4 ms·

It is amazing how far linux gaming has come in a few years. It's true that in tech "a few years" is an eternity, but "linux graphics drivers" have always been a

It is amazing how far linux gaming has come in a few years. It's true that in tech "a few years" is an eternity, but "linux graphics drivers" have always been an exception to that rule...

michaelt 8y ago
In negotiating theory there's an idea called 'BATNA' [1] which says: 1. If A is negotiating with B, but they have an alternative option which is C, then A will never accept B giving them a worse deal than C; and B will know that, and realise they have to do better than C. 2. For this reason, if A wants a better deal from B, they have to improve on C - and that's true even if they don't plan to rely on C. For example, an employee (A) who wants to be paid more by their current employer (B) might interview with another company (C) and use the offer from C to negotiate a higher salary from B. Likewise, Valve fears that Microsoft will eat their cake. MS could lock down their platform, and force all software sales through a store where they take a 30% cut, just like iOS and Android do already. Investing in Linux gaming is Valve's BATNA: If Microsoft makes Windows worse for Valve than steam boxes are, Valve can start pushing steam boxes hard; and the better steam boxes are, the more effective and credible this alternative is, and hence the more leverage Valve has over MS. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_alternative_to_a_negotiated_agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_alternative_to_a_negotiat...
- mesaframe 8y ago
  I think Second last paragraph would have been enough. The rest is superfluous
- ekianjo 8y ago
  More importantly Valve faces competitions from a lot of other game stores lately. They still have the first mover advantage but who know what happens in the next 5 years with Fornite and the like. They need to own something else than an online store to build their future.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- mschuster91 8y ago
  > Investing in Linux gaming is Valve's BATNA: If Microsoft makes Windows worse for Valve than steam boxes are, Valve can start pushing steam boxes hard; and the better steam boxes are, the more effective and credible this alternative is, and hence the more leverage Valve has over MS. The other option would be to put some pressure onto Apple to get their stuff in order - and finally release new desktop Macs that are upgradeable as well as allow NV/AMD to release their own GPU drivers.
  - dagw 8y ago
    Apple will never offer a desktop computer with specs that gamers will accept at a price point that will sell at the volumes that Valve wants/needs
    - ekianjo 8y ago
      This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers. It would be very surprising this changes anytime soon.
      - mschuster91 8y ago
        > This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers. Yet gamers have similar demands (in terms of performance) to the core demographic of Apple users pre-iPhone: professionals in the 3D/animation/audio creative scene. The question is, will Apple ever think about this market again or concede victory to Windows? They haven't shown much progress the last few years, but on the other hand if there's one group which is willing to shell astronomic sums on highest end Apple equipment it's creatives.
      - fsloth 8y ago
        "This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers." Not true. They advertize games very vocally in iOS AppStore. I know that's not what you meant, but in the largest context a "gamer" is not an enthusiast, but just a person who likes to play a game now and then.
- wyldfire 8y ago
  > Likewise, Valve fears that Microsoft will eat their cake. MS could lock down their platform, and force all software sales through a store where they take a 30% cut, just like iOS and Android do already. This isn't theoretical, right? It was stated upfront as a plan for Windows 10 and it inspired Valve to invest in Linux/SteamOS/Steam Box ecosystem.
  - kbenson 8y ago
    There are (were?) specific versions of windows that only allow software to be installed from the Microsoft store. Generally, the come on really low-end cheap laptops, with the note that it's for improved security (and I'm sure there's a discount on the cost of Windows, which is what makes it attractive to manufacturers).
    - Phrodo_00 8y ago
      Wasn't that only for RT (ARM) versions?
      - int_19h 8y ago
        It's also Windows 10 S. However, the switch to restrict installation to Store only is now also available in other versions of Windows.
  - snvzz 8y ago
    Refer to Windows 10 S/Windows 10 S mode[0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Discontinued_editions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Discontinu...
  - Zhyl 8y ago
    It was Windows 8 at the time, but yes. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18996377 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18996377

