The unit's hardware was expected to be tightly controlled in a similar manner to other video game consoles. It would function as a dedicated unit running Steam to allow players to launch games, media, and other functions that the client already provides. Industry journalists tentatively called the hardware a "Steam Box". Valve formally announced that it was considering developing a video game console near the end of 2012. Prior to Valve's official announcement of Steam Machines, rumors of Valve's plan to get into the hardware market developed in the industry throughout 2012, based on aspects such as the emphasis on the Linux operating system and the introduction of features like the 10-foot user interface "Big Picture Mode" for Steam which would be a necessary feature for a video game console. Valve worked to assure that users' game libraries would be portable, including offering Steam Play whereby purchase of a title for one platform automatically allows that user to play the title on other supported platforms, and cross-platform multiplayer features. An official Linux client for Steam was released in July 2012, along with developer tools to help port games to the platform. Newell recognized that games would need to be a significant part of the push for Linux. Valve has indicated displeasure with the approaches that both Microsoft and Apple are taking with their respective operating systems, limiting what applications could be run, and upon the release of Windows 8 in 2012, Valve's CEO Gabe Newell called it "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space", and discussed the possibility of promoting the open-source operating system Linux that would maintain "the openness of the platform". Steam, a digital video games storefront offering many third-party game publishers' titles, was developed by Valve primarily for Microsoft Windows and accounted for an estimated 75% of digitally purchased games on that platform in 2013. By 2018, many Steam Machines models were no longer offered on the Steam store. Following a two-year testing period, Steam Machines and its related hardware were released on November 10, 2015. To support the Steam Machine and SteamOS, Valve released the Steam Controller, a customizable game controller with touchpad-based haptic feedback, and the Steam Link, a device that allows consumers with Steam software to stream content to a monitor. Consumers could digitally purchase video games for their Steam Machine through Valve's popular namesake Steam store, incorporated in SteamOS. Several computer vendors were engaged with Valve to develop their own versions of Steam Machines for retail, offering additional options atop Valve's requirements such as dual-booting options with Microsoft Windows and the ability to upgrade the computer. Steam Machine was a series of prebuilt small form factor gaming computers designed to operate Valve's SteamOS to provide a game console-like experience.
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