Is 2013, the year of Linux gaming?(pcauthority.com.au)
pcauthority.com.au
Is 2013, the year of Linux gaming?
http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/332124,is-2013-the-year-of-linux-gaming.aspx
74 comments
And there is someone who always beat me to post this answer :)
[deleted]
I'm not sure I like the position of the comma in the title.
The NYT grammar blog had an excellent entry on this: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/the-most-com...
The author, a college professor, lamented how many students still come to his class making this mistake.
The author, a college professor, lamented how many students still come to his class making this mistake.
I didn't even understand the position of the comma in this title until I mentally removed the "is." Maybe the headline writer has a first language that is more regular.
IANAGrammarian, but I think that the comma itself would be the copula in this sentence if the "is" was removed. With the "is", no need for the comma.
edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_copula
IANAGrammarian, but I think that the comma itself would be the copula in this sentence if the "is" was removed. With the "is", no need for the comma.
edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_copula
Because android has the Linux, We already have dominating Linux games - right?
Microsoft has been crushed in the mobile game space by Android/Linux.
Microsoft has been crushed in the mobile game space by Android/Linux.
Android games are not Linux games at all. They only work inside Dalvik VM with Google's APIs. Linux is not even relevant to them. And, these mobile games are almost always little puzzlers, platformers, stuff like Angry Birds.
Windows is still the premier platform for fancy big-budget games and Android doesn't seem to be going there any time soon.
Windows is still the premier platform for fancy big-budget games and Android doesn't seem to be going there any time soon.
crushed in the mobile space by Android/Linux?
Apple completely dominate mobile gaming. 84% of all mobile gaming revenue is on iOS as per http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/06/mobile-gaming-revenue-appl...
Apple completely dominate mobile gaming. 84% of all mobile gaming revenue is on iOS as per http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/06/mobile-gaming-revenue-appl...
Interesting that the article claims that Apple dominates mobile gaming but then shows a graph that does not include any of the dedicated mobile gaming platforms such as the Nintendo DS.
In the US, based on Q1 2012 data.
They probably still beat Android, but nowhere near by that much.
They probably still beat Android, but nowhere near by that much.
I doubt 2013 is the year of Linux gaming because lets be honest everyone has been saying 20xx is the year of Linux is some aspect. However, the support behind Linux appears to be stronger compared to 2007. I don't want to speculate Windows 8 was behind it, but it kind of is (Gabe from Valve expressed his disdain for Windows and their new app store model a while back).
Linux is as good if not better than Windows. It has come a long way and gaming will definitely be just another feature of Linux in 2 to 3 years time. I'm predicting 2014/2015 is when Linux gaming becomes really hot and everyone releases games on it.
Linux is as good if not better than Windows. It has come a long way and gaming will definitely be just another feature of Linux in 2 to 3 years time. I'm predicting 2014/2015 is when Linux gaming becomes really hot and everyone releases games on it.
The biggest change for 2013 is that microsoft is throwing PC gaming under the bus and trying to move all gaming to the consoles. Evidence, you want evidence:
1. Gaben and a bunch of other people says it's true (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-06-gabe-newell-rig...)
2. MS is no longer supporting cross platform (xbox/pc) development and is killing XNA. (http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/147289-microsoft-kills-xbo...)
Also steam supporting linux has significantly increased the number of linux games. Android linux compatibility is a big win for casual games on linux.
1. Gaben and a bunch of other people says it's true (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-06-gabe-newell-rig...)
2. MS is no longer supporting cross platform (xbox/pc) development and is killing XNA. (http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/147289-microsoft-kills-xbo...)
Also steam supporting linux has significantly increased the number of linux games. Android linux compatibility is a big win for casual games on linux.
As a developer I find Linux very annoying to use.
I have tried Ubuntu on different boxes, even on powerful gaming computers, but it doesn't seem as stable as Windows 8 does. Launching programs, or switching between windows has sometimes a little bit of lag (and I'm on an i7, 8gb of ram etc...) I hate having the slightest bit of lag.
For me it would be easier to work on linux, but its just not as nice to use as Windows 8 is.
3D desktops are not at the responsiveness level of Windows or OS X despite improvements over the years.
As a result, there is still a significant amount of Linux users using 2D desktops. For example, I'm using Gnome 3 fallback (i.e. classic mode) with xmonad. I know quite a few running AwesomeWM with no DE, and others using Ubuntu 2D.
That being said, setting up xmonad or AwesomeWM requires a higher initial investment but you gain more control and efficiency in the long run. It's the same argument for using vim/emacs over notepad.
