The world waited to see what news Valve would break first as part of its trifecta of announcements this week. Coming first, SteamOS, a new free Linux-powered operating system.

Like many of its living room competitors, the SteamOS will incorporate streaming video, music, sharing with other family members and most of all, gaming. SteamOS will be free forever, and Valve will offer it for download soon. There will be a handful of games coming natively to SteamOS in 2014, but you'll also have access to the Steam library via streaming.

"With SteamOS, 'openness' means that the hardware industry can iterate in the living room at a much faster pace than they’ve been able to. Content creators can connect directly to their customers," Valve stated. "Users can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want. Gamers are empowered to join in the creation of the games they love. SteamOS will continue to evolve, but will remain an environment designed to foster these kinds of innovation."

A future-proof living room media and gaming machine? We have a feeling there are going to be plenty of people excited at the opportunities SteamOS presents. There are still two more announcements coming from Valve, with the next coming on Wednesday. With a new operating system, it wouldn't be much of a shock to learn Valve will be introducing its SteamBox hardware before week's end.

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