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More Evidence For Steam Games On Linux
SheeEttin writes "Back in November 2008, Phoronix reported that Linux libraries appeared in the Left 4 Dead demo, and then in March, Valve announced that Steam and the Source engine were coming to Mac OS X. Now, Phoronix reports that launcher scripts included with the (closed beta) Mac version of Steam include explicit support for launching a Linux version."
This is an indication of support for the Steam distribution platform, and some Valve games on Linux. Good luck getting EA to build Linux binaries for their games, because Steam doesn't do that for you.
Good on Valve for going this way, and maybe it's the push big publishers need to start telling devs to create native Linux binaries, but don't think for a moment that that this means all Steam games will run natively on Linux.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Someone is obviously working on the idea, which is grand, but that's all we can tell at this point. The number of projects that are started and eventually canned because they're either to hard to finish, too costly, or just too expensive to bother marketing that they won't turn a profit is pretty vast.
The fact code exists does not necessarily mean we'll ever get to play the games.
But let's be optimistic. A native version of Steam would be pretty awesome. Here's hoping whoever is behind the project is successful. :)
http://twitter.com/onion2k
This could be an ancient script cut-and-pasted to suit. Heck, I've still got a Makefile that has a section for Ultrix but it doesn't mean that it works or that I'm supporting it.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
This is no evidence at all. Valve has released dedicated Linux servers for their games for years including steam. Come on don't take phoroCRAP serious. They make news of nothing.
As an aspiring game developer, I look at Valve's actions with a lot of excitement lately. Steam and Source are coming to Mac for sure now, and so that means Source SDK should be updated to support deployment to Macs. If Linux is included in this package, it only sweetens the deal. For developers just getting started, Source would have a unique advantage over the other engines available currently (e.g. Unreal, Crytek) in that it would allow developers to reach as wide an audience as possible. I really hope this happens.
You mean the shoddy PS3 ports they didn't do?
Mada mada dane.
If they do this I will buy a few games the moment they are released. I hate DRM but this kind of development needs to be encouraged. Now if only ATI and/or Nvidia would open up their specs, or some open protocol/source solution would come into existence.
Never used steam myself so maybe someone can enlighten me. The video drivers for Linux are crap compared to Windows, does this mean they have some way access the hardware properly? Or does it mean you need twice the hardware to run at the Windows equivalent performance?
A loop, by its nature, continues. If that didn't make sense, start reading this sentence again.
You mean the shoddy PS3 ports they authorized once, realised how shoddy they were and then never touched again?
Valve: Bringing gaming to Linux. (And I don't care how much you think it can't be tolerated, it's still great and wonderful and I will continue to use it.)
Brain surgery - it's not rocket science!
Isnt the "modern graphics hardware" inside the PS3 already outdated? How then can it be modern.
at the risk of burning karma i will post this. /my/ isp complains when i download allot of data, it doesn't matter to them if it's legit or not.
I moved completely to linux to get away from drm of this kind. i admit steam is a somewhat successful digital distribution system but the drm they bundled with the games makes them too hard to swallow. requiring a constant internet so the games can phone home when needed, sorry offline mode only works a few times before steam refuses to run games until you get back online. along with removing your control of the installed files for the game by putting them in one big file, i have also heard rumors that it prevents you from making backups of the install files though i can't confirm this since i don't want to buy a steam powered game. Also the big push for online distribution also erks me because unlike a small minority of people
I would not be surprised if it does come to linux but requires a kernel module to get the drm to work and prevent users from defeating it since on linux users are more in control of what their computers do then in windows which has long ceded that control company's that do this.
Graphics don't make the game, they only colour it in. Games dependant on fantastic graphics tend to age like sour milk and have almost zero replay value.
I would rather play the actual arcade version in an emulator.
WRONG!
The correct answer is you'd rather hit ebay, hunt down an original cabinet, perform the maintenance and repair necessary, and then bask in the awe of both your geek and non-geek friends when they see it sitting in your living room.
Now hand in your geek card.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Nothing in the GPL says that a program cannot have use DRM. I'm not sure where you got that idea, or that it would be "trivial to bypass Steam DRM on Linux." Steam itself is the DRM for most Valve games - you have to log into Steam before playing. Secondly, while certain members of the Linux community may be very anti-DRM, Linux is about freedom. That includes the freedom to install closed source software or DRMed software on your system.
