Will this be able to natively steam netflix, youtube, etc. like a Roku or Chromecast?

[D3matt]

As title, will this be able to act as a standalone streaming device, or is it purely steam only? It seems to me like if they made Steam Link a Chromecast/Roku/Fire TV competitor in addition to a steam streaming endpoint, it would be an absolute no-brainer. Shouldn't even be that hard, it's already running a full x86/64 OS.

[striker]

This would be awesome and if it were possible to integrate these third party apps I'd be sold on the spot. I wouldn't need another three boxes for other streaming experiences.

[initiaLiSeD]

Itegrate the apps you need by adding them as Non-Steam-Games on the host PC.

@Valve: please make it easy to add Win 8/10 Metro style apps to the Steam Library before this releases.

[D3matt]

Postat inițial de initiaLiSeD:

Itegrate the apps you need by adding them as Non-Steam-Games on the host PC.

@Valve: please make it easy to add Win 8/10 Metro style apps to the Steam Library before this releases.

Only option there is to add Firefox as a non-steam game. It works, I guess, but local streaming would be more desirable, and we already know that the Link can handle 1080P streams.

[Pat]

Postat inițial de UPD3matt:

As title, will this be able to act as a standalone streaming device, or is it purely steam only? It seems to me like if they made Steam Link a Chromecast/Roku/Fire TV competitor in addition to a steam streaming endpoint, it would be an absolute no-brainer. Shouldn't even be that hard, it's already running a full x86/64 OS.

it's unlikely it's running the same version of SteamOS we can currently get our hands on, since at it's price, it's going to be an ARM processor based Micro PC, like the rPi, while it's probably ARMv8-A, it's not going to be powerful enough for a full OS, like with the rPi, the only OSes you can get for it are highly stripped down very basic systems.

[initiaLiSeD]

Postat inițial de UPD3matt:

Postat inițial de initiaLiSeD:

Itegrate the apps you need by adding them as Non-Steam-Games on the host PC.

@Valve: please make it easy to add Win 8/10 Metro style apps to the Steam Library before this releases.

Only option there is to add Firefox as a non-steam game. It works, I guess, but local streaming would be more desirable, and we already know that the Link can handle 1080P streams.

Alt-Tab out of a game on the host, you get the full desktop with current Steam Streaming, no need to add your browser.

Having said that the Metro version of Netflix is so slick compared to all the rest, it deserves porting to Steam as it seems to be expected for the Link.

[markzz]

SteamOS includes the GNOME desktop, so in theory you could just switch to the desktop and use a web browser. Hell, Netflix just recently became compatible with Linux.

[Pat]

Postat inițial de Marky Mark the Funky-GINEER:

SteamOS includes the GNOME desktop, so in theory you could just switch to the desktop and use a web browser. Hell, Netflix just recently became compatible with Linux.

you'd have to be able to install Chrome, and this is even assuming this HAS a proper desktop environment.

[markzz]

Postat inițial de Pat:

Postat inițial de Marky Mark the Funky-GINEER:

SteamOS includes the GNOME desktop, so in theory you could just switch to the desktop and use a web browser. Hell, Netflix just recently became compatible with Linux.

you'd have to be able to install Chrome, and this is even assuming this HAS a proper desktop environment.

SteamOS a fork of Debian. You should be able to manage packages like on stock Debian, even if it isn't running x86/x86_64, but instead is ARM. Also, Chrome is not required for this, any modern browser like FireFox/IceWeasel should work, especially with Netflix and YouTube moving to HTML5 video. Chrome is not the only browser in existence.

[D3matt]

Assuming Steam Link runs SteamOS at all. Currently Steam doesn't run on ARM at all so it stands to reason that Steam Link is not SteamOS but something purpose-built for Steam Link. Probably still Linux-based but likely not a desktop OS fork. If they actually sell a fully-featured debian computer for $50, this would be a huge deal for a lot more than just Steam gamers.

[paradigmdream]

it would be great to be able to stream regular video files i have on my computer also. i have lots of hd movies, tv shows, documentaries.

[8BitCerberus]

Postat inițial de Pat:

it's unlikely it's running the same version of SteamOS we can currently get our hands on, since at it's price, it's going to be an ARM processor based Micro PC, like the rPi,

Why would you assume that? Occam's Razor would suggest that dropping an Atom CPU in, and then the same x86 compatible SteamOS they've been working on the last year requires far fewer hurdles to jump than writing an ARM based OS from the ground up, or even porting SteamOS to ARM.

I mean, I suppose it's possible they've been maintaining an ARM branch of SteamOS just for something like this, but ARM isn't x86 so if they haven't been giving it out to people to test on ARM devices they're going to be in a world of hurt, tech support wise, when this thing comes out on completely unfamiliar hardware.

