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SteamOS for HTPC/gaming computer -W.I.P.

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xsuperbgx

xsuperbgx

Benching Team Leader
​
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Location
Ut.
SteamOS for HTPC/gaming computer -W.I.P.

I am pretty inexperienced with linux. Any time I am working with it, there is a lot of googling and a lot of cursing.
This project is no exception. I am getting to where I would like to learn linux stuff a bit better and actually figure some things out.
I have tried out quite a few different types, ubuntu, mint, xubuntu, bamt and now I am messing with SteamOS. I am hoping to make this little computer into an htpc that I can use to play games, watch movies -streamed over my network, on netflix, or on comcast online. Also web surfing or playing music.

I cannot promise that everything here is correct or that there aren't redundant or unnecessary steps added, or that this will even work for you. I am not good enough at this stuff to help you with your issues, unless they happen to be something that I have fought through before or I can find it with google.

My hardware
ECS H61 itx (has onboard realtek ethernet that will be used for connection to network)
I5 2500k
4Gb x 2 ripjawsx
90gb vertex 3 ssd
cooler master elite 110 itx case

This is just a cheap, basic system. I have a hd5450 with hdmi that I would like to use to plug into the TV, but I haven't had very good luck getting it to work with any linux yet. I am starting out with a keyboard and mouse, but hopefully I can find a game controller/remote that will suit my needs.


First, Install Steam OS.
Download and install has changed, these are the new install instructions. (old directions below.)
Download here
Unzip the SteamOSInstaller.zip file to a blank, FAT32-formatted USB stick (MBR, not GPT).

Put the USB stick in your target machine. Boot your machine and tell the BIOS to boot off the stick. (usually something like F8, F11, or F12 will bring up the BIOS boot menu).
Make sure you select the UEFI entry, it may look something like "UEFI: Patriot Memory PMAP"
Pick "Automated Install" from the next menu.
The rest of the installation is unattended and will repartition the drive and install SteamOS.
After installation is complete, the system will reboot and automatically log on and install Steam. At this point an internet connection is required. If you have an internet connection, Steam will automatically install itself. If you do not have an internet connection (for instance, if you need to connect to a WiFi access point) you will get a popup telling you this. Close the popup and you will get the network configuration UI where you can set up your network. Once you are connected to the internet, close this UI and Steam will install itself.
After Steam finishes installing, your system will automatically reboot and create a backup of the system partition.
When the backup it is finished select "reboot" to boot into your freshly installed SteamOS
Click to expand...

*****OLD Directions*****
download iso here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/648817378243644036/

use win32diskimager to put iso onto usb
go into bios set to boot from hard drive first, then reboot and select the quick boot menu to boot from usb once (I put that because it doesn't prompt you to remove the install usb drive before it reboots, so it will start installing again)
select boot menu to boot from usb

install. If hardware is somewhat compatible it should go all the way through, including booting to desktop and downloading the steam client. Follow prompts and install steam and sign in.
log out -it will do some back up image or something like that, then
restart
Click to expand...

after restart, it will go all the way into the steam "big picture." To get back into the desktop you have to click "settings" then "interface" and check the box to be able to use desktop.
you can then click the power icon and exit to desktop.

once at desktop, open terminal and add a password for root:
to gain root access, you need to assign a password. From the desktop session, start a terminal window and type "passwd". Enter your new password twice. Now you can use the "sudo" command to perform privileged operations.
Click to expand...

I want to add a few things so that I can use netflix and comcast's online movie viewer.
Chromium, pepper flash, and pipelight/silverlight

first
add debian sources

Code: 
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

(add these to the bottom)
Code: 
deb http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy main contrib non-free
deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy main contrib non-free

deb http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy-updates main
deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy-updates main

deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free

deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian wheezy-backports main contrib non-free


hit ctrl+o
enter
ctrl+x

Code: 
sudo nano /etc/apt/preferences
Copy the this to the file and save it, (hit ctrl+o, enter, ctrl+x)
Code: 
Package: *
Pin: release l=SteamOS
Pin-Priority: 900

Package: *
Pin: release l=Debian
Pin-Priority:-10

Install chromium
Code: 
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install chromium

Install pepper flash plugin
Code: 
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install -t pepperflashplugin-nonfree


install pipelight (http://fds-team.de/cms/pipelight-installation.html)

Code: 
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo wget http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/DarkPlayer:/Pipelight/SteamOS/Release.key
sudo apt-key add Release.key
echo "deb http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/DarkPlayer:/Pipelight/SteamOS/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pipelight.list

The next step is to update your apt cache so that you can finally install the Pipelight package and it's dependencies. Use the following command to do this:

sudo apt-get update
The package can now finally installed with the following command:

sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-overwrite" install pipelight-multi
sudo pipelight-plugin --update

# enable plugins
sudo pipelight-plugin --enable silverlight
# Type in 'Y' to accept the license of Silverlight and all required modules
Click to expand...
You can start chromium then type in chrome://plugins to make sure that your plugins are enabled.
I always like to test on a website too.
To test flash player go to the flashplayer site. www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ It will show an animation and tell you your version of flash. It should be 12.***
To test silverlight, "search silverlight balls animation test" or go to www.bubblemark.com/silverlight2.html

Install xbmc

sudo apt-get install -t wheezy xbmc

This installs xbmc, but I haven't checked it yet for functionality and I don't know how to get it to see all my media that is stored on my windows 8 pc.


