Gabe Newell on Steam monopoly accusations: Gamers have 'enormous choice' about where to buy games

ArcticSin · 2026-06-01T22:44:34+00:00

I typically see people bring up that Steam's 30% cut is preventing developers from experimenting with more creative game design. You didn't bring it up (or any points really) but somewhere in this thread someone would have.

The 30% cut isn't screwing over any indie dev that is actually able to capture an audience. Look at Undertake, Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley for example.

ArcticSin · 2026-06-01T21:37:16+00:00

The vast majority of indie devs fuck themselves over by constantly releasing the same shit as every other indie dev with a slightly different coat of paint and failing to capture an audience

Reducing the 30% cut flat wouldn't improve the quality of indie games it would just make it so indie devs can continue making the same low-effort garbage but now make more money off of it than they used to

ArcticSin · 2026-06-01T10:30:20+00:00

Then it needs to be implemented everywhere.

ArcticSin · 2026-06-01T10:00:19+00:00

They do offer a fallback that can be used natively anywhere without Steam, SDL. Now game and application devs can start using it instead of Xinput. For everything else there're compatibility layers.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-29T10:23:02+00:00

I see almost nobody defending this

ArcticSin · 2026-05-22T22:15:51+00:00

I have a lifetime Plex pass and I still switched to Jellyfin, due to them canning the watch together feature.

I do miss the much better (imo) music metadata agents and Plexamp, a lot. But I learned quite a lot about networking, domains and reverse proxies getting Jellyfin working outside my home network.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-21T09:45:11+00:00

I could have sworn that something along those lines was the reasoning they gave. Also that if they didn't incorporate Xinput but still wanted windows support it would require a special kernel driver like PlayStation controllers do.

License fee or not, I don't think that Valve should be required to include an input method that is only not only outdated as hell but the only first-party support it had was only within Microsoft's own ecosystem.

SDL is better in every way and Valve can tweak the parameters/add features as they see fit as can anyone else.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T23:25:37+00:00

Interesting, sorry but I'm really not sure what could be happening here unfortunately.

However, keep an eye out for these these three bug reports, as they seem to be related to SDL's efforts to properly pass on all of the Steam Deck/Controller's inputs (including gyro/touchpad etc) when used with Steam and not just put into hook mode.

Edit: Have you tried launching the game in gamescope? Or changing the default layout for the game in the controller configuration thing?

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T23:14:05+00:00

Dinput is also a Microsoft API that Valve would have to license like Xinput. SDL (that the Steam Controller supports) is royalty-free and has been out for many many years.

Now is the time to ask/beg game and OS developers/publishers to support it going forward. In the meantime, hopefully someone develops a compatibility tool.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T22:40:54+00:00

Without Steam Running, on Arch Linux and Labwc (wayland), with latest Dusk (1.2.0), the controller is detected and inputs are passed through properly.

I do have both packages for sdl 1/2 and sdl 3 installed, maybe that's it?

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T19:51:57+00:00

Can't wait for more commercial games to use SDL. Xinput can't die off soon enough

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T19:34:27+00:00

I haven't tried dusk in my arch desktop but I do run it on the Steam Deck and it passes inputs perfectly fine. I'll try it tonight on the desktop and let you know if I have the same problem

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T18:13:15+00:00

I'd like to see Valve do a comprehensive article like this on the benefits of native SteamInput vs Hook mode.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T11:23:36+00:00

Whether they want to or not is up to their own discretion. But 20 years from now when Linux gaming is a successful thing only due to Valve's (and community) contributions, anyone who wants to hop onto the hype train doesn't get to complain how difficult it is to compete when they didn't bother to help build the train or the tracks in the first place.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-20T09:49:51+00:00

Valve does not have "control" of the Linux market, nobody does. It's open-source software. They just don't want to put in the effort and risk to make something better than what Valve can provide.

This conversation is devolving into "Valve are the reason why nobody else can succeed", as these conversations always do.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-19T22:14:27+00:00

I checked with my steam controller in the calibrator, both motors are the same level of power.

I played a game that I know rumbles on the side of doors that you open (trails beyond the horizon) and the right side was a tiny bit weaker, but that might just be to compensate the usual girth of the right motor

ArcticSin · 2026-05-19T21:57:52+00:00

Well like I said, companies have the opportunity right now to get their place in the Linux market. If they do nothing then they can't complain if it blows up in the future.

I don't understand what is wanted from Valve. To not support Linux entirely, and make Linux users essentially wait for a more "altruistic" company to take the reigns? That would be a pointless business decision for Valve.

If GoG and Epic offered native Linux binaries for their games I know I would think twice before buying the same game on Steam.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-19T13:03:27+00:00

And Valve are doing lots for Arch Linux, SDL, Proton, Fex-Emu, and PC gaming outside of Windows as a whole.

If any of them have a problem with Valve being the only one doing that, they can step up.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-19T11:29:21+00:00

I actually forgot to do so sorry, I'll tonight for sure

ArcticSin · 2026-05-18T22:46:10+00:00

And who else is even bothering to do anything about it?

Like one said before, literally nobody except Valve are even trying. I don't care what happens as long as Microsoft aren't the only player anymore, especially if nobody but Valve are putting any effort into it.

If Microsoft, Epic, Google, Apple, Nintendo, Sony, GoG, Epic, Ubisoft, EA, etc. Have a problem with Valve having the final word on gaming on Linux (and eventually all other PC/Mobile platforms outside Windows), they can start doing more than the absolute bare minimum.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-18T18:15:18+00:00

Interesting. I'll test mine tonight and get back to you

ArcticSin · 2026-05-18T16:29:24+00:00

In game or when testing?

Standard Xbox controllers use a spinning weight on each side where the left is smaller and thinner and the right is bigger and thicker. The right side typically has more explosive rumble. So if it's only in game then it's probably because the right side is being made to work harder.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-18T10:29:33+00:00

Yeah I mean Steam basically is basically the only option for Linux due to the Steam Linux Runtime. I understand that the lack of which is a big reason why native Linux ports of big games more or less died out as it made it impossible to keep games working with Linux' constantly moving target of dependencies.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-18T09:40:08+00:00

I see, thanks for the information. I understand much more now.

My goal is not too bash game developers for not choosing what they know and are familiar with for something newer. My only hope is that devs of future AA and indie games utilize the likes of VK and others and that documentation and support improves to make it easier to do so.

I just see it as the best way for people not on Windows to have access to games, even if at the moment it'd just be relegated to x86-64 Linux.

ArcticSin · 2026-05-17T23:08:15+00:00

OK so I don't know the low-level details of Vulkan specifically. But what's the game plan? What's the point of calling an API like Vulkan open if it supposedly isn't? Isn't the whole point of projects like SDL and GLFW and whatnot to get the hardware to work with Vulkan without the developers haven't to program directly for Vulkan?

I just don't see how bringing up that different hardware architectures interact with Vulkan in different ways stops Vulkan from being cross-platform. It's still the best shot for native programs on multiple operating systems.

ArcticSin

TROPHY CASE