Don't forget League of Legends.
Don't forget League of Legends.
On a lark, we could imagine what would happen if GPU makers would just stick a CPU in their discrete chips. It would be possible to write a variant of the OS that would exist within the operating environment of the board. Then, it's just a question of where the boards go, and they take care of themselves.
The GPU itself already manages a lot of internal state like memory management, resource allocation, and communication to the rest of the system. An external Steam Application would wrap around the compute protocol used to feed the necessary data from the outside the board over the expansion bus.
Then again, I might just want them to do that so that the idea of Durango and/or Orbis as add-in board chips would gain acceptance. Then, I could make my WinXSteamStation frankenrig.
So, an add-in PC for your PC? I could get behind that. Especially since it would totally isolate game performance from general system performance, and they could each run a different operating system. Kind of like Xbox One, but with the game-side being upgradeable.
Unfortunatley, I do not think that is in the cards from Valve.
They want it to grow, obviously it is not worth much ATM.
The alternative was to build a new OS and build acceptance starting form zero.
Not ideal.
But why going away windows? even, why to sell hardware? Is it really needed?
Gabe doesn't want his baby Steam to feed MS money indirectly and also indirectly boosting the windows app store, which is a direct competitor to Steam (and unlike Steam comes pre-installed on every win8 PC and cannot be removed from the win8 start screen.) Hence the new focus on linux, to distance his company from MS.
It is a risky move if most gamers keep on windows.
not really. There will still be Steam on Windows.
Yes, but it seems like they will develop exclusive games for Linux (SteamOS), or at least it is what some people think.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Except it isn't really a competitor to Steam in anything but the most superficial ways.
You cannot, under Microsoft's terms of service, sell the majority of the games offered through Steam in the Windows Store.
Game features anything even resembling realistic violence? Can't sell it on Windows Store.
Game takes more than a couple seconds to load? Can't sell it on Windows Store.
Game takes more than a a few minutes to download on a slow broadband connection? Can't sell it on Windows Store.
Etcetera...
Granted they could change their terms of service at any time, but Microsoft did not make the Windows Store to compete with Steam or any other online DD PC games storefront. You cannot sell AAA games in the Windows Store.
The Games for Windows Live store is the competition for Steam. And that has been there since 2007. And we can see how well that does (it's set to terminate in 2014, at which time MIcrosoft will no longer have a PC storefront for AAA games).
Regards,
SB
I'm finding these announcements really underwhelming. Would have found it much more interesting if Valve got involved with Wine somehow and used their technical expertise to help make Windows Steam games work in Linux. A missed opportunity as far as I'm concerned.
ArcticCircle
Newcomer
Yeah, it's true at least for me. Gamepad is even bigger issue for then relatively low spec closed system. Or rather, gamepad for some games, mouse + keyboard for others, stick + buttons for fighting games, flightstick for flight sims and wheel and pedal for racing games.
But with Valve moving fast forward towards TV + gamepad, I think our goose is getting cooked. It's gamepads for every game and if gamepad don't work, add more auto aim or remove abilities untill it'll "work".
SteamOS is ok for me. For home use I don't need windows anymore. I think for work computer I still need to use it, as I don't think Solidworks support Linux. Autodesk, while monopoly, support Linux at least some of their products.
Blazkowicz
Legend
It has its uses on a game per game basis. Game developers can test their game against Wine, offering unofficial and untold support (Blizzard does this, they don't admit it or provide any support but e.g. Starcraft II comes out and runs flawlessly from day one, there's a small niche of WoW players on linux/Wine, and Warcraft III was somewhat popular that way)
Or they can sell a "linux port" that is actually the Windows game packaged with a Wine version, some indie games do this and I guess a significant part of Steam linux games do this as well. It's okay as it is tested, and transparent for the user, "self-contained" so to speak.
Else I very much agree that Wine is not a general solution. Hit and miss, unsupported, often requires cracking the game (or well, having the cracked game ready! which might mean you need Windows on the side, or be forced to download a random warez version of the game). I have absolutely no desire to put up with that, esp. if I'm to buy the game.
I still run Wine on occasion, always from the command line, but to run a handful of stuff. (one very nice thing I could do was to run a BIOS modding tool to make an old graphics card quiet. BIOS dumping and flashing done from DOS)
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Hehe, that's the exact length of HDMI cable I have going from my HTPC/Server in another room to my TV in the living room. And the wireless radio transmitter/receiver for my Logitech keyboard (solar powered, yay) and mouse (not solor powered, boo) do just fine at that distance.
Regards,
SB