Again, this is a work in progress. I will add more as I figure it out. I am working on getting the hd5450 working next.
 
Last edited:
here is a link to where someone put xbmc as the desktop, if you want to do that.
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/648816742742587380/

Also, i found this for installing amd drivers, but I haven't tried any of it yet.
Code: 
sudo apt-get install unzip

wget -c http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/amd-catalyst-13.12-linux-x86.x86_64.zip

unzip amd-catalyst-13.12-linux-x86.x86_64.zip

sudo chmod +x amd-catalyst-13.12-linux-x86.x86_64.run

./amd-catalyst-13.12-linux-x86.x86_64.run
 
Last edited:
I decided to not fight amd drivers any more. I ordered a gtx750. I will update after it is installed.
I think I am going to get a gamepad/360 type controller too. Any recommendations?
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I have a couple 360 controllers, but it looks like I need a receiver.

How about emulators? Can anyone recommend an emulator for linux?

It looks like there is a setup for getting roms right in steamos/big picture.
icerom. So, more to do after I get the gpu and controller.

http://scottrice.github.io/Ice/
 
Last edited:
xsuperbgx said:
Thanks. I have a couple 360 controllers, but it looks like I need a receiver.

How about emulators? Can anyone recommend an emulator for linux?

It looks like there is a setup for getting roms right in steamos/big picture.
icerom. So, more to do after I get the gpu and controller.

http://scottrice.github.io/Ice/
Click to expand...

What type of emulator are you after?
 
I just put together my own take on a "steam box". I opted to go with Ubuntu for a few different reasons (I've been using it for a decade, Steam OS is not very different than running Debian/Ubuntu with the Steam app in Big Picture mode, and Valve initially wanted to go with Ubuntu anyway).

For controllers, I puchased a couple of these - http://www.microcenter.com/product/380357/Black_Wireless_24GHZ_GamePad_Controller

It works with linux right out of the box and was very easy to set up. At $15 each with the receivers included I found the price to be very good.

I also purchased a $15 blue tooth adapter - http://www.microcenter.com/product/387794/Bluetooth_40_USB_Micro_Adapter

I use the BT adapter to connect Wii remotes to my "Steam box". If you want to play Wii games you will also need an IR sensor bar - http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Wired...ie=UTF8&qid=1394213294&sr=8-1&keywords=wii+ir

There's a youtube video that demonstrates how to power the bar using a molex connector from the computer's PSU.

Now, to the good stuff... I have tried a bunch of different emulators. My favorites so far are Dolphin and PCSX2. Dolphin plays Wii and Gamecube roms. It runs amazingly well. It takes some work, but it is even possible to get accessories such as the Skylanders portal working, so you can play games such as Skylanders Giants if you have the characters.

PCSX2 is a PS2 emulator. My rig is a little underpowered (it's a highly overclocked C2D) to play some games at full speed. For example, I only get 30-40 fps in games such as God of War. Others, like FF X and the GTA series, do run at a solid 60 fps the whole time. You'd have no trouble running any of the PS2 games that are compatible with PCSX2.

There are several others, of course. From Dosbox to Atari to N64 to Sega Genesis, there are thousands and thousands of roms you can get working with very little effort.
 
FWIW: AMD GPUs haven't ever played nice with Linux. The green side of stuff is much nicer from the penguin's view.
A 750Ti would do VERY nicely for that setup, with a low power consumption.
 
i notice you went with the gtx 750 which i was about to reccomend going to nvidia for two reasons
1. amd doesnt play well with linux. (as atm already stated)
2. amd doesnt play well with tv's if theyd just remove the stupid overscan it would be fine, but i have issues even with windows with my 5450.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I was hoping to get this going this weekend, but my GPU won't be here until Mon or Tues. I did end up ordering an Xbox 360 controller and a receiver.

As far as emulators, I was hoping to get the ones for Nintendo, supernes, and PlayStation so that I can re-live the days of my youth. I tried last night to get fceu to work but had no luck, seemed to be a 32 vs 64 bit issue. I haven't tried any others, yet.

