yet a viable alternative for every game and certainly doesn't suite hardcore gamers. I'm thinking streaming will make it easier for everyone to adopt SteamOS and Steam Boxes, and future games will support SteamOS/a Steam Box.
This FUD need to stop, it's so tireing!
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You, liam, always finds the negative or FUD in a story :) I mean, couldn't you also turn this around and ask if it was a threat for the Windows client and the OS X client? After all, Valve could just tell people to install their free OS instead of making a client for those OSes! The Linux client will not be hurt by this, there must be vast amounts of code shared between the Linux client and the SteamOS Steam client. They have no reason to not keep the Linux stand-alone client.You need to look up the meaning of FUD, where have I lied exactly? I am not spreading dubious information at all, I am posting legitimate concerns, if you don't share them that doesn't make them FUD.
If anything, this ought to be a strength for the Linux desktop. Other services will have an incentive to support SteamOS, and if they manage that, it's not far to support other distributions.
Sure, streaming might be a reason for some or even most developers to hold of on porting games to Linux. But what is the alternative? You can't demand that they port their entire back catalogue of games. Most likely they would want to target the native experience, streaming is not yet a viable alternative for every game and certainly doesn't suite hardcore gamers. I'm thinking streaming will make it easier for everyone to adopt SteamOS and Steam Boxes, and future games will support SteamOS/a Steam Box.
This FUD need to stop, it's so tireing!
Comments like this need to stop it's "tireing".
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The SteamOS will probably be a minimal Ubuntu that launches Steam Linux in Big Picture, so the new functionalities would be added to Steam Linux, not to SteamOS specifically IMO.Frankly, Steam hasn't been putting much work into Linux. To me it seems a convenient reason for them to not work on it.
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They're a gaming company. How much work do you expect them to do on the kernel? I believe their influence on companies like AMD and Nvidia to beef up their drivers is enough.The SteamOS will probably be a minimal Ubuntu that launches Steam Linux in Big Picture, so the new functionalities would be added to Steam Linux, not to SteamOS specifically IMO.Frankly, Steam hasn't been putting much work into Linux. To me it seems a convenient reason for them to not work on it.
And someone's legitimate concerns can be interpreted as illegitimate ones. I agree that this poses no threat at all.
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Valve has put lot of work into Linux. They have the steam-runtime and they are working on SDL2 among other things. And they have surely sorted out myriad of random gotchas for game developers.
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I hope they do Steam Linux to SteamOS streaming. My main gaming PC runs Steam on Arch Linux. I want to be able to build a super cheap PC to run SteamOS on and stream from Arch Linux to that. I'd love to be able to stream to something like a Raspberry Pi running SteamOS. Chomecast support would be awesome too.Well, SteamOS will be an Linux OS that runs Steam. I doubt you'll see Steam Linux compiled for ARM anytime soon, which would be required for the Raspberry Pi...
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First I've heard of it. Can't be that aggressive. :PDesktop? You mean television, right? Ubuntu isn't aggressively targeting the TV last I checked.Could this be dangerous for the desktop Linux client?To me it sounds like another Linux distro, except it's aiming for the desktop aggressively (like Ubuntu) and has financial backing from Valve. I'm actually pretty excited to try it out once it's downloadable.
But it does look totally different, and the main point was TV+couch vs "desktop." I don't think SteamOS wants to be a desktop OS at all. It's got "living room" on the page like eight times, not to mention the URL.
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I din't read all the comments, just my thoughts
with the "play windows and mac per stream" they just say that u can play your other plattformtitel "on" the linux system
i can't see any danger for linux as a desktop, because steam os will be a desktop system, and valve will sell its own console for it too.
and don't miss the sentence that they will be AAA titels announced in the next weeks for the steambox, and as we all know, top developer were recruting linux based programmer. and the epic ceo just wrote on twitter that he saw an amazing piece as he visited nvidia. and don't forget all the other developer like Chris Roberts that don't like windows
with the "play windows and mac per stream" they just say that u can play your other plattformtitel "on" the linux system
i can't see any danger for linux as a desktop, because steam os will be a desktop system, and valve will sell its own console for it too.
and don't miss the sentence that they will be AAA titels announced in the next weeks for the steambox, and as we all know, top developer were recruting linux based programmer. and the epic ceo just wrote on twitter that he saw an amazing piece as he visited nvidia. and don't forget all the other developer like Chris Roberts that don't like windows
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Could this be dangerous for the desktop Linux client?
Welp... Yes and no. It's not per se. It's just YAD. Meaning it won't exactly help with the usual uninformed people/biased pseudo-specialists/average tools, and won't help the mythical Year of the Linux Desktop dawn (well yeah, you never know, but I don't think a distro labelled as a "gaming OS" could gain steam (no pun) as far as more... serious uses are concerned).
I don't think it'll be a threat to the average distro either. If anything, it'll probably be yet another *buntu spin-off - and apples never fall that far from the Debian tree on that side of things...
Plus it's primarily meant to be run on their hardware - as PC'ish as it will very, very probably be.
