I was just joking with @gliss that the third announcement would be some valve controller and not half life 3, turns out I was right..... I think valve has lost it lol
I'm very interested to try this controller. It's too different to pass any kind of judgement without trying it first.
As for the lack of HL3... well we can dream can't we?
I'm guessing when they said they'd be leaking games over coming weeks that it'll be a whole bunch of Valve and friends games, most of which will be cross platform but maybe a few exclusives from valve. I'm going to guess l4d3 and hl3 are in that mix and maybe (gaben is crazy remember) even linux exclusive.
The big game announcements will probably be made shortly after hardware beta/before realease.
Personally I'm stoked about the streaming feature. I can have one powerful computer for gaming at my desk and just a tiny little OUYA kinda thing to handle my simpit. Then I don't have to buy two monster machines.
I take it I'm the only one who thinks this does nothing for gaming, just looks like another platform option which will be inferior to consoles simply because majority of pc games coming out are of low-standard-quality/don't run well/have poor input and are just jokes to their console-counterpart, and the ones that aren't lack the 'standard' pc features which we've had since late 90s/early 2000s
And taking it -out of the living room and just using the OS for your regular computer.. can't see that working out, windows will be the all in all for gaming for a very long time
Do you play games on PC in some sort of Bizarro world?
There's no guarantee that whatever they do for SteamOS-baked "Linux" will magically extrapolate to all Linux distros, is there? I'm not sure how that would work. The last thing I want is a closed, incompatible console-like crap with PC parts.
Also, unavailability of DX is a major problem on Linux which won't be overcome easily. If they do something like "Mantle" that's open and compatible for all GPUs, with proper tools, that may actually get interesting.
In any case, it'll be a long road to maturity for this IMO. It'd be interesting to watch, that's for sure.
There's no guarantee that whatever they do for SteamOS-baked "Linux" will magically extrapolate to all Linux distros, is there? I'm not sure how that would work. The last thing I want is a closed, incompatible console-like crap with PC parts.
SteamOS will be open source. In fact, it can not, legally, be closed source if Valve intends to distribute it. Linux is distributed under the GPL license, which is a self propagating open source license. Anytime you publicly release a piece of software that was built on GPL code, you're legally required to release your software under the GPL license as well, which includes releasing the source code so that the people using it can modify it and learn from the changes made (The loophole used by companies like Google to run their servers on a modified linux build while still being closed source is that they don't distribute their server build outside of the company).
Being open source is really one of the major points of SteamOS. It is meant so that people can learn from and incorporate the improvements of others into their own work, and in turn SteamOS can also be improved by others in the community and the hardware industry. There will undoubtedly be other linux distributions that incorporate the performance improvements of SteamOS, if you're not happy with the official Valve distribution.
There's no guarantee that whatever they do for SteamOS-baked "Linux" will magically extrapolate to all Linux distros, is there? I'm not sure how that would work. The last thing I want is a closed, incompatible console-like crap with PC parts.
SteamOS will be open source. In fact, it can not, legally, be closed source if Valve intends to distribute it. Linux is distributed under the GPL license, which is a self propagating open source license. Anytime you publicly release a piece of software that was built on GPL code, you're legally required to release your software under the GPL license as well, which includes releasing the source code so that the people using it can modify it and learn from the changes made (The loophole used by companies like Google to run their servers on a modified linux build while still being closed source is that they don't distribute their server build outside of the company).
Being open source is really one of the major points of SteamOS. It is meant so that people can learn from and incorporate the improvements of others into their own work, and in turn SteamOS can also be improved by others in the community and the hardware industry. There will undoubtedly be other linux distributions that incorporate the performance improvements of SteamOS, if you're not happy with the official Valve distribution.
sort of like the several variants of firefox which are generally better? I'm using an official though.. nightly 64bit, it's basically firefox several updates ahead and made for 64bit
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I'll reserve judgement until I actually use one. It's a very radical design so I don't have anything to compare it to. So much of the criticism I've read on the internet of the OS, the hardware and the controller all fail to take into account that the entire thing is being done as an open solution which is quite frustrating. It's as if they don't realize that the entire reason Valve wants to do this is to let home PC gaming escape the push towards closed garden environments that Microsoft, Apple and Android are all advocating.