As a result, there is still a significant amount of Linux users using 2D desktops. For example, I'm using Gnome 3 fallback (i.e. classic mode) with xmonad. I know quite a few running AwesomeWM with no DE, and others using Ubuntu 2D.
That being said, setting up xmonad or AwesomeWM requires a higher initial investment but you gain more control and efficiency in the long run. It's the same argument for using vim/emacs over notepad.
Or then you have a super fast, super productive desktop with no distractions. Depends how you configure it. Here's mine. (the configs can be stored to github, of course)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2402047/Screenshot%20from%202013-02...
It's not doable on OSX or on Windows. It's damn fast on my own macbook (2008 edition) and on my work desktop (i5, 16 GB, SSD)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2402047/Screenshot%20from%202013-02...
It's not doable on OSX or on Windows. It's damn fast on my own macbook (2008 edition) and on my work desktop (i5, 16 GB, SSD)
Don't you want to make blog post about your setup or something?
I love Linux, but I don't like Gnome Shell or Unity (or KDE or something), and on Desktop it's easy, you just install awesome and run with it. But for a few years I had only laptop, and I was always afraid that things like sleep, or volume and brightness control keys woudn't work, because they seem to be tied with Gnome for some reason.
If you could share some more about your setup, that would be great.
I love Linux, but I don't like Gnome Shell or Unity (or KDE or something), and on Desktop it's easy, you just install awesome and run with it. But for a few years I had only laptop, and I was always afraid that things like sleep, or volume and brightness control keys woudn't work, because they seem to be tied with Gnome for some reason.
If you could share some more about your setup, that would be great.
Oh, you can start the gnome-settings-daemon with your WM and you get the sleep, the keys, the nice fonts etc. from Ubuntu.
Most of the stuff is here. Sorry for the messy emacs configuration, I'm just studying it after ~10 years of vim.
https://github.com/pimeys/dotfiles
Also, two branches: work and macbook. The screenshot is from the work branch.
https://github.com/pimeys/dotfiles
Also, two branches: work and macbook. The screenshot is from the work branch.
You might want to try Xmonad. It's a tiling window manager that's extremely extensible and very fast/clean to use.
Here's an old demo of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyNkBLhIpQk
Here's an old demo of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyNkBLhIpQk
I'm in that screenshot! How weird is this?
Looks like you're using Xmonad. I use it as well; it's the reason I switched to linux. It's unbelievable how nice it is to stop fussing around with overlapping windows! Combine that with all of the extensibility and you've got an incredibly productive environment (assuming you don't get caught up yak-shaving your xmonad.hs).
Looks like you're using Xmonad. I use it as well; it's the reason I switched to linux. It's unbelievable how nice it is to stop fussing around with overlapping windows! Combine that with all of the extensibility and you've got an incredibly productive environment (assuming you don't get caught up yak-shaving your xmonad.hs).
Weirdly enough whenever I have tried to use a minimal tiling WM the Window redraws become horrifically slow, whereas Unity with all the eye candy cranked up is smooth as silk.
Not for me :(.
I like having eye candy, even though it does give a lot of distractions.
Depends what's eye candy for you. For me it's pure solarized colors and lots of terminals open... :)
What desktop environment are you using? That can change things a lot. I find the default Debian Gnome3 to be pretty good.
Ubuntu is now by default Unity and not Gnome.
I like both, both didn't find one that doesn't lag for me, maybe im doing something wrong with the drivers :/
There's work underway to make Unity faster. I expect Raring Ringtail 13.04 to have a lot of improvements in that area.
What you're saying is reasonable, but I'm amused by the fact that the standard template for this discussion is NOT "it's the year of the Linux desktop, I just know it!" but rather:
"Is this the year of the Linux desktop now?"
"No, that's a cliche. But Linux is getting better and Windows is bad as ever."
"Next year will be the year of the Linux desktop!"
"Is this the year of the Linux desktop now?"
"No, that's a cliche. But Linux is getting better and Windows is bad as ever."
"Next year will be the year of the Linux desktop!"
[deleted]
As a mobile game developer it's strange that no one has brought up the obvious conclusion that Linux will win because Android will win.
Android has a good shot at being the platform for all things in the future, ie. Ouya and Green Throttle.
As the cell phone doubles in power every year, in the near future we will realize that our cell phone has way more than enough power to run our main stations and gaming needs. The graphics chips on normal phones today are already astounding.
