Another Linux-based gaming system is coming, this time from Atari. The Ataribox [Official Site] will run on an AMD processor and it sounds quite interesting.
It will use an AMD customized processor, with Radeon Graphics technology. This likely means a proper CPU for a desktop and not an ARM chip like found in other devices. It runs Linux, but they will be customizing the interface as it's mainly aimed at using it like a console on a TV. Even so, they say it will give a "full PC experience for the TV". You will also apparently get full access to the underlying Linux system, so there might possibly be a proper Linux desktop included to achieve this.
It sounds like it's going to remain quite open too, as they say you will be able to access games purchased from other "content platforms" as long as it's Linux-compatible. So, it sounds like installing Steam will be possible for example.
It will come pre-loaded with classic Atari games too and even some current titles from a range of different studios. It will be interesting to see if these current titles are games already on Linux, or games they will get ported. If they are new ports, I hope they continue to be open with them and not do some kind of exclusive "Ataribox store" deal. They say we will learn more about the titles soon, so I will keep you updated.
It will launch on Indiegogo soon, they say "this fall". It might seem strange for a bigger company to go to crowdfunding, but they say this is because they want the community to be part of the launch. Honestly though, it's mainly so there's less risk involved for them, but it's also a good way for them to gauge real interest in it.
As for the proper launch, that will be in "late Spring 2018" with a price between $249-$299. That depends on what edition and configuration is purchased.
The wood edition, pictured above, is made with real wood. Now that I would love to sit next to my TV! That's a real unit, not a render.
This is something that could help push Linux gaming further. Especially if it really will be as open as they claim, it could help Linux gain even more support from developers. I don't want to overstate how well it will help though, since it's not going to be massively powerful. Even so, it's hard not to get excited about the possibilities here. Another big name pushing Linux gaming can only be a good thing for us.
While Valve's Steam Machines didn't do as much as some people hoped, it did open up Linux a lot more to game developers and we've now got thousands of games on Linux as a result of Steam coming to Linux and later the SteamOS announcement. Perhaps this small kick from Atari will help continue progress, but who knows.
What do you think to this? Exciting or not? I will likely grab one, the price seems good and it sounds like a fun platform. It also looks pretty awesome!
Update: For those curious if it's really real (there's been a few comments about it across our various social groups). Here's the press email, also the official Atari Twitter account even linked to it, as did the official Atari Facebook. On top of that, it seems the AMD CEO is excited by it.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Quoting: slaapliedjeI always find it funny when people say SteamOS didn't succeed. It's still being developed. If Valve had officially killed it off, they haven't stated as such, and there are updates to it on a regular basis.
It's still being updated and I use it daily, but it didn't succeed.
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Mohandevir Oct 2, 2017
Quoting: GrazenQuoting: MohandevirWhat about a thunderbolt connector for eGPU compliance? Just an idea...
Edit:
Overwatch System requirements:
https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/65159
I think it isn't out of reach in the case of a zen based apu, if the goal is to run games at medium settings like many actual consoles do.
But it's just speculation. IMO, the day Blizzard port it's game catalog to Linux is the day Linux gaming has won. It's more a dream than a possibility. :)
This said, hardware needs exclusives to sell. That's why Steam Machines failed. There was nothing you couldn't get by other means or on "the other OS"... Let's see what Atari has in store, this time...
The reason SteamOS didn't succeed isn't because of exclusives, it's because games ran worse PLUS lack of compatibility. You can have one or the other and people would go for it, but both is death.
Maybe but think of a Steam Machine launch with an Exclusive HL3 for SteamOS (just an example) and the swarm of players that would have come to the platform would have taken care of the issues you mentionned by itself. Bigger player base = Better support.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 October 2017 at 3:58 pm UTC
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Quoting: MohandevirQuoting: GrazenQuoting: MohandevirWhat about a thunderbolt connector for eGPU compliance? Just an idea...
Edit:
Overwatch System requirements:
https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/65159
I think it isn't out of reach in the case of a zen based apu, if the goal is to run games at medium settings like many actual consoles do.
