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Valve announces Steam Deck, a new portable gaming system


KHCast

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Or a portable gaming PC to be more specific

 

https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-deck-valve-announces-handheld-gaming-pc-2021-release?amp=1
 

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The cheapest model will be $399. There are other models, and the most expensive one will be $650.

I’m not gonna lie this looks really uncomfortable. But that’s just at a glance. Guess we’ll find out how popular this ends up being since it releases holiday of this year. Considering you NEED an internet connection…not feeling the most confident in it 

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I'm just not convinced that those touchpads need to be there. I know that's tapping into the design language of the Steam controller, but that seems to be the chief thing responsible for making the controller part of the device so huge.

I will be keeping an eye on this though, it's seriously pretty cool that VALVe was able to hit this thing at a $399 price point. Considering those of us with huge Steam libraries, that could be a savings versus buying a Switch.

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I can't see myself play TF2 well at all on this thing tbh. It's cool for a lot of third party games, but i'm not gonna get one of these at launch. Maybe later on sale, especially if they're compatable with recording devices.

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I seriously hope this thing eats into Nintendo's market share at least on the enthusiast half to the point they feel they need to seriously compete. I dunno if I'd get this myself, since I'm not big on AAA gaming, and most of the third party games I get are pretty bite sized already baring a few exceptions.

The biggest thing I'm hoping is that this forces Nintendo to seriously improve their machines to compete. The gap Sony left behind has really only hurt Nintendo to me. Anyways, getting out of here since I seem to be talking more about Nintendo than the actual Steam deck.

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A portable Steam console does grab my attention quite a bit, especially as someone who doesn't currently have the space for a proper PC. That said, the button layout on that model looks really awkward to use, even more than a Wii U gamepad.

It could be more comfortable than it looks, sure, but I think I'll wait and see what people think after this thing is released.

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Well, as long as you can plug a standard joypad in.

This definitely will take a good chunk off mobile/handheld market. Considering Switch right now doesn't really have any real competition.

I have a friend who loves handheld gimmick and crap such as Stadia. I have a desktop build and my internet connection sucks so I haven't much need for it, however, with this in the market I could persuade him to buy one finally play with me MHW Iceborne for instance.

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I'm definitely interested, I'd love to have one.  The only part that makes it a tough sell for me is that I already have access to the entire library of games that I'll be able to play on it.  It'll be a really rare occasion that I would use it for anything other than playing a PC game while sitting on the sofa.

2 hours ago, shdowhunt60 said:

I'm just not convinced that those touchpads need to be there. I know that's tapping into the design language of the Steam controller, but that seems to be the chief thing responsible for making the controller part of the device so huge.

In order for them to truly be able to market it as being able to play your entire Steam library, they need something that allows you to emulate traditional mouse support for games that aren't controller compatible. While touch screen is a theoretical option there, some games might require more precise input than that and aren't designed with using big fat ol' finger in mind.

It might have been an idea to offer a cheaper model that doesn't include them at the cost of only being able to play controller-supported games, but if this thing has the horsepower to play AAA games on the go in there anyway, the size of the device would probably be the same either way.

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6 minutes ago, JezMM said:

I'm definitely interested, I'd love to have one.  The only part that makes it a tough sell for me is that I already have access to the entire library of games that I'll be able to play on it.  It'll be a really rare occasion that I would use it for anything other than playing a PC game while sitting on the sofa.

In order for them to truly be able to market it as being able to play your entire Steam library, they need something that allows you to emulate traditional mouse support for games that aren't controller compatible. While touch screen is a theoretical option there, some games might require more precise input than that and aren't designed with using big fat ol' finger in mind.

It might have been an idea to offer a cheaper model that doesn't include them at the cost of only being able to play controller-supported games, but if this thing has the horsepower to play AAA games on the go in there anyway, the size of the device would probably be the same either way.

 

45 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

Well, as long as you can plug a standard joypad in.

This definitely will take a good chunk off mobile/handheld market. Considering Switch right now doesn't really have any real competition.