Android has a good shot at being the platform for all things in the future, ie. Ouya and Green Throttle.
As the cell phone doubles in power every year, in the near future we will realize that our cell phone has way more than enough power to run our main stations and gaming needs. The graphics chips on normal phones today are already astounding.
I don't see anything in this space attracting Windows gamers to Linux, but if you are already a Linux user, things are getting better.
No one can really claim "year of Linux gaming" until we start seeing a wide variety of publishers releasing AAA titles. And until that happens, windows gamers will like it or not remain with Windows.
No one can really claim "year of Linux gaming" until we start seeing a wide variety of publishers releasing AAA titles. And until that happens, windows gamers will like it or not remain with Windows.
It is early days yet, proving any market for Linux games at all is big at this point.
Linux has always had a hurdle in the (probably mostly wrong) assumption that Linux users will pathologically not pay for software.
Linux has always had a hurdle in the (probably mostly wrong) assumption that Linux users will pathologically not pay for software.
Assumptions have nothing to do with it. As John Carmack has stated[1], games have been released to Linux, and they have mostly failed to make money. The only major exception that comes to mind are the Humble Bundles, whose unique business model makes them a special case.
[1] http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/17x0sh/john_carmack_a...
[1] http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/17x0sh/john_carmack_a...
I don't think there's really enough data to draw a conclusion here. Carmack's arguments seem to be based on their web game which everyone already played to death 10 years ago when it was called Quake3.
Why would GNU/Linux users pay to use proprietary software? As long as these games are proprietary, they will only see adoption among recent Windows converts who want the same experience. What's the point? I mean I get it that Windows 8 is bad, but I've seen the same share of gripes about Unity.
Plus a lot of these companies offer low quality ports and little to no customer support for Linux users, and if you don't use a supported distro then too bad for you. So again, what's the point? It's the same bad experience as using Wine.
Plus a lot of these companies offer low quality ports and little to no customer support for Linux users, and if you don't use a supported distro then too bad for you. So again, what's the point? It's the same bad experience as using Wine.
Why would you not pay for proprietary software? It seems like asking "why would windows users use free software?".
Of course there are some who will only use 100% free/open source software for ideological reasons but these people are a small minority of Linux users in practise.
Most of the new indie game Linux ports work quite well in my experience though YMMV I guess. It would be unrealistic to expect support for every distro.
Of course there are some who will only use 100% free/open source software for ideological reasons but these people are a small minority of Linux users in practise.
Most of the new indie game Linux ports work quite well in my experience though YMMV I guess. It would be unrealistic to expect support for every distro.
It wouldn't be unrealistic to expect distro support if these were free software packages that distros could patch and package up for their own needs. But they aren't, they are proprietary blobs distributed through a proprietary app store that is only supported on Ubuntu. And that's the thing with proprietary software: you DON'T get what you pay for. Personally, I refuse to play proprietary games, they offer nothing to me and the experience is always negative. I think it is a farce to say that the technical benefits of GNU/Linux are not owed to the fact that it is an entire ecosystem of free software. If you believe this is a question of ideology, and you willingly disregard it, then what is the problem with Windows?
You probably aren't the target market for Steam in that case.
If there was a compelling collection of open source games I would certainly play them but that has never really been the case.
There are tangible advantages in having open source tools and components such as compilers,kernels and desktop environments even without every program on the system being open source.
If there was a compelling collection of open source games I would certainly play them but that has never really been the case.
There are tangible advantages in having open source tools and components such as compilers,kernels and desktop environments even without every program on the system being open source.
I would not consider GNU/Linux users the target market either. I would consider the target market to be Windows users that don't want to use Windows for whatever reason. These people don't care what they use as long as it isn't Windows, they aren't loyal to any one system for any particular reason.
Personally I do not derive pleasure from just playing games, I need to be able to study their source code and modify them. So I see no advantages in having proprietary games on my system. I hope that other GNU/Linux users acknowledge this as well. The one true value of the system is that it is GPL-ed.
Personally I do not derive pleasure from just playing games, I need to be able to study their source code and modify them. So I see no advantages in having proprietary games on my system. I hope that other GNU/Linux users acknowledge this as well. The one true value of the system is that it is GPL-ed.
I'm not sure what the difference is between a GNU/Linux user and a person who is using GNU/Linux because they don't want to use Windows.
If you look at places like /r/linux on reddit the Linux fanboys there are practically wetting themselves over steam.
I agree that more open source games would be a good thing, but I don't see it as necessarily more important than having access to the unedited recordings of a piece of music.