But it's just speculation. IMO, the day Blizzard port it's game catalog to Linux is the day Linux gaming has won. It's more a dream than a possibility. :)
This said, hardware needs exclusives to sell. That's why Steam Machines failed. There was nothing you couldn't get by other means or on "the other OS"... Let's see what Atari has in store, this time...
The reason SteamOS didn't succeed isn't because of exclusives, it's because games ran worse PLUS lack of compatibility. You can have one or the other and people would go for it, but both is death.
Maybe but think of a Steam Machine launch with an Exclusive HL3 for SteamOS (just an example) and the swarm of players that would have come to the platform would have taken care of the issues you mentionned by itself. Bigger player base = Better support.
If Valve put HL3 onto SteamOS as an exclusive, they would have needed to invest at least a billion dollars into the project, which is a fraction of the cost of a typical console launch. Valve doesn't spend billions, they make billions.
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slaapliedje Oct 2, 2017
Quoting: GrazenQuoting: MohandevirQuoting: GrazenQuoting: MohandevirWhat about a thunderbolt connector for eGPU compliance? Just an idea...
Edit:
Overwatch System requirements:
https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/65159
I think it isn't out of reach in the case of a zen based apu, if the goal is to run games at medium settings like many actual consoles do.
But it's just speculation. IMO, the day Blizzard port it's game catalog to Linux is the day Linux gaming has won. It's more a dream than a possibility. :)
This said, hardware needs exclusives to sell. That's why Steam Machines failed. There was nothing you couldn't get by other means or on "the other OS"... Let's see what Atari has in store, this time...
The reason SteamOS didn't succeed isn't because of exclusives, it's because games ran worse PLUS lack of compatibility. You can have one or the other and people would go for it, but both is death.
Maybe but think of a Steam Machine launch with an Exclusive HL3 for SteamOS (just an example) and the swarm of players that would have come to the platform would have taken care of the issues you mentionned by itself. Bigger player base = Better support.
If Valve put HL3 onto SteamOS as an exclusive, they would have needed to invest at least a billion dollars into the project, which is a fraction of the cost of a typical console launch. Valve doesn't spend billions, they make billions.
And why would they have to invest a billion dollars into the project? They already have the Source engine ported, and that's like 90% of any game.
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slaapliedje Oct 2, 2017
Quoting: GrazenQuoting: slaapliedjeI always find it funny when people say SteamOS didn't succeed. It's still being developed. If Valve had officially killed it off, they haven't stated as such, and there are updates to it on a regular basis.
It's still being updated and I use it daily, but it didn't succeed.
It didn't fail then either, right? It's 'ongoing' just like anything else that is updated on a regular basis. I play around with Retro computers all the time. Some of which were definite failures. And while something like the Atari Jaguar that got sub-100 game support is definitely considered a failure, SteamOS which is still being updated and has over 3000 games for it, I'd say is completely a success.
Steam Machines could be argued as a failure, even though they're still for sale as well.
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slaapliedje Oct 2, 2017
Quoting: CFWhitmanQuoting: wvstolzingThe C64 was never really a *good* gaming machine -- its strongest assets were the SID chip, and the possibilities it harbored for homebrew tinkering. I've come to realize only recently that games on the NES had WAY better playability, compared to what we had on the C64. So if there's to be a C64 revival, it should be in terms of 6502 (6510) hacking -- something akin to the new BBC Micro, and not really gaming nostalgia.
I'd say in a general sense that is true regarding older Atari games as well. I think that's a big part of why the NES lead to a revival of the popularity of video games. Some of the games on it just had a deeper appeal than what had preceded it. I was never even really a fan of the game play of Super Mario Bros., but it's clear why it had a deeper appeal than older games. The Legend of Zelda didn't look like much when you just saw it, but if you actually played it for a bit, you started to get it. Castlevania and Megaman were appealing to me almost from the minute I laid eyes on them.
That being said I remember liking Chopper Command on the 2600 and Fort Apocalypse on the Commodore 64 a lot.
Also, computer gaming really split away from console gaming in the era that the Amiga was introduced, playing to the different strengths of computers compared to consoles.
