Is it worth installing steam os. Brief overview and installation of Steam OS. Designed for Steam Machines
Valve, the gaming company behind the Half-Life, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and Portal series, is trying to change the industry once again. With more than 75 million users and a market share estimated at around 75%, digital distribution platform Steam has already changed the way PC owners buy and play games.
Unsatisfied with where the gaming console market had moved in recent years, Valve announced a new strategy for invading living rooms in 2013. The company created SteamOS, a Linux-like operating system designed for video games.
SteamOS computers, also known as Steam machines, from manufacturers such as Alienware, Falcon Northwest and Origin PC, among many others, are also scheduled to launch later this year, but you don't have to wait to get your hands on a new one operating system from Valve.
Here's how you can turn your computer into a Steam machine:
Equipment requirements.
Most average and powerful computers should run SteamOS without problems. You will need a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor, minimum 4 GB random access memory And HDD with at least 500 GB of disk space. While Valve recommends Nvidia video card(they are optimized to work better with SteamOS), the latest beta adds support for graphics from AMD and Intel. Additionally, your system must have support for booting the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), most modern ones (last three to four years) motherboards they support her.In addition to a keyboard, mouse and monitor, you'll also need a flash drive, at least 4GB of space, an Ethernet connection, and a USB game controller - I use a wired Xbox 360 controller.
Installation.
SteamOS is still in beta and parts of the operating system are not 100% functional. Keep in mind that the operating system has some bugs that will be gradually eliminated. Installing SteamOS will also erase your entire hard drive, so it's very important to backups all important data to an external drive.There are two ways to install SteamOS; this guide will cover both of them.
Default setting.
The default installation process is the easiest way to install SteamOS. The process is fairly simple and shouldn't be too much of a hassle for the average user. Please note that this method requires at least a 1TB hard drive. To install SteamOS using the default method, run the following actions:
1. Download the official SteamOS file from Valve's website.
2. Connect USB disk to your computer and format it. To do this on Windows, click right click mouse on the drive, select "Format" and select FAT32. For OS X, go to the Utilities folder in the application list, click Disk Utility, select Erase, and select MS-DOS (FAT). Rename the USB drive to "SYSRESTORE."
3. Once the file is downloaded, unzip and extract all files to a USB drive. Make sure they are in the root directory of the drive, i.e. they should not be in a folder.
5. Then select the "Recover from Disk" option from the boot menu.
6. After installation is complete, press ENTER to stop the machine.
7. Remove the USB drive and turn on the computer. It should now run SteamOS.
Custom installation.
While the default method is the easiest way to install SteamOS, some people have reported performance issues. If so, then you can try the custom installation method. The process is a little more complex than the first, but it also gives advanced users the ability to customize some settings. Follow these steps to install SteamOS using the custom installation method:
1. Download the official SteamOS custom installation file from the Valve website.
2. Connect the USB drive to your computer and format it. In Windows, right-click the drive, select Format, and select FAT32 format. On OS X, go to the Utilities folder in the application list, launch Disk Utility, select Erase, and select MS-DOS (FAT).
3. Unzip the file and extract its contents to the root of the flash drive.
4. Turn off your computer and boot from the USB drive. This can be done in the menu BIOS boot, which can be accessed by pressing one of the keys: DEL, F8, F10, F11 or F12 when turning on the computer (the key depends on the system). Look for something like the line "UEFI: USB Brand Name PMAP".
5. Select the "Automated installation" option from the menu, but remember that this will erase everything hard drive. The installer will automatically partition the disk and install the new operating system.
6. After installation is completed, do not remove the USB drive, click "Continue" button, and your system will reboot. If you are having trouble loading SteamOS, please log into BIOS settings and make sure that the computer boots from the hard drive on which the operating system is installed.
7. After rebooting the system, select the option: "SteamOS GNU/Linux, with Linux 3.10-3-amd64".
8. Select the "GNOME" option from the drop-down menu and enter "steam" as your username and password.
9. Click on the Activities button in the upper left corner of the screen, select the applications tab, open the Terminal application, enter “steam” in it, press Enter and accept the terms of use agreement.
10. Click on the Steam button in the upper right corner of the screen and exit the session. Log back into the GNOME desktop, but this time with the username and password "desktop".
