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Steam Machines to launch during GDC 2015, Controller design finalized, SteamOS ready
- Thread starter crimsonheadGCN
- Start date
Boombox On
Member
The grips do not have to be purely for ghost mode. It's just another option you can set up.
Nope. It's proprietary.
No single controller is ideal for all games. Fighting games and 2D platformers are approaching SCHMUP levels of relevancy so if the controller needs to sacrifice functionality parts integral to those two genres should be the first to go.
I'd rather focus on games people actually play being on Linux. Actually looking at the top games by player count the situation is not all that dire.
Yeah. Steam Controller should be primarily focused on making mouse driven games playable.
Even in the best case scenario getting a Windows machine and using Big Picture Mode or XBMC on that will be a thousand times more preferable if you want to get deeper into PC gaming. Buy a Steam Controller when it comes out and you'll have a Steam box that you can use right now and AND it'll have a much richer library of games.
Because it started out as this crazy unique design with a touchscreen in the center and neat button placement, and then every revision has gotten further and further into bog standard territory. The latest revision even has a Thumbstick instead of a D-Pad!
I'm sorry I have to explain this, I was trying to be sad and sarcastic since I'm depressed at how normal the Steam controller looks now.
Normal? There really is nothing like it in the market right now and the haptic pads and the design is still very unique. Removing the pads and making it like standard xbox pad would not make any sense at all. But i am little disappointed because they added the stick in there. Apparently they did it because it helps some people to get over the learning curve easier. Let's hope that's it's actually useful addition.
I'm definitely going to be first in line to get one of these.
MrCunningham
Member
I think in a long term game plan, SteamOS is a really good idea, and the Steam controller is an interesting proposal. But I am a bit iffy on the whole Steam Machine idea at the moment. It still feels a bit too early.
Crazy as it sounds but I think Microsoft is going to steamroll Valve with Windows 10. An unlikely good PC gaming Xbox platform that makes you wonder if it's from the same company that made GFWL or the sane thought, a great Windows that scales to every box making it a no brainer to go nowhere near SteamOS. The Steam controller might be cool but not sold yet.
flaxknuckles
Member
It would be great if Microsoft had Windows transform into the Xbox One OS when you connect a controller along with it's own digital gaming platform. But honestly Steam has many games at this point that it would useless for Microsoft to do so (Microsoft once again LTTP). Plus, I'd rather support the company that gives you Windows, Mac, and Linux games for one purchase.
Steam os is not a product to replace windows out of the box. I think that's where a lot of people get confused. It's not really a marketable piece of merchandise. Think of it as the ground work for an alternative platform for the future.
I wouldn't touch a Microsoft platform with a 10 foot pole. Only a matter of time before it starts expecting me to pay a monthly fee.
Grampa Simpson
Banned
The xbox 360 controllers will eventually no longer be manufactured by microsoft.
Personally, I hope they officially support two controllers (theirs and the x-input design) for ease of porting.
Also the point is far games that only use the mouse. The touch pad is suppose to work better for those.
That's not one of its goals. I suppose if you're particularly terrible at managing your Operating System, then you could see improvements booting and getting into games using SteamOS.
What really matters is game performance and that will vary per game and will be heavily dependent on both the GPU driver performance and the game developer, just as with any similar PC platform. So I guess the short answer is "don't count on it".
CyberPunked
Member
It doesn't matter what it looks like. It matters that it fits it's aim, which is to play both controller based games and games designed with only mouse and keyboard in mind.Because it started out as this crazy unique design with a touchscreen in the center and neat button placement, and then every revision has gotten further and further into bog standard territory. The latest revision even has a Thumbstick instead of a D-Pad!
I'm sorry I have to explain this, I was trying to be sad and sarcastic since I'm depressed at how normal the Steam controller looks now.
NotoriousPUG
Member
What do you mean when you say support them? Steam made a free OS. They made a controller.
They do not make or sell the hardware of Steam machines.
Grampa Simpson
Banned
There are plenty of games that support x-input, and are built around it.
I know that steamos works with x-input, and that's unlikely to change, but officially supported vs happens to work are two different things.
The big point is that if Valve wants x-input controllers to continue to be manufactured (logitech f710?), then they need to place a stake.
tinfoilhatman
all of my posts are my avatar
Those of us who are massively disappointed in XB1\PS4 and have no interest in sitting behind a keyboard\mouse after we get home from sitting behind a KB and mouse 8-10 hours a day.
