Valve is looking to bring Steam beyond the computer screen. Today, they announced the Steam OS, a free operating system designed to bring the popular service to living rooms and beyond. The OS is based on Linux, a platform that founder Gabe Newell has very lately been championing. No details were announced about how Steam OS will come to the living room, simply stating that it will come to “living room machines,” but Valve is definitely eager to let us know what it does.
Steam OS offers much of the usability that gamers have come to expect from Valve’s service, and claims to have strong support moving forward. According to the website, developers are already lining up to put their games on Steam OS, with many already running natively on the new platform. You’ll also be able to sync up your Steam account, meaning that all your friends and achievements will be carried no matter where you play. It also promises an unprecendented level of communication between developers and consumers, offering the most direct access between the two groups, with the goal of fostering even greater innovation.
You’ll also be able to stream Windows and Mac games through Steam OS, use several, unconfirmed media servers, and share games, with each user getting independent achievements and cloud access.
Valve is also teasing two more announcements for later this week, so stick around for more news from one of the most open, yet mysterious developers out there.
