Steam OS

[Art]

Valve announced Steam OS


Steam is getting its very own operating system, Valve announced today. It'll be a combination of Steam's current platform and Linux.

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SteamOS is a free operating system designed for living rooms that Valve says "combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen."

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"In SteamOS, we have achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing, and we’re now targeting audio performance and reductions in input latency at the operating system level," Valve writes. "Game developers are already taking advantage of these gains as they target SteamOS for their new releases."

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Valve also announced four new features that will be available both for SteamOS and the standard Steam platform: streaming, family sharing, family restrictions, and options for movies, music, and other media.




"SteamOS will be available soon as a free download for users and as a freely licensable operating system for manufacturers," Valve writes. "Stay tuned in the coming days for more information."

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This is the first of three scheduled Valve announcements this week, all connected to the company's plans for bringing Steam into living rooms.

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For almost a year now, Valve has been teasing the idea of Steam-branded hardware—an initiative that could prove game-changing as we enter the next generation of consoles. Last December, Valve boss Gabe Newell told me that the Steam Box would compete with Sony and Microsoft's next-gen offerings. The company has been slowly trickling out details since then.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

Above is the link for SteamOS.

This gon be gud.

 

[rcoobc]

Sex!

StEam boX

 

[Redlambs]

Well if the aim is to compete with the next gen consoles (and there's little reason to go much better since the bloody games will be at that level anyway), it shouldn't be too much effort for them.

Steam is by far the best online platform for games, and if it was kept the same with the same prices, I could see this being very good.

 

[Alock1]

I'm confused.. Steam has a big picture mode at the moment right, where you can play your Steam games on your TV?

Is the only difference here that you can stream the games over a wifi connection as opposed to using a HDMI lead?

If so, obviously it's a lot more convenient and it's free so there are no complaints - but it doesn't do anything to resolve the main issue with PC gaming, the cost.. right?

If the games are natively running on the PC/MAC and simply streaming over, you will still need a high-end computer for high end graphics?

I dunno, it's good - but I don't believe it will bring many more people to PC gaming.. I think the issue with PC gaming has always been that it's not just simple plug-in-and-play, expensive and takes effort to maintain. Good for PC gamers, but I don't see it being a big next-gen competitor.

It's made me concerned for the Steam Box - I hoped that would be a console competitor, but if it's simply going to be a box that you can stream your games from your PC, it's not what I was hoping for.

 

[WeasteDevil]

Well if the aim is to compete with the next gen consoles (and there's little reason to go much better since the bloody games will be at that level anyway), it shouldn't be too much effort for them.

Steam is by far the best online platform for games, and if it was kept the same with the same prices, I could see this being very good.

How many games run on Linux Lambs?

 

[Alock1]

How many games run on Linux Lambs?

I'm confused, the game is running natively on a PC/MAC right and then the OS is simply software which streams it to another device? How come it matters if the games run on Linux?

I saw the same point mentioned in the first article I read about this on - I'm assuming I'm wrong, I'm asking to ask not to be a dick.

 

[WeasteDevil]

I don't think that it's a streaming device.

As we’ve been working on bringing Steam to the living room, we’ve come to the conclusion that the
environment best suited to delivering value to customers is an operating system built around Steam itself.
SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen.
It will be available soon as a free stand-alone operating system for living room machines.

You do not need to use Linux for streaming - would be a total waste, you might as well use Android. What the living room machines are I have no clue! PS3 had "Other OS" at one point, so.......

 

[Alock1]

I don't think that it's a streaming device.



You do not need to use Linux for streaming - would be a total waste, you might as well use Android. What the living room machines are I have no clue! PS3 had "Other OS" at one point, so.......

My bad..

In-home Streaming

You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have - then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!

It does stream games, so technically it has a huge library, but you still need a gaming PC to run them on. But yeah, it will have it's own games.

I assumed living room devices meant Smart TVs mostly, and media streaming boxes (like AppleTV but not AppleTV, as they're cnuts.)

I can't see Microsoft or Sony supporting it on the consoles, Sony more likely though - and it'd be incredibly awesome of them if they did support it.

 

[WeasteDevil]

As I said, I don't know what "living room machines" they are talking about. PS3 did run Linux but without access to the GPU, so maybe PS4 has the option, I don't know.

