|OT| Valve's Steam Deck - OLED refresh shipping to folks

[ExistentialThought]

I am not sure if what Valve should glean from the most expensive model being the most ordered is folks must want more expensive options.

For me, I have wanted a handheld PC for ages, but the price points have always sat in this weird space where I could upgrade my main machine, at one point even build a new one, or get a slightly more performant laptop.

The stars aligned here with GPU shortages and overall shortages that have resulted in higher prices for everything else and Valve swooping in with an aggressively priced device that would normally cost a fair bit more, even putting aside this current environment. All told, this is a litmus test to see if the handheld PC market is underserved and larger than the small niche it is assumed. Being too quick to pivot to higher priced devices may just keep handheld PCs a boutique or enthusiast device (or at least fail to shed the perception of it).

 

[Pommes]

The first people to order a Steam Deck are enthusiasts. And enthusiasts often buy the enthusiast version of a product.
Sounds pretty normal.

 

[Alexandros]

Yeah, I think more expensive versions are fine for enthusiasts but a low initial price point is essential if Valve has mainstream aspirations for Steam Deck.

 

[jmga]

Easy Anti Cheat blocks VKD3D injection on Windows and doesn't let you run the game, even in offline mode. Fuck this shit, will try tomorrow on Linux.

You can bypass EAC simply by renaming the game main exe to the EAC one, and then works. Thanks to gamingonlinux: ELDEN RING is out and Verified for Steam Deck

Here if anyone wants to try:

Be careful, it's still hot.

 

[Mor]

The first people to order a Steam Deck are enthusiasts. And enthusiasts often buy the enthusiast version of a product.
Sounds pretty normal.

This right here.

 

[Mivey]

Yeah, I think more expensive versions are fine for enthusiasts but a low initial price point is essential if Valve has mainstream aspirations for Steam Deck.

That's how I read that quote. That it would be fine for a Deck 2 to have more premium versions. They didn't at all mention the base version here, and I don't think Valve would make assumptions about the appeal of the base unit based on popularity with the enthusiasts who are getting a Deck in the first few months.

 

[madjoki]

$50 million spent for a single component of deck?

 

[Durante]

I mean, if they plan to build "just" 1 million units in the first batch that's $50 per unit, which could be roughly the price they pay per APU.

 

[madjoki]

I mean, if they plan to build "just" 1 million units in the first batch that's $5 per unit, which could be roughly the price they pay per APU.

Yeah, that's what I would guess too.

 

[Durante]

WTF, I am certain I wrote "50" in that post. I swear I can do basic arithmetic!

 

[Li Kao]

WTF, I am certain I wrote "50" in that post. I swear I can do basic arithmetic!

Jesus ! I'm glad you corrected yourself because I left the matter at 'the maths don't check but I'm no techy so it's on me for not understanding'.

 

[Mor]

Interesting push from THQ Nordic, it's nice to see and hopefully more will follow.

 

[lashman]

Fanatical

www.fanatical.com

 

[Arc]

Interesting push from THQ Nordic, it's nice to see and hopefully more will follow.

That's the second major publisher to embrace the Deck after Capcom. Hopefully more follow.

 

[Ge0force]

Do we know when Valve will start sending out these mails exactly?

 

[MomoVideo]

Do we know when Valve will start sending out these mails exactly?

Most probably 3 hours from now.

 

[lashman]

Do we know when Valve will start sending out these mails exactly?

probably 6pm GMT

 

[C-Dub]

Do we know when Valve will start sending out these mails exactly?

Best guess is when the store updates. So just over 3 hours from now.

 

[eonden]

Only kinda sad part of the Edge article is that it seems Valve wasnt that interested in making a game specifically for Deck specifications, only to work to make their games playable in it. I didnt expect them to say they had something, but at least leave the door open with some implications lol

 

[Li Kao]

Would be nice to have a special sale at least for the week end, to celebrate the launch. Some kind of Deck Ready sale.
But maybe it makes too much sense, we will see.

 

[madjoki]

Would be nice to have a special sale at least for the week end, to celebrate the launch. Some kind of Deck Ready sale.
But maybe it makes too much sense, we will see.