I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
I was just Chopin for a new one. The Strauss of making the decision is killing me, but my old one is Schutz.
"People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything."
Too much wine make a man drunk, but just enough wine makes Steam run on Linux
ATI had to do a number reset, as did Nvidia, simply because the numbers were getting too huge. It is actually pretty trivial to compare, simply look for the DirectX version. You can also search the net and find nice charts like this which will give you details like TDP which will help you make a more informed choice. With the bang for the buck firmly in the AMD camp right now that is what I use, and the easy rule there is 50>70>90, with the 50 being the budget (like my HD4650) followed by the 70 and the 90 being the hardcore chips. And of course for the ultra hardcore you have the X2, which is simply 2 GPUs.
If you are wanting a SFF gaming PC you would be MUCH better off building instead of buying. I have found unless you spend crazy money they tend to use cheaper parts in the SFF boxes and if you build it yourself you can get better choices on parts and CPU/GPU. If you don't mind the advice of an old greybeard PC builder I would probably go with a shuttle such as this one. Add a 95w Deneb quad, such as the 925 quad, along with one of the low power 5xxx GPUs, and you'd have a nice mini gaming rig. Unfortunately nearly all the "DVD player" styled boxes ATM are Atom based and Atom sucks. So unless you are simply wanting the biggest ePeen I'd look at a quad core AMD with an ATI 5xxx chip for graphics. That is what I've been building for my customers lately and they couldn't be happier with the performance or the power usage.
As for Linux and DRM, the way I always understood it is for DRM to have any kind of chance it has to have low level hooks that the user does NOT have access to, and of course since Linux allows you to get and recompile the source it would be pretty easy to have one person recompile a "DRM disabler" that feeds a false message to the DRM allowing it to run whenever. One of the other posters mentioned TiVo, but that is a "black box" where the DRM is enforced at the hardware level like a PS3 which of course doesn't work with a general purpose box like a PC. And as for steam itself being a form of DRM protection, most of the latest RAZR1911 games are actually Steam rips. So while steam has been bypassed on windows, with a much more "hacker friendly" OS like Linux I doubt it would take any time at all to bypass DRM, which is what I was getting at.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Sorry but getting PCs in more hands wouldn't do any good, because I believe it is ultimately about control. Since the days of code wheels game publishers have wanted to control the user's experience, and now with the x360 and the PS3 being always connected they have their wish. That is why I believe more and more game publishers are screwing over customers, because they'd like to drop their PC division but don't want to hear the shareholders scream. When they have run off enough customers they can say "See? PC games aren't profitable" and kill off their PC division. But until then there is always emulators and independent games.
And sorry again, but I prefer to be able to sit down with customers and design a machine that is right for their needs. Often I will sit them down and show them the individual parts online with the +/- of each choice, then once they have chosen exactly what is right for them they pay me for the parts, I build it and load it out with the OS and programs of their choice, and then get paid for my time (usually around $100-$150, depending on how many extras they want, such as full multimedia packages, office software, etc) on pickup of the PC.
So it would be awfully hard for me to set up a website and sell them that way, as I'd lose the one on one communication with the client, which is where the Value in VAR comes in my case. When I get done the PC is pretty much a "set it and forget it" device, with everything from registry cleaning and defrags to updates and codecs all fully loaded and ready to go, with everything done automatically for the user. I also take pride in my work and the fact that many PCs I built a decade ago are still being used by clients, simply passed down to relatives when they decide to get something newer. I get enough business from referrals I don't really need to advertise anymore, as one experience with some Dell or Best Buy "special" usually sends them straight to me,LOL!
But I'm sure you have a local PC builder/ repairman you just have to ask around. Just make sure he knows what he is doing, as there are some seriously bad builders out there, same as any profession. Ask some former customers and you'll get a good feel as to whether they take pride in their machines or not. I try to treat every customer like I would a member of my own family, so I don't sell cheapo junk or try to push them into higher priced packages. Could I make more money at it? Sure, but then I'd probably feel sleazy, pushing overpowered machines onto those that don't need it, and I'd rather sleep good at night. Sorry I can't help you out though.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.