3 Valve Announcements coming!
mod
Well, Valve is apparently announcing 3 things this week. Steambox most likely. After that, who knows!? Maybe just more info on the steam account sharing? Maybe Halflife 3?
Here's a countdown (1 minute for the first announcement!)
http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/
An article
http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/23/valve-promises-three-announcements-this-week-steambox-and-more-4087658/
and of course, an amazing gif.
Here's a countdown (1 minute for the first announcement!)
http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/
An article
http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/23/valve-promises-three-announcements-this-week-steambox-and-more-4087658/
and of course, an amazing gif.
Replies
http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/
But yeah, steam OS and another picture and another countdown. The new picture sure looks like the inside of a computer <:
Did they have a falling out with Ubuntu? Or is this a version of Ubuntu alah Linux Mint? Ubuntu is going to a new windowing system soon versus X. One made in house from what I understand. Wil the new OS support this?
Personally I think they should have stuck with extensions for existing releases versus offering another one in a crowded market.
That being said, it all depends on how smooth it all is, and what sort of stuff steam box can offer.
SteamBox
Those seem to be the two most probably announcements. But I'm predicting they are launching an engine and getting back into development platforms. They will stand out from the rest with a focus on supporting user generated content. Possibly a focus on indy developers to begin with.
The proof is in the pudding though
I knew the primary push behind this new initiative couldn't be on the hardware side of things. Not if it was going to be open, or Linux-based. Everyone was obsessed with the idea of a micro-PC/console hybrid, but I knew that it had to primarily be about a new OS.
If the fabled "Steam-Box" does end up being one of the other two announcements, then it's going to arrive in the form of an inexpensive micro-console, as opposed to a micro-PC. This isn't going to be what a lot of people expected or wanted, but it's still a brilliant move on Valve's part.
SteamOS, and the features it's going to be offering, is a fantastic Trojan horse for getting Valve's digital distribution system into the living room. It plays nice with the existing PC gaming industry while subtly shifting momentum in a direction that Valve can exploit. Valve could possibly end up dominating the desktop OS market.
Steam OS will mean that it's a free OS. It's unclear if it'll be tied to SteamBox hardware, but it certainly will require you to abandon your Windows games. It's probably also going to be a closed platform with Valve as the gatekeeper.
So why would I want to chose this instead of Xbox or Playstation? Publisher support will most likely be more limited compared to those consoles, and there's a good chance that the hardware will be more expensive and the additional services more limited...
As far as the on-line store is concerned, yes. It will be a closed store, just as Steam is at present. As far as the OS, no. SteamOS is going to be an open Linux distro. You will be able to do whatever you please with it as far as custom coding goes. You just aren't going to be release games through the Steam store without Valve's say-so. (again, just like they currently operate)
As a general consumer, you wouldn't. This sort of thing is for people who already enjoy PC gaming, and just want to occasionally play PC games on their TV. It isn't going to instantly replace console gaming. More than anything else, this is a means for Valve to start insinuating themselves into the OS market.
My (wishful) bet for the 3rd announcement is the release of Source 2 as an open engine, free to use and of course fully compatible with the SteamBox. It would be in line with their goal of involving players more and more in the game development itself.
It's just that I don't see Acti/Bliz supporting this move... And I've already been robbed of the free DLC of Rage because I bought it on Steam (DLC not available in my region) so it's not encouraging. Then again I bought the Witcher games and the HL games and...
Eh, the point is that they're not making things simpler.
That is already the case. There are games released on Steam that are Mac-exclusive, or Linux-exclusive. And obviously there are quite a few that are Windows-exclusive. You can't play the entire Steam catalog on one OS at present. Why should the release of a Steam-based Linux distro suddenly change that?
Act/Blizzard, yes, they WILL support this, and release games for it. Blizzard alone? Probably not. They already utilize their own distribution methods and on-line multiplayer service. But for the rest of the games that Activision publishes on the PC, they really won't have much of a choice.
EA and Ubisoft are much bigger question marks, as both of them have been considerably more resistant to Steam, and are trying to push their own on-line stores. They could theoretically port their stores to SteamOS, the OS itself isn't closed. But they would probably wait to see what adoption rates of SteamOS end up looking like.
The issue with Linux has never been in its performance, or its features. It's been a matter of branding, consistency, and development support. With this release, Valve is uniquely positioned to address all of those issues. They can "simplify" Linux for the general consumer, and provide a version of the OS that is free and easily updated and navigated. They can make Linux simpler and more user friendly.
Even if they restrict HL3 to Steam OS, it's not gonna be able to convince me. I'll keep the Windows PC for a while longer because neither the console nor the mobile devices (iPhone, iPad) can completely replace it - but there's no friggin way I'll add another device to maintain into this pool.
The difference here is that Valve is making their own OS end to end, based on Linux. So they can make/control SteamOS APIs, drivers, tools, etc. The possibilities seem pretty extensive on what this allows them to do. Also, Valve asked a lot of developers what they want out of this, and a linux debugger was #1, which is what Valve has been making. This let's games be ported from other platforms a lot easier.
