31–40 of 59 posts
I have a 100 game library of games on Steam that I would love to play on my TV but the SteamBox will only play a tiny percentage of them due to being linux based. Seems great for those new to steam though...
The Nvidia Shield does this kind of game streaming at 1080p and it looks great.
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.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Wayland/Mir support must be added to any driver that will support them, and I believe it's not yet clear that that will be done. Intel has already refused a pull request for XMir support (http://slashdot.org/story/13/09/08/0431242/intel-rejects-sup...), and I think the proprietary drivers have no support for either of the new WM's, nor will will they publicly admit to having any plans to implement it.
KMS was added to the kernel five years ago this month, and the proprietary drivers still don't support it, although the intel driver does. Imagine a similar outcome for the new compositors, where the vendors don't implement support for a long time, or, worse, where there are factions comprised of certain combinations of driver/distro/WM... that would be bad.
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Even if you're in the US there's only a very very small chance you'll be able to participate in the beta.
According to the eligibility page, I'm seeing: "You are now one out of 421,843 eligible beta candidates." It's been at that number since the registration ended, and I'm almost certain it's worldwide, since they didn't say U.S.-only until today. I like my odds.
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 sel…
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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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 sel…
They are not inin the game to compete with consoles. Their strategy is for the long run, to be free of winfows influence should windows one day become a closed system. obviously they dont have any of the marketing muscle needed to go mainstream and thats not their market anyway.
They have a chance to make Steam Machines a huge success. If they pigeon hole themselves as strictly being a gaming device, and not a media device that competes with consoles, they should change the name of their UI, because they're missing the big picture.
However, I think you're wrong. Yes, they want a backup plan if they get kicked to the curb by Microsoft. However, if that was the only case, they'd be focusing on making Steam OS an actual operating system. Why spend the resources on a gaming controller, and Steam Machines? Why not go hard on a Linux OS that's a viable alternative for gamers? Their core audience is PC gamers, so why not make an OS for PC gamers, and skip the living room hardware all together?
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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?
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They are not inin the game to compete with consoles. Their strategy is for the long run, to be free of winfows influence should windows one day become a closed system. obviously they dont have any of the marketing muscle needed to go mainstream and thats not their market anyway.
They better be in the game to compete with consoles, because they're going to be, whether they want to or not. If their long term plan is to simply run Big Picture Mode, and that's it, they'll fail, and never be more than a niche device used by a few PC gamers. The average person would much rather buy an Xbox or Playstation since they can use them for watching movies, Netflix, etc. Why buy a Steam Machine, if I need…
To me, they are still targeting PC gamers (and Gabe clearly said so, too) and they want to expand that segment from the top, not from the bottom. Maybe they will attract some PC gamers who did the switch to consoles a couple of years back, by providing something better than consoles while still "living-room" centric.
I think their strategy is however the following: - a Steam gamer currently is usually a guy in front of the PC in his room. - By putting a Steam machine in the living room, it offers the opportunity to open up Steam to family members. - Oh, by the way the family games management feature was introduced about the same time as the SteamOS release this year... what a coincidence huh ? - So they plan to expand through immediate social environment first, not necessarily targeting hardcore console users. That way they will create awareness progressively. That's why I am saying they are in for the long run.
Just like Steam was not made to replace from Day1 the box retail business, SteamOS's strategy will not replace consoles from Day1 either. Maybe it will be a big player in 10 years from now, but I don't expect any significant market share any time soon.
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They better be in the game to compete with consoles, because they're going to be, whether they want to or not. If their long term plan is to simply run Big Picture Mode, and that's it, they'll fail, and never be more than a niche device used by a few PC gamers. The average person would much rather buy an Xbox or Playstation since they can use them for watching movies, Netflix, etc. Why buy a Steam Machine, if I need…
I don't think I'm wrong :) If they were really in the game of competing with consoles, they would have had a very different strategy and not adopted a "anyone can make our box" kind of mode of operation. They are following the PC model, which means that they are not targeting mainstream consumers. Consumers who want to buy Steam Machines will have to be knowledgeable on what to buy, they will have to look at specs an…
As for solving your problem with hardware confusion, they could have manufacturers ship Steam Machines with some kind of rating system. Remember how Windows had those performance ratings for memory, processor, etc? They could do something very similar. You look at a Steam Machine, it says processor 5.7, memory 4.5, graphics, 5.1. Then you look in the Steam game library and see a certain game recommends graphics 4.5 or greater. Or this indie title plays great on anything 3.4 or higher. You use those numbers to guide your purchase.
Changing hardware will come to their advantage though. Xbox and Playstation will ramp up over the next few years, and we'll see some improvements and major titles heading their way. However, what's happening 5-6 years from now? Xbox and Playstation are dated, Steam OS has the bugs worked out, and Steam Machines are available with the latest advances in hardware. Where are you going to buy Call of Duty now, for your 6 year old console, or pickup a Steam Machine that can run it twice as fast, at Ultra HD resolution? That's going to be a big plus for Steam, and if people are buying in 5 or 6 years from now, they're less likely to jump on the next console launch, since they already have powerful hardware in their living room.
Another huge plus for Steam in the living room is Oculus Rift. If it's released below $300, and exclusive to the PC and Steam Machines, they have a unique experience the consoles can't offer.
Nothing is short term, I think Steam Machines will make a crawl the first few years, but I think they're going to be pushing to replace consoles, and I think they might succeed. Cheap games, big sales, Oculus Rift, low cost or high performance hardware to choose from, and eventually an open store available for anyone to publish towards.
Edit: Oh, one other huge advantage. They're backed by every hardware manufacturer they get involved. Dell is going to be dropping flyers in every mailbox around the world, with a couple of pages showing off their Steam Machine line-up. Dell wants money, and if Steam Machines succeed, they get rich as well. PC sales are down, they'd love another piece of hardware to sell. Get every other hardware company doing the same, and that's a lot of free marketing.