SteamOS Incoming!

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

SteamOS has been announced as a Linux distro, I guess that is.

I'd really be happy to be trying it as soon as it comes out!
Also, there's a countdown on http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/ counting 46 hours and 25 minutes from now, probably associated with the SteamBox.

If it comes out, I could easily switch to SteamOS permanently, as soon as the latest Counter Strike (Global Offensive) gets on Linux.

It WILL be free as noted on the first link, at the end of the page.

Your impressions?
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10/10
Excite, will be installing.

Also, my bet is that the next will be a release date for the Steam Box, or price announcement, or both. Final will be half life 3.

3 announcements, first one had a 3 day countdown leading up to it. Long running joke that Gabe N can't count to 3. If half life 3 isn't mentioned I think I may have an aneurysm :P
^ Lol.
Now how much of an OS is it? Second, how will making a Linux based Steam OS make it any better than just using the steam client on a Linux distro? Seems like a Steam OS would have the same issue of not being able to play Windows games on it since it is built on top of a Linux distro.
http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/
The most important games are already on Linux
(e.g.: Counter Strike series, Left 4 Dead series, Team Fortress 2, Half Life series, Dota 2 [which is BY FAAAAR the most played game on Steam])
Also:
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. Game developers are already taking advantage of these gains as they target SteamOS for their new releases.


And, whoops:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/16/valve-ceo-gabe-newell-says-linux-is-the-future-of-gaming-hints-at-steambox-announcement/

I can smell Windows sales going down very soon.
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closed account (S6k9GNh0)
Definitely excited! The only thing I'm worried about is SteamOS not being very extensible from an application perspective. But we'll see! Definitely excited either way and will probably be buying a SteamBox.

EDIT: @BHXSpecter, eh? The idea is that new AAA games are developed for SteamOS (or Linux in a round about manner).
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Well, having SteamOS based on Linux will make SteamOS be as estensible as Linux... I think.
I just hope they don't force you with a joystick, but I don't think they will.
(Let me remind you the SteamOS is planned to be an extended Big Picture mode)
They wouldn't. Big Picture mode supports keyboard and mouse and I have faith that valve wouldn't shunt the PC gamers that live and die by the mouse and board.

This may be/probably is the valve fanboy in me, but I can see Steambox ultimately being the decisive winner this generation of consoles.
I think it's too young, I don't think I'll see it in the Gamestop stores over here. Probably in a year or two (with the "Steambox 2" release?)
We'll just have to wait to know the third announcement to know what's left.
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computerquip wrote:
@BHXSpecter, eh? The idea is that new AAA games are developed for SteamOS (or Linux in a round about manner).

Which will be their downfall if they aren't careful. Who cares if they have every new AAA game if you have to go to windows to play Terraria, Magicka, or other Windows games that won't run on a linux box? Also, it states that it is an OS built around Steam which means anything on SteamOS will be readily available for all OSes that can run the Steam client. While SteamOS sounds great, with peripherals and the previous fact alone, not really much reason to go to a 'living room' system. Bigger screen? You can buy a good sized monitor for your computer, though most serious gamers that I've met have two or three monitors that stretch the whole game screen across them.

All their selling points fall short when I think about it. I don't see Microsoft taking a hit at all from SteamOS.
Just something that I don't think anyone has mentioned that I would like to point out:

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!


I think this means that Valve has realized that people will still want their Windows machines to play (as BHXSpecter said) games like Terraria and Magicka. I presume this means that somehow SteamOS will be able to run Windows games.

On the other hand, maybe it just means that you can play these games via the OS, though actually it is still your home computer running it...

What do you guys think?
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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!

If that is the case it is a complete waste of time. Boot your PC/Mac, load Steam, then boot SteamOS to stream to the TV. Why the hell would you want to waste your time with that? Most people would get to Boot PC/Mac, load Steam, start playing and not waste their time with booting up another computer with the SteamOS just to get it on a TV that may be a few inches bigger than your monitor. I have a 19" monitor on my desktop, 17" on my laptop, and my TV is 27", 8" isn't that big a difference to warrant doing that just to play Steam games.
closed account (3qX21hU5)
27" makes a big difference for my MMO's ;p I'm one of those serious gamers you mentioned ;p Should post a picture of my desktop layout sometime though still waiting to make my dream desk (Damn paychecks aren't big enough >_<)

Though while I look forward to SteamOS I just don't see it making to much of a impact in the first few years but maybe in the future who knows. I guess time will tell.
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closed account (1yR4jE8b)
just to get it on a TV that may be a few inches bigger than your monitor.


My PC display is 23", which I find mostly adequate for most PC gaming at 1080p, but hot damn I would love to play my games downstairs on my 55" 240 Hz TV in the den without having to lug my giant behemoth of a PC downstairs.
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@Zereo
Yeah :).

I think people are getting caught up in the "Oh! I can play it on a bigger screen!", but forgetting that when it comes to drawing graphics to screen it really doesn't matter the size of the monitor. Lets say we made a 2D RPG with the old school res of 640 x 480, and display it on a 12" screen then also display it on a 27". Those are drastic differences, but it just scales the screen larger, you don't see more for a larger screen. Scaling too much could make it start to look jagged. I remember that happening with the PS3 when playing FF 6 re-release on my 27", the artwork was really jagged compared to how it looked on the smaller screens. Kind of a give and take as even Guild Wars did that one day when I hooked my tower into the TV.
I'm not a steam fan, but I sure hope this brings more games to linux. It's annoying to switch system every time I want to play a game (mainly because my windows takes ten times as much to boot).
@BHX: Not all games work like that.
As an example, most FPS games don't just "scale".
Depending on resolution and aspect ratio, they'll show a bit more space of the screen and it won't look jagged.
We're talking about AAA games for PC, not a fixed resolution game for a linearly performant console, remember, you won't be just scaling a 640x480 screen straight to full HD.
Unless you have a Notebook using an Intel Integrated Gfx Card.

Also, dualbooting could be useful in the first days for games like Terraria and Magicka as you mentioned (also CS:GO as I did in a previous post) until a port is released.
(Terraria is still under development, Update 1.2 is about to be released at the beginning of October as Redigit stated on the forums)

@NT3: It probably won't "RUN" Windows Games.
It will just SHOW them running from a Windows PC, from what BHX quoted.
Maybe you'll even be able to use a remote controller (keyboard/joystick->SteamOS->Network->Windows PC).
Think of it like OpenGL.
OpenGL doesn't require that the images are built on the current PC.
They could be built on a remote PC.
Lag is to be expected, but on a LAN it usually won't be more than 5-10ms.

And if you want to avoid that lag, avoid streaming and go directly on PC.
What makes this different than a console? How do we play PC games on a TV? Couchdesk? Controller? I might be interested for other media but for gaming I'm not sold on this.
@knn9: Being a Linux-based PC operating system, the differences are really a lot.
Firstly, you can change your specs.
Then, you still can use keyboard/mouse.
And a PC monitor too.
Remember, it's just an operating system after all.
closed account (3qX21hU5)
Remember, it's just an operating system after all.


So is every single console... They each have their own operating system... The differences are quite minor actually
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