11. Type "~/post_logon.sh" in the Terminal window, press Enter and enter your password when prompted. Don't panic if these characters don't appear when you type them. Just type "desktop" and press Enter.
12. The system will now reboot. When prompted to do this, press the "Y" key and then Enter.
13. Now when you reboot your system, SteamOS should launch. Simply log in to your existing account or create a new one.
Restrictions.
Why shouldn't you download SteamOS? Good question. In fact, there is no real reason to run this operating system at all. It's very limited, and most Steam games don't even support it yet.
Of the 102 games I have on this platform, only 41 currently support SteamOS. Most of them are either games from Valve: Portal, Left for Dead, Half-Life, or from small independent developers. To make matters worse, only 16 of the 41 games that support SteamOS have full or partial support game controllers.
Conclusion.
Let's face it, it's cool to play some of these games with a controller, although it can also be done using Steam's Big Picture mode. One of the games I tested was Left 4 Dead 2, which included full game controller support and everything ran relatively smoothly. At first, performance on SteamOS seemed on par with Windows. As the game continued, however, it froze completely and I was forced to close it. I also experienced freezing and low frequency frame changes in the games Brutal Legend and Dungeon Defenders, two games that are not even high-end.
Despite being a beta, I found that the operating system is actually quite stable. While gameplay performance is more dependent on the game, there are many areas for improvement. Due to the limited selection of games, however, there isn't much else you can do on this OS. I suspect the only reason people would be interested in managing SteamOS is to get a general understanding of software on the upcoming Steam machine beyond what you've already tried on Windows, or even OS X.
On New Year's Eve, you want to take a break from your daily routine and pay attention to something new. For the soul.
When a few years ago Valve announced the development of its own Linux distribution based on Debian, “tailored” for computer games, I wondered how much such gaming Linux could compete with Windows. It's time to take a closer look at it.
You need to start installing SteamOS by obtaining the distribution, which can be found on this page.
I chose the DVD image as a convenient option for burning to a flash drive or DVD. Yes and when using virtual machine it's very easy to load.
Since Valve’s operating system still hasn’t left beta status, it’s the virtual machine option that I’ll try. You can get acquainted with VirtualBox.
We boot from the downloaded image, and here we have the system installation menu:
I chose expert installation mode. Moreover, one can call him an expert rather conditionally. It will not require any special knowledge from a person who has already installed operating systems on a computer.
By selecting this option, we will immediately see the familiar Debian installer with the SteamOS branding at the top.
After standard questions about the language and keyboard layout, the most common installation of the operating system will begin.
The system will ask a number of more questions, after which it will greet us with the familiar bootloader, at the bottom of which the Debian inscription will modestly flaunt.
After the initial boot, the system first rushed to update Steam client. Then I continued with the initial setup.
After that, SteamOS rebooted and greeted me with a black screen and sounds Steam launch in Big Picture mode. If it weren’t for this sound, I might have thought that the system had frozen, but it became clear that we needed to “dig” towards the video card.
Well, let's do some magic with graphics in VirtualBox.
The first step is to go to your virtual machine's display settings and enable 3D acceleration. It is also recommended to set more video memory; it won't hurt.
Then we boot our machine again with SteamOS installed. Again we admire the black screen and click Ctrl+Alt+F1 to minimize the graphical shell and get into the Linux terminal. To perform operations with the system, you can use the user desktop .
By default, this user does not have a password; you can create one using
passwdYou will be asked to come up with a password and repeat it.
But let's get back to solving the graphics problem. First of all, we need to remove the package from nVidia. This is done by a team
apt-get purge ".*nvidia.*"Please note that this and subsequent commands must be entered as root.
After this, you need to reconfigure X.Org Server.
dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorgNow you need to connect the guest OS Additions disk image. This is done through the Devices menu of your virtual machine.
Mounting the Guest OS Additions disk image in VirtualBox This disk needs to be mounted on our system with the command
mount /dev/cdrom /media/cdromthen run the installation of add-ons
sh /media/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.runThe result should be something like this:
After this, restart the computer
rebootAfter all these manipulations, SteamOS will delight us with its graphical shell and ask us once again to select a language and time zone.
When logging into SteamOS for the first time After this, you will be able to log into your Steam account or create a new one.
