If they wanted to “make a splash” they could have released it 3 years ago. I don’t know what they’re waiting for. With the launch of Steam Machines it was made available to everyone on day 1.
It’s not as simple as just releasing something. They need to develop it first, and making it a good experience with arbitrary hardware is actually pretty hard.
Really? Which distro has a button I can press to open a menu to change the power budget on my Ryzen 5 5600? Which distro has everything configured for me to be able to use my VKB joysticks without needing to mess with the registry in the proton prefixes of Windows games?
Lol, I’d be surprised if they could do either of those things, let alone both. I know Bazzite can’t; I have it on my laptop and that shit can’t even update itself properly.
Power levels are changed via the quick access menu and input options are configured via Steam input, which doesn’t even have anything to do with the distro in question, it’s part of the Steam client.
edit: figured out how to open the quick access menu on my laptop and I can’t change my power levels. So yeah, as I suspected Bazzite can’t do either of those things. I doubt any other distro can either.
Let’s say it’s not true, Valve can choose to release a distro that is mostly-complete and add additional features later or they can update it in secret for some strange reason while sitting on it…?
It’s not simply “some strange reason”. There will be a lot of press coverage when they release a desktop version so naturally they want it to be as good an experience as possible. They may not ever get another chance for that kind of coverage after all, and they wouldn’t want SteamOS’s reputation to be damaged (again) because it wasn’t good enough for most people to use (again).
Right, but it’s a different distro than the one being referred to here. I know because I made the same mistake.
That one is based on Debian and has existed since 2013. The version on Steam Deck is Arch-based immutable and has not been publicly released yet (EDIT: For anything besides Steam Deck).
Yes, as I said in my initial comment, there is no general purpose release.
It’s not true that you can “literally only use it on Steam Deck” either, lots of people have already demonstrated it working fine on a wide variety of devices. It’s just not intended for that purpose.
The new version on the Steam Deck isn’t available - the old version of course is, but you might as well use Bazzite.
I dont think Valve would bother trying to convert people to Linux - regardless of where people’s OSes are, they are the gaming store. Plus, Valve really doesn’t think developers should develop Linux native ports, so I dont think they’re really push people to use Linux - just use whatever you want and play shit with Proton if needed.
For the average technology user yes. Software needs to come packaged in a way people recognise and can use without much setting up needed. I know there are many distros out there that do this. The average person using a computer however does not.
not going to be a steam OS user, but its less what you can’t, and more that any changes that valve patches in via their efforts on AMD drivers, users would get it first and without any fuss.
One example is HDR support. various distros and DEs kinda sat on HDR for the longest time, with mixed results on implementation. Valve just walks in and implements it.
Approachability. Valve is a recognizable name and the Steam Deck is notoriously usable in the sea of Linux uncertainty.
Before you say “Linux is totally usable, just look at <examples>” the first question people are prompted with is “What distribution do you want to install?” and there is no singular place that says “this is what you want for this specific use case.”
Valve is not the first name in Linux gaming, but they are a known and trusted name. It’s not just about brand recognition but about trusting a name to guide you through something brand new and extremely daunting. For the vast majority of PC gamers, SteamOS offers a guided introduction to something that previously was stereotyped as complex and difficult to learn.
Is it the best distro? Probably not, but then again it’s extremely easy to migrate from SteamOS to something else when someone discovers they want something else. Until they understand enough about Linux to find that they want something else, SteamOS is currently one of the best ways to get them there
Approachability. Valve is a recognizable name and the Steam Deck is notoriously usable in the sea of Linux uncertainty.
It’s very usable for a handheld gaming platform. It really isn’t any better for a desktop platform. The thing that makes it so usable is that you boot it and it boots into Steam Big Picture, and you don’t see the desktop. Most users never will. Is that how people are going to want their desktop to work though? Probably not. They probably don’t want to only use Steam. They probably want to use other applications too.
I don’t think it’s about having extra functionality to no one else has.
SteamOS is more restrictive than other distros out of the box. A user with no experience whatsoever would have a harder time messing things up because rootfs is RO and gets wiped on every update. Kinda forces the average user into using flatpak/Discover to mimic Windows and Apple app stores. In other words, it’s all about the psychology, not the distro itself.
Not to mention there is an actual company with an incentive to maintain the distro, with a massive focus on gaming. They have a ton of testing resources that a lot of distro maintainers do not have in that regard.
Having said all that, installing a distro other SteamOS on my Steam Deck was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve been using Linux for 32 years, I do not like SteamOS because they are trying to make it dumb for general consumption. Similar reasons why I despise Windows, besides the whole being owned by Microsoft thing.
In all honesty, Rainbow Six: Siege is as ungrindy as any game could be, and it is as endlessly replayable as there are combinations of all the active players. The whole game is about finding ways to use the deep sandbox to outsmart your opponent, utilizing yours and your teammates abilities in unique combinations and it’s wonderful
I think I’ve sunk 200 hours into tetris this year alone, I have it on like 4 systems including my SP handheld clone
Edit: my phrasing here was unclear, there effect connected has not been ported to portmaster or the ports collection, I use Tetris RR, a custom patched og GB tetris to have all the same amenities (hold, hard drop) as modern tetris.
If you like tetris and want tetris RR, find a GB tetris ROM and patch it yourself
A link to the Romhack (for the mods, this is a link to the patch, not the rom, i know VL has pirate content but this aint it, it does however have a link to their archive, where the rom does exist) vimm.net/romhacking/hacks/5813
The obvious answers are the games we endlessly replayed historically: Mario Kart, Goldeneye (VS mode), Halo (VS), Smash Bros.
If you specifically want ones on PC, I’d suggest Starcraft, Age of Empires, and probably Counter Strike (I wasn’t into that one, but it had a huge following).
Many board games fit the bill as well. Codenames (physical or online at horsepaste.com) comes to mind, and another commenter also mentioned chess.
Basically any games that were made before endlessly grinding became a thing (yep, that’s only been a thing for a decade or two).
Trackmania, although depending on how you want to slice it, you might consider it ONLY grinding.
Incredibly low skill floor (4 button racing sim) but with near infinite skill ceiling as you learn to master all the nuances of movement, surface types, tricks, etc.
Endless amounts of content with the seasonal campaigns, tracks of the day, and weekly shorts, but also just a full blown track editor for community content on the side. Each track is like a little puzzle where you memorize all the details then try and get your best performance. Play in an online server with your friends and just chat, listen to music, or watch a movie in the background. Find your favorite style and master it: tech, dirt, NASCAR, lol.
It’s my favorite game to just turn my brain off and drive.
I also recommend The Finals! It's exclusively multiplayer, and the only "grind" one needs to worry about is unlocking all the weapons and gadgets; it doesn't take long to do, and you don't even need all of them if you aren't going to use them. But there's nothing to level up or upgrade, so once you buy an item, it's just a permanent part of your kit. There's no story or campaign that you have to progress, no cutscenes to sit through. You just launch the game, pick a mode, and queue for a match.
I have like 750+ in-match hours logged, and have no plans on stopping.
I agree :) and honestly paying for premium and planes you want is worth it. I have 750 hours and have spent maybe $100-200 on premium and planes. $3.75 per hour of birthday Monday seems decent to me. Better than my VR header which I’ve still only played down to $10 an hour
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