If you look at places like /r/linux on reddit the Linux fanboys there are practically wetting themselves over steam.
I agree that more open source games would be a good thing, but I don't see it as necessarily more important than having access to the unedited recordings of a piece of music.
Is someone really a GNU/Linux user if they have no respect for the core values of the system? I personally don't understand the exuberance on reddit. It's just another package manager in the already large sea of them, and a proprietary DRMed one at that; it doesn't really seem to provide any practical advantages to anybody. I believe it did on Windows, where even developers didn't have any reasonable package management system until a few years ago. But I see no real business strategy here. Also funny that you mention that because as a hobbyist musician I think it would be pretty cool to have CC-SA'ed masters of some of my favorite songs.
Because some are just Linux / Ubuntu users without the GNU tag, like me.
Seriously, because people sometimes pays for games, and that's OK, despite of whatever you choose to believe.
Seriously, because people sometimes pays for games, and that's OK, despite of whatever you choose to believe.
Linux had always had a hurdle in the correct assumption that uniform Linux support is difficult (playing the distro game is difficult when supporting redhead-based and Debian-based distributions) and there's nothing that will change the landscape.
On the other hand, if one distribution emerges as the clear desktop leader (and no, Ubuntu isn't there yet) then maybe we will see support for it.
On the other hand, if one distribution emerges as the clear desktop leader (and no, Ubuntu isn't there yet) then maybe we will see support for it.
I think there is a real possibility that Linux will be a legitimate gaming platform from this point on thanks to steam and html5 games, it will still take a few years to knock MS off their throne due to the proprietary nature of DirectX and the perceived ease of development using it. When almost every game is supported on Windows, it will take a serious effort (like the steam box) to change that paradigm. The only reason I still use windows is because of the gaming. Wine helps a lot here as well, but it's not perfect. Developers will have to see the benefit of targeting linux before it becomes the platform for gaming.
The point is not 'the perceived ease of development' or something technical like that.
The issue is commercial. The mere existence of PS3 games proves that, as the PS3 was very hard to develop for, but it was worth it because the games would sell.
Steam makes possible for developers to target Linux and sell the games there, in an easy convenient way that is easier to use than pirating games via torrents, but with some DRM to prevent uploading the purchased game to torrents just after the purchase. Ubuntu also has a store that sells games, I can see at the very least: Bastion, World of Goo, Amnesia, Braid, Space Pirates and Zombies. I don't know if they use any DRM, I guess the answer is no.
The final success of this endeavor is also of commercial nature. The number of games sold in Linux will determine the future of Linux gaming, and nothing else will, no matter what the technical merits of Steam in Ubuntu are.
The issue is commercial. The mere existence of PS3 games proves that, as the PS3 was very hard to develop for, but it was worth it because the games would sell.
Steam makes possible for developers to target Linux and sell the games there, in an easy convenient way that is easier to use than pirating games via torrents, but with some DRM to prevent uploading the purchased game to torrents just after the purchase. Ubuntu also has a store that sells games, I can see at the very least: Bastion, World of Goo, Amnesia, Braid, Space Pirates and Zombies. I don't know if they use any DRM, I guess the answer is no.
The final success of this endeavor is also of commercial nature. The number of games sold in Linux will determine the future of Linux gaming, and nothing else will, no matter what the technical merits of Steam in Ubuntu are.
This might be a little naive, but I'll ask.
I'm completely unaware of games, or any software, that is sold specifically for Linux (sold, being the keyword here). I've never installed Linux and purchased software for it.
So, my question, does the Open Source ecosystem for Linux simply eclipse the for-profit software, or are there special licensing requirements that are difficult to comply with?
I'm completely unaware of games, or any software, that is sold specifically for Linux (sold, being the keyword here). I've never installed Linux and purchased software for it.
So, my question, does the Open Source ecosystem for Linux simply eclipse the for-profit software, or are there special licensing requirements that are difficult to comply with?
Neither. http://store.steampowered.com/sale/linux_release/ is currently showing off their Linux sale, you can page through the games they are selling and become less naive/unaware of what is out there. It's no Windows, but there are some games.
One of them is Half-Life. It's fifteen years old.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/70/?snr=1_614_615_linuxrel...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/70/?snr=1_614_615_linuxrel...
That's a great question.
Obviously, I am simplifying a complicated legal system with my reply. I am not a lawyer, but I have studied open source licensing.
With some exceptions, the Linux ecosystem does not eclipse for-profit software. You are free to run closed source software within an open ecosystem.
