|OT| Valve's Steam Deck (OLED)- coming to Straya in Nov 2024
- Thread starter prudis
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well, to be fair - by the time Volvo got the ball rolling both EA and Activision already fucked off (along with Epic ... and i guess pretty much all the other big publishers) and only came back later
Mostly it feels like fantasy. Neither of these companies would be interested in starting a highly risky project like a digital PC Gaming platform in 2004, with the scope and ambition of Steam. Like the rest of the gaming industry, they were clearly on the boat that PC gaming was dead and dying, and were chasing consoles
And even if they had started such a project internally, they would have killed it off very quickly as it would have required huge investments on infrastructure with initially next to no revenue, let alone profit.
If Valve hadn't been there, I think PC Gaming might be much smaller market today, with only a few big companies keeping it alive (your giants like Blizzards and Riots).
I think perhaps the most interesting part of this interview is towards the very end. Gabe talks about the experience with Index just "very narrowly" addressing the thumb sticks in the Deck. To me that sounds a lot like they made changes in how to source/integrate the sticks due to Index feedback, which was just in time for going into the finalization of the HW.
yup ... i do seem to remember they had some problems with the sticks on knuckles ... so it's good they got it all ironed out for the Deck
good news all around
Was a bit cringey when the interviewer was all excited "so you basically made the Xbox handheld for Microsoft because if you have gamepass you can just download things from the Microsoft Store and play them on the go right".
And like, the Microsoft Store is probably the one thing that has the worst compatibility with this device among all the "launchers".
It's the one thing that absolutely requires a Windows installation, no way around it. And I'm honestly not all that convinced that the Windows experience on the Deck will be all that great out of the box
We already know that suspend only works on SteamOS and there was a settings screenshot in the interview:
Which looks to be OS level and has input management integrated, something that won't work out of the box like this on Windows either, I suspect. Likely some other smalls things here and there.
It will be possible for sure, but I think it will be a compromised experience and I hope people aren't going to just put Windows on it "by default" and then complain about various annoyances.
The other suspect part of the interview was when he seemed to be trying to get Gabe to criticize the Switch.
But good information in there.
And like, the Microsoft Store is probably the one thing that has the worst compatibility with this device among all the "launchers".
It's the one thing that absolutely requires a Windows installation, no way around it. And I'm honestly not all that convinced that the Windows experience on the Deck will be all that great out of the box
We already know that suspend only works on SteamOS and there was a settings screenshot in the interview:
Which looks to be OS level and has input management integrated, something that won't work out of the box like this on Windows either, I suspect. Likely some other smalls things here and there.
It will be possible for sure, but I think it will be a compromised experience and I hope people aren't going to just put Windows on it "by default" and then complain about various annoyances.
The other suspect part of the interview was when he seemed to be trying to get Gabe to criticize the Switch.
But good information in there.
CPU wise it should not be a problem, Ryzen drivers will just work fine I assume. Not sure about graphics drivers, that's something AMD has to release. If there are none when this ships, then Windows experience will be pretty bad.
For me the new version of SteamOS is the main attraction of the device. I guess I would be more inclined to install Windows on it if I had a library of games across various shitty launchers. Thankfully I have not given them any money, I don't have any bought games on non-GOG services except Starcraft 2 so I am free to enjoy the SteamOS experience
There's always the option to install lutris to get the other launchers working on SteamOS (even battle.net)For me the new version of SteamOS is the main attraction of the device. I guess I would be more inclined to install Windows on it if I had a library of games across various shitty launchers. Thankfully I have not given them any money, I don't have any bought games on non-GOG services except Starcraft 2 so I am free to enjoy the SteamOS experience
I'm just glad it's open so anyone can do whatever they want with it
www.ign.com
Gabe Newell Pushes Back Against Closed Platforms, Says Openness is 'PC's Superpower' - IGN
Gabe Newell describes PC's openness as its 'superpower', and has put the customisable Steam Deck in stark comparison to the closed platforms found on other consoles.
would be interesting, but I think if the device came with even more storage, Valve would state that in the specs. Why would you not advertise if your product has even more stuff in it?Considering the 399 model has an M2 slot, what's the likelihood of the other models having that same 64gb eMMC memory as well?
It doesn't say anything about the M2 thing on the product page either
Edit: actually, it does say that on the Steamdeck site, it seems. Just not on the Steam page.
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MetaSteam I August 2021 - Openness is its superpower
So this is an odd change - it looks like on the same day as Deck's announcement, Valve changed the store art for Half Life Alyx, to include the Lambda logo:
.....Interesting
.....Interesting
It was interesting how Gabe said, multiple times I believe, that the hardware and software combo with Index and Alyx was an important and stuff.
Unless I misheard him.
Unless I misheard him.
PORTAL 3 CONFIRMED!!!
Pancake Alyx for the peasants without VR?
... or just updating the art for funsies?
... or just updating the art for funsies?
I don't think they need Half-Life 3 to shift some SteamDeck units. It seems to be selling well enough as it is.
HL3 is a game i'd probably play on my desktop anyway on a nice big screen with KB & M and a comfy chair.
HL3 is a game i'd probably play on my desktop anyway on a nice big screen with KB & M and a comfy chair.
My guess would be that they have games on the way that may broaden what HL games typically are, so it’s some branding effort for the series.
