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A third of Valve now working on VR, still no Linux support

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A Valve developer on reddit has talked a bit about Valve and VR, and he specifically stated that a third of Valve is now working on VR. A third of Valve, yet still no Linux support.

From reddit:
QuoteI was super fortunate to start at Valve right around the time Michael Abrash had begun the AR/VR research team. It was a much smaller team then than it is now, it has since grown to encompass about a third of the company, but the key individuals that solved most of the really hard technological problems and facilitated this generation of consumer headsets are still here working on the next generation.


I would really love to know what the holdup is, as usual communicate from Valve is pants on the matter. I pointed it out in my recent editorial on how Valve need to step up and properly support their SteamOS effort.

I would absolutely love to buy a proper VR headset like the Vive, but for now they are not getting my money. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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33 comments
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cRaZy-bisCuiT Jun 21, 2016
I don't give a d**n - who cares about VR?
EndeavourAccuracy Jun 21, 2016
Quoting: cRaZy-bisCuiTI don't give a d**n - who cares about VR?

You don't care about VR and Linux. Maybe you also don't care about Steam Broadcasting and Linux. However, sooner or later you will care about something else related to Linux. When that time arrives, you'll want your fellow Linux users to write something else than "I don't give a d**n - who cares".

I see your profile icon is the Arch Linux logo. I personally do not use Arch. However, I would, for instance, still help you run my software on your distribution. I will not write "I don't give a d**n - who cares about Arch?".

An on-topic article that I posted about an hour ago:
http://www.vronlinux.com/articles/valve-when-can-i-use-my-vive-under-linux.16
Xodetaetl Jun 21, 2016
Quoting: cRaZy-bisCuiTI don't give a d**n - who cares about VR?
A great lot of people who love immersion and, more generally, amazing sensations they've never experienced before.


Last edited by Xodetaetl on 21 June 2016 at 11:55 am UTC
Qantourisc Jun 21, 2016
"I would, for instance, still help you run my software on your distribution."
Not giving a dam about something and being polite/courteous/considerate about other peoples desires are not mutually exclusive. (Unless your a company it seems, then it all goes out the window for cold hard cash.)

But "I don't give a dam response" is kind of inconsiderate indeed :)


Last edited by Qantourisc on 21 June 2016 at 12:04 pm UTC
scaine Jun 21, 2016
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I'd buy one in a heartbeat, but to use the now classic line - no tux, no bucks. We recently got a unit delivered to my work and I have to say - videos and articles on Vive do it no justice at all. It's an absolutely stunning, utterly game-changing experience. Breathtaking. Gobsmacking.

No, it won't instantly make every game amazing - I can't imagine playing any of my favourite FPS titles on a Vive, for example, but for the customised experiences tailored to take advantage of its capabilities, it's an unbelievable, almost surreal futuristic experience.
Inspector_Gidget Jun 21, 2016
Quoting: cRaZy-bisCuiTI don't give a d**n - who cares about VR?

It's unfortunate that yours was the first comment...

I would drop money on one of these in a heartbeat if they supported my OS. It makes me sad, these people.
natewardawg Jun 21, 2016
I hope they have a least a small handful of these people working on Linux/SteamOS support... or at least one?
Kimyrielle Jun 21, 2016
Quoting: Guest
Quoting: cRaZy-bisCuiTI don't give a d**n - who cares about VR?
Like, everyone? We live in the fucking future!
Seriously, people who don't even care about gaming care.

I will contest the "everyone" part by saying that I don't give a rat's behind about VR and know a lot of gamers who don't. For starters, it has absolutely no valid use case for the type of games I am playing (strategy, RPG). VR adds absolutely nothing to a lot of genres and not everyone is knee deep into shooters and racing games. Then, I generally hate first person view, and VR is the pinnacle of first person view. If a play a character, I want to -see- my character. Next, I dislike wearing things on my head (I don't even use headsets for gaming). And last but not least, I get sea sick really fast. Good enough reasons?

VR is one of these completely overhyped things that are likely to vanish really fast. Anyone remembers 3D TV? No? Apparently that was the future, like 5 years ago. Except it apparently wasn't. The larger they hype, the harder they fall. They haven't even figured out how to allow you to move around in VR worlds without making you throw up after 10 seconds. I am quite convinced that VR will find a niche for itself - with games designed for it from the ground up, but I would be totally surprised if it would become the mainstream revolution for all things gaming people think it will be.

On topic: My personal opinion about VR aside, I still think it's silly of Valve not to get Linux support into that thing ASAP. I realize that they have to get to the market fast because their competition is already there. But if they want SteamOS to become a thing, they just can't not support it with their own stuff.
scaine Jun 21, 2016
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[quote=Kimyrielle]
Quoting: GuestVR is one of these completely overhyped things that are likely to vanish really fast. Anyone remembers 3D TV? No? Apparently that was the future, like 5 years ago. Except it apparently wasn't. The larger they hype, the harder they fall.

I've used/tried most of the hypes/fads out there, but none of them made so dizzyingly spiteful that I didn't have one until I tried a Vive. I want it. I want it now. It's just that good.

This isn't 3D telly, curved telly, wiimotes, 7.1 surround, 4K telly, or anything so crass. Those fads are just enhancements to existing norms. Vive is completely new. Utterly unique. As I sit here typing, I want to go play with it again.

Completely agree with your other points though - and I don't think anyone should suggest that VR/Vive is something you get to enhance everything else out there. It's not about that. It's about delivering something new, something completely unique and nearly-completely immersive.

It would be amazing for racing games, or cockpit space/flight sims. It's amazing at interactive fiction. It'll struggle with strategy. And I can't see how it would enhance FPS game much. Too much movement.
BlackBloodRum Jun 21, 2016
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Nice, an Alienware Windows VR Backpack :-D.
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