 

[WeasteDevil]

As for the streaming, I've not seen seen that many people getting excited about nVidia sheild? Why not just plug the PC into the TV?

 

[Redlambs]

My PC is directly plugged in to my TV.

And Steam should be supported on the PS4/XBone, but maybe they won't allow it just yet. feck being stuck with Origin though!

 

[rcoobc]

My PC is also plugged into my TV.

In my mind this is a console OS. The one thing windows still isn't that good for is as a home media centre. Its finicky, fine for the computer literate but for technophiles it's a horrid idea. This will hopefully be designed for the hardware to plug straight into your TV, and play games, watch movies, etc. Just like a console, except with your Entire Steam Library (of games that run on linux) rather than having to buy new games

Still as more people use it, more developers will support Linux. The windows streaming thing is interesting but d you say you may as well plug your PC in.

 

[DFreshKing]

My take on the devices is allowing manufacturers to make compelling Living room devices, and have the free software available for the OS, massively bringing down the cost of producing a console.

Games support will come because steam makes game devs' money, and porting from pc to steam os will probably be a piece of piss, and also run much better than on comparable hardware running windows.

They already sell a lot of games where you get mac and pc versions, it may well be in future you get mac, pc, and steam OS versions.

If it has netflix and media sharing I will be jumping right in, was considering a second pc for the living room.

 

[rcoobc]

It won't be easy to port from PC to Linux. Why would it be? Unless steam can convince developers that they will get millions of devices into homes, major support won't happen.

 

[Alock1]

Do we think they will still come out with a Steam Box or simply concentrate on the OS?

My PC is directly plugged in to my TV.

And Steam should be supported on the PS4/XBone, but maybe they won't allow it just yet. feck being stuck with Origin though!

Really? I thought that because Sony and Microsoft make a lot of their money through software that there would be no chance they'd be willing to have a separate OS running on their consoles.

Would be fecking awesome though - so I hope you're right.

 

[Redlambs]

Do we think they will still come out with a Steam Box or simply concentrate on the OS?

They have definitely toyed with the idea of an actual console, but I honestly don't know the latest with that. It wouldn't be difficult to beat the next gen of consoles for them, but the market has to be there.

Really? I thought that because Sony and Microsoft make a lot of their money through software that there would be no chance they'd be willing to have a separate OS running on their consoles.

Would be fecking awesome though - so I hope you're right.

I meant Steam as a service, not the full OS. It's no different to what they are doing now, except they will charge silly money for their games and add-ons, not to mention Pay-per-play and the like, whilst Steam is much more affordable and fair. It won't happen though, EA rule the roost and the likes of them have pretty much dictated this console generation, that much is clear.

 

[Dargonk]

Though this was the steam box thing at first, but seems it is different.

So basically anyone could create a stand alone machine and then just install this OS on it and have a gaming console that has access to steams full library of games? Am I understanding it fully.

 

[kps88]

They have said that this was just the first of multiple major announcements due this week. So we could still get some news on a proper console.

 

[rcoobc]

The triple whammy of Steam OS, the first SteamBox, and then Half life 3 running on it will be exciting

 

[DFreshKing]

It is there interest to make it easy to port.

I know that does not mean it will be easy but the market they have a big way to make this appealing is to get the software library up quickly.

 

[Pexbo]

Is it not an OS for a gaming PC that isn't resource heavy like Windows and will take full advantage of all your hardware?

 

[rcoobc]

It is their interest to make it easy to port.

I know that does not mean it will be easy but the market they have a big way to make this appealing is to get the software library up quickly.

Is it in there interest to make it easy to port or to use every available resource that the hardware has. Or both or neither?

If you look at the Wii U, many developers have just given up on it. The userbase isn't there, and it costs too much to make games on it. Bethesda have said they wont make any games for it, and so have many others. Like the Steam Box/SteamOS it was Nintendo's incentive to "make it easy to port" but they mucked up and their chance has gone.

So I'm very enthusiastic about this, but very wary too. The cost of porting a game from Windows to Linux is... an amount. A big/small/medium amount depending on the amount of users this has. How many people who own a SteamBox will also have a Windows PC? All of them? Of the games that aren't in development anymore but still exist on Steam, who will Port those over? There exists an opportunity there for Steam to ask owners for permission to port them themselves, either by paying them or for free (with the incentive or more people will buy the old games), but these will be older games.

