Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Steam Machines Are Dead? Long Live The Steam Link!

When Valve started the hype train for Steam Machines in 2015 I was excited. I love consoles but I don't love having to re-purchase games for each device I own so the thought that you could by a game one and run it anywhere really interested me. Plus I love Valve and Steam so getting a dedicated Steam Machine for playing games in my living room seemed like a great idea. Since i'm not usually the first to adopt brand new tech I decided to wait for the reviews to come and had a thought to picking up a second or third generation machine because, by then, the kinks would all be worked out. Thing is... Steam Machines seem to be a first generation only thing because frankly,... Read All When Valve started the hype train for Steam Machines in 2015 I was excited. I love consoles but I don't love having to re-purchase games for each device I own so the thought that you could by a game one and run it anywhere really interested me. Plus I love Valve and Steam so getting a dedicated Steam Machine for playing games in my living room seemed like a great idea. Since i'm not usually the first to adopt brand new tech I decided to wait for the reviews to come and had a thought to picking up a second or third generation machine because, by then, the kinks would all be worked out. Thing is... Steam Machines seem to be a first generation only thing because frankly, they seem dead.

Are Steam Machines Dead?

Officially Steam Machines don't seem dead as they are still listed on Steam itself but PC Gamer did an interview with three Valve partners that released Steam Machines and they have basically discontinued them due to lack of interest.

“Nobody was buying it with SteamOS,” Digital Storm marketing manager Rajeev Kuruppu tells me over the phone. The manufacturer had already been building the Eclipse—which is still available with Windows—when Valve pitched SteamOS, and added a Steam Machine build mid-project. That version has since been axed, and Digital Storm no longer has an active relationship with Valve.

“I think over time as the demand from customers wasn’t there we basically had no reason to speak with Valve,” says Kuruppu. Digital Storm is still open to working with Valve, so long as its customers want what Valve is putting out. Right now, they don’t."

Valve Released The Steam Link And It's Incredible

I wonder if part of the reason why the uptake of Steam Machines wasn't high was because alongside Steam Machines Valve released the Steam Link. The Steam Link is a $50 steaming device that let's you transmit your PC Steam games to your living room in 1080p and it seems that users decided to go that route instead. And it's not a bad choice either because i'm using it right now and with all the updates Valve has brought to it.... it's incredible.

When I attended Steam Developer Days I got a free Steam Link and Steam Controller with the ticket. After my son was born I really didn't have much time for PC gaming so the Link sat in the closet and recently I dusted it off and hooked it up. After 10 updates I started streaming games from my ASUS ROG laptop. The streaming was great but, occasionally, the game would lose a frame or two. It wasn't a huge deal but it was noticeable and I remember reading reviews that suggested you use it over wired ethernet. The Steam Link and my ASUS ROG are both connected to wireless and my router supports 5G Wireless 802.11ac 2x2 (MIMO) so I figured all would be fine but there were noticeable hiccups. I have a PC gaming desktop that is connected to wired ethernet and I decided to give that a go and the Link streaming was perfect. So it seems that if one of the machines is connected to wired internet that can help considerably and moreso if both are.

I've tested a few games on the Steam Link but the game i've played the most is Death Road To Canada, which is perfect for the living room. Fallout 4 ran well and I didn't notice any kind of performance issues with it either. I don't imagine i'll be playing a ton of shooters that way for but platformers, adventure games and rogue likes playing Steam games in the living room is a great way to experience them.

https://www.pcgamer.com/what-happened-to-steam-machines/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/Steam_Link/

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2018 at 03:16am

With wireless, the issue isn't the speed, it's the inherent latency. It's why even on 802.11b back in the day, even if your internet speed was 5mb and your wifi speed was twice as fast, people recommended you play online games while wired to the router.

The Steam Link is an amazing device. The only hiccups I ever noticed were when I was playing a CPU intensive game, since the pc you're streaming FROM needs some CPU cycles to encode the video on the fly.

I'm pretty OK with Steam Machines not going anywhere honestly, as long as Valve continues to support Linux. The work they've done for Steam OS has benefitted gaming for all Linux users, and I hope they keep that up.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2018 at 01:29pm

It's also worth noting that the Steam Link goes down to like $5 on every major sale, so there's no reason not to try them. And it works with just about any controller you already have.

Plus, if you're a tinkerer you may choose a $5 Steam Link over a Raspberry Pi depending on what you're after(retro emulation and Kodi, for instance, can run as native apps on the Steam Link)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/13/2018 at 03:35am

Native apps is a great step. I wonder if subsequent versions will allow usb storage and a larger hard drive to make a mini steam machine? I mean, it already is but the storage is somewhat limiting.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/03/2018 at 11:52pm

https://kotaku.com/a-brief-history-of-steam-machines-1824290873

Travis Admin wrote on 04/04/2018 at 12:39am

Yeah, this doesn't surprise me. Again, as long as Valve continues pushing the Linux market (which they seem to be, and Steam OS seems to still be in active development for the time being) I'm totally ok with the fact that Steam Machines never went anywhere.

