Gabe Newell talks about linux as the future of gaming

[Unhelpful]

Here is an arstechnica link http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/09/gabe-newell-linux-is-the-future-of-gaming-new-hardware-coming-soon/ . Gabe Newell talks at LinuxCon about how Linux is the future of gaming, and that more info will be released soon. This isnt any huge news, we all already knew that Gabe was a fan of linux and that steambox would be linux-based. Still a nice read and nice to see that he is really serious about it.

[Kirihuna]

He's been saying this for years. Too bad Valve is taking their sweet ass time to change the market.

[Unhelpful]

Well as we have seen Valve isnt the company to ever rush anything... HL3.

[brownninja97]

I dont give a crap, it will take me much more then this before i change to another os. *steam closes on windows*. great just great

[AMICLG]

I love Linux Mint on my laptop but won't run it for another 2-3 years on my gaming rig as not many games will be compatible on UNIX right away.

[Kuzma]

I predict that within 6 months of the Steambox being released 90% of games will suddenly have linux compatibility

[SteepGnomeKing]

I predict that within 6 months of the Steambox being released 90% of games will suddenly have linux compatibility

 

Don't worry I picked up on your sarcasm, a little difficult but I'm usually pretty good at those type of things.

 

6 months a the most optimistic thing I've ever heard. I'd say more like 6+ years before 90% of the games support Linux.

Until Linux becomes more user friendly there is no way it's going to become anything close to a popular gaming platform.

[Kuzma]

Don't worry I picked up on your sarcasm, a little difficult but I'm usually pretty good at those type of things.

 

6 months a the most optimistic thing I've ever heard. I'd say more like 6+ years before 90% of the games support Linux.

Until Linux becomes more user friendly there is no way it's going to become anything close to a popular gaming platform.

read what I said carefully, 6 months after release of the Steambox - reason being that Valve would not release a console , so to speak, without any games - because any entertainment system is dead on launch if it hasn't got content *cough* WiiU , *cough* Ouya

[SteepGnomeKing]

read what I said carefully, 6 months after release of the Steambox - reason being that Valve would not release a console , so to speak, without any games - because any entertainment system is dead on launch if it hasn't got content *cough* WiiU , *cough* Ouya

 

Ahh ok, I still don't think anywhere close to 90%. Can't see the reason developers would spend time and money for a market share that is currently less than the Mac OS. So by that estimate Steambox won't be out for 6+ years.

[Ineko]

He's been saying this for years, the real question is do the actual devs want to make games for Linux? Personally I don't think so, the trickle of pennies big AAA companies would see coming form the installed Linux user-base (that are gamers) probably would deter them from wasting the time/money.

[Ethnod]

I predict that within 6 months of the Steambox being released 90% of games will suddenly have linux compatibility

 

Its up to the developers to make games compatible. No one will bother unless their is a financial reason, indie devs do it for financial reasons (well a lot of them probably support the platform but at the end of the day its financial) as Linux users are very much into indie devs and indie games. For things to become mainstream it will take something more. Maybe Steam will become its own thing, where games can be made for steam so the platform will be irrelevant... if something like that happens games would be made for steam and not an OS. Something like that would herald a quick change, other than that you are looking at closer to a decade if not more for AAA games to be found on Linux on a regular bases

[beebskadoo]

Imagine a Linux distro that is developed with Valve..............steam integration across the board! that would be cool!

[Kuzma]

Imagine a Linux distro that is developed with Valve..............steam integration across the board! that would be cool!

I believe the Steambox will indeed be running a custom linux distro from Vavle but I am not sure so do not quote me on that

 

Its up to the developers to make games compatible. No one will bother unless their is a financial reason, indie devs do it for financial reasons (well a lot of them probably support the platform but at the end of the day its financial) as Linux users are very much into indie devs and indie games. For things to become mainstream it will take something more. Maybe Steam will become its own thing, where games can be made for steam so the platform will be irrelevant... if something like that happens games would be made for steam and not an OS. Something like that would herald a quick change, other than that you are looking at closer to a decade if not more for AAA games to be found on Linux on a regular bases

It is indeed up to the devlopers but as we've seen quite a lot of mainstream games recently op for Linux support i.e. CryEngine is boasting future support alongside Metro Last Light? I'm not expecting the Steambox to be out for another 2 years personally.

[Blingy]

Imagine a Linux distro that is developed with Valve..............steam integration across the board! that would be cool!

 

http://repo.steampowered.com/hometest/ based on Ubuntu LTS 12.04.2

[beebskadoo]

http://repo.steampowered.com/hometest/ based on Ubuntu LTS 12.04.2

so......what am I supposed to be reading?

[Blingy]

so......what am I supposed to be reading?

that they are already working on it

[beebskadoo]

that they are already working on it

An actual distro?

[Ethnod]

I believe the Steambox will indeed be running a custom linux distro from Vavle but I am not sure so do not quote me on that

 

It is indeed up to the devlopers but as we've seen quite a lot of mainstream games recently op for Linux support i.e. CryEngine is boasting future support alongside Metro Last Light? I'm not expecting the Steambox to be out for another 2 years personally.

 

We will know more in a week as there is a Steam Box specific announcement then, or so they have said

[LAwLz]

Already been posted: Gabe Newell at LinuxCon

 

Here is what I think of his speech:

As much as I love Steam, Gabe and Valve, that whole presentation sounded like Gabe was jerking off the Linux community.
 

Proprietary, closed platforms were emerging (control market access, content, pricing,...)

