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

Mivey

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Sep 20, 2018
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Yeah, a true nightmare scenario.
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).
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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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.
 

lashman

Dead & Forgotten
Sep 5, 2018
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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
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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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.
 

Mor

Me llamo Willy y no hice la mili, pero vendo Chili
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I'm sure if they are openly saying you can install other OS is because they tested that already.
 
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EdwardTivrusky

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Dec 8, 2018
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There are probably driver that are compatible enough for it at the moment and there's going to be drivers in development for the device release or someone will leak the OEM driver but yeah, from the sounds of it Valve or AMD will just release Windows Drivers when ready.
 
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Mivey

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How would you even get Windows to work on this if there are no drivers for that APU?
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.
 
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Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
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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 :coffee-blob:
 

undu

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Mar 17, 2019
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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 :coffee-blob:
There's always the option to install lutris to get the other launchers working on SteamOS (even battle.net)
 

Yoshi

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I'm just glad it's open so anyone can do whatever they want with it :blobcheer:
Newell continued by comparing that to the closed platforms found on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation: "I don't want to hear that somebody's got some Trojan Horse that's going to try to lock me down. I want to hear whatever I want to do. If there's hardware, I want to attach to it. If there's software, I want to install. I can just go and do it. And you know, we think that's great."
 

beep boop

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Considering the 399 model has an M2 slot, what's the likelihood of the other models having that same 64gb eMMC memory as well? :thinking-face:
 

Mivey

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Considering the 399 model has an M2 slot, what's the likelihood of the other models having that same 64gb eMMC memory as well? :thinking-face:
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?
 
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beep boop

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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?
It doesn't say anything about the M2 thing on the product page either :shrugblob:

Edit: actually, it does say that on the Steamdeck site, it seems. Just not on the Steam page.
 
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Nzyme

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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.
 
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Yoshi

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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.
 

Paul

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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...
 

yuraya

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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.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
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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...
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.
 
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Paul

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The thing is, I don't know if Valve is willing to step on Sony and Microsoft's toes to make it happen.
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.
 

Mor

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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 :evilblob:

Remember, they are PCs, not consoles.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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I don't think we're going to see some grand migration from console to PC if Valve makes their own PC. Different markets.

Valve sees it, Sony sees it, and MS sees it.
 
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Mor

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Exactly, even if Valve decided to do a "console" it would still be just a PC a la dell, HP or whatever brand you want.
 

Ascheroth

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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.
 

Mivey

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Exactly, even if Valve decided to do a "console" it would still be just a PC a la dell, HP or whatever brand you want.
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.
 
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Durante

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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.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
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Would there be a difference in the eyes of a customer?
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.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
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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.
 

Mor

Me llamo Willy y no hice la mili, pero vendo Chili
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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.
 
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Mivey

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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.
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.
 
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