Gabe Newell: Valve will release its own console-like PC

[Shifty Geezer]

You think the PS4 and the Xbone, which are selling for $400 and $500, will lower their price to $200-300 in two years??

I expect a $100 drop for both platforms assuming demand warrants. If they can keep the price up, they will, but launch prices tend to be higher than you'd prefer to pull in the mainstream. Depending on die shrinks and RAM price drops, I expect PS4 to be $300 minimum, maybe less. But that'll depend on the market, not the tech. $200 is probably low-balling it, but I was likely muddling GB pounds for that. Which makes for an important comparison, because UK PC component prices are a steeper than US prices.

 

[MfA]

I think they will keep the OS under their controll and not allow anybody to alter it

I don't think Valve wants Tivoization to be renamed, it wouldn't exactly fit their image (that's the only real way to control a Linux based OS).

PS. WinRT is what makes Windows 8 closed ... WinRT/windows store is a port of gated app stores previously only seen on mobiles to the desktop, something even Apple didn't do. Sure you can elect not to use WinRT ... but if they retain enough market share they will lower support for or even deprecate and drop other API's. It's clearly intended as the beginning of the end of open application development on windows and at this point I wouldn't care any more if it's the beginning of the end of Microsoft whole, if they want to outdo Apple at being Apple then I see little value in them.

 

[Esrever]

I don't think Valve wants Tivoization to be renamed, it wouldn't exactly fit their image (that's the only real way to control a Linux based OS).

PS. WinRT is what makes Windows 8 closed ... WinRT/windows store is a port of gated app stores previously only seen on mobiles to the desktop, something even Apple didn't do. Sure you can elect not to use WinRT ... but if they retain enough market share they will lower support for or even deprecate and drop other API's. It's clearly intended as the beginning of the end of open application development on windows and at this point I wouldn't care any more if it's the beginning of the end of Microsoft whole, if they want to outdo Apple at being Apple then I see little value in them.

wut? how does win rt makes win8 closes? Your logic does not follow.

 

[MfA]

wut? how does win rt makes win8 closes? Your logic does not follow.

I just explained how ... does capitalization confuse you?

 

[betan]

wut? how does win rt makes win8 closes? Your logic does not follow.

Windows Store/WinRT/ModernUI/Metro etc. apps are not distributable to normal users without going through Windows Store. i.e. You cannot run whatever you want, hence not (as) open. Clearly MS is trying to take control a la Apple (iOS).

 

[Davros]

personally the only reason i use windows is to play games. if steam can get dev support as they claim id happily jump ship.

There is a steam client for linux there is also wine(runs windows progs in linux) have you tried it ?
you could try your games with a live dvd it will mount your hdd's just double click on the game exe
this is what you need
Kanotix Dragonfire LinuxTag 2013 KDE Special 64 bit – ISO (1,3 GB)
http://www.kanotix.com/

I only tried a few games (mostly to see if the lack of 16bit dithering in windows also exists in wine(it does))
but it did work - I was shocked

 

[XpiderMX]

Not all games works in Wine.. and will future games (DX11.2) works?

I'm really sure games on wine run slower than on windows.

 

[ninelven]

and will future games (DX11.2) works?

I think the idea is for future games to use OpenGL.

 

[XpiderMX]

I think the idea is for future games to use OpenGL.

Games like Battlefield 4 will use DirectX 11.2.

 

[ninelven]

They are not mutually exclusive...

and BF4 on PS4 will not be using DirectX .

 

[Deleted member 7537]

Nice idea, but I don't see how this can be appealing to a broader audience apart from hardcore PC gamers.

 

[XpiderMX]

They are not mutually exclusive...

and BF4 on PS4 will not be using DirectX .

We are talking about PC. PS3 do not uses DX and there is not BF3 OGL version.

What is the gain of jumping from Windows (8) to SteamOS? Is there anything "better" there?

And I mean something better comparing OS uses.

 

[ninelven]

We are talking about PC. PS3 do not uses DX and there is not BF3 OGL version.

I know. You seem to have mistaken my politeness for opinion. I'm sorry for the confusion.

 

[XpiderMX]

I know. You seem to have mistaken my politeness for opinion. I'm sorry for the confusion.

Is PS4 using OpenGL? if it is true, then we will see an OGL PC version.

 

[Gubbi]

Performance-wise, I believe that whatever is coming after Carizzo will bring a 16CU GCN GPU at 800MHz, or at least something equivalent to that with whatever architecture AMD adopts at the time.
We're talking late Q4 2015 or perhaps Q1 2016. Intel should be selling its second generation of 14nm (Tock) and TSMC and Globalfoundries mass-producing chips on a matured 20nm.

They could stick a million CUs in there and it wouldn't matter one bit. They need to solve the bandwidth problem first.

Going to DDR4 will double bandwidth to 50-60GB/s. They then have the option for quad memory channels or embedded RAM of some sort, like Intel's Iris HD, but then we're pretty far away from a $300 price point.

Cheers

 

[3dilettante]

They could stick a million CUs in there and it wouldn't matter one bit. They need to solve the bandwidth problem first.

First, assuming an 8 GB memory space, I'd store everything in registers/LDS and then try to find some use for the other 320 GB of on-die storage.

 

[DaveNagy]

So far, this isn't wowing me, but I'm interested to hear about the rest of Valve's plans.

Thus far, it doesn't seem like a good addition to the hardware I already have. That's a big TV with a console and a (non-gaming) HTPC hooked to it, as well as a gaming/Rift/office PC in another room. It seems silly to build another box to connect to my TV, one that does nothing but play phone-class games and stream PC games from the "real" gaming PC. And I can't run the Steam OS on my HTPC, because then all my Windows Media stuff goes away.

Well, I guess I could just install Steam OS onto the gaming box, and connect it to the TV. I suppose that might work as a console replacement, but only if the software support increases dramatically and quickly.

Like I said, I'll be watching with interest.

 

[Blazkowicz]

I don't think Valve wants Tivoization to be renamed, it wouldn't exactly fit their image (that's the only real way to control a Linux based OS).

PS. WinRT is what makes Windows 8 closed ... WinRT/windows store is a port of gated app stores previously only seen on mobiles to the desktop, something even Apple didn't do. Sure you can elect not to use WinRT ... but if they retain enough market share they will lower support for or even deprecate and drop other API's. It's clearly intended as the beginning of the end of open application development on windows and at this point I wouldn't care any more if it's the beginning of the end of Microsoft whole, if they want to outdo Apple at being Apple then I see little value in them.

Windows is a server OS too, they can't drop running regular programs else they will become a laughing stock. And MS will suffer competition with its own products : everyone would continue to use Windows 7/8.x till the expiration date around 2025.

 

[joker454]

It seems unlikely that EA would be on board, because of Origin.

That's what I'm wondering about but I suppose they could give EA some uber favorable terms to get them on board. I recall many years ago on the original Xbox how EA didn't want to support it, and the tale I heard was that Ms obliterated their own sports games if EA would come on board and support Xbox. Maybe Valve will have to do something drastic as well to court EA. Will be interesting to see how they solve that one.

 

[Esrever]

Windows Store/WinRT/ModernUI/Metro etc. apps are not distributable to normal users without going through Windows Store. i.e. You cannot run whatever you want, hence not (as) open. Clearly MS is trying to take control a la Apple (iOS).

you can still use windows normally on windows 8. does android make linux less secure because it exist?