 
That description fits Steam almost perfectly. Steam is by no means "open" or "free" (as in freedom), yet Gabe is standing there talking about how bad other platforms are. "Open graphics" that beat out proprietary hardware isn't "open" either. The hardware is protected by a ton of patents, the documentation is very secret (which is why we don't have any good emulators), the drivers are proprietary and so on.
 
Gabe I like you but come on, don't be a massive hypocrite or distort the truth. This is just a bad attempt to make GNU/Linux users like Valve and hopefully make them buy stuff from them. Gabe started liking GNU/Linux when Microsoft announced that they were launching their own store (where developers can sell games) so of course you'll be mad. Don't distort the truth in hatred though.

 

[Humbug]

Steam is by no means "open" or "free" (as in freedom),

Yes but Steam is not tied to any particular hardware device. You can choose to use Steam as your content provider on PC, or you can choose not to. For example Valve's future PCs / Steambox (whatever you want to call it) will come with Linux, but Gabe has said that they will allow users to install any other x86 software or even OS like Windows should they choose to. So we are allowed to have origin and steam and any other content provider.

[themodernagenb]

There is a reason why Valve wants all their games to run on Linux. When they finally release the "Steam Box" running exclusively on Linux, owners of that "Steam Box" can only purchase games on their platform and no where else. They will not be able to connect to Origin or any other competitor in the Windows space. Sounds exactly like Microsoft's and Sony's closed-ecosystem and it is the only way to survive in the living room.

[Humbug]

There is a reason why Valve wants all their games to run on Linux. When they finally release the "Steam Box" running exclusively on Linux, owners of that "Steam Box" can only purchase games on their platform and no where else. They will not be able to connect to Origin or any other competitor in the Windows space. .

Actually this is the opposite to what Gabe has said they are going to do. Sometime back he specifically stated that people will be allowed to install Windows (or whatever else they want). It's basically a prebuilt PC; which will probably fit some hardware criteria and come out of the box with some Steam features that make it suitable for gaming. This is nothing new for hardcore PC gamers; I don't think it's targeted at us. We already know how to set up and configure a PC to make it a gaming machine in the living room.

 

Also I don't think Valve has any delusions about selling units in quantities like PS4 or XboxOne. From all the interviews i've watched what they want to do is stimulate the hardware vendors and make casual gamers realize that PC gaming is viable in the living room, so that vendors start shipping prebuilt PCs in form factors suitable for the living room and marketing them properly to compete with PS4 etc... Steambox will be one of those devices; but steambox is NOT a platform (from everything i've read). It's a PC.

[rashdanml]

Already been posted: Gabe Newell at LinuxCon

 

Here is what I think of his speech:

The issue with that argument is that he's not comparing distribution platforms. He's comparing hardware platforms, as in Consoles vs. PCs. Consoles are just that: the hardware is essentially locked down, whereas with PCs, you can do anything you want to the PC, and nobody, not even manufacturers of pre-built PCs, can control that. 

 

You can take it one step further to operating systems: both Windows and OS X are essentially locked down platforms. I'm "locked down" fairly loosely here, but there's a distinct lack of freedom for what you can do on both operating systems. Linux is completely open: you can anything and everything you want to it, strip it down, mould it into anything you want, then redistribute it as your own (provided you keep the same distribution license). 

 

Combining both elements (the freedom to choose PC hardware - whether or not they'll allow the Steambox to be hardware upgradeable is debatable) and the freedom to do whatever you want with the software (Linux), it would make sense for Linux to be the future of gaming. It may not become the dominant platform, but it'll certainly become a strong contender: especially if Valve creates a Linux distribution heavily integrated with Steam (along with every possible productivity tool for people to use for day to day tasks) that people can easily download and install, and operate easily (along the lines of Ubuntu), then it'll become a strong force. They can also release the Steam integration applications separately, for Linux users to integrate it into their own distribution of choice, making it that much more powerful. 

 

The main problem people have with Linux is lack of user-friendliness - that's a misconception. Ubuntu is extremely user-friendly, perhaps more so than Windows, and is almost entirely GUI-driven (with the added option of getting your hands dirty with terminal commands - which are powerful when used properly). A Steamlinux distribution based on Ubuntu would make a lot of sense for those gamers who're looking to transition into Linux. And you'd be surprised how many gamers do want to switch to Linux - what's holding them back is the lack of AAA support, which is also changing. To date, Source, Source 2.0, Unreal 4 and CryEngine are confirmed to have native Linux versions. These engines by themselves cover a large selection of current AAA titles across PCs and Consoles. Frostbite has an OSX version, which is only a stone's throw away from Linux. 

 

AAA developers ARE starting to embrace Linux despite the claimed market share percentage. It's hard to determine what that number is based on, as it could be either:

1) PC sales with Ubunu or other Linux distributions (rare) OR 

2) Linux installed via dual boot or other means.

 

While the first option is rare, the second option is far more common, and cannot easily be tracked. Steam's hardware surveys are also sketchy, as there are cases of many linux users who aren't getting the hardware survey on linux. 

[Humbug]

Gabe choose not to talk about hardware specs in this conference even though it would have been the ideal place. He said they will unveil more information next week.

This coincides with the release of AMD's new hawai architecture, I suppose it's possible that they are working with AMD for the GPU.

[SirPaul]

Sorry, but All the time i thought that it will be /  Cloud Gaming /  implemented.. And thats why it will be cheap and will not need much power as in GPU. hmm