It is amazing how far linux gaming has come in a few years. It's true that in tech "a few years" is an eternity, but "linux graphics drivers" have always been an exception to that rule...

michaelt 8y ago

In negotiating theory there's an idea called 'BATNA' [1] which says: 1. If A is negotiating with B, but they have an alternative option which is C, then A will never accept B giving them a worse deal than C; and B will know that, and realise they have to do better than C. 2. For this reason, if A wants a better deal from B, they have to improve on C - and that's true even if they don't plan to rely on C. For example, an employee (A) who wants to be paid more by their current employer (B) might interview with another company (C) and use the offer from C to negotiate a higher salary from B. Likewise, Valve fears that Microsoft will eat their cake. MS could lock down their platform, and force all software sales through a store where they take a 30% cut, just like iOS and Android do already. Investing in Linux gaming is Valve's BATNA: If Microsoft makes Windows worse for Valve than steam boxes are, Valve can start pushing steam boxes hard; and the better steam boxes are, the more effective and credible this alternative is, and hence the more leverage Valve has over MS. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_alternative_to_a_negotiated_agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_alternative_to_a_negotiat...

mesaframe 8y ago
I think Second last paragraph would have been enough. The rest is superfluous
ekianjo 8y ago
More importantly Valve faces competitions from a lot of other game stores lately. They still have the first mover advantage but who know what happens in the next 5 years with Fornite and the like. They need to own something else than an online store to build their future.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
mschuster91 8y ago
> Investing in Linux gaming is Valve's BATNA: If Microsoft makes Windows worse for Valve than steam boxes are, Valve can start pushing steam boxes hard; and the better steam boxes are, the more effective and credible this alternative is, and hence the more leverage Valve has over MS. The other option would be to put some pressure onto Apple to get their stuff in order - and finally release new desktop Macs that are upgradeable as well as allow NV/AMD to release their own GPU drivers.
- dagw 8y ago
  Apple will never offer a desktop computer with specs that gamers will accept at a price point that will sell at the volumes that Valve wants/needs
  - ekianjo 8y ago
    This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers. It would be very surprising this changes anytime soon.
    - mschuster91 8y ago
      > This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers. Yet gamers have similar demands (in terms of performance) to the core demographic of Apple users pre-iPhone: professionals in the 3D/animation/audio creative scene. The question is, will Apple ever think about this market again or concede victory to Windows? They haven't shown much progress the last few years, but on the other hand if there's one group which is willing to shell astronomic sums on highest end Apple equipment it's creatives.
    - fsloth 8y ago
      "This, and Apple has shown over and over they absolutely don't care about gamers." Not true. They advertize games very vocally in iOS AppStore. I know that's not what you meant, but in the largest context a "gamer" is not an enthusiast, but just a person who likes to play a game now and then.
wyldfire 8y ago
> Likewise, Valve fears that Microsoft will eat their cake. MS could lock down their platform, and force all software sales through a store where they take a 30% cut, just like iOS and Android do already. This isn't theoretical, right? It was stated upfront as a plan for Windows 10 and it inspired Valve to invest in Linux/SteamOS/Steam Box ecosystem.
- kbenson 8y ago
  There are (were?) specific versions of windows that only allow software to be installed from the Microsoft store. Generally, the come on really low-end cheap laptops, with the note that it's for improved security (and I'm sure there's a discount on the cost of Windows, which is what makes it attractive to manufacturers).
  - Phrodo_00 8y ago
    Wasn't that only for RT (ARM) versions?
    - int_19h 8y ago
      It's also Windows 10 S. However, the switch to restrict installation to Store only is now also available in other versions of Windows.
- snvzz 8y ago
  Refer to Windows 10 S/Windows 10 S mode[0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Discontinued_editions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10_editions#Discontinu...
- Zhyl 8y ago
  It was Windows 8 at the time, but yes. [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18996377 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18996377