SteamOS
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Ayaneo's $299 Next Lite is a Steam Deck rival that runs an unofficial copy of SteamOS
Following a cryptic tease during CES 2024, Ayaneo has revealed its Next Lite gaming handheld and it's a confusing product, to say the least.
Valve’s latest Steam Deck update promises less fan noise
Valve recently began rolling out SteamOS 3.2 for Steam Deck, addressing one of the more prominent issues people have had with the handheld since its release.
Bungie will ban 'Destiny 2' players who run the game from a Steam Deck
Bungie has warned it will ban 'Destiny 2' players who try to run the game from a Steam Deck.
Valve releases Steam Deck CAD files allowing anyone to 3D-print custom shells
Making them available under a Creative Commons license, the company noted the release is “good news” for DIY enthusiasts, modders and most notably, accessory manufacturers.
'Arma 3' and 'DayZ' add BattlEye anti-cheat support through Valve Proton
On Friday, Valve said Arma 3, DayZ, Unturned and Planetside 2 now all feature working BattlEye anti-cheat support when playing them through Proton.
'Rocket League' loses online multiplayer on Linux and Mac
Psyonix has announced that it is withdrawing support for Rocket League on Linux and macOS as part of its push to update the game with "new technologies." In a statement, the company said that it was "no longer viable" to maintain support for the macOS and Linux / SteamOS versions of the title. Consequently, after a final patch in March, online functionality (one of the main reasons to play the game) will be deactivated.
Linux gaming is on a life-support system called Steam
In September 2013, Valve founder Gabe Newell gave a rare, 20-minute presentation at LinuxCon. He called Linux "the future of gaming," predicting that as the industry became more user-driven and connected across both distances and devices, an open-source foundation would be the only way to keep pace with coming innovations. With the standard, proprietary operating systems powering Windows, Mac and consoles, Newell argued, all control over content, pricing and change rested in the hands of billion-dollar corporations. Linux offered a chance for all players and developers to shape the marketplace.
Valve may offer tools to play Windows games on Steam Machines
Valve's Steam Machine platform hasn't really taken off, and it's not just because of the hardware. When few developers are willing to release Linux-native versions of games to run on Steam OS, there just isn't a lot to play. Thankfully, the company may have a way to bring more titles to the platform... sort of. Reddit users have pointed out that Steam's graphical interface files now include a section with not-so-secret references to a Steam Play feature that would auto-load "compatibility tools" to play games "built for other operating systems." In other words, Steam OS might include some kind of emulation.
Steam Link will soon beam games to your iOS or Android device
Steam Link already brings your PC's games to your living room, but soon it will send them to other devices, too. Sometime during the week of May 21st, Valve will release dedicated apps for iOS and Android, which will work with smartphones, tablets and TVs. So long as everything is connected to the same 5Ghz network or Ethernet-cabled to the host system, you'll be able to play across your family of gadgets -- and even support peripherals like the Steam or MFI controllers.
Valve is 'still working hard' on Steam OS, Linux gaming
A few days ago Valve reworked the main navigation bar in its Steam Store and removed a direct link to buy Steam Machines, the Linux-based boxes it hailed as an open alternative to macOS or Windows PC gaming. Combined with a lack of recent announcements people figured that meant the end of the project, but Valve employee Pierre-Loup A. Griffais says that's not so. It was removed based on user traffic, which isn't surprising considering the lack of post-2016 hardware being offered. In a post to the Steam for Linux page, he explained the current state of things: While it's true Steam Machines aren't exactly flying off the shelves, our reasons for striving towards a competitive and open gaming platform haven't significantly changed. We're still working hard on making Linux operating systems a great place for gaming and applications...We also have other Linux initiatives in the pipe that we're not quite ready to talk about yet; SteamOS will continue to be our medium to deliver these improvements to our customers, and we think they will ultimately benefit the Linux ecosystem at large. The plan moving forward includes more work on the Vulkan graphics API everywhere, including now on macOS and iOS, while also making sure it's well-supported on Linux so that performance is up to par. It's not clear what those other Linux initiatives in the pipe are exactly, but hopefully, we'll hear about them sooner rather than later.
Valve is working on three 'full' VR games
Valve is still making video games! But they're probably, almost certainly not Half-Life 3 (I know it's hard, but we have to let it go.) During a media roundtable, Valve founder Gabe Newell confirmed that the company is working on three new titles for VR. Not just little experiments either, like the room-scale mini-game collection The Lab. Real, proper video games. "When I say we're building three games, we're building three full games, not experiments," he said, according to Eurogamer. Few other details were disclosed, such as whether the team was working on new or existing IP.
Steam now has full support for the PS4 controller
Valve tried to radically redesign the gaming controller with its own Steam controller, but for a lot of players it never quite caught on. Fortunately, Steam is a very flexible OS and it's pretty easy to use your controller of choice. Like the PS4's Dualshock 4 controller, for example: Valve just announced today that the Steam client now fully supports the Dualshock 4. That means all the controller's capabilities can be mapped to various functions in Steam, including the trackpad and gyroscope.
