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Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

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Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#21

Post by javanix »

elipsey wrote: post #15

I'm very hopeful about the prospect for improvement of linux graphics drivers. It seems to have a been a chicken and egg sort of problem in past; I really hope contributions from valve will create some momentum, especially for the FOSS drivers. It seemed hopeless to me only a couple of years ago, but then it wasn't so long ago that you couldn't suspend your laptop without "blowing your balls off" as Con Kolivas remar…

Drivers are usually kernel-tied more than anything else.

I wouldn't expect too much improvement from the FOSS drivers like Nouveau (I suspect the performance required of modern games is still out of their reach), but the binary X drivers from should see some big improvements - any distributions that currently can leverage those would benefit.

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#22

Post by Chestofdraw »

pekk wrote: post #19
benihana wrote: post #7

I'm anxious to see how much Valve has learned since the launch of Steam a decade ago. Steam is great now, but it sucked pretty hard when it first came out. I remember the genuine shock I felt at having the friends functionality actually work the way I expected it to after about 4 years of pure shit. I have no doubt this will eventually be awesome, only question is how long it will take.

You can use Steam today to see how much they have learned about how to run Steam. I don't see what this has to do with that.

Steam today shows their software nous, hardware is a very different thing.

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#23

Post by mladenkovacevic »

stonemetal wrote: post #5
venomsnake wrote: post #2

The important bit is that we will have steamos to play with soon. They say it will be downloadable when the hardware ships.

Yeah, I think I am more excited about the new linux distro than the hardware. Only two more days to go.

This is what I'm excited about as well, but also can't wait until more games are announced for SteamOS early next year.

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#24

Post by gcb1 »

benihana wrote: post #7

I'm anxious to see how much Valve has learned since the launch of Steam a decade ago. Steam is great now, but it sucked pretty hard when it first came out. I remember the genuine shock I felt at having the friends functionality actually work the way I expected it to after about 4 years of pure shit. I have no doubt this will eventually be awesome, only question is how long it will take.

steam for still sucks in the way requires full control of my box to games. i only run it in a vm or spare machine, limit the games i can use. if that box is any good, it will be very good for people with a minimum security concern for their main computers

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#25

Post by simoncion »

gcb1 wrote: post #24
benihana wrote: post #7

I'm anxious to see how much Valve has learned since the launch of Steam a decade ago. Steam is great now, but it sucked pretty hard when it first came out. I remember the genuine shock I felt at having the friends functionality actually work the way I expected it to after about 4 years of pure shit. I have no doubt this will eventually be awesome, only question is how long it will take.

steam for still sucks in the way requires full control of my box to games. i only run it in a vm or spare machine, limit the games i can use. if that box is any good, it will be very good for people with a minimum security concern for their main computers

> steam for still sucks in the way requires full control of my box to games.

What? I run Steam as a non-Administrator user on Windows, and a non-root user on Linux. Would you elaborate on your objections?

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#27

Post by simoncion »

guidopallemans wrote: post #14

I hope this is a good place to launch this idea: Is it possible to make an android app which acts as a steam controller through usb/bluetooth? Here is an example (JSON-ish) config file: http://gearnuke.com/steam-controller-configuration-file-alre...

> Is it possible...

Probably? It'd be best to wait until we get the hardware and software in hand before specing out the task, though. ;)

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#28

Post by Anonymous823 »

benihana wrote: post #7

I'm anxious to see how much Valve has learned since the launch of Steam a decade ago. Steam is great now, but it sucked pretty hard when it first came out. I remember the genuine shock I felt at having the friends functionality actually work the way I expected it to after about 4 years of pure shit. I have no doubt this will eventually be awesome, only question is how long it will take.

Well, they've overcome the number one challenge, that's getting something launched. Valve does one thing great, and that's rolling out consistent updates and features, so I have faith they'll improve the platform if it gains traction.

In 2014 though, I think the biggest impact on their success will come down to marketing. Will people know what this device is? Will hardware manufacturers be able to get these units selling? Will people be raving about playing Steam games from their couch and telling all their friends to pick one up?

They're going to be a small player in the console world. I can't picture them stealing Xbox and Playstation users. Those Battlefield, Call of Duty, NBA, Madden, etc., fans make up a huge part of the console market, and I think they're incredibly loyal to their console, while being very unfamiliar with Steam. The Steam Machines might have a market with PC users looking to casually game in the living room, and they might have a market if they can offer cheaper hardware and lower game prices than consoles. Offering better visuals would be another huge plus. If someone visits their friend's house, and says, 'wow, why does XYZ game look so much better on your television?', that's going to drive some sales, since you always have a group looking for the best of the best.

It's a long road, and I think everyone is watching to see how this plays out. Valve is probably the only company that can make this happen at the moment, so it's exciting to see them taking a chance, and I applaud them for that.

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#29

Post by Anonymous823 »

Pxtl wrote: post #26

I want to hear veteran RTS and FPS player weigh in on that controller. Bringing PC-style gaming into the living room would be a dream.

I'd really like to see someone fire up Quake 3 Arena and play a few rounds with a mouse, 360 controller, and Steam controller. Give them a few hours practice with each device, and let's watch some comparison videos, against the same skill bots, on the same map.

Re: Steam Machines and Steam Controller shipping to beta participants December 13th

#30

Post by winslow »

Pxtl wrote: post #26

I want to hear veteran RTS and FPS player weigh in on that controller. Bringing PC-style gaming into the living room would be a dream.

Not exactly an RTS veteran, however Tommy Refenes (programmer from Team Meat) weighed in on his thoughts about it.

http://tommyrefenes.tumblr.com/post/62476523677/my-time-with...

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