Valve's Half-Life: Alyx Released - Linux Build Still Coming

[profoundWHALE]

Dude something like 99% of the gamers are on Windows and you expect them to delay the release for the tiny minority of people who they've already invested tons of money and time into?

Don't be so entitled.

They've been on the frontlines, working on getting VR done right. Give them the time and you'll get a nice gold standard like HL2.

[StarterX4]

Today Steam exceeded it's 20M record with 22,670,375 simultaneously logged users.

[ThisImmortalCoil]

Valve always (or almost always, if not) does Linux after Windows. Eg, game streaming came after. Its just how it is. Alyx would be no different.

Wrong. This has been completely the opposite for more than 5 years now. Almost every feature they add to Steam, every update they ship to their games, and new games they develop/publish come to Linux day one:

- Steam's Remote Play Together function that came last October? Day one.
- Steam's new library AND chat overhaul? Day one.
- CS:GO's Panorama and Danger Zone game mode that can be counted as a separate game by itself? Day one.
- Dota 2 coming to Source 2? Day one.
- Artifact (a new game)? Day one.
- Dota Underlords? Day one.
They are going to port CS:GO to Source 2 engine soon and relaunch Artifact. Both WILL be on Linux since day one.


VR is entirely another can of worms. They haven't published many pieces of software for it if any. The Lab (2016) and the Aperture Hand Lab (2019) are still Windows only.

[tambre]

I tried using SteamVR with HTC Vive Pro back in February on Debian Unstable, but no matter what I did I couldn't get it to work. Got so many different error codes and the only suggestion online if I did find someone with the same error code was to simply use Windows. Thinking back, maybe it could've been related to Wayland?
SteamVR situation on Linux seems pretty bad, so no surprise they aren't releasing Alyx on it. Hopefully it'll improve though.

On the other hand, I tried Monado and it worked perfectly out of the box. There was quite bad tracking drift though due to base station tracking not being supported.

[entropy]

If you don't care about your own platform (SteamOS and tangentially other distributions), why should publishers? Releasing on Linux second gives the message that it's always an afterthought despite the investments in the graphics stack. It makes it look like those investments weren't worth it. I was hoping Alyx would release on the same day for all VR-ready platforms, just for this.

I agree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0zX...outu.be&t=1478

This is the first time *I* hear Gabe Newell saying Steam Machines were a failure (I mean we know that. It's not the point).
Yet, I'm not sure he means the Steam Machines only.

Don't argue with all the, indeed, nice stuff Valve still does for Steam on Linux.
Mind, it is pocket money for Valve.
Also, the Steam Linux environment is a real thing by now.
People have bought games on Linux and you cannot simply shut that service down without a big, big, shit storm.

Steam on Linux is in maintenance mode.
Valve doesn't believe in the product anymore, yet they can't simply shut it down.

To me Proton is their "solution" to the problem and kind of an exit strategy.

HL Alyx not being released day-1 on Linux is a clear hint to me.
After all they told in January that the game is done.
So no crunch.
If Linux still was a priority, they could've taken the last 2 month to wire up a Linux build, no?

[Volta]

entropy

And they're working on ACO for nothing?

[entropy]

entropy

And they're working on ACO for nothing?

Oh yeah, ACO.

Something that gives them positive press coverage, would be also be very
useful for an exit strategy with Proton/DXVK and is pocket money for them.

This is your point that Valve is still invested in Linux and pushing it?

Look, I'm a Linux guy for more than 2 decades.
Valve pushing Linux as a serious gaming platform years ago was fantastic.
I really hoped this takes off.
It didn't.

Indeed, the environment improved and there are quite a lot of games available for Linux.
But it's stagnating. AAA is almost completely gone before it really took off.

I miss the dedication Valve showed initially.
With a vision and momentum to convince devs and publishers to join it.

It's gone. When was the last time you heard something that sounds like
"Guys, we have big plans for this platform!"?

Steam on Linux is on life support.

It's freaking sad. :/
But that's how it is looking to me.

Ofc, feel free to differ.
Hope I'm wrong.

Yet, I don't see a single hint that gives me hope.

Think about it: VR is one, if not the one, big thing for Valve that they want to push
and build a new market around.
It has been mentioned before: Where is Linux in this picture.
Second class citizen AT BEST.
Nothing that you would even vaguely consider from a marketing POV if this, our,
platform would be still of any relevance in your plans.

[Volta]

entropy

You're probably right with. Maybe they had hopes Ubuntu will become more serious OS, so it will be more profitable to invest in the Linux gaming. However, Canonical decided to start cooperating with m$ and ruined it all (killed Unity which was becoming more and more popular). I'm looking forward to Gnome, systemd and flatpack, because it's a chance for a good and unified development ecosystem.

[skeevy420]

entropy

You're probably right with. Maybe they had hopes Ubuntu will become more serious OS, so it will be more profitable to invest in the Linux gaming. However, Canonical decided to start cooperating with m$ and ruined it all (killed Unity which was becoming more and more popular). I'm looking forward to Gnome, systemd and flatpack, because it's a chance for a good and unified development ecosystem.

In my experiences, KDE Flats are newer and closer in version to the current KDE release than Gnome Flats are to the current Gnome release. It's something I find ironically funny and one of the reasons I'm back to running KDE on my Silverblue desktop.

Anyhoo, Steam is working on having their own Flatpak container method within Steam itself -- each game will have its own container within the Steam container. I'm hoping that too will assist in providing that unified development ecosystem.

Flats need a few more ducks in the row before it's ready for more usage than by us Freaks and Geeks. It'll be really awesome when those ducks finally show up.

[ix900]

Wrong. This has been completely the opposite for more than 5 years now. Almost every feature they add to Steam, every update they ship to their games, and new games they develop/publish come to Linux day one:

- Steam's Remote Play Together function that came last October? Day one.
- Steam's new library AND chat overhaul? Day one.
- CS:GO's Panorama and Danger Zone game mode that can be counted as a separate game by itself? Day one.
- Dota 2 coming to Source 2? Day one.
- Artifact (a new game)? Day one.
- Dota Underlords? Day one.
They are going to port CS:GO to Source 2 engine soon and relaunch Artifact. Both WILL be on Linux since day one.


VR is entirely another can of worms. They haven't published many pieces of software for it if any. The Lab (2016) and the Aperture Hand Lab (2019) are still Windows only.

My bad. You're right. I remember differently for many things not being this way in the past. Seems that they have improved since.