Well. It’s happened. The biggest announcement in over a decade of PC gaming. Half-Life 3 has been officially trademarked paving the way for an official developer reveal. Sadly that’s a story for another day, but I’ve been waiting to write that sentence for far too long so it seemed the logical way to start a discussion of SteamOS.
It’s time to assess the possibilities of Valve’s (unsurprising) shift towards controlling your entire gaming life through SteamOS, its accompanying hardware and the invention of a fancy new controller that the developer (or should they be called a hardware manufacturer now?) claims will be more accurate, intuitive and ergonomic for video gaming.
When the digital distribution system first launched in 2004 and locked Half-Life 2 players into a glitchy, not-broadband-ready ecosystem, people were confused, annoyed and understandably, apprehensive as to what Steam even was, let alone what it could and would become.
Fast-forward to the end of this year and Steam can arguably be given an award for the biggest turnaround in gaming history. The PC was in dire straights when it first turned up on the scene; now it’s a thriving, indie-and-commercially focused powerhouse that pioneered digital distribution, auto-patching, community features, decent in-game instant messaging, discount-focused salesmanship and a host of other features.
It is remarkable what it has achieved and if we were to stop the story at this point, we would have a fantastic arc of brilliance and success.
Instead we are approaching a period of drastic industry upheaval. Casual, Free-to-Play (F2P) gaming has exploded; mobile devices are astronomical with their market share; a handheld war is continuing to be fought; the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are about to contest living-room dominance; and to top it off, there are a seemingly never-ending supply of Android-platform micro consoles coming and going. Even Nvidia is taking a crack at hardware distribution-meets-gaming with the Shield.
Put simply, gaming is congested, overpopulated and constantly under threat from social services, other entertainment mediums, applications, and as a random example, since the Amazon Kindle appeared, even e-books.
Running Out Of Steam?
Regardless of the actual market projections, Valve believes now is the time for its Linux based operating system, SteamOS – a dedicated gaming platform running on an operating system that has traditionally, been the plaything of all but the most enthusiastic gamers.
Valve claims, “SteamOS combines the rock-solid architecture of Linux with a gaming experience built for the big screen.” So, from a messaging perspective, are we looking at a PC gaming audience that has migrated to the living room over the years? Are we looking at enthusiasts who love Steam that much they want to migrate to hardware running just Steam? Is it for everyone? Is it for nobody?
Regardless of customer demographics, the biggest potential issue I see is controlling hardware distribution, ensuring hardware manufacturers are onboard, guaranteeing a flawless user experience, keeping partners’ profit margins intact, and not cannibalising the existing PC audience who might not even be bothered about leaving their desks.
Obviously it will be a huge business challenge to make SteamOS and its hardware profitable, penetrable and ultimately, interesting to the necessary partners.
There also remains a significant compatibility concern that many have overlooked. Much of Steam’s catalogue was built for Windows (and occasionally, Mac OS). This includes titles several decades old that were never intended for Linux, large resolution high-definition TVs, digital surround sound audio or a controller. Porting these and ensuring performance on SteamOS is another significant challenge Valve must address.
I hear you say - surely you can enlist the developers to ensure their games are ready for the platform? The sales potential will be a big enough enticement, no? For many games, the original teams that created the games do not even exist anymore. This phantom-ism could certainly be a crippling point for those wanting the full Steam experience. Then again, if we take Apple’s iPad and recent conversions (Baldur’s Gate being a prime example), it is too early to write off the system from this perspective before it has even landed.
Lighting The Linux Fires
So aside from obvious store functionality and raw gaming, what else does SteamOS promise? Are we about to see a Microsoft-like implosion through an over-focus on entertainment, TV services and non-gaming applications?
Well, the biggest concern is the promise of Music, TV, Movies (if anyone can see an echo of Windows Media Center, you’re not alone), but that is more of a case of streaming and additional revenue generation rather than a replacement of core values. That’s a plus for one.
On the topic of streaming capabilities, most excitingly is the promise of in-home streaming - a potential workaround for older titles. SteamOS will allow a Windows or Mac machine on the home network stream wirelessly to SteamOS. Connection-willing, it is certainly a selling-point worth paying attention to as more details appear.
Family Sharing is equally very much welcomed; the functionality to share games with trusted family and friends means you are no longer locked to a single library. Everything is saved in Steam Cloud and it should reduce household spending, but increase user satisfaction and captivation hours per user.
Steamed Dumplings
Ultimately it feels a little like 2003 again when Steam was first announced. The next generation of consoles was looming, the Internet was finally beginning to reveal its potential and online gaming was threatening single-player campaigns. Essentially it was a time of change.
People at that time weren’t ready for what Steam would eventually offer. Are we at a similar transitional period that after half a decade, we’ll look back on and wonder how we ever endured a traditional PC experience?
On the other hand, will we be looking at a major fall from grace as a respected developer and publisher plummets back to reality for flying to close to the preverbal sun? Time will obviously tell as Valve reveals more and people begin to get their hands on SteamOS.
There is one critical question however. If we’re looking that far into the future will we still be waiting for the release of Half-Life 3?