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Latest Comments by skinnyraf
ARK: Survival Evolved gains a paid DLC while still being in Early Access, reviews are destroying it
8 Sep 2016 at 11:33 am UTC Likes: 3

I don't know why they're not "releasing" it, i.e. removing the Early Access tag. While the game is not perfect, it's actually better than many AAA games upon release (Batman Arkham Knight, Bethesda games etc.).

I know people have issues on Linux/SteamOS. I have played only for 10 hours, but the game was running fine. There were some graphical glitches like flares or endless shadows, but the game is improving - or perhaps Nvidia drivers are improving?

They should simply "release" it and move on.

Pan-Pan, an intriguing adventure and puzzle game is now on Linux, here's some thoughts
8 Sep 2016 at 9:19 am UTC Likes: 1

The game looks nice, I have added it to my Wishlist.

On a side note: this is exactly why I prefer Steam from GOG for Linux gaming. Steam, for all its DRM controversy, provides a runtime. Sure, it causes troubles now and then, but in most cases takes care of library dependencies, just click install in the client and off you go.

Refunct, the short and peaceful first-person platformer is now on Linux, I have some free keys for you
8 Sep 2016 at 8:44 am UTC

The game costs €2.99, now discounted to €1.49, easily worth this price. :)

The Witcher 3 was apparently never planned for Linux
3 Sep 2016 at 8:10 am UTC

The latest response from CD Project Red (not GOG) was that the issue is the lack of talent, as everyone is focused on Cyberpunk.

This means the only chance is a dedicated porting developer. Feral, Aspyr, are you there?

The Steam Hardware Survey for August 2016 shows Linux has grown again
3 Sep 2016 at 8:06 am UTC Likes: 2

0.02 monthly increase, in two years we will hit 1% at this rate, yahoo!

0.02 at 0.83 is ca. 2.5% monthly growth. If we keep this growth rate (i.e. 2.5% a month), we will hit 1% in 9 months though.

Of course, there are many unknowns. When will SteamOS be finally included? What impact it would have if it was included? Is there a chance for some critical mass that would accelerate the growth if exceeded? Is there a positive feedback loop worth talking about, i.e. developers more likely to publish for Linux depending on the market share of Linux? Probably not, as it makes little difference if it's 0.8% or 1.8% - it's still miniscule - but perhaps if we crossed 1%, we would see more dedicated porting devs like Feral or Aspyr.

NB, as I no longer play games on Debian, only on SteamOS, I could be a lost Linux user in these stats :)

Editorial: I ditched SteamOS in favour of a normal Linux distribution for my gaming
1 Sep 2016 at 12:28 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: tuubi
Quoting: skinnyrafThe question is if there is the target audience is big enough. Sales figures suggest there is not.
Have the sales figures been released, or is this an assumption? I don't doubt you, just curious as I haven't seen anything concrete.
Not directly. Valve announced back in June that half a million Steam Controllers were sold. As many were sold separately, we are talking about less than half a million Steam Machines sold in 7 months. How many exactly we don't know.

Check this interview though:

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/alienware-we-didn-t-build-the-graphics-amplifier-to-be-a-one-hit-wonder--1327165 [External Link]

Some people think that Steam Machines have missed the boat. Why does Alienware think that they have a bright future?


My perspective is that Steam Machines have been a phenomenal success, but it depends how what you measure that by. If we remember the PC ecosystem prior to Steam Machines, we had a Windows 8 environment. That was an operating system Microsoft admitted wasn't very focused on the PC gamer at the time. As a result, the gaming community was a little upset by that. Steam Machines then came along and aimed to build and operating system for the PC gamer. After that effort came Windows 10, with DirectX 12. Microsoft really woke and knew it needed to re-engage with PC gamers or really risk losing them.

As such, I would give some credit to the Steam Machine initiative for helping Microsoft realize what they had. If you look at the actual use model of Steam Machines, there's a lot of benefit to the platform. If somebody isn't interested in dealing with Windows updates or using a keyboard and mouse - somebody who might just want an appliance on their TV to play thousands of games out there - then a Steam Machine is a solution.
Do you think there's potential for Steam Machines to ever sell in the millions of units?

They may never sell in the millions of units, quite honestly. But the fact is that there's a solution and there's been a huge partnership between hardware companies and Valve to go and build these solutions. I think this is the first time we've had an alternative platform that's viable, works, is reliable and is shipping.

The industry, depending on how things evolve over time, may gravitate towards that in the future. If it doesn't then I would say that's also a win, because it means that traditional Windows PCs are doing so much right that there's really no need to move over to Steam Machines. I think that's great for the entire industry. On the other hand, if things don't continue to go well for Windows PCs, then there's another option for the entire industry and that's a great win too.
That's honest and open, though not very optimistic to us Linux gamers.

Editorial: I ditched SteamOS in favour of a normal Linux distribution for my gaming
1 Sep 2016 at 7:25 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: tony1abI cannot work on a system who doesn`t offer good support for desktop operations, limit the experience only to games and crash from time to time. I have to use my pc.

The only reason is: games goes a little better here. And what? That's not enought to use a pc. I still can play good on ubuntu.
I have a PC for, well, general computing, sitting at my desk with a proper office chair. The problem is, playing games at that PC is too much like working: a desk, a chair, a keyboard and a mouse. So I have a Steam Machine in my living room, hooked up to an overhead projector. A large screen, a proper surround sound system, a couch, a controller and a bottle of beer on a coffee table.

So, you're basically not a target audience. Steam Machines are not meant for general computing, though they can be tweaked to provide it - but then you're probably better with a general purpose Linux distro.

The question is if there is the target audience is big enough. Sales figures suggest there is not.

Editorial: I ditched SteamOS in favour of a normal Linux distribution for my gaming
29 Aug 2016 at 5:56 pm UTC Likes: 6

It's quite the opposite for me: I don't play on Debian anymore. Login straight to Steam BPM, unattended upgrades, whatever magic it does to give me nice 1080p, HDMI surround sound in my AV receiver - all without any tweaking It Just Works™. The only additional software I got is Minecraft and Kodi though.

I had experienced the black screen once and the Evil Reboot Loop twice. I did one reinstall and since then I've learned how to fix it: rescue mode, get to desktop, sudo Steam.

I agree though that the autorepair script should cover it. SteamOS is on life support and it's visible.

State of Mind, a fantastic looking futuristic thriller game built with Unreal Engine that's coming to Linux
26 Aug 2016 at 7:07 pm UTC Likes: 9

Robots, cyborgs, rain, darkness, skyscrapers, neons, the sky of the color of television tuned to a dead channel...

Want.