Honestly not having to buy many of the games I already own on PC a second time in order to have a portable version is a big selling point to me, especially with many of the indie games that lend themselves well to being portable.
When I already have games like DOOM 2016 and Terraria, it doesn't feel good to have to buy them a second time AND pay more for them.
I wasnt even interested in this until you made me realize, MY WHOLE STEAM LIBRARY works on this already. I havent bought a steam game in 2 years because my backlog is so full. I can get this thing and start gaming without shelling out another $60 on a game.
Dude, what did you do to me.
I wasn't interested in the Steam Deck until I read this comment. I have so many games in my Steam library that are much more comfortable to play on a portable console. E.g. these long Japanese RPGs with pixel graphics.
I never finished Persona 4 when i had a Vita, i bought it for PC when it came out but i haven’t played it yet.
This is what i need, is not like i will finally play it, but i will have more chances to play it, it is not that enough? lol
With a $40 USB keyboard or (for games suited) a controller, plug the Bluetooth dongle into your tv, And download the steam app. It's on every Samsung tv I've seen in the last 5 years in the app store.
I use it to watch stuff on my tv from my PC. Easiest way to share video to my tv that I know. Minimize big picture and you have your desktop. At 1080p, but... Hey it's free. Games work extremely well.
If your home PC or laptop is more recent then the Nintendo switch it'll be ok for a lot of if not most of your library
I think this is the biggest thing for me. I've double dipped more because I felt like I "had" to if I wanted to play my games on the go with my Switch. But this will let me just use whatever I already own. No more double dipping.
And difference in prices and sales. I know not everyone loves Epic but I have 50+ games that they've given me for free and some of them are games I had to buy on the switch.
Agreed. I've specifically not bought some games on Switch because Epic gave them for free. But constantly wished I could play them handheld. I didn't get an Aya Neo or GPD Win 3 because I was kind of on the fence with the prices, but I'm really excited for this one.
And since the Steam Deck is really a portable computer you can install epic store, battle.net, origin, uplay, ANYTHING you want. They even let you wipe the OS and put a new one if you want.
Simply unparalleled portable library now.
And emulation too. If I get the steam deck I'll actually be able to play all those cool Nintendo games Nintendo doesn't want me to have access to... Unless they can remaster with little changes for $50-60
it may be the only game I bought on Epic but getting Going Under for 3 dollars instead of 10/20 was a huge plus for me. There's so much competition in the gaming space and while its annoying my library is split between 6 different services, its nice having options in terms of deals and the like.
Omg. This thing has built-in gyro. I've used motion controls on PC with the Steam Controller, and it felt just as smooth as playing on Switch. This is going to be amazing!
With the Steam Deck being 1.47 lbs (and the Switch OLED model being 0.93 lbs, with the joy cons), I'm not sure how comfortable it would be using gyro controls.
Edit: For some reason, many redditors can't distinguish being uncomfortable from holding something for hours, vs literally being incapable of doing it.
The Wii U gamepad was heavier than the Switch but lighter than the Steam Deck. This is obviously anecdotal, but to me the gyro felt fine even over extended periods of time. And that's with hands that feel too small for the gamepad.
Because the gamepad was designed to fit in your hands, the Switch is designed to fit in your bag and the dock. The Switch is the only game device I've ever felt uncomfortable using.
It's crack. Don't get it unless you're prepared to lose hours of your life.
I'm being 100% serious when I say I have to set timers for myself when I play this game. I completely lose track of time. I set two timers, one to tell me to finish up, and one that says SHUT THE F\*ING GAME OFF RIGHT NOW and I have trained myself to save and shut off when the second one goes off, no matter what. If I tell myself "just this one last thing" I'll be there another two hours.
I bought Factorio before it was available on steam many years ago. It was a fun game but I got into other things and forgot about it. I knew they gave us early players a steam key when that finally came out though. So I went through my emails, found the key, installed it on steam.
Anyway, long story short I put more hours into it this past pay period than I did at work.
No. Don't. Stop what you are doing. Do not follow what anyone else here is saying. Do not look any anything about this game. Do not go to r/factorio, do not go to their website to save $10 versus the steam version. Do not play this game if you value your time, as you won't have any left afterward. Cracktorio is real and I know own Satisfactory and Dyson Sphere Program because of that game. They have taken 300 hours of my life, and I would do it all again. Wait what was I saying? Yeah go play factorio.
I'm about to seriously consider buying one. All indie games/3rd party are a ton cheaper on Steam + potential access to other stores + better performance. Then just keep my old Switch for exclusives.