Upon entering, we will see the familiar Steam in Big Picture mode. It is obvious that Valve considers this operating system primarily as an OS for media set-top boxes that will be connected to a TV. Let's try to get to the desktop. By default, we were protected from it. Even the exit button only allows you to restart the device or turn it off.
The ability to go to the desktop is enabled in the interface settings. True, all these actions must be done under a Steam account. Otherwise, the settings are greatly reduced, and the meaning of SteamOS is lost as such.
We get to the settings by clicking the gear icon.
Enabling Desktop Access on SteamOS After this, the exit button will acquire new functionality, and we will be able to get to the desktop. 
List installed applications compressed to a minimum, but no one bothers to install new ones. But here the question is, why do this? After all, there is no point in taking a stripped-down Debian/Ubuntu distribution and then turning it into a full-fledged system.
Summarize. Before us is a highly specialized system, designed not even for personal computers, but for the so-called Steam Machine . Valve is not trying to make a broad offensive against Windows and game consoles at the same time. Now we are talking purely about conquering living rooms, where there should be a Steam Machine under the TV instead of a PlayStation or Xbox. Well, according to Valve. 🙂
So, should I bet? On Personal Computer definitely not. It’s much easier to install the Steam client on your Linux/Windows/OS X and not have any troubles. If you have a computer that you want to use as a gaming computer in your living room, then why not? The Steam skin is mature enough to give you a fun gaming experience in front of your TV. The question here will be about hardware performance, but that’s a completely different story. 🙂
At the end of last year, a significant event occurred, which in the near future could seriously change the attitude of many users to PC games. A new OS was released, developed by the company Valve Corporation, known to any gamer, which has its own platform for distributing games and other entertainment content. This is enough as an official reason unexpected decision is the fact that the Valve team is seriously disappointed with the touch-oriented course taken by Microsoft. In an interview two years ago, Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve, emphasized the need to create an alternative to Windows 8, which, from his point of view, had no future. At the same time, he drew attention to the lack of future for closed gaming platforms. According to Newell, the future lies in systems in which each user can create value for others, as a result of which the line between consumer and creator is gradually blurred.
The released SteamOS was the first step towards creating a fundamentally new structure for communication between content creators and their clients, and the developer called the system itself not just operational, but cooperative. So this is not just an OS, but the first stage of a global project, which, if successfully promoted, could make Valve a leader in the gaming (and not only) industry, and transform the industry itself beyond recognition. However, practical prospects are still quite vague. The new OS, although it has undergone some changes since its first appearance, is still in the beta stage and is currently recommended for installation only by enthusiasts.
Information from the manufacturer's website
However, Valve assures that the full version won’t have long to wait. Like the beta, it will be free for users and freely licensed for developers, which, according to Valve, should become the basis of a new concept for the gaming world. Publishers and developers, if necessary, will be able to make their own changes to the system, and the very fact that there is no single owner allows us to talk about reliable protection of the new gaming platform from an unscrupulous developer who wants to earn extra money by making changes to the system that are beneficial only to him.
⇡ Hardware base
One can argue for a long time about what the future holds for gaming consoles, but, unlike PCs, they have one significant drawback - a closed architecture that limits the user’s legal right to choose. In contrast to consoles, SteamOS, like any other OS, is installed on a PC with the widest range of components. Strict requirements are imposed only on the processor, which must have a 64-bit architecture. But the developers have already removed the restrictions associated with the manufacturer of the video adapter, indicating in the recommended requirements the mandatory presence of a graphics card not only from NVIDIA, as was before, but also from AMD or Intel.
Valve called the hardware base on which SteamOS is installed simply and succinctly: Steam Machine. Mostly, of course, these will be PCs, but in the future there will probably be people who want to install this OS on something more exotic (for example, on a portable system like SteamBoy). The most important thing is that the Steam Machine can always be assembled not only to your own taste, but also in accordance with the size of your wallet, which cannot be said about closed consoles.
