Very skeptical about this but if they can get rid of M$ from my system, i'll be really happy.

Surface Pro 2 just make me feel like getting an iPad now.

I know you can run VMware or any sort of virtual machine on any Linux distro.

As long as Steam OS didnt get rid of the "desktop" mode, i think its doable.

Big plus if i can just throw my current VM straight to Steam OS with VM Ware with zero configuration.

I actually use VM for my daily work now, because M$ screwed up the NET Framework and made those expensive software becoming paper weights in Win 7. The only way to run it is via VM through a Windows XP.

Considering they said backwards compatibility is backwards thinking, I am very eager to move away from their system as soon as possible. Hopefully they arent aiming to be a shitty Apple as that would sucked.

I dont know how much Valve has done in the background but they are working on it. AMD and nVidia are on board with Valve to push Steam OS while free Steam OS license will make OEM to adopt it faster. OEMs are fairly butthurt too due to Windows 8 causing their sales to drop to the point some like Acer started selling Chromebooks too.

I know that Valve is developing a much better debugger for Linux as it was one of the biggest problem of developing software for Linux. Based on developer feedback.

I am skeptical but I hope this worked out as I do want to move to Steam OS if its viable. Even if its just 20% increase in performance.

Actually, Open GL is better because literally everything that is not Xbox and Windows uses Open GL. That includes, OSX, iOS, Android, Linux, WebGL, Sony Consoles, and Wii. I think most of my work software like AutoCAD runs on Open GL too. John Carmack did said that Open GL won this gen because so many platforms out there uses Open GL while Microsoft is stuck on their own island. Considering that Open GL is platform neutral, even if I want to make my own Cheese OS for my toaster, i can use it as my media API too, unlike Direct X that is only confined in Microsoft ecosystem which as usual, Microsoft utterly loves to keep you in their ecosystem. I find it more annoying than Apple or Google in general.

Valve's Steam OS will use Open GL as it will make things easier to port software from Windows, mobile or consoles.

Other than streaming games, some possible new Steam features:



Source

Ok, the whole music thing is gonna be interesting. Hopefully Steam uses Foobar as its base for the music player.

This post has been edited by Cheesenium: Sep 24 2013, 11:58 AM

Valve wants to leave the whole Windows ecosystem before they lock it down to be a closed ecosystem. What is known so far is Valve's Steam OS is based on Ubuntu so i guess you might still have the capabilities of running work related software while Valve does sell productivity based software at its store.

A brave but risky attempt, it is necessary as i think traditional desktops are kinda on its last legs now where it will probably disappear in a decade or so. I am still contemplating to get another gaming level laptop for some mobility or get a desktop with zero mobility.

They really need a reliable offline mode before they ship the OS.

Read this: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013...am-dictatorship

Valve plans to remove itself from the stores as it wants the users to curate its content than keeping everything to only themselves so that people having their own stores or put their own content. At best, I am expecting an ecosystem that is similar to Android where users can tweak it to their needs, building their own hardware if they want to or put on content without asking for google's permission. As far as I know, Valve never really wanted a closed walled garden like Apple's system but they want to invite the developers and the users to be part of the content creation shown by its support on the Steamworkshop. However, it is quite clear that they want people to keep using their Steam platform but with some freedom in submitting content.

At the same time, i do not believe that Windows will always be an open platform as it is just isnt what Microsoft is wanting to do because it likes to copy what Apple and Google is doing. Xbox LIVE is a completely closed system that is no different than iOS, except that it has a terrible patching and publishing policies that took years until now to be removed. I have no confidence in Windows 8 or generally Microsoft's future as they felt like they really have no idea whats going on where they really need someone who has a vision of the company's future like Gabe Newell, Elon Musk or Steve Jobs to lay down their transition.

On top of the whole confused marketing for last year's Surface that leads to its commercial failure and this year's Xbox One's marketing, I really have no faith in this company. For the first time, I rather move away from Windows to OSX or Linux when opportunity rises. At the same time, Microsoft isnt a global company compared to Google, Apple or even Samsung where it still only wants to focus it's services on a handful of first world countries while ignoring rest of the world. Does Malaysia even have official Xbox LIVE support till now? I like to buy a Surface Pro but I didnt want to see it coming to Malaysia after more than half a year later when the next one is only a couple of months away from announcement. Also, Microsoft was one of the companies along with Nokia and Blackberry that laughed at Apple for releasing the first iPhone that doesnt really need buttons to use its interface. Where is Nokia and Blackberry now?

Valve has to know that not everyone has constant internet connection where Offline Mode is essential. As it stands, Steam's offline mode is a pain in the ass which i really wont rely on it to be honest. Always Online has been proven again and again to inconvenient the end users which i hope Valve will not move towards there. At its current form, Steam is only bearable with its still poor online system.

