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Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

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Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#301

Post by bigyabai »

IshKebab wrote: post #292
fulafel wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The instruction set has marginal impact. But many power efficient chips happen to be using the ARM instruction set today.

I think that's still highly debatable. Intel and AMD claim the instruction set makes no difference... but of course they would. And if that's really the case where are the power efficient x86 chips? Possibly the truth is that everyone is talking past each other. Certainly in the Moore's Law days "marginal impact" would have meant maybe less then 20%, because differences smaller than that pretty much didn't matter. An…

> And if that's really the case where are the power efficient x86 chips?

Where are the power inefficient x86 chips? If you normalize for production process and put the chips under synthetic load, ARM and x86 usually end up in a similar ballpark of efficiency. ARM is typically less efficient for wide SIMD/vector workloads, but more efficient at idle.

AMD and Intel aren't smartphone manufacturers. Their cash cows aren't in manufacturing mobile chipsets, and neither of them have sweetheart deals on ARM IP with Softbank like Apple does. For the markets they address, it's not unlikely that ARM would be both unprofitable and more power-hungry.

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#302

Post by blibble »

aloisdg wrote: post #122
jonny_eh wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's pretty strong rumours that they actually have been working on a new Half-Life. People are hoping it releases with their new hardware in 2026.

Imagine HL3, Portal 3 et L4D3 but all linux only. oh my

this would be basically what they did with steam

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#303

Post by estimator7292 »

eggsome wrote: post #285
YmiYugy wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have plenty of complaints about them. The highly addictive gambling mechanics in their games, the extortionate cut afforded them by their dominant market position or the very rough UX in many parts of the Steam client (takes forever to startup, shows pop up ads on startup, is quite the resource hog, the store that is a pretty poorly optimized website and a lot of cruft in the less well trodden areas). But they do m…

Ads can be disabled in the settings.

Not an excuse.

It is not okay to abuse someone just because they can ask you to stop.

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#304

Post by blibble »

sershe wrote: post #283
preisschild wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Steam Games can definitely be DRM free too. Its the developer/publishers choice.

Can you actually download these games like one can with GOG? As far as I can tell, even indie games require steam to run. DRM is also kind of orthogonal to their terms. Ubisoft has their own DRM; let's say I am ok with Ubisoft's since at least they made the game, would I be able to play Anno that I "purchased" on Steam if Valve suspends my Steam account for some random reason?

yes

I copied FTL, and Into The Breach out of my steam directory to another machine

and they work fine

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#305

Post by aeonik »

SpaceManNabs wrote: post #296
simianparrot wrote: post #291

Thank god. Microsoft has shown they don't care about their users as anything other than eyeballs to shove bullshit to for _years_ and Gabe called them out on it back with Windows 8, and Valve has been working on this since. Steam Deck is fantastic to use. Good riddance to Windows.

> Gabe called them out on it back with Windows 8 Context?

Gabe Newell: "I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space."

2012: https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-i-think-windows-8-is-a-c...

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#306

Post by bigwheels »

jauntywundrkind wrote: post #95
bigwheels wrote: post #89

Any leads on when the next generation of Steam Deck will be released? Hoping it could be sometime in 2025, but suspect it will be more like 2026. Over the holidays I was playing GTA: San Andreas on a Nintendo Switch. It's fun but so underpowered for a game released in 2004 (Yes, 21 years ago! Damn..). I'm really craving something more. As a sidenote, it's really cool Valve allows installing SteamOS on any hardware. T…

Valve has said they want at least double the capabilities, while still fitting in a similar power envelope. Unsaid is that it also needs to fit in the same price budget, but I tend to believe that's their intent. It's gonna be a while. Valve got a stellar deal on some somewhat unusual Zen2 APUs, orginally built for Magic Leap; finding a similar good deal is going to take time. I sort of hope Valve isnt going to put o…

Sorry, good catch - yes, I meant 2026 or 2027!

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#308

Post by spockz »

YmiYugy wrote: post #284
levocardia wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve is one of the few companies regularly seen on HN where the headline is something like "[company] is secretly doing something really great" as opposed to "[company] is secretly doing something evil"

I have plenty of complaints about them. The highly addictive gambling mechanics in their games, the extortionate cut afforded them by their dominant market position or the very rough UX in many parts of the Steam client (takes forever to startup, shows pop up ads on startup, is quite the resource hog, the store that is a pretty poorly optimized website and a lot of cruft in the less well trodden areas). But they do m…

I don’t mind the ads. They are actually about games and I may like some of them. If they start selling ad space for others that would be terrible.

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#309

Post by sheepscreek »

MattDaEskimo wrote: post #289
TulliusCicero wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People complain about the gambling/loot box stuff, and yeah there's legit ethical concerns there. But overall Valve just seems straightforwardly less shitty towards the consumer than other major companies in their space, by a long shot.

Let's be honest about this current situation. Valve pushing for Linux gaming is for survival, not charity. Windows is closing in on them: stricter kernel access (tougher time for anti-cheat) Encouraging users to use the app store, or more accurately: discouraging users to install from binary They threaten Valve's business model, and Valve is responding with proton & SteamOS

Your argument doesn’t make any sense. What does this have to do with supporting Arm chips? It’s not like AMD and Intel are waging a war against Valve. If anything Steam helps them by strengthening the PC gaming market, leading to higher CPU/GPU sales.

Re: Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm

#310

Post by ZeWaka »

sershe wrote: post #287
bee_rider wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve seems more like Apple than Google: a well-liked company that has an obvious and not inherently exploitive business model. Google as an ad company was always destined to go bad in a way that most non-ad companies are not. No company is your friend, and they are all fundamentally structures around making a profit. But providing goods and services in exchange for money is not inherently exploitive or evil.

Valve makes most of their money from Steam lock-in. Given these numbers and the pathetic state of all the alternative game stores, they are ONE company before Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. that richly deserves some antitrust enforcement https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/valves-reported-prof... Not to say they are not great for Linux gaming. But this should not be mistaken for some kind of idealistic position. Win…

lock-in?

there's no lock-in in any of the contracts

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