Steam Controller gaming prototype
Steam Machines aren't just for enthusiasts. Valve itself offers users its version of an open game console with SteamOS already pre-installed. What sets it apart from others is the presence of the original Steam Controller included in the package, which is notable for its two round trackpads for thumbs instead of buttons or joysticks. Unfortunately, the Steam Controller has not yet made it into our test laboratory, but, according to the developers, the high resolution of trackpads, comparable to the resolution of a mouse, allows you to work with these input devices more efficiently than with analogues. In addition, the new controller works with all games distributed through the Steam client, even those that previously only worked with a keyboard and mouse. A pair of linear resonant actuators provide the trackpad with haptic feedback. It is stated that the tactile channel is so wide frequency range that trackpads can even be used as speakers, reproducing sound using them.
Example of setting up Steam Controller in the game Portal 2
The Steam Controller also implements many different innovative ideas, such as multifunctional touchscreen for management, information and much more. It’s pointless to describe them without having the device itself, so we’ll leave this topic for the next conversation about new products from Valve. For now, let's just say that Steam Controller, like Steam Machine and SteamOS, is distinguished by the openness of the platform. Moreover, Valve hopes that users and developers will help improve the device in the future, which is still at the prototype stage.
Steam Machine GIGABYTE BRIX Pro
In our experiments with SteamOS, we used the recently tested GIGABYTE BRIX Pro mini-PC (model GB-BXi7-4770R) as a Steam Machine. GIGABYTE itself positions its product precisely as a Steam Machine. Of course, GIGABYTE BRIX Pro is not distinguished by the presence of Hi-End graphics, but, as testing has shown, its integrated Intel Iris Pro 5200 video adapter is the best in its class and is capable of completely replacing entry-level/mid-level discrete video adapters. Well, a high-performance desktop processor Intel Core The i7-4770R makes this Steam Machine practically unique among similar sized devices. Below is the full specification of our test Steam Machine.
| Steam Machine GIGABYTE BRIX Pro GB-BXi7-4770R | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770R 3.2 GHz (up to 3.9 V Turbo mode Boost); |
| Chipset | Intel HM87 |
| Graphics controller | Integrated Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 (GT3e) 128 MB eDRAM |
| RAM | 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz |
| HDD | SSD Intel 520 240GB SSDSC2CW240 |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 |
| Network adapter | 1000 Mbps (Realtek RTL8111G) |
| Sound | Realtek ALC269 |
⇡ SteamOS: installation
Installing the first distributions with a beta version of SteamOS that officially appeared on the Internet was a very difficult task, designed for experienced users. There were no files with ISO images, there were only simple archives with a file set, which had to be mounted in strict accordance with unofficial instructions that appeared only after the first users tried the new OS. But even with strict adherence to all the rules and installation procedures, the likelihood that everything would work the first time tended to zero. In addition, there are strict restrictions on the minimum hard drive size or the mandatory presence of motherboard UEFI specifications forced many potential users to postpone experiments until better times.
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Installing SteamOS manually
Everything changed quite recently, when on the official website of the developers a link appeared to an image that can be deployed to any flash drive. Now it’s enough to set the BIOS to boot from USB drives as a priority and enjoy installing SteamOS, which in its simplicity can put even Microsoft Windows. There are two installation options available - automatic and manual. There is no need to be afraid of the latter. On the contrary, it is better to choose it, since in this case the user is given the opportunity to partition the disk at his own discretion. Interestingly, the user can take screenshots of what is happening on the screen, although we were not able to open them later.
No work with console commands, which was almost inevitable during installation previous versions SteamOS distributions were not noticed. In other words, even the most avid hacker, who only knows about the existence of such a terrible beast as Linux from unfamiliar slang, can install the current beta version of SteamOS system administrators in the office where he works.
Completing the SteamOS installation
A network connection is not required for installation, but you cannot do without it during the setup phase account. And in general, a Steam client without a network is like a person without hands: it’s network system. After installation and reboot, SteamOS automatically found updates available on the Internet. In our case, there was no need to install any additional drivers. Connected and network adapters, and sound, and an integrated graphics core. In other words, the system turned out to be ready to work, as they say, “out of the box.”
⇡ SteamOS: main interface
In our case, SteamOS was booted from an SSD drive. The full boot speed, from pressing the power button on the Steam Machine to the appearance of the graphical interface on the screen, is just under twenty seconds, which is satisfactory - considering that this also includes the time to connect a network account. But still not too fast. The main SteamOS GUI is nothing more than an updated interface of the SteamOS client in Big Picture mode, installed on a PC running Microsoft Windows, Mac OS or Linux Ubuntu. Although it starts automatically when SteamOS is loaded, in fact, it is a regular add-on on top of the base of the new OS - Linux Debian. It's easy to close the interface and go to the GNOME desktop environment. But for now let's return to the Steam client.