It was an interesting experiment, and I was way wrong about how effective the experiment would be, but in the process we got way more Linux support for gaming which, honestly, is a win for everyone, not just Linux gamers.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/04/2018 at 02:01am

And here we go: http://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/1696043806550421224/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/04/2018 at 03:27am

Thanks for that update, it's awesome to hear that Valve is very committed to Linux. There is a hacking community for the Steam Link and you can install things on it using the bit of disk it has available. I wonder if Steam Link v2 that may potentially do 4k or more will have more disk and it will allow for certain games to install. Or maybe a Steam handheld? Who knows but his

"At the same time, we're continuing to invest significant resources in supporting the Vulkan ecosystem, tooling and driver efforts. We also have other Linux initiatives in the pipe that we're not quite ready to talk about yet; SteamOS will continue to be our medium to deliver these improvements to our customers, and we think they will ultimately benefit the Linux ecosystem at large."

Can't wait to hear more.

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Introducing the Ghost Scale

Travis gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Travis gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Hey everyone, we’d like to share an awesome new feature on Cheerful Ghost. You may have heard us using the Ghost Scale in our reviews on Cheerful Ghost Radio over the past couple of months, and now you can use the Ghost Scale on your reviews here!

When you’re creating or editing a post, just check “This is a game review” to show options for the Ghost Scale. You can give your game review one of four ratings that will show on the post:

Skip it :
Whether due to bugs or other issues, people may have a hard time finding fun in this game.

Meh… :
It’s not amazing, it’s not bad. This game is ok but you may want to choose another title.

Rad :
This is a fun game, with very... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 17: Black Panther

Black Panther’s claws are tearing it up the box office making this recording setting movie a main event in this review episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio!

T'Challa, the King of Wakanda, rises to the throne in the isolated, technologically advanced African nation, but his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider who was a childhood victim of T'Challa's father's mistake.

Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa

Artifact Will Be The First of Several New Games From Valve

Gabe Newell gave a presentation at the Valve offices about their upcoming game Artifact - The Dota Card Game. The big news isn't that Artifact is coming but that it seems Valve is focusing more on shipping games.

"Artifact is the first of several games that are going to be coming from us. So that's sort of good news. Hooray! Valve's going to start shipping games again."

It seems Valve has been focused on hardware in Steam VR, the Steam Controller and Steam itself which has taken focus away from making games which seems to now be coming back.

"The positive thing about the Vive is, in addition to making sure that nobody created an iOS closed platform for it, was also that... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 03/09/2018 at 04:11am

HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 03/09/2018 at 05:20pm

The artifact video was terrible.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/09/2018 at 06:54pm

0/10 nothing showed.

It was a teaser though. I don't think they've released much else beyond it.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 03/09/2018 at 06:55pm

I am tired of teasers that don't show anything.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/10/2018 at 12:32am

Hahahaha, yeah. That's maybe annoying. I'm tired of the fact my car doesn't yet fly.

WHY HONDA WHY IT'S WELL BEYOND WHAT BACK THE THE FUTURE 2 PROMISED US!

So jaded.... so angry.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/13/2018 at 03:08am

Updated the post embed to a recording of the talk Gabe gave about Artifact. Apparently it won't be free to play and you can sell your cards on the marketplace. Interesting stuff and he said the game would be out this year.

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PortsCenter Reviews Street Fighter II on Amiga

Mikey Neumann of the Movies With Mikey fame runs the incredi-dorbs YouTube channel Film Joy. Film Joy also includes the saucy Ben Paddon show Ports Center and in his latest episode he covers Street Fighter II and it's ports to the Amiga. It's a good look at Street Fighter, it's beginnings, influence and movement to it's most beloved incarnation in Street Fighter II.

"In this episode, Ben looks at three very different attempts to bring Street Fighter II to his home computer of choice, the Amiga."

Celebrate 20 Years of StarCraft With Free Blizzard In-Game Loot

Starting today Blizzard is celebrating 20 years of StarCraft with a bunch of free in-game loot.

Log in to StarCraft: Remastered after March 6 to receive a commemorative 20th Anniversary UI Skin for StarCraft: Remastered.

Log in to StarCraft II after March 6 to receive a special UI Skin for each race. Additionally, log in between March 6 and April 3 to receive a Portrait and Decal.

Log in to Heroes of the Storm between March 27 and April 7 to receive a 20th Anniversary Portrait for Protoss, Terran and Zerg.

Play a StarCraft-inspired Tavern Brawl between March 21 and... Read All

How Did Kosmic Get The Super Mario Brothers Speedrun World Record?

On February 16th Super Mario Brothers Speedrunner Kosmic got the new world record ANY% in 4:56.462 besting Darbian, the previous record holder. The run is incredible and if you were wondering the tricks he used to do it you need to watch the video linked above. It goes over every part of the run and also explains how Speedrunners have broken it down to a very particular science. The current theory is that at some point humans might not be able to optimize the run further but it's possible someone might find something new that breaks that assumption wide open.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/05/2018 at 01:29am

Super Mario Bros. is the one game’s speed runs that I follow, because it’s the one that I tried to set best times for. As I understand it we are within a half second of the theoretical human limit. So at this point any new record is truly exciting.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/05/2018 at 03:48am

What is your personal best?

