SteamOS: You excited?

A forum for computer hardware and software issues

SteamOS: Yay, Nay or Huh?

I'm excited.
14
28%
I'm indifferent.
12
24%
I'm hungry.
16
32%
No, not excited..
8
16%
 
Total votes: 50

eumoria
Everlasting Villun
Everlasting Villun
Posts: 413
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:39 pm
Location: Woodside, NY
Blizzard tag: eumoria#1944
Contact:

Games Played

Ville Awards

eumoria’s avatar
Loading…

SteamOS: You excited?

Post by eumoria » Tue Sep 24, 2013 9:34 am

Are you excited for the announced SteamOS? There aren't enough details to be really stoked but the chatter I've found on linux forums and the like all say something similar to, "It is going to be the best linux distribution for games and potentially the best performing OS for Valve's current and subsequent releases."

Here is Valve's release info.

Also some back and forth on if it's going to be a viable platform in itself or if it's going to be primarily for streaming off of your existing platform (Win/Mac/Linux).

Over at the release page found here there is a count down timer for either the release or more information, ETA 25 hours at the time of this post.

As a linux user I'm super excited even if it's just a living room streaming attachment it's a step in a direction that needs to happen for PC gaming :D

Boss Llama
Site Admin
Site Admin
User avatar
Posts: 10153
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:45 pm

Games Played

Ville Awards

<eVa> Boss Llama’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Boss Llama » Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:26 pm

Hard to say.

I strongly dislike the move away from desktop PC's, and the "living room" push makes no sense to me. I don't see the appeal of gaming on an inferior screen (TV vs monitor), with an inferior interface (controller vs keyboard/mouse), from an inferior seat (couch vs desk chair).

I also dislike the idea that I should hand control of my entire computing experience to Steam, even in as open a format as a fully public Linux distro. It just seems like a really narrow premise upon which to build an entire OS... kinda like the "Facebook Phone." If it's fully standalone, I might put it as a dual-boot on my HTPC to give it a try, but it doesn't inspire me at all.

Bear in mind, while I use Steam and appreciate the convenience it offers, I've never truly been a fan of it - it's still an online DRM system that puts access and control of things you own in to somebody else's hands. I utterly despised it back in the day (I have a choice rant or two on these forums), and agreed strongly with PC Gamer's summary of Steam at the time as being like having a mafia hitman standing over you with a bat, threatening to break your kneecaps. Valve has thusfar been a benevolent dictator, but it is always on my mind that they could change that on a whim, and there's not a thing any of us could do about it. Cloud computing must die.
-Boss Llama

eumoria
Everlasting Villun
Everlasting Villun
Posts: 413
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:39 pm
Location: Woodside, NY
Blizzard tag: eumoria#1944
Contact:

Games Played

Ville Awards

eumoria’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by eumoria » Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:58 pm

Alizée Fan wrote:I strongly dislike the move away from desktop PC's, and the "living room" push makes no sense to me.
Agreed, I'm just curious if this will be a viable desktop OS solution as most of the current Linux distros are ok but not perfect for the job. I would like to imagine it as a gaming focused OS and, if true, that could be incredible :dance:
Alizée Fan wrote:Cloud computing must die.
Rumors are that the OS is not cloud but a local installation and streaming either the data from your main computer or even possibly using some of it's processing power over the network** From interviews it seems to be planned an actual distro; assuming that, outside of your games already locked into steam, it's just Linux. If it isn't cloud based OS but just a Linux distro (?) w/ Steam they won't be storing your operating system or other files outside of the realm of Steam if this were the case. You already operate under this constant connection situation in Windows/Mac or current non-valve Linux distro.

But this is all hearsay. Unknown what it's actually going to do but I would rather have Valve's Steam supply me with account locked games than any other service like Origin, GFWL or Rockstar's awful Club thing.

Genie's out of the bottle with always online DRM and large developers are not going to stop. I'll take the least crappiest.

**There was a demo somewhere where you could play Crysis 3 (or 2?) on ultra high settings but on your end it was just a streaming video so no rendering on your end. There was a remote server that was actually rendering the game but accepting your inputs and streaming video of the render. It worked pretty well over a good internet connection. I can't find the link anymore, though. Maybe someone bought the technology and took it down.

darklin0
Villun
Villun
User avatar
Posts: 887
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:38 am
Location: California

Games Played

Ville Awards

TwoMimis’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by darklin0 » Tue Sep 24, 2013 2:54 pm

I need more information on it before I can say anything else. I found it weird that you stream your main PC through the OS and set it up in the living room. I don't see how this is a benefit for people who don't watch TV or or movies a whole lot. Plus from what I know, most PC users prefer Keyboard and Mouse. So a push for more controller support is weird, unless they are targeting a different market like console users.
Queen of the We Hate Mateo Club. Co-Captain: Zookie
Image
[NOS] // <CDi>
[USAHB] // (GOD)
CCCP

BigBiker05
Villun
Villun
Posts: 2904
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:48 am
Location: Lost

Games Played

Ville Awards

BigBiker05’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by BigBiker05 » Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:04 pm

I don't think it's a desktop OS at all. It's all part of the big picture, which is getting console users on to PC, thus steam. I expect the steam box to be part of the announcements.

Masakari
Retired Admin
Retired Admin
Posts: 4341
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:58 am
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Contact:

Games Played

Ville Awards

Masakari’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Masakari » Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:14 pm

Alizée Fan wrote:I strongly dislike the move away from desktop PC's, and the "living room" push makes no sense to me. I don't see the appeal of gaming on an inferior screen (TV vs monitor), with an inferior interface (controller vs keyboard/mouse), from an inferior seat (couch vs desk chair).
It depends. If you're a big RTS player, than pixels/keyboard and mouse are better. Honestly though, for racing games, platforming games, and other such things, controller and size of the screen is almost the better option.

