Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

Dead Code · 2012-04-25 09:37:13

Yes, this is very much real and its happening:

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=17290

ChemBro · 2012-04-25 12:16:32

How is shouting "Steam for Linux is coming!!!" for 2 years a scoop? Also what happened to Unreal Tournament 3? The Linux port was finished and nothing happened. Same here?

ise · 2012-04-25 12:46:43

ChemBro wrote:

How is shouting "Steam for Linux is coming!!!" for 2 years a scoop? Also what happened to Unreal Tournament 3? The Linux port was finished and nothing happened. Same here?

Why so pessimistic? Valve has denied any news about a Linux client before, now they do more or less an announcement about an official Linux Steam client. That's a great news to any Linux gamer out there.

I'm really happy that such a big game company is going to support Linux. And I think that they will release the Steam client.

DSpider · 2012-04-25 13:30:56

I always thought they didn't care about Linux because its desktop market share is, what, 1.5-2%? And since it runs (more or less) ok with Wine... I don't know. It's good, I guess.

Personally I'm very neutral to this "scoop". It's obviously going to be closed source. I hate that. I intend to run fully open-source software – which right now I'm a bit of a hypocrite, since I have acroread and virtualbox-bin installed. Bah... I should probably be looking into QEMU and PDF readers.

Last edited by DSpider (2012-04-25 13:31:56)

2Karl · 2012-04-25 14:18:10

While I feel it's potentially good that Steam may be coming to Linux, as it suggests that developers are taking it more seriously as a platform for gaming, I'm also not a huge fan of Steam itself for the simple fact that it's just one huge DRM system. Also, call me a jaded old cynic, but I have this fear that if Linux becomes a "popular" gaming platform, it will attract "gaming jocks", and we will see a slew of "AAA" titles at the expense of some of the more interesting indie developments which are being made. I think these AAA titles are a disease in much the same way that I think Hollywood films are a disease and "user friendliness" is a disease.

In summary: Double edged sword.

Snakeye · 2012-04-26 17:25:42

I don't see how triple "A" titles will prevent indie companies from competing. They already compete in the Windows worrld. If they provide an entertaining product, it will sell. Personallly i think it willl be the indie companies that will keep gamiing alive on the PC. The triple "A" software companies are becoming stale and boring.

Meyithi · 2012-04-26 20:45:33

Copypasta from a post I just made on Reddit

Concerning Linux...
Valve should create their own "Wayland", a lean and mean alternative to Xorg and partnership with ATI and Nvidia to bundle in the propriety drivers which you are going to need to use to game on Linux, which rules Wayland out.
Steam for Linux could contain a window server and desktop environment which they have total control of totally alleviating the nightmare of incompatibility and or misconfiguration between any combination of display managers/xorg/kernel mode-setting/propriety drivers/window managers/desktop environments/widget toolkits which they need their client to sit on top of.
They can then use any distro as a base I guess for their own boxes, and any distro would be able to use the steam environment whilst letting people who want to avoid it to do so easily because it would all be contained in one place.
If they just produce a client it going to be a world of pain, distro message boards will be full of people with no Linux experience crying because their games don't work especially if distro's switch to Wayland and you can't use the fully accelerated Nvidia/Ati drivers.
Well that's what I 'd do anyway, if you want to use it it would be all preconfigured from window server up, if you don't want to use it, no harm done.

It's the only way to produce a solid gaming environment whilst not annoying distro developers/packagers IMO, also sorts the Wayland issue out.

Awebb · 2012-04-26 21:52:09

Just when I swapped the machines, because I had Linux on the faster one…

smudge · 2012-04-28 00:48:52

Meyithi wrote:

Copypasta from a post I just made on Reddit

What a horrible thought.

And surely developers/packagers are supposed to be annoyed by users or users will never get what they want or need.

Hopefully a linux steam client will be similar to desura; another option/possibility.

I've been playing games on linux for years and never needed anything you've suggested, long may that continue.

Dead Code · 2012-04-29 03:08:23

This is a good push for Linux, most of my friends who know about Linux and have installed it don't really use it because they can't really play their games. This is one reason holding many users back in my knowledge. Once Steam is out, I'm sure their perception will change.

2Karl · 2012-05-01 07:45:42

Snakeye wrote:

I don't see how triple "A" titles will prevent indie companies from competing. They already compete in the Windows worrld. If they provide an entertaining product, it will sell. Personallly i think it willl be the indie companies that will keep gamiing alive on the PC. The triple "A" software companies are becoming stale and boring.

Becasue it's like a disease. This constant push to develop new graphics routines, style over substance. It the reason so many native linux games are crap multiplayer only FPS games with really nice graphics. My concern is that the indie devs which currently produce games for linux will not necessarily get pushed out, but will start to make games to "set benchmarks" as opposed to creating games for the joy of creating games.

Also it's not the games themselves which are the main concern to me, it's the ranks of idiots who buy them.

DISCLAIMER: Having worked for years in the games industry I am a miserable old cynic who hates everything.

Awebb · 2012-05-01 23:14:22

So how was cleaning the EA offices?

SCNR…

2Karl · 2012-05-02 09:52:02

Awebb wrote:

So how was cleaning the EA offices?
SCNR…

I imagine the EA cleaners get paid more than I ever did </grump>

Arch Linux

#1 2012-04-25 09:37:13

Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#2 2012-04-25 12:16:32

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#3 2012-04-25 12:46:43

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#4 2012-04-25 13:30:56

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#5 2012-04-25 14:18:10

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#6 2012-04-26 17:25:42

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#7 2012-04-26 20:45:33

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#8 2012-04-26 21:52:09

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#9 2012-04-28 00:48:52

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#10 2012-04-29 03:08:23

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#11 2012-05-01 07:45:42

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#12 2012-05-01 23:14:22

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

#13 2012-05-02 09:52:02

Re: Phoronix scoop on the Linux Steam Client

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