With that said, I personally develop and sell open source games. Linux is a first-class citizen in my market. I find that the person who makes the decision to run Linux as their main OS is the same type of person that will avoid a purchase of software that is closed source. In that case, the barrier is the mentality of your users rather than licensing restrictions.
Obviously, I am simplifying a complicated legal system with my reply. I am not a lawyer, but I have studied open source licensing.
With some exceptions, the Linux ecosystem does not eclipse for-profit software. You are free to run closed source software within an open ecosystem.
With that said, I personally develop and sell open source games. Linux is a first-class citizen in my market. I find that the person who makes the decision to run Linux as their main OS is the same type of person that will avoid a purchase of software that is closed source. In that case, the barrier is the mentality of your users rather than licensing restrictions.
There used to be these articles with the title "The year of the Linux mobile phone" around 2006. If anything we will see something like Android /using/ Linux. Linux is, after all, just a kernel.
Having said that, the gaming platform (The Android OS if you will) of 2013 will probably be HTML5.
Steam has now officially launched its Linux client, rounded up a surprising number of Linux games, and is selling all of them at a decent discount for a week. It's do or die time for games on Linux. There is currently no such effort for HTML5 games and I can't see what the advantage would be in making yet another incompatible platform on top of the Linux kernel.
No. SteamBox is vapor. There is no EA FIFA. And there are no significant Linux only titles.
It seems a bit harsh to call something that was only announced as being in development a couple of months ago "vapour".
Most big titles are multi platform nowadays.
I am in fact still crying of joy by the release of Brutal Legend in Steam.
That was one of the two reasons for me to have planned to buy a PS3 this year. Now I don't have to, PS3 purchase is canceled. The other reason is GT5, but iRacing is more than good enough.
I am in fact still crying of joy by the release of Brutal Legend in Steam.
That was one of the two reasons for me to have planned to buy a PS3 this year. Now I don't have to, PS3 purchase is canceled. The other reason is GT5, but iRacing is more than good enough.
If Steam can get viable business out of selling indie and smaller-publisher games then that is self-sustaining even if Linux does not take over the entire industry (FIFA, Deer Hunter, etc.)
They may be able to make a business out of it. For it to be the Year of Linux gaming, publishers need to be doing so. I can still run Solitaire on my Windows 2000 laptop, but that doesn't make it a gaming platform in the sense implied by the article. Few people are going on eBay to pick up a Windows 2000 laptop for gaming, likewise, few people are going to install Linux in order to run games.
why install it when it could be a live cd that boots straight into steam?
Maybe Steam could send these CD's in the mail and offer like ten free hours of use.
[deleted]
I could see this happening, but more in the sense that 2013 is where linux gaming becomes a reality. Not that 2013 is going to be the year that linux gaming becomes dominant.
The two games i enjoyed the most in 2012 were played in linux:
FTL Faster Than light, Redrogue.
I don't care much about fancy graphics, i prefer a good story and gameplay.
probably not this year.. but 'soon'.
from my point of view, linux is a great choice for gaming, not only that this 'platform' is much more open than windows/mac, it's also extremely lightweight compared to windows.
we have already seen that great games can be created using opengl (Rage for example).
looking forward to the day i'll finally purge windows from my hard drive. installing linux and playing some recently released AAA titles^^
looking forward to the day i'll finally purge windows from my hard drive. installing linux and playing some recently released AAA titles^^
The year of Linux gaming? no. Will Valve use Linux for a gaming console? Yes. Similar but not the same.
Not sure if I see the distinction. Whenever a linux based system becomes popular for some use people always seem to make the claim "but that's not really Linux". I'm not really sure what the definition of real Linux is.
Besides, it would seem that whatever games are made available for steambox would be binary compatible with other Linux distributions anyway (and software for other Linux distros should run on steambox) unless they do something really crazy with it.
Besides, it would seem that whatever games are made available for steambox would be binary compatible with other Linux distributions anyway (and software for other Linux distros should run on steambox) unless they do something really crazy with it.
Not sure if I see the distinction.
For me the distinction is, can I play the game on my computer running my distro of choice, or can I only play it on the Steambox, which happens to be running Linux.
it would seem that whatever games are made available for steambox would be binary compatible with other Linux distributions
I have seen nothing that would indicate this one way or the other.
For me the distinction is, can I play the game on my computer running my distro of choice, or can I only play it on the Steambox, which happens to be running Linux.
it would seem that whatever games are made available for steambox would be binary compatible with other Linux distributions
I have seen nothing that would indicate this one way or the other.
