Is it really “worth remembering”? The past is passed. They’re not the same company and the PC space is not the same as it was back then. Who cares?
While we eagerly await the second coming of Steam Machines, it's worth remembering what a gloriously awful mess Valve got itself in over a decade ago
Submitted 7 hours ago by tonytins@pawb.social to games@lemmy.world
Comments
Jmsnwbrd@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
Why would you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a PC that used a brand-new operating system and had a gaming library a fraction of the size of that of Windows machines?
I had one of the old Alienware Steam Machines. I know it wasn’t a popular answer, but my answer to this was that Windows was atrocious for the living room just like it’s atrocious for handhelds today, and I had easily and cheaply amassed a large library of Linux-compatible games even back then by way of Steam sales. But this wasn’t even the only problem. We only had OpenGL ports rather than lower level and more performant APIs like Vulkan. Running a marquis Linux title like Shadow of Mordor would come with a sizable performance hit compared to the Windows version, even when run on exactly the same hardware, and that would also require a machine that cost $200 more than a PS4 that could run the same game just as well.
fartsparkles@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
The failure of the Steam Machine is why Valve hosted Khronos group at their office to kick off Vulkan and funded LunarG etc in the early days to get things moving quickly.
Valve took their time but this new hardware range is based on years of learning and solving the problems from their original foray into hardware and Linux for gaming.
And I’m so thankful for it!
deliriousdreams@fedia.io 6 hours ago
As someone who owned the Alienware one with windows 8 (and upgrades it to windows 10, and a 2TB SSD), I'm glad to find anyone else who actually bought one, especially the steam OS variant, and has expert with it, rather than regurgitating what articles say.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
So, funny story, I bought it as the Windows variant, because it was $50 cheaper for some reason. Bloatware subsidies, maybe? My roommate and I tried it for a little while, but using Windows from the couch sucked so much that I put SteamOS on it. My roommate only booted back to Windows to play Hearthstone. I just rocked whatever SteamOS would let me play local, since streaming games from my desktop in the other room wasn’t cutting it for me. I played through KOTOR2 on that machine, on SteamOS, and had a great time.
KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 4 hours ago
paper_moon@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
I bought from ebay for $150 in 2016 that someone I think tried to pass off the yellow ring of death to me, as the system failed shortly after I bought it, BUT, it was still under original manufacturer warranty. I sent it in to dell with no proof of purchase requested from me, they sent my system back fixed, and accidentally gave me another steam controller in the box back, haha.
After getting it back, I wiped windows and have been running Ubuntu on it since then. Still using it as a HTPC right now, though it is getting long in the tooth for web video like YouTube, etc. Probably gonna be replacing it soon with something else.
artyom@piefed.social 5 hours ago
This is exactly why they SHOULDN’T have named it Steam Machine. The Steam Deck was released and no one talked about Steam Machines. Call it Steam Machine and suddenly everyone is reminded of the colossal flop all those years ago.
silverchase@sh.itjust.works 5 hours ago
Really, how many people cared about or even remember the original? The original program was a flop but that hasn’t tainted the name.
Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
I remember it, and that memory is why this one kind of has me hopeful.
artyom@piefed.social 4 hours ago
how many people cared about or even remember the original
The people who wrote this article do. And now so does everyone that came across it.
ladicius@lemmy.world 4 hours ago
There’s so few people that remember… Nobody cares.
And Steam Machine is going really hard as a brand and as a device name, really. I bet there’s a lot of salivating at this level of brand recognition in a lot of marketing departments.
vic_rattlehead@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
I was holding out for the Steam Engine.
Paradox@lemdro.id 5 hours ago
I kind of wish they’d called em steam engines
psx_crab@lemmy.zip 4 hours ago
Does it matter though? You can put it as a failure that got so bad Valve eventually cancel it, or you can put it as a product that got good from countless iteration. Its kinda like glass half empty half full kind of situation which eventually doesn’t really matter.
artyom@piefed.social 4 hours ago
Ask anyone who works in marketing is branding is important.
melroy@kbin.melroy.org 5 hours ago
I want Amd to have 4k 120hz support on Linux please? Stupid hdmi forum.
ramius345@sh.itjust.works 4 hours ago
I switched to a display port monitor because of this.
sanpo@sopuli.xyz 6 hours ago
Yes, it is worth it to remember.
They naively expected publishers and developers to give a shit.
But after that failure they worked hard for years and contributed and donated to open source projects.
That allowed Linux to become a true competitor in gaming space with zero vendor lock-in.
Whatever their reasons were, the results are objectively positive for nearly everyone.
marighost@piefed.social 5 hours ago
You think Gabe Newell hates Microsoft so much that he has his company contribute to Linux and open source, simply out of spite?
hperrin@lemmy.ca 1 hour ago
He has stated as much, so, yeah.
frongt@lemmy.zip 2 hours ago
I mean he quit working for Microsoft and started Valve because he disagreed with their direction.
tuckerm@feddit.online 5 hours ago
I don’t think that is true, but I certainly like the idea of it being true.
sanpo@sopuli.xyz 4 hours ago
Yes, actually.
www.bbc.com/news/technology-18996377
BigTrout75@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
On the Windows platform, Valve has to do what Microsoft decides. If Microsoft decides all apps are required to go through the Microsoft store app then Valve would be toast.
stupidcasey@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Yes, but also money.