There's a whole bunch of hints and speculation going around right now, showing that Valve may be working towards a new kind of Steam Machine. Suddenly, their new Steam Controller 2 that was leaked, along with the new SteamOS branding guidelines make a whole lot more sense if this is true.
While the SteamOS branding mentions third-party vendors using it, and we know they're working towards releasing SteamOS for other hardware vendors for their handhelds, having a standard way to show it also helps Valve keep it the same across multiple of their own devices.
As for the Steam Controller 2, it makes even more sense with this because otherwise the target for people to buy it would have been reasonably small. Sure there's all the people with a Steam Deck, but it would be only a percentage of people with one that would buy a Steam Controller 2, and a lot of other people on PC already have their preferred gamepad. So, having a fresh Steam Machine would pretty much need a dedicated controller, unless Valve bundled it with a third-party controller, but that leaves Valve at the mercy of another hardware vendor on features and support.
The speculation and leaks on some form of new Steam Machine from Valve come initially from a Reddit post, where a user pointed out a change to the Linux kernel used by Steam Deck / SteamOS. It mentions a change for HDMI CEC for Fremont, with code that references AMD Lilac. Lilac on Geekbench being a mixture of different AMD chips like the Ryzen 8540U and Ryzen 7735HS.
On X / Twitter, VR enthusiast Brad Lynch mentioned in a thread after more digging through Valve's code noting "But also that Quanta Computer, Valve’s Steam Deck manufacturer, is giving feedback on it" and "All references to Fremont ensure checks for a full-size HDMI Type-A port you’d see on TV-focused consoles and other desktop computers that don’t have a dedicated GPU with its own HDMI ports". Lynch is the one that has been covering a lot of the leaks for the upcoming Valve Deckard VR headset.
November next year will also mark 10 years since Valve's original Steam Machine launch. That would be a pretty good time for Valve to announce something don't you think?
Things have changed dramatically since the original failure of the Steam Machine launch, which kicked off Valve's effort on everything that made up the Steam Deck. We have Proton now, the real important bit, which runs tens of thousands of Windows games and Proton compatibility is continuously improving to the point where so many games really do just work (but we still have the anti-cheat problem). We have another big update to Proton 9 coming soon too.
It's going to be really interesting to see what becomes of all this. Very exciting time to be a Linux / SteamOS gamer.
What do you think this is all for? Leave a comment with your thoughts.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Cyba.Cowboy 4 days ago
Quoting: PyrateI think it goes without saying that if Valve intends to capture a not insignificant portion of PC players (desktop or otherwise) to their SteamOS, their best chance ever will be around October next year when Windows 10 security updates stop.
Why would that change anything? It'd be no different to when Windows XP reached end-of-life, or Windows 7, or Windows 8... People will just move over to Windows 11 or whatever they're up to now, just like the gullible sheep they are.
Quoting: _MarsMultiplayer games will lower sales
Valve really need to address this... Most (all?) of the "anti-cheat" systems natively support Linux-based operating systems - but almost all of the developers behind them flat-out refuse to implement their own "anti-cheat" systems for gaming under Linux.
And that means that some of the biggest games currently available don't work under Linux-based operating systems in part or at all.
Valve Software have done some fantastic stuff with SteamOS and the Steam Deck, but it's high time they start looking for way to convince developers to actually use their "anti-cheat" systems under Linux-based operating systems... And this will be a pretty big requirement if Valve ever want a new-generation Steam Machine to compete directly with "The Big Three" console manufacturers.
Quoting: Vortex_AcheronticI fear the console marked could be a much tougher front than the handheld marked was as the Steam Deck launched.
If Valve launched a new-generation Steam Machine "as is", absolutely... But if they found a way to convince developers to actually use their "anti-cheat" systems under Linux-based operating systems, that'd be one hell of a competitor, even if one technically does not own any of their games.
Quoting: elmapul5. it need to be a silent device as well
That's not hard - my laptop and my PlayStation 5 make very little noise when working under a load... As long as you have great ventilation in both the console and the environment, it's not a problem.
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Anyway, I hope there's some substance to this, because after the current generation of consoles, which has been unbelievably disappointing, I honestly don't think I'm going to bother with a PlayStation 6"... And I've had them all to date, along with most Segas and Nintendos.
With a new generation of a Steam Deck, I'd lose the ability to "own" my games - but overnight, my potential console library would be in the low thousands at worst, under a cutting-edge, Linux-based operating system that is always evolving.
Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 8 December 2024 at 1:36 am UTC
Quoting: Cyba.CowboyWhy would that change anything? It'd be no different to when Windows XP reached end-of-life, or Windows 7, or Windows 8... People will just move over to Windows 11 or whatever they're up to now, just like the gullible sheep they are.
Because it is in fact different this time. Windows 11 is complete garbage, even the gullible sheep realise this themselves this time, really, I have friends who always talk shit for being "eccentric and weird" (all for me not bending to the destructive social norms of our generation, long story, not the right place LOL), and they're asking me about Linux now, because they refuse to jump to 11 and are seeing the writing on the wall. Sure, it won't be everybody, or even the majority, but like I said, it'd be a noticable percentage, if Valve plays it well, and Microsoft keeps this downward spiral of theirs going.
Another thing is Linux frankly wasn't up for it during the examples you gave (Windows 8 etc), but now it is. I only switched after dabbling a little in March this year.
kaktuspalme 4 days ago
Quoting: ElectricPrismThe amount of time required to research addons and configure Kodi is too much of a entry barrier. I would rather save my time and throw money at something to save me my time. I would even buy Kodi Plus or something if it meant a system that went toe to toe with SmartTV functions without the nonsense in a FOSSy way. It's totally okay to sell FOSS @Kodi. (Eg: Redhat, Ubuntu, Linux Autos, etc..)Since I found Plex and now Jellyfin, I have no use for Kodi anymore. My experience is the same as yours, a lot of configuration and plugins and the controls are bit hard.
