Hey everybody,

This past week has been absolutely nuts, in terms of what Valve has announced.  I feel that, in my capacity as a gamer, a reaction to and opinions of said announcements is a fair expectation.

(Disclaimer: I like Valve, both for their development and their publishing.)

SteamOS

I use Linux nearly exclusively at home, for productivity and entertainment and everything in between.  It's not the friendliest solution, but it is deeply satisfying to know such a solution is possible with a reasonable amount of work.  It also happens to be more stable than any other OS I've used.

Valve's push to bring Steam to Linux, and then improve the rest of the ecosystem to match, and now to bring an entire distribution centered around gaming, isn't a huge surprise.  More great support from a well-meaning developer / publisher.

Will I use SteamOS?  Maybe I'll try it, but if it takes off, chances are I can make my distro of choice (Arch Linux, for the curious) operate just as well.  I'm not keen on booting into a separate OS for gaming, just as I'm not keen on booting into Windows for games.  But if this works, especially with the hardware announcements...

Steam Machines

I already have a pretty well-equipped gaming rig, and it is already hooked up to a TV, so the target market doesn't necessarily include me.  Especially as a Steam Machine really just looks like a purpose-built PC for gaming - or a console, if you will.

I don't expect Valve will get directly into the hardware itself, though - and they probably shouldn't.  The split in alleged offerings to target a few focused areas (size, performance, power consumption) is an intriguing tactic, sure, but they are not a hardware company.  Then again, they weren't really a publisher before Steam, either.  So maybe they could do it, but the leap from software seems too great, the overlap too slim.

The problem with consoles now is their inherent static nature; I don't care if I need to buy upgrades for my PC every now and then - I can do it at my own pace, and I understand that the latest-greatest may be out of reach until I do (I know this all too well, for other reasons).  Dealing with the fragmented nature of PC gaming as a whole is nothing new, and certainly it has become no more difficult for developers than it already is.

Steam Controller

I like keyboard and mouse as much as the next person, for controls, but I also like game pads.  My personal favorite, so far, is the Xbox 360 wireless controllers - the analog sticks are great, very low latency all around, and they are built solid.  That said, my most-used controller is starting to show wear-and-tear, with the sticks drifting ever-so-slightly off center, even at rest (the buttons and triggers are still spot on).  The ergonomics are great for my style of play - grip very rarely lost, even in extended or super-intense sessions.

So when I see the weird tactile click-pad thingies in the Steam controller concept shots, I'm not sure what to think.  Sure, I'd love one less potential mechanical thing to break down out of the mix, but will it really be any better?  Or, at the worst, a suitable replacement?  Can't really say for sure about this, as my typical experience with touch input surfaces is scattered, at best.  Add to that the actual touch screen at the center, and...well.  Both of these things are a gamble.

The button layout seems a bit strange, with more towards the middle than I think would be comfortable, but we won't know the ergonomics without hands-on time.  Maybe it will be better?

There's a lot of hope out there, and I'll be damned if I'm not a little excited about what could be coming soon, but it's too early to tell if this is a sure bet or not.  Valve, best of luck to you - we will be watching.

That's all for now.

Cross-post:
Desura