It's a staple in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles but Valve's Steam Machines won't come with a suspend/resume feature because of Linux issues, the software SteamOS is based on.
This is according to a Github user who identified himself as a Valve engineer.
"Given the state of hardware and software support throughout the graphics stack on Linux, we didn't think we could make this reliable," he said.
As GameSpot noted, suspend/resume "places hardware in a low-power mode and allows time-consuming boot sequences to be bypassed by resuming directly into the suspended application."
While "suspend" doesn't have any problems, it's in "resume" where things go awry.
"It doesn't probe and reattach the controllers to the same point in the device tree that they were in when the system was suspended," Slashdot user tlambert said in a comment.
"Since those are the device nodes that SteamOS has open at the time of the suspend, and they route to The Noplace(tm), the controllers become unresponsive. This is a general problem in the Linux device model."
Although a minor feature, Ars Technica said that the absence of suspend/resume from Valve' Steam Machines could become a problem in the living room which is the console's natural habitat. Without it, they "will need to go through a complete system startup every time you want to play."
So why can't the "Half Life" developer just fix the issue? After a detailed explanation, tlambert said:
"Really, the Linux device management system for input devices needs an overhaul; unfortunately, doing this crosses too many kingdom boundaries, and there are too many stakeholders involved to really get traction."
With many gamers already used to having a suspend/resume feature on their consoles, TechnoBuffalo couldn't help but wonder if its omission "could become a small hurdle for the Steam Machine product line."
Valve Steam Machines are gaming-centric consoles optimized for the living room with the company's Linux-based SteamOS. They are made by third-party vendors such as Alienware, Falcon Northwest and Asus, among others. The devices are set for a November 10 release date.
