60°

Valve's inevitable march towards Linux

Icrontic writes: "Steam is being ported to Linux, and it's running well. Could a Valve Linux distro be far away? Let's call it Gabenix..."

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icrontic.com
ATi_Elite4269d ago (Edited 4269d ago )

Valve's march towards Linux and having Steam on Mac is a way for Valve to keep Microsoft from taking PC Gaming for granted and also a way to reach gamers on other Operating Systems.

Windows has been a very nice and enjoyable OPEN platform for gaming but if Microsoft does anything to disturb the flow of openness in gaming, Valve can easily leap to another Operating System with ease.

OpenGL is just as good as Microsoft's DirectX api and can be used on Mac or Linux. So in other words PC Gamers can play PC Games WITHOUT Microsoft software being on their PC's.

Zha1tan4269d ago

At the same timt though I dont understand the kickup about windows 8, seems like its built for the MS surface.

Ive yet to hear or see one viable reason why windows 8 is bad for gaming, I just see people saying its bad without any reason.

However if it is really that bad il be transitioning to linux with steam in a flash and im sure most other good PC devs will.

Bladesfist4269d ago

Really doubt it. The vast majority of people will stick with windows because of its ease of use and the developers will stay where the money is.

morganfell4269d ago

Windows 8 is bad for gaming because it funnels users away from sources like Steam and will push and in some cases force them to make purchase from the MS Storefront. It is currently showng a remarkable potential to damage certain sectors of gaming suchs indy gaming. In some instances it locks down features completely.

But should that be our focus? No. Products, like political candidates, should concentrate more on what they are than they do on what the other guy is not.

Personally I am not thinking about why Windows 8 is bad but why Linux will be better. Let MS do what they will. Let them lock the interface so you are forced to hack it in order to boot directly to the desktop, which happens to be the case in the latest builds. Its their software, let them do it. If you want to use it by all means do it.

I have been using both Linux and Ubuntu since I first messed with Linux in late 91. The potential for the software as a gaming platform is phenomenal. The system is incredibly stable (What's BSOD?). It also lacks all of those minor annoyances. When I copy a file and it says 5 seconds left it means 5 seconds. When I shut down, it shuts down. And importantly it has a far lower resource overhead than Windows. On top of this Ubuntu is free. It's included Office Libre is flexible and fast, opens and saves major MS Office files and is free. Ubuntu is updated regularly with new builds arriving every 6 months. Each build bears a number that tells you the month and year. 12.04 came out of beta and became the official release in April 2012. Each of these builds is supported for 18 months minimum after launch.

Every 4th release is called a LTS (Long Term Support) release and is supported for 5 years. The current build 12.04 known as Precise Pangolin is a LTS build. Upgrades to next versions, LTS or not, are nothing like those between Windows versions as they are less intrusive and do not maintain the amount of redundant code seen in the Windows based platforms. "Very clean" would be an apt description.

So far Left for Dead 2 is running 45 FPS faster than on Windows. And it's an Alpha build. With Valve moving more and more resources to the Linux development they are offering gamers an incredible opportunity.

Think about it. Suppose every time Sony or MS upgraded the PS3 or 360 YOU HAD TO PAY FOR IT. Does that sound fair? Well Canonical (the people behind Ubuntu) think not and you get Ubuntu versions for free.

Zha1tan4269d ago

well if its as good as you say it is, I may have to try it!

but game publishers and devs need to get behind it first.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4268d ago (Edited 4268d ago )

well up until this point you could just browse the web and find steam of other games and you still can. But on the mobile & desktop you can but most people will find xbox live only since it's right there and if you want new people to know you exist you want to be on the front page store right?

So that will come down to making metro apps which mean you must give MS 30% of your profits on an "open platform".

I can see why devs hate that. Not to mention the win8 forces you to jump back between metro & desktop for certain things. You have to use it even if you don't want to. I have win 8 now but at least performance is way better.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4268d ago
shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4268d ago

The big problem is getting other devs to make linux games & also there older games won't work. But this is a great way to start a ne generation & perfect timing?
http://www.engadget.com/201...

tachy0n4267d ago (Edited 4267d ago )

i rather live under microsoft rule, Direct X(windows) vs OpenGL(linux)

DirectX is better,: better tesselation, detail, lightning and better performance.

dont like Windows 8? stay on windows 7 and wait for service pack 2 for windows 7 for enhanced performance.

go with linux and you will end up using "wine" to emulate windows xDD

proof:

Letros4269d ago (Edited 4269d ago )

Their march towards the land of free software, donations, and mandatory trials, sounds profitable.

kneon4269d ago

Yes I'm sure that linux with it's <2% desktop market share will be hugely profitable./s

I've run just about every flavor or unix and linux imaginable starting way back with AT&T, SCO, BSD, minix, xenix and more linux distributions than I can remember. It's still not ready for the mass market despite what the zealots would have you believe

halocursed4269d ago

Linux isn't going to be the solution.

Kinggger4269d ago

I actually can see the "gabenix" distro as very possible since valve just announced that the first software that are not games on steam will be released soon. Seems suspicious to me on why they would release non-gaming applications even though we don't know what the actually applications are yet.

ATi_Elite4269d ago

Eventually there will be an Operating System on PC that has people dropping Windows.

Will it be Linux or a Linux based OS who knows but it's gonna happen and when it does companies like Valve will be first in line to ditch Windows completely which seems to be the trend anyway as Devs wanna program directly on the GPU without an Api!

i strongly believe Apple will OPEN UP OSX and start selling it on the PC. That move will only make Apple even more Billions.

hellvaguy4267d ago

Under the current business models, Apple cannot just open up its OS to PC users. It has way too many patents tied up into its hardware/software combo that wouldnt be allowed by federal courts to monopolize they way they do.

Apple only gets away with all thier b.s. because they own the hardware and software. This is why they are able to do basicly whatever they want and why MS gets nailed to a cross if they even have a pre-installed option to use one of thier products.

70°

Why Are Steam's Recommendations Dogpoop?

Blindfolding myself and clicking a Steam page at random would serve me better recommendations than Steam’s algorithm

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thegamer.com
UltimateOwnage9d ago

Hmm, not sure I agree with that. The recommendations I get are usually pretty good, but then again I have pretty large library of games on Steam and hundreds of them in my wish list, along with lots of curators I follow for it to build recommendations off of. On occasion it will throw me a random FIFA game or something I've never bought or shown interest in, but mostly its decent IMO.

80°

5 Best Metroidvania Games on Steam (March 2024)

Dive into the best Metroidvania games on Steam, from hidden gems to top-rated classics, and embark on unforgettable adventures!

jznrpg19d ago

Skul is a metroidvania ? It’s on PS+ soon I’ll check it out. If it’s good I’ll buy a copy physically if they have one

Nacho_Z19d ago

If Pseudoregalia is one of the best I'd hate to see what the worst look like.

330°

Dragon’s Dogma 2 releases to mixed user reviews, as microtransactions criticised

Players can pay to edit their character, resurrect the dead and other actions.

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videogameschronicle.com
AdonisIsBeast27d ago

Who cares as long as it’s optional

phoenixwing27d ago

paying to edit your character is kind of crap as far as microtransactions go

Xristo27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

I hate any/all MTX in a paid game (especially a full-price game)... but know that you can spend in-game currency (RC), which you get from killing mobs, to completely remake your character.

phoenixwing27d ago

@xRisto how much did it change the gameplay though? Changing your character would have probably not cost any rc if they weren't hellbent on getting money by making it inconvenient

koga8827d ago

You can literally edit your character using in-game gold, dropped from monsters or obtained from selling items, as soon as you reach the first main town. You can even use Rift Crystals obtained from other people using your pawn or dropped from monsters to change your entire character or Pawn. It's paying to avoid doing something that is literally in the game.

PRIMORDUS27d ago

They are lucky there using Denuvo or their game and all future DLC etc. would be for free. 🤣

phoenixwing27d ago

@koga you completely missed the point i was making but go ahead and act like i'm being the wrong one

lucian22926d ago

you can pay ingame currency though; why are ya so derp

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 26d ago
Crows9027d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Capcom cares quite a bit....hence why it was kept from reviewers and initial impressions.

As far as optional...yeah...ALL mtx are optional. That's not the problem. The miss the mark entirely.

Heck buying the game is "optional" too.

The fact that they were hiding this is scummy as hell. I was going to buy this day 1 or day 3. Now I'm reconsidering the purchase entirely because as the reviews point out...there are certain design decisions which have not changed but funnily enough seem to be remedied by these mtx...

In other words they may have left certain features in the game in order to monetize them. So the mtx affected the development of the game in a negative way.

garos8227d ago

I'm certainly not buying it anymore. It has affected at least one sale from me. I'll pick it up second hand

peppeaccardo27d ago

Very close to buy the game at a discounted price but not anymore.
Bad business practice and hence they do not get my support/money !

warriorcase26d ago

It wasn't kept fromreviewers s though. Twitter reviewers are saying there was mention of mtx's in the reviewers guide

-Foxtrot27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

STOP. USING. THAT. SHITTY. EXCUSE

God damn man

Look how DLC changed after Oblivions horse armour, within 10 years most developers took the absolute p***. What was said then aswell? “It’s only optional who cares?” Now look where we all are.

There’s no half measures with these things, when will people realise this.

jwillj2k427d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Oh it’s gonna get worse. Ng+ locked behind mtx, “cool downs” preventing you from playing for more than 3 hours at a time unless u pay the mtx for unlimited access, main campaign bosses, in-game music, certain dialog, difficulty modes, certain npc interactions, all locked behind mtx, etc.. etc. gonna end up being like the NBA 2k games eventually paying for cross overs and shit… They gon get mid-evil on our asses.

OMGitzThatGuy27d ago

I can guarantee most of the items you can buy with mtx and ingame currency wouldn’t exist in ANY paid form if the main goal wasn't monetization. If the goal is to give idiots who are willing to pay for basic game features as mtx a way to do things faster then the only ones the mtx hurt are the non paying players as you are now locking features behind a grind that you chose to put in the game that you are essentially admitting to creating some type of time sink. I have never heard of a game locking basic character editing behind a ingame paywall, it’s usually just an option.

Chard26d ago

Takes two to tango though - unfortunately people buy this garbage which incentivises the behaviour. It's an inevitable outcome of the profit motive

thorstein27d ago

@Mario

Yes. And so are resurrection "Wakestones." You can find them but they're rare.

victorMaje27d ago

Buying the game is now very optional too. If you don’t know why then you don’t get it.

shinoff218327d ago

Because it's only a door way. That's why we care. We've already seen some shit since Mtx was introduced.

Rimeskeem27d ago

1. DD2 is an ARPG with 8 different playable classes
2. There is no multiplayer aspect to the game
3. You can only have one character (have to pay for more)
4. You cannot delete the character unless you go into the game files
5. The game is $70 dollars upfront

Having to pay for more character slots in a game that *features* 8 playable classes is pretty much not optional for an ARPG.

Angyobangyo27d ago

Judging from steam reviews, gamers care. Not plastic gamers. Why didn’t Itsuno mention such MTX would be available in-game? Why weren’t the MTXs there for review copies?

Kiryu199227d ago

Who cares is how all this started. The many many excuses. Please keep defending these greedy publishers and unfair tactics. We be gamers are the problem

Horse armor

$10 online passes if buying a used copy

Cheat codes gone and are replaced by micro transactions

Unlocking stuff by playing games behind micro transactions and XP boosters

It’s only cosmetic

No one is being forced to spend even though publishers are literally making their games more grindy to force people to play

Full priced games have mobile game type micro transactions

$70 priced games because higher development costs while making record profits and laying off record number of employees

And to play the game early pay us extra $20-30 on top of full price

Release games now and promise to maybe fix them later only to abandon the game

Day one patches that make the games worst

If it’s your favorite game defend the publisher if it’s not hate on another publisher for similar content

SixFrvgz26d ago Show
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kenpachi27d ago

Must have picked up some EA crew to put this in the game

robtion27d ago

Yeah these are really bad ones. Directly impacting gameplay too. Super scummy move. I hope nobody buys them.

CrimsonWing6927d ago

Yet Helldivers 2 gets a pass? Y’know a GotY contender by the name of RE4 had them and so does Devil May Cry V. The funny thing is I enjoyed both of those games thoroughly without having to buy a single microtransaction.