It would seem odd for them to launch the Linux client with the fanfare that they did and then pull the rug out from under everyone once the Steambox is launched, though I suppose it could happen. Besides making Steambox fundamentally incompatible would actually be more work than using standard parts.
Regards distros, they don't seem to mind people repackaging for other distros though it would be unrealistic to expect support for running the games under every conceivable distro of which there are thousands.
Regards distros, they don't seem to mind people repackaging for other distros though it would be unrealistic to expect support for running the games under every conceivable distro of which there are thousands.
Why Valve will be interested in Linux gaming? A linux based console (or whatever a console will be in 2013) makes sense and, as a by-product, supporting some Linux distros (mainly for development). I can imagine that not all the distros will be supported. So, Ubuntu gaming maybe.
OUYA and Steam Box are going to make a dent, but it's going to be because of the economics of it more than anything else. Both Steam and OUYA are software that rely on companies like Apple, Samsung, nVidia, AMD, and Intel to spend billions of dollars on hardware R&D and they can just run their software stores on top of them. That makes the economics of putting out a box that hooks up to a TV and plays games a lot better.
For instance, with OUYA they can spend say $20-50 in parts to build the latest ARM box and turn around and sell it for $100. The total cost of R&D to design and build the OUYA is probably less than $10 million. There is already an existing pool of Android software with an average selling price of less than $5 a unit. It will probably launch with hundreds or thousands of games on day one. Compare that to the PS4 which will launch with probably 5-10 games and have maybe 100 games year one, and each game will cost $60 (or more).
OUYA - $100 + < $5 per game. PS4 - probably $400 + $60 per game.
OUYA - say $10 million to develop/produce PS4 - say > $1 billion to develop (PS3 CPU alone cost $2 billion to develop)
In short, the economics for both development of hardware and selling of software have shifted down so dramatically that it is going to hurt the PS4, XBox 3, and Wii U substantially. It already had a huge impact on the mobile space.
SteamBox is going to be basically the same story only at a $200-300 price point and with $5-20 games.
Why on earth would people (especially parents) pay $400 for a console and $60 for a game when they could pay $100 for a console and $5 for a game. You can buy a lot of OUYA games for the price of a next gen (or even current gen) console.
The market for $60 games won't go away, but it will shrink fast.
Linux is a big contributor obviously, but it's as much about the hardware economics as it is the software.
For instance, with OUYA they can spend say $20-50 in parts to build the latest ARM box and turn around and sell it for $100. The total cost of R&D to design and build the OUYA is probably less than $10 million. There is already an existing pool of Android software with an average selling price of less than $5 a unit. It will probably launch with hundreds or thousands of games on day one. Compare that to the PS4 which will launch with probably 5-10 games and have maybe 100 games year one, and each game will cost $60 (or more).
OUYA - $100 + < $5 per game. PS4 - probably $400 + $60 per game.
OUYA - say $10 million to develop/produce PS4 - say > $1 billion to develop (PS3 CPU alone cost $2 billion to develop)
In short, the economics for both development of hardware and selling of software have shifted down so dramatically that it is going to hurt the PS4, XBox 3, and Wii U substantially. It already had a huge impact on the mobile space.
SteamBox is going to be basically the same story only at a $200-300 price point and with $5-20 games.
Why on earth would people (especially parents) pay $400 for a console and $60 for a game when they could pay $100 for a console and $5 for a game. You can buy a lot of OUYA games for the price of a next gen (or even current gen) console.
The market for $60 games won't go away, but it will shrink fast.
Linux is a big contributor obviously, but it's as much about the hardware economics as it is the software.
There's a qualitative difference between the games you can economically produce for a $5 launch price vs what you can produce for a $60 launch price.
That's not to say that more expensive games are necessarily better, just that there are no shortage of people willing to pay $60 on launch day for games like COD or Skyrim.
That's not to say that more expensive games are necessarily better, just that there are no shortage of people willing to pay $60 on launch day for games like COD or Skyrim.
> SteamBox is going to be basically the same story only at a $200-300 price point
Where are you getting these prices?
>and with $5-20 games.
Steam regularly sells games at $50+. I really doubt this is going to change any time soon. There is always going to be a market for expensive "premium" games.
Where are you getting these prices?
>and with $5-20 games.
Steam regularly sells games at $50+. I really doubt this is going to change any time soon. There is always going to be a market for expensive "premium" games.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2021249