10 ms·

Software on Steam

191 points by mxfh 14y ago

baq 14y ago
...in before "why gaben doesn't like windows 8" - he wants steam to be a direct competitor to microsoft's app store, google play, netflix, etc.
- debacle 14y ago
  I don't think that's necessarily true. I think it's more that he sees the moral hazard in the OS vendor also being the only official store on the platform.
  - FredFredrickson 14y ago
    Newell has a store that is essentially competing with and which will probably feel pressure from the existence of a built-in Windows store. It's a pretty easy logical step to take to assume that he is mostly against it because of these things, and not because of some ephemeral high-mindedness about how things ought to be done morally, which he hasn't exhibited in any other way.
    - icebraining 14y ago
      That's what debacle was saying. Moral hazard is a term from economic theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard
  - engtech 14y ago
    As an owner of an iPad 1 that is blocked from getting iOS 6, it's tragic that iTunes won't automatically keep the last version of my apps before they upgrade to iOS 6. So as time goes by I'm going to lose all my software for my iPad if I update apps in iTunes. :( Moral hazard indeed.
  - anonymfus 14y ago
    There are official third-party stores in Microsoft store: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/softonic/e717f589-33d7-4a5b-b306-67b6282c6d5b http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/softonic/e717f589... http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/intel-appup-r-center/acd3b30c-3065-4cd7-ac1a-b3424e12f2c2 http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/intel-appup-r-cen...
  - DeepDuh 14y ago
    You really hit the nail on the head with this post. I still like the polish iOS, but Apple proves that there is indeed such a moral hazard when one vendor is controlling everything. What I'd like to see the mobile space into is some kind of 'commodity era' like with the PC: Apps ==== Appstore <- Each OS has its default appstore but others can be installed ==== OS <- can be licenced with no strings attached to device. When you buy a new handset you will be asked "would like Android or Windows or XYZ? I wonder whether there is any market pressure into such a standardization. Why did IBM create PC as an industry standard back then, was it for licensing value? Couldn't this be an interesting model for someone like Texas Instruments or Nokia nowadays? (Player in non dominant position with stakes and experience in the hardware business).
ayi 14y ago
now i can clearly see that why "windows 8 is a threat" statement come.
bootz15 14y ago
Why not? Makes sense. Can't wait to see the deals.
niggler 14y ago
what's steam's cut on these apps? 30%?
- RKearney 14y ago
  This information is not publicly disclosed and differs from developer to developer and is based on sales volume amongst other things.
- mtgx 14y ago
  If I were them, and it would be affordable for them, I'd probably make it 15-20% early on, and 10-15% after a certain amount of sales.
gknoy 14y ago
I find it interesting that nearly all the software listed, initially, seems to be art related. ArtRage Studio Pro just ended up on my wish list, because that looks like tremendous fun. Now, if only I could easily install these apps outside the steam folder. My main drive is getting full.
- tomku 14y ago
  > Now, if only I could easily install these apps outside the steam folder. My main drive is getting full. The current Steam beta has support for multiple installation folders. It's a little rough right now, but it seems like something they plan on polishing up and releasing eventually. Source and more info: http://www.neoseeker.com/news/20791-latest-steam-beta-allows-for-multiple-installation-folders/ http://www.neoseeker.com/news/20791-latest-steam-beta-allows...
  - acheron 14y ago
    Glad to see that is coming soon. I have some symlinks set up in my Steam directory to keep apps on different drives, but something built in would certainly be easier.
  - Valien 14y ago
    I can confirm that the new beta lets you select which directory/drive to install files on. It's a great change and let's me start filling up my 2 TB drive instead of my C drive!
- normalfaults 14y ago
  I use steammover to move files between ssd and larger hard drive. Works really well. http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
- mxfh 14y ago
  used to do mklink to get specific steam-appfolders onto ssd if loading times were too long.
- wtracy 14y ago
kevingadd 14y ago
Games getting bumped below the fold by software [1] is probably going to make some game devs upset. Hopefully Valve comes up with a solution for that. I can see there being tension, though, because Valve wants to drive their traditional audience to software, but doing so may cannibalize impulse game buys that might have previously happened from a game being on the first page. [1] http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1643240/newreleases.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1643240/newreleases.png
- MartinCron 14y ago
  The Games tab is still ahead of the software tab, so that at least keeps Steam more games-focused than Xbox.
- cube13 14y ago
  New releases are listed in chronological order. So a dump of of non-game software would, naturally, push games down the queue.
engtech 14y ago
I am looking forward to buying hats for my photo editing software.
martin1b 14y ago
