Valve gave us the latest teaser for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame which they said are now shipping this summer in a post about their verification systems.
On that note, though; I’m sure the RAM in the steam machine will likely be upgradeable, since it’s basically a small form prefab PC with Arch / SteamOS pre-loaded on it.
In fact, I hope this means we will see a desktop release of SteamOS that isn’t just turning your PC into a bulky Steam Deck.
There are advantages to soldered RAM. It can be faster without extra cost. The issue is it’s not upgradable. It depends if they’re targeting people who will upgrade their device or people who won’t on which is the smarter option.
If you want SteamOS though, there are already plenty of options. SteamOS is just another distro based on Arch. It isn’t doing anything special (except on the actual Steam Machine which will have extra hardware to, for example, turn on when you press the button on your controller). There is literally no reason you should be waiting for it, especially if you want just a desktop OS that can play games. If you want a console-like experience, where it’s harder to access the desktop and more restricted, then there still isn’t a reason but it is a thing you can do.
The nice thing about Steam OS in Desktop mode is that you can get the Arch experience without setting up Arch.
I tried Steam OS for a while, locked into desktop mode, and it was great; but I got tired of having to reinstall aur after every update. Ended up going back to an Ubuntu build and using KDE Plasma Desktop, since that was the main thing I enjoyed.
But you can get the same with Garuda, CachyOS, or other Arch based distros, without any limitations. There’s no reason for people to be waiting for SteamOS because it’s not even the best option for most users.
edit: My brain somehow completely glossed over Steam Frame not Steam Machine. I haven’t actually thought about VR in years. my bad.
You basically just got a bigger more expensive Steam Link at that point. Which the original one should still work?
The Frame is a VR headset. How is that comparable to the Steam Link that is meant for display on a screen?
I believe you are thinking of a Steam Machine with this response.
You’re right, kinda threw out that comment before leaving the the house.
On that note, though; I’m sure the RAM in the steam machine will likely be upgradeable, since it’s basically a small form prefab PC with Arch / SteamOS pre-loaded on it.
In fact, I hope this means we will see a desktop release of SteamOS that isn’t just turning your PC into a bulky Steam Deck.
There are advantages to soldered RAM. It can be faster without extra cost. The issue is it’s not upgradable. It depends if they’re targeting people who will upgrade their device or people who won’t on which is the smarter option.
If you want SteamOS though, there are already plenty of options. SteamOS is just another distro based on Arch. It isn’t doing anything special (except on the actual Steam Machine which will have extra hardware to, for example, turn on when you press the button on your controller). There is literally no reason you should be waiting for it, especially if you want just a desktop OS that can play games. If you want a console-like experience, where it’s harder to access the desktop and more restricted, then there still isn’t a reason but it is a thing you can do.
The nice thing about Steam OS in Desktop mode is that you can get the Arch experience without setting up Arch.
I tried Steam OS for a while, locked into desktop mode, and it was great; but I got tired of having to reinstall aur after every update. Ended up going back to an Ubuntu build and using KDE Plasma Desktop, since that was the main thing I enjoyed.
But you can get the same with Garuda, CachyOS, or other Arch based distros, without any limitations. There’s no reason for people to be waiting for SteamOS because it’s not even the best option for most users.
If all I had was a big screen beyond with a steam link strapped to it that’s still a pretty great vr headset for the price
They’re not the same. The OG Steam Link isn’t a VR headset