I'll reserve judgement until I actually use one. It's a very radical design so I don't have anything to compare it to. So much of the criticism I've read on the internet of the OS, the hardware and the controller all fail to take into account that the entire thing is being done as an open solution which is quite frustrating. It's as if they don't realize that the entire reason Valve wants to do this is to let home PC gaming escape the push towards closed garden environments that Microsoft, Apple and Android are all advocating.
Maybe they want their own closed system?!?? For the awesomes!!
Edit: Added obvious sarcasm. Was not apparent in first iteration.
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Right. They want their own closed system - on a Linux-base OS, with an openly developed controller, using a console you don't even have to buy if you don't want to but is only there to make things simpler for the consumer.
I'm looking forward to this; steamos, steammachines and steamcontroller. I'll definitely get a steamcontroller, and I'll definitely try out the steamos. If a steammachine is cheap enough, I'll probably get one of those too instead of custom building.
If it simplifies PC gaming enough, it'll make me very happy. While I love learning and tinkering and tweaking, sometimes(often) I just want to turn a device on, play a game, that's it.
Because I had so much fun trying to get my favorite games to play on Linux before I said screw it and went back to Windows, I think I'll pass on this. I can't take any Linux based OS seriously when it claims to "simplify gaming".
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Kind of hard to judge from a video but it's okay I guess? I'm still very curious to try it out myself. It's clearly still not precise or fast enough for RTS games but turn based mouse driven games should be at least playable.
Well, you never know about precision. It could be crazy accurate but we may not know until games are built with it specifically in mind.
I was at a buddies place after this was first announced and we hooked up a piezo to a frequency generator and a microphone. Through the frequency generator we found that square waves from 40 to 1000 htz we're extremely responsive in terms of feedback and through a microphone... oddly normal audio was not so intuitive but dragging a mic across pretty much any surface was uncanny. Keeping in mind this was a hack job with shelf parts it was pretty unreal to experience such intuitive feedback.
So I got really high hopes for that aspect of the controller, because feedback is really what makes or breaks it I think. Accuracy in electronics is often times not the HID part of the hardware but how fine you read it. An old school potentiometer essentially has infinite resolution if you got the gear to read it that way. So I don't doubt that their claims of accuracy are unfounded. I don't think it'll ever be enough to compete with a mouse since the pimps among us know that low DPI + big mouse pad = win. I do believe however that it'll be able to make console gamers at least be able to compete, unlike it is now.
Okay so January @CES they reveal the hardware partners and the OEM boxes that are going out. That's some important news.
Valve will be using it's hardware survey to manage recommended specs based on real world tests. Instead of leaving it to developers, that's interesting.
HL3 won't be steam machine exclusive. So more importantly HL3 CONFIRMED.
Also appears controller configs will be cloud sourced. So the best control layout for each game will evolve over time based on what most people use. That's pretty clever.
The first official third party Steam box announce.
It runs a r9 270 ($180-200) and PSU is internal. AMD CPU (not an APU?)
All for $500
Light bar around the middle is adjustable and it comes with a steampad.
so basically it's given to companies to make any type of case/specs they want just all running the same operating system, and then mass produced more over others depending on demand?
Yeah, they're no different then prebuilt desktop PCs except they're focused on gaming, have a free OS, are subject to being rated by Valve and come with a contoller. Not all steam machines will be of equal spec. I guess Valve wants some kind of tier system so users know what they need to buy to play the games they need. It's a PC for console gamers and a console for PC gamers.
As excited as I am about them I probably won't be buying one. I'll be sure to buy a sff case though as soon as I see one that I really like. Lunchbox sized gtx 8xx powered monster = delicious.
I don't much care for the OS or any of the steamboxes, but I'd like to poke an owl in the eyes for a bit. I have been half-considering getting a gamepad for the likes of the batman and asscreed games, but I might get an owl instead.
Well you might be able to try out the OS later today if what Valve is saying is true.
Hopefully they don't make it US only at the last minute like they did with the steam machines.
This is actually the first console that I'm (maybe) interesting in buying for me (not my kids). It all depends how many of my existing steam games get ported to run on it.
Comments
And I can't believe anyone seriously thought they'd announce HL3 like this...
As for the lack of HL3... well we can dream can't we?
I'm guessing when they said they'd be leaking games over coming weeks that it'll be a whole bunch of Valve and friends games, most of which will be cross platform but maybe a few exclusives from valve. I'm going to guess l4d3 and hl3 are in that mix and maybe (gaben is crazy remember) even linux exclusive.
The big game announcements will probably be made shortly after hardware beta/before realease.
