#STEAM MACHINE PC#
The controller is designed to bring existing PC games to the television. Rather than copy other existing controller, Valve has designed their own controller complete with two touchpads with haptic feedback and a touch screen in the middle of the controller. You could also connect the Steam controller to a typical Windows PC. This controller won’t be mandatory, of course - you could plug an Xbox controller into a Steam Machine or use a mouse and keyboard. Valve has also developed their own controller. As Steam Machines are currently targeted at PC gamers, Valve is betting its target audience will already have a Windows gaming PC somewhere in the house.
#STEAM MACHINE INSTALL#
Valve will allow you to run games on a Windows gaming PC in your house and stream them to a Steambox, allowing you to play Windows games on your TV without having to install Windows on the Steam Machine itself. SteamOS does have a plan for compatibility with Windows games. But Valve is betting on their own operating system. There’s also nothing stopping you from installing Windows on a Steambox. While most Steam Machines will come with SteamOS, some may come with Windows.
#STEAM MACHINE FOR FREE#
Valve can also customize the entire Steam Machine experience and release SteamOS for free without having to pay Microsoft licensing fees. By building SteamOS and porting more games to Linux, the PC gaming industry gains an escape valve if Microsoft ever decides to remove the desktop from Windows or restrict it to only programs from the Windows Store.
#STEAM MACHINE WINDOWS 8#
Valve can’t release Steam as a Windows 8 app because Windows 8 apps are so limited and Microsoft controls the storefront. Microsoft’s controversial operating system introduced an entirely new interface that only runs apps from the Windows Store, and Windows RT can’t install any desktop apps at all. SteamOS is also a bit of a reaction to Windows 8.
/_hero_SQ_2SP4158672-1-761ffa050a574dec97336a461a6ae537.jpg "steam machine")
Valve says they have commitments from major game companies to support SteamOS for future games, and more and more indie games are supporting Linux. However, this gives us some idea of how many Steam games support Linux. This isn’t a completely accurate estimate, as both counts will also include downloadable content packs (DLC) for games. A big success would mean that Linux would become a more competitive PC gaming operating system outside of the living room, too.Īt the moment, a search of the Steam store reveals 758 games that support Linux and 9397 games that support Windows. If few games are released for Linux, SteamOS will have a rocky road ahead. This means that Valve will have to convince developers to release their games for Linux and not just Windows. SteamOS is actually a custom Linux distribution built on top of Debian Linux, just as ChromeOS, Android, and many other widely used operating systems are built on top of Linux.Īny game that currently works on Linux will work on SteamOS. It’s an operating system intended for the living room. RELATED: 8 Things the Alpha Release Tells Us About SteamOS's Linux System To this end, Valve is also creating their own operating system - known as SteamOS - and game controller. Everything would just work on a TV out of the box, so there’s no Windows desktop, Windows updates, or other complexity involved. You’d buy a Steam Machine, plug it into your TV with an HDMI cable, and use the controller to log in with your Steam account, play games, and use media services. Steam Machines will be tailor-made for this living room scenario. Steam provides a “Big Picture” interface intended for use with controllers on televisions, ensuring you won’t have to navigate the Windows desktop to launch games. You can easily connect one or more Xbox controllers to that gaming PC and use it as a game console to play controller-enabled games on your TV, just as you’d play console games. All you have to do is plug it into your TV via an HDMI port. It’s currently possible to bring your gaming PC to the living room.
0 kommentar(er)