I said a while ago that Valve had a unique opportunity at this moment in time to release the SteamBox, before people invest in expensive next generation Playstations and Xboxes whilst offering a forever widening library of games. Many of which will be for free as people already own them. However, they may have missed the boat sadly. The next generation consoles are 6 weeks away, and at that point people will be investing hundreds of pounds in their choice of future entertainment.

Still, there is no reason people eventually cant have both, or perhaps they can still convince some people to wait. They need to learn the lessons from Google TV, Nexus, ChromeOS and Android though. Google TV promised a lot but was ultimately shite. Android was brilliant but took a long time to break Apple. ChromeOS promised a single core product, but they had to eventually move away from what they initially wanted to achieve, so much so that that earlier devices arent fully compatible. The Nexus model seems to work very well, offering cheap devices directly through Google whilst leaving the higher end to hardware devs. A success which has begun to be replicated by ChromeOS but not GoogleTV.

The three things they need to do are; Complete SteamOS as quickly as possibly whilst future-proofing the system requirements, sign up as many devs as possible to make games for it and work on converting older titles for it, release Half-Life 3 for it alongside the Windows and Mac versions and then future AAA titles.

Edit - Oh, and Movie and TV Content will be important too. If they can offer Movies and TV in the same way the offer Films it would be a start, but Netflix is equally vital.

If they commit a hell-of-a-lot-of resources to this, it will probably fail. If they go in half-hearted it will definitely fail.

 

[rcoobc]

A lot of people of reddit seem to think O+O will be splitscreen (O was SteamOS, [O] will be steamBox) on many/most/every SteamOs title. Even on single player.

I don't think it will, just some sort of multiplayer thing. It would seem very difficult to implement this. However, if they do manage to get split-screen on many/most/every title, I will begin building my HomeBrew SteamOS system today.

 

[Redlambs]

Is it in there interest to make it easy to port or to use every available resource that the hardware has. Or both or neither?

If you look at the Wii U, many developers have just given up on it. The userbase isn't there, and it costs too much to make games on it. Bethesda have said they wont make any games for it, and so have many others. Like the Steam Box/SteamOS it was Nintendo's incentive to "make it easy to port" but they mucked up and their chance has gone.

So I'm very enthusiastic about this, but very wary too. The cost of porting a game from Windows to Linux is... an amount. A big/small/medium amount depending on the amount of users this has. How many people who own a SteamBox will also have a Windows PC? All of them? Of the games that aren't in development anymore but still exist on Steam, who will Port those over? There exists an opportunity there for Steam to ask owners for permission to port them themselves, either by paying them or for free (with the incentive or more people will buy the old games), but these will be older games.

I said a while ago that Valve had a unique opportunity at this moment in time to release the SteamBox, before people invest in expensive next generation Playstations and Xboxes whilst offering a forever widening library of games. Many of which will be for free as people already own them. However, they may have missed the boat sadly. The next generation consoles are 6 weeks away, and at that point people will be investing hundreds of pounds in their choice of future entertainment.

Still, there is no reason people eventually cant have both, or perhaps they can still convince some people to wait. They need to learn the lessons from Google TV, Nexus, ChromeOS and Android though. Google TV promised a lot but was ultimately shite. Android was brilliant but took a long time to break Apple. ChromeOS promised a single core product, but they had to eventually move away from what they initially wanted to achieve, so much so that that earlier devices arent fully compatible. The Nexus model seems to work very well, offering cheap devices directly through Google whilst leaving the higher end to hardware devs. A success which has begun to be replicated by ChromeOS but not GoogleTV.

The three things they need to do are; Complete SteamOS as quickly as possibly whilst future-proofing the system requirements, sign up as many devs as possible to make games for it and work on converting older titles for it, release Half-Life 3 for it alongside the Windows and Mac versions and then future AAA titles.

Edit - Oh, and Movie and TV Content will be important too. If they can offer Movies and TV in the same way the offer Films it would be a start, but Netflix is equally vital.

