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Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

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Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#141

Post by snvzz »

rangestransform wrote: post #56
bryanlarsen wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Steam you download from steampowered.com can be an open platform at the same time that the Steam that comes preinstalled on the Steam Machine is a closed platform. Seems unlikely because we believe Valve has integrity. But it's possible they have less integrity than we think, and they pursue this strategy to make some of those games with kernel-level anti-cheat available on the Steam Machine.

Kernel-level anticheat doesn't necessarily need to be on a fully closed platform, it could be implemented like SafetyNet on the Pixel series to check for system integrity but still allow for bootloader unlock and arbitrary user software

It's still not desirable, because it artificially excludes the rest of computer users who run Linux.

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#142

Post by [deleted] »

chii wrote: post #131
ThrowawayB7 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> " Also: turns out that, if you put enough effort into it, Linux is actually a quite-usable gaming platform. " Valve is the one putting in the effort and paying for it at their own expense. If they ever lose interest in paying for it, like GabeN retiring and Ebenezer Scrooge replacing him, then it's game over for Linux gaming (literally).

> paying for it at their own expense valve would recoup the cost from a bigger customer base, as well as paying it as insurance against windows/microsoft targeting them as an existential threat. It's cheap for what they're getting. And iirc, it being open source means the foundation could be built upon by others if they do decide to call it quits.

[deleted]

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#143

Post by pxc »

agoodusername63 wrote: post #38
sand500 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just usable, better performant than Windows too. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/games-run-faster-on-s...

It really depends on your GPU drivers. If you're using nvidia like 75% of Steam's hardware survey reports, it's a mixed bag and 1% lows are fucking abysmal compared to windows. But try getting nvidia to care about Linux beyond CUDA. They'd rather just stop selling GPUs to normal people before they do that.

They're in the gradual process of open-sourcing their driver stack by moving the bits they want to keep proprietary into the firmware and hardware, much like AMD did many years ago.

It takes a long time to become mature, but it's a good strategy. NVIDIA GPUs will probably have pretty usable open-source community drivers in 5 years or so.

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#144

Post by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF »

simulator5g wrote: post #124
nitwit005 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Outside of XBox, Minecraft, and journalists trying it out, I don't think I've heard of anyone using the Microsoft store. The Wikipedia page has quite the description of the view from within Microsoft: > Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division, has also opined that Microsoft Store "sucks". As a result, Office was removed as an installable app from the store, and made to redirect to its website. https://en.wi…

I actually use the Microsoft store before looking elsewhere for software. It’s basically a package manager with a minimal jank. It’s there on a new install and it works. It sucks that they don’t let you add other sources though. Having an app from an exe installer sucks because you have to update it manually, or, it uses resources while you’re using it to check for updates. With the windows store I can update everyth…

Do you need a Microsoft account to use the store?

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#145

Post by skylurk »

01HNNWZ0MV43FF wrote: post #144
simulator5g wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually use the Microsoft store before looking elsewhere for software. It’s basically a package manager with a minimal jank. It’s there on a new install and it works. It sucks that they don’t let you add other sources though. Having an app from an exe installer sucks because you have to update it manually, or, it uses resources while you’re using it to check for updates. With the windows store I can update everyth…

Do you need a Microsoft account to use the store?

Can you use Windows without a Microsoft account?

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#146

Post by happymellon »

throwaway314155 wrote: post #135
happymellon wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> are there sufficient problems that the average game-player at home has that are better answered by a Steam Machine than a Windows 11 box? Absolutely. The UI on Windows 11 is not designed for couch gaming, and Microsoft licencing rules mean that you are not allowed to hide Windows.

> Microsoft licensing rules mean that you are not allowed to hide Windows. What do you mean? As in - manufacturers can't create an overlay similar to Steam Deck's "Gaming Mode"?

As in

> manufacturers can't replace Explorer with a desktop similar to Steam Decks GameScope.

You have to use Microsoft's OOB experience. Improved with "handheld mode", but still not as slick and you are not allowed to improve it.

You can have a "full screen launcher", but you have to boot to Explorer and then run your Big Picture Mode.

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#147

Post by overfeed »

ZeroConcerns wrote: post #5

Well, Valve got seriously concerned about the Windows Store, like, a decade ago, since that could have reduced the stranglehold of Steam on the gaming marketplace. Turns out that the usual Microsoft incompetence-and-ADHD have kind-of eliminated that threat all by itself. Also: turns out that, if you put enough effort into it, Linux is actually a quite-usable gaming platform. Still: are consumers better off today than…

> Well, Valve got seriously concerned about the Windows Store, like, a decade ago, since that could have reduced the stranglehold of Steam on the gaming marketplace

Microsoft telegraphed its intention to kill Steam. The plan was a hermetically sealed ecosystem where only cryptographically signed code could run on Windows computers, from UEFI boot to application launch. This meant users would only run software Microsoft let them, and there was no room for the Steam store in Microsoft's vision of the future then.

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#148

Post by gverrilla »

denimnerd42 wrote: post #98
RunSet wrote: post #94

> Steam came in 2003, created for easy management of updates for their games over the Internet (what today would be called a “proprietary launcher”). I call it that today and I also called it one in 2003, when it suddenly demanded to be installed and kept running to continue playing Half-Life (what today would be called "vendor lock-in").

people on the internet were pissed about steam in 2003

not cs playerbase, which was it's foundation.

Re: Valve is running Apple's playbook in reverse

#150

Post by littlecranky67 »

viktorcode wrote: post #70
littlecranky67 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> what problem do consumers have that Steam Machines solve? It fixes a lot of issues for me (I will buy a steam machine upon release): I used to prefer consoles for the living room - put the disk in, and go. But nowadays consoles have the same issues: Giant downloads, patches, tweaking GUI settings and fear of not getting the best performance (PS5 Pro variants, Xbox S/X etc., performance vs. quality mode settings). P…

> But nowadays consoles have the same issues: Giant downloads At least for PS5 the opposite is true: if a game uses kraken texture compression, and many do, PS5 variant will be the smallest.

How is that even an argument - the PS5 has had proper discs. The issue is, the disc content is 1GB file that requires a 50GB download.
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