Windows 8 is "giant sadness" - Valve's Gabe Newell

[nsane.forums]

In a new interview with Valve founder Gabe Newell, he states flat out that Valve's own Steam Box will be based on Linux, while also continuing his hate of Windows 8, calling it "this giant sadness."

Valve founder Gabe Newell has chastised Windows 8 once again in a recent interview, following previous remarks in which he called Windows 8 "a catastrophe" and said Microsoft's new operating system will make people "rage quit computing."

Those prior statements were made before Windows 8 launched in October. Since then, nearly seven percent of all users of Valve's Steam service have adopted Windows 8 – a substantial percentage more than its Linux and Mac users and just behind the market share of the seven-year-old Windows Vista.

Despite the figures, Newell still isn't happy with Microsoft's latest operating system. In an interview with The Verge at CES 2013, Newell called Windows 8 "this giant sadness" and claims the adoption of the operating system shows a lack of consumer interest. He states:

The thing about Windows 8 wasn’t just [Microsoft's] distribution. As somebody who participates in the overall PC ecosystem, it’s totally great when faster wireless networks and standards come out, or when graphics get faster. Windows 8 was like this giant sadness. It just hurts everybody in the PC business. Rather than everybody being all excited to go buy a new PC, buying new software to run on it, we’ve had a 20+ percent decline in PC sales -- it’s like "holy cow that’s not what the new generation of the operating system is supposed to do." There’s supposed to be a 40 percent uptake, not a 20 percent decline, so that’s what really scares me. When I started using it I was like "oh my god..." I find [Windows 8] unusable.

Newell also talks in detail about Valve's hardware plans, including their own "Steam Box" PC plans, but states Valve's version of the computer won't be running Windows – instead, Newell said, "That’ll be a Linux box, [and] if you want to install Windows you can." He also envisions a time where the Steam Box will be more of a server than a normal gaming PC, saying eventually one PC could connect two "eight televisions and eight controllers and everybody [would be getting] great performance out of it."

All of that sounds good, and Newell seems convinced that Valve can go after the game console business that Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo currently compete in. Much of the hypothetical success of a Steam Box device would come down to whether or not the internet accepts it, he said.

"If you do something that is cool, that's actually worth people's time, then they'll adopt it," Newell told The Verge. "If you do something that's not cool and sucks, you can spend as many marketing dollars as you want, [they] just won't."

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[DKT27]

The thing about Windows 8 wasn’t just [Microsoft's] distribution. As somebody who participates in the overall PC ecosystem, it’s totally great when faster wireless networks and standards come out, or when graphics get faster. Windows 8 was like this giant sadness. It just hurts everybody in the PC business. Rather than everybody being all excited to go buy a new PC, buying new software to run on it, we’ve had a 20+ percent decline in PC sales -- it’s like "holy cow that’s not what the new generation of the operating system is supposed to do." There’s supposed to be a 40 percent uptake, not a 20 percent decline, so that’s what really scares me. When I started using it I was like "oh my god..." I find [Windows 8] unusable.

The points he is mentioning are absolutely correct.

On a side note, Steam should distribute StartIsBack and Start8. Cause rather than an Windows 8 hater, I consider him as a guy just disappointed with Metro UI.

[x3r0]

So I take it: he is disappointed because Windows 8 should have come with amazing graphics, better than Windows 7, perhaps just like the Animus UI in Assassin Creed, powerfull yet light? And Windows 8 graphics supposed to be able to maximize any newest hardware potential instead of ugly looking Metro / Modern UI?

But Microsoft is thinking, people just need a new interface, faster, and more touch friendly OS, and most likely is possible to run at minimum hardware requirement... That's dilematic...

[vissha]

@Valve,Gabe Newell: Very True! This was same thought about PC, i got when Windows 8 first build got leaked. Thanks Gabe Newell for telling to Public!

[edwardecl]

I don't think he really cares about Windows 8 or the UI, the real problem is that Microsoft has made their own online store for programs and games directly competing with Steam and like the way of IE it will eat other competing services just because it comes bundled with Windows and people are lazy.

And if Microsoft ends up bribing publishers to use their services it's game over for valve, so they have to change their business model or die. But Valve have won before any battles started because Microsoft royally f**ked up and nobody is flocking to their new OS and online store, without any significant market share they have lost. However if a newer version of Windows comes out that people think is great on desktop PCs that even pirates are willing to install then their online store will start to gain dominance, but by that time hopefully Valve have created a new market on Linux gaming devices that publishers can't ignore.

Although it's probably wishful thinking.

[DKT27]

I don't think he really cares about Windows 8 or the UI, the real problem is that Microsoft has made their own online store for programs and games directly competing with Steam and like the way of IE it will eat other competing services just because it comes bundled with Windows and people are lazy.

That's what MS fanboys generally claim. No, I'm not talking about you, but all those butthurt NeoWin fanboys. As far as I know Gabe, this is entirely false.

And if Microsoft ends up bribing publishers to use their services it's game over for valve, so they have to change their business model or die. But Valve have won before any battles started because Microsoft royally f**ked up and nobody is flocking to their new OS and online store, without any significant market share they have lost. However if a newer version of Windows comes out that people think is great on desktop PCs that even pirates are willing to install then their online store will start to gain dominance, but by that time hopefully Valve have created a new market on Linux gaming devices that publishers can't ignore.

Although it's probably wishful thinking.

I doubt Linux will ever take off fully. But anything more is still positive. Also, Steam isn't going anywhere, remember, Windows 8 store (probably) only has metro apps/games.

[edwardecl]

But why would he even care about the Windows UI... people have a choice, use it or don't. In my case I would not touch it with a ten foot barge pole from the previews I've seen.

I prefer Linux in many ways as it does things Windows cannot do due to it's closed nature, and updating drivers and software on Linux (Ubuntu) is much easier. However support from publishers is a bit lacking, and some of the design choices are a bit iffy. If he can fix that and even offer a games console style ease of use to a PC platform then great.

And how long before Microsoft starts selling games and other downloadable content on their store besides their start/metro UI apps or whatever they are calling it?

It's not as if they don't do that already on other devices.

[DKT27]

But why would he even care about the Windows UI... people have a choice, use it or don't. In my case I would not touch it with a ten foot barge pole from the previews I've seen.

I prefer Linux in many ways as it does things Windows cannot do due to it's closed nature, and updating drivers and software on Linux (Ubuntu) is much easier. However support from publishers is a bit lacking, and some of the design choices are a bit iffy. If he can fix that and even offer a games console style ease of use to a PC platform then great.

And how long before Microsoft starts selling games and other downloadable content on their store besides their start/metro UI apps or whatever they are calling it?

It's not as if they don't do that already on other devices.

He does cause he was an important part of Microsoft for 13 years. He has been the main producer of atleast 3 Windows versions. He has worked with main members of Microsoft in his tenure. He was a Windows lover till W8 came out. He has many reasons to hate the design.

Yes, Gabe is a very good news for Linux.

Not possible, from what I can see, the store was made with only metro apps in mind. Microsoft doesn't even care for "legacy" apps anymore.

So much so that next XBOX might run metro apps too. :mellow: