Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: wit_as_a_riddleThe power of FOSS software, improvise, adapt, overcome! 🤣

Was that, by any chance, a reference to an old Monty Python sketch involving John Cleese dressed as a bank robber?

I am a Monty Python fan but sadly no, just the Bear Grylls meme.

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The power of FOSS software, improvise, adapt, overcome! 🤣

Seriously though this is awesome to see people keep building on open source, wine, proton, dvxk, etc. FTW! I hope they create something nice!

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Quoting: CatKiller

Quoting: wit_as_a_riddleI go as far to think Valve may offer manufacturers a percentage of their cut on game sales in order to enable them to sell their equipment at a lower price, effectively subsidizing it and making it more enticing to consumers than other's equipment that ships without SteamOS. It would be a clever way to keep growing the linux market share and their own market share.

I don't think that's at all likely. They might bung a lump sum at a device that seems particularly interesting, though, if it's running Linux. Valve did help out Oculus in the early days.

I didn't necessarily mean a permanent percentage, it could be something limited, based on an agreement. Say a handheld manufacturing company agrees to ship with SteamOS, and sell their unit for $Y less than their original retail goal, because Valve negotiated to give them X% back from game sales on shipped units up until $Y is reimbursed. Could be 2%, could be 100%, that's up for negotiation.

The hardware manufacturer takes more risk than Valve here but they'll be able to sell more units since they'll be a lesser expense to consumers. Plus they'll be offering a more polished experiences and the prestige of partnership with Valve. Valve gets to grow their market share, leverage linux onto more machines, and what do they lose?

But maybe a lump sum is more palatable to both parties, I don't know. I think it's more exciting years for linux gaming ahead one way or another.

EDIT: a typo

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Quoting: sarmadIf only it had the 6000 series (the one with RDNA igpu).

I just backed the new GPD Win Max 2, basically because of The Phawx's video [External Link] on it haha, but it's got a nice spec lineup:

AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
2TB M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD
32GB LPDDR5 6400

$1,297 USD

Also it's got a slot for a 2030 drive, same size the Steam Deck takes.

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Quoting: Nick

Quoting: MrowlLet's forget about GPD for a moment, if this is true, then the bigger story here is that Valve are reaching out to other Handheld Gaming PC companies to ship their devices with Steam OS. This would confirm that Valve doesn't consider these devices to be competition, as they help drive Steam OS adoption.

If you believe that Valve's actual goal with the Steam Deck was to get game developers to target Linux as a platform this makes complete sense and is very expected. Breaking into the hand-held PC market at such a low price-point to drive Steam games adoption would be the public reason to get the device in people's hands, but I think "internally" this is to get a Linux device in lots of people's hands and create the hype to convince game developers and publishers to target Linux. Same with Valve working on Proton to make getting games that targeted Windows to also work on Linux with very minimal effort (especially compared with porting those games to other the other consoles) is another factor in convincing game developers and publishers; this very much in line with a primary goal of getting games running on Linux.

I quote "internally" since Valve hasn't really been that secretive about getting games working on Linux for a long time. The Steam Machines may have been a public "failure", but I think Valve learned lots on that project and on the Steam Controller.

It is both, and more. The point of Steam Deck, Proton, SteamOS, Steam Machines, even Steam Controller, is to slowly but surely wrest control of the gaming platform from Microsoft. With SteamOS and Deck, Valve intends to grow linux market share and in addition create a new "product category" which they hope other manufacturers will join in. If Valve has a ready made OS to throw on other manufacturer's new machines, on which thousands of games will play, and they get a 30% cut from each sold, all the better.

I go as far to think Valve may offer manufacturers a percentage of their cut on game sales in order to enable them to sell their equipment at a lower price, effectively subsidizing it and making it more enticing to consumers than other's equipment that ships without SteamOS. It would be a clever way to keep growing the linux market share and their own market share.

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Quoting: MrowlLet's forget about GPD for a moment, if this is true, then the bigger story here is that Valve are reaching out to other Handheld Gaming PC companies to ship their devices with Steam OS. This would confirm that Valve doesn't consider these devices to be competition, as they help drive Steam OS adoption.

About a year ago, regarding Deck, Gabe Newell was quoted as saying, "And it’s clearly going to be establishing a product category that ourselves and other PC manufacturers are going to be able to participate in. And that’s going to have long-term benefits for us. So that’s sort of the frame in which we’re thinking about this."

They've always wanted competing systems because that is good for Steam.

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Wow, this is awesome! I was unable to resist backing at GPD Win Max 2 after watching Phawx's video going over all it's amazing features.

I thought to myself, "was it GPD who were all shitty about the Steam Deck? Nawww, I think it was Aya." Turns out it was GPD, ugh.

This new that they want to collaborate with Valve is very encouraging, I hope very much to have a good experience with SteamOS on my unit. I was planning to installing HoloIso but maybe I won't have to.

EDIT: Should have looked at the screenshot, it was *my* question they were responding to 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks so much for the write up, I would have missed it!

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Make it so every game sold has to have a GNU+Linux native executable.
Mandate all games use Vulkan for their graphics API.
Stop farming out 90% of the work to outside parties.
Ban third-party launchers.
Mandate all games use SIAPI for control inputs.
Ban games that switch to an Epic Exclusivity agreement.

Shall I continue?

So either this is a parody or you want Valve to go out of business. I refuse to believe you don't understand the real world repercussions of making moves like that. Or wait, maybe you work for Epic??

It is quite the list, please continue 🤣🤣🤣

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Quoting: subif we would reach a much higher market share by devs just using Proton, they "learned" that it's not really worth investing additional resources in native ports and just stick with the Proton way.

This is ***quite possible***.

However, I know for a fact there will be continue to be a dearth of native linux titles without good market share. Devs and studios need incentive and it's just not going to happen without the market power.

Valve has a lot of levers to pull, and if they can get some reasonable linux market share with Deck and perhaps other systems, they will get a very big lever to yank on. I'm gonna hope for the best 🤞🏻

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Quoting: Guest

Quoting: subImho bad ports are not an argument against native versions.

It's going the way lots of us expected with Proton.
Instead of supporting games without native binaries,
fewer and fewer developers are willing to port their games.
This is a problematic dependency on Proton.

I'd rather see the awareness AND SKILLS for Linux grow in developer studios.
This is quite the opposite. :/

Valve are fully responsible for the current situation as they require every game sold on the Steam Store to have a Windows executable, as per their developer documentation.

They've pushed Proton to the point of it effectively becoming middleware.

Then of course there's Microsoft, who set the standards for gaming with DirectX and other technologies. And what happens when Microsoft make it so that Windows games APIs can no longer be translated by Proton?

Valve should be pursuing GNU+Linux native games and Vulkan, however they're the largest vendor of Windows games, so nothing will change going forward.

And then you have James Ramey, head of Codeweavers who said (on record) that Proton would pave the way for GNU+Linux native development. He has nothing to worry about though, as he's profiting from the money Valve throw at his company.

Maybe it's time to reignite the "No Tux, No Bux" movement?

That kind of strategy nets you no games on linux. The combined amount of "bux" wielded by linux users is insignificant compared to the rest of the market.

Linux needs MARKET SHARE before it will be worth a developer's time to make native linux titles. Proton is the stepping stone to break the chicken and egg catch-22 problem of no native linux titles because no linux market share, no linux market share because no native linux titles.

It is to Valve you owe gratitude for getting thousands of games playable on linux, and for growing their market share, and they've only just begun with the latter. Being a member of the Khronos group, Valve is also partially responsible for Vulkan. I cannot understand the lack of gratitude.

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