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SteamOS main interface
Sound settings
The main interface of SteamOS is extremely simple, but at the same time it has an impeccable graphic design with three-dimensional animated elements and simply excellent sound design - calm, predisposing to relaxation, with some fantastic sounds of other planets. You can turn off the sound if necessary, but in the first days of working with SteamOS you don’t want to do this at all.
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Library
The menu consists of three main items: “Shop”, “Library” and “Community”. The first two lead the user to the pages of purchases and already purchased products, and the third point serves to go to the personal profile settings page. The menu itself is superimposed on an animated desktop, under which are laid out virtual covers of various gaming new products, which are constantly in slow motion that does not strain the eyes. In general, increased attention is paid to animation and the dynamics of object movement in SteamOS, as well as in the updated SteamOS client with Big Picture mode. All movements of objects are carried out smoothly and clearly, and the specific musical design only enhances some kind of cosmic effect of what is happening on the screen. In the evening twilight of the living room, for which, according to the developers, the new OS is intended, all this looks really impressive.
Internet browser
The capabilities of the SteamOS add-on are not limited to sections of the main menu. So, on each menu page at the bottom of the screen there is a button that activates the built-in Internet browser. At the same time, a large round button with the Steam logo in the right corner of the screen is always ready to return you to the main page.
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Access restrictions settings
Unlike the Steam client, SteamOS has several useful features related to shared family use. Firstly, there is a family viewing feature in the settings section. For each user with his own account, a number of restrictions can be set, including manually selecting the games he is allowed to view. You can completely close the entrance to the Steam store or, for example, limit the use of chat.
Family Sharing settings
The second feature is called Family Sharing. With its help, any member of your family or, say, one of your friends will be able to play games from your library when you yourself are not using it. In total, up to five users can be admitted to this “family circle”.
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Streaming settings
Another feature that distinguishes SteamOS from a regular Steam client is not directly related to family restrictions, but still solves issues that are somehow related to the fact that each family member often has their own computer with games installed on it. Placed in the living room, a Steam Machine running SteamOS can be remotely launched on other devices running Windows control or Mac OS games from the Steam library. The main thing is that the Steam client is running on this computer with the same user account. The system will automatically scan the network and establish a connection, after which the user will be prompted to use the games that are installed on the server device. This function is called streaming and can also be used to run games on the Steam Machine that have not yet been released for SteamOS and Linux.
SteamOS Settings Menu
The rest of the SteamOS settings relate to network, sound and image and are generally nothing remarkable. But the possibilities of SteamOS don't end there. The most interesting things await those users who show additional interest in SteamOS.
SteamOS: hidden features
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GNOME desktop
Most users will probably limit themselves graphical interface SteamOS and will only use the Steam Machine as a home entertainment center. Games, social media, and in the near future also access to media services - what else is needed for a relaxing pastime? But if suddenly, in between combat special operations and studying latest entries If you want to do a little work in your friends’ journals, then feel free to press the [Exit] button at the top of the screen and from the drop-down menu select [Desktop] instead of [Turn off] or [Change user]. And after just two or three seconds, the screen will appear working environment GNOME.
Activities menu and open windows
It's a little different from what many are used to. Windows interface, but is intuitive and does not require any special training to quickly master. Instead of the familiar [Start] button, GNOME has a button that, when clicked, will take you to a menu of installed applications and open windows.
Pre-installed applications
Working with the console
SteamOS has minimal pre-installed software. The system is not overloaded with unnecessary applications, so everything, including the video player, must be installed independently. The Debian Wheeezy repository has quite a lot of programs and various applications both for work and for entertainment, but to install the software you will have to use the console - text string, which can scare off users unfamiliar with Linux. Those who are not too lazy to spend an hour or two learning the basics and reading simple instructions, waiting for the discovery of new features of SteamOS and everything that is available Linux users Debian. Even if you were not familiar with Linux before, mastering the basics of working with it will not be difficult at all. Worth a try!
