Damn that’s a clever title. It’s cool if you want to take a minute to reel from that one.
But who cares right? Why does it even exist, it doesn’t help me? The world’s most pointless Operating System. Or is it? Valve should be making Half Life 3 and not wasting time building an OS. I mean come on, that’s what we want right, just make the damn game Gabe. Stop messing around and just end our suffering and grant us the gracious gift of your delicious low hanging fruit.
I do care very much about SteamOS, but I never plan on installing it ever, anywhere. So why do I love it so much, why did I offer to bare its children, why do I sing it from the rooftops that Valve did a thing. A thing that caused Steam Machines to rise and fall as quickly as they were announced…
That said if you can pick one up second hand they are a bargain. Nice compact full PC’s (albeit with limited upgrade options) that you can stick by your TV with ease. But full retail price, no way was that gonna fly. Now had there been a gaming exclusive to give them some oomph then we’d have been in business. Seems like HL2:E3 bundle may have kick started things. Then again it could have caused a crazy backlash too. PR would be very tricky had they done that.
The modular nature of Linux means that there are sections that end users don’t really see. Improving driver integration, supporting API's like Vulkan and OpenGL anything and everything that will increase functionality, give better performance or what have you. Yes we don’t get a shiny new app. But future game development can become simpler. There are a lot of obstacles holding this back, with so many distros doing things differently for so long now. I’m hoping SteamOS development can be a driving force toward consensus and standardisation for game developers. You can’t lick these things.
Do I still need Windows if I switch to Linux? Angrily I am forced to type, yep kiddo. I got Windows 10 Pro for 20 quid so who cares? I live with it taking up unnecessary disk space. It’s fine honestly. Never think about it at all. Doesn’t bother me. No Really, it’s fine. Spying on me for a few hours a month is better than every logged in hour I spend.
I’m glad that SteamOS exists, it needs to exist even if I’m not using it, I can still see how it is helping me. Do you need to use it? Up to you entirely, it’s a fairly niche distro. Want to build a living room gaming machine, then it may be the answer. But you know you’re gonna want to play a Blizzard game at some point and you’ll be screwed.
As Linux grows in use as a gaming platform, the incentive for developers to port their work grows. As more ports happen more standards come into place, in turn making it easier and more attractive to develop for our beloved and sacred platform. I don’t need change to come fast, I play a good deal of games that already have Linux ports. I’d say most of the games I want to play are coming to Linux on release. If not than 6 months later. This is great!
I bet I’m fairly alone in that opinion. I see a lot of comments online still about lack of support for that one game you need, the one thing you need in your life absolutely and on pain of being kneecapped you cannot live without. Granted I have a few of my own. It may take a few more years, but those few gems will erode. It’s a Tux filled future guys …honestly.
Love, Life and Peace,
Noki
But who cares right? Why does it even exist, it doesn’t help me? The world’s most pointless Operating System. Or is it? Valve should be making Half Life 3 and not wasting time building an OS. I mean come on, that’s what we want right, just make the damn game Gabe. Stop messing around and just end our suffering and grant us the gracious gift of your delicious low hanging fruit.
Machines
They were never going to compete with consoles. Just a fact. Consoles are designed, built and shipped to the consumer at a loss. They know that this investment will become a profit at the other end through games sales. Steam Machines never had this option, pushing the price 30% above the competition. You can’t win a battle like that without some kind of fashion statement. AKA how the iPhone is a thing. Get the kids hooked on iPods, a premium device that had most of the competition beaten easily. Give it a generous markup to make it feel exclusive and boom. A business model that has been unshaken for over a decade. Not quite the same for consoles, but come on. Did anybody think Alienware could depose or even dent the PlayStation. Give me a break. |
| It is awfully pretty isn't it? |
That said if you can pick one up second hand they are a bargain. Nice compact full PC’s (albeit with limited upgrade options) that you can stick by your TV with ease. But full retail price, no way was that gonna fly. Now had there been a gaming exclusive to give them some oomph then we’d have been in business. Seems like HL2:E3 bundle may have kick started things. Then again it could have caused a crazy backlash too. PR would be very tricky had they done that.
Tangibility
If it’s intangible you can’t lick it, whereas tangible things can be licked, understand? It might seem like it doesn’t directly benefit the rest of us using Linux as our desktop OS. But really it does, in a lot of unlickable ways.Just use Windows
I’m not the most avid gamer, especially compared to my friends. But I’m satisfied by what I find when I browse Steam with penguin only filters. But my mates, seem to go out of their way to only find Windows only games. Everything they suggest I look it up and boom, that annoying Windows logo standing alone, or at best with the even uglier Apple logo alongside. How dare they do this to me! Prove that my platform of choice is barren when it comes to new titles and AAA. It’s clearly an orchestrated conspiracy against me.
Slow Burn
All of this is a slow burn, it takes time for big changes across and landscape to take effect. Look at Mir replacing X as and example of that, how long did we live with that system? Far too long is the answer. But that wasn’t a problem that prevented money from changing hands. The uptake in usage of SteamOS as a platform, or it simply being a nudge that got people to switch to Linux is slow but perceptible. Linux usage as a gaming platform is bigger now than it has ever been, and it’s still growing. Yes we enjoy single digit percentage points. But this is better than the decimals of previous years. Valve have money bitches! This money should be spent making Linux do all the things. Money!Bottom Line
It’s like Bollywood in lot of ways. I’ve never sat and watched a Bollywood blockbuster, but hot diggity daffodil am I glad they exists. From the random gifs, to the stark difference to other countries movies, particularly the west, even the colour and spectacle of it all. Fantastic. Just not for me personally. But we need this kind of diversity. Do I want Windows and osX to die, yes. But do I want Linux to be the only OS, f*#k no.I’m glad that SteamOS exists, it needs to exist even if I’m not using it, I can still see how it is helping me. Do you need to use it? Up to you entirely, it’s a fairly niche distro. Want to build a living room gaming machine, then it may be the answer. But you know you’re gonna want to play a Blizzard game at some point and you’ll be screwed.
As Linux grows in use as a gaming platform, the incentive for developers to port their work grows. As more ports happen more standards come into place, in turn making it easier and more attractive to develop for our beloved and sacred platform. I don’t need change to come fast, I play a good deal of games that already have Linux ports. I’d say most of the games I want to play are coming to Linux on release. If not than 6 months later. This is great!
I bet I’m fairly alone in that opinion. I see a lot of comments online still about lack of support for that one game you need, the one thing you need in your life absolutely and on pain of being kneecapped you cannot live without. Granted I have a few of my own. It may take a few more years, but those few gems will erode. It’s a Tux filled future guys …honestly.
Love, Life and Peace,
Noki
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