If they commit a hell-of-a-lot-of resources to this, it will probably fail. If they go in half-hearted it will definitely fail.

I agree with all of that.

On the porting side though, if they are clever they would just make it very similar to DirectX. Just as Nintendo did with OpenGL. Cheap as chips.

 

[rcoobc]

O+O will be, anyone logged into an account on SteamBox/SteamOS will be able to play the games owned by all the other accounts associated with that SteamBox/Steam OS for free... is my guess. It makes sense as a continuation of that "share 10 games" thing they already have.

But only on that Device. So on that Device, if my account was logged in my friend could play all of my games for free on his account. On that device. It has to be on that device, and not just all games are shared on all devices as long as they are both on a SteamBox somewhere... because that would be mental.

Thats my guess.

Edit - The thing is, it sounds like that has already been announced. It's not dissimilar at all from the Steam Family Sharing. You can already share your entire library now with friends now, so its a bit under whelming if I'm right. Underwhelming in the same way that Surprise Sex you already knew you were getting is underwhelming.

DoubleEdit - In fact it's almost certainly something like that. The SteamFamilySharing thing isn't that amazing, as people have shared their accounts for a long time. And just like those who share accounts, when playing a game (you don't own) from your friends library, he cannot play any of his games through steam.

So I'm guessing O+O is a number of games that have signed up to more promiscuous sharing. A Family sharing feature where, if youve account is on that device, your "family" can access any of your games... that have signed up for FamilySharing without logging you out. But it wont be every game sadly.

 

[rcoobc]

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamMachines/
Hundreds of games already run on Stream OS. Hundreds! Looks like they have been busy

 

[kps88]

I'm still thoroughly confused by all this. So I can buy a steam machine, plug it into my TV and play the games already on Steam? What's the advantage to that? Will these games look better than they do on my PC? Why can't I just plug my PC into my TV and play them straight from there?

 

[Alock1]

Theyve confirmed today they will be releasing hardware in beta stages this year.. on my phone will post the article when I can if somebody else doesnt.

 

[WeasteDevil]

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamMachines/
Hundreds of games already run on Stream OS. Hundreds! Looks like they have been busy

They don't though, hundreds of games run on Steam using Windows.

 

[Castia]

Steam box confirmed for 2014 and apparently it's going to be released by numerous manufacturers with different specs to choose from.I can't wait for this.

 

[rcoobc]

They don't though, hundreds of games run on Steam using Windows.

No, it says natively

 

[WeasteDevil]

No, it says natively

Well it's wrong isn't it?

 

[rcoobc]

Well it's wrong isn't it?

No

 

[WeasteDevil]

No

Give me a list of Steam games running on Linux!

 

[Redlambs]

Steam box confirmed for 2014 and apparently it's going to be released by numerous manufacturers with different specs to choose from.I can't wait for this.

Interesting to see what sort of setup you can get for the price of a PS4.

 

[WeasteDevil]

It's a 3DO type situation, it isn't going to work. Sony have said that they are losing around $60 per box.

 

[Castia]

Yeah, they revealed the system is also unlocked (able to run Windows?) and the hardware is upgradable. If they get this right it could be brilliant, having a PC catalogue of games open for the living room is exciting for me even as a high end pc gamer.

They confirmed you can use a mouse/keyboard but hey plan on releasing a pad as well.

 

[rcoobc]

I'm still thoroughly confused by all this. So I can buy a steam machine, plug it into my TV and play the games already on Steam? What's the advantage to that? Will these games look better than they do on my PC? Why can't I just plug my PC into my TV and play them straight from there?

You can just plug your PC into a TV and there would be little difference. In fact there would be many advantages to doing that over a steambox, apps which we can almost be sure won't be ported to steamos like Rosetta stone.

This is to be a secondary device, similar to a games console. If you have many people in the house who use steam, theyll be able to play games on the TV with each other.

Depending on what box you get will determine what graphical capability it has. I have my of plugged into my TV using a 10 meter HDMI cable, so it's probably not aimed at me. As a secondary 'chilling out' device it could be awesome.

 

[WeasteDevil]

This isn't going to work!

 

[Redlambs]

This isn't going to work!

You said that about the Wii.

Right before it obliterated everything else in sales. You know nothing man!