New Technology Reviews!.: excited

<div class="ex"><p align="center"><img alt="Valve excited for Steam on Linux, not so much for Windows 8" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/steam-1-470-75.jpg"></p><p>Linux users are used to getting short shrift when it comes to popular applications and games making the transition to their favorite open-source platform, but it turns out the folks at Valve are not only big fans, they’re extremely committed to porting Steam and its Source Engine in a big way.</p><p>The folks over at Phoronix headed to Valve’s offices in Bellevue, Wash. for some face time with co-founder Gabe Newell, the man paving the way for the arrival of Steam on the Linux platform. </p><p>Not only does the company already have a team of Linux developers already hard at work on the port, they continue to hire others in an effort to accelerate those efforts.</p><p>Word began to spread in 2010 of a Linux port for Steam and its Source Engine, but many gamers dismissed it as too good to be true – until now. </p><h4><strong>Linux or bust</strong></h4><p>As Valve’s managing director, Newell only recently became personally involved with the project, which will likely be released first in beta form and initially limited to <em>Left 4 Dead 2</em>.</p><p>Phoronix’s Michael Larabel got a hands-on look at Valve’s progress on the Linux port and walked away quite impressed.</p><p>“This Linux work just is not some half-assed attempt by [Valve] to make it look like they are a Linux-friendly organization,” Larabel explains. </p><p>“Gabe’s vision to support, embrace, and promote Linux are amazing, assuming they execute, which looks to be very high probability at this point.”</p><h4><strong>Less enthusiastic about Windows 8</strong></h4><p>It turns out that Newell is an enthusiastic supporter of Linux – but he was far less excited about the course Redmond is currently charting with Windows 8.</p><p>“[Newell's] level of Linux interest and commitment was incredible while his negativity for Windows 8 and the future of Microsoft was stunning,” the report reveals. </p><p>“I plan to try out Windows 8 simply to see if it’s as bad as Gabe states and because he’s curious about my opinions of this latest Microsoft operating system.”</p><p></p><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="snap_nopreview sharing robots-nocontent"><ul><li class="sharing_label">Want to share?:</li><li class="share-email share-regular share-service-visible"><a class="share-email share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/?share=email&nb=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Click to email this to a friend">Email</a></li><li class="share-print share-regular"><a class="share-print share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/#print" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Click to print">Print</a></li><li class="share-digg share-regular"><a class="share-digg share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/?share=digg&nb=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Click to Digg this post">Digg</a></li><li class="share-facebook share-regular"><a class="share-facebook share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/?share=facebook&nb=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook">Facebook</a></li><li class="share-reddit share-regular"><a class="share-reddit share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/?share=reddit&nb=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Reddit">Reddit</a></li><li class="share-stumbleupon share-regular"><a class="share-stumbleupon share-icon" href="http://www.new-technology-news.net/valve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8/?share=stumbleupon&nb=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Click to share on StumbleUpon">StumbleUpon</a></li><li class="share-twitter share-regular"><div class="twitter_button"><iframe allowtransparency="true" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.new-technology-news.net%2Fvalve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8%2F&counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.new-technology-news.net%2Fvalve-excited-for-steam-on-linux-not-so-much-for-windows-8%2F&count=horizontal&text=Valve%20excited%20for%20Steam%20on%20Linux%2C%20not%20so%20much%20for%20Windows%208:%20" style="width: 97px; height: 20px;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul><div class="sharing-clear"></div></div></div>

Valve excited for Steam on Linux, not so much for Windows 8

Linux users are used to getting short shrift when it comes to popular applications and games making the transition to their favorite open-so...

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/home-entertainment/gaming/consoles/controllers/kinect_video-200-200.jpg"/><p>Microsoft is celebrating the launch of Kinect, but the Xbox 360 team is not the only one in buoyant mood, with the Windows Live team also hoping that the video call functionality of the new arrival will be popular. </p><p>Video Kinect allows people to use their shiny new Kinect to video chat with their messenger friends – even if they only have a more typical web cam. </p><p>"At Windows Live, we're very excited…because it gives our more than 300 million Messenger users worldwide a new way to stay connected with their Messenger friends," <a href="http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2010/11/04/video-kinect-brings-messenger-video-chat-to-the-xbox-360.aspx">blogged Piero Serra</a>. </p><p><strong>At launch</strong></p><p>"At launch, Xbox LIVE Gold members will be able to video chat with friends from their TVs using the new Video Kinect feature," he continued </p><p>"And not only can you video chat from Xbox to Xbox, you can also video chat with your Messenger friends and family from your TV set to their PC or Mac with a webcam."</p><p>The Kinect video chat also offers some enhanced (and some would say eerie) functionality.</p><p>"Kinect's new smart cameras do a lot more than an ordinary computer webcam, automatically panning, zooming, and physically tilting up and down to follow you around the room while you chat," added Serra </p><p>"And if another person walks into the viewing area, the camera automatically reframes the shot to fit everyone in."</p><img border="0" height="1" src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/f5efb2c/mf.gif" width="1"/><div class='mf-related'><p>

Windows Live team excited by Kinect's video calls

Microsoft is celebrating the launch of Kinect, but the Xbox 360 team is not the only one in buoyant mood, with the Windows Live team also h...