SteamOS/Machine Review - One year later

I've now had a Steam Machine for over a year now - I posted a review (under my kids account - sheehandp) on the Alienware steam machine that I bought at that time. I have since bought a Syber Steam Machine - that's much more potent, but much less portable. I ended up selling the Alienware to a friend, although I do have some regrets on it - mainly because the biggest selling point was the form factor and Alienware had that down.



Anyways, I figured I'd give my thoughts on it now...



First of all - I want to say that I don't get to use it much. My kids are constantly on it - so that's a good thing. They don't care about how many FPS it pushes out compared to Windows - they just care about playing games. The strongest point of SteamOS/Machine is the power to play time - from pressing the power button to playing a game is quicker than any other device I have (including a phone or tablet if you boot one of those from a cold state). This more than anything else is why I haven't stuck Windows on it. Some of the other reasons:



SteamOS doesn't get in it's own way for the most part. No annoying notifications during game play. The update process is seamless and quick unlike Windows 10, which has be pulling my hair out. I had one glitch with audio after an update in a year, but it was quickly resolved - I wish I could say the same about my Windows 10 devices. It's not trying to be a full desktop OS - and as a gaming OS it shines.



One thing - my kids don't use the steam controller - ever. They use a Xbox 360 wireless controller - and there is a keyboard/mouse hooked to the steam machine (which they mainly use for Surgeon Simulator).



On the performance side - it doesn't perform as well as my windows gaming rigs as far as GFX horsepower - but it kills the Xbox One. It has a GTX 960 in it - and it performs great in this system.



Ok - now for the irritations... No streaming video apps (Vudu, Netflix, etc.) - because of this, my Steam Machine is hooked to a spare 42" T.V. off of the living room. I get that I can use T.V. smart apps for this, but let's face it, they suck on most T.V.'s.



The library - yeah, it's grown by well over 1000 titles in a year, which is impressive. We finally got Rocket League, which my kids love, as do I... But the Triple A titles haven't come in droves... They've barely arrived in a trickle. Which leads me to my next negative:



The neglect. I don't know if Valve has an ace up their sleeve, but for the most part, the updates have been barely more than simpel bug releases. There are still UI bugs that have existed since day one (I still can't accept a gift in the UI, I have to do it in a seperate browser). I was shocked that VR didn't work with the steam machine from the day 1 release. It's almost an embarrasment, and has held me back from purchasing Vive. --- I know Steam Machines haven't sold well - but they have sold. But it almsot seems like an afterthought now.



The lack of community. Yes, I know there is one here, I know there is a SteamOS Wiki site - but the dearth of fan sites speaks volumes on how received SteamOS/Machines have been. Espeically in the Linux world where fan sites pop up for trivial apps. I'm sure there are many factors too this, including the low numbers, rejection of proprietary software, and just general malaise of everything SteamOS ---- and while it's not Valve's fault, it is still a negative. There are still fan sites for the Collecovision for cripes sakes.



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I've thought of ways that Valve could solve these issues. I really have no clue how they work internally - but starting with hiring a good product manager and community ambassador may help. Have a dedicated liason work with the different hardware and software vendors to bring better integration and more AAA titles to the platform.



Release a roadmap. Really. Instead of having your installed base wading in the dark with these things, give us some nuggets.



Start a port team. A team that will help companies port there products, that will get up and running on Vulkan.



Steam Controller 2.0 - I don't hate the Steam Controller - but you now have a year with some pretty good field tests - it can use a lot of improvement. Start on it.



Choose prefered partners. I understand the desire to keep Steam Machines in the hands of any manufacturer who wants to offer one - but screw it - pick 3 companies that you will certify as steam machine companies. Streamline what constitutes a steam machine - and make them offer sensible machines with sane options. Make them play to the strengths of what the platform can offer rather then get black eyes when companies like Falcon Northwest basically call the platform crap. (btw, I had a call into them and they flat out lied about SteamOS capabilites - even going as far to say it won't work with new intel CPU's - I was aghast).



Work with the media. Ars Technica had it out for SteamOS from the beginning. Instead of just sending them out machines - bring them in and show the strengths, show the gameplan, show them the comparisons not just with Windows PC's, but how they fare against consoles, whcih in my opinion is where they could have a leg up.



Finally - start some grassroots campaigns. Start a steam machine convention - it doesn't have to be huge - just something to make adopters feel like they are part of something - . It's the biggest thing I see missing with Steam Machines. You have to make people believe they are not just buying a gaming platform, but into a culture.



Get to work Valve - make these things great.... it's not too late.