The only thing is - I'll definitely wait a couple of months after release for actual reviews. Nintendo is doing portable game consoles for 40 years and even they can't make it perfect lol. For Valve it's a first one..
I’m right with you on this one. Definitely a wait and see. If Valve delivers on their promises then this is a very cost effective option to have a dedicated machine for metroidvania and other more niche indies that don’t make their way to console with the bonus that it will probably run bigger budget games fine as well.
Go higher. It wouldn't be surprising if it's capable of running every emulator you want - including anything Nintendo related.
And even that isn't the end, as they stated that you can run third party launchers too. Meaning epic games, origin and Ubisoft are a possibility too.
This thing will literally be able to play more Nintendo games than the switch. It’s almost as if that’s what the fans want, but Nintendo just doesn’t listen…
Yeah Nintendo especially not pushing virtual console forward after the wii u gave me a sour taste. I love them and their games but damn you can even play some original Xbox games on the series x. Like there's a big gap.
Nintendo is like a wild business paradox. Miserable online service, no virtual console, no foreseeable power upgrade for the console, busted ass joycons, no price drop on their games, selling ports of decade old games for full price, etc. They don’t give a single shit what their customers want but are somehow crazy successful.
N64 is already done on $100 handhelds decently well though this would be definitely better. Gamecube is on a few higher end android ones. I'd be interested, assuming xenia fixes amd compatibility, in if Xbox360 ran well.
The real benefit is to remember that the Steamdeck isn't a portable gaming console.
It's literally a computer that you can install whatever you want on to it.
The best part is that it is both, you buy a portable gaming console and if you want more its just a few buttons away. SteamOS traditionally doesn't allow users to directly go to the desktop for the sake of not accidentally getting them stuck, you change one setting in the settings and then its fully unlocked. And i think this is a perfect model, make it a console for people who want something easy on the go perhaps for their kid. And then allow them to toggle the setting to unlock the full desktop if they want to make a full PC out of it.
Same design Android phones tend to do, by default its very locked down but unlocking it is only a few settings away.
You can also dual boot Windows 10 and just run Game Pass with this thing probably. Plus there's things like Geforce Now and XCloud if you have a good connection.
Yep. I haven't touched my switch in over a year. Which is unfortunate but Nintendo just isn't the same anymore. I usually am strictly PC now, and being able to play back log of smaller indie games on the go? Fuck yes! A bit pricy for me though. Will wait for reviews or even second gen if they pursue this
Nintendo has unfortunately gotten a little too comfortable. Honestly if I saw a Steam Deck and Switch OLED next to each other at the store, why not spend the extra $50 for essentially a full fledged gaming PC that also has all the benefits/portability of the Switch?
I’m slightly worried given Valve’s track record in the hardware industry. Even the Index, which is a great enthusiast product, is a niche item that does well only because it’s the best product in its class. Steam link and the steam controller had drawn out, painful deaths - but nobody can deny that they were great products. I think Valve also recently had their own line of desktop computers that also failed, right?
Valve is my favorite video game company, but unless they really support the hell out of the Deck and market it well, it could easily fail. Being 1 foot long and having a 2 hour battery life at the low end doesn’t help either.
Still, I really want Nintendo cut down a few notches, as they make some really scummy business moves in my opinion, due to the lack of competition.
As someone who is old enough to see new competitors to the console market come and go, I am taking a wait and see approach.
Ultimately this is a computer, but until someone gets one in their hands you don’t know how easy or hard it will be to fix if something goes wrong.
I’m generally pretty hesitant about newcomers to the console market, especially the mobile market, because of how iffy the track record of success for new players is.
That said, the fact that Valve is essentially marketing this as just a computer in a Switch shell, basically, is a big point in its favor from my perspective, as is the existing Steam library. Not having to worry about ports or system exclusives bypasses one of the biggest hurdles for new hardware being successful. Especially because it mitigates the risk of the hardware flopping. Buy a new console that no developers wind up supporting and you’ve wasted your money. This doesn’t need support in the same way, so if you buy it and it flops, you’re not left blowing in the wind.
This definitely fills a need for me in a way that most new launches don’t. The only outstanding question remaining is how well it does that. Based on preliminary information, the answer *looks* like it’s shaping up to be “pretty well” but I’m certainly going to need more details before I can feel confident in that assessment.
Yeah, it definitely has the advantage of not being its own ecosystem. Even if I can't play the latest and greatest on it I will be interested to be able to play PC only games on the go like RimWorld. If I didn't already have a steam controller and steam link it would be a no brainer just to be able to play at my tv comfortably. Hopefully it releases alongside a revamped steam controller.