As far as Linux and amd drivers, I know that it is doable, because miners successfully install the drivers all of the time, but it looked like 5000 series have been dropped from support already. I suspect that my skill level is the major problem in my case. I was pleasantly surprised that the Intel integrated worked so easily. If you are not trying to play games, I think it would be sufficient for most htpc needs.
 
xsuperbgx said:
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I was hoping to get this going this weekend, but my GPU won't be here until Mon or Tues. I did end up ordering an Xbox 360 controller and a receiver.

As far as emulators, I was hoping to get the ones for Nintendo, supernes, and PlayStation so that I can re-live the days of my youth. I tried last night to get fceu to work but had no luck, seemed to be a 32 vs 64 bit issue. I haven't tried any others, yet.

As far as Linux and amd drivers, I know that it is doable, because miners successfully install the drivers all of the time, but it looked like 5000 series have been dropped from support already. I suspect that my skill level is the major problem in my case. I was pleasantly surprised that the Intel integrated worked so easily. If you are not trying to play games, I think it would be sufficient for most htpc needs.
Click to expand...

I actually have the Iris Pro graphics and they keep up quite well. I mean they arent going to go Ultra on any of the most modern games, but honestly for what I do, the Iris Pro keeps up fantastically.

As for emulators, I use RetroArch on my RaspPi (debian based). Might be worth checking out
 
For SNES emulation, I suggest you check out ZSNES. It should be a breeze to install on Debian/SteamOS with readily available .deb packages.
 
I got the xbox 360 controller and the microsoft branded receiver. They both work out of the box. No installation was needed.

Edit: Let me rephrase that. controller works in steam big picture, not in desktop/os.

Edit2: I can't get any of these emulators to install. I think I need to add a different source. If anyone has any that are sure to work, let me know. I will see if iI can install another way.
 
Last edited:
Steam works, controller works. Portal2 beta works. Does portal make anyone else nauseous?
Also, intel integrated sucks for this game. Had to turn settings way down.

Edit: After messing around with this, emulators are likely going to be beyond my linux skill level. i can find all kinds of info on google, but I can't get all of the proper packages and dependencies to get any working. I am contemplating a change to ubuntu with steam and everything else added on.
I will think about it and decide if I want to leave it as is or start over from scratch.
 
Last edited:
If you are trying to install emulators on SteamOS you will need to add repositories. Steam OS has a very narrow selection of software so most of those sorts of things will not be in the SteamOS repos, thus you can't just "apt-get install someEMU"
 
I have added all of these (listed in the first post). I also have the steamos ones.
deb http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy main contrib non-free
deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy main contrib non-free

deb http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy-updates main
deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian wheezy-updates main

deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free

deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian wheezy-backports main contrib non-free
Click to expand...

As a noob to this stuff, how do I know which ones to add? Will adding more cause any problems? I was thinking about adding some from ubuntu since it seems to be the most popular. much of their stuff seems to be ppa, which I couldn't figure out how to use in steamos.
 
Last edited:
You install ppa packages using the same method - adding the correct repository, updating your package list, and then apt-get install to install the package.

To add a repository you can do it either via terminal command (sudo add-apt-repository ppa:<lp-name>/<ppa-name>) or by editing /etc/apt/sources.list.

You run "sudo apt-get update && upgrade" next to update the package list.


It didn't dawn on me that the package list for SteamOS would be so minimal, but it make sense. Still, because it is Debian under the hood it shouldn't be too difficult to set up the necessary repositories and install emulator packages. I suppose I've gotten so used to doing this in Ubuntu to get various things working or installed that it has become second nature to me. A lot of times you'll also find that if you're running a 64-bit linux you have to install various x86 packages to get some apps or games working.

My wife teases me sometimes about how often I will get into troubleshooting mode, because game X has no sound or application Y won't install... That's just how it is with linux. I love it, but accept that it's quite fragmented, so a bit of a labor of love to get running "just right".
 
i got my gpu in today, but for some reason the computer won't boot with any gpu installed. I think I may end up returning the mobo.

I should have known better than to go so cheap. My last ecs board.
I didn't notice until I went to the ecs site to complain, that they recommend only a 65W cpu. Too bad they didn't state that on the box or anything. "Core i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium / Celeron (LGA1155)" -are there any I7 under 65w?
It does say that, at the very bottom of the newegg ebay listing. I hadn't noticed before. I have been using a 2500k.
 
Ordered a new board today and got an rma for the other board. I ordered an asrock, hopefully it is a step up in quality. I will get back to this in a few days.
 
Between the GPU and CPU, you may have exceeded the board's power capabilities.

I've had mixed results with ECS boards. However, even the ones that have worked for a long time show signs of pending doom, like bulging caps and such. I agree with you that they're best avoided.
 
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