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Do you think the Steam Deck is going to revolutionize the handheld gaming industry?
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ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Switch doesn't offer as much games as Steam Deck. Its also more versatile, in which you can connect to keyboard and mouse and has non-gaming applications too.
I have a Switch, Razer Kishi and Retroid Pocket 2. Will be adding SD to my collection
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Same use case as the Switch. I use Nintendo Switch when in train, in bed or when i go to my friend's house
The Vita has no games though.
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Boss Mog
Member
What's funny is that the only amazing exclusive of the Vita, Persona 4 Golden, is on PC now and has been certified on Steam Deck.
CrustyBritches
Gold Member
Who would want a handheld gaming system? Well, a lot of people.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
So again you are saying it will revolutionize the handheld gaming industry because its cheap and can play PC games?
tassletine
Member
No. VR is the medium that will occur on if it hasn't already. Steam Deck is just a delivery system and a minor tweak on what's come before.
The only real revolution in videogames comes from the software.
The only real revolution in videogames comes from the software.
PhaseJump
Banned
Revolutionize handheld gaming by being console-like with it's UI, subsidized with it's price, and open? Yes. It already has pushed the envelope by talking about the right to repair and replacement parts issue.
SteamOS 3 is as good an simple to use as Switch. I would shake my head at the old SteamOS and Steam Machines for being a mess, but the new design works as well as any console, which negates complexity arguments around PC vs Console.
I've had my fill of bullshit from Nintendo over the years. They have carved out a niche with theirShield Tablet Switch console, catering to families that pick up multiple consoles so the kids stop fighting over it, safe and rock solid games for them, but I had one until I realized they butchered Zelda, and the rest of their games were nothing of interest to me. Like Playstation 4, half of the enthusiasm came from indie games and 3rd party work that ran better on PC. Unlike the Playstation Vita, Valve can better afford to "not" support Deck after release, since it's already open and buried in thousands of potential games. Again, Valve is bringing this new "console" (I would call it a console, due to price and ease of use being finally attained.) in at a cheap price for the performance and features.
There are a lot of angles to consider when judging what the Deck means, or what it will mean in the future. When Nintendo releases a Switch 2, it'll bump up the specs of their own output, but will it be open? No. Will people care? Not really.
Handheld gaming is the dominant force that kept Nintendo alive, it gave ground to Vita and mobile devices in Japan but recaptured ground by their hybrid and streamlined development. Personally, I got rid of my launch Switch after being offered retail price on it after using it to experience trash Zelda. What I wanted out of Switch never came to pass until Metroid Dread showed up, but I don't feel compelled to get their hardware for it. I was going to buy Switch Pro/NotProButOLEDOldThing right before the Deck announcement came out of nowhere. It destroyed that idea completely.
As a Vita customer, it sucked to be one a lot more than PSP. Sony killed any hope of me liking their ecosystem again. As Nintendo dominated, they drought their output and hawk high priced ports of old games, with no online features or any of the bells and whistles.
PC Handhelds are janky imports from companies that are barely worth trusting, and they price above a thousand dollars, so comparisons there are irrelevant. Valve never released their own Steam Machine, and left the OEMs to jack that up and defeat it's own purpose; but now they have the hybrid. They could release a cheap SteamOS 3 Proton game console on an AMD APU tomorrow, and it would be competitive as a console. It's that good now.
So we have console prices, and PC gaming. The Great Satan of anti-PC console warrior arguments that keeps them awake at night. The only thing keeping me awake at night now is the Steam Deck. (Clearly. Look at this post. What am I talking about again? Oh, yeah.)
Steam Deck is the greatest handheld console you can buy. Teenagers and young adults that aren't fundamentally stupid would probably prefer it over Nintendo. Millennials and Gen Xers that hold Nintendo sacred and use them as their childhood security blanket will undoubtedly try to discredit the magnitude of it's presence. PC gaming finally having a cost effective way of ignoring the "companion" console.
SteamOS 3 is as good an simple to use as Switch. I would shake my head at the old SteamOS and Steam Machines for being a mess, but the new design works as well as any console, which negates complexity arguments around PC vs Console.
I've had my fill of bullshit from Nintendo over the years. They have carved out a niche with their
There are a lot of angles to consider when judging what the Deck means, or what it will mean in the future. When Nintendo releases a Switch 2, it'll bump up the specs of their own output, but will it be open? No. Will people care? Not really.
Handheld gaming is the dominant force that kept Nintendo alive, it gave ground to Vita and mobile devices in Japan but recaptured ground by their hybrid and streamlined development. Personally, I got rid of my launch Switch after being offered retail price on it after using it to experience trash Zelda. What I wanted out of Switch never came to pass until Metroid Dread showed up, but I don't feel compelled to get their hardware for it. I was going to buy Switch Pro/NotProButOLEDOldThing right before the Deck announcement came out of nowhere. It destroyed that idea completely.
As a Vita customer, it sucked to be one a lot more than PSP. Sony killed any hope of me liking their ecosystem again. As Nintendo dominated, they drought their output and hawk high priced ports of old games, with no online features or any of the bells and whistles.
PC Handhelds are janky imports from companies that are barely worth trusting, and they price above a thousand dollars, so comparisons there are irrelevant. Valve never released their own Steam Machine, and left the OEMs to jack that up and defeat it's own purpose; but now they have the hybrid. They could release a cheap SteamOS 3 Proton game console on an AMD APU tomorrow, and it would be competitive as a console. It's that good now.
So we have console prices, and PC gaming. The Great Satan of anti-PC console warrior arguments that keeps them awake at night. The only thing keeping me awake at night now is the Steam Deck. (Clearly. Look at this post. What am I talking about again? Oh, yeah.)
Steam Deck is the greatest handheld console you can buy. Teenagers and young adults that aren't fundamentally stupid would probably prefer it over Nintendo. Millennials and Gen Xers that hold Nintendo sacred and use them as their childhood security blanket will undoubtedly try to discredit the magnitude of it's presence. PC gaming finally having a cost effective way of ignoring the "companion" console.
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Werewolfgrandma
Banned
Too expensive
PhaseJump
Banned
A $399 game console is too expensive?
Boss Mog
Member
Yes. There's never been a handheld that was able to play current gen games, or such a wide slection of games while playing them well and being affordable. Not to mention the well-established and well-received Steam platform for content management. They nailed it, and if they perfect it with future iterations I think it will sell well. i had virtually no interest in handhelds but they managed to make me want one.
Nocturno999
Member
It's kind of a no brainer if you have a big Steam library. Still, I'll wait for a revision.
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nush
Member
Bottom line is, PC games were not developed as portable experiances, it's the same problem Sony fell into twice by making console games portable.
Mobile gaming makes portable experiences and probably more of them and cheaper (Or free).
Steam Deck, great for a niche use case of traditional gamers, for the masses carrying two devices is a no go.
Mobile gaming makes portable experiences and probably more of them and cheaper (Or free).
Steam Deck, great for a niche use case of traditional gamers, for the masses carrying two devices is a no go.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
already backordered in the foreseeable future. Not that you care since you said you ain’t playing on PC
future of handheld gaming is in cloud gaming and mobile/tablet devices, they are much more versatile that devices specifically made for gaming like the steam deck. Bluetooth controller + nvidia geforce now give you access to the latest AAA games. mobile SoC are getting more and more capable at graphic computations; M1 SoC is more powerful than the steam deck.
Bo_Hazem
Banned
Doesn't mean much, we need to know how many are sold/being sold. It's a niche market, and not comparable to Nintendo. Doesn't mean it's not good, just don't expect crazy sales.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
It sell as much as they produce, that's what matter to Valve. Certainly not to you.
Steam Deck can do cloud gaming and interface with bluetooth controller too.
That's less of a problem here. PC games offer a wide range of customization for bunch of PC configuration, which means players/developers can scale down to 720p or low setting for portability.
Not to mention that there's already a massive amount of games you can already play on Steam Deck. Developers do not need to create titles specifically for the Steam Deck to get it running
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Zug
Member
I don't know, I had a GPD Win 5 years ago that I paid 200€ and could play Dark souls just fine, as well as many other indie games from my Steam and GoG library.
It was also much smaller (Vita like).
On this niche market, there were already many iterations of mini-PCs, and I'm not even sure the Deck is the best of them.
As for the maintream market, Valve needs to try harder if they want to do what Nintendon't.
It was also much smaller (Vita like).
On this niche market, there were already many iterations of mini-PCs, and I'm not even sure the Deck is the best of them.
As for the maintream market, Valve needs to try harder if they want to do what Nintendon't.
Fredrik
Member
I think it’s real nice to have a capable handheld gaming system to get some extra time with Elden Ring when I can’t sit at the PC or console for different reasons like kids occupying everything or just being lazy in bed.
For the most part, people don't really want console experiences on a handheld like that. PSP was more powerful than whatever Nintendo had out at that time, and while the PSP did relatively good for a handheld, Sony still lost out to Nintendo. With the price of Steam Deck ranging from 350 to 650, it feels out of range for a handheld to do well. You can get a ps5 cheaper than the price of the high end steam deck. While handhelds and consoles don't seem to be directly competing markets, they do affect each other. if you only have $500 to get something are you going to get a nice handheld or are you going to get a 'next gen console'?
Magic Carpet
Member
I don't know about handheld industry but if the Deck can load windows and let me do everything through a dock to my Home Theater I might just get rid of my old HTPC.
Apocryphon
Member
I bought it and have been using it at work. I teach but it's the end of the semester and now we just have meetings and course maintenance shit to do. Being able to chill in a lab between meetings or hide in my office avoiding the cunts I work with while I play Insurgency Sandstorm and BF4 had been delightful.
Battery isn't a strong point and the screen is nowhere near as good as the Switch OLED, and I already have a Switch OLED, but I think about it the same was I thought about the Oculus Dev Kits I bought. It's new and not quite finished, but it's giving me an experience I have pursued for years. My Steam library on the go with few compromises.
The hardware is impressive and I don't think it's too big or heavy, particularly in an age where people sit and play games on iPads. It's about the same size as my Switch OLED with BinBok joycons. It's slightly heavier but I'm hench so no issues. They have some work to do with the OS but it's hard not to be impressed with what they have achieved so far.
I've gone through the original Gameboy, Game Gear, Gameboy Colour, Gameboy Advance, DS, PSP, 3DS, Vita, NVIDIA Shield, NVIDIA Shield K1, Switch, and Switch OLED. Now I have a Steam Deck too and I love it. I'll probably buy the next one too.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
I will get a handheld since my PC can already play current and next gen AAA games at home, but not outdoor. Not to mention current handhelds can now double as a home console now, so you can leave it docked permanently and play it on tv. Switch is still selling very well too in the fact of current and next gen home consoles.
Valve also said the highest end model is the most popular Steam Deck model.
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Zannegan
Member
Same, at least for this generation. Things can always change over time, but as of now Steam Deck doesn't have enough market presence to even begin competing with Switch, nor is it like to do so in the future with how few of them are being produced. I am very interested to see what a Steam Deck 3 might look like, however, assuming Valve learns to count that high.
That said, people who are treating the Deck 1's ability to play the majority of the massive Steam's library on the go as unimportant are making a mistake.
Don't you think it's fair to say that the combination of that functionality in a convenient form factor, with a suite of controls that actually work for the vast majority of PC games, at an accessible price point very well could prove revolutionary in the long run? I do. I just think it's more appropriate to frame it as a revolution in the PC gaming space than for handhelds. That is the arena where the Deck line (assuming it becomes a line and isn't a one-off) could really shake things up in the same way that the Gameboy kicked off a revolution by taking console gaming on the go.
Valve isn't first to market with a handheld gaming PC, but neither was the iPhone the first touchscreen smart phone, the NES the first console, the Wii the first motion-control capable gaming system, Fortnite the first Battle Royale, etc. etc. You can start a revolution using only extant tech and even existing ideas, provided you do it in a new way that appeals to the mass market. It's the impact rather than the newness of a thing that determines whether or not it qualifies as a revolution, IMO.
Granted, this first gen Steam Deck doesn't look like it's going to have the market penetration to start a revolution in any arena. But, if Valve puts out a second iteration in 2-3 years, produces enough, and markets it well enough to catch the public eye, who knows?
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
We can agree to disagree.
I dont see how the Deck will revolutionize handheld gaming....not in the slightest.
Im looking at it right now the same way i looked at the Steambox......a good idea but certainly not something revolutionary......we will see if its revolutionary in time but i highly doubt it, cuz im sure the next Switch or even MS's handheld Gamepass box wont look at the Deck thinking its got any ideas ,or systems, or features, or anything that will change the handheld gaming industry....being cheaper option isnt a revolution.....in my opinion not when systems going forward will be cheaper and effectively will ignore its existence.
baphomet
Member
The steam deck is already a portable game pass box. And it runs games better than the vast majority of game pass consoles out there.
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Portable PC gaming like the Deck does will stay niche for a long time. It's still more for enthusiasts than a Switch. It might revolutionise the industry for said enthusiasts who don't need to spend over thousand bucks now for a performance PC handheld system, but that's it for the next couple of years.
PhaseJump
Banned
Are there any other 400 dollar consoles that can play games on par with a PS4 or Xbox One in a handheld? Are there any other 400 dollar consoles that allow consumers to buy, swap out or repair the modular parts in it? What systems going forward will be cheaper, with the freedom to use multiple game stores?
DukeNukem00
Banned
It's a computer, not a console.
PhaseJump
Banned
That's an argument I would have made before actually owning one.
SteamOS 3, the dedicated gaming peripheral form factor, the custom APU, and the cheap subsidized price makes it a console.
It can not be overstated here. SteamOS's redesign nails it for being a console UI. SteamOS and Big Picture Mode wasn't good enough before when Steam Machines were news, but it is now. You could ignore desktop mode completely and use this thing, and you would have an ecosystem of thousands of games running on Proton out of the box without any tinkering.
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Impotaku
Member
Nothing revolutionary about it, same shit nicer graphics. It’s just a continuation of the side competitor to Nintendo just like the lynx/gamegear/pce gt were, more colours but garbage battery as the price you have to pay for it. A Handheld that barely gets a few hours of battery life is not portable, they didn’t learn that lesson back then and it seems they still haven’t now.
ArtHands
Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
It certainly is. Yes.
Imru’ al-Qays
Member
I'm buying this because it's basically the most cost-effective gaming PC on the market.
CrustyBritches
Gold Member
There's a lot to digest here, but let's focus on the battery life claim. In an apples-to-apples comparison, I think the Deck fares quite well compared to the average Switch battery life.
In TW3, for instance, Switch runs 456-540p, PC 'Low' or 'Lower than Low', 30fps. Battery life on Switch Lite at max brightness is about 2h59m, while Switch V2 at max brightness comes in around 3h45m.
I ran TW3 on Deck at 30fps, 600p FSR, higher settings than PS4(High settings except Med Shadows and Ultra Textures), 90% battery life, full brightness, and it came out with an estimated 3h7m battery life. This is with 46sec loading time from SanDisk microSD card compared to Switch's 1m17sec loading to the same area(Crookback Bog), and with a superior frame rate(30fps riding Roach at Glory Gate, compared to Switch dropping to 22fps).
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PhaseJump
Banned
soulbait
Member
Nintendo is mainstream. People who are not gamers know who Nintendo is. They want their kids to play Nintendo games. My wife, who was never a gamer, plays Switch daily due to hearing about Animal Crossing and being hooked on it now. Steam are not those things. It is still niche. It is huge in gaming culture, sure, but not outside of gaming. Can they cross that bridge, yeah eventually, but it will be a long road to IMO.