Edav Nomad

It's already very easy to use Steam on a TV. All you need is a computer hooked up to the TV via HDMI and have a wireless keyboard and mouse. I've been doing that for about six months now but of course I can't navigate and type using just a controller.


Big Picture

P.S. According to the Big Picture website the features will also be usable on the Steam computer monitor setup.

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Edav Nomad

I made a thread in the SLU Gaming Section on Steam's Big Picture.

Steam Big Picture Beta

Hitomi Tiponi

They put in a Steam skin stub (hence me bringing it out into the open) but it only contains changes for the strings it uses. But when it was added the commit said that these were the only changes 'for now' or something like that. So I am assuming there is more to come.

Hitomi Tiponi

Intriguingly Valve's involvement with Second Life is already being used to attract other gamers - We're building a Valve theme park in Second Life. : gaming

Ashiri

Some interesting and amusing comments there. Especially the ones regarding the continued existance of SL. I'd say we're "cursed" to live in interesting times.

Penny Patton

WHO is building a Valve theme park in SL?

This an official thing, or just someone doing it for fun?

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The Digital Pasture - SL from a cow's point of view. When the cow is also a designer.

SpaceCase

I'm pretty sure it's just for fun by the people from the Reddit sim.

Adeon Writer

Hissyfits, owner of Reddit sim. The new sim is named Sandvich. No Valve involvement, but Valve is not one to shut down fan projects.

Ramen Jedburgh

After checking the sim out, I have to say it is pretty glorious.

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Ramen Jedburgh
Abusively Cute ^_^

Ashiri

I found the sim interestingly familiar.. and I understand some more of the comments on that Reddit link .

Adeon Writer

As do I.

Khamon

Word of Notch

What did Notch mean when he said this? Does listing the Second Life client on Steam affect the Lab's "allowance" to communicate with it's users via email, forum, or JIRA? Will Valve gain some control over the content that's "allowed" to be on The Grid All Hail the Central Grid? Does anyone here have experience adding a download to Steam? Will rodvik answer these questions?

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A Journey Through the World of Lever Harping

Darien Caldwell

I wonder if it has to do with what Hitomi said here: Sincerely ~ Good luck with Steam, Rodvik.

about Steam taking a cut of all virtual goods.

I"m still not sure though, I guess i'll just have to read Steam's policy for develpers and see what all the controversy really is.

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[H]arsh Styles

Adeon Writer

I hate to keep up with the Spiral Knights comparison (I'm a fanboy), but since they are also a game that existed independently and later integrated, it's a good comparison:

Valve does indeed take a cut of all in-game funds purchased via Steam wallet in that game, but once you have your in-game currency, Valve doesn't profit off of the micro-transactions. (At least not directly.)

Tyabela

I have to wonder though how steam could enforce their cut.

An example from recent history. LotRO went on steam last summer. Now LotRO is a F2P game with a Turbine Point currency that can be used to buy things from the LotEO store.

What I have seen happening is folks Bought the special steam startup package since it had some nice perks that went on the Account. Then they never connected through steam again. After all an account is an account as far as LOTRO is concerned. These folks just connected through the regular LotRO client. Bought points on the Turbine website or put a points card on.

As far as I know Steam has never complained.

Ramen Jedburgh

Basically, Steam takes a cut, if you buy in game currency via Steam. Sort of like a referral system.

Linden Dollars, Spiral Knights Bucks, Turbine Points, it doesn't matter, if you buy them via your steam wallet, Valve gets a cut. Maybe just 1-2%, but they get their cut.

Darien Caldwell

Yeah I find it all kind of conflicted. I would find it hard to believe Valve is getting a cut of, for instance, LOTRO website sales.

But then again, what does Valve have to gain from distributing a free to play game? They can't get a cut of the purchase price. So how do they profit? I don't believe for one minute they are distributing F2P games out of the goodness of their heart.

I looked around the web, but Valve keeps their business policy out of the public eye, so it's hard to judge what they do.

I am a bit more concerned about LL's impending offering on Steam though. Something just doesn't seem right there.

Tyabela

In the case of LotRO Valve got the up front sales of the special perks package they offered with the steam LOTRO signup. I think it was like 25-30 bucks.

But I really don't see them getting anything out of stuff that never goes through them to begin with. Nor do I see games being willing to list with them if it were the case that Valve did from then on get a cut of everything.

Ramen Jedburgh

I inagine they get some sort of kickback too for anyone who signs up even if that person never buys anything in game.

As a trade, the game gets the mass exposure of the juggernaut of Steam.

The problem I would see on that model is Steam users strike me as fairly ADD, so most people probably sign up and never play more than an hour.

Adeon Writer

Spiral Knights is F2P. They profit exclusively from people buying in-game things from their wallet, to my knowledge. It's not the only way to pay, but it's the only way possible when playing via Steam.

Ramen Jedburgh

I wonder what the odds of something similar happening with SL would be. Like, old users can still work nornally, and new users can use the okd channels, but people logging in with some linked Steam ID can only use Steam.

Adeon Writer

I don't think they'd do that unless Steam SL players lose the ability to cash out - I can't imagine Steam would let funds flow back into the steam wallet.

cdcellular

I think you're all looking to far into this. SL is getting listed as a creativity tool, not a game. Who's to say steam will be anyway involved with the purchasing or cashing out of linden dollars? Without evidence to the contrary, this is nothing more then a listing that LL is paying directly for.

Khamon

k wull it's interesting that FULL might be paying for the listing outright instead of signing some listing commissioning contract that "links" the service to the Lindex or MP. Far be it from rodvik to simply tell us that. We only have to look beyond what we're not told.

Of course we're not owed any explanation. The Lab are not obligated to give us real information. It is well with their legal and moral rights to post teasers and sip margaritas as we dance the dance of a thousand theories.

It is fair to say that rodvik is a busy Senior Executive and doesn't have time to post here. Only he does. But he doesn't ever say anything. Why does he do that? I wonder.

Darien Caldwell

Execs are people too. I was reminded of that when I read this story the other day.

Murdered State Department official Sean Smith was influential online gamer | The Lookout - Yahoo! News

State Department official by day, Eve Capsuleer by night.

I think it may be possible Rod realizes the people here do represent a vocal but realistic cross-section of the users SL relies on. So wny not attempt to connect at some level with them? We all probably have more things in common than one would think, you never know.