If Valve made an Operating System for gaming would you switch from Windows?

I think just focusing on the OS aspect is missing the "bigger picture" so to speak.

For me, the moment I heard they were working on getting their games running on Linux, was the announcement that they were designing their own console style system.

I think that's the most important part of all this, that they're doing it so that they can bring their own console in and compete on that front.

On top of that, I do think something does need to be done with regards to PC gaming and it being largely Windows based. I have no issues with Windows and I enjoy using it, Windows 8 especially.

However, Microsoft's priority is clearly on Xbox, and I think that isn't conducing to furthering PC gaming with more iterations of Direct X and optimising the OS as much as possible for high end games.

Windows is very much a gaming OS but it doesn't mean there aren't many improvements that could be made on the gaming front.
 
I think people are being overly negative about the whole thing.

People seem to be taking it as Console vs SteamOS pc.

I think that's wrong, for example someone QQing every 2 posts about not being able to sell on games second hand. We've not been able to do that for years in steam, why is it suddenly an issue? I bet most people buy a lot of games in sales on steam, when it's dirt cheap anyway. I'd take a humblebundle or steamsale set of games for £5-30 any day over a single title at £40-50 or whatever is the current going rate on console games. (Fair counter arguement to this is that these sales are years after release, but the same doesn't happen to old console games, they stay at fairly high prices).

Secondly; you buy a new console, now what? buy games!.
On this, i'd be able to use my existing (extremely bloated) steam library. WTF yes? Guys surely there's more people than me out there who've got dozens of unplayed / low played games in steam, just because it was cheap. I'm not sure im getting my point across here but; existing library + New releases when they come out competitively prices = better than a new console.

This OS would make a brilliant (ok might make) HTPC machine.

Oh... its FREE, so yay for people complaining about that point. Yes it will be a loss leader by getting more people on steam or whatever, but i'm not anti valve in anyway at all, maybe they have a bit of a monopoly but i generally like most of their stuff.

To answer the original question: No i probably wont ever use it, but that's because i don't have a need to currently, if i were to decide i needed a gaming machine in the livingroom, and my choice was a £350 new console or a £500 new machine with SteamOS (But including my many hundreds of pounds [if not thousands - more realistic for me] of existing games) with cheaper future releases, upgradability, customizability (make it windows later if you decide) and lets not forget, general better hardware, i'd probably pick the steam machine.
 
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Do we have any more details about this yet? I'm still hoping the OS is just a specialised derivative of a common distro, hopefully with the underlying functions still in-tact enough to be tweaked to a user's particular setup... e.g.

I have a living room PC with SteamOS on it, but I'd then like to install XBMC on SteamOS, and have a way of it running in the background in such a way that I can easily switch to it for my media needs - no reason this couldn't work... I trust Valve for the most part but I just hope they are smart enough to realise that being as extensible as Linux is they can massively increase the appeal of SteamOS if they keep it as open as possible...

This might be partly what Gaben was alluding to - If SteamOS is easy to extend then I could imagine it having its own derivatives created by the clever communities out there, which would eventually mean just as with the other Linux distros you can pick up the one that suits your requirements the best - XBMSteam anyone?
 
Joshct said:
I think people are being overly negative about the whole thing.

People seem to be taking it as Console vs SteamOS pc.

I think that's wrong, for example someone QQing every 2 posts about not being able to sell on games second hand. We've not been able to do that for years in steam, why is it suddenly an issue? I bet most people buy a lot of games in sales on steam, when it's dirt cheap anyway. I'd take a humblebundle or steamsale set of games for £5-30 any day over a single title at £40-50 or whatever is the current going rate on console games. (Fair counter arguement to this is that these sales are years after release, but the same doesn't happen to old console games, they stay at fairly high prices).

Secondly; you buy a new console, now what? buy games!.
On this, i'd be able to use my existing (extremely bloated) steam library. WTF yes? Guys surely there's more people than me out there who've got dozens of unplayed / low played games in steam, just because it was cheap. I'm not sure im getting my point across here but; existing library + New releases when they come out competitively prices = better than a new console.

This OS would make a brilliant (ok might make) HTPC machine.