File manager
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System Linux settings Debian
Otherwise, working with Linux Debian should not be misunderstood even among those users who were not previously familiar with Linux. There is a traditional file manager, a completely ordinary Internet browser, and a lot of other things familiar to the user. Windows utilities. The hardware settings and the system itself also do not look unusual. In extreme cases, a Russian-language interface and numerous references and forums, of which there are more than enough on the Internet, will always come to the rescue.
SteamOS: in progress
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System information about SteamOS and the PC used as a Steam Machine
Judging by the numerous reviews on the forums left by the very first users of SteamOS, at first there were many problems with its operation. A lot of errors and shortcomings forced experienced users to bring everything to working condition with their own hands. But today’s version of the system can already be safely recommended for installation and operation even for those users who are completely unfamiliar with Linux. The last circumstance is connected not only with stable work system, but also with the fact that it requires virtually no configuration and is ready for use immediately after installation.
Linux Debian resource consumption with internet browser running
During the entire testing period, not a single failure was noticed. Moreover, this applies to both the proprietary SteamOS environment and the GNOME desktop. Navigation through the system is carried out without the slightest delay. Browser performance and launch speed various programs There is nothing remarkable about them. At the same time, in a calm state, that is, with an Internet browser running and several open windows, Linux Debian itself requires a minimum amount of resources.
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Linux games from the Steam store
With games the situation is somewhat more complicated. Valve has already adapted almost all of its games to work with SteamOS. Everything that remains will also appear on the new platform soon. As for the rest of the developers, they are not only watching the unfolding events with interest, but are also taking an active part in developing the Linux games market. So far we are mainly talking about adapting various successful Windows projects. At the time of writing, the Steam store included 538 titles of gaming applications for SteamOS. Agree that this is not so little for a project that has not even been officially released yet and exists only in beta version! But it is possible that if SteamOS gains the popularity it deserves, then Valve may abandon developing games for Windows altogether, so the gaming world may face significant changes in the future.
Transferring data using the streaming function
Our GIGABYTE BRIX Pro-based Steam Machine performed roughly the same in games running SteamOS as it did on Windows. In any case, there was no noticeable difference, and there are no specialized test packages for SteamOS and Linux yet. As for the streaming function, it turned out to be quite functional on a home gigabit network. At the same time, the client with SteamOS spends almost no resources on its work. The main loading of the hardware takes place on the server computer, and it can run under any OS on which the Steam client can be installed.
⇡ Conclusions
If Valve and Steam are a little more than just familiar words to you, then you should definitely give SteamOS a try. If, at the same time, Linux is not alien to you, then SteamOS can easily turn from entertainment into a full-fledged working OS with horizons limited only by Linux Debian repositories and your imagination.
Despite the fact that the authors have not yet presented the final version of their product to the world, SteamOS can be characterized as a balanced, stable operating OS, the main specialization of which is, of course, games. If they are of little interest to you, then it is easier to use any other Linux distribution. In this case, there is no point in contacting SteamOS.
But the most important thing is that SteamOS claims to be a destroyer of the foundations of the modern gaming world, the isolation of which does not greatly contribute to development. This is what could be the impetus for changing the balance of power on the gaming, but not on the virtual, but on the real offline battlefield between large development companies. And there is reason to believe that Valve, with its active user base of 75 million people, is quite capable of implementing such ambitious plans. Not tomorrow, of course, because SteamOS is a long-term project designed for a gradual rather than revolutionary transformation of the gaming market.
Remember that several years have passed since the advent of Android. Not everyone was initially confident in the success of this dubious product at that time, but time put everything in its place. It's hard to imagine the market today mobile devices without this Linux based OS. And how many applications for Android have been written over the years! So why shouldn’t SteamOS occupy its niche in the gaming platform market, especially since the prerequisites for this are present in abundance?
We thank the Yulmart company for providing equipment for capturing images from the screen
Preface
The guide does not translate various phrases that will appear during the installation of SteamOS and on the system itself, since Valve has not yet provided translation strings for the “Steam Translation Server”. When the system is translated into Russian, I will translate the necessary lines.
The translation was prepared specifically for.
What is SteamOS?
How to get to the desktop on SteamOS? All I see is Steam.
To get to the SteamOS desktop, it must be enabled in Steam settings. Select "Settings" (the gear icon at the top right), then select "Interface" and check the "Enable access to the Linux desktop" box. Now the "Exit" button will have an additional option - "Return to Desktop", which will allow you to switch to the SteamOS desktop.
To return to Steam, click on the “Return to Steam” icon.
How are SteamOS accounts configured?
SteamOS comes with two standard accounts. The first is "steam", where Steam and games are launched. This is a non-privileged account. The second is the "desktop", which is where the SteamOS desktop is located, on which you can run any non-Steam applications. This account can also use the "sudo" command to gain administrator rights after you set a password.
Please note that these are SteamOS accounts and are not associated with any Steam logins. Even if you decide to log in with multiple Steam accounts, those users will share that desktop and accounts.
How to get root rights SteamOS?
Using a desktop account ("desktop" account) you can become a SteamOS superuser (root), but in this case you will need to set a password.
To set a password, open a terminal window while logged into your desktop account, then type "passwd". Enter New Password twice.
You can now use the "sudo" command to perform various operations that are inherent to being a superuser.
I am a beta tester for Steam Machines. How do I get support for SteamOS?
If you have a "Steam Machine", then you should have received an email. a letter inviting you to create an account on Valve's public bug tracker.
Once you create this account, you will be able to use Valve's Bug Reporting app, which will be available on the SteamOS desktop. You will need to connect a keyboard to your SteamOS machine to enter error details. You can also bring up the Error Reporting app by pressing "Win + B". Using "Win + B" is very useful if you want to create a bug report on Steam or a game.
If, for some reason, you cannot use the Valve error reporting application, then you can access it from any browser.
SteamOS is faulty. How to return a working version?
Standard installation SteamOS includes the creation of a system recovery partition. You can use this section to return the system to its original form. Steam, games and desktop changes will be saved. To use the recovery partition, you will need to connect a keyboard.
- Continuously press the "ESC" key during boot until you get to boot menu SteamOS.
- Select "Restore System Partition".
- The system will start and confirmation of actions will be required.
- After restoring your system drive, the system will boot into SteamOS again.
These operations will completely format the disk and return the machine to its original form. Games and changes to the desktop will be lost. To use boot disk, you will need to connect your keyboard to your SteamOS machine.
- Turn off your PC and then turn it on.
- Press F11 while the system is booting to get to the boot menu.
- Select "UEFI: Centon Centon USB 8.07" to enter the SteamOS boot recovery menu.
- Select "Restore Entire Disk".
- The PC will be reinstalled again.
- When the process is complete, the PC will turn off.
- Turn on your PC to boot into SteamOS.
SteamOS doesn't support my hardware. How to install drivers?
Drivers for SteamOS come as part of the system image and are already integrated by Valve. Valve will integrate new and updated drivers from time to time. The driver installation process should be no different from any other distribution in the Debian community. Otherwise, Valve will repackage new drivers and release them again.
Valve, the gaming company that once created Half-Life, Team Fortess, Left4 Dead and Portal, wants to change the industry once again. Valve has 75 million users and an estimated 75% market share in the gaming industry. The digital platform Steam has already changed the way computer games are distributed and sold.
Not satisfied with where the gaming market has been heading in recent years, Valve has introduced a new gaming operating system, SteamOS, based on Linux.
SteamOS ships by default on Steam Macines from various manufacturers. Such computers are specifically designed for gaming and cost from $400 to $5000, but you don’t have to buy anything; you can install SteamOS on your computer. In this article we will look at how to install steam OS from a flash drive or DVD.
SteamOS should launch and work fine on most modern computers. Requires 64 bit AMD or Intel processor at least 4 GB of RAM and a hard drive of at least 500 GB.
Valve recommends using an Nvidia graphics card as it is better optimized for SteamOS. But AMD and Intel hybrid graphics are also supported. Additionally, your system must support UEFI Secure Boot. This support is available in all motherboards released over the past 4-5 years.
In addition to a mouse, keyboard and monitor, you will also need USB flash drive at least 4 GB in size, an Internet connection and a game controller.