Nah. Would make sense to wait a bit until people actually get their units

 

[Li Kao]

Nah. Would make sense to wait a bit until people actually get their units

Practicality vs. Symbolism. I stand by my post, but your logic makes a lot of sense

 

[Arc]

Just skimming over the reviews, it looks like most of the gripes are with the battery life and software which really isn't ready for prime time. Hopefully by the time I get mine, Valve can iron out more compatibility issues with Proton.

 

[lashman]

 

[jads653]

Someone should check if Lutris or Legendary are available in Discover. It probably is, should open up more launcher support

 

[Mor]

I SECURED MINE!

 

[MomoVideo]

I'm totally not envious. Not at all.

 

[C-Dub]

I wonder how far into Q2 I’ll be waiting for mine.

 

[TioChuck]

This channel has a bunch of games played on the Steam Deck.

 

[lashman]

 

[lashman]

Steam :: Steam Deck Deposit :: Steam Deck: Q1 Shipping Details

Hi! Happy launch day! We’ve seen some questions about what it means to be in the Q1 reservation group, and when these folks will receive their emails. Here’s how it breaks down. All people who are in the Q1 reservation window on the Steam Deck store page will receive an order email by the end of...

steamcommunity.com

Happy launch day! We’ve seen some questions about what it means to be in the Q1 reservation group, and when these folks will receive their emails. Here’s how it breaks down.

• All people who are in the Q1 reservation window on the Steam Deck store page will receive an order email by the end of March. (Q1 is Quarter 1, or January through March).
• The first batch of emails has already gone out this morning.
• The next batch of emails will go out on Monday, March 7th. (It turns out the logistics work out better if we don’t try to ship over a weekend.)
• We’ll continue sending emails to Q1 reservers in the order their reservations were made on a weekly basis through the end of March (March 14th, 21st, 28th)
• In April, we’ll start going through the Q2 queue in a similar fashion.

We’re working through our production schedules, and will have news soon for folks in the After-Q2 bucket.

 

[LEANIJA]

Despite the title, a very positive review

~

Great review by Phawx

 

[Cacher]

Random Asian steps into this thread: hey, this steam deck thing looks pretty cool. Where can I buy it?

 

[LEANIJA]

Im so sorry for you and others who can't buy the Deck yet!
I hope valve gets it sorted soon
I didn't get my mail yet, should hopefully order mine in the next couple weeks

~

Long and detailed review:

The Steam Deck has released, here's my initial review

The Steam Deck has arrived and Valve were kind enough to ship GamingOnLinux a review unit — here’s my own initial thoughts after spending a couple weeks with it.

www.gamingonlinux.com

 

[lashman]

Despite the title, a very positive review

ah, so Linus continues to be absolute trash then

good to know

 

[LEANIJA]

ah, so Linus continues to be absolute trash then

good to know

i dont follow linus but watched a few videos he did on the Deck, and whilst always very positive and excited, the messaging on the thumbnails and via video titles is much more sensational and seemingly negative. undoubtedly aimed to generate more clicks... which is a shame, because the core of the videos is well done and comprehensive and overall very positive.

~

Digital Foundry review:

Steam Deck review: the handheld PC capable of console quality gaming

Imagine PlayStation 4-level performance at Nintendo Switch mobile resolution or better and you have some idea of what V…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[Cacher]

Bid price is $1,525 at this very moment.

Valve Steam Deck 512GB - February Q1 Order | eBay

<p>Item has been ordered and will be shipped as soon as it is delivered, unopened. The device will be shipped USPS Priority with insurance.</p><br /><p>This auction is for the full Steam Deck 512GB console. This model includes the following:</p><p>* Fastest storage</p><p>* Premium anti-glare...

www.ebay.com

 

[Yaska]

Next batch of emails on 7th of March. More info Steam Deck Deposit - Steam Deck: Q1 Shipping Details - Steam News . With this amount of some models in some region is less than 1k, so they really did have supply issues.

 

[Le Pertti]

That shout out to Phawx in the Linus video!

 

[madjoki]

being 1182nd and not getting emails (512GB/EU) means there and people who were minutes earlier reporting not getting, probably way less than 1000 units.

