Yes, like Smitty I see this mostly as something of a welcome service for the indie sector, it's not going to lure AAA titles all of a sudden. Yet again I can't understand why Michael tries so hard to portray games as the make-it or break-it feature of Linux on the desktop, with statements like -'Steam/Source on Linux is really a last shot for Linux on the desktop', seriously wtf?
I'd wager most people out there playing games do so with casual flash (and in future html5) games, the hardcore PC gamers are decreasing as they venture off towards dedicated gaming consoles. And if you really want to play AAA titles on Linux then there's wine which seems to have great support for the most popular titles, add to this the growing availability of indie games and how people are increasingly playing games on their smartphones and tablets these days rather than on their computers then I'd say games has never been such an uninportant issue for Linux on the desktop as it is today.
Steam on Linux will not be some magical catalyst for Linux desktop adoption, it's desktop userbase will continue to grow at a snails pace and it will keep on growing with or without steam.
I'd wager most people out there playing games do so with casual flash (and in future html5) games, the hardcore PC gamers are decreasing as they venture off towards dedicated gaming consoles. And if you really want to play AAA titles on Linux then there's wine which seems to have great support for the most popular titles, add to this the growing availability of indie games and how people are increasingly playing games on their smartphones and tablets these days rather than on their computers then I'd say games has never been such an uninportant issue for Linux on the desktop as it is today.
Steam on Linux will not be some magical catalyst for Linux desktop adoption, it's desktop userbase will continue to grow at a snails pace and it will keep on growing with or without steam.
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