Today will go down in the history books of Linux gaming that’s for sure. Sadly, this release has been pretty quiet. I was hoping for a much bigger bang like we were given with the original announcement, as this release day is a bit of a let-down. We haven’t seen any major new games released with it today, I was expecting at the very least one of the Saints Row games and Rocket League, or just something with a bit of oomph to it.
However, there has been a vast amount of activity on SteamDB’s page of Linux game hints, so it’s probable that a few developers have sped-up a bit.
It remains to be seen how Steam Machines will affect our market share, while I am sceptical about it all I am remaining excited and positive about it. It’s the only thing that has ever truly pushed Linux gaming, and I will be forever thankful to Valve for their efforts.
We probably won’t see any real activity in the Steam Hardware Survey for our market share moving for a good few months, and we still don’t have a clue how Valve will show it. It will be foolish of them not to show it at all in their survey, so we will just have to wait and see. It is a real concern of mine though, as I've never seen anyone get a survey in Steam's Big Picture Mode (does it even exist there?).
I officially have a Steam Controller in my hands right now (FINALLY), so you can expect some real thoughts from me on it soon. I also have a dedicated Steam Machine I have been testing and playing games on for the last few days, so I will also have some thoughts up on SteamOS soon too.
The weird thing is, they haven't announced an official release of SteamOS. Their news about SteamOS is pretty much non-existent. I would have assumed it would have been given official release status today too, but apparently not. If it is, they are being quiet about it. I'm starting to think they won't ever give SteamOS a "final" release status, but keep it as an ongoing development with small milestones.
You can find the Steam Sale right here. You can buy a Steam Controller here, a Steam Link here or just view their new hardware page here.
How do you feel about today? The best thing to takeaway from it is that hopefully we will have a continuing steady pace of new Linux games. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
However, there has been a vast amount of activity on SteamDB’s page of Linux game hints, so it’s probable that a few developers have sped-up a bit.
It remains to be seen how Steam Machines will affect our market share, while I am sceptical about it all I am remaining excited and positive about it. It’s the only thing that has ever truly pushed Linux gaming, and I will be forever thankful to Valve for their efforts.
We probably won’t see any real activity in the Steam Hardware Survey for our market share moving for a good few months, and we still don’t have a clue how Valve will show it. It will be foolish of them not to show it at all in their survey, so we will just have to wait and see. It is a real concern of mine though, as I've never seen anyone get a survey in Steam's Big Picture Mode (does it even exist there?).
I officially have a Steam Controller in my hands right now (FINALLY), so you can expect some real thoughts from me on it soon. I also have a dedicated Steam Machine I have been testing and playing games on for the last few days, so I will also have some thoughts up on SteamOS soon too.
The weird thing is, they haven't announced an official release of SteamOS. Their news about SteamOS is pretty much non-existent. I would have assumed it would have been given official release status today too, but apparently not. If it is, they are being quiet about it. I'm starting to think they won't ever give SteamOS a "final" release status, but keep it as an ongoing development with small milestones.
You can find the Steam Sale right here. You can buy a Steam Controller here, a Steam Link here or just view their new hardware page here.
How do you feel about today? The best thing to takeaway from it is that hopefully we will have a continuing steady pace of new Linux games. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Segata Sanshiro Nov 10, 2015
Well, there go my extremely unrealistic hopes of a Fallout 4 release :(
EDIT: I was also really expecting at least a couple of new ports today. We'll see what happens in the coming months I guess.
Last edited by Segata Sanshiro on 10 November 2015 at 8:06 pm UTC
EDIT: I was also really expecting at least a couple of new ports today. We'll see what happens in the coming months I guess.
Last edited by Segata Sanshiro on 10 November 2015 at 8:06 pm UTC
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Quoting: Segata SanshiroWell, there go my extremely unrealistic hopes of a Fallout 4 release :(
Heh, I nurtured the exact same fantasy up until the actual (anticlimactic) announcement came. At the very least I felt it was not totally unrealistic to hope for a "Coming to SteamOS spring/summer 2016" message.
I really must admit I had expected more...much, much, *much* more from valve. I guess hope is not lost yet but if Linux/steamOS is to ever become a realistic "Gamers Choice" then a serious driving force is needed. Someone who is really dedicated to *pouring* money and resources into the process of making lots of big, fancy aaa-titles available.
