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Valve is about to win the console generation

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Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#291

Post by StopDisinfo910 »

robomc wrote: post #48
Normal_gaussian wrote: post #46

Valve certainly won't win it, but they're bringing the heat where it wasn't before. SteamOS is the important part here - if it is proven to be a good console experience (which the deck has basically proven already) then licensing of the OS to other manufacturers will put a lot of pressure on integrated h/w s/w manufacturers. Unlike the handheld format, the tvbox console is fairly easy to manufacture and is tolerant o…

Yeah I mean... can I play Fortnite, BF6 or the upcoming GTA on steamOS?

I think Valve has a fairly good grasp of what they addressable market is at this point with the Steam Deck having been out for so long.

The value proposition is basically play your existing Steam library (and emulated games but that will be left unsaid) in 4k on your TV with an interface suited for it. I am not sure they are that dependent of upcoming games.

I will probably buy one because I really enjoy my Deck and I would like to play some more taxing games on a large screen from time to time and I’m never going to buy a PS5 because I have no interest in tying myself to Sony and playing exclusively on my TV.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#292

Post by Orygin »

altairprime wrote: post #282
Orygin wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It affects console too, but watch game publishers disable linux support, blaming cheaters while producing graphs that don't support their arguments. While console packs and cheats are rampant, and their game servers even being hacked during competition.

If the status quo doesn’t change, then you’ll be right to have claimed here that the status quo you’ve described won’t change. But that would be worse for all of us. Besides, Linux is an excellent platform for modding games in realtime, no matter what their charts show — so certainly the sealed-attestation stuff would deny them a plausible reason to deny Linux. If Microsoft offered sealed Windows for free, they’d den…

I totally agree with you, and I hope the status quo will change. But I'm still skeptical after the Steam Deck success where many games enabled anti cheat, but some did roll back like I said previously.

Attestation could help, but I'm not sure if it goes in the spirit of what Valve tries to do with their OS. The system is open and you can easily access the desktop (it's a first party feature) and thus do what you want. Maybe with a separate verified boot state without desktop but the user experience would not be great.

And in the end, like you said, they'd run to only support sealed attested systems if they could. But cheats have evolved past being run on the computer running the game. Some use DMA or are in between the keyboard/mouse and the usb port. Consoles also have their fair share of cheaters. None of those would be solved by attestation.

Valve has shown recently that it's possible to fight cheaters without kernel AC or attestation. It's just a bit more difficult and intensive so other AC providers won't go the same route.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#293

Post by Gigachad »

eptcyka wrote: post #212
SchemaLoad wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main problem I see is that if this is any cheaper than it's hardware, people will buy 100s of them and stack them in server racks for CI runners or whatever. Generating only losses for Valve and making the hardware unavailable to gamers. It needs to either be at market rate or locked down to only be useful for gaming.

Does it have IPMI? Does it have ECC ram? Racking Mac Minis is a painful enough, this form factor is less rackable than that. If you need to physically adjust the form factor per device, whatever you could've saved will be immediately lost in labor.

Orgs racked PlayStation 3s back in the day. If it’s subsidised hardware it could be worth it.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#294

Post by _flux »

theshrike79 wrote: post #230
silveraxe93 wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? You can just install windows on it.

"Just", YMMV. It has a custom motherboard for example, which may or may not be supported by Microsoft.

Windows works in SteamDeck, so I think it seems highly likely that Valve will provide the drivers for this device as well.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#296

Post by StopDisinfo910 »

ninetyninenine wrote: post #193
Normal_gaussian wrote: post #46

Valve certainly won't win it, but they're bringing the heat where it wasn't before. SteamOS is the important part here - if it is proven to be a good console experience (which the deck has basically proven already) then licensing of the OS to other manufacturers will put a lot of pressure on integrated h/w s/w manufacturers. Unlike the handheld format, the tvbox console is fairly easy to manufacture and is tolerant o…

Steam needs IP. Something as iconic as Kratos or Mario. That's how you go toe to toe with consoles.

There is something vaguely amusing to me about complaining that Valve of Half-Life, Counter Strike, Portal, Team Fortress and Dota fame doesn’t have IP and giving as an alternative what I view as a minor IP, God of War.

Apparently, people have forgotten that what launched Steam is it being required to play game of the decade Half-Life 2.

I think I’m old.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#298

Post by bee_rider »

b3lvedere wrote: post #204
ninetyninenine wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Steam needs IP. Something as iconic as Kratos or Mario. That's how you go toe to toe with consoles.

Gordon Freeman and Glados should be able to handle that.

Probably not, unless they learn to count to three, those series seem to be over.

Valve seems to be more of a platform company these days (a very good one, though).

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#299

Post by pezezin »

Aeolun wrote: post #136
nodja wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All they have to do is market the fact you don't have to pay for online. PS5 + 3 years of PS Plus = $740 Steam Machine = $700 Add/remove more years of PS Plus if the SM turns out to be more/less expensive. If you add the fact that games on PC are usually cheaper and have sales more often then it's a no brainer, but that won't convince the FIFA and COD players.

Plus a game catalog that stretches back some 30 years?

More like 50 years if you consider emulators (RetroArch is available on Steam).

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#300

Post by [deleted] »

ninetyninenine wrote: post #193
Normal_gaussian wrote: post #46

Valve certainly won't win it, but they're bringing the heat where it wasn't before. SteamOS is the important part here - if it is proven to be a good console experience (which the deck has basically proven already) then licensing of the OS to other manufacturers will put a lot of pressure on integrated h/w s/w manufacturers. Unlike the handheld format, the tvbox console is fairly easy to manufacture and is tolerant o…

Steam needs IP. Something as iconic as Kratos or Mario. That's how you go toe to toe with consoles.

[deleted]
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