The truth of the matter is sad really. Atari (under Time Warner) just published any old crap that came across their desk. E.T. is one fine example, though apparently Spielberg himself gave the 'Okay' for it, so we can blame all of that on him and the tight schedule they made the developer work in (his other previous games were all extremely successful, Yars Revenge and Indiana Jones). Nintendo did the exact opposite, they pretty much forced everyone to pass through their quality assurance stamp of approval, which also included making them exclusive to the NES.
If Atari had been smarter, they could have taken Nintendo up on the distribution deal. Oh well, sometimes you live and learn and other times you don't and end up being owned by the French.
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stretch611 Oct 2, 2017
Don't look at Valve doing work in linux as benevolence, charitable, or in any other way as a way for them to embrace linux. They are a business and they are acting as such for their own profit. This is true even if they are not making a profit off of linux.
It is obvious that Valve's most feared competitor is Microsoft. Steam started as a way to make users have an easy way to install games and keep them updated. Most people that use computers really are idiots. While I have a very good knowledge of what I am doing, I know some other technical people, devs, that barely know how to install things. All people had to do was get one program, Steam, installed and it would allow you purchase, install, play, and update games with ease. (And lets face it, while it is easier now than it was in the past, Steam makes it much easier to install games on linux too.)
Once the iphone and androids hit the market about 10 years ago they caught on like wildfire. Microsoft was jealous... not because of the phone dominance, even though it wasn't happy that its existing phones at the time were trounced (and windows phones did exist back before the iphone and android), it was really jealous of the revenues from itunes, and the android play store. Here are software stores on the devices where apple and google get a percentage of everything sold for doing nothing except having a store front. Even though it is easy to bypass the store on Android (and possible, but not so easy on apple) very few people do this at all. It does not require much though to realize how much money Apple and Google are making off of this arrangement for very little investment.
Now here is Valve... It basically has a store that does the same thing as itunes and google play. Microsoft wants to do the same on the desktop. It has with the windows store. Also, if Microsoft wants to, they can require their own store to be required... (Microsoft's only problem is with anti-trust law; which is not likely to be enforced with the current administration, it doesn't mean it wouldn't be enforced with the next.)
That is why Valve supports linux. The more viable linux becomes, the more people have an option other than windows. The more choice people have, the less draconian windows will become (in theory.) While the majority of people will not be leaving windows for linux, the worse windows becomes the more people that will leave. If Microsoft goes nuclear and forces the use of windows store only, the relatively small mac and linux markets will be all valve has left. Apple already has a Mac store... Hence linux is the only safe choice for Valve. Even if there would be a way to bypass a windows store only, most users will never do it, just like on the phones. Even if anti-trust laws are enforced against Microsoft, any settlement would be years away. Linux is the only way Valve can survive at all in a worse case scenario. In a less than worse case problem, linux is still helpful for Valve's finances.
That is why Valve will continue to support linux and SteamOS. It is a saftey measure and will always be one. The more they update it, the better linux gets, the easier tools make it to port games, the larger market valve will have if and when all hell breaks loose. And trust me... Microsoft will do this as soon as they think they can get away with it.
As for a Half-Life 3 exclusive on Linux... it isn't going to happen. Valve is a corporation seeking profit. While the numbers of linux users is increasing, it is dwarfed by windows gamers. They will not annoy the majority of their market by making them wait even longer.
TL: DR... Valve will continue to update, support, and improve SteamOS/Linux as long as the Windows Marketplace exists... it is why they started SteamOS support, and why they will not let it die.
It is obvious that Valve's most feared competitor is Microsoft. Steam started as a way to make users have an easy way to install games and keep them updated. Most people that use computers really are idiots. While I have a very good knowledge of what I am doing, I know some other technical people, devs, that barely know how to install things. All people had to do was get one program, Steam, installed and it would allow you purchase, install, play, and update games with ease. (And lets face it, while it is easier now than it was in the past, Steam makes it much easier to install games on linux too.)
Once the iphone and androids hit the market about 10 years ago they caught on like wildfire. Microsoft was jealous... not because of the phone dominance, even though it wasn't happy that its existing phones at the time were trounced (and windows phones did exist back before the iphone and android), it was really jealous of the revenues from itunes, and the android play store. Here are software stores on the devices where apple and google get a percentage of everything sold for doing nothing except having a store front. Even though it is easy to bypass the store on Android (and possible, but not so easy on apple) very few people do this at all. It does not require much though to realize how much money Apple and Google are making off of this arrangement for very little investment.
