Valve Confirms SteamBox

[RicoADF]

I don't like Linux, it scares me. I think I will just stick to my normal PC. It's great, I love it. Interesting concept though, I shall keep an eye on it.

If I may ask, what's so scary about linux? Do you have a PS3 or ever used one? Do you have an android phone/tablet?

 

[RicoADF]

I don't like Linux, it scares me. I think I will just stick to my normal PC. It's great, I love it. Interesting concept though, I shall keep an eye on it.

If I may ask, what's so scary about linux? Do you have a PS3 or ever used one? Do you have an android phone/tablet?

I don't understand it and whenever I've tried to get my games running on various iterations it been a nightmare. I have no doubt it's my failing and not Linux's but I just find Windows so much easier to use. I have used a PS3, is that Linux based then?

Yes PS3 and Android are both Linux. Thing is that if your trying to run Windows games on linux thats why its a nightmare, while yes WINE will allow some games (especially older ones) to run fine, and dosbox allows DOS games, new AAA games need dx10/11 which Linux doesn't have (microsoft owned). However, with Steam comming to Linux the hope is that mainstream games will be made to be compatible with Linux, and thus you wont have issues. Thats my hope, then I can drop windows for good, sadly I need it for my PC games for now. Everything other than gaming Linux will beat windows hands down.
Theres hope though, since most games are made to run on PS3 they already have an OpenGL version (Linux runs on OpenGL rather than direct x, just a different way of creating the graphics), so in theory it's not hard for them to port it over.

 

[janjotat]

snip

As far as I can tell valve isn't making any hardware of their own. The "steambox" is a name attached to any small linux computer made by a third party. Of course I could be easily proven wrong in the next few weeks.