Wouldn't that be exactly ONE advantage of a console/PC hybrid? To plug a $25 wireless KBM combo into the USB and then play the way you want?
If I want to do that, all I have to do is plug a controller into my PC. Really, what can Steambox do, except maybe some streaming features, that a PC cannot already do?
Seems like Valve is pushing toward "consolization" of Steam to me, first with big picture mode and now this. I have no problem with adding console type features I guess, as long as they dont limit any of the PC functionality that we already have.
Well, the current announcement today is open hardware, SteamOS running PCs for your living room I guess.
So, a gimped OS to run Steam to play PC games on your TV! Well, last time I used Linux BlueTooth drivers were awful and worked maybe 1% of the time and OpenGL doesn't have any controller standards built in from what I've heard (DirectX has built in libraries for the Xbox controller), so good luck getting a controller that actually works!
10 Steam Friends... Hmm.. I have two. And zero prospects outside of randoms.
The difference with SteamOS is they are actually employing people to make this stuff work, vs some dudes working on it in their spare time.
Do AT people count as randoms? :awe: I just have to boot up big picture mode with my Xbox controller plugged in and I'm entered for the free steambox.
One can only hope. But is Valve going to employ people to write drivers for every peripheral to work in SteamOS (Linux)? A generic driver would work for some things (bluetooth, wireless adapters, etc) but it won't work for those peripherals with extra features and programs that go with them. The gaming devices are the ones targeted at gamers, will Valve write drivers so my Razer mouse works exactly as it does on Windows? Or my Logitech keyboard?
Bad initial impressions will cause this to fail, despite it not even being Valve's fault. Windows Vista is a good example of this. MS rewrote the driver model and hardware companies didn't make new drivers (AMD and Nvidia had at least 18 months and one of the two failed completely). This bad launch, even among AT where the average poster should be a bit more intelligent, still lingers and people still hate Vista.
Not every peripheral is important. What they need to do is explicitly say what is supported, and make sure that works. They can extend support to more devices over time, or better yet get the device manufacturers to make SteamOS drivers if they need extra functionality. Its not like all gamepads work in every Windows game, many games only support the 360 pad or 360 pad functionality. In any event, it really just needs to do what they say it will do. If it doesnt, then it will fail, but if it does, then it can get better over time.
I'll sit down on the floor in front of my coffee table. No need to get creative.
I haven't come across a controller that doesn't work in some games when an Xbox controller does, with the exception of the PS3 controller, but that is because it uses some kind of hack with MotionJoy (which may or may not work depending on the user apparently).
On that note, weve heard developers say that they can extract roughly three times the level of performance out of a consoles hardware compared to a similarly-specced PC, due to the fixed nature of the hardware. They know exactly what theyre developing for, and there is less driver/OS bloat. Is this still true, or have newer versions of Direct X helped to tap into the PCs performance? Will the next-gen consoles still punch well above their weight?
I think a console can punch above their weight to some degree, but not by a factor of three. I wouldnt even say a factor of two. Partially because they have leaner and meaner operating systems and APIs, theyre closer to the metal, and also because developers can hand-craft code for these fixed platforms.
Things have changed, though. Direct X has gotten much, much better compared to where it used to be. The barrier between Direct X level of interface and to-the-metal interface has gotten much closer. It used to be huge, but not so much anymore. Also, I think the PCs and the consoles look alike these days. The PS4 and Xbox One have an x86 CPU, a PC-style GPU. Its a giant integrated graphics PC.
So I'm reading this interview: http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2013/09/nvidia-interview-the-sky-isnt-falling/
So the one thing that could sell this thing to me and other PC enthusiasts is greatly improved performance. If what Nvidia here is saying is true, then are we really going to see that much of an improvement with a SteamOS if we're not even seeing a huge improvement in consoles vs. DirectX anymore?
So I'm reading this interview: http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2013/09/nvidia-interview-the-sky-isnt-falling/
So the one thing that could sell this thing to me and other PC enthusiasts is greatly improved performance. If what Nvidia here is saying is true, then are we really going to see that much of an improvement with a SteamOS if we're not even seeing a huge improvement in consoles vs. DirectX anymore?
I haven't come across a controller that doesn't work in some games when an Xbox controller does, with the exception of the PS3 controller, but that is because it uses some kind of hack with MotionJoy (which may or may not work depending on the user apparently).
The "it only works with this specific hardware" removes the openness everyone seems to be raving about. "Oh! You can use any PC parts... from a list provided by Valve"
So I'm reading this interview: http://www.pcpowerplay.com.au/2013/09/nvidia-interview-the-sky-isnt-falling/
So the one thing that could sell this thing to me and other PC enthusiasts is greatly improved performance. If what Nvidia here is saying is true, then are we really going to see that much of an improvement with a SteamOS if we're not even seeing a huge improvement in consoles vs. DirectX anymore?
It depends on whether the game supports XInput and DirectInput, or just XInput like most modern games. Modern controllers that support XInput are basically just 360 pad clones.
Peripherals are not PC parts. But even games have minimum specs. You cannot support everything.
Fast forward
In SteamOS, we have achieved significant performance increases in graphics processing, and we’re now targeting audio performance and reductions in input latency at the operating system level. Game developers are already taking advantage of these gains as they target SteamOS for their new releases.
Peripherals are just as important as PC parts. There is a huge market for $100+ gaming keyboards and mice. And if some fancy one I bought doesn't work because of bad drivers, chances are I am blaming the OS / console rather than the manufacturer.*
*I am basing that all on history of consumer history and their knowledge of drivers
Maybe, but more than likely companies selling $100+ peripherals will work with Valve to get their specific features working. Or they will come out with a SteamOS version and get people to double dip.
I have a $100+ keyboard, and its only really $100+ because its mechanical and backlit. Macro keys are nothing revolutionary. There is nothing special about "gaming" peripherals. If someone is motivated to get things working in Linux, like Valve is, it can be done. None of this stuff is impossible. And this is targeted towards the PC crowd, and they go through this kind of thing with every major Windows rev.