Seemingly confirming the theory that “Xbox” will just be Windows going forward, at least on handhelds.

  • irotsoma
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    248 minutes ago

    This doesn’t make any more sense than Windows phones made. They required way too many hardware resources and power to run a system that is designed to do a ton of things on a ton of different types of hardware. Handheld hardware needs specialized OS optimized for the platform and I doubt this will do that. It will likely have a ton of RAM and processing tied up in OS activities just like windows phones making everything slow and/or battery life really bad, but still not be able to run a lot of the stuff that would make this all worth it. Better to start with a more modular system like the base linux kernel and add only what is necessary than to start with the idea of supporting a ton of software and sacrificing the real purpose of the device (handheld gaming) to do it.

  • @PushButton
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    713 hours ago

    Nice, we can be submerged by notifications and other annoying popups on a handheld now.

    It’s exactly what I needed.

    Do you want to pin this useless app I’ve installed without your knowledge on your screen?

  • @_sideffect
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    161 day ago

    No more windows please, I’m sick of it.

  • @Fandangalo
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    1041 day ago

    I’m not a big Linux person, but the steam deck NOT being windows seems like a plus generally. >_>

    • @kernelle
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      291 day ago

      I was using Lenovo’s handheld a few weeks before release and was really impressed by the specs until I turned it on and it was windows and I made an audible laugh. They were saying I had no idea what I was talking about and how windows was the future of handheld gaming. Which made me laugh some more, guess who’s making a SteamOS handheld now?

  • @Bosht
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    571 day ago

    Get fucked. After all the shit I’ve seen them pulling with Windows 11 they’ll never get a dime out of me again. I’ll ride my win 10 until it’s out of support then switch to Linux. Fuck monopolies, and fuck enshittification for profit.

      • @Nibodhika
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        17 hours ago

        Why do you want SteamOS though? Unless you’re making a Steam Machine there are better options out there for desktop usage.

      • @jacksilver
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        418 hours ago

        Steam already runs fine on Linux, you don’t need SteamOS to us the compatibility functionality, meaning anything you can play on the steamdeck already works on a Linux pc.

        • @x00z
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          11 hour ago

          To add to this;

          Playing modern Windows games on Linux and SteamOS is done using Wine and Proton. Wine is available on almost every Linux distro and Proton comes* with Steam.

          *You can use Proton outside of Steam but it’s quite hacky and not really needed.

      • @Bosht
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        221 hours ago

        Amen. I’ll trust that until Gabe dies and of course some shithead takes his place and ruins the company

      • @[email protected]
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        121 day ago

        No.

        Couldn’t even find a rumor of it. It wouldn’t make sense for steam to stop supporting such a large part of their userbase.

        • MrScottyTay
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          -31 day ago

          I’m sure on the game specs on the store it says steam will no longer support win 10 in jan 2025. Unless i misread and it’s it’ll only support win 10 and above.

          • @[email protected]
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            61 day ago

            Maybe you are confusing this with the news from a year ago that Steam doesn’t support Windows 7 and 8 anymore?

            By the way MS-support for 7 ended in 2015, so that’s 9 more years of Steam support after updates from MS stopped. I’d count on Steam working on Windows 10 for years to come.

            • MrScottyTay
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              121 hours ago

              Yeah i assumed this might’ve been the case, hence the last sentence in my comment

  • Random_Character_A
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    151 day ago

    Are we getting another windows 8 without start menu again?

  • @malloc
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    602 days ago

    Anything Microsoft built lately is dogshit. They turned Windows into a steaming pile of shit over the past 20 years. When you think it can’t get any worse, they somehow raise the bar on disappointment.

    No doubt it will be loaded with a shit ton of tracking/telemetry to build new datasets and train LLMs. Mining data from kids/teenagers and building those ad profiles early on is key.

    Repairability will likely be shit as well.

  • Björn Tantau
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    642 days ago

    I think the timing of this news coming so close after Valve announcing the SteamOS beta shows that Microsoft might actually be afraid.

    • @ampersandrewOP
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      502 days ago

      The timing is because CES is happening right now. Microsoft has been eyeing this use case since at least the launch of the Steam Deck.

    • @[email protected]
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      192 days ago

      And to think that this all started because Gabe was afraid that microsoft’s “app store” would hurt Steam so he decided to fully embrace Linux to in preparation. I bet not even Gabe expected back then that the situation would be as it is today.

      • @Nibodhika
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        26 hours ago

        I am fairly sure Gabe expected this, in fact I think he expected more. See, back when Windows95 was first released people were skeptical that Windows would be a good platform for gaming, they cited non-existent technical issues (similar to how they do with Linux now) that drove the employees at Microsoft mad, so one particular employee had the idea to port the most advanced game at the time to Windows, they contacted ID software, and got in an agreement that they would write the Windows port of Doom and give them the code back, ID agreed and after Doom was released for Windows more and more people started to port their stuff over since it was clearly possible. So essentially Windows being a gaming platform was only possible thanks to that employee, who after working with games liked it so much that he quit Microsoft to create his own gaming company which he called Valve. Yup, Gabe Newell is responsible for both Windows and Linux being seen as a gaming platform.

    • @zecg
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      51 day ago

      I was hoping I’d fly under the radar will they have their heads deep in llm ass, but Gaben basically mortally wounded Windows and it’s bleeding out

  • @[email protected]
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    221 day ago

    Key quote:

    Microsoft is looking at combining Xbox and Windows experiences together — and that we should see changes this very year, rather than needing to wait for an Xbox handheld that might still be years away

    So there probably will be an xbox handheld, but don’t hold your breath. In the meantime they actually are a little worried about how much SteamOS is showing Windows up.

  • @[email protected]
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    422 days ago

    The best of windows? Windows 11 is shit. Is there some better windows they are hiding somewhere?

  • @aluminium
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    121 day ago

    I think the opposite is gonna be the case

  • Snot Flickerman
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    2 days ago

    “Xbox” will just be Windows going forward, at least on handhelds.

    We’ve come full circle, almost like a red ring of death.

    • Björn Tantau
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      162 days ago

      I just don’t get why they didn’t think of quickly porting the Xbox interface over to desktop Windows. Should have been an easy fix to make handheld gaming on Windows more appealing.

      • @ampersandrewOP
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        182 days ago

        It’s a lot more than that. SteamOS isn’t just Steam Big Picture Mode. There’s some special sauce in there to capture the active window so that you never lose focus of the game window and such. If you just run a Windows machine set to boot into Steam Big Picture on startup, you’ll find lots of times that you have to break out a keyboard to Alt+Tab for a variety of reasons that SteamOS never encounters. And given the other problems Windows has introduced over the past decade, that’s the least of their problems now.

        • LiveLM
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          219 hours ago

          special sauce in there to capture the active window so that you never lose focus

          All hail Gamescope!

        • MrScottyTay
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          41 day ago

          Just chiming in to confirm you’re correct. I use big picture mode on windows and I’ve got to keep an air mouse with me for moments like that.

    • VindictiveJudge
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      111 day ago

      RROD was actually 3/4ths of a circle. A full red circle was a different and less troubling error.