It's interesting, but really it's not replacing desktops. Game selection on Linux is still incredibly limited, and streaming requires a host PC.
I am the 1%!

Jesus_Faction
Villun
Villun
User avatar
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:02 am

Games Played

Ville Awards

Jesus Faction’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Jesus_Faction » Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:27 pm

I love HTPCs and really hope this catches on.

prang
Villun
Villun
User avatar
Posts: 150
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 5:17 pm

Games Played

Ville Awards

prang’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by prang » Tue Sep 24, 2013 3:43 pm

I'm kind of indifferent to the new OS. I already have an HDMI cable running from my computer to my TV. If I'm playing something with precise motor control like TF2 I sit at my PC but if I just want to chill out with FTL or Civ 5 or something I can relax on the couch and play with a controller or my wireless keyboard and mouse. Consoles are just under-powered computers with exclusive games and limited interfaces. Its obvious that Valve is trying to break into the living room market since there is more money to be had there but honestly I'm in favor of any measures that help integrate different gaming experiences into something that is open and easily accessible.

What I really hope ValveOS allows is multiplayer gaming through one steam account. There are some games that are coded to allow two people to play with one keyboard but its silly that I can't play L4D2 splitscreen on a 42" TV. Once they can add that functionality and allow developers to patch local multiplayer into their games Steam will be a real force to centend with in the living room.
Image

black_and_blue
Server Admin
Server Admin
User avatar
Posts: 2617
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 5:28 pm

Games Played

Ville Awards

black_and_blue’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by black_and_blue » Tue Sep 24, 2013 6:40 pm

I just don't see the point. Why would I want to install an OS dedicated to Steam when I can run Steam on any of Windows, Mac, or Linux? Are they going to focus on the Steam OS platform, and games will run better on Steam OS than anything else?

I'd consider that to be a bad move by them, because it would sure annoy me if I had to reboot to change OS every time I want to play a game.

Uber!
Villun
Villun
User avatar
Posts: 399
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:59 pm
Location: at soup

Games Played

Ville Awards

Uber’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Uber! » Tue Sep 24, 2013 7:19 pm

It seems like some of you might be missing the point of the SteamOS. It isn't meant for use on a desktop, but for use on a TV. SteamOS is what the SteamBox (or whatever they call it) will be running on. Also it can stream games to any device running SteamOS (similar to the NVidia Shield). Valve is bringing Steam into the living room with this without having to plug you desktop into the TV. It won't replace Steam on a desktop.
Image
Weep not for roads untraveled
Weep not for sights unseen
May your love never end
And if you need a friend
There's a seat here alongside me

ShiftyDevil
Retired Admin
Retired Admin
User avatar
Posts: 1284
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:38 pm

Ville Awards

Shifty’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by ShiftyDevil » Fri Sep 27, 2013 7:27 pm

I'm interested. It would be nice to couch co-op some DND Chronicles and Castle Crashers and what not.

I have a very nice big TV to play them on.
Image

l33tOMGlolz!11!shift
Villun
Villun
Posts: 166
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 5:24 pm

Games Played

Ville Awards

OS/2’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by l33tOMGlolz!11!shift » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:25 am

I'm hopefully optimistic. IMO the gaming industry needs a shakeup.

For years I've been wondering if someone would just come up with an OS designed explicitly for gaming. This sounds exactly like that. I don't see it as a general computing device. That's what your desktop is for. Here are major reasons why I'm hoping this takes off:
  • -I hate the fact that every time I want to build a new gaming rig I have to buy another copy of windows, and deal with all of that hassle. I don't do email or manage my life on my gaming PC because I don't want to install any extra software to keep it clean.
    -Consoles suck mostly because they don't rev the hardware fast enough. Games that last few years have not been pushing the envelope at all due to a need to run on 8 year old hardware. That holds the entire industry back
    -I'd have stopped running windows at home a long time ago if I didn't need it for games.
I think this will alarm the console companies because they take too long to put out newer hardware and it will alarm Microsoft because they have been unchallenged in this area of windows sales (which are down as it is). Change is a great thing otherwise companies get lax and innovation starts to stagnate.

Disclosure: I write windows software for a living.
-OS/2

Image

The Domer
Server Admin
Server Admin
User avatar
Posts: 2884
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:09 pm
Location: Ontario

Games Played

Ville Awards

Domer’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by The Domer » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:55 am

Cautiously optimistic.

Stevo
Everlasting Villun
Everlasting Villun
User avatar
Posts: 8753
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:01 pm
Location: Orange County, CA
Minecraft name: StevoTVR
Uplay name: StevoTVR
Contact:

Games Played

Ville Awards

StevoTVR’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Stevo » Mon Sep 30, 2013 11:24 am

You'll still need a Windows PC to play Windows-only games. SteamOS will play Linux games natively.

Will T.
Villun
Villun
User avatar
Posts: 1635
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 12:54 am
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contact:

Games Played

Ville Awards

Will T.TVR’s avatar
Loading…

Re: SteamOS: You excited?

Post by Will T. » Mon Sep 30, 2013 12:14 pm

Only a small percentage of the games I own (and an even smaller percentage of the games I actually play currently) have Linux support, not to mention the plethora of non-gaming software I use on a regular basis which is Windows-exclusive, so I'm not likely to be installing SteamOS anytime soon. I am curious though to see what it does and how it differs from other OSes.

No idea what Valve's intent for it is on computers outside of the Steam Machines (are they trying to compete with Windows/Mac OS/existing Linux versions? Just offering a "bigger" version of Steam? Something else entirely?), which makes me even more interested to see where they go with it.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests