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Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows. Google is already addin

Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows. Google is already adding support for native Linux programs to Chrome OS, they could make a Chrome/Android hybrid that pulls all of the weight of the Android ecosystem and adds to that the weight of Steam. It would be a success and could seriously hurt Microsoft.

vecinu 8y ago
> It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows Sorry why is it in both of their interests to do so?
- foota 8y ago
  As far as valve goes, the windows store is a potential competitor to steam.
  - astrowilliam 8y ago
    I'm an avid gamer and would never buy anything from the Windows store. Casual players even use Steam. I'd like to see the sales stats between the WS and Steam to compare.
    - uomopertica 8y ago
      I can confirm that! I had to download Gears of War 4 from the Windows Store because it was distributed there. I had a terrible experience: account not logging, download not initiating etc. In the end I had to download it on my laptop whose Store was seemingly working better and transfer the files over to the Desktop. My experience is that WS is very fragile and much less reliable than Steam.
      - dogma1138 8y ago
        That something I never understood the Xbox store works pretty much flawlessly. How hard do you need to work to screw up something that already works just fine.
        gmueckl 8y ago
        If I had to guess I'd say by having it reimplemented in a different department... MS in the past has shown very severe symptoms of NIH between teams.
    - beagle3 8y ago
      You are talking about the next month, but this game plays over a decade. I remember the mid. And even late ‘90s when gamers said they would never ever run games in windows, DOS is forever! Times change.
- ReverseCold 8y ago
  Time spent not in a browser is time spent where Google might not be able to see what you're doing. Considering that their business is watching what you do all the time...
- moetech 8y ago
  The whole Steam on Linux thing is believed to have started because Valve saw the Windows Store as a threat to their business model. IIRC, at the time it looked like Microsoft would disallow installation of programs from outside sources. As for Google, well they are just big competitors in a lot of areas. I'm sure they would love to beat Microsoft on the desktop like they did in the smartphone space.
  - Klover 8y ago
    Would Valve not rather have Microsoft than Google then? Windows users have administrator accounts and can install steam and its games without issue. Google play store would directly compete with steam.
    - moetech 8y ago
      No, because Google doesn't wield the same power over Android that Microsoft wields over Windows. If Google decided to disallow Steam from Android, Valve could just fork Android and carry on. They can't do that with Windows.
      - Fnoord 8y ago
        You can't "just fork Android". Android devices come pre-installed with Android right now. OEMs aren't allowed by Google to distribute a non-official Android version. Its Microsoft all over again.
      - Sylos 8y ago
        That's optimistic... Google exerts a lot of power over Android. The EU did recently punish Google for that, so theoretically Google now has to stop with it, but up until this point, they forced manufacturers to only ever preinstall the Google version of Android (or permanently lose their license to preinstall the Google Apps) and also forced manufacturers to always install the whole Google app bundle, not just the Play Store. To put their power into perspective, just remember that Amazon has been in the game of distributing an Android fork and alternative app store for a while now. And Amazon is magnitudes bigger than Valve.
remir 8y ago
There were rumors not long ago about Google working on a game console or streaming service.
philliphaydon 8y ago
I couldn't think of anything worse than Valve and Google partnering. And I don't know why you would want to 'kill' windows. What Valve is doing is great, its making more competition, that puts pressure on Microsoft to be competitive too. But killing off windows completely hurts everyone. No competition is bad.
- moetech 8y ago
  I want Windows dead because it's a proprietary surveillance machine that has stayed alive thanks to really strong lock-in and network effects. I don't trust Google and Valve either, but even if they go full evil empire after after killing Windows, a monopoly built on Linux and Vulkan is a much better place than where we are now. Google already has a near-monopoly in the smartphone space and it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop. Android being built on tons of GPL software means they have to contribute changes back to the benefit of the FOSS ecosystem. It also means you can easily make/use a custom Android ROM without any proprietary components.
  - c487bd62 8y ago
    > Google already has a near-monopoly in the smartphone space and it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop. Like half the useful apps have problems running without Google Apps being installed. GCM errors, apps refusing to run if the Play Store is not installed, Google making decisions that impact ROM developers. That's what I read about it anyway and discouraged me from trying AOSP without Gapps. > it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop Steam is DRM. Gabe bus factor: Microsoft buys Steam and renames it to GFWL Redux
    - Fnoord 8y ago
      microG is indeed a cat and mouse game which you cannot safely rely on. (I'm using it though.)
    - ahartmetz 8y ago
      > Steam is DRM Nitpick: Steam offers DRM to developers who want it, it does not force games to use DRM. Many games installed via Steam run completely without Steam. The DRM-free games are mostly indie games.
flukus 8y ago
Why would valve want to replace an OS where MS controls the app store with one where google controls it? Every threat the MS poses to valve google does as well. Especially when it seems google is angling for Fuschia to be the future.
mlindner 8y ago
Hell no. Google is well known to monitor literally everything about you. Don't you remember the mess with Red Shell monitoring software that was added to games? The games that still have that have incredibly bad ratings still.
paavoova 8y ago
Kill Windows...and replace it with Steam/Linux? Don't pretend that a proprietary data mining platform that licenses titles behind DRM is in anyway better than Windows [1]. No, my fears are that this will only serve to grow the proprietary ecosystem on Linux and make general users reliant like Google has done to Android. Yes, Android runs on a base Linux kernel and userspace, but what use is that when users are totally reliant on Google services? Likewise, if users require Steam, etc, than the core OS running underneath that application matters little. [1] https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/ https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/ [..] information about the device you are using, including what operating system you are using, device settings, unique device identifiers, and crash data.
oliwarner 8y ago
The Chromebook is the polar opposite of what's required for mainstream gaming. Wrong architecture, super-low perf, low storage. The only way this happens is via streaming. You can already do that.
GenericsMotors 8y ago
> Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. "Valve needs to"? Or you'd like Valve to? > It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows. [...] It would be a success and could seriously hurt Microsoft. Ah, there it is, your real motive. Valve will do whatever will make them money and keep their users mostly happy. I doubt they have much incentive to "kill Windows", and they definitely won't do it just to pander to an anti-MS zealot such as yourself.
whywhywhywhy 8y ago
Why would the owner of the largest and most profitable software store on Windows want to kill Windows? There is some weird fan effect with Valve similar to the Google early days where people see them as a universal force for good that will free PC gaming from Microsoft and has the users best interests at heart. Honestly feel the actual drives of Valve couldn't be further removed from the desires and beliefs of Valve fans.
davemp 8y ago
> Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. This disturbing chimera would be such a disaster for computing privacy and agency. Steam and android are both horribly mismanaged from a technical user standpoint.

vecinu 8y ago

> It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows Sorry why is it in both of their interests to do so?

foota 8y ago
As far as valve goes, the windows store is a potential competitor to steam.
- astrowilliam 8y ago
  I'm an avid gamer and would never buy anything from the Windows store. Casual players even use Steam. I'd like to see the sales stats between the WS and Steam to compare.
  - uomopertica 8y ago
    I can confirm that! I had to download Gears of War 4 from the Windows Store because it was distributed there. I had a terrible experience: account not logging, download not initiating etc. In the end I had to download it on my laptop whose Store was seemingly working better and transfer the files over to the Desktop. My experience is that WS is very fragile and much less reliable than Steam.
    - dogma1138 8y ago
      That something I never understood the Xbox store works pretty much flawlessly. How hard do you need to work to screw up something that already works just fine.
      - gmueckl 8y ago
        If I had to guess I'd say by having it reimplemented in a different department... MS in the past has shown very severe symptoms of NIH between teams.
  - beagle3 8y ago
    You are talking about the next month, but this game plays over a decade. I remember the mid. And even late ‘90s when gamers said they would never ever run games in windows, DOS is forever! Times change.
ReverseCold 8y ago
Time spent not in a browser is time spent where Google might not be able to see what you're doing. Considering that their business is watching what you do all the time...
moetech 8y ago
The whole Steam on Linux thing is believed to have started because Valve saw the Windows Store as a threat to their business model. IIRC, at the time it looked like Microsoft would disallow installation of programs from outside sources. As for Google, well they are just big competitors in a lot of areas. I'm sure they would love to beat Microsoft on the desktop like they did in the smartphone space.
- Klover 8y ago
  Would Valve not rather have Microsoft than Google then? Windows users have administrator accounts and can install steam and its games without issue. Google play store would directly compete with steam.
  - moetech 8y ago
    No, because Google doesn't wield the same power over Android that Microsoft wields over Windows. If Google decided to disallow Steam from Android, Valve could just fork Android and carry on. They can't do that with Windows.
    - Fnoord 8y ago
      You can't "just fork Android". Android devices come pre-installed with Android right now. OEMs aren't allowed by Google to distribute a non-official Android version. Its Microsoft all over again.
    - Sylos 8y ago
      That's optimistic... Google exerts a lot of power over Android. The EU did recently punish Google for that, so theoretically Google now has to stop with it, but up until this point, they forced manufacturers to only ever preinstall the Google version of Android (or permanently lose their license to preinstall the Google Apps) and also forced manufacturers to always install the whole Google app bundle, not just the Play Store. To put their power into perspective, just remember that Amazon has been in the game of distributing an Android fork and alternative app store for a while now. And Amazon is magnitudes bigger than Valve.

remir 8y ago

There were rumors not long ago about Google working on a game console or streaming service.

philliphaydon 8y ago

I couldn't think of anything worse than Valve and Google partnering. And I don't know why you would want to 'kill' windows. What Valve is doing is great, its making more competition, that puts pressure on Microsoft to be competitive too. But killing off windows completely hurts everyone. No competition is bad.

moetech 8y ago
I want Windows dead because it's a proprietary surveillance machine that has stayed alive thanks to really strong lock-in and network effects. I don't trust Google and Valve either, but even if they go full evil empire after after killing Windows, a monopoly built on Linux and Vulkan is a much better place than where we are now. Google already has a near-monopoly in the smartphone space and it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop. Android being built on tons of GPL software means they have to contribute changes back to the benefit of the FOSS ecosystem. It also means you can easily make/use a custom Android ROM without any proprietary components.
- c487bd62 8y ago
  > Google already has a near-monopoly in the smartphone space and it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop. Like half the useful apps have problems running without Google Apps being installed. GCM errors, apps refusing to run if the Play Store is not installed, Google making decisions that impact ROM developers. That's what I read about it anyway and discouraged me from trying AOSP without Gapps. > it's much better than the Windows monopoly on the desktop Steam is DRM. Gabe bus factor: Microsoft buys Steam and renames it to GFWL Redux
  - Fnoord 8y ago
    microG is indeed a cat and mouse game which you cannot safely rely on. (I'm using it though.)
  - ahartmetz 8y ago
    > Steam is DRM Nitpick: Steam offers DRM to developers who want it, it does not force games to use DRM. Many games installed via Steam run completely without Steam. The DRM-free games are mostly indie games.

flukus 8y ago

Why would valve want to replace an OS where MS controls the app store with one where google controls it? Every threat the MS poses to valve google does as well. Especially when it seems google is angling for Fuschia to be the future.

mlindner 8y ago

Hell no. Google is well known to monitor literally everything about you. Don't you remember the mess with Red Shell monitoring software that was added to games? The games that still have that have incredibly bad ratings still.

paavoova 8y ago

Kill Windows...and replace it with Steam/Linux? Don't pretend that a proprietary data mining platform that licenses titles behind DRM is in anyway better than Windows [1]. No, my fears are that this will only serve to grow the proprietary ecosystem on Linux and make general users reliant like Google has done to Android. Yes, Android runs on a base Linux kernel and userspace, but what use is that when users are totally reliant on Google services? Likewise, if users require Steam, etc, than the core OS running underneath that application matters little. [1] https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/ https://store.steampowered.com/privacy_agreement/ [..] information about the device you are using, including what operating system you are using, device settings, unique device identifiers, and crash data.

oliwarner 8y ago

The Chromebook is the polar opposite of what's required for mainstream gaming. Wrong architecture, super-low perf, low storage. The only way this happens is via streaming. You can already do that.

GenericsMotors 8y ago

> Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. "Valve needs to"? Or you'd like Valve to? > It's in the interest of both companies to kill Windows. [...] It would be a success and could seriously hurt Microsoft. Ah, there it is, your real motive. Valve will do whatever will make them money and keep their users mostly happy. I doubt they have much incentive to "kill Windows", and they definitely won't do it just to pander to an anti-MS zealot such as yourself.

whywhywhywhy 8y ago

Why would the owner of the largest and most profitable software store on Windows want to kill Windows? There is some weird fan effect with Valve similar to the Google early days where people see them as a universal force for good that will free PC gaming from Microsoft and has the users best interests at heart. Honestly feel the actual drives of Valve couldn't be further removed from the desires and beliefs of Valve fans.

davemp 8y ago

> Valve needs to partner with Google and launch a Chromebook/Steam Machine hybrid. This disturbing chimera would be such a disaster for computing privacy and agency. Steam and android are both horribly mismanaged from a technical user standpoint.