Postat inițial de UPD3matt:

If they actually sell a fully-featured debian computer for $50, this would be a huge deal for a lot more than just Steam gamers.

Putting an Atom/x86 chip in, in order to run SteamOS without needing to maintain an ARM fork or some custom-built OS just for Steam Link would no more equate to a full featured Debian computer than my Atom based tablet is a full featured non-RT Windows 8.1 computer.

[markzz]

Postat inițial de UPD3matt:

Assuming Steam Link runs SteamOS at all. Currently Steam doesn't run on ARM at all so it stands to reason that Steam Link is not SteamOS but something purpose-built for Steam Link. Probably still Linux-based but likely not a desktop OS fork. If they actually sell a fully-featured debian computer for $50, this would be a huge deal for a lot more than just Steam gamers.

https://www.debian.org/ports/arm/

It's already there, they just need to take what they need and just compile Steam for it. As long too as there is a package manager available, you can install any .deb files to the machine for desktops or other applications.

Postat inițial de DarkWolf777:

Postat inițial de "[UP:

D3matt"]If they actually sell a fully-featured debian computer for $50, this would be a huge deal for a lot more than just Steam gamers.

Putting an Atom/x86 chip in, in order to run SteamOS without needing to maintain an ARM fork or some custom-built OS just for Steam Link would no more equate to a full featured Debian computer than my Atom based tablet is a full featured non-RT Windows 8.1 computer.

Same point as above, Debian fully supports the ARM architechure.

[Pat]

Postat inițial de Marky Mark the Funky-GINEER:

Postat inițial de Pat:

you'd have to be able to install Chrome, and this is even assuming this HAS a proper desktop environment.

SteamOS a fork of Debian. You should be able to manage packages like on stock Debian, even if it isn't running x86/x86_64, but instead is ARM. Also, Chrome is not required for this, any modern browser like FireFox/IceWeasel should work, especially with Netflix and YouTube moving to HTML5 video. Chrome is not the only browser in existence.

Netflix isn't pure HTML5, it also uses Encrypted Media Extensions that is required to be built into your web browser to work, and Chrome is the ONLY browser on Linux that supports it, not even Chromium uses it, most the time I'm running Arch Linux and when I heard about official support for linux from Netflix, I tested multiple browsers and only Chrome worked.

[markzz]

Postat inițial de Pat:

Postat inițial de Marky Mark the Funky-GINEER:

SteamOS a fork of Debian. You should be able to manage packages like on stock Debian, even if it isn't running x86/x86_64, but instead is ARM. Also, Chrome is not required for this, any modern browser like FireFox/IceWeasel should work, especially with Netflix and YouTube moving to HTML5 video. Chrome is not the only browser in existence.

Netflix isn't pure HTML5, it also uses Encrypted Media Extensions that is required to be built into your web browser to work, and Chrome is the ONLY browser on Linux that supports it, not even Chromium uses it, most the time I'm running Arch Linux and when I heard about official support for linux from Netflix, I tested multiple browsers and only Chrome worked.

I am an Arch Linux user as well and I don't use Netflix. I also thought that Mozilla included EME into Firefox (I'm actually certain it does). If you say it only works in Google Chrome, then I have nothing else to go on.

[D3matt]

Postat inițial de DarkWolf777:

Postat inițial de Pat:

it's unlikely it's running the same version of SteamOS we can currently get our hands on, since at it's price, it's going to be an ARM processor based Micro PC, like the rPi,

Why would you assume that? Occam's Razor would suggest that dropping an Atom CPU in, and then the same x86 compatible SteamOS they've been working on the last year requires far fewer hurdles to jump than writing an ARM based OS from the ground up, or even porting SteamOS to ARM.

I mean, I suppose it's possible they've been maintaining an ARM branch of SteamOS just for something like this, but ARM isn't x86 so if they haven't been giving it out to people to test on ARM devices they're going to be in a world of hurt, tech support wise, when this thing comes out on completely unfamiliar hardware.

Postat inițial de "[UP:

D3matt"]If they actually sell a fully-featured debian computer for $50, this would be a huge deal for a lot more than just Steam gamers.

Putting an Atom/x86 chip in, in order to run SteamOS without needing to maintain an ARM fork or some custom-built OS just for Steam Link would no more equate to a full featured Debian computer than my Atom based tablet is a full featured non-RT Windows 8.1 computer.

I disagree. If it's x86, it can run everything any other debian machine can so long as it fits within the memory constraints. For $50 I'd say that's pretty huge, considering there's currently nothing on the market that can run full-fledged x86 Linux for $50 or even close. Everything else in that price range by a mile is ARM-based.