Wow. That was quick. Good move Valve!
Havoc 14y ago
I wish they would split it though. Valve doing software is awesome, but Steam is pretty sweet right now & they shouldn't mess with it. That being said, of all the only companies I probably trust Valve the most to not screw over people and/or mess it up.
avolcano 14y ago
The most incredible thing about this is that these applications can have achievements, DLC, and even Steam Workshop support. Check out Game Maker: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ - Different components sold as DLC (http://store.steampowered.com/dlc/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/dlc/214850/) - Achievements (http://steamcommunity.com/stats/214850/achievements http://steamcommunity.com/stats/214850/achievements) for things like "run a game on iOS" and "1000 debugs" - Created games can be put on the Steam Workshop (http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse?appid=214850 http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse?appid=214850), which is INCREDIBLE when you think about it!
- FredFredrickson 14y ago
  Seems like a janky way to do things, to be honest. Achievements for productivity software? Seriously.
  - sp332 14y ago
    Achievements for productivity software? Seriously. Achievements can be used as motivation, increasing productivity. Makes sense to me.
    - sharkweek 14y ago
      I can see it now -- BWOOOOSH -- ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED -- TYPED 1000 WORDS IN AN HOUR Honestly -- this could definitely work for someone like me. I'm addicted to micro-achievement alerts
      - CodeCube 14y ago
        If you use Visual Studio, you can get this ;) http://channel9.msdn.com/achievements/visualstudio http://channel9.msdn.com/achievements/visualstudio
        Goronmon 14y ago
sergiotapia 14y ago
As long as they sell software using their tremendous discounts usually found on Steam, they will have me as a customer. I doubt we'll see any mainstreams applications on there though.
sp332 14y ago
There are some rough spots, like on this page http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ the different versions are labelled "Downloadable content for this game".
jmount 14y ago
Steam down right now?
llimllib 14y ago
It's strange that at least one app in that list has a Mac version available, but it isn't supported on Steam.
fromhet 14y ago
Some people seem to fail to understand that Steam is yet another package manager, but this time filled with only non-free stuff, in a way that has so much DRM it's unusable in any ways but the intended one. Steam on linux is, I think, a big problem for us. There will be dpkg (or whatever your distro chose). This one will install apps in a way that is consistent with the system, and with POSIX. Then, there will be steam. Steam is used because it is the only way to get apps people want. I do not own a game I paid for on Steam. Not even in the way I own non-free apps like Alfred or Ableton Live. I don't have a right to use them, I am merely allowed to do so. I understand that it is in Valves interest to lock us down like this. But in this case, their interest is against ours, the users.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
  To be fair, Steam doesn't install apps the proper way on Windows either. Start menu shortcuts actually open Steam and then launch the game. Uninstallers? Launch Steam.
  - undergroundhero 14y ago
    On Windows 7 I can use CCleaner or the control panel to uninstall games installed with Steam.
    - jitl 14y ago
      It varies from package to package. Many Steam games are installed with a normal Windows MSI that just targets your `$STEAM/steamapps/common` folder instead of `/Program Files (x86)`, and these packages can be removed using the Control Panel or CCleaner. There are plenty of Steam packages that use the Steam infrastructure in a much more integral manner, however. These packages (like TF2 or Half-Life 2) are stored in compressed and encrypted cache files, and install only some components into a directory like `$STEAM/steamapps/$USERNAME/`. These packages can only be removed using the Steam application. While package stubs may be placed for the Control Panel to manage, the "uninstall" action will just call the Steam "Delete Local Content" action.
- 14y ago
notum 14y ago
And suddenly, for me, Steam turned from convenient to creepy. Nobody's pulling anyone's hand now or was before, but imagine being locked out of your work suite because something happened to your Steam account. And there are plenty of horror stories about whole game libraries lost because of a single paypal transaction (or dispute). No thanks Valve, I'll stick to harmless Christmas sale games.
- batiudrami 14y ago
  In fairness, their policy changed (about 6-12 months back), that if there's a transaction dispute, you're locked out of only the game with the dispute (and temporarily banned from buying new games). You can still use your existing ones.
just2n 14y ago
Warning: read the Steam Subscriber Agreement (http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/ http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/) carefully. You don't own a license to any software you "buy" in Steam. As nice as Steam is to use, being able to download software on any computer in a fairly simplistic manner and to get reduced prices from time to time, I'm not convinced that giving up the right to own things you purchase is a fair price for that convenience.
