They don’t “need” to.
With SteamOS coming, Microsoft needs to up its game in the handheld gaming market
Submitted 2 months ago by yokonzo@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
hperrin@lemmy.world 2 months ago
orclev@lemmy.world 2 months ago
For now. If enough of the market shifts to Linux those companies will support Linux. Particularly since the CrowdStrike fiasco has spurred Microsoft to crack down on kernel level access which means the days of anti-cheat rootkits are numbered. It’s not going to be long before there’s no functional difference between gaming on Windows and gaming on Linux.
yesman@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Microsoft flamed out of the mobile OS space precisely because they insisted that Windows not fork, but be identical software running on all devices.
So now, there is no such thing as a windows phone, but every time I wake up my computer I see a vestigial lock screen that I have to dismiss before I log in.
They designed their phones like a company entitled to 85% of the market share. Something tells me they’re not going to reform just to capture that mobile game space.
ayyy@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
That Lock Screen is not vestigial, it still loads and displays bing ads. You are the product, not the customer.
atrielienz@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I have never seen an ad on my lock screen. Possibly because of all the stuff I have disabled and the fact that I use windows 10. I have some questions.
laurelraven@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
What does the login screen have to do with mobile? They’ve had them since at least Windows 95 (I forget if 3.1 had one), and they’ve been evolving every release.
If you mean the screen before the login, that’s been around since at least Windows 95 too, though it didn’t used to be default and required you to press Ctrl+alt+del to dismiss (which before win95 would reboot your computer)
MyOpinion@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Let’s not bring this to their attention so we have more freedom from Microsoft.
whizzlezoop@feddit.org 2 months ago
I don’t think they care. With this console generation they have shifted away from treating gaming like a product with certain hardware and software. It’s more of a service thing to them with game pass and cloud gaming
mp3@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
I surprised Microsoft didn’t make an Xbox-like version of Windows to flash on for these handhelds yet.
w2tpmf@lemmy.world 2 months ago
The Xbox literally runs a custom build of Windows, that runs in a Virtual Machine, on top of another custom Windows based hypervisor. Then games are run in a separate VM.
All they’d have to do is port the hypervisor to different hardware, then the rest would run on top just fine.
nehal3m@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Really, games run that far away from metal? Amazing, I didn’t have a clue.
catloaf@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Do you have a source for this? Every time I’ve gone looking for details about the Xbox I’ve not found anything comprehensive.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Oh, I hope they don’t though
helenslunch@feddit.nl 2 months ago
I mean, clearly they don’t. Every other company is still installing Windows. Any of them could install and sell them with Linux, and save a few bucks in the process, but they dont. An official SteamOS release won’t change that.
Armok_the_bunny@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Isn’t that because Microsoft either pays system integrators to only install Windows or threatens that they will stop providing relatively cheap Windows keys if they provide the option to start with Linux? I could have sworn I’d heard that somewhere.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 2 months ago
I’m sure you have. I’ve never seen any evidence to back that up. Pretty sure Windows doesn’t make the big bucks by paying OEMs to use their OS.
Ste41th@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
Ok forgive me for sounding stupid but imagine a tv with steam is built in.
catloaf@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I’d rather my TV be a TV, so that I can use it to display whatever I want, instead of being locked to a certain system and hardware configuration.
mp3@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Same, all I want is a big display with good CEC support for volume, power on/off and input control.
ghurab@lemmy.world 2 months ago
In way it’s already a thing. You can install Steam Link on TVs running Android TV
Ste41th@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
True but imagine a gaming tv with all the hardware requirements, and true steam os, you could turn it on and load up a game straight from the tv and not have to stream it
yokonzo@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I find moonlight/sunshine work better, also available on android tvs
atrielienz@lemmy.world 2 months ago
As a virtual machine I could see that and it’s possibly the only way such a product would be viable. The thing is, stadia tried this in a round about fashion and it failed. Geforce now does basically this and it’s available as an app on lots of steaming boxes and smart TVs. So effectively this kind of already exists in a way that’s less prone to obsolescence but I’m not sure most people want it because of the tradeoffs of a required internet connection etc. It’s the kind of thing that sounds like something people would want until you even stop to think about it for a moment. The more you think about it the worse an idea it seems.
There’s different demographics of gamers out there. It’s not useful to most of them for lots of reasons like built in anti-cheat, drm, requirement of an internet connection even for solo/story mode games, the fact that some gamers want bleeding edge everything while others want stability. Still others only play older games and for them this doesn’t do much except make finding drivers and virtual environments harder. Then there’s the mod community etc. It just seems like it would be a nightmare for a lot of people.
Grass@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
nope
Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
I don’t know that valve needs to bring steamOS to other devices. Pretty sure Bazzite is good enough for most folks.
Peffse@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Why do I get the weird feeling that they wouldn’t use Xbox, but rather Zune, if they did.
muntedcrocodile@lemm.ee 2 months ago
No they really dont. Let windows die thw death its always deserved.