Now here is Valve... It basically has a store that does the same thing as itunes and google play. Microsoft wants to do the same on the desktop. It has with the windows store. Also, if Microsoft wants to, they can require their own store to be required... (Microsoft's only problem is with anti-trust law; which is not likely to be enforced with the current administration, it doesn't mean it wouldn't be enforced with the next.)
That is why Valve supports linux. The more viable linux becomes, the more people have an option other than windows. The more choice people have, the less draconian windows will become (in theory.) While the majority of people will not be leaving windows for linux, the worse windows becomes the more people that will leave. If Microsoft goes nuclear and forces the use of windows store only, the relatively small mac and linux markets will be all valve has left. Apple already has a Mac store... Hence linux is the only safe choice for Valve. Even if there would be a way to bypass a windows store only, most users will never do it, just like on the phones. Even if anti-trust laws are enforced against Microsoft, any settlement would be years away. Linux is the only way Valve can survive at all in a worse case scenario. In a less than worse case problem, linux is still helpful for Valve's finances.
That is why Valve will continue to support linux and SteamOS. It is a saftey measure and will always be one. The more they update it, the better linux gets, the easier tools make it to port games, the larger market valve will have if and when all hell breaks loose. And trust me... Microsoft will do this as soon as they think they can get away with it.
As for a Half-Life 3 exclusive on Linux... it isn't going to happen. Valve is a corporation seeking profit. While the numbers of linux users is increasing, it is dwarfed by windows gamers. They will not annoy the majority of their market by making them wait even longer.
TL: DR... Valve will continue to update, support, and improve SteamOS/Linux as long as the Windows Marketplace exists... it is why they started SteamOS support, and why they will not let it die.
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Quoting: stretch611(Microsoft's only problem is with anti-trust law; which is not likely to be enforced with the current administration, it doesn't mean it wouldn't be enforced with the next.)You write like MS only cares about the US market. The truth is, this would face an immediate antitrust challenge in the EU. It's much harder to close an existing platform with a majority market share than get a new, closed platform out there. How do you expect them to enforce a single marketplace when they can't even legally require/enforce a single web browser?
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Mohandevir Oct 3, 2017
Quoting: tuubiQuoting: stretch611(Microsoft's only problem is with anti-trust law; which is not likely to be enforced with the current administration, it doesn't mean it wouldn't be enforced with the next.)You write like MS only cares about the US market. The truth is, this would face an immediate antitrust challenge in the EU. It's much harder to close an existing platform with a majority market share than get a new, closed platform out there. How do you expect them to enforce a single marketplace when they can't even legally require/enforce a single web browser?
Micorsoft Surface with Windows 10S. Their hardware, their OS. They will try to convince gamers to use the Xbox One X to stream to the Surface. That's Microsoft's vision of the future. Not sure it's going to happen but it's heading this way.
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Mohandevir Oct 3, 2017
Quoting: stretch611As for a Half-Life 3 exclusive on Linux... it isn't going to happen. Valve is a corporation seeking profit. While the numbers of linux users is increasing, it is dwarfed by windows gamers. They will not annoy the majority of their market by making them wait even longer.
Half Life 3 isn't going to happen... End of discussion. Didn't I specify that HL3 is an example in my previous comment? I was just stating the fact that Steam Machines would have been much more successfull if Valve had released them with an exclusive game. I know the official position of Valve about exclusives. It was all hypothetical to show that if Steam Machines had been a success, all the issues about compatibilty and performances would have been taken care of a long time ago. Larger player base = Better support.
This said, there is a nuance to make: Steam Machines and SteamOS are 2 diffrent things. The failure of the Steam Machines doesn't mean that SteamOS is a failure. SteamOS still has a lot of potential. Like you said, it's an awesome tool to prevent Microsoft from doing something foolish. But yeah, Valve could put a lot more of it's weight behind it.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 3 October 2017 at 2:11 pm UTC
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