Valve has announced a new operating system called Steam OS. Based on the Linux platform, it’s open, highly customizable, and capable of bringing the entire Steam experience to the living room or PC. Better yet, it’ll be available as a free download with no strings attached.
Steam OS will incorporate the following features, which will also be brought to Steam at or around the operating system’s release:
- In-home Streaming – You can play all your Windows and Mac games on your SteamOS machine, too. Just turn on your existing computer and run Steam as you always have – then your SteamOS machine can stream those games over your home network straight to your TV!
- Music, TV, Movies – We’re working with many of the media services you know and love. Soon we will begin bringing them online, allowing you to access your favorite music and video with Steam and SteamOS.
- Family Sharing – In the past, sharing Steam games with your family members was hard. Now you can share the games you love with the people you love. Family Sharing allows you to take turns playing one another’s games while earning your own Steam achievements and saving your individual game progress to the Steam cloud.
- Family Options – The living-room is family territory. That’s great, but you don’t want to see your parents’ games in your library. Soon, families will have more control over what titles get seen by whom, and more features to allow everyone in the house to get the most out of their Steam libraries.
SteamOS appears to be birthed from Valve’s production of the Steam Box, an upcoming console that’s streamlined to run Steam software. Although it hasn’t been confirmed that the hardware will run on SteamOS, it’s inferred.
If you’ve been waiting for the Steam Box, now you have the option of making one for yourself. Put together a PC, install Steam OS, and enjoy.
More information can be found on the official site.
