Valve Boss “Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space”

Speaking at Casual Connect, Valve boss Gabe Newell had some pretty damning words for Windows 8.

Newell is worried Windows 8 will mark a shift in Microsoft’s philosophy, with the platform becoming more closed much like Apple’s operating systems.

I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we’ll lose some of the top-tier PCs, and OEMs who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that’s true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality.

Valve’s decision to start supporting Linux is a direct result of the platform concerns currently gripping PC gaming.

The big problem that is holding back Linux, is games. People don’t realize how critical games are in driving consumer purchasing behaviour. We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. It’s a hedging strategy

Are you a PC gamer, do you share the concerns of Gabe Newell? Would you consider moving to Linux if it became the best platform for PC gaming?