 

[eonden]

ah, so Linus continues to be absolute trash then

good to know

Linus has always been clear he hates having to do clickbait titles and those thumbnail pictures, but that they bring the clicks that are needed to pay for proper work, so he believes it is worth it.
The review itself is quite true, and the title is a very good summary of the review, (tho maybe "Great but Unfinished" would be better just to avoid the stigma). I think he has probably the best UX review of the device, and I hope valve hears some of the comments to improve it.
Valve created a nice piece of hardware but the software experience is a bit flawed right now.

 

[LEANIJA]

being 1182nd and not getting emails (512GB/EU) means there and people who were minutes earlier reporting not getting, probably way less than 1000 units.

How do you know exactly which place in the queue you have?

 

[Yaska]

How do you know exactly which place in the queue you have?

When the reservation initially started they left the queue positions and total amount of people in the queue in the code. They quickly removed it though.

 

[Li Kao]

Overall the quality of the reviews I watched were a mixed bag. Now, I don’t want to be categorical, as this may be influenced by the verdicts vs. my subjective view on the Deck, but…

Linus was pretty good, but the review is more than a little sabotaged by the clickbait angle.

Gamers Nexus was overall surprisingly negative, which I guess is their right. But added with the unneeded passive agressive rant about other bad journos, it felt more than a little grumpy.

Phawx was an interesting case of passion being detrimental to the review. He clearly states that long reviews aren’t watched and that he will do more in depth videos in the future, which I don’t doubt. But you can make a solid case of too much yet too quick. As a non native the speed at which he talked went further than what I consider nice to hear by a far margin.

Not bad, I criticize but each has its pros and cons, don’t think I hated what I saw, just feeling mixed.

 

[sprinkles]

One thing I want to be implemented (on the Deck, but also on the Desktop client): give the option to sort my wishlist by the four Deck categories (Verified, Playable etc.).

 

[Li Kao]

Hmm, I really would like to use the Deck to its full potential, but accessories cost adds up.
Which dock to buy is fuzzy but it seems a good candidate is a 45 euros one without power supply in the box and no ethernet. The official dock would be ideal but when and at what cost ?
Mouse and keyboard are heavily dependent on the dock too, as I don't particularly want BT ones that I must charge.
SD cards are cheap, but there is cheap and cheap and I already have a somewhat limited 64gb one on hand.
Stylus is relatively far in my priorities.
Screen protector I have no idea what to buy and I'm sure I will bungle the set up.

It's not the end of the world, I assure you I don't want to buy things just for the sake of it, but without dock and peripherals I can kiss the desktop experience goodbye, and it's FAR from ideal.

 

[sprinkles]

Hmm, I really would like to use the Deck to its full potential, but accessories cost adds up.
Which dock to buy is fuzzy but it seems a good candidate is a 45 euros one without power supply in the box and no ethernet. The official dock would be ideal but when and at what cost ?
Mouse and keyboard are heavily dependent on the dock too, as I don't particularly want BT ones that I must charge.
SD cards are cheap, but there is cheap and cheap and I already have a somewhat limited 64gb one on hand.
Stylus is relatively far in my priorities.
Screen protector I have no idea what to buy and I'm sure I will bungle the set up.

It's not the end of the world, I assure you I don't want to buy things just for the sake of it, but without dock and peripherals I can kiss the desktop experience goodbye, and it's FAR from ideal.

I will wait on the official dock (I waited like 9 months for the Aya Neo dock to arrive and still have not connected it to any display, and just using it for charging now). But in my use case I doubt I will use the Deck in "docked mode" often (that's what my Desktop is for after all).
For a Mouse/Keyboard combination I recommend a Logitech K400+, it's pretty portable. Maybe a kickstand to throw into my back back.

 

[Le Pertti]

I'll probably play the deck undocked. Since I have a computer for computer needs. Might get a USB hub that also powers the deck, so I can connect stuff to it, like for streaming.

 

[Li Kao]

Sure, waiting is the path of reason. And I agree, I don't need another desktop. The thing is, it was a good opportunity to try linux, and that use case is dead in the water without all those accessories.

Uh, are we sure the Deck is shipped with power cable and plug ? I can see a reference to a 1,5m cable in the FAQ, but a good old 'what's in the box' would have been helpful.

edit - Ah ok the plug is included. But what about the cable ?

 

[Le Pertti]

Li Kao they are not going to skimp on the cable. Hell even apple includes the cable.