Steam Box is essentially the same as Xbox One but one thing Steam doesnt have its Xbox One's confused marketing that only tell people about its shortcoming or irrelevant features. What about the illusive Family Sharing that they never really explained it? Why didnt they go further explaining the whole benefits of digital discless games? Instead, they just keep harping on that useless Kinect, live TV and NFL where half of the gaming population didnt care about. At the same time, launching in that few handful of countries where i'll never see Xbox One being officially supported in Malaysia.

I dont know where you get that from but Valve intends to offer their own console for more casual user who doesnt want to deal with hardware configuration. While advanced users still being able to build their own PC's with their own hardware configuration. It doesnt even want to lock people from their own Steam OS where you can install XP on a Steam Box if they really want to.

You are suggesting that a company that literally let users to build their own content via Steam Workshop to even pays some of them tens of thousands of dollars for using their content officially despite games do offer their own DLC, now, they want to build their own closed short sighted system like Xbox is just doesnt make sense.

Steam OS sounds more like Android for games. It looks like they want to simplified PC gaming as a whole with their own hardware and technology in similar ways on how they had simplified the whole game installation, distribution and patching that was a pain back then.

This post has been edited by Cheesenium: Sep 24 2013, 01:30 PM

Steam is essentially a wall gardened at its core but the way they manage this walled garden is different from Microsoft. Does Microsoft has something like Greenlight where the users can vote what software or apps they want on their store despite Greenlight is a massive failure? Does Microsoft allows users to submit mods and new models for their games? The most important point, does Microsoft actually want to remove itself from their store in the same way that Valve plans to do where users can have their own store. Project Spark is a good start but like everything else on Xbox One, it is too little and too late.

One thing that Valve has proven so far but it might never be like this forever is, Valve has always strive to provide benefits to all parties not just for the benefit of the company itself. The Steam store allows developers and publishers to sell their games digitally with 30% to 15% cut to Valve, which was never the case for retail, despite Valve has the power to change it to 30% to devs and 70% to Valve which they didnt. Even the Steam trading card system that was present on Steam, they are giving 85% of the selling price to the seller, while they take 15% of the price to distribute 3 quarters of the 15% back to the developers, despite they can keep 90% all to themselves while give 10% for the seller and developers to split if they want to. When it comes to cosmetic parts for Dota 2, CSGO or TF2, Valve did the same thing where each item that is created by community sold on the store nets 15% of the selling price to it's creator, if not, team badges or tournament tickets that is give part of its profits to the team or adds to the price pool. If Valve solely cares about profit, Valve can keep most if not all the profits from these items to themselves. In short, Valve seemed to always design their own systems to be a win-win-win situation for the creators, consumers and Valve themselves. I hope Steam OS will remain the same where their business model is a win-win-win situation for everyone which i never seen any other company doing so.



That is exactly why Microsoft wants a closed system that pushed Valve to create their own OS.

There arent much details on the Steam's Family Sharing where it could be that the lender can be offline to borrow a game. That would make things better, if thats true.

A tiered system is good, as there are times that hardware names are utterly confusing where there are at least 3 different i7 models that are completely different that confuses inexperienced consumers. If they can pull the same thing with system requirements like how they made patching far easier before by eliminating patch file hunting, that would be great.

I'll dual boot if I actually can get even 20% performance boost in games on same hardware where Valve found out that if a game was ported properly to Linux, say Left 4 Dead 2, they have the potential 200% performance boost on the same hardware but different OS. Windows in general has too much overhead that took a lot of resources, like the printer services are still running despite im playing a game and also why Windows is ported so poorly to their Surface.

Steam has over 3000 games where 90% of them are absolutely crap games. It is no different that every ecosystem has a large majority of rubbish products. Even Steamworkshop for Skyrim is filled with rubbish most of the time.

The difference between Steam and iOS is that the average Steam users can create content without going through their curation system like Greenlight via Steam workshop for supported games. If not, they'll have the users participate to part of the creation process like how they handled the Dota 2 beta with a lengthy beta that take gamer's feedback seriously. Does iOS openly allow people to test new iOS versions or apps without signing up to be a developer? Or allow people to submit mods to their apps without going through Apple? Everyone wants to create an income stream through their own ecosystem but Steam is so far the only one so far that tries to benefit its end users while providing simpler tools for users to create. Valve knows that they can never have the massive workforce that the gaming community has, so they develop tools to allow users to create content with Valve or other developers.

Steam is a walled garden but it is one of the walled gardens that gives users more channels to voice out or create content.

Sounds like it is just streaming box from your Titan powered desktop so that you can play your games on your TV without bringing your PC to the TV or have a really long HDMI cable.

Heard there are 3 types of Steam Box. One is a cheap stream box. One is an official Steam box with some sort of fixed specs, like a console that is upgradable. The last one is customised and distributed by OEM. Kinda like Android now in some ways.

This post has been edited by Cheesenium: Sep 24 2013, 04:03 PM

Kinda expected it but man, this controller looks really weird.

How am i gonna play Dawn of War with it?

^ Ewwwww.