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Windows requirement in 2016? Seriously? It looks like 1996 with companies working for free for Microsoft and doing things like Windows only modems. I was goi

Windows requirement in 2016? Seriously? It looks like 1996 with companies working for free for Microsoft and doing things like Windows only modems. I was going to buy a Rift, now this will force me to buy a Steam machine with the VR set of Valve.

angersock 11y ago
So, based on your presumably vast experience in soft-real-time systems, 3D graphics programming, cross-platform development, and virtual reality UX, what do you propose is the alternative? Hint: the reason they're probably looking at Windows--and that you are looking at Steam machines--is that there is a much more controllable environment for deployment. Having to deal with all the crazy of, say, X11 and OpenGL and nutzo drivers and everything when you really just want to install a super-low-latency path for your system is just a fool's errand.
- yarrel 11y ago
  Windows was founded on nutzo drivers. That's why they're specifying the environment so carefully.
- fossuser 11y ago
  Just to jump in here too, Bill Gates and Windows appealed to games and being the platform to support them in the 90s when Carmack and Doom were pushing things forward back then too. Currently reading Masters of Doom and it's really good in case people are interested. Here's the Promo video shown at a Microsoft event back then (cringe warning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVAhFYjp9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVAhFYjp9c
swalsh 11y ago
Windows is still the dominant operating system for non console gaming. It really shouldn't be a surprise that's what they would target.
electronvolt 11y ago
As someone who prefers to use Linux as much as possible and has a DK2, it's disappointing to me, but it makes a lot of sense. If I was told to develop an extremely high performance, low error rendering pipeline for such a product, you can bet I'd focus where the largest number of users are (PC gamers) and just try to build as robust an API as I could with eventual porting to Linux/Mac in mind. (E.x. As linux applications and mac hardware caught up.)

angersock 11y ago

So, based on your presumably vast experience in soft-real-time systems, 3D graphics programming, cross-platform development, and virtual reality UX, what do you propose is the alternative? Hint: the reason they're probably looking at Windows--and that you are looking at Steam machines--is that there is a much more controllable environment for deployment. Having to deal with all the crazy of, say, X11 and OpenGL and nutzo drivers and everything when you really just want to install a super-low-latency path for your system is just a fool's errand.

yarrel 11y ago
Windows was founded on nutzo drivers. That's why they're specifying the environment so carefully.
fossuser 11y ago
Just to jump in here too, Bill Gates and Windows appealed to games and being the platform to support them in the 90s when Carmack and Doom were pushing things forward back then too. Currently reading Masters of Doom and it's really good in case people are interested. Here's the Promo video shown at a Microsoft event back then (cringe warning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVAhFYjp9c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dVAhFYjp9c

swalsh 11y ago

Windows is still the dominant operating system for non console gaming. It really shouldn't be a surprise that's what they would target.

electronvolt 11y ago

As someone who prefers to use Linux as much as possible and has a DK2, it's disappointing to me, but it makes a lot of sense. If I was told to develop an extremely high performance, low error rendering pipeline for such a product, you can bet I'd focus where the largest number of users are (PC gamers) and just try to build as robust an API as I could with eventual porting to Linux/Mac in mind. (E.x. As linux applications and mac hardware caught up.)