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This has been a thoroughly underwhelming launch so far. :(
On the bright side, I can pick up Victor Vran for $13. :)
On the bright side, I can pick up Victor Vran for $13. :)
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I wasn't expecting much, but somehow this launch has managed to disappoint so far. I had hoped for some more ports (Saints Row, Rocket League), and a few announcements (Just Cause 3, something definitive about Witcher 3 would've been nice).
The sale is somewhat underwhelming as well, but I guess I only have myself to blame, since I buy a lot of games as soon as they're out on Linux if I'm at all interested. So at least this launch and sale is very backlog-friendly.
The sale is somewhat underwhelming as well, but I guess I only have myself to blame, since I buy a lot of games as soon as they're out on Linux if I'm at all interested. So at least this launch and sale is very backlog-friendly.
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My view is that valve is not interested in a "premature" success. SteamOS is already a success in its primary purpose, that is being a simple recognizable target OS for developers and giving the "console" experience of installing games with only one button and no need for additional software (also easy to operate from the couch but that is the big picture thing). At this point it does not need to be more than that.
So with SteamOS just being debian with big picture console experience the main focus of valve for the next years should and probably is, steam controller and vulkan.
Debian is upgrading about every two years. Jessie came out this year, next big release will be in 2017 probably. SteamOS seems will continue at a semi-rolling pace, little continuous upgrades and big releases every two years. So I expect valve will have the main focus in 2016 for steam controller and vulkan and at 2017 for the next big release of steamos and will start to really push steamos at the end of 2017. Until then they just want it to be low profile (neither a success or a noted failure) and keep the flow of good games towards linux.
So with SteamOS just being debian with big picture console experience the main focus of valve for the next years should and probably is, steam controller and vulkan.
Debian is upgrading about every two years. Jessie came out this year, next big release will be in 2017 probably. SteamOS seems will continue at a semi-rolling pace, little continuous upgrades and big releases every two years. So I expect valve will have the main focus in 2016 for steam controller and vulkan and at 2017 for the next big release of steamos and will start to really push steamos at the end of 2017. Until then they just want it to be low profile (neither a success or a noted failure) and keep the flow of good games towards linux.
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supermonkey77 Nov 10, 2015
Genuinely disappointed by the lack of pomp on behalf of Valve. This should have been a big deal but aside from the sale it is flatter than my last off-the-cuff remark.
Sorry for any offence caused.
Last edited by supermonkey77 on 11 November 2015 at 6:51 am UTC
Sorry for any offence caused.
Last edited by supermonkey77 on 11 November 2015 at 6:51 am UTC
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Nothing new, they just showed us how serious they are. They could at least made updated press release on their vision of Steam machine, like all serious companies would do.
Last edited by burnall on 10 November 2015 at 8:31 pm UTC
Last edited by burnall on 10 November 2015 at 8:31 pm UTC
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natewardawg Nov 10, 2015
I'm in the same camp of being a tad disappointed/underwhelmed. But, it is interesting to try and figure out what Valve's game plan is.
Valve tends to play the long game with their products unlike many other companies do. So, maybe they want to roll it out gradually to more and more users over time to ensure SteamOS's stability.
Maybe they're testing the waters to see how many people bite even with very little marketing.
Maybe there's already been a big enough response that they don't need much marketing.
I'm really not sure, but would be interested to know why.
Valve tends to play the long game with their products unlike many other companies do. So, maybe they want to roll it out gradually to more and more users over time to ensure SteamOS's stability.
Maybe they're testing the waters to see how many people bite even with very little marketing.
Maybe there's already been a big enough response that they don't need much marketing.
I'm really not sure, but would be interested to know why.
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Storminator16 Nov 10, 2015
Quoting: burnallNothing new, they just showed us how serious they are. They could at least made updated press release on their vision of Steam machine, like all serious companies would do.
So much this.
And I'm pretty underwhelmed by the Steam controller as well. It's really not a big deal, just like this launch. The writing is on the wall.
With all that said: I like the sale. :D
Last edited by Storminator16 on 10 November 2015 at 8:38 pm UTC
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The Steam Machine release is underwhelming and the jury remains out about how Steam Machines will end up selling, whether they will surprise us with their speed, whether they will be a steady thing which gradually works its way into the ecosystem, whether they will be a damp squib that fails.
