[dartharva]

> They are unwilling to pursue business models that require locking down hardware in order to subsidize it with store purchases

I mean.. it's pretty obvious such a thing would be immediately suicidal for them. If Steam stops being an open platform, it stops being a PC platform.

[bryanlarsen]

The Steam you download from steampowered.com can be an open platform at the same time that the Steam that comes preinstalled on the Steam Machine is a closed platform.

Seems unlikely because we believe Valve has integrity. But it's possible they have less integrity than we think, and they pursue this strategy to make some of those games with kernel-level anti-cheat available on the Steam Machine.

[rangestransform]

Kernel-level anticheat doesn't necessarily need to be on a fully closed platform, it could be implemented like SafetyNet on the Pixel series to check for system integrity but still allow for bootloader unlock and arbitrary user software

[snvzz]

It's still not desirable, because it artificially excludes the rest of computer users who run Linux.

[koolala]

Couldn't it be a simple reboot to switch back to normal linux?

[cmxch]

At what point do you have anything different than a console appliance?

[sfRattan]

Pixels and SafetyNet are different than a console appliance (e.g. Xbox, Playstation) in that Google allows both unlocking and relocking the bootloader, without affecting the integrity of a Pixel's onboard cryptographic hardware and secure enclave. This means you can, for example:

1. Unlock the bootloader and install an alternative OS (e.g. Graphene).

2. Relock the bootloader and still benefit from the Pixel's hardware security.

The above is not possible on modern video game consoles, or other phones, for the most part. Hardware cryptography has historically been used to lock customers out of their own machines for the purposes of profit, but that doesn't mean it has to be.

In the threat environment as it exists today --- a world in which almost everyone has an always on, always networked computer which must continually reveal its location in order to interface with the global network --- something like the Pixel's design ought to be the minimum standard for a computer in your pocket. Sadly, the only other device on the market with similar hardware security features is the iPhone, and it's as locked down as a games console. Samsung's Knox is another secure hardware platform/architecture, but they burn out a fuse on their phones to disable it when you unlock the bootloader.

[chii]

> Steam you download from steampowered.com can be an open platform at the same time that the Steam that comes preinstalled on the Steam Machine is a closed platform.

i dont think that's possible unless steam choose to go the route of what apple does with iOS and macOS - both essentially are "different" OS's.

But if that's the case, then games would have to be written "twice" (or have engine support directly from engine vendors). I highly doubt this can or will occur, as game developers are short on time as is.

[everforward]

Not my space, but I think this would be a cryptography kind of thing. Burn a key into read-only hardware, lock the bootloader, require the kernel and drivers to be signed with a key the burnt-in key can validate. Potentially extend it to all executables on the device.

It’s closed in the sense that you can’t install whatever you want, not in the sense that Valve is going to make their own framework devs have to use.

[bryanlarsen]

Windows has locked down variants. Nobody has to recompile apps to use those.