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A move that isn't entirely surprising due to how limited it was, Valve is moving back to focus on gaming more than anything else with non-gaming videos being retired.

From the news post:

For the past few years, we have worked on expanding Steam beyond games and software by building a video platform that supports paid and free video content. In reviewing what Steam users actually watch, it became clear we should focus our effort on offering content that is either directly related to gaming or, is accessory content for games or software sold on Steam.

As part of this refocus, we have retired the Video section of the Steam Store menu with an expectation that video content is discovered via the associated game or software store page, or through search, user tags, recommendations, etc.

Over the coming weeks a number of non-gaming videos will be retired and will no longer be available for purchase. Previously purchased content will remain available to owners.

Why is it not surprising? Well, it makes sense for multiple reasons. Did you ever buy and watch any movies (or other non-gaming videos) on Steam? I didn't, it's far easier to use a different service like Netflix, Google Play or practically any other where you could watch your content across pretty much any device and browser.

On top of that, Valve's bread and butter is gaming and since they now have more competition actually focusing on that is obvious at this point.

The dedicated Videos link on Steam has already been removed.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Steam, Valve
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scaine Feb 20, 2019
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I don't think there's much evidence to support your view Sub. Even the anti-Linux brigade tends to be the same old names cropping up over and over, MS fanbois desperate to re-enforce their Helsinki syndrome.

Plus, if Valve were doing to give this up, we'd have seen some sort of evidence of that before six years flew by.

I also fervently hope you're wrong! :D
qptain Nemo Feb 20, 2019
I thought buying videos on Steam was convenient, but eh, I'll live with it I guess. Certainly don't mind the focus being maintained on games. If this actually takes away significant resources from that focus or even just makes too little money, a perfectly understandable decision.
Salvatos Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: scaineI suspect this is a (or another) reason that Steam devices didn't really take off. Playstation and Xbox both allow Netflix, Spotify and others on their consoles. Why would you buy a SteamPC that doesn't support any of that. Pretty ridiculous.
Quoting: dubigrasuGood thing I guess.
I feared at one point that Valve deliberately ignored having Netflix/Amazon/etc apps available on their SteamOS/Steam Machines because they tried to push their own movie store.
Can't people just use the web clients on SteamOS?
Mohandevir Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: sub"Valve is getting back to focusing on gaming, with Linux support being retired"

The day will come.

Mark my words. They'll try some more attempts to push Linux that will fail like the attempts before.
Not least because big part of the game-related media is inherently anti Linux.
And you need those guys!

At some point Valve will give up.

Yes, I hope I'm totally wrong.

The day Valve drops Linux support is the day Microsoft will start pushing it's UWP intiative again. Linux is what prevents Microsoft from doing anything foolish (and/or) radical.

Edit: Valve wants to hire a new SteamOS engineer... Valve gets back to focus on gaming and AMD wants to hire ten new engineers for open source linux driver developments... Could it be all linked, somehow?

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AMD-Hiring-10-More-Open-Source


Last edited by Mohandevir on 20 February 2019 at 7:42 pm UTC
Mohandevir Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: Salvatos
Quoting: scaineI suspect this is a (or another) reason that Steam devices didn't really take off. Playstation and Xbox both allow Netflix, Spotify and others on their consoles. Why would you buy a SteamPC that doesn't support any of that. Pretty ridiculous.
Quoting: dubigrasuGood thing I guess.
I feared at one point that Valve deliberately ignored having Netflix/Amazon/etc apps available on their SteamOS/Steam Machines because they tried to push their own movie store.
Can't people just use the web clients on SteamOS?

Last time I checked, Netflix through web browsers was limited to 720p. There are workarounds, but for the masses, it's a no-go. You need an officially supported Netflix client (or Microsoft Edge) to get the 1080p+ resolution.


Last edited by Mohandevir on 20 February 2019 at 7:43 pm UTC
tuubi Feb 20, 2019
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Quoting: scaineMS fanbois desperate to re-enforce their Helsinki syndrome.
I think you mean Stockholm syndrome. They're our neighbours, but they can keep their icky syndromes.
qptain Nemo Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: Mohandevir
Quoting: Salvatos
Quoting: scaineI suspect this is a (or another) reason that Steam devices didn't really take off. Playstation and Xbox both allow Netflix, Spotify and others on their consoles. Why would you buy a SteamPC that doesn't support any of that. Pretty ridiculous.
Quoting: dubigrasuGood thing I guess.
I feared at one point that Valve deliberately ignored having Netflix/Amazon/etc apps available on their SteamOS/Steam Machines because they tried to push their own movie store.
Can't people just use the web clients on SteamOS?

Last time I checked, Netflix through web browsers was limited to 720p. There are workarounds, but for the masses, it's a no-go. You need an officially supported Netflix client (or Microsoft Edge) to get the 1080p+ resolution.
Can you link the workarounds, for posterity?
Mohandevir Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: qptain Nemo
Quoting: Mohandevir
Quoting: Salvatos
Quoting: scaineI suspect this is a (or another) reason that Steam devices didn't really take off. Playstation and Xbox both allow Netflix, Spotify and others on their consoles. Why would you buy a SteamPC that doesn't support any of that. Pretty ridiculous.
Quoting: dubigrasuGood thing I guess.
I feared at one point that Valve deliberately ignored having Netflix/Amazon/etc apps available on their SteamOS/Steam Machines because they tried to push their own movie store.
Can't people just use the web clients on SteamOS?

Last time I checked, Netflix through web browsers was limited to 720p. There are workarounds, but for the masses, it's a no-go. You need an officially supported Netflix client (or Microsoft Edge) to get the 1080p+ resolution.
Can you link the workarounds, for posterity?

https://www.addictivetips.com/web/watch-netflix-in-1080p-chrome-firefox/

And there is Kodi 18 with Netflix too. It works great:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=329767
https://github.com/asciidisco/plugin.video.netflix


Last edited by Mohandevir on 20 February 2019 at 8:08 pm UTC
dubigrasu Feb 20, 2019
Quoting: Salvatos
Quoting: scaineI suspect this is a (or another) reason that Steam devices didn't really take off. Playstation and Xbox both allow Netflix, Spotify and others on their consoles. Why would you buy a SteamPC that doesn't support any of that. Pretty ridiculous.
Quoting: dubigrasuGood thing I guess.
I feared at one point that Valve deliberately ignored having Netflix/Amazon/etc apps available on their SteamOS/Steam Machines because they tried to push their own movie store.
Can't people just use the web clients on SteamOS?
I do use the web client on my SteamOS. You can use it in the "Linux Desktop mode" or just (while in the BPM) hit LB on your controller and add Netflix/ to your bookmarks. Eventually just add them as "games" on your library (old video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-NXNaZeKwc

But all these are workarounds and some of them not really reliable or easy to set up for the guy that buys a Steam Machine.
a0kami Feb 20, 2019
I'm still mad from the time I bought "Indie Game: The Movie" listed as a game, with its crappy proprietary player based on Adobe Air and was of course never supported on Linux, besides being no different than a simple DVD.
One of the main reason I didn't ever give a chance to steam videos.
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