But leave the controller out of that equation. I've looked at a lot of reviews of the Steam controller and I think it's actually quite a triumph. It's managed to get mixed-but-generally-positive reviews from the kind of people least able to like it. That is, the kind of people who review game controllers are generally long term, hardcore twitch gamers, with lots of built-in muscle memory reflexes, habits and familiarities and comfort zones ingrained deep. Throw a very different controller at them and with the best will in the world, they cannot rapidly bring themselves up to the speed with this new interface that they had with the old, and with the best will in the world they cannot make themselves feel intuitively comfortable with it. And yet despite all that, these people have overall had to admit that it's pretty impressive. And it seems to be very successful at the basic task it's meant for: Allowing people to play mouse-and-keyboard games in the living room which could never be played there before. Just that is something of a revolution.
The problem is that many reviews have concluded that while the controller is great, the Steam Machine and in particular Steam OS don't add anything. I want both to succeed, but there's something to that view. On the other hand, there are whole categories of games that a Steam Machine can now play in the living room that you can't really play with normal consoles. Take strategy games of the relatively complicated variety. We don't think of that as living room fare, but they're great for that--you can stop playing, chat with the family, leaf through a magazine, check your phone messages, all while playing some Civ V; it's turn-based not real-time, so it doesn't care.
But leave the controller out of that equation. I've looked at a lot of reviews of the Steam controller and I think it's actually quite a triumph. It's managed to get mixed-but-generally-positive reviews from the kind of people least able to like it. That is, the kind of people who review game controllers are generally long term, hardcore twitch gamers, with lots of built-in muscle memory reflexes, habits and familiarities and comfort zones ingrained deep. Throw a very different controller at them and with the best will in the world, they cannot rapidly bring themselves up to the speed with this new interface that they had with the old, and with the best will in the world they cannot make themselves feel intuitively comfortable with it. And yet despite all that, these people have overall had to admit that it's pretty impressive. And it seems to be very successful at the basic task it's meant for: Allowing people to play mouse-and-keyboard games in the living room which could never be played there before. Just that is something of a revolution.
The problem is that many reviews have concluded that while the controller is great, the Steam Machine and in particular Steam OS don't add anything. I want both to succeed, but there's something to that view. On the other hand, there are whole categories of games that a Steam Machine can now play in the living room that you can't really play with normal consoles. Take strategy games of the relatively complicated variety. We don't think of that as living room fare, but they're great for that--you can stop playing, chat with the family, leaf through a magazine, check your phone messages, all while playing some Civ V; it's turn-based not real-time, so it doesn't care.
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As Steam Hardware isn't available in my country (Brazil), the only thing I can see at Steam Store page is a big "Fallout 4 Now Available". And a small, 1/5 the size of the Fallout announced, a "Steam® Machine Launch Sale" "Play these games on your Steam Machine" in the "Midweek Madness" box.
I was, really, expecting a big surprise, like Fallout 4 and Just Cause 3 for SteamOS... I even came to think of HL3! haha exclusive for SteamOS.
I was, really, expecting a big surprise, like Fallout 4 and Just Cause 3 for SteamOS... I even came to think of HL3! haha exclusive for SteamOS.
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So valve finally released their tool to avoid being dependent of whatever microsoft may do with their platform. Valve doesn't even need it to be successful, just with the fact of existing is something that allow gaben to sleep well at night. Im sure than he is happy even with the current 1%.
But in the long term, I think than valve will keep pushing the platform and it will become a great one, offering an interesting product to the market. The 1st step is vulkan, the 2nd step is still to be seen.
Last edited by edo on 10 November 2015 at 10:26 pm UTC
But in the long term, I think than valve will keep pushing the platform and it will become a great one, offering an interesting product to the market. The 1st step is vulkan, the 2nd step is still to be seen.
Last edited by edo on 10 November 2015 at 10:26 pm UTC
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One thing I've been thinking in terms of the Steam Machine: What is success? What is failure? Especially from our Linux point of view.
It's been pointed out that there are 125 million users on Steam. Out of those, apparently 1%ish are Linux users. We can't trust that figure but we don't have anything better. So anyway, around 1.25 million Linux users on steam. There are doubtless a few Linux users who play--and buy--games but don't use Steam . . . not a ton though.
Meanwhile, on the console side, according to an article I just googled Sony has sold around 25 million PS4, MS has sold around 15 million Xbox One, and Nintendo has sold around 10 million of the latest Wii.
Let's imagine that Steam Machines end up selling a quarter as many as the weakest of those contenders. That would be a failure, right? Not even in the big leagues. But that would be 2.5 million units! For our purposes, it would triple the current number of Linux users on Steam, moving us to 3% and positioning us for more AAA games, better drivers and so on, which in turn would make future Linux gaming, and general desktop, pushes more viable. So for us, even a failure, if it's not a complete blowout, would be a success.
