The long-awaited SteamOS from Valve is now out for download for free, but it is more of a beta download that is more suited for those who know their way with computers.

The software is titled SteamOS 1.0, codename Alchemist, for the meantime, and is said to be based on the Debian wheezy (stable 7.1) distribution.

And it has been reiterated that it's best if those who are planning to download SteamOS either wait out a more user-friendly version if they are not well versed with the grittier side to OS. Forbes reports that this could also be due to the fact that the installation methods will format everything on a user's PC. Users can choose between two methods, either by using the image-based installation with CloneZilla or through the Debian Installer, which requires quite a number of multiple configuration steps.

Forbes also reports that the SteamOS and Steam Machines will have future fixes and will be compatible with AMD and Intel graphics hardware, as the version now is limited to Nvidia GPU compatibility only. It will be interesting to find those who will be playing around with the SteamOS to see what the changes will be and how different it will be from Windows 8.

Still, those who are brave and interested enough to try can check out more requirements and information to help them out via the SteamOS FAQ.

*Another bit of news for the Steam Machine, this time from British PC manufacturer Piixl. Apparently, this one is perfect for those with flat screen TVs. Read here for more.

The Steam Machine Unboxed

During the rollout of announcements and promises from Valve about its Steam Machines, it was mentioned that 300 lucky beta testers will get their hands on Valve's official Steam Machine way before it reaches the public.

And it seems that the shipment has started, as a couple of individuals have already taken to online sharing of their experiences in unboxing Valve's Steam Machine.

One of the more popular videos that feature an unboxing of the Steam Machine is from Corey Nelson, who provides a 2-minute clip of the device. You can watch the video below:

(Credit: YouTube/Corey Nelson)

Kotaku has compiled a few documentations of the Steam Machine from Valve, particularly an interesting one on Reddit where there's an influx of interested parties.

According to the thread poster, Redditor colbehr, the specs of the Steam Machine are as follows: Intel i5-4570, 3.20 GHz 4 cores, 15.6 GB of RAM and a GTX 780 GPU with 3 GB of video memory (Zotac made). The Redditor also mentioned ASRock Z87E-ITX and psu Silverstone ST45SF as the mother board, both of which pack a powerful punch for such a tiny device.

*Gaming news: Don't be surprised with the adjusted prices for some Xbox One games in Europe: Read the story here.

Know How In-Home Streaming Works for SteamOS

Those raring to try the SteamOS may also be those who are trying to get some answers and aid for the new operating system. Given the lack of instructions and guidelines from Valve with regard to the In-Home Streaming feature, Gamespresso has gathered data from forums to help out users with queries.

The most common of these questions revolves around whether or not one needs to have a Steam Machine to play the stream. And the research has yielded that apparently, games from Windows and Mac can easily run on the SteamOS machine as well.

*PS4 will be hitting Walmart with a pretty large shipment. In addition, there's a new software that will let users make use of a number of controllers for the PS4 and Xbox One: Read the details here.

All users need to do is turn on the PC, run Steam and the SteamOS machine will stream the games to their TV. Forum members, on the other hand, have come up with a few more ways by which usrs can stream games to other devices, though they are left untested and unconfirmed as of the moment.

So far, aside from having a Steam Machine in the middle of their PCs or laptops during transmission, usrs can also stream from a Steam Machine to a desktop and vice versa; a desktop to a laptop, tablet, or Mac; and a Mac to a desktop.

RELATED STORIES