Ultimately, an Xbox running full Windows is a win for Linux.
Why? Because it pushes PC gaming on a TV into the mainstream. And once that happens, people will start realizing something obvious: “Wait a second—I could just build a small ITX PC, install Linux, and get better performance than an Xbox.”
That’s already the story playing out with the ROG Ally. The hardware’s there, the software’s catching up—and Linux keeps closing the gap.
RE: atomicpoet.org/objects/4ce539b…
Okay, but what if I told you Windows has already been a game console for more than a decade? I know—because I’ve been running Windows on my TV that long.Windows is the reason I stopped buying Xbox hardware. Hear me out.
For nearly 20 years, Windows has supported Xbox gamepads natively. I still remember playing Serious Sam 2 on my roommate’s 1080p TV and thinking, “If Windows just had a proper launcher, this would be killer.”
Fast forward to 2012. Valve rolled out Big Picture mode for Steam—and that problem was solved. Suddenly, the entire interface was gamepad-friendly, and you could even tell Steam to “Start in Big Picture Mode” on launch. It turned Windows into a full console experience overnight.
Is it as seamless as an Xbox or PlayStation? No. But the tradeoff is worth it. Because when you use Windows as a console, you get the biggest game library in history. Steam alone has well over 100,000 titles—and that’s just one storefront.
So yes, I’ll take a few minor inconveniences for that kind of access. That’s why Microsoft’s next move—a set-top box running full Windows—makes perfect sense.
The real question is how Valve responds. After all, they’ve been pushing Linux hard, and thanks to Proton, more than 90% of Windows games already run on Linux. Could this be the moment Valve revisits the Steam Machine idea?
RE: turtleisland.social/users/csgr…Callista Graves (@csgraves@turtleisland.social)
@atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org I see this going the same way it went for them with Windows Phone, Windows 8, the tangled mess that was MSN/Hotmail/Live Mail, etc.Turtle Island Social
Okay, but what if I told you Windows has already been a game console for more than a decade? I know—because I’ve been running Windows on my TV that long.
Windows is the reason I stopped buying Xbox hardware. Hear me out.
For nearly 20 years, Windows has supported Xbox gamepads natively. I still remember playing Serious Sam 2 on my roommate’s 1080p TV and thinking, “If Windows just had a proper launcher, this would be killer.”
Fast forward to 2012. Valve rolled out Big Picture mode for Steam—and that problem was solved. Suddenly, the entire interface was gamepad-friendly, and you could even tell Steam to “Start in Big Picture Mode” on launch. It turned Windows into a full console experience overnight.
Is it as seamless as an Xbox or PlayStation? No. But the tradeoff is worth it. Because when you use Windows as a console, you get the biggest game library in history. Steam alone has well over 100,000 titles—and that’s just one storefront.
So yes, I’ll take a few minor inconveniences for that kind of access. That’s why Microsoft’s next move—a set-top box running full Windows—makes perfect sense.
The real question is how Valve responds. After all, they’ve been pushing Linux hard, and thanks to Proton, more than 90% of Windows games already run on Linux. Could this be the moment Valve revisits the Steam Machine idea?
RE: turtleisland.social/users/csgr…
Callista Graves (@csgraves@turtleisland.social)
@atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org I see this going the same way it went for them with Windows Phone, Windows 8, the tangled mess that was MSN/Hotmail/Live Mail, etc.Turtle Island Social
Called it.
Microsoft’s moving away from the walled-garden model of the old Xbox and heading toward a full-Windows set-top box.
Actually, that’s the only move that makes sense. Valve has been eating Microsoft’s lunch on the PC gaming front for years—and this is their only real way to fight back.
ign.com/articles/its-funny-tha…
'It's Funny That People Think About the Console-PC as Two Different Things' — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Drops Biggest Hint Yet That the Next Xbox Is Basically a PC - IGN
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has dropped yet another hint that the next-gen Xbox is basically a PC.Wesley Yin-Poole (IGN)
@csgraves I disagree. The Xbox ROG Ally has already sold out. And what’s more, the Windows gaming library is the biggest in the world—with far more exclusives than anything else.
Steam’s Big Picture mode has already proven that you can use Windows as a console—which I’ve pretty much done with the PC in front of my TV.
This isn’t an example of Microsoft moving into an untested space. It’s been tested for well over a decade and it works well.
What will be more interesting is to see if any OEMs will try to undercut Microsoft with cheaper consoles. Or if Valve rolls out their own Steam Box.
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