Steam Deck? HOOAHH!

[JayMysteri0]

The Steam Machine was Valve's first attempt at making a console though. They've probably learned a lot since then. The Steam Deck is a vastly different device in a less saturated market.

Your still going on personal assumptions. The Steam machine was something Valve learned from, and it took them awhile to return to the hardware market. It's unlikely they learned from making hardware that didn't perform as expected, to make more. It's more likely as they've indicated they learned about form factor ( making an on the go PC is a good idea if it can be done ), improving their OS which they admitted wasn't up to par, and more. Fiscally it just makes sense to take a page from Nintendo. Produce ENOUGH units to get a fair market share, but NOT enough to meet demand & cause a buzz about your product. I think what Valve will try for especially coming out so late ( usually you put your product for sale for Christmas out in October so buzz can build as people try & fail to get it and you try to deliver ) is being THE item for the holidays. Which will be a tough fight with a new Switch and PS5s & Xboxs still hard to find.

I was initially intrigued and thought about dropping into a pre-order, but I don't really enjoy handhelds anymore in my older age.

Something about the screen moving when I'm furiously mashing buttons and using the sticks, etc..

Obviously one could dock it, but at that point I may as well just use a PC anyhow.

Very cool hardware and attractive price - just not for me.
Looks to be an amazing emulation machine also

For me that is the appeal. I've gone completely Apple & console, while friends went to PC for their gaming. If cross platform isn't available I can't play with them. With this I don't need a more expensive PC to play some games with them, and I can take it with me.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Yep - definitely understand the appeal!

Sadly I'm stuck with a Windows PC for a long time coming I think, for MS Flight Simulator in VR.

I was all excited about maybe being able to go console for that, but MS decided to punt on any/all VR on the console.

 

[Renzatic]

Which makes it very good, right?

Well, right now, it's okay. You sometimes have to futz around with settings, and it doesn't work ALL the time.

 

[User 189]

Your still going on personal assumptions. The Steam machine was something Valve learned from, and it took them awhile to return to the hardware market. It's unlikely they learned from making hardware that didn't perform as expected, to make more. It's more likely as they've indicated they learned about form factor ( making an on the go PC is a good idea if it can be done ), improving their OS which they admitted wasn't up to par, and more. Fiscally it just makes sense to take a page from Nintendo. Produce ENOUGH units to get a fair market share, but NOT enough to meet demand & cause a buzz about your product. I think what Valve will try for especially coming out so late ( usually you put your product for sale for Christmas out in October so buzz can build as people try & fail to get it and you try to deliver ) is being THE item for the holidays. Which will be a tough fight with a new Switch and PS5s & Xboxs still hard to find.

That's essentially what I meant. They have a better chance at competing with Nintendo rather than Sony or Microsoft.

Well, right now, it's okay. You sometimes have to futz around with settings, and it doesn't work ALL the time.

And I can only assume it'll be much better by launch? That's what Valve seems to think...

 

[JayMysteri0]

That's essentially what I meant. They have a better chance at competing with Nintendo rather than Sony or Microsoft.

The money Valve already pulls, they aren't worried about competing with Nintendo I imagine, it's about expanding the reach of Steam.

Steam is their very well off bread & butter, a dedicated console is a nice addition, when you're fighting off Epic.

 

[User 189]

The money Valve already pulls, they aren't worried about competing with Nintendo I imagine, it's about expanding the reach of Steam.

Steam is their very well off bread & butter, a dedicated console is a nice addition, when you're fighting off Epic.

Has Epic Games been making a dent in Valve's business?

Valve isn't worried about competing with Nintendo. I think they intentionally want to compete with Nintendo by creating a handheld console (the difference being that the Steam Deck's hardware is more comparable to a traditional x86 console like the Xbox One/PS4, unlike the Nintendo Switch).

 

[JayMysteri0]

Has Epic Games been making a dent in Valve's business?

Valve isn't worried about competing with Nintendo. I think they intentionally want to compete with Nintendo by creating a handheld console (the difference being that the Steam Deck's hardware is more comparable to a traditional x86 console like the Xbox One/PS4, unlike the Nintendo Switch).

Epic has been escalating the race for game exclusives which Steam hadn't had to deal with before. Epic isn't shy about spending money.

Why I said Valve isn't worried about competing with Nintendo, is because they've seem to take a page from Nintendo on how they re enter the hardware space. It's a form factor that appeals to a broader group because of it's flexibility. I imagine they can see the appeal of users like myself who won't own a PC, who will get a handheld that can double as a desktop of sorts. A machine that is directly tied to Steam and not to Epic.

