I’ve been using it on and off since 1994. I still have a slackware dist on CD with the 1.1 kernel. I think Linux is great although I still prefer to use Windows, and Linux via WSL which is my optimal set up these days.

That’s more or less it. Linux Torvalds hates the different package managers and dependencies in different dists and versions of dists. He claims it’s virtually impossible to ship products that just run on some random dist and cites his own sideproject which is a sea diving app where he builds binaries for Mac OSX and Windows but can’t for Linux. He also praises Valve for using containers.

In theory it means slightly larger binaries, but the flipside it means Steam for Linux runs on a lot more dists, and so do the games and it’s far easier to test they actually run.

I’m sure it’s all sorts - teams, meth heads, kids, desperates, employees whatever. These “loss prevention” units have to figure the best way to deter theft before it happens, detect theft when it happens, trespass / prosecute thieves, and minimize loss of sales all at once. It’s a difficult calculus I’m sure.

SteamOS is about Valve not paying Microsoft a license fee. It’s not some egalitarian move by them but a cost saving. From a game dev’s perspective it’s additional cost and effort to port a game, or hope it runs under emulation with Proton.

I am surprised they haven’t used it for cloud gaming yet since that’s where the real cost savings kick in but I bet they’re still saving on each Steam Deck they sell without Windows on it.

I expect lighting, store position, lots of cameras, hidden security tags, diligent security and psychology would minimize losses and maximize the chances of catching people stealing items.

A game that was released last year has absolutely zero knowledge of this 8k PS5 so it’s not going to magically render at 8k or 40% improvement. Some might get a framerate bump if frame sync can be turned off - the game might have been GPU bound and therefore with a better GPU it yields a better framerate. Sometimes. And AI upscaling might give a pseudo > 4k effect but it’s not really true 8k.

A handful of games might get patched to avail of the improved rendering capabilities when they detect PS5 Pro. Minimal stuff really. Maybe the config file will improve draw distance or turn on certain effects like raytraced shadows / reflections when it knows the console can handle it.

Hardly seems worth the vast additional expense especially if somebody already owns a PS5 though. Moreso because Sony are trying to stiff people into buying the cheaper “digital” version which basically means any physical collection won’t work with it.