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Comment by m_st | Hacker News Reader

I'm sure one of the reasons for a Linux client (and even a Steam console) is Windows 8 with its App Store. Soon potential customers are going to buy their software through these integrated stores rather than using dedicated clients. And since Microsoft is giving the Desktop a legacy feeling Valve has no choice but expand the reach of Steam. Which is of course good for us customers.

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As a longtime PC gamer, any Microsoft store is roughly 0 threat to Steam from my perspective unless publishers stop publishing on Steam, which would seems very unlikely unless Microsoft took much less of a cut and Valve refused to follow suit, or Microsoft decided to pay publishers off for exclusives. Microsoft's past attempts to make Steam-like services have been completely laughable/extremely frustrating (see Games for Windows Live, their attempt at an online community/DRM solution).

I think they're expanding to Linux entirely because they want to expand to and support Linux, not because of any competitive pressure forcing them to retreat to Linux. A couple years ago they expanded to Mac, and this is just a natural extension.

It opens up the doors to the possibility of adding functionality to linux based set top boxes.

IIRC , Windows 8 will only allow "Metro Style" apps to be installed via Microsoft's own store. I'm not sure whether a game would classify as "Metro Style" or not and since ARM based Windows tablets will be Metro only that kills the possibility of Steam to expand in that direction.

So there is the possibility that MS could turn around and say "No, Steam is banned from Windows" in the same way that apple would with the iPad.

This at least gives Valve the power to threaten MS with "FU, we're going to Linux and taking HL3 , Portal 3 and CS:GA with us"

>Valve has no choice but expand the reach of Steam

This seems pretty unlikely. I doubt there are enough linux gamers in existance to justify what this investment will cost.

Maybe not, but I could see a lot of PC Gamers be willing to boot into SteamOS, if the right games were available.

Keep in mind: MS is publishing games on Steam and the other DD services right now.

Unlike OSX, where Valve probably didn't get as much traction with Steam before the mac app store was released, Steam IS the primary gaming service for Windows PCs.

Will MS take a slice of the pie, through their distribution channel? I can see that as being an instant turn off.

It's an opportunity to produce a Gamers Distro based on a solid Distro. They could piggy back a Ubuntu LTS, and focus on a subset of well supported hardware.

> Will MS take a slice of the pie, through their distribution channel? I can see that as being an instant turn off.

Valve already do, but it's not disclosed to the public how much. So I can't see how MS doing so would make any difference.

Well it does for Valve.

What are you talking about?

Edit: I thought you were talking about MS taking a cut of game publisher's money, not Valve's. It's such a far-fetched scenario given everything we know about Windows 8 it didn't register in my mind.

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