It's smart thinking to want to broaden one's reach, which I can see Valve doing here. Like every hardware maker in the gaming space before them, the hardware is NOT a profit generator. It's the software. Increase the amount of hardware, you can increase software sales. They will going from almost exclusively desktops to desktops & portable units.

 

[User 189]

Epic has been escalating the race for game exclusives which Steam hadn't had to deal with before. Epic isn't shy about spending money.

Outside of free games, I haven't seen anybody compelled to use the Epic Games Store instead of Steam.

 

[JayMysteri0]

Outside of free games, I haven't seen anybody compelled to use the Epic Games Store instead of Steam.

I can't comment on what you see, but I do know that Epic's store has been showing steady improvement in the couple of years it's existed.

The Epic Games Store is getting a lot more popular

Epic has released stats for the Epic Games Store - and they show impressive growth.Monthly active users rose from 32 mi…

www.eurogamer.net

Epic has released stats for the Epic Games Store - and they show impressive growth.

Monthly active users rose from 32 million in 2019 to 56 million in December 2020, Epic announced in a blog post.

That's a big jump, but the Epic Games Store still has some way to go before it catches up with market leader Steam. Earlier this month, Valve announced Steam had over 120 million monthly active users.

 

[User 189]

I can't comment on what you see, but I do know that Epic's store has been showing steady improvement in the couple of years it's existed.

Most of those people are there for the free games that are on sale, right? Epic Games does that in order to attract more people to their store, but it never seems to work and only looks good on paper.

 

[JayMysteri0]

Most of those people are there for the free games that are on sale, right? Epic Games does that in order to attract more people to their store, but it never seems to work and only looks good on paper.

I'll let you try to prove any of that. Epic's desire is to become a competitor, thus the sales, and money spent to get exclusives. In two years Epic is almost half way there, something I imagine no one thought possible. Valve isn't going to sit on their hands while this is happening in front of them.

 

[User 189]

I'll let you try to prove any of that. Epic's desire is to become a competitor, thus the sales, and money spent to get exclusives. In two years Epic is almost half way there, something I imagine no one thought possible. Valve isn't going to sit on their hands while this is happening in front of them.

I'm not sure what all of this has to do with the Steam Deck though? I don't think Epic Games is going to release their own console right now.

 

[JayMysteri0]

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1416471669753925635/

 

[Renzatic]

The money Valve already pulls, they aren't worried about competing with Nintendo I imagine, it's about expanding the reach of Steam.

The Steam Deck's biggest competitors aren't Nintendo, Sony, or MS. It's boutique gaming PC manufacturers, like Razer, Origin, Falcon, and the like.

Consolized though it may be, it's still a PC at heart. It has some potential to eat into the traditional console market, especially if they can maintain a smooth experience across all games, but it's primarily a laptop competitor.

 

[JayMysteri0]

The Steam Deck's biggest competitors aren't Nintendo, Sony, or MS. It's boutique gaming PC manufacturers, like Razer, Origin, Falcon, and the like.

Consolized though it may be, it's still a PC at heart. It has some potential to eat into the traditional console market, especially if they can maintain a smooth experience across all games, but it's primarily a laptop competitor.

I believe I've said that a couple of times.

Valve saw the appeal of the the Switch's form factor.

That appeal & form factor I think is something that I believe Valve is banking on to draw more people ( people who aren't PC mains ) to Steam. It's also a lower entry point, that offers a possibly greater flexibility & portability that laptops don't.

 

[Renzatic]

That appeal & form factor I think is something that I believe Valve is banking on to draw more people ( people who aren't PC mains ) to Steam

It's certainly worked for me. Since I bought my Switch, I barely use my PC for games anymore. Spending an hour or two a night playing videogames on the couch while the TV blares on in the background is just so relaxing.

 

[DT]

So, can I play my Ni-tendo tapes on this?

 

[JayMysteri0]

It's certainly worked for me. Since I bought my Switch, I barely use my PC for games anymore. Spending an hour or two a night playing videogames on the couch while the TV blares on in the background is just so relaxing.

I think what will be a big draw is the regular steam sales. I don't know how many friends I got to give Knights of the Old Republic a try, which went on sale a lot. Also the flexibility of PC games. One of my favorite games one called Fire Pro Wrestling, which has the player created content as one of it's biggest selling points. It's basically never ending customization & updates that maintain the extended life of the game.

 

[Renzatic]

So, can I play my Ni-tendo tapes on this?

Wait. Hold up. I thought that was something only people around my neck of the woods said.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Maybe this can show some other manufacturers that there is demand for this sort of thing?

I don't think anyone buying one cares at all if it comes from Steam themselves, as you could simply install that on a generic device.

Be a great market to see get going a bit.