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Right now even Valve realizes that Steam will literally run out of steam. This is why they have been trying to become more like Nintendo and selling their own h
by zitterbewegung 7mo ago
Right now even Valve realizes that Steam will literally run out of steam. This is why they have been trying to become more like Nintendo and selling their own hardware (with varying success) .
- indubioprorubik 7mo agoValve wants a boat that is independent of microsoft. Not to go down with that Tit.A.I.nic seems like a smart move.
- bombcar 7mo agoExactly, and they've not been quiet about it. It's why Steam works on Mac and Linux and they work so hard on being independent of all of those.
- aceazzameen 7mo agoAnd Arm is next.
- pjmlp 7mo agoHardly when their business depends on running Windows games on top of Proton. Independence of paying Windows licenses or Microsoft store taxes, sure.
- treyd 7mo agoBecause of Oracle v Google, supporting applications running in the Win32 userspace isn't necessarily leaving yourself open to threats of Microsoft meddling. There's tons and tons of older software that people still want to run that might never be ported to Linux. And that's fine, because there's no problem with building compatibility layers to make it work. Microsoft can't do anything about that.
- pjmlp 7mo agoSure, if the goal is like doing retrogaming with Windows games as if it was WinUAE.
- tadfisher 7mo agoI believe they have proved that very few games are actually Windows games. The few remaining are mostly those which require Windows kernel drivers to run or connect to online services.
- pjmlp 7mo agoReally, where are those Linux builds?
- jayd16 7mo agoThe point is that Proton puts them in a win win position. If Windows stays popular, they're fine. If Windows tanks, they're fine.
- pjmlp 7mo agoIf Windows tanks their fountain runs dry.
- jayd16 7mo agoWhat is the scenario where windows becomes so unpopular, computer games stop being made entirely instead of another OS filling that gap?
- pjmlp 7mo agoThe doom that is repeated all the time on Linux forums, or even here.
- instig007 7mo agoThe industry will adapt quickly, especially the part that's using multiplatform mainstream engines like UE/Unity. Lots of new/recent native MacOS releases nowadays: https://store.steampowered.com/macos https://store.steampowered.com/macos
- pjmlp 7mo agoThe same that support Linux and yet Valve has to come up with Proton.
- jayd16 7mo agoDevelopers chase the user base. If and when the users choose Linux developers will target Linux. Proton as a project let's valve hedge on the heir apparent OS without upfront developer cost. If the Linux player base grows, developers will follow and valve is poised to remain dominant.
- darkteflon 7mo agoHmm, citation needed on that one imo. Consensus is that their hardware strategy is in service of selling more games. Hardware revenues for Steam Deck are proportionally tiny; Frame and Machine aren’t going to meaningfully change that.