Mix up 'Rocket League' action with Rumble Mode and item trading
We're still waiting to see fully cross-platform Rocket League, but the game just made some other adjustments to keep things fresh for regular players. Dubbed Rumble Mode, the new 3v3 gameplay variant tosses in everything from a grappling hook to a tornado. Even better, more people can enjoy it now that the game has a beta version available on Linux and OS X, and at least on Steam, the game and all DLC are available for 25 percent off. One thing to note: Psyonix says it is aware of framerate issues post-patch and is "actively investigating."
Street Fighter V is coming to SteamOS
Capcom's Street Fighter V is coming to Valve's SteamOS with full support for the company's Steam Controller. The franchise's first new series since 2008 will also be the first to make an appearance on the Linux-based operating system. The decision is quite a coup for Valve. It's positioning SteamOS and Steam Machines as the friendly face of PC gaming; a legitimate living-room replacement for a console.The long-awaited brawler is due to hit PlayStation 4 and PC on February 16th. It's unclear when the SteamOS port will be ready, or if it'll be able to take advantage of the cross-platform multiplayer features already announced for PC and PlayStation 4. One thing we do know is that Steam Controller support is baked into the Street Fighter V beta, which runs from today through to December 20th.
Steam Machines are slower gaming systems than Windows PCs
The whole point of a Steam Machine is to get PC-like gaming in your living room, but do you actually get PC-like performance? Not so much, if you ask Ars Technica. It recently ran benchmarks comparing the performance of SteamOS and Windows 10 on the same hardware, and it's pretty clear that you're taking a speed hit in the name of couch-based convenience. The two operating systems are very close in synthetic tests, but SteamOS lags well behind Windows when it comes to real gameplay: depending on the game and your detail settings, you could be losing dozens of frames per second. All of the titles tested were still very playable on the modest test rig (a dual-core 3GHz Pentium with an old GeForce GTX 660), but this could pose a problem with more demanding titles in the future.
You can pre-order the first official Steam Machines starting today
Look, there's literally no shortage of things you can slot into your home theater system for a spot of streaming media or some melt-into-your-couch gaming. If you want to be able to recline in your living room and comfortably sneer at people who play games on consoles, though, you can pre-order an official Steam Machine -- and the accoutrements to make it shine -- starting today.
Another Steam Machine is coming, this one from Maingear
If you thought the Steam Machine news would be limited to Valve's announcement, well you're not quite right. Maingear's back to give the the platform another go with the Drift. What's in the aluminum box? An Intel i7-4790K processor mated with either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 or an AMD Radeon R9 290X -- both of which are 4K capable. What's more, Maingear boasts that its Steam OS machine can hold up to 16GB of DDR RAM, a pair of 1TB solid state drives and a single 6TB hard drive as well. Those options alone will almost assuredly drive the price a bit beyond the $849 (!!!) baseline Mainger's asking.
CyberPowerPC takes a second shot at Steam Machines
CyberPowerPC's original Steam Machine plans didn't amount to much (the company ultimately turned them into Windows boxes), but it's back again for another round. Its recently established Syber division has revealed that it will launch no less than six SteamOS computers this fall. The system builder isn't saying much about its new living room gaming rigs at the moment, but it'll give Game Developers Conference guests a sneak peek at three systems: the Mini, Mercury and Switch.
Updated Steam Controller design features d-pad
The Steam Controller has already seen a couple tweaks since its initial unveiling, first by adding traditional face buttons, and later supporting an analog thumbstick. Now, it appears that the controller will also feature a directional pad, though in what capacity remains to be seen. Game Informer uncovered an image file in the Steam Client beta that suggests the Steam Controller will be able to support a d-pad in place of its left-side haptic touch pad. We say "able to support" because this is not an image of an actual, physical controller, and nowhere is it implied that this design will be released to the exclusion of others. The d-pad could be something users install for when they want it, or it could be part of a redesigned haptic touch pad. Who knows? Valve knows, that's who. And they haven't said anything official on the matter. However, Valve VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi told TechRadar last month that the company will have a large Steam Machines presence at GDC 2015, which begins March 2. [Image: Valve]
Valve implies 2015 delay for Steam Machines
Valve's Steam Machines program looks set to drift into a 2015 release window, although the company's wording leaves the matter unclear. In an update on the pre-built PCs, Valve's Eric Hope said pending improvements tied to the Steam Controller would realistically mean a delay until next year. Hope didn't state specifically if that's for the Controller and/or the Machines, but the context points to the latter at least. Hope wrote, "We're now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It's generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we'll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it's also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014. "Obviously we're just as eager as you are to get a Steam Machine in your hands. But our number one priority is making sure that when you do, you'll be getting the best gaming experience possible. We hope you'll be patient with us while we get there. Until then, we'll continue to post updates as we have more stories to share." That suggests Steam Machines won't be available until 2015, although the program's homepage still notes a 2014 release window. We've reached out to Valve for clarification. [Image: Valve]