With MS chasing Apple/Google on tablets and phones, they have been openly abandoning the desktop PC space for a while. This gives Valve the chance to really come in and take over that space more.
It seems like the PC gamer's advancement on console gaming and ecosystem in general, not a direct competitor with Xbox or Playstation.
so they would have to get the devs to port games to the new os...why would anyone bother?
What's this considerable effort? Mine's been smooth sailing with very little effort since I built it about 3-4 years ago.
It's Linux, devs are already porting them over. Perhaps with Valve behind it there will be more incentive to port, Linux hasn't really had the reputation as being the OS for games. I'm sure people thought "why would anyone want to sell their games on Steam" when it launched - actually the unwashed masses outright hated it.
http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/16/valves-gabe-newell-linux-is-the-future-of-gaming-possible-steam-box-announcement-next-week/
"The Valve boss also spoke at length about the problems developers face in porting games to Linux. He explained that in porting games like Left 4 Dead 2 and the Steam service itself, they produced a roadmap that other studios can follow. Additionally, Valve is codeveloping a debugger for Linux that many developers have asked for."
When we talk to developers and say, If you can pick one thing for Valve to work on the tools side to make Linux a better development target, they always say we should build a debugger, said Newell.
That is the ultimate objective of this move. If SteamOS is able to gain decent traction, inside of 3 years you will see ZBrush ported to SteamOS, and for sale on the Steam Store. Ditto for Photoshop, After Effects, 3D Studio Max, and all those other industry-standard programs.
Steam provides a secure on-line digital distribution system for software developers. It's a proven success, and one of the best established downloadable ecosystems on the market. The fact that Valve doesn't tell developers what platform they can release their software on gives them the flexibility to target multiple OS with Steam releases.
One of the big issues with releasing software on Linux has been lack of a consistent storefront, and the perception that Linux users aren't willing to pay for software. SteamOS handily addresses both those issues. And since the Steam client has already been ported to other Linux distros, you don't even have to install Valve's version of the OS to enjoy the Steam Store. (so you won't be locking out Ubuntu enthusiasts)
Valve isn't trying to narrow the platforms. They're simply providing more options, and letting consumers choose for themselves. It is an approach that works well for them, for developers, and for consumers.
Unix systems pretty much keep themselfs up to date, all updates for the OS and applications are managed by the os's package manager and updates are done in the background.
i think it is meant as more of a streaming platform, i think it would be cool streaming games from my desktop to it in my liveing room, since my comptuer can produce far better graphics, at a better framerate than any console could.
Also, GTA V will probably eat up my gaming time for like 6 months or so
I'm going to cross my fingers, and hope I can migrate fully to this beautiful dream and never have to transition to whatever depth of Hell is ultimately called Windows 9.
I wouldn't be too sure. Every time I brought up adding a Linux port to one of the Zbrush devs, they got dodgy. Then there was that bit about Adobe moving away from Linux with no Flash support. There would have to be a tremendous jump in market share to make them consider such.. Especially since Gamers/Game Developers are only a portion of their market.
While probably not completely open, I'm 95% certain this will happen and that Source 2 will be in line with the unity/udk content creation/indie development side. They have the distribution platform, the framework for content creation and consumption via user base...the logical step is having software to cover those needs...and if Source 2 can be built around steam distribution then they already have a huge advantage in that arena. I also think its why they have been courting Blender for awhile now, as its open, freely given, available on linux and highly capable (smart move to add native SubstanceD support for Blender btw, see what Octane has done recently).
I think it depends on who you ask, but over all you are right in that there doesnt seem to be a realization of what kind of market exists with Linux which is strange since Pixologic is here in Hollywood and Hollywood uses linux all the time for vfx and rendering. In fact it was used in everything from Star Wars Ep2 to Lord of the Rings. Shrek was both authored and rendered in linux.
Part of Gabe's speech awhile back I believe covered the performance boost one gets from porting to Linux, so if they can realize the user base isnt just for games but film and tv as well, we might see more interest in the linux arena.
Ideally I would love to see a highly polished Linux based Steam OS which can replace windows entirely for desktop PC use.
It's not going to happen overnight, to be sure. And there is going to be all sorts of inertia for them to push against. That's been what's propped Windows up for so long. I'm just saying that there is significant potential in this particular effort.
Agreed. This wouldn't happen without a considerable bump up in usage. But making SteamOS a viable platform for porting games to, and playing games from, is the first step. The audience goes where the content is. If enough games are available on SteamOS, PC gamers will install it. And that alone is going to start bolstering the install base.
It's just like when Steam was originally introduced. Give people a reason to install it, and they will. The rest is just getting them involved in the service. No financial cost is the first step. Don't charge for it and it's that much more likely that people will give it a try, if only to see what it is.
Valve is being very clever about this whole thing.
Second thing Linux is more stable. Not just in terms on how it works, but on how it is developed. You won't see any completly brekaing changes*I'm looking at you Windows 8), that won't be adressed, within week. With Linux none will try to vendor lock you (you don't like, replace it). System doasn't treat you like idiot, and think it knows better than you what you need..
