Valve announces SteamOS

A few days ago, Valve has promised to make a loud announcement and launched a special page with a counter , which was going to tell you how it plans to develop a “universe of Steam». And finally, the countdown is over …

… And Valve announced the development SteamOS – game operating system based on Linux, which, apparently, is designed to compete for a place under the TV in your living room with the next generation of consoles – PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In any case, the whole announcement is built around the idea of ​​”your favorite Steam – now and in the living room.” Here we can recall that Valve has long been working in this direction – a redesign of the Steam client called the Big Picture, intended for use on the big screen and with management, optimized for the gamepad, was introduced almost a year ago, in December 2012. 

Details yet little is known – as has been said, SteamOS based on Linux, as an interface uses the Big Picture developments and, of course, will be completely free. Valve announced that they optimize the system to use the game – improve performance of graphics and audio, reduce input lag (which is very important given the use of wireless gamepads), and that game developers have optimized their projects under SteamOS (but without any concrete ).

Valve also announced new features that will appear in SteamOS, and the “old” client Steam. The first is streaming – the user will be able to play on the device SteamOS-games with the Windows-desktop system that is running the regular Steam, which will solve the problem with a library of games for SteamOS. Here we can recall that a similar decision and plans to Sony – in the absence of backward compatibility with PlayStation 4 is going to use the streaming service Gaikai to stream PS3-games on its new console.

The next thing is waiting for Steam users and SteamOS – expanding the range of the shop. Go to the games and software to add music, movies and TV series – Valve is already working with the relevant media service and support plans to include them in their clients.

The last announcement is related to the expansion of Steam per user for the whole family – this is an opportunity to provide public access to its library of games on Steam to their loved ones while preserving individual progress, the gains etc.

No specific dates for availability SteamOS Valve has not called – says only that it will “soon”, and calls for further updates to follow your page. The fact is that today’s performance SteamOS is only the first step – the next part of the veil over the global announcement “expansion of the universe Steam» promise to open up 48 hours later, on September 25 at 20.00 Moscow time. We can assume that we are waiting for the same Steam Box – Specialized game console, running SteamOS. And if you build a very very wild assumptions, then you never know – all of a sudden the third announcement will be … Half-Life 3 exclusively for SteamOS? In the end, Half-Life 2 at one time was just such an exclusive for the then new Steam …

Valve announces SteamOS