Personally I'm stoked about the streaming feature. I can have one powerful computer for gaming at my desk and just a tiny little OUYA kinda thing to handle my simpit. Then I don't have to buy two monster machines.
There's no guarantee that whatever they do for SteamOS-baked "Linux" will magically extrapolate to all Linux distros, is there? I'm not sure how that would work. The last thing I want is a closed, incompatible console-like crap with PC parts.
Also, unavailability of DX is a major problem on Linux which won't be overcome easily. If they do something like "Mantle" that's open and compatible for all GPUs, with proper tools, that may actually get interesting.
In any case, it'll be a long road to maturity for this IMO. It'd be interesting to watch, that's for sure.
SteamOS will be open source. In fact, it can not, legally, be closed source if Valve intends to distribute it. Linux is distributed under the GPL license, which is a self propagating open source license. Anytime you publicly release a piece of software that was built on GPL code, you're legally required to release your software under the GPL license as well, which includes releasing the source code so that the people using it can modify it and learn from the changes made (The loophole used by companies like Google to run their servers on a modified linux build while still being closed source is that they don't distribute their server build outside of the company).
Being open source is really one of the major points of SteamOS. It is meant so that people can learn from and incorporate the improvements of others into their own work, and in turn SteamOS can also be improved by others in the community and the hardware industry. There will undoubtedly be other linux distributions that incorporate the performance improvements of SteamOS, if you're not happy with the official Valve distribution.
sort of like the several variants of firefox which are generally better? I'm using an official though.. nightly 64bit, it's basically firefox several updates ahead and made for 64bit
Maybe they want their own closed system?!?? For the awesomes!!
Edit: Added obvious sarcasm. Was not apparent in first iteration.
Because that makes SO much sense.
If it simplifies PC gaming enough, it'll make me very happy. While I love learning and tinkering and tweaking, sometimes(often) I just want to turn a device on, play a game, that's it.
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/2145128928746175450
Some lucky buggers are getting free Titans and i7 4770s...
I was at a buddies place after this was first announced and we hooked up a piezo to a frequency generator and a microphone. Through the frequency generator we found that square waves from 40 to 1000 htz we're extremely responsive in terms of feedback and through a microphone... oddly normal audio was not so intuitive but dragging a mic across pretty much any surface was uncanny. Keeping in mind this was a hack job with shelf parts it was pretty unreal to experience such intuitive feedback.
So I got really high hopes for that aspect of the controller, because feedback is really what makes or breaks it I think. Accuracy in electronics is often times not the HID part of the hardware but how fine you read it. An old school potentiometer essentially has infinite resolution if you got the gear to read it that way. So I don't doubt that their claims of accuracy are unfounded. I don't think it'll ever be enough to compete with a mouse since the pimps among us know that low DPI + big mouse pad = win. I do believe however that it'll be able to make console gamers at least be able to compete, unlike it is now.
Okay so January @CES they reveal the hardware partners and the OEM boxes that are going out. That's some important news.
Valve will be using it's hardware survey to manage recommended specs based on real world tests. Instead of leaving it to developers, that's interesting.
HL3 won't be steam machine exclusive. So more importantly HL3 CONFIRMED.
Also appears controller configs will be cloud sourced. So the best control layout for each game will evolve over time based on what most people use. That's pretty clever.
Basically same old Valve, start with a good idea and slowly (valve slowly) make it better. They're aiming for the long game again.
http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/9243787/2013-10-23_05-20-54_verge_super_wide.jpg
(Image temporarily link due to new forum layout issues -Align)
It runs a r9 270 ($180-200) and PSU is internal. AMD CPU (not an APU?)
All for $500
Light bar around the middle is adjustable and it comes with a steampad.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/25/5146398/ibuypower-steam-machine-499-radeon-r9-270
http://www.blogcdn.com/es.engadget.com/media/2013/11/main-shot-lifestyle-2-1.jpg
(Image temporarily link due to new forum layout issues -Align)
It mounts to the back of a TV on the VESA mount and can sit between the TV and the wall mount.
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/125628-piixl-jetpack-steamos-pc-announced-straps-to-the-back-of-your-tv-so-you-don-t-know-it-s-there
As excited as I am about them I probably won't be buying one. I'll be sure to buy a sff case though as soon as I see one that I really like. Lunchbox sized gtx 8xx powered monster = delicious.
--Scythe--
Hopefully they don't make it US only at the last minute like they did with the steam machines.