- modarts 14y ago
  Simple solution: don't use steam if you don't like that tradeoff.
  - just2n 14y ago
    I don't buy things on Steam, but I still use it. I'm just trying to bring awareness to terms people are agreeing to but probably know nothing about (nobody ever actually reads a ToS or subscriber agreement, ever).
  - georgemcbay 14y ago
    I use Steam currently because I'm okay with that tradeoff in order to play massively discounted games. There's no way in hell I'd buy serious productivity software on Steam though, because suddenly losing access to all of my productivity software due to some single glitch with my account on their end is just not worth it for me. YMMV, but I'm ok with Steam's DRM on games but not all software.
    - anthonyb 14y ago
      I've been using Steam for three years now and haven't had any account issues like that. Loss of internet connection, yes - but that's typically been an issue on my end.
  - mikeash 14y ago
    Yes, which is why he wants to make sure people who are considering Steam are aware of the tradeoff. They don't make it very clear at all.
AshleysBrain 14y ago
So how do we submit our own software to Steam? Greenlight still appears to be games-only.
gpmcadam 14y ago
It would be nice to see this potentially lead to an app store for Steam Big Picture[1]. At the moment, I think that's one huge thing it is lacking. Sure, I can load up YouTube or Netflix in the browser. But the interface is clunky and buggy, the video playback is choppy and it often simply crashes Big Picture. Adding apps, I think, will make it a must-have living room device for gaming, browsing the web and consuming media. And the possibilities from there are pretty much endless. [1]: http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/ http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/
- FredFredrickson 14y ago
  Steam / Big Picture will never be "must-have" for living room use until they can make it compelling and easy for people to use in that environment. But that goes against the whole reason why they are popular in the first place - the fact that they are primarily a PC game store, and their customers like playing games with the devices typically attached to their computers, like mouse and keyboard.
barbs 14y ago
Pardon my ignorance, but I'm confused. I was under the impression that you could only make iOS apps on a mac, but the listing for Gamemaker: Studio iOS shows that it's only compatible for Windows PCs. Can someone explain this witchcraft??
thwarted 14y ago
Whoa, the shapes and layout of the content of the GameMaker screenshots/images brought back memories of Garry Kitchen's GameMaker[0] which I used to make a balloon racing game using the stock sprites from [1] and the background from [2]. The game might have been one of the instructional ones, because now, 27 years later, I can't conceive that I came up with the idea for a game like I remember it being. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kitchen%27s_GameMaker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kitchen%27s_GameMaker [1] http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker_7.png http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker... [2] http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker_2.png http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker...
ntaylor 14y ago
Clearly, Steam's web interface is not fully-prepared to handle non-games. They use the word "game" throughout the store page for all of these products.
ChrisNorstrom 14y ago
Achievements for software are actually quite clever. They encourage a person to learn and explore more areas and options than they normally would. Thus understanding the software better and getting more out of it. I'm a bit excited because I'd really like steam to become a general digital marketplace for downloadables+installables. I've blabbed on about it over a year ago http://www.chrisnorstrom.com/2011/03/re-envisioning-steam-part-1-an-all-in-one-digital-marketplace/ http://www.chrisnorstrom.com/2011/03/re-envisioning-steam-pa... but never thought I'd in any way be accurate. I didn't really believe Steam would dabble in TV, Movies, Music, and Software a year ago. But now, after seeing source-filmmaker, and video, the rest might just follow. Valve may one day hold the keys to a digital empire similar in a way to how Amazon and ebay hold their own keys.
ZoFreX 14y ago
I really don't feel this is a good fit. Steam is not particularly great software, it's just one of the best ways to get games onto your machine. It has a lot of competition in the general software market, and plus it doesn't really feel like we need another one. What really kills it for me, though, is that Steam's model just does not fit software. Want to edit a document on your PC, but left Steam open on your laptop? Well, you've got to walk over to your PC and log out first. That's a (barely) acceptable trade-off for games, but for productivity software it's a ludicrous proposition.
- VladimirGolovin 14y ago
  I use Steam from about 5 computers in different physical locations, and it never asks me to log out the way you described. I just log in on the machine I'm currently using, that's all.
  - ZoFreX 14y ago
    Oh, ok - this has changed since I last tried it. I still don't think it's brilliant that you can't have your software open on more than one machine (several years ago you could at least have Steam open on multiple computers if they had the same external IP).

191 points by mxfh 14y ago

baq 14y ago

...in before "why gaben doesn't like windows 8" - he wants steam to be a direct competitor to microsoft's app store, google play, netflix, etc.

debacle 14y ago
I don't think that's necessarily true. I think it's more that he sees the moral hazard in the OS vendor also being the only official store on the platform.
- FredFredrickson 14y ago
  Newell has a store that is essentially competing with and which will probably feel pressure from the existence of a built-in Windows store. It's a pretty easy logical step to take to assume that he is mostly against it because of these things, and not because of some ephemeral high-mindedness about how things ought to be done morally, which he hasn't exhibited in any other way.
  - icebraining 14y ago
    That's what debacle was saying. Moral hazard is a term from economic theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard
- engtech 14y ago
  As an owner of an iPad 1 that is blocked from getting iOS 6, it's tragic that iTunes won't automatically keep the last version of my apps before they upgrade to iOS 6. So as time goes by I'm going to lose all my software for my iPad if I update apps in iTunes. :( Moral hazard indeed.
- anonymfus 14y ago
  There are official third-party stores in Microsoft store: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/softonic/e717f589-33d7-4a5b-b306-67b6282c6d5b http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/softonic/e717f589... http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/intel-appup-r-center/acd3b30c-3065-4cd7-ac1a-b3424e12f2c2 http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/en-us/app/intel-appup-r-cen...
- DeepDuh 14y ago
  You really hit the nail on the head with this post. I still like the polish iOS, but Apple proves that there is indeed such a moral hazard when one vendor is controlling everything. What I'd like to see the mobile space into is some kind of 'commodity era' like with the PC: Apps ==== Appstore <- Each OS has its default appstore but others can be installed ==== OS <- can be licenced with no strings attached to device. When you buy a new handset you will be asked "would like Android or Windows or XYZ? I wonder whether there is any market pressure into such a standardization. Why did IBM create PC as an industry standard back then, was it for licensing value? Couldn't this be an interesting model for someone like Texas Instruments or Nokia nowadays? (Player in non dominant position with stakes and experience in the hardware business).

ayi 14y ago

now i can clearly see that why "windows 8 is a threat" statement come.

bootz15 14y ago

Why not? Makes sense. Can't wait to see the deals.

niggler 14y ago

what's steam's cut on these apps? 30%?

RKearney 14y ago
This information is not publicly disclosed and differs from developer to developer and is based on sales volume amongst other things.
mtgx 14y ago
If I were them, and it would be affordable for them, I'd probably make it 15-20% early on, and 10-15% after a certain amount of sales.

gknoy 14y ago

I find it interesting that nearly all the software listed, initially, seems to be art related. ArtRage Studio Pro just ended up on my wish list, because that looks like tremendous fun. Now, if only I could easily install these apps outside the steam folder. My main drive is getting full.

tomku 14y ago
> Now, if only I could easily install these apps outside the steam folder. My main drive is getting full. The current Steam beta has support for multiple installation folders. It's a little rough right now, but it seems like something they plan on polishing up and releasing eventually. Source and more info: http://www.neoseeker.com/news/20791-latest-steam-beta-allows-for-multiple-installation-folders/ http://www.neoseeker.com/news/20791-latest-steam-beta-allows...
- acheron 14y ago
  Glad to see that is coming soon. I have some symlinks set up in my Steam directory to keep apps on different drives, but something built in would certainly be easier.
- Valien 14y ago
  I can confirm that the new beta lets you select which directory/drive to install files on. It's a great change and let's me start filling up my 2 TB drive instead of my C drive!
normalfaults 14y ago
I use steammover to move files between ssd and larger hard drive. Works really well. http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
mxfh 14y ago
used to do mklink to get specific steam-appfolders onto ssd if loading times were too long.
wtracy 14y ago

kevingadd 14y ago

Games getting bumped below the fold by software [1] is probably going to make some game devs upset. Hopefully Valve comes up with a solution for that. I can see there being tension, though, because Valve wants to drive their traditional audience to software, but doing so may cannibalize impulse game buys that might have previously happened from a game being on the first page. [1] http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1643240/newreleases.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1643240/newreleases.png

MartinCron 14y ago
The Games tab is still ahead of the software tab, so that at least keeps Steam more games-focused than Xbox.
cube13 14y ago
New releases are listed in chronological order. So a dump of of non-game software would, naturally, push games down the queue.

engtech 14y ago

I am looking forward to buying hats for my photo editing software.

martin1b 14y ago

Wow. That was quick. Good move Valve!