I have a friend who loves handheld gimmick and crap such as Stadia. I have a desktop build and my internet connection sucks so I haven't much need for it, however, with this in the market I could persuade him to buy one finally play with me MHW Iceborne for instance.

Just gonna chime in - IGN released a video earlier today with both a hands-on with the console, as well as a Q&A with Valve, and it was confirmed that any standard USB and Bluetooth device can be paired to the console - so mouses, keyboards, and controllers will be compatable: 

Not a perfect solution for a portable device, but technically speaking - mouse games will be playable, most likely.

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Hot take: I love this. This is beautiful. It's like a modern Sega Game Gear, and I'm fucking here for it.

Spoiler

Also: Halo. And Half-Life. Now playable on the toliet? Yes please.

 

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25 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

BTW It comes with a 64gb SDCard by default. Useless if you want to play a typical 100GB+ AAA game.

That's the on-board memory for the cheapest option, and it's only about another £30 to bump it up to 300GB via SD Card if you want more than one AAA game installed at once.  Granted, I'm sure there are some hardcore gamers out there who will be miffed to not have their entire library installed at once but, if I were to get this, I could easily see myself using it in a way where I have my current, big modern game that I'm playing installed as the main attraction, and then a bunch of old reliable favourites like The Orange Box, and smaller pick-up and play games like your Peggles and Audiosurf, installed at all times on the side for when I don't fancy playing the larger one I'm working through.

I could see it being an inconvenience if you have several modern AAA pick-up-and-play games you cycle between (if you have a selection of current multiplayer games that you regularly jump between as your primary PC gaming interest for example) but not always having immediate access to your entire library without additional preperation* is nothing new to the handheld gaming experience.

*In the old days we were talking a big/risky carry-case for all your game cartridges - the context of how one manages their handheld-games-to-hand have changed a little since then I suppose but it's the same basic situation, lol.

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Realistically with these specs this is Valve tossing a bomb into the market of people who like their Switch as a secondary gaming system but have grown sick of how hopelessly underpowered it has become in the past couple years. You aren't going to be playing Cyberpunk on it (so to some extent the storage space is rather immaterial), but the indie market that the Switch was basically given when Sony forced publishers to stop releasing games on the Vita? They're going to eat this up since they already probably have those games on PC. The homebrew scene who port RetroArch to everything who have had to put up with piss poor sparse official releases on Switch? They will flock to it as well. The people who may have a decade and a half rolling Steam library and this can probably play anything they might have bought up through the PS4/Xbone generation? They can get a handheld form factor without having to rebuy all of their games. With Valve's promise that it can have Windows put on it, it might legitimately eat into the 2 in 1 market as well. If they can keep the build quality up higher than the neverending disaster of the Switch's life as well I think it's considerably safer to say that they can put a dent in Switch sales and retention going forward than Kotaku or whatever claims.

 

 

 

 

That isn't to say that I think Valve is going to sell 50 million of the things, but there is definitely enough of a market niche after Nintendo decided that announcing a new Switch model that doesn't do anything to address the problems with the Switch (for more money!) that I think it can have some legs underneath it.

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Shit, this looks like the kinda of portable I want. Pretty sure the touchpad is for games that can't be played with a controller, say, like Age of Empires 2 DE (at least I think it can't). Also, I saw on Twitter someone putting the specs in "console terms" let's say, and this thing is something between a PS4/XOne and PS5/XSX. A PS4,5 if you will. Pretty powerfull I'd say. Will keep an eye on this.

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Man thinking on it more, if the KH series and KH3 eventually makes its way to Steam, this possibly might be something I grab, as KH modding scene + portability is too good to pass up.

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32 minutes ago, KHCast said:

Man thinking on it more, if the KH series and KH3 eventually makes its way to Steam, this possibly might be something I grab, as KH modding scene + portability is too good to pass up.

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Kingdom Hearts on the go is something I've always wanted, so that easily bumps up the value of this. Just the idea of stuff like GTAV, the Arkham Series, Kingdom Hearts, FFXV, and so on so forth portably is far too tempting to pass up IMO.

