Today was not such a day.
From PCGamesN:
Steam Play – Valve’s name for its cross-platform initiative – is getting a major update, with built-in tools allowing you to run Windows games on Linux. [...] In the most practical terms, this means you can now download and install Windows games directly from the Steam client without any further fuss. Valve is currently checking “the entire Steam catalog” and whitelisting games that run without issue, but you can turn off those guidelines and install whatever you want, too.
[...]
In theory, this should eventually allow nearly the entire Steam catalogue to run on Linux, though it’s possible certain types of DRM and anti-cheat measures could keep that compatibility from happening. [...] Valve’s own SteamOS is built on Linux, and as we speculated when hints of this update surface last week, this could be part of a renewed push for the platform. There are rumblings around the internet about SteamOS 3.0 being on the way, even after Valve removed Steam Machines from the Steam store. At the same time, Valve reiterated its support of Linux and Vulkan for PC gaming – and this update marks a major confirmation of that support.Combined with the Vulkan API and an industry-wide trend towards cross-platform development, the fact that Valve is about to make the entire Steam library compatible with Linux will be game-changing. Valve's Steam Machine initiative failed to launch because there were too few SteamOS-compatible games to convince people to switch operating systems, and too few people using SteamOS and Linux to make Linux game development worthwhile.
But Linux is about to become a viable gaming platform, virtually overnight, which means that game developers don't have to maintain a separate Linux version of their games anymore, and Linux gamers can play the largest single library of PC games on their own machines with no additional work required. This is great news for any gamer who had been dragging their feet about switching to Linux. Valve just made it easy.
And that's not the only news that Valve made this week.
The other news out of Valve this week, accidentally leaked on the week-end and since confirmed, it that they're launching a direct competitor to Twitch:
Steam Broadcasting is no more – well, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s certainly going to be getting a massive upgrade in the form of Valve’s new platform for all things streaming: Steam.tv.
It was revealed late last week the company had registered the eponymous domain, and the rumour mill set in motion that this would be the competing service to Amazon’s Twitch – only to be sharply silenced as Valve itself accidentally set Steam.tv live, as detailed over on CNET.
The service went dark again, with Valve admitting the mistake, only to be switched back on – officially – yesterday (August 20). For the time being the service will focus on broadcasting coverage of the International, the world’s most valuable esports tournament centring on DOTA 2.
Steam.tv will be adding more games and functionality in coming weeks, months and years, with the plan on supporting all games – but we’ll likely have to wait for the tournament to be over before then.The news that Twitch will be getting more competition comes at virtually the same time that Amazon announced that they were downgrading Twitch, adding advertising to previously ad-free streams to raise more revenue:
New Twitch Prime members will no longer enjoy the benefit of advertisement-free streaming starting next month, which was a perk that was introduced to Amazon Prime subscribers in 2016.
The reason for the change is very clear and is something that will help Twitch stay afloat in the suddenly crowded streaming platform industry.I wonder if Amazon is re-thinking this advertising cash-grab, now that they know SteamTV is coming for their business?
The final impact of these new developments is yet to be seen, of course, but one thing is certain: Gabe Newell's Valve isn't finished reshaping the video game industry landscape.