Valve's SteamOS and Steam Machines announcements: developers react
Valve's reveal of SteamOS on Monday and its plan for Steam Machines today has been a little vague for our liking. We don't have meaningful details on the hardware (what's inside, who's making them, and how much they'll cost), and we don't have a sense of the look and feel of SteamOS or how well it'll stream our existing Steam library.
What we do have is plenty of internet commentary ( including our own ) swirling around about Valve's foray into the OS and hardware business. Below, we've gathered all the comments we could find on Twitter. If you spot any other comments you'd like to see included in this post, point us to them in the comments. Look for longer opinions from developers on SteamOS and Valve's other announcements very soon.
Valve is saving the entire gaming world, but I all I can do is mumble passive aggressively about crowbars. September 23, 2013
Seriously, this overly drawn out steambox announcement thing is amazing news. Win8's been worrying me. — Markus Persson (@notch) September 23, 2013 September 23, 2013
In other news Valve continues to do whatever the hell they want. Awesome. http://t.co/2SAmB16J7U September 25, 2013
Hoping for a mouse and keyboard we can use in front of the TV from Valve in 48 hours. September 25, 2013
For those concerned about Valve's control over SteamOS, it's highly likely they will control it even less than Google controls Android. September 24, 2013
The hegemony danger is of course in the Steam market itself, and we must support good alternatives to make sure it always has competition. September 24, 2013
Or maybe a controller with a trackball would work better than what we have right now. September 25, 2013
So Steam boxes: http://t.co/Sr3wXJWC3C But also something to say about input 'very soon'. Badly want a clever mouse successor. September 25, 2013
Valve are really missing a trick by calling these things "steam machines" and not "steam engines" September 25, 2013
Ben's crackpot prediction: last Valve announcement will be Steam controller, usable with PC or Steam Box, with a couple neat features. September 25, 2013
O = SteamOS. [ O ] = SteamOS in a box. O+O = dual analog controller with d-pad? September 23, 2013
More likely still, O+O refers to a service complementing the respective software and hardware announcements. Bah! September 23, 2013
In 48 hours, we'll tell you that more information is coming next year. That's not how teasers work, Valve! September 25, 2013
Valve, Apple, Rockstar Games. I no longer waste breath debating. I just go get in line. September 23, 2013
I think SteamOS is a good thing and I hope it does well, but it strikes me all of these "announcements" could have been done at once September 25, 2013
I'm going to laugh out loud if Friday's announcement from Valve is that they have a controller you can use with your SteamOS and box. September 25, 2013
Imagine that, Valve decided that the "environment best suited" to Steam is one it owns and controls fully. http://t.co/cnyYCe49zp September 23, 2013
Q: Can I hack this box? Run another OS? Change the hardware? Install my own software? A: Sure. http://t.co/vgcWYWXA3F Valve, understanding. September 25, 2013
Valve's Steam OS Isn't Competition For Xbox One and PS4...Yet http://t.co/sSbwNo6Hgl Here comes Steam TV... September 23, 2013
I hear if you call SteamOS "GLaDOS", Gabe Newell will appear in yoga pants and tell you some of his favourite things about Half-Life 3. September 23, 2013
So far this SteamOS/box stuff sounds even better than I would have expected. This is what I want out of the next gen. http://t.co/xs2l2KjWc7 September 25, 2013
Even if Valve gives in and puts Axe Body Spray ads in SteamOS boot screen, they're releasing source, so someone could create a build without September 25, 2013
o = steamOS [o ] = array of steamOS (network features) o+o = additional steamOS PCs running at once; realtime network rendering or not :P September 25, 2013
Gabe Newell is like the kid in the revenge movie who comes back 20 years later and kills EVERYONE. #SteamOS September 23, 2013
@steam_games http://t.co/sSDocHTgVX promising, the SteamOS, subject to many wishes in past years turns real, let's wait for more reveals ;) September 23, 2013
With the Steambox stuff, looks like controller support for DETOUR and @thedeadlinger are totally plausible in the future w/ Big Picture. September 25, 2013
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Evan's a hardcore FPS enthusiast who joined PC Gamer in 2008. After an era spent publishing reviews, news, and cover features, he now oversees editorial operations for PC Gamer worldwide, including setting policy, training, and editing stories written by the wider team. His most-played FPSes are CS:GO, Team Fortress 2, Team Fortress Classic, Rainbow Six Siege, and Arma 2. His first multiplayer FPS was Quake 2, played on serial LAN in his uncle's basement, the ideal conditions for instilling a lifelong fondness for fragging. Evan also leads production of the PC Gaming Show, the annual E3 showcase event dedicated to PC gaming.