I really hope this is going to be the much-needed competition that's going to start forcing Nintendo to pump their game up. They've been unrivalled due to being in a market with no competition, since the Switch is aiming for a different audience than the PS5/Xbox Series X. With Nintendo skipping the chance to increase the power of the Switch, which is already beginning to struggle with even Nintendo's first parties, let alone third-party offerings (Age of Calamity for example), this is the perfect time for Valve to drop this after the Switch OLED was revealed to not be much of an upgrade.

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57 minutes ago, KHCast said:

Man thinking on it more, if the KH series and KH3 eventually makes its way to Steam, this possibly might be something I grab, as KH modding scene + portability is too good to pass up.

You can load other storefronts on it, so you'd be able to just buy KH on EGS when it comes out.

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Oh they knew what they were doing by  showing off Strive and revealing this after Nintendo dropped the OLED

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To me, the important thing this machine taps into is price consciousness. It is only $50 more than the Switch OLED. So I could easily see something like this eating into those sales and push Nintendo to reconsider what justifies a price increase. Especially hearing the news the thing only costs $10 more for them. 

I dont expect anything to change about how Nintendo charges for their games but even the Wii U couldn't push Nintendo that far. 

My only worry is how Valve markets the dang thing. Because its enticing as is if you put the minimum research, but it is ergonomically weird looking and still $100 more than the base Switch. So you have to do real marketing to speak to casuals. 

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8 hours ago, JezMM said:

That's the on-board memory for the cheapest option, and it's only about another £30 to bump it up to 300GB via SD Card if you want more than one AAA game installed at once.  Granted, I'm sure there are some hardcore gamers out there who will be miffed to not have their entire library installed at once but, if I were to get this, I could easily see myself using it in a way where I have my current, big modern game that I'm playing installed as the main attraction, and then a bunch of old reliable favourites like The Orange Box, and smaller pick-up and play games like your Peggles and Audiosurf, installed at all times on the side for when I don't fancy playing the larger one I'm working through.

I could see it being an inconvenience if you have several modern AAA pick-up-and-play games you cycle between (if you have a selection of current multiplayer games that you regularly jump between as your primary PC gaming interest for example) but not always having immediate access to your entire library without additional preperation* is nothing new to the handheld gaming experience.

*In the old days we were talking a big/risky carry-case for all your game cartridges - the context of how one manages their handheld-games-to-hand have changed a little since then I suppose but it's the same basic situation, lol.

I admit though, is a boon nowadays storage devices and technology are relatively cheap.

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This would definitely be a Switch killer if only the controls and buttons were better positioned.

It’s better off as without them as a portable storage drive, even if despite requiring internet access. But still, they’re on to something with this idea.

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The Switch is a massive success  sales wise and is sitting comfortably with its 5 year lead on the Deck. Nintendo doesn't have to actually worry about being outsold by this thing I'm sure.

Now reputation is another thing as after the OLED failing to impress this can't be a good look for them. Will be interested in seeing how they respond to a solid contender encroaching on their handheld territory 

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This thing owns. Preorder-reserved the 64GB version; just gonna get a 512GB microSD and call it a day.

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I didn't saw the IGN video before, but you can download and install another OS or even another game store, like Origin for example. One of the devs actually says this is literally a portable PC, a powerfull one, so you can basically do anything a PC would... Like download emulators and play literally every shit you'd want, not JUST Steam games. This piece of hardware contains so much power. How they keep it cool when high-end PCs nowadays requires like 3 super expensive coolers and shit is beyond me. Rocket science. I think I want this more than a PS5 right now. 

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Yeah I said I'd wait but....I pre-ordered, decided to splurge for the $500 version as well. Won't be getting it until Q2 of next year so I think I can survive the hit to my bank account if I prepare lmao, and if it turns out to be a flop I can back out before then 

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I also put in a reservation... though I went all in for the $650 version lmao. Probably gonna dual boot Windows and make this a portable Emulation/Game Pass machine.

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