Originally posted by sheehanje:

Ok - now for the irritations... No streaming video apps (Vudu, Netflix, etc.) - because of this, my Steam Machine is hooked to a spare 42" T.V. off of the living room. I get that I can use T.V. smart apps for this, but let's face it, they suck on most T.V.'s.

I'm also upset with SteamOS not having a lousy Netflix app after two years, but a $35 Chromecast solves the issue for me. Much better than smart TV apps.

Didn't know about the SteamOS Wiki. Nice!

Originally posted by daniel.mantione:

Which Linux distributions are using Wayland or Mir? Very few.

And here is the answer: Both software packages are highly experimental. Using them would case many compatibility issues with games.

Also, I don't see the advanvtage from a gaming point of view.

I think that's the answer. Probably Valve's next version of SteamOS will use Wayland or Mir, whatever is the most mature.

Great! (also kudos for the Monty Python reference)

Originally posted by daniel.mantione:

I expect Valve to be very carefull with Wine: If Windows games run on Linux, developers loose their interrest in a Linux port, with all negative consequences for compatibility and performance. A game under Windows is also a Windows sale and therefore kills the market for porting companies. It's good that Linux gamers have access to Wine for situaties where no native version exists, but Wine is very dangerous if it becomes too accessible: Developers will tell you to use their Windows game.

Also, if a developer wants to support a Wine-wrapped version, he CAN do it. We have a bunch of games ported to Linux using solutions like winelib (Limbo, Oniken), and Virtual Programming's eON (Witcher 2, Bioshock Infinite).

However, it is not a good idea to have unsupported games. A lot of people will complain when (not if, WHEN) something does not work. If the user really knows what he's doing and can fix common Wine problems, well he can just install Wine himself.

I think SteamOS is not the right choice for booting directly in Kodi. However, I use my living room PC as a Steam Machine / HTPC and have installed Kodi as a non-Steam game in the Big Picture Mode. It works really fine and I don't mind the extra seconds to run Kodi as an app.

Originally posted by ProfessorKaos64:

Is there truly a need for a launcher? Of the batch of SteamOS/Linux games I have that have launchers, a decent number use a Steam BPM-native menu pops up with several options, the first being to just launch the games. Launchers are often seen as obtrusive and unnecessary.

This would be the best course of action, yes. For SteamOS, ditch the launchers.

You're welcome. Glad you card is working now.
(I'm curious: how did you fix it?)

Which version of SteamOS are you on? Alchemist or Brewmaster?
(if you don't know, you can type "uname -a" in the console/terminal)

\o/ yay!