Suspend and resume, a popular feature in modern game consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will not be included in the upcoming range of Steam Machines, which are powered by Valve’s SteamOS.
The functionality places hardware in a low-power mode and allows time-consuming boot sequences to be bypassed by resuming directly into the suspended application.
According to a Github user that has identified himself as a Valve employee, the suspend and resume feature “is no longer supported” by SteamOS, and the problem stems from Linux, which the software is based on.
“Given the state of hardware and software support throughout the graphics stack on Linux we didn’t think we could make this reliable,” he explained.
The limitations preventing its implementation are further explored in a post on Slashdot, in which a developer explains that SteamOS is unable to reattach connected devices such as controllers when it resumes.
“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,” the post says.
“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.”
GameSpot has contacted Valve for a statement and will provide clarification when it is issued.
Steam Machines were first revealed in 2013 and, at GDC 2015, a line-up of 15 systems were showcased. Hardware is designed to be scalable, modifiable, low-profile units that are closer to consoles than the typical PC desktop setup.
Vendors such as Alienware, Asus, Digital Storm, Falcon Northwest, and more have detailed their lines of devices. See all the Steam Machines from those companies, and more, here.
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