Havoc 14y ago

I wish they would split it though. Valve doing software is awesome, but Steam is pretty sweet right now & they shouldn't mess with it. That being said, of all the only companies I probably trust Valve the most to not screw over people and/or mess it up.

avolcano 14y ago

The most incredible thing about this is that these applications can have achievements, DLC, and even Steam Workshop support. Check out Game Maker: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ - Different components sold as DLC (http://store.steampowered.com/dlc/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/dlc/214850/) - Achievements (http://steamcommunity.com/stats/214850/achievements http://steamcommunity.com/stats/214850/achievements) for things like "run a game on iOS" and "1000 debugs" - Created games can be put on the Steam Workshop (http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse?appid=214850 http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse?appid=214850), which is INCREDIBLE when you think about it!

FredFredrickson 14y ago
Seems like a janky way to do things, to be honest. Achievements for productivity software? Seriously.
- sp332 14y ago
  Achievements for productivity software? Seriously. Achievements can be used as motivation, increasing productivity. Makes sense to me.
  - sharkweek 14y ago
    I can see it now -- BWOOOOSH -- ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED -- TYPED 1000 WORDS IN AN HOUR Honestly -- this could definitely work for someone like me. I'm addicted to micro-achievement alerts
    - CodeCube 14y ago
      If you use Visual Studio, you can get this ;) http://channel9.msdn.com/achievements/visualstudio http://channel9.msdn.com/achievements/visualstudio
      - Goronmon 14y ago

sergiotapia 14y ago

As long as they sell software using their tremendous discounts usually found on Steam, they will have me as a customer. I doubt we'll see any mainstreams applications on there though.

sp332 14y ago

There are some rough spots, like on this page http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/214850/ the different versions are labelled "Downloadable content for this game".

jmount 14y ago

Steam down right now?

llimllib 14y ago

It's strange that at least one app in that list has a Mac version available, but it isn't supported on Steam.

fromhet 14y ago

Some people seem to fail to understand that Steam is yet another package manager, but this time filled with only non-free stuff, in a way that has so much DRM it's unusable in any ways but the intended one. Steam on linux is, I think, a big problem for us. There will be dpkg (or whatever your distro chose). This one will install apps in a way that is consistent with the system, and with POSIX. Then, there will be steam. Steam is used because it is the only way to get apps people want. I do not own a game I paid for on Steam. Not even in the way I own non-free apps like Alfred or Ableton Live. I don't have a right to use them, I am merely allowed to do so. I understand that it is in Valves interest to lock us down like this. But in this case, their interest is against ours, the users.

TazeTSchnitzel 14y ago
To be fair, Steam doesn't install apps the proper way on Windows either. Start menu shortcuts actually open Steam and then launch the game. Uninstallers? Launch Steam.
- undergroundhero 14y ago
  On Windows 7 I can use CCleaner or the control panel to uninstall games installed with Steam.
  - jitl 14y ago
    It varies from package to package. Many Steam games are installed with a normal Windows MSI that just targets your `$STEAM/steamapps/common` folder instead of `/Program Files (x86)`, and these packages can be removed using the Control Panel or CCleaner. There are plenty of Steam packages that use the Steam infrastructure in a much more integral manner, however. These packages (like TF2 or Half-Life 2) are stored in compressed and encrypted cache files, and install only some components into a directory like `$STEAM/steamapps/$USERNAME/`. These packages can only be removed using the Steam application. While package stubs may be placed for the Control Panel to manage, the "uninstall" action will just call the Steam "Delete Local Content" action.
14y ago

notum 14y ago

And suddenly, for me, Steam turned from convenient to creepy. Nobody's pulling anyone's hand now or was before, but imagine being locked out of your work suite because something happened to your Steam account. And there are plenty of horror stories about whole game libraries lost because of a single paypal transaction (or dispute). No thanks Valve, I'll stick to harmless Christmas sale games.

batiudrami 14y ago
In fairness, their policy changed (about 6-12 months back), that if there's a transaction dispute, you're locked out of only the game with the dispute (and temporarily banned from buying new games). You can still use your existing ones.

just2n 14y ago

Warning: read the Steam Subscriber Agreement (http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/ http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/) carefully. You don't own a license to any software you "buy" in Steam. As nice as Steam is to use, being able to download software on any computer in a fairly simplistic manner and to get reduced prices from time to time, I'm not convinced that giving up the right to own things you purchase is a fair price for that convenience.