I could care aless about console exclusives, I'm lucky to have time to play 5-6 games per year and spend far more time gaming on my tablet\phone anyways.
edit.....If by some freak chance I can play XB1 games on PC with Windows10 yea this would probably derail that purchase.
khamsinvera
Member
Day one buy for me - gonna grab a steam machine in the $1-1.5k range, stick it under the TV
So excited for the new OS
So excited for the new OS
ashecitism
Member
I don't think Valve explicitly need to support other controllers/xinput. Iirc everything's in the linux kernel.
Succinct Verbosity
Member
I think if you saw the price to power ratio of the consoles revealed some time ago, this neither appeals to console owners or pc enthusiasts. I suppose if you have money to burn it's pretty good, but I suspect you'll be able to geta pre-built windows PC -which can do far more on an OS level- with similar or greater specs than a steam machine.
Ovek
7Member7
What if the game your playing uses more than 12 keys on a keyboard?
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Looking forward to seeing them, but I hope they're not ridiculously overpriced.
I find it funny that people are attacking the hardware being released when the real announcement of this is the SteamOS. ANYONE will be able to make their on Steam Machine. Just add SteamOS to you current machine. BAM! Don't even have to buy anything outside of an extra hard drive and even that isn't necessary for most people. If this OS is good then it won't need to be sold through prebuilt machines to catch on.
Ovek
7Member7
What do you define by steamroll? Steam will still be available on Windows 10. Also, not sure what any Xbox connection offers PC gamers.
ashecitism
Member
The OP is still unconfirmed. I wouldn't bet on it to be true. SteamOS doesn't seem to ready at all. Media features? Still not a beep. And Music still only supports mp3. Barebones experience for the livingroom.
Ovek
7Member7
Why would I want to limit my PC by forcing it to run opengl on dodgy Linux drivers?
CyberPunked
Member
I think the biggest issues with Steam OS is that it's Linux based... So you're super limited to games that work on Linux
TouchMyBox
Member
For something that so many people call "perfect", but d-pad is worthless, the bumpers suck, the triggers get squeaky, and the battery compartment is bulky and gets in the way. It's a fairly decent controller, but let's not kid ourselves and settle for anything less than actual perfection.
They've gotten pretty much every large middleware provider to support linux, so going forward it should be fairly trivial for companies to bring their games to the platform. We know that some companies like WB have been holding back on releasing at least some of their games on Linux because they're waiting for the official launch of Steam Machines. Hopefully there are a lot of ports of games in the works that we don't publicly know about waiting for the platforms launch, or else yeah, Steam Machines will come out with a whimper. Obviously we're never going to see our entire back catalogue of our steam libraries natively supported, but I think as long as they manage to get all the big recent and future AAA releases it will have the potential to grow into something big.
I'm interested in the prospect of putting one of these inside an arcade machine. I'm also interested in having it in my living room for playing local multiplayer PC games with friends. So I guess I could be part of their intended market.
Ha that's kinda of the point of the whole thing.
ChronotriggerJM
Member
I'm really happy to see the analog stick. More excited for Steam OS. I'm really hoping Valve pours some love into this baby.
MrCunningham
Member
Yeah, Xinput support is totally fine under Linux, when games actually support it.
What incentive do big developers have to put their AAA titles onto SteamOS though? Why go through all the extra costs of making it Windows and Linux compatible when the vast majority of the market are on Windows already and a Steam machine will run Windows anyway?
Unless Valve are going to pick up the tab for the extra development costs I can see plenty of developers, larger ones in particular, just not bothering.
Unless Valve are going to pick up the tab for the extra development costs I can see plenty of developers, larger ones in particular, just not bothering.
Huw_Dawson
Member
These are going to need to be serious value for money to tempt PC heads.
I wonder what kind of performance steam is will allow for games. Will it be an improvement over windows? Is there any info on this?
I'm sure it's going to need its own APIs. Isn't one of the things that holds back PC gaming the fact that MS only updates DX every couple of years? I'm sure Valve would stay on top of that considering It's in their best interests.
I'm sure it's going to need its own APIs. Isn't one of the things that holds back PC gaming the fact that MS only updates DX every couple of years? I'm sure Valve would stay on top of that considering It's in their best interests.
Pretty sure it's not the pc heads they are going after.
Steam has about the easiest way imaginable to convince devs to support it - even though a ton already are. All they have to do is say that any game with a SteamOS port, gets a 5% (e.g.) reduction in Valve's cut across that game's sales. I am guessing that would get a tidal wave of ports.
My guess is that Valve will do something more clever than that though and make an ecosystem that both customers and developers want to be a part of. That's what they've done with Steam.
Some people here are expecting a console launch. It's not a console. It's something that will grow over time.
Right. I am only saying that they have an almost fool-proof back-up plan should nothing go as planned. In this way, they are like no other player in the market as they have that lever over so many games.
Boombox On
Member
It's the PC crowd that this entire living room initiative is for.