Preparing for installation
First you need to download the installer from the official Steam website. Go to the download page and click on the link Download the Steam Installer:
In the next window you will need to accept the license terms and click, Download SteamOS Beta:
As you can see, the installer here is not quite ordinary, it is in zip format. This is because the system is primarily designed for installation from a flash drive. But don’t worry, we’ll talk further about how to install SteamOS from a disk.
Recording to USB flash drive
After downloading the installer, unpack the files there into the desired directory. On Linux this can be done with the following command:
sudo mkfs -t vfat -c /dev/sdb1
Here /dev/sdb1 is the name of your flash drive. Then connect the flash drive:
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/
All that remains is to copy all the extracted files to the flash drive:
sudo cp -Rp /path/to/SteamInstaller/ /mnt/
The flash drive is ready for installation. In Windows, all the steps are similar and I think there is no point in describing here how to format a flash drive and copy files there.
Creating a SteamOS image
To sign up for optical disk we need ISO image. But instead of an image we only have a large number of files. The system was initially designed to be installed from a flash drive, but if necessary, we can create the installation image ourselves. To do this on Linux, we need the xorriso utility version 1.4.2 and higher. If you take more old version utilities will not work.
You can install the utility in Ubuntu with the command:
sudo apt-get install xorriso
Now suppose you have unpacked setup files SteamOS to your home folder, in the SteamInstaller directory, then run the command:
xorriso -as mkisofs -r -checksum_algorithm_iso md5,sha1 -V "Steam OS" \
-o /home/user/SteamOSInstaller.iso -joliet-long -cache-inodes -no-emul-boot \
-boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -eltorito-alt-boot --efi-boot boot/grub/efi.img \
-append_partition 2 0x01 /home/user/SteamOSInstaller/boot/grub/efi.img \
-partition_offset 16 /home/user/SteamOSInstaller/
Of course, user needs to be replaced with your username. The command will process all the files and create a ready-made installation image that supports booting from UEFI.
On Windows, you can use the program for these purposes. Unpack the installer files into the desired folder and run the program:
Here you need to specify the path to the files that you unpacked. You can set the name of the image to whatever you want. Then just press the button Start and the image will be created.
There are many programs for burning discs in Windows, for example, UltraISO or Alcohol.
Starting the installation
After completing all preparatory procedures, you can proceed to the section Steam installation OS. To install SteamOS on your computer, you must first select your flash drive with the installer in the BIOS as the first boot device.
You can open the BIOS by pressing Del, F2, Shift+F2, etc. Next, you need to go to the tab Boot and at point 1st Boot Device select your flash drive or disk.
Running installation in VIrtualBox
It is not always necessary to install the system on a real computer; sometimes it is enough to test everything; installing Steam OS on Virtualbox may be sufficient. But since installation requires UEFI support, everything is not so simple. Therefore, we will look at this process in more detail.
Firstly, we need the installation image, not the flash drive. We discussed how to do it in the previous paragraph. Next we create a new machine, type - Linux, version - Debian:
For normal operation Minimum 1 GB of RAM required:
And also 50 GB of hard disk space:
After creating the machine, go to Settings, System and check the box there Enable EFI:
And in the Display section Enable 3D acceleration And Enable 2D acceleration:
Installing SteamOS
We will divide the entire subsequent installation process into steps. Just follow all the steps listed sequentially and the installation of Steam OS will be successfully completed.
Step 1. Select installation method
Immediately after launching the installer, you will see the Grub2 menu asking you to choose an installation method. Available automatic installation and an option for experts. To install Steam OS, select automatic:
Step 2: Installation
Unlike others Linux distributions, the SteamOS installation process is automatic and you will not be required to enter any data, just expect:
Step 3. First launch
Once the installation is complete, your computer will automatically restart and you will be prompted to select a boot mode. Just press Enter:
Step 4: Complete installation
Immediately after downloading, the Steam client update will begin:
Then setting up the kernel modules:
If you used VirtualBox, at this stage it is important to have time to install the guest OS additions, since if this is not done, then there will be problems later.
Step 5: Prepare a backup
After finishing Reserve copy, the following menu will appear:
Select reboot to restart your computer and press Enter.
Step 6. Preparing drivers
Step 7: Login
After completion and reboot, use your steam username and password to log in:
Step 8: Done
That's all, now you know how to install Steam OS. The system is fully functional and you can install and run games. The Steam main menu looks like this:
