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[GigaBowser]

"SteamDeck"

I know it's not very widely available but what do you think is its sales ceiling?

On one hand it's limited to Steam and is a portable PC, but I really like it.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I know it's not very widely available but what do you think is its sales ceiling?

On one hand it's limited to Steam and is a portable PC, but I really like it.

They tried before and it failed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Machine_(computer)

Edit:

Oh you mean the Deck. No I doubt it. Too niche.

 

[GigaBowser]

I feel like it should be more popular than the weak ass Switch. I tried talking to people at work about it and they didn't know what I was saying and one guy asked me if Nintendo made it cuz it's portable

 

[Spukc]

I thought it was shit…
Then i tried the steam deck..

Now i am sold on it.
Jeff gerstman had the same

 

[THE DUCK]

It's fantastic and the price is right too, but they simply aren't building enough. So no.

 

[lh032]

nope, would be lucky to hit half of it.

 

[IFireflyl]

Most people seem to think it is a hard yes or a hard no, but it could definitely sell that well if we're considering future versions. The first toe they dipped in the water sold beyond their expectations. We're talking about a portable PC here. Let them perfect Proton and use feedback from the first Steam Deck in order to improve upon it. I can definitely see Valve hitting 20 million shipped if that happens.

 

[Moses85]

What is a Steambox?

 

[ZehDon]

Should probably change the title to "Steam Deck" if that's what you're talking about.

And if Valve sells more than two million of the Steam Deck, I'll be mightily impressed.

 

[Skyfox]

They'll sell as many as they make.

 

[DavidGzz]

I ordered mine when they became available as soon as the page quit crashing and am still on a waiting list. I'm thinking about canceling and just putting the money toward a new PC instead. But yeah, if they could produce that many, they can sell them. People say they are niche but Steam has a huge userbase. Niche among casual gamers, for sure, but PC gamers aren't as casual.

 

[Crayon]

The steam machine known as steam deck.

It would take awhile for it to catch on that much. It would need a subsequent generation and a massive ramp up in production. Revisions could come fast as it is now but I would imagine if production was way up, they'd have to stick with one design for a minute. 4 years maybe?

The reason I think it could get up there eventually is that it's ultimately just pc hardware. I've thought about using one to replace my old ass desktop. Anyone who's into pc gaming at least has to take a look at it. It's intriguing. I don't think it's going to pull console players, though.

 

[ArtHands]

Will just outsell Vita at least

 

[teezzy]

Super niche ass product for nerds

Don't hold your breath

 

[Rykan]

It depends.

If they keep selling it only through Steam, then No.

If they actually start taking it seriously and get this thing on store shelves and properly advertise it then yeah, I think it can.

 

[ChoosableOne]

When you say Steam box... I think a hybrid device like Switch could sell more. But it's a great toy as it is. They nailed it this time. I will buy one if it starts selling in my country. It is very hard to reach the figures you mentioned due to the production speed though.

 

[Robb]

I doubt it, but I have no reference point. What are the sales currently? I haven’t heard much about it. Has it even broken 1M?

 

[ParaSeoul]

I don't theres enough interest and even if there was I don't think Valve could support it.

 

[TrebleShot]

Not a chance in hell

 

[Moses85]

Hopefully they will improve the Switch Emulation....

 

[ReBurn]

Maybe if the next iteration is better.

 

[brian0057]

I just want people to be aware of the following facts:

• Microsoft, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, killed the Kinect even though it sold over 30 million units.
• Sony scrapped the entire PSP line despite selling almost 100 million units across all of its iterations.
• VALVe is 0 - 4 on the hardware department.
• The Steam Deck is more expensive than the previously mentioned companie's devices.

History is not on VALVe's side.

 

[Topher]

I doubt it, but I hope I'm wrong. I think it would be good for the industry if this is a major success.

 

[SpiceRacz]

I just want people to be aware of the following facts:

• Microsoft, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, killed the Kinect even though it sold over 30 million units.
• Sony scrapped the entire PSP line despite selling almost 100 million units across all of its iterations.
• VALVe is 0 - 4 on the hardware department.
• The Steam Deck is more expensive than the previously mentioned companie's devices.

History is not on VALVe's side.

The Kinect was a gimmick accessory. Not really a fair comparison.

And Sony scrapped their portable division after the Vita sold like 10-15% of what the PSP sold.

 

[Sentenza]

I think it will effortlessly and consistently sell how many Valve will manage to produce.
I don't think that number will be anywhere near close to 20 millions.

 

[brian0057]

The Kinect was a gimmick accessory. Not really a fair comparison.

A gimmick accessory that sold over 30M units, costed around $100 and, in most cases, it came bundled with the console. Microsoft still killed it.

And 15% of PSP sales is still around 15M units sold, it dropped in price to $250, and Sony stopped making portables altogether anyway.

I repeat, history is not on VALVe's side, especially being 0 - 4 when it comes to hardware.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

If they could produce enough it absolutely would.

 

[reksveks]

I just want people to be aware of the following facts:

• Microsoft, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, killed the Kinect even though it sold over 30 million units.

The Kinect wasn't driving additional console sales but more importantly software sales.

• Sony scrapped the entire PSP line despite selling almost 100 million units across all of its iterations.

There was a massive drop off between psp and vita. I don't know one companies standards of success means for another but ehh.

• The Steam Deck is more expensive than the previously mentioned companie's devices.

Cost means nothing as long as the margin/roi (more importantly) is decent. ROI will include additional software revenue from increased engagement.

What success looks like for valve, no one knows

 

[kraspkibble]

no chance.