I think the only known project in dev with HL relation is something called “Citadel”. It might be that whatever it is releasing in line with Deck / taking advantage of the input system there. That would be my guess purely on the timing of it.
I think the only known project in dev with HL relation is something called “Citadel”. It might be that whatever it is releasing in line with Deck / taking advantage of the input system there. That would be my guess purely on the timing of it.
This is a nice video to learn about the technology stack that Valve has enhanced to enable gaming on Linux for the Deck:
The second half is a show reel of games running at 4k under Linux.
The second half is a show reel of games running at 4k under Linux.
I'm glad Valve is releasing their own Steam Deck. It didn't bode too well for Steam Machines when Valve licensed third-party hardware vendors to make it for them instead of releasing their own to the public. Regardless, Valve needed to experience that failure, because I believe without Steam Machines, there is no Steam Deck.
If Steam Deck is succesful I really wonder if within next two or three years Valve tries again a steam machine console-like PC, this time their own. High end console-PC that would run all MS games, many Sony games, and all PC games...
They don't have to wait that long to do it. If SteamOS is as compatible and as stable as they are promising it to be then they can do new Steam Machines, hanhelds etc whenever they want. As soon as next year even. Having near 100% of Steam library running on Proton would be huge for Valve.
The real big question for them is how competitive they want a new Steam Machine to be. PC gamers won't give a shit if its too expensive as most will just choose to build a new PC instead. And how competitive does Valve want to be with Sony/Microsoft? I think a cheaper Series S type device would make for a great SteamMachine. Something in the range of 300-400$ that can play everything on steam library at 1080p or maybe 1440p if they can get a cheap/good enough APU. That is the only type of device I would bite on tbh.
It would be a natural extension of the ecosystem and I actually think that two years after a console release would be the perfect time to do so. It's the point in time when cross-gen ports are ending and you have a very good idea about what hardware will be enough to ride out the generation. It's also the point in time when most PC gamers with mid-range hardware will be considering an upgrade. For the hardware maker too it's a great opportunity to get either newer-generation hardware that performs better or older hardware for cheap.
The thing is, I don't know if Valve is willing to step on Sony and Microsoft's toes to make it happen. It has a good working relationship with both right now and the presence of Microsoft and Sony first party on Steam is hugely beneficial for Valve. It puts out a console and suddenly Sony and Microsoft may start thinking twice about supporting a direct competitor. Steam Deck sidesteps that issue by competing in the portable space.
So I'd stay with the current status quo a living-room Gabebox is unlikely, unless Gabe can somehow convince Sony and Microsoft that it's not a threat to their business.
I consider it still frankly quite miraculous that Sony actually started porting games to PC and yep, I expect Valve competing in the same space would put an end to that, so..yeah.
Deck won't change anything in that aspect, Sony will keep porting games to PC, MS will keep porting games to PC and Nintendo will keep ignoring the PC
Remember, they are PCs, not consoles.
Remember, they are PCs, not consoles.
Yes. Honestly, I don't really care about Steam Machines conceptually. Stuff like the Index or the Deck are a million times more exciting and I'd rather Valve work on stuff like that.
Mayyybe if it meant a Steam Controller 2. But then I'd still only buy the controller and continue to not really care about the Steam Machines.
Mayyybe if it meant a Steam Controller 2. But then I'd still only buy the controller and continue to not really care about the Steam Machines.
I also don't think Valve would be able to compete in terms of the price. A decent SteamMachine by Valve would probably not go below 600€, if it's mean to power next-gen games at 60FPS and at 1080p. If it wants to power them at 4K and high framerates, then below 1000$ seems hard to believe.
Consoles are so attractive since the manufacturer can sell them at production costs, or even below. Not something that's very attractive for Valve.
If anything, it could be done ~5 years into a generation at a somewhat decent price point -- right now would be really bad timing. But yeah, things like the Deck, Index or Steam controller (v2 please) seem like a far better investment.
No, which is why they won’t do one. Valve has made it clear they want to create new categories of PC hardware or make a software + hardware combo that’s better than all the other available options. And right now I don’t see a situation where a PC sells at $500 max (for the base model) and feels like a good purchase for TV/desktop gaming.
I’d quite like to see what they do in the controller space again. I’d like to see a controller with both a wireless dongle (for local play) and WiFi for reduced lag when streaming to a device in another room - think about how the Stadia controller communicates with that service, only for Steam Remote Play. Adding WiFi would also enable WoL functionality which would be nice for any TV PC players. And if you have a controller that doesn’t need to be directly connected to the client device for remote play, you’re opening up In-Home Streaming to any device with a modern web browser.
It's strange how so many people online want to avoid calling Steam Deck a console. In my mind a fixed hardware spec with an OS designed for and focused on gaming is a console. It's a PC too because it's open but I don't think that openness negates its function as a console.
A laptop is a fixated hardware with a custom OS and we dont call it console for the same reason we call the Deck a PC.
its not about the hardware, its about what they want to accomplish with this piece of hardware at the end of the day and it is pretty clear they dont want to compete against Sony, MS or Nintendo.
What laptop you can buy, either from Apple or a Windows one, has a "custom OS"? macOS runs on both laptops and full desktop machines like the Mac Pro, and Windows is really the same no matter on what device you use it.
I think calling the Deck a hybrid device that has elements of a console, as Alexandros said, and a PC is perfectly adequate.