The good newsIts all shitThe bad newsHL3 looks more uncertain than TF2 was in 2006
Fuck 3, I just want ep 3!
Gabe Newell: "Windows 8 will be a disaster for games because of its closed off ecosystem."Next minute, Valve creates steambox, a closed off ecosystem for games.
Yeah that excuse of closed system windows and then announce in turn a closed system and hint at building something custom if you don't like it seems a little hypocritical.
The thing with PC gaming, gamers always like to Upgrade thier PC's, for ever better gaming experiences (Better graphics, more FPS). Developers will develop thier games to scale in performace to suit peoples hardware.With consoles, the advantage is you don't have to fuss around with upgrading, the game will run fine, and you get the same experience as everyone else. It's easier for developers, as they they only need to test one set of hardware.There are to very distinct target audiences, and the goals for developing a game for each one is quite separate.The issue I see with a Steambox, is that will developers need to develop thier games to be scalable, or not? The games will run on Linux, so gamers with custom Linux boxes would want the games to scale with their hardware. However, most likey with the target audince of Steambox, most people would not upgrade, and if they don't, is it worth developers maker thier games scalable?Just a thought. Steambox blurs the line between PC and Console, which is good in someways.
What architecture and OS do you guys think Steambox will use...? Because I would have thought it was quite obvious it is going to be Linux, which would make your comments a bit silly. Considering Intel are going to be soldiering CPU's to the boards in the near future enthusiasts better become skilled with de-soldering pretty quickly. I think this will kill the enthusiast market much more than any steambox ever will. And besides nothing is stopping you making your own, this is just convenient for those who aren't skilled enough to make a working Linux box (i.e. 99.9% of the population).If Valve didn't do this how successful would their move to Linux be? It's a very smart move by Valve.So.... a dedicated gaming OS with no windows bloat and your choice of Steambox or your own hardware (if you are able) and this is a very good thing for gaming and enthusiasts should be applauding if you ask me.It's a bit of a gamble for valve, still - they have to do something because in 10 - 15 years PC based gaming will be dead and everyone will be using their smartphones.
soldering is still rumoured and will only be for low end chips not enthusiast chips and or oems...
Last week it was reported that Intel could ditch socketed processors as early as 2014. For some reason the rumour got a lot of traction and Intel was eventually forced to respond. In a chat with Maximum PC, Intel spokesman Daniel Snyder said the chipmaker will remain committed to desktop enthusiast and channel markets and that it will “continue to offer socketed parts in the LGA package for the foreseeable future for our customers and the Enthusiast DIY market.”
Considering Intel are going to be soldiering CPU's to the boards in the near future enthusiasts better become skilled with de-soldering pretty quickly. I think this will kill the enthusiast market much more than any steambox ever will. And besides nothing is stopping you making your own, this is just convenient for those who aren't skilled enough to make a working Linux box (i.e. 99.9% of the population)
From Intel:
This is my point.If 99.9% of audience of Linux games end up using a steambox which they won't be abled to upgrade. Then there is little incentive to for developers to test their games on a large range of hardware (like they have to do with windows PC gaming).Also, they would have to give the games console like interface if they intend games to be played on the TV with a controller.I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I think it's great what value are doing.
So, there isn't really any difference in Valve releasing a steambox or you building a Linux gaming pc Mame Box
AMD are working on increasing performance for Linux drivers, http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=amd_drm38_radeon&num=1. Too little too late? AMD cards have always sucked arse on Linux, it's going to be hard to change their image. But then the majority of people that will adopt linux as their gaming platform in the future will probably have no idea of such things.