Oh... its FREE, so yay for people complaining about that point. Yes it will be a loss leader by getting more people on steam or whatever, but i'm not anti valve in anyway at all, maybe they have a bit of a monopoly but i generally like most of their stuff.

To answer the original question: No i probably wont ever use it, but that's because i don't have a need to currently, if i were to decide i needed a gaming machine in the livingroom, and my choice was a £350 new console or a £500 new machine with SteamOS (But including my many hundreds of pounds [if not thousands - more realistic for me] of existing games) with cheaper future releases, upgradability, customizability (make it windows later if you decide) and lets not forget, general better hardware, i'd probably pick the steam machine.
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Couple of things:

  • Steam is rarely competitively priced for new titles
  • So far Steam have unveiled a tweaked copy of Linux - I'm not entirely sure that this changes anything
  • Steam's catalogue, whilst extensive, is by no means exhaustive - compared to the Playstation or Xbox, it pales in comparison
  • Assuming a Steam Box is announced this week, will it be an attractive (and more importantly, realistic) proposition?

I've always been a big fan of Steam and how Valve have developed it over the years, but the casual/armchair gaming market is fiercely competitive. When a titan like Nintendo goes from its N64 era successes to being a bit of an 'also ran' with the Wii U, you have to question the wisdom of Valve for attempting to muscle in on the market. Playstation 4 and Xbox One are just round the corner and neither Sony or Microsoft are going to give any quarter to each other, let alone letting Valve get in on the action.

Whilst I like the concept of being able to have my Steam libary in my lounge, I have a £3,000 gaming machine that will always provide a more immersive experience than a Steam Box could hope to. Will a Steam Box be a piece of hardware or just a glorified repeater that requires a LAN connection to my PC? If it's the former, can they offer serious hardware for a reasonable price (even then you have to ask why you'd pay for it over a PS4 or XB1) and if it's the latter, then really what is the point?

Until we get the announcement the above is conjecture, but frankly I wish they'd just get on with Half Life 3. ;)
 
you still need a decent windows pc and network to stream all your windows-only games to a pc running steamOS. for now, we'll have to take their word on how well streaming is going to work. quite rightly, a lot of people are sceptical.

and games made for steamOS natively are still going to need beefy hardware to run new titles at the kind of levels that pc gamers expect. ok, the new OS might be more streamlined but lets not fool ourselves over the amount of grunt they'll still need. so that's 2 hardware devices kicking around instead of one. i'm not sure this is going to work.
 
I'd assume they'd lock it down as much as possible though?
Surely they want it to be an easy 1. run this, 2. install games, 3. play.
Allowing customization / other features / not locking it down will only serve to make the games and software harder to install / maintain as a simple process?

Maybe i'm not explaining that well, but i doubt they'll just have a steambranded OS distro, i'd think it'll be more like a console, you have access to only what you need to run the system.

EDIT:
e'll have to take their word on how well streaming is going to work. quite rightly, a lot of people are sceptical.
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Onlive seemed to work ok for people with really good internet, i'd assume over a local network it'd be pretty playable for everyone, but if it is a glorified streaming device i wouldn't be taking it up.
 
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Joshct said:
I'd assume they'd lock it down as much as possible though?
Surely they want it to be an easy 1. run this, 2. install games, 3. play.
Allowing customization / other features / not locking it down will only serve to make the games and software harder to install / maintain as a simple process?

Maybe i'm not explaining that well, but i doubt they'll just have a steambranded OS distro, i'd think it'll be more like a console, you have access to only what you need to run the system.
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I assume this was directed in response to my post... I don't see how they can't have both? You install SteamOS and end up with what you describe above - a working and completely functional and usable games machine... For many this will be perfectly fine and they won't even be aware that anything more is possible

But if you do know what you're doing it could allow you to drop out to a console and generally tweak and adjust things as you want, right the way through to eventually publishing your own SteamOS derivative if you like (think Xubuntu, Kubuntu, XBMCbuntu etc.)... That still fits the model above as well- a novice user who wants SteamOS but with XBMC functionality just grabs XMBSteam...

