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Thoughts on SteamOS, and gaming on Linux...

When Valve announced SteamOS, I was really excited about it. Since its based on Debian, it meant that a serious gaming OS was coming to the Linux side. And if all went right, it meant that at least some publisher might offer their games on other Linux distros in time.

As such, when I read on Extremetech site that Steam's machines sales have been abysmal, I can't help to feel somewhat sad and disappointed. Though I disagree that the games offered for SteamOS are indie is a bad thing, it would help to have more AAA titles available.

Personally, I enjoy far more indie games than I do AAA games. The same goes for many of my friends, we feel that indie games offer something more than AAA games do. Yet I do see the need to at least attract some AAA titles to make the platform more widely appealing, specially to new users or those who prefer AAA games.

To be honest, I'd love nothing more that see SteamOS go mainstream. But, I wouldn't mind seeing it going as a niche product serving indie game producers and gamers who prefer those games. In a way, a place where indie games won't get lost among AAA games.

In some way, SteamOS might become a gathering place for people who look for games that feel more driven by more than the need to succeed commercially. For games that strive to be just fun and challenging, or for those who strive to tell a story. Most of us are willing to pay for such games, and many of us who search for those games are able to do so.

As such, I do want to see SteamOS to succeed. Yet, I'd prefer it to succeed in a way that it'll become the place to go for indie games.

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