Steam Machines are also in a better position for gradual success than normal console platforms, because they get to piggy-back off of PC games. They won't stop having new games work on them even if success is gradual for the same reason they have such a huge library at launch relative to normal consoles. So an incremental success, representing a flop next to even Nintendo but still big enough to increase that Linux percentage noticeably, would still leave them in position for new, cheaper or more powerful, models to make a big push at Christmas next year and build further.
The launch is still pretty damn underwhelming so far. Seems like they're counting pretty heavily on the Steam channel itself rather than worrying too much about hype driving people into stores.
It's been pointed out that there are 125 million users on Steam. Out of those, apparently 1%ish are Linux users. We can't trust that figure but we don't have anything better. So anyway, around 1.25 million Linux users on steam. There are doubtless a few Linux users who play--and buy--games but don't use Steam . . . not a ton though.
Meanwhile, on the console side, according to an article I just googled Sony has sold around 25 million PS4, MS has sold around 15 million Xbox One, and Nintendo has sold around 10 million of the latest Wii.
Let's imagine that Steam Machines end up selling a quarter as many as the weakest of those contenders. That would be a failure, right? Not even in the big leagues. But that would be 2.5 million units! For our purposes, it would triple the current number of Linux users on Steam, moving us to 3% and positioning us for more AAA games, better drivers and so on, which in turn would make future Linux gaming, and general desktop, pushes more viable. So for us, even a failure, if it's not a complete blowout, would be a success.
Steam Machines are also in a better position for gradual success than normal console platforms, because they get to piggy-back off of PC games. They won't stop having new games work on them even if success is gradual for the same reason they have such a huge library at launch relative to normal consoles. So an incremental success, representing a flop next to even Nintendo but still big enough to increase that Linux percentage noticeably, would still leave them in position for new, cheaper or more powerful, models to make a big push at Christmas next year and build further.
The launch is still pretty damn underwhelming so far. Seems like they're counting pretty heavily on the Steam channel itself rather than worrying too much about hype driving people into stores.
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Mountain Man Nov 10, 2015
Quoting: Segata SanshiroWell, there go my extremely unrealistic hopes of a Fallout 4 release :(I was at least hoping for a surprise Witcher 3 or Mad Max announcement since those are two games that were originally slated for Linux.
I'm not really disappointed about Fallout 4, to be honest, because Bethesda games are traditionally hellaciously buggy, and Fallout 4 appears to be no exception. It also sounds like it has been dumbed down from Fallout 3, which was already dumbed down from the orginal Fallout games.
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On the whole lack-of-AAA-games issue, I'm on a weird side. I do find that Linux is still lacking a lot of games I'd like to be playing. But, none of them are AAA games. What I'm annoyed by is lack of things like Galactic Civilizations III.
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underwhelming, lackluster, sloppy,
i hope Valve has something up their sleeve, cuz this won't do
i hope Valve has something up their sleeve, cuz this won't do
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Mountain Man Nov 10, 2015
Quoting: GuestDoes the SteamOS even ask for users to fill the survey? Is it impemented at all in the Big Picture mode? If not, the suvey won't be too useful from now on.I know from personal experience that Steam for Linux throws up the survey request far less frequently than it does on Windows. I went nearly two-years without a single survey request in Linux, but I would get one every couple of months in Windows, which was ironic considering that at the time, I booted into Windows only occasionally and used Linux almost every single day. I've heard from a number of other people who have had the exact same experience.
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Mountain Man Nov 10, 2015
Quoting: lucinosMy view is that valve is not interested in a "premature" success. SteamOS is already a success in its primary purpose, that is being a simple recognizable target OS for developers and giving the "console" experience of installing games with only one button and no need for additional software (also easy to operate from the couch but that is the big picture thing). At this point it does not need to be more than that.That actually makes a lot of sense. But of course it's all conjecture, and nobobody outside of Valve really knows what's going on.
So with SteamOS just being debian with big picture console experience the main focus of valve for the next years should and probably is, steam controller and vulkan.
Debian is upgrading about every two years. Jessie came out this year, next big release will be in 2017 probably. SteamOS seems will continue at a semi-rolling pace, little continuous upgrades and big releases every two years. So I expect valve will have the main focus in 2016 for steam controller and vulkan and at 2017 for the next big release of steamos and will start to really push steamos at the end of 2017. Until then they just want it to be low profile (neither a success or a noted failure) and keep the flow of good games towards linux.
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ChuckDaniels87 Nov 10, 2015
I really think this is long distance race.
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