Intel & NVIDIA Dominate The Initial Linux-Based Steam Machines

[mao_dze_dun]

Exactly. Eventually Valve will settle on a streaming-only living room solution and the Steam Machines effort will be put in the grave.

Now our hope for Linux gaming lies with Google and Android.

Actually, they'll just make Steam Machines with Windows. Microsoft gave their blessing for modifying the interface of the OS (something that was a taboo for 25 years). So all the Steam Machine vendors or Valve have to do is to put in a working driver updater and a user will never have to actually see the Windows desktop. Linux is useful for them for the streaming gadget, but as far as actual Steam Machines go - they couldn't give a damn, as Microsoft already caved in. Sure, I'm positive Valve will be happy if they manage to make their own distro popular enough to have all or at least most games ported to it but it's not their main goal.
The success of the Steam Machines will be determined by the Steam Controller and the prices of the actual consoles (can we call them that?). If the controller is good, and I think it will be, and manufacturers are able to offer a bit more horsepower for 500-600 dollars the whole thing will be a huge success. Right now, there is virtually no market for the Steam Machines. A console gamer is not going to get one - they're more expensive but not powerful enough in the lowest price bracket and they'd lose all of the exclusives. The PC gamers would never buy one as well - we already have gaming rigs and most of us would be only interested in the controller and Steam Link. Even those who wish to have a dedicated Steam gaming machine would most likely build it themselves, rather than overpay for a brand one.
Which brings us all back to AMD. They are known as the budget friendly company (I loved my old FX6300 and I've loved all of the cards I've used over the years). If they manage bring the Zen APUs with HBM at a reasonable price that could really be a game changer. Affordable APUs will be real console killers. Heck, I'd probably get one if it can offer me solid 60fps on medium settings as 1080p and stick a small gaming/multimedia box under my TV. But all of this means them actually delivering on their promises and solving their driver problems (that includes Windows).

[anda_skoa]

I'm fed up of hearing how things will be different when Vulcan arrives. First of all, we can't know for sure it will be a good API. Second, even if it the most amazing thing to be ever created under the sun it still doesn't change the fact that AMD need to provide its customers with a proper working driver for them to experience it.

My understanding is that Vulkan is so close to what current hardware "looks like" that writing a Vulkan driver is way easier than writing a driver for today's graphics stacks.

I.e. moving some of the complexity upwards (into the engines) where there is more "knowledge" about the things that need to be rendered, instead of drivers having to restructure and optimize drawing calls based in heuristics or specifically for numerous well-known applications.

In the case of AMD a good Vulkan driver is even more likely since it is so close to Mantle which they already will have drivers for.

Cheers,
_

[anda_skoa]

Now our hope for Linux gaming lies with Google and Android.

Do you see any indication that Google will be providing an official Android environment for Linux anytime soon?
So far most of these Android runtime adapters are created by third parties and targetted at other mobile platforms.

Does Google ship one on their Chromebooks?

Cheers,
_

[johnc]

Do you see any indication that Google will be providing an official Android environment for Linux anytime soon?
So far most of these Android runtime adapters are created by third parties and targetted at other mobile platforms.

Does Google ship one on their Chromebooks?

Cheers,
_

For a dedicated gaming system it would be irrelevant.

Just as we once hoped that SteamOS titles would quite easily make their way to the Linux desktop, I think we can reasonably hope that such a hypothetical Android console could have its games likewise moved easily to the Linux desktop.

[computerquip]

There's nothing inherent about Android that makes gaming unlikely on it. It is, after all, just Linux. It might not be GNU/Linux, but it's Linux. There are two primary advantages that Android has over SteamOS: 1) It's backed by a company that actually has ambition; and 2) Game developers aren't allergic to it.

Jeez... company pushes Vulkan, pushes several companies and supports them to port to Linux... comes out with Linux friendly hardware... not ambitious enough. Not sure how to please you dude. What else can they possibly do without being financially suicidal?

[anda_skoa]

For a dedicated gaming system it would be irrelevant.

Sure, but a dedicated Android system would be no different than any existing dedicated Android system.
Since you wrote "Linux gaming" I assumed at least inclusion of Linux desktop systems, maybe even specifically.

Just as we once hoped that SteamOS titles would quite easily make their way to the Linux desktop, I think we can reasonably hope that such a hypothetical Android console could have its games likewise moved easily to the Linux desktop.

Not necessarily a comparable situation.
While SteamOS and Android are both dedicated systems, we do know and have access to the desktop related technology for the former, but not the latter.

Hence my curiosity if you had any information a comparable Google initiative, i.e. the Steam Client equivalent of "Android for Linux desktop".
As I wrote before, to my current knowledge similar endevours have been targettted at other mobile platforms, e.g. BlackBerry10, and developed by a third party, not Google.

Any change of either condition, e.g. Google providing an Android runtime or anyone targetting desktop, would be interesting news as far as I am concerned.

Cheers,
_

[johnc]

Jeez... company pushes Vulkan, pushes several companies and supports them to port to Linux... comes out with Linux friendly hardware... not ambitious enough. Not sure how to please you dude. What else can they possibly do without being financially suicidal?

Some launch titles on Source 2 would have me writing love letters again.

Perhaps my reverse psychology will work on them.

[chithanh]

anda_skoa,

There is Google Android Runtime for Chrome (ARC). It is still in beta, but the goal is to bring Android apps to any desktop which runs the Chrome browser.

[anda_skoa]

anda_skoa,

There is Google Android Runtime for Chrome (ARC). It is still in beta, but the goal is to bring Android apps to any desktop which runs the Chrome browser.

Ah, interesting, thanks!

Cheers,
_