 

[Jigsaah]

The only reason I haven't bought one is because I'm waiting for the next one. Which admittedly makes absolutely no sense. I'm just not much of a first adopter if I can help it.

 

[IFireflyl]

I just want people to be aware of the following facts:

• Microsoft, one of the biggest corporations on the planet, killed the Kinect even though it sold over 30 million units.
• Sony scrapped the entire PSP line despite selling almost 100 million units across all of its iterations.
• VALVe is 0 - 4 on the hardware department.
• The Steam Deck is more expensive than the previously mentioned companie's devices.

History is not on VALVe's side.

The Kinect was a gimmick accessory. Not really a fair comparison.

And Sony scrapped their portable division after the Vita sold like 10-15% of what the PSP sold.

I'm not sure where the 0-4 number is coming from. The Steam Link failed. Steam Machines failed. The Steam Controller was a success though.

Steam :: Steam News :: Controller Gaming on PC

Controller compatibility in PC games used to be managed only by the individual game developers, meaning a game supported a predetermined set of hardware and players selected from these prescribed input options. In 2015 we began an experiment to find out what happens when the community is less...

steamcommunity.com

In 2018 over 1.5 million Steam Controllers were used on Steam. Sure, if you compare this to the 38.7 million Xbox controllers that number looks bad, but Xbox controllers had been everywhere for over a decade. The fact that in three years 1.5 million Steam controllers were in consumer hands is honestly impressive, especially considering that the majority of Xbox controllers are likely controllers that were bundled with a console, while the majority of Steam Controllers were stand-alone sales. (This last bit is speculation, obviously.)

The Valve Index was also a success. It makes up over 15.57% of the Steam VR headset market share. It is second place to the Oculus Quest 2 (49.02% market share). Again, that might seem like a failure, but the Valve Index is also considered a premium/luxury VR headset. It costs three times as much as the Oculus Quest 2. Here is a review from late 2021 comparing the two headsets:

Oculus Quest 2 vs. Valve Index: Which VR headset should you buy?

It's the Oculus Quest 2 vs Valve Index as we compare these extremely different takes on virtual reality headsets.

www.space.com

Their conclusion reinforces what I was stating: that the Valve Index is the VR headset you go for if you have the money. It is definitely not a failure.

This leaves us with Valve being 2-2 in the hardware department. Add to this that the Steam Deck had more people clamoring after it than Valve expected, along with the reviews for the Steam Deck being phenomenal, and it's easy to speculate that this will be another hardware win. That would make Valve's track record 3-2, which is a far cry from the 0-4 record stated.

 

[Lady Jane]

I'm getting Zune vibes

 

[BennyBlanco]

They will never produce enough to get them on store shelves so no.

 

[Punished Miku]

Do you think the Steam Deck could outsell the current numbers for Quest 2 by 6 million (currently Q2 is at 14 million)? You know, the same Quest 2 at every Walmart in the country with tons of momentum, a low price point, backing from Facebook and tons of mass market awareness?

haha .... hahahahahahahaha .....

 

[IFireflyl]

I'm getting Zune vibes

I used the triggered emoji because it was the closest I could get to a sad emoji. I LOVED my 64GB Zune HD. The Zune was amazing, and its only real problem was that it came to the market far too late. The only way it could have succeeded in gaining market share from the iPod was to be better than the iPod. It wasn't better, but it also wasn't worse. When you have two virtually identical-performing devices, most people will side with the one that is crushing the market share (e.g. they go with what is the most popular).

You made me miss a device I had long forgotten.

 

[mrcroket]

No way, most people don't even know about it

 

[AJUMP23]

It could. But it would be hard with it not being in Walmart.

 

[Gamezone]

They can start by making it available worldwide. It hasn’t even launched in Norway.

Anyway, how do the Switch fill up store shelves and not the Deck?

 

[Celine]

Steam Deck selling more than that failure known as PlayStation Vita would be a terrific success.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I think after a few revisions it is possible but that is probably selling the same thing to the same people a couple times. So, maybe? They need to get the chip shortage to end and prices to drop first.

 

[Trogdor1123]

I'm getting Zune vibes

Uh zune was in a marvel movie. I bet it makes a comeback

 

[TLZ]

Not enough inventory and marketing.

 

[PhaseJump]

It's supply is constricted, it's marketing is limited, demand for it is up against other prebuilt PCs.

I have a Deck, and I got it instead of a Switch. It's the best gaming handheld ever, and since I actually use it all the time, I'd say it's better than my desktop and laptop gaming PCs. I still laugh at the hype around it though. "Nintendo killer" being thrown around by clowns that are still waiting for their reservation. All hype and delusion.

The better comparison would be how many proton consoles shake out of SteamOS 3 getting a wider release. Game mode is a console UI.

 

[Belthazar]

I think it depends more on Valve being able to make that much tbh

 

[nemiroff]

No. It's a micro-niche product. With that said, I'm not a market expert, and the Steamdeck could of course potentially break out if some sort of trend forms.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Steam deck gives people access to “games on the go” the gamer belief is able to play games anywhere.

 

[Guilty_AI]

i think it could if valve actually produced enough of them

 

[spons]

It couldn't, wouldn't and maybe even shouldn't in its current state.
I love the concept but despise the end-product. Linux, the shitty screen panel, fan whine, a half-assed compatibility layer, it really does represent PC gaming in portable form.

 

[baphomet]

They're still trying to meet demand from the first day preorders and selling/shipping over 6,000 a week.

But 20 million is a number of pure imagination.

I'd say like 4-5 million over it's life.

 

[Drew1440]

Can't see it doing any better than the Dreamcast, more like 3DO numbers.