What I do consider a valid complaint is not being able to start a new game or being able to edit your character. That’s kind of a seriously baffling decision, but then I think how I played Dragon’s Dogma 1 and I never edited my character and I just did a 100% playthrough on a single file and didn’t start a NG since. So, I don’t think these are really going to impact me, but I can see how it will others.

Crows9027d ago

Helldivers 2 is a live service game where everything is obtainable in game with incredible ease.

Not sure about re4 or DMC but nobody is giving anyone a pass ...this article is about dragons dogma 2...not those games.

What is valid are in game features made to supposedly force you to think carefully only to have a surprise online store offer solutions to built in problems for more money.

Goosejuice27d ago

Those same things they are selling can be found Ingame as well. U can buy the character editor through merchants with gold. Don't get me wrong..I dislike these mtx they are doing but you don't need to buy them to be able to get them.

CrimsonWing6927d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Oh my bad, I can’t bring up games with microtransactions that nobody had a sh*t fit over. My mistake.

I love how people move the goalpost.

Crows9027d ago

@goose
@crimson

All mtx sucks. I'd rather helldiver's not have them because it makes me wonder if the rate at which you collect materials. That said. The games features are all fully enjoyable and aren't affected by the mtx.

That's not the case with dragons dogma 2...they left in place features that are supposedly part of the challenge of the game only to let you buy your way out very conveniently. I didn't look through all of them but I've heard some are rare but can be purchased with more money now. Even more so in a game about managing weight load there's a tent, I believe, that you can pay more money for that weighs less than your typical tent...not all sure on all the mtx and I'm aware that you can purchase many through in game vendor but they're incredibly useful mtx that are obtained much more slowly in game...or even a limited amount of them.

Instead is selling fast travel...just let us don't for free....or instead of selling cosmetic changes...how about letting us do it for free...

Nothing in helldivers comes close to this abomination

Angyobangyo27d ago

One is a single player game and one is a live service game. One is $40 vs$70. And most importantly, one game is there to spread democracy.

Ironmike26d ago

It's not incredibly easy for certain things in helldivers though u still have grind quite bit but u ate correct in saying u can eventually get enough medals to purchase stuff

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 26d ago
Moegooner27d ago

Read your comment again and maybe, just maybe you might realise how dumb it was.

CrimsonWing6927d ago (Edited 27d ago )

What was dumb about it? That I pointed out the hypocrisy?

garos8227d ago

It was extremely scummy that capcom hid this from reviewers. I have no doubt this game is good but these type of microtransactions don't sit well with me. They've lost a sale from me

Lionsguard27d ago

I was going to pay full price to support this game because I've been waiting for it for forever but I think I'll wait until I get it for free from Epic or a Humblebundle monthly.

Redemption-6427d ago

I am not defending Capcom, as I am not a fan of MTX in single player games. I do however belive they were open to reviewers about having MTX in their game. The reviewers just decided to leave that part out. Which is very disingenuous. There are some companies that get away with these things. Image if this was done by EA, Ubisoft, or even Activision? I am positive those defending Capcom, would have had their pitchforks ready if the companies listed above did this

anast27d ago

That's why reviewers can't be trusted. In fact, they are not reviewers at all. They get free codes to talk about stuff they don't understand nor care about.

Sanctusone27d ago

I mean it was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes...one of the items you get from deluxe edition was in game items.
1500 Rift Crystals - Points to Spend Beyond the Rift (A)
Which honestly I figured they kept a similar mtx system like DMC5 and the optional red orbs.

Lionsguard27d ago

1500 Rift Crystals doesn't mean anything. The first game had Rift crystals too, you just earned them by people hiring your Pawn and you get it from certain quests.

anast26d ago (Edited 26d ago )

A reviewer's job is to point out the obvious of a product as though they were the consumer. This means reviewers, to do their actual job, would need to review the complete game: the edition they are reviewing, how they got the game, technical aspects, story, and monetization scheme. Since, it is obvious that MT's are a part of the game, it would need to be reviewed. This way people can be informed, so they can decide if they want to play this style of game/monetization scheme.

For example, AC Origins was bad with Mt's. I had to farm side missions or pay to advance the story. This was after I already did close to 25 or more side missions. While I was grinding there were constant reminders that I could pay to ease the grind. I would have never bought the game if it were reviewed properly.

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