It's just that. Question is: how far-fetched would it be to use it as your computer OS? And therein lies the real question, methinks. It COULD become a threat to the only distro close enough to claiming the title to "the desktop Linux client", i.e. the most mainstream distro.
Not sure it would be a bad thing, either. the Ubuntu experience has turned sour quite a while back, as far as I'm concerned.
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You, liam, always finds the negative or FUD in a story :)This barely make any sense, try harder to express Your toughs in a cleaner manner.
I mean, couldn't you also turn this around and ask if it was a threat for the Windows client and the OS X client?This is a Linux Gaming site, we talk about gaming on Linux. Concerns about other platforms is off topic here?
After all, Valve could just tell people to install their free OS instead of making a client for those OSes! The Linux client will not be hurt by this, there must be vast amounts of code shared between the Linux client and the SteamOS Steam client. They have no reason to not keep the Linux stand-alone client.Other than fact that it might compete with their product*, put bigger strain on their QA and support, be no longer needed or be a bottomless money hole.
If anything, this ought to be a strength for the Linux desktop. Other services will have an incentive to support SteamOS, and if they manage that, it's not far to support other distributions.To support SteamOS, You say? Supporting "generic" Linux might not be worth the effort for some, if they can grab enough users with SteamOS. Lets hope that among them, we don't find Valve.
Sure, streaming might be a reason for some or even most developers to hold of on porting games to Linux. But what is the alternative? You can't demand that they port their entire back catalogue of games. Most likely they would want to target the native experience, streaming is not yet a viable alternative for every game and certainly doesn't suite hardcore gamers. I'm thinking streaming will make it easier for everyone to adopt SteamOS and Steam Boxes, and future games will support SteamOS/a Steam Box.This argument is completely irreverent in the discussion about discontinuation of support for generic Linux in Steam. Other than that nice paragraph, many letters.
This FUD need to stop, it's so tireing!Do You know what FUD means? Because I don't think You do.
*It's complicated.
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Desktop? You mean television, right? Ubuntu isn't aggressively targeting the TV last I checked.I know everyone's thinking TV and living room, but the OS itself is meant to run on desktop hardware (at least that's my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong). That is why I refer to it as such. Also Ubuntu TV does exist, but is slow coming I think. Any how, doesn't this news excite you? It sure does me :D
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ha :)Thats not completely true, its a additional option, (to stop people from complaining about games probably,) who is gonna make a whole additional PC just to stream games to the TV ? :/
- a box which is like the Vita TV, a small boxed (in this case on a linux based OS) which you hook up to our tv and it will stream your steam games to that, that would solve the issue of windows users losing all their games as you basicly still play on you pc no matter what it will be.its sad for linux as a gaming platform, as you stated Liam it will not give an incentive to make linux games, but for valve its the only thing that makes sense as they can't afford to lose the windows users.
They didn't design a whole gaming system just to stream games, I don't know how you guys can be so negative.
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Yes, it is super exciting to me, no doubt. I don't think they're really targeting desktop hardware - it will run on desktop hardware of course, so that you or I could get it and install it like any other OS/distro and make our own Steam console for our living rooms - but I think their main goal here is to get hardware manufacturers to make pretty little boxes that ship with it. Look at it like the Android situation. And just like Android's Google Nexus, I expect Valve will announce a reference "SteamBox" hardware implementation. And I think the other announcement is an official "SteamPad" gamepad that will be the standard for devs to target. But I could be wrong on that. I just hope it's more like the DualShock 3/4 than the Xbox controllers.Desktop? You mean television, right? Ubuntu isn't aggressively targeting the TV last I checked.I know everyone's thinking TV and living room, but the OS itself is meant to run on desktop hardware (at least that's my understanding, correct me if I'm wrong). That is why I refer to it as such. Also Ubuntu TV does exist, but is slow coming I think. Any how, doesn't this news excite you? It sure does me :D
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That is a great news! If everything goes as I hope, gaming on GNU/Linux will explode. And that would mean the end of Windows... another great plus in my book.
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but I think their main goal here is to get hardware manufacturers to make pretty little boxes that ship with it.Very true, I wonder what happened to the Piston Xi3 guys (if that is what it was called). Oh man, two days for the next announcement feels so long!
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This is Brilliant! I back Steam and Linux 100%
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philip550c Sep 23, 2013
I think being worried about this is like being worried that XBMCbuntu is going to kill off ubuntu. All they have done is created another ubuntu based linux distro to install on hardware by consumers and manufacturers to ensure that steam can become a viable console, in addition to desktop gaming and later mobile gaming. I think they just want steam to be available everywhere and on everything. If you watch any of the modern steam/valve talks that seems to be what Gabe says over and over. I have zero worries about this but I do understand the concern. Today is the first day though that Ive been a little concerned though about mir. Valve's distro is based off of 12.04 though so at least they will have a few years to figure that out.
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I will just throw this in: http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1mywqk/steamos_officially_announced/ccdyuq6
Got a response from Valve about games and the normal Linux distros:
My question:
I was wondering about the SteamOS and if games that work on it will also work on normal Linux distros (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc)?
And the response:
Yes.
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