I think that is the strength of Linux as a platform and I hope Valve capitalize on it as much as possible (and as I say perhaps Gaben hinted at this with his "community created stuff is the future" comments)
 
I'll be intrigued to see whether anyone can release hardware for this which will be able to run AAA games while competing in price with PS4/Xbox One.
 
manic111 said:
I'll be intrigued to see whether anyone can release hardware for this which will be able to run AAA games while competing in price with PS4/Xbox One.
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It seems as though Valve will not be making a steam box and will be licensing it to venders like how graphic cards are made. I can't imagine any of them selling it at a loss so I wouldn't expect much for the price of an Xbox/PS but then again then the PS4 and XB1's specs aren't exactly high end.
 
marc2003 said:
you still need a decent windows pc and network to stream all your windows-only games to a pc running steamOS. for now, we'll have to take their word on how well streaming is going to work. quite rightly, a lot of people are sceptical.

and games made for steamOS natively are still going to need beefy hardware to run new titles at the kind of levels that pc gamers expect. ok, the new OS might be more streamlined but lets not fool ourselves over the amount of grunt they'll still need. so that's 2 hardware devices kicking around instead of one. i'm not sure this is going to work.
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There are some good remote gaming software already for android I've used Splashtop GamePad and that was good.

OpenGL is just as good as DX11

I for one is looking forward to the new OS as my Server-Phone-Tablet already run a form of Linux.
 
deuse said:
There are some good remote gaming software already for android I've used Splashtop GamePad and that was good.
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ok, i'm sold. streaming games locally is going to be awesome. it still doesn't negate the fact you'll need two high end devices to get the most of your back catalogue and new games. i suppose dual boot on one machine is an option but then why not just stick with the windows PC. steamOS exclusives? i think there might be bit of backlash if they try that especially with a certain game that most people are probably going to die for waiting.... :p
 
marc2003 said:
ok, i'm sold. streaming games locally is going to be awesome. it still doesn't negate the fact you'll need two high end devices to get the most of your back catalogue and new games. i suppose dual boot on one machine is an option but then why not just stick with the windows PC. steamOS exclusives? i think there might be bit of backlash if they try that especially with a certain game that most people are probably going to die for waiting.... :p
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The point of streaming is generally that you don't need 2 high end devices, that's the reason phones are able to 'play' AAA titles, because the pc is running it, the phone is just a screen.

And local streaming should be fairly lagless, although it's not what i'm after is that is what this SteamOS / steambox will break down to.
 
^er no. like i said, new games are being devloped to run natively on steamOS. their words....

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.
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so you'll need this high end device to play new games plus your windows machine to stream all your windows only games.
 
marc2003 said:
^er no. like i said, new games are being devloped to run natively on steamOS. their words....



so you'll need this high end device to play new games plus your windows machine to stream all your windows only games.
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If streaming was in place, and worked well, why bother with a high end device, just make your own little system and stream everything from your beast of a pc elsewhere.

If streaming is available for windows only games, there is no way valve would split your library in half saying: These games are stream only, these ones run on steamOS and so MUST be run on steamOS.
 
Steam for mac hasn't affected PC gaming neither will this, it will add to the competition.

I have used linux since 2004 and I am worried about input lag mostly. Every steam game I tried for linux seemed to be 20fps less and had a fair bit of mouse input lag.

I have an nvidia card now so it maybe time to try steam on linux again.
 
craptakular said:
Steam for mac hasn't affected PC gaming neither will this, it will add to the competition.

I have used linux since 2004 and I am worried about input lag mostly. Every steam game I tried for linux seemed to be 20fps less and had a fair bit of mouse input lag.

I have an nvidia card now so it maybe time to try steam on linux again.
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You might be pleasantly surprised :D... I've got Linux Mint 14 running steam on a 670 and it seems to run Source games pretty well, though I did have to mess about with settings a bit to get there

Having read a bit about other streaming efforts I'm hopeful that assuming your home network is of reasonable quality it should work pretty well - Valve being notoriously slow to release things I very much doubt they would put something like this out there if they hadn't done a decent amount of testing and had confidence that it would work
 
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