Quoting: kaktuspalmeI have to agree. I like Kodi, but Jellyfin has been a breeze in comparison. The WebOS client on my LG OLED can be a bit fussy with some file formats, but otherwise it just works.Quoting: ElectricPrismThe amount of time required to research addons and configure Kodi is too much of a entry barrier. I would rather save my time and throw money at something to save me my time. I would even buy Kodi Plus or something if it meant a system that went toe to toe with SmartTV functions without the nonsense in a FOSSy way. It's totally okay to sell FOSS @Kodi. (Eg: Redhat, Ubuntu, Linux Autos, etc..)Since I found Plex and now Jellyfin, I have no use for Kodi anymore. My experience is the same as yours, a lot of configuration and plugins and the controls are bit hard.
Craggles086 4 days ago
Consumers should be a lot less sceptical about what a Steam Console without windows is capable of, Proton has now proven itself capable and has been accepted as such for anything outside the anti-cheat MMO’s.
Now if they can only get the pricing right, as they did on the SteamDeck then we have a gaming computer that can play the majority of PC games, and is priced competitively with building your own PC. Also functions well as a console. Whole different story to the first Steam Machines.
I would say it will only work if Valve are producing the hardware themselves but would love to be proved wrong.
chickenb00 4 days ago
Valve will have a cute little housing to place the mainboard and fan, maybe they can tweak performance up slightly too? But they'll be selling either new or refurbished mainboards as PCs that live under your TV.
Quoting: PyreticSee, there's a lot of conflicting reports on what this 'Steam Machine' could be. Either it's essentially a Steam Deck 2 but plugged in, or it's a VR box that streams wirelessly to a headset.To be fair, Valve developed a lot of what made the SteamDeck so great in secret, too. Pretty much all of that work is now in the open and can be used by all of us. There is a chance they have secret SteamVR/Proton/SteamLink branches available. Taking all rumors into consideration, it's not unreasonable they will create a whole ecosystem to rival consoles and push VR. Deckard as a standalone equivalent to Quest/Pico, Foremont as a couch appliance and potential streaming backbone for SteamDeck and Deckard. Sure, if you have a powerful PC, Foremont may be not for you, but after the last years of crypto/AI craziness, more people then ever run crappy old machines. Xbox has lost relevance, PS5 Pro is a flop, PSVR2 was killed. This might be the best opportunity ever to bridge PC and console gaming.
Both are concerning.
Steam Deck 2 releasing now would be weird, since Steam Deck 1 just got released in Australia, and it has only been 2 years since its release everywhere else.
VR on Linux isn't great either. I would be confident in this approach if I saw any upstream changes in that field, but there hasn't been any so far, and with Steam Link for Quest headsets only working on Windows, there's a high chance that any future headsets from Valve will only work with Windows first and that Linux will be an afterthought.
I'm still cautiously optimistic. I know they are working on something, but I'm going to do my usual strategy of waiting a year before buying.
Quoting: PyrateSteamOS public release until then is definitely possible.
If this would be true i might ditch my Pop! OS from my system. I use Pop! OS since the end of 2021
Quoting: MichelN86Quoting: PyrateSteamOS public release until then is definitely possible.
If this would be true i might ditch my Pop! OS from my system. I use Pop! OS since the end of 2021
There wouldn't really be anything special about SteamOS if you're already on Linux, you should be able to do everything SteamOS can do in your distro as is.
A public release of SteamOS would be (at least for me) a signal that gaming on Linux is finally at full parity in all kinds of setups and for all kinds of players, as I think Valve wouldn't release SteamOS until the low-hanging fruit are dealt with (perfecting HDR, Nvidia drivers, anticheats...)
Quoting: PyrateQuoting: MichelN86Quoting: PyrateSteamOS public release until then is definitely possible.
If this would be true i might ditch my Pop! OS from my system. I use Pop! OS since the end of 2021
There wouldn't really be anything special about SteamOS if you're already on Linux, you should be able to do everything SteamOS can do in your distro as is.
A public release of SteamOS would be (at least for me) a signal that gaming on Linux is finally at full parity in all kinds of setups and for all kinds of players, as I think Valve wouldn't release SteamOS until the low-hanging fruit are dealt with (perfecting HDR, Nvidia drivers, anticheats...)
Nah, when SteamOS is going public, it just means Valve took some time to make decisions about legal issues, branding, integrate an installer and replace all shortcuts that assumed it will run on specific hardware. SteamOS is what it is - a specialized distro, designed to be gaming first, fully usable without mouse/keyboard, stable, easy to maintain. It's really good at that, but so are many open source clones like bazzite.
Foremeont on the other hand would be a clear signal thinks SteamOS can stand up against Playstation and Xbox, which is awesome. That doesn't mean it must break through the market and suddenly beat Sony in sales. Every person that experienced an open platform might think twice about investing in walled gardens in the future, which essentially is a win for Valve and all of us.
I'd still be glad when it's finally released and agree with you that Linux is great for gaming with the exception of VR and obviously anticheat bs. I'm really hopeful foremont and deckard mean Valve have something up their sleeves on the VR compatibility front.
Anticheat BS might solve itself when behavior based AI solutions roll out or anyone builds an equivalent to the userspace observer Microsoft announced and hopefully our market share grows further.
Last edited by const on 9 December 2024 at 11:23 am UTC
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