modarts 14y ago
Simple solution: don't use steam if you don't like that tradeoff.
- just2n 14y ago
  I don't buy things on Steam, but I still use it. I'm just trying to bring awareness to terms people are agreeing to but probably know nothing about (nobody ever actually reads a ToS or subscriber agreement, ever).
- georgemcbay 14y ago
  I use Steam currently because I'm okay with that tradeoff in order to play massively discounted games. There's no way in hell I'd buy serious productivity software on Steam though, because suddenly losing access to all of my productivity software due to some single glitch with my account on their end is just not worth it for me. YMMV, but I'm ok with Steam's DRM on games but not all software.
  - anthonyb 14y ago
    I've been using Steam for three years now and haven't had any account issues like that. Loss of internet connection, yes - but that's typically been an issue on my end.
- mikeash 14y ago
  Yes, which is why he wants to make sure people who are considering Steam are aware of the tradeoff. They don't make it very clear at all.

AshleysBrain 14y ago

So how do we submit our own software to Steam? Greenlight still appears to be games-only.

gpmcadam 14y ago

It would be nice to see this potentially lead to an app store for Steam Big Picture[1]. At the moment, I think that's one huge thing it is lacking. Sure, I can load up YouTube or Netflix in the browser. But the interface is clunky and buggy, the video playback is choppy and it often simply crashes Big Picture. Adding apps, I think, will make it a must-have living room device for gaming, browsing the web and consuming media. And the possibilities from there are pretty much endless. [1]: http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/ http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/

FredFredrickson 14y ago
Steam / Big Picture will never be "must-have" for living room use until they can make it compelling and easy for people to use in that environment. But that goes against the whole reason why they are popular in the first place - the fact that they are primarily a PC game store, and their customers like playing games with the devices typically attached to their computers, like mouse and keyboard.

barbs 14y ago

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm confused. I was under the impression that you could only make iOS apps on a mac, but the listing for Gamemaker: Studio iOS shows that it's only compatible for Windows PCs. Can someone explain this witchcraft??

thwarted 14y ago

Whoa, the shapes and layout of the content of the GameMaker screenshots/images brought back memories of Garry Kitchen's GameMaker[0] which I used to make a balloon racing game using the stock sprites from [1] and the background from [2]. The game might have been one of the instructional ones, because now, 27 years later, I can't conceive that I came up with the idea for a game like I remember it being. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kitchen%27s_GameMaker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kitchen%27s_GameMaker [1] http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker_7.png http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker... [2] http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker_2.png http://www.gb64.com/Screenshots/G/Gary_Kitchen%27s_Gamemaker...

ntaylor 14y ago

Clearly, Steam's web interface is not fully-prepared to handle non-games. They use the word "game" throughout the store page for all of these products.

ChrisNorstrom 14y ago

Achievements for software are actually quite clever. They encourage a person to learn and explore more areas and options than they normally would. Thus understanding the software better and getting more out of it. I'm a bit excited because I'd really like steam to become a general digital marketplace for downloadables+installables. I've blabbed on about it over a year ago http://www.chrisnorstrom.com/2011/03/re-envisioning-steam-part-1-an-all-in-one-digital-marketplace/ http://www.chrisnorstrom.com/2011/03/re-envisioning-steam-pa... but never thought I'd in any way be accurate. I didn't really believe Steam would dabble in TV, Movies, Music, and Software a year ago. But now, after seeing source-filmmaker, and video, the rest might just follow. Valve may one day hold the keys to a digital empire similar in a way to how Amazon and ebay hold their own keys.

ZoFreX 14y ago

I really don't feel this is a good fit. Steam is not particularly great software, it's just one of the best ways to get games onto your machine. It has a lot of competition in the general software market, and plus it doesn't really feel like we need another one. What really kills it for me, though, is that Steam's model just does not fit software. Want to edit a document on your PC, but left Steam open on your laptop? Well, you've got to walk over to your PC and log out first. That's a (barely) acceptable trade-off for games, but for productivity software it's a ludicrous proposition.

VladimirGolovin 14y ago
I use Steam from about 5 computers in different physical locations, and it never asks me to log out the way you described. I just log in on the machine I'm currently using, that's all.
- ZoFreX 14y ago
  Oh, ok - this has changed since I last tried it. I still don't think it's brilliant that you can't have your software open on more than one machine (several years ago you could at least have Steam open on multiple computers if they had the same external IP).