And for the sort of work most of us do it here (modeling, rendering), Linux is suited better (besides lack of software). It better manages resources of PC, there is alot of innovation going on in kernel space, to further make sure that system is absolutly minimal middle-man between software and hardware. And if there are things that would improve life of 3d users, you can be sure they will be implementd on kernel (granted there will be anough 3d users to bother in first place).
In long term you might be saving time. Granted, once you configure Linux to your needs, you are pretty much done, and doesn't need to change anything. Unless you HDD explode, there is very little chance that system will broke on it's own (looking at you Windows Registry...), or space on you SSD drive will be lowering over time and you will have no idea why... (because some genius in MS decided that making 7812 copies of single file is good idea).
Dunno how about you but I would never, make NAS on windows. (probably not on linux as well, rather on OpenBSD).
Edit:
Yes, I'm Linux (and Open Source), fanboy.
Yes I'm using Windows for work (dunno I have little choice in that regard), along with Visual Studio (because there is really nothing better than Visual Studio).
So you know
Since the market is clearly moving toward full titles being downloadable anyway, this could be a great move since it lets you build your own Steam Box without having to purchase a copy of Windows. I don't see why a Windows user would install SteamOS though when everything is already Windows compatible. Personally I hope it gets backed because a real PC/Console hybrid seems like the next step.
As for Steam OS. I think it's a great idea, especially if it'll work as a standard desktop OS. I've got a dead Windows box just waiting for a new OS to bring it back to life.
I might be wrong, bu what have you been smoking? On what planet does autodesk care about different OS? Their software mostly doesn't work for OSX, not to speak of Linux. I'm not sure if the latest version of zBrush is OSX compatible. But we are talking about a gamer OS here, i doubt anyone doing professional art software will care too much about it. On top of that, they never really cared about alterative distributionways, heck they are building up their own clouds just for this right now.
But as said, i might be wrong, back at 2.0 i never thought zbrush will make it.
It's about money that Steam earns for Valve. I'm OK with them taking 1-week company holidays on Hawaii and researching AR/VR, but please don't take me for a fool, I can add this up. So don't try to make this about some Win8 app store security issue or such.
Oh and how long have we been living with the Windows monopoly again?
yeah that was what I was thinking, surely this isnt very appealing to most gamers?
I also love the idea of a rock solid, hassle-free secondary PC to use as a dedicated game box (possibly dual-booting to Windows for games requiring it) hence I cannot wait for both SteamOS and SteamBox to be there. If they manage to make the hardware available for cheap ($500), or even for free and/or with leasing options allowing one to swap the box for the newer one every year or so, that would be really, really cool.
However ... I do find the whole 3-part countdown page to be extremely pretentious and somehow condescending.
If they cared so much about the end user they would just lay their cards flat on the table right away, or wait for whatever they want to announce next to be ready before oddly teasing about it with space pictures and cats. It gives me the impression that the Valve PR and marketing departments recently became way to big for the own good of the company. Valve taking time to do things their way is one thing ; but teasing about a teaser with vague technobabble doesn't seem to fit with their seemingly established company culture of "doers".
sure, it's another way for valve to make money. but the fact that they're pushing Linux is huge from my point of view. i've been slowly moving away from windows as my OS for a while now. maybe this will start nudging autodesk or adobe to start developing linux programs as well? then i can finally let go of windows for good!
I agree, though I think big picture and streaming play a large role in creating the options for accessibility. If they just had a desktop OS like interface for the tv, it wouldnt appeal to many consumers who have grown into gaming with such interfaces. The process to getting them on board with a full featured OS for example would have to be gradual. Streaming of course so that there will be compatibility between games on one OS which can be played on another while they plan for a future where more games can be exclusive to the SteamOS.
I think its quite nice to be honest, and every bit pro-end user. IN this day and age the consumers often like something that gives them an emotional response more so than something that doesnt. There is more value in something we are curious about or interested in. Thus I think the presentation and its fanfare is a win win situation for both camps. Valve can gauge reactions and plan accordingly.
I also find it fun and part of the Valve culture. As content creators, they also get to have some fun with the stuff they worked on for years. A big conclusion to years of hard work is also pro-developer. As for valve culture, think back to when they dropped the bomb on everyone regarding Half Life 2 (Gabe: Oh yeah and heres HL2, which will be available next month. Crowd: What! Where did ..how..no...omg... disbelief..)(Of course that fanfare was ruined by a german hacker but still, this seems to be bit in the same fashion).
Here's the video which kind of lead up to this released about a week earlier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzn6E2m3otg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUahtHbhYZsa2zKY2Mlmr9bA
More options is almost always a good thing. I would love to be able to use linux for everything; this seems like a great step in that direction. Modo 701 also has a linux client, which is awesome.
The same way they learned how much money they made from having insanely crazy sales, they make money with different methods and ideologies.
They're not making their own locked platform, they're building this on top of Linux and keeping steamOS opensource.
And I'm not talking about being paranoid about windows or anything, I like using it, I'm talking about games constantly having been locked to releasing primarily on windows because the userbase on linux has not been large enough, and now that can change!
There's really no way to point this out as being bad in any way.
I'm fairrrrly sure an emulation layer like WINE will have those bases covered in short order, if not already.