• trafficnab ( trafficnab@lemmy.ca ) 
      28·
      3 years ago

      I’m not trying to hate on Gabe Newell or Valve or anything (and not to say that it isn’t a pretty objectively win-win) but I think there’s some pretty easily explainable motivation behind this that isn’t just “out of the kindness of their hearts”

      I think the product they intend to sell is actually the software and services (there’s a reason the Deck seems to be sold basically at cost), they’re betting on these PC-based portable gaming devices taking off and being a viable segment of the market that other hardware companies will want to invest into, and if they do, what highly functional and easy to integrate (since it’s all open source) operating system (and its subsequent game store integration) might they be more likely to use?

      And why push upstream? They’re by far the largest PC games provider, so more games running on more (Linux) devices can only really serve to financially benefit them

      • valkyrie ( valkyrie@lemmy.ml ) 
        2·
        3 years ago

        I think one of the main reasons that was missed here is that. Once Microsoft started pushing the windows store as a way to get software on windows Valve started making these moves for Linux. If Microsoft decided one day to lock all software to the windows store this is valves backup plan / bargaining chip.

  • joyofpeanuts ( joyofpeanuts@beehaw.org ) 
    62·
    3 years ago

    The reverse is equally true, if not more: Linux and Free Software are Wonderful Contributors To Valve Business. You know the expression about “standing on the shoulder of giants.” Anyway, kudos to Valve. Don’t become evil like the other big tech co’s.

  • randomaside ( randomaside@lemmy.dbzer0.com ) 
    31·
    3 years ago

    This platform is the best thing to happen in the computing landscape in a very very long time. If the Deck can become the target platform for developers due to the install base, we’re going to see more legitimate gaming hardware and software come out alongside it.

    There are a glut of gaming handhelds out there running android or windows but there are a few that rise to the top as the pinnacle of the platform. When a clear winner emerges, everyone else tries to be like it enough while having something new to offer.

    This problem with windows (one of the many) is almost all the value ads like game hubs (i.e. ROG Armoy Crate) detract from the experience and almost provide a superficial “ooh she diff’rent” appeal.

    With the contribution of their work back to the Linux community, imagine Asus deploying their own Linux OS that ran steam. They too would be inclined to contribute back to the larger ecosystem while providing actual added value of substance!

    I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here but I’m just so happy about the success of the steam deck that it makes me want to evangelize it in my spare time!

    • elouboub ( elouboub@kbin.social ) 
      12·
      3 years ago

      Microsoft is a big contributor to the Linux kernel. It would probably not be in their interest to tank it as they’d lose customers from Azure.

      But who knows, they might be stupid enough to try.

  • AutoTL;DR ( autotldr@lemmings.world ) BEnglish
    17·
    3 years ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    This shouldn’t come as any surprise to any longtime Phoronix readers and dedicated open-source/Linux enthusiasts, but Valve with their work on the Steam Deck and SteamOS have been lifting the open-source ecosystem as a whole.

    A talk this week at the Linux Foundation Europe’s Open-Source Summit highlighted some of the great and ongoing contributions by Valve and their partners.

    Alberto Garcia of the open-source consulting firm Igalia, which continues to collaborate with Valve on some of these Linux ecosystem improvements, talked at length around how SteamOS is contributing to the Linux ecosystem.

    SteamOS is built atop Arch Linux with a GNU user-space and systemd, the desktop mode features KDE Plasma to which Valve has funded some improvements there, Valve’s Steam Play / Proton that leverages Wine has been immensely valuable to Linux gamers and enthusiasts along with related open-source projects like DXVK / VKD3D-Proton, and then there’s also they work they are doing around AMD color management / HDR.

    Not just to the AMD graphics drivers for benefiting the Steam Deck’s hardware but also to Zink OpenGL-on-Vulkan and then other common infrastructure.

    There has also been other efforts Valve has been involved in such on expanding case insensitive file-system support on Linux, various other kernel features, their Gamescope Wayland compositor, immutable software updates, and Flatpak.

    The original article contains 366 words, the summary contains 215 words. Saved 41%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!