Travis Admin wrote on 03/05/2018 at 04:14am

I honestly can’t remember. I want to say I was thrilled when I broke 6 minutes but I could just as easily be remembering that wrong and subtracting a minute or two.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/05/2018 at 02:17pm

Now that I think about it, I think that memory was when I broke 7 minutes. I think I made it lower, 6:45 or so.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/05/2018 at 07:38pm

This was a super interesting video! If you'd like to learn even more about level 4-2, this video is dedicated to the history of speedrunning level 4-2. https://youtu.be/i1AHCaokqhg

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/07/2018 at 05:30am

Thanks Adam. Added that to my watch later queue!

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Forget Life, Play Snood!

LGR has a great video out that showcases Snood, a crazy popular Puzzle Bobble / Bust-A-Move clone that dropped in the 90's and was very popular even in to the 2000's era. It was created at the height of the shareware craze and was brought from it's early Mac version to PC, GBA, DS and most recently iOS. I remember many people at University that played Snood but it wasn't something I wanted to really play. I'd played Puzzle Bobble and other games like it before and I think what initially turned me off to it wasn't really the game itself. It was introduced to me by someone I didn't personally like at University and I think that initial introduction to the game soured me... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 03/02/2018 at 02:07pm

Snood was life for a while. I loved it but I had mostly forgotten about it until now.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/02/2018 at 03:19pm

I forgot about the creepy face game. I kinda want to forget again. I pray the nightmares don't return.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/02/2018 at 03:37pm

I've heard of this game, but after watching some of the video, I have to wonder how this didn't end up as a Facebook game.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/02/2018 at 04:19pm

It was around for a long time before Facebook, and especially Facebook games. By then the magic had died and it probably wouldn’t have done well as a Facebook game.

But you’re right that it kinda feels like one

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/04/2018 at 11:37pm

If y'all are looking to relive it the iOS version is free AND there is a version on the Snood website called Snood Plus that is free and not really featured gated for anything of the core game.

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DF Retro Reviews The Analogue Super Nt

After Analogue's Super Nt released a couple weeks back I posted about it along with a review by Metal Jesus. I really enjoy Jesus's reviews but if you are looking for an in depth tear down of the system I recommend Digital Foundry reviews and DF Retro. DF Retro took a look at the Super Nt and from the testing it looks like the system is one of the best ways to play Super Nintendo games on modern TV's.

"This week, DF Retro tackles Analogue's Super Nt - an FPGA based console designed to play Super NES games via HDMI. Analogue boasts perfect accuracy but is that really the case? We put the system to the test using challenging games known to cause problems with most... Read All

FFXV Demo Out Now!

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is being released on March 6th. However, a demo was released and I finished it. This is a game I've had my eye on for a while. It's one of the few reasons I have for getting a PS4. Now that this game is coming to Steam, I have on less reason for that PS4. It makes me feel quite happy that my PC can play games made for the current console generation.

Before the demo was released, Square Enix released a benchmark to test PC compatibility with the game. The result I got was that I should be able to comfortably run the game on high settings.
I actually did run into a part of the demo, at the very end, where the video lagged, but I think... Read All Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition is being released on March 6th. However, a demo was released and I finished it. This is a game I've had my eye on for a while. It's one of the few reasons I have for getting a PS4. Now that this game is coming to Steam, I have on less reason for that PS4. It makes me feel quite happy that my PC can play games made for the current console generation.

Before the demo was released, Square Enix released a benchmark to test PC compatibility with the game. The result I got was that I should be able to comfortably run the game on high settings.
I actually did run into a part of the demo, at the very end, where the video lagged, but I think that's because Steam was installing a Fallout 4 update. Check out my post for the benchmark (https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/3620/why-i-don-t-need-a-console-edition).

It’s good to know that game demos are not long gone, even if they may be hard to find. Luckily, Square Enix doesn’t disappoint. I am actually impressed that they released a demo, I wish more games would do this. The demo starts out with the basic tutorials, but it allows you to skip them or even repeat them. Combat takes a little getting used to. I should also mention here that I decided to try the game out with the Xbox 360 controller I have for my PC. The game was really good at detecting it right away, letting me use it, and telling me which buttons I needed to press.

You do get to complete at least a couple of missions in the demo. It basically introduces you to the characters and the world. Later on you’ll see a flood of videos showing the events that were pretty much covered in the FFXV movie.

The game looks great, it reminds me a lot of GTA V and Witcher 3. It’s pretty much open-world. You can walk, run, and drive a car. Driving isn’t bad, the car seems to stay on the road on it’s own unless you turn. One of your companions can drive, but you can manually drive it, if you choose.

The demo takes about an hour to complete, but I feel like it gave me a good taste of the game. I think it is definitely something that deserves to be at the top of my wishlist.

Check it out and feel free to let me know what you think about it.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/671210/FINAL_FANTASY_XV_WINDOWS_EDITION_PLAYABLE_DEMO/