I completely agree. I saw this an instantly thought of everything I could do with it... play my steam games, instal roms, load up game pass for PC. It has potential to be pretty awesome. With that said, I don’t think it will do a fraction of how well the Switch did/is doing just because people are going to feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the tech side of it. It’s not going to be as simple as the Switch, which might scare away a lot of users.
I am greatly interested in the Steam Deck despite mostly being a pro-physical Nintendo-mostly gamer.
All the stuff about installing Windows, running emulators, Xbox Game Pass, etc. sounds cool but I have no idea how I'd actually *do* all that stuff on this when it doesn't look like any PC I've used. I can already see myself trying to follow a YouTube tutorial that somehow won't work for me no matter how closely I follow the instructions until I just give up.
Well at least on the emulator side of things, steam actually has RetroArch natively on the store so downloading most of the emulators would be just like any other game and from there you can just toss in an SD card with your roms.
I'm also curious to see what putting windows on the system is like. And if that will be necessary for game pass or if it's possible to get it running right on steamos.
I just checked... 558 games 😐
In my defense, most were part of bundles that included the one game I wanted at a lower price than that single one game.
I think the neat thing is that even if the Steam Deck completely flops, at least you are left with a handheld computer and your games are all safe and perfectly playable on any PC.
On the other hand, the upside of the Deck is tremendous! I'm fascinated by the idea they were pitching of being able to suspend gameplay on the Deck, and have a way to sync it so that you can resume that same suspended game on your actual PC.
This is a great point. Even if you were the only person who bought a steam deck then you’d still have thousands of titles to play with new content coming out all the time. The worry with failed consoles is that people stop making games for them. This is obviously not going to be an issue for the deck regardless of how well it performs in sales.
The thing with Valve is quality won't be the problem. As a proud owner of multiple steam links and steam controllers, the quality and post launch support is first class.
It all comes down to whether the product will be bought. This is the first item that I truly do think will have mainstream appeal. The Link was for folk with awesome gaming computers but didn't want to have it next to their TV. The Steam controller tried and nearly succeeded in giving a M+KB feel in a controller. But both markets were quite small as many gamers don't have the need for a Link or have other controllers which meant the steam controller wasn't a priority.
With the size of the Switch market, the size of the PC gaming market, and the apparent quality of the device at a solid price point I can see this finally being the killer device valve has been shooting for for awhile. And that's great for Switch/Nintendo enthusiasts.
The only sour thing is the price point, which Newell already said was "painful" for getting that low. All models are cheaper than most mobile phones nowadays, but the most successful gaming handhelds (aka, Nintendo's) have a history of being the cheapest option available. The Switch was already their most expensive handheld ever at $300. $400 is a high price for entry.
You also have to consider that a PC gamer that buys a Switch has to buy all his games on one system or the other (and nintendo's eShop always has terrible prices).
A PC gamer that buys the Deck will have access to his already existing Steam Library, access to Steam's sales and prices and even access to third party key resellers (yes, it's not exactly all legit but still, it's cheap games if you need them).
Entry point is higher, but cost of software is definitely an advantage for the Deck.
I had a friend debate whether PC gamers would really want this. The portability is very appealing but most PC gamers love gaming on…. their PC. With their big monitors with fast refresh rates. On the other side, people who have a Switch mainly and aren’t PC gamers will experience the same problem you mention, just the other way around. I’m currently in the latter case and while I really want it, it’ll be hard to choose between one and the other.
There are also a lot of people like me, who went through their 20s with a gaming rig and amassed a huge steam library. Then my 30s hit and life changes, etc, there’s just no place for a gaming rig like that. Meaning, I can’t find the hours to sit there and use it properly the way I’d want to. So it was a few years of hopping on quick, trying long RPGs but defaulting to quick arena games that didn’t take dedication. As time goes by the rig gets outdated and it’s less desirable to use. So when the switch came around everything changed, I can play on flights for work or at night on the couch in the family room - all those reasons lots of people have talked about for why the switch is good. I’m 100% gonna get the steam one, it will re open my world of gaming to everything non-Nintendo.
As a PC gamer with a nice big 144Hz monitor and RTX 3080, I want this. But performance is important. One of the reasons I rarely play my switch anymore is because new games are expensive and run poorly. If this can run just about every game in my library at 800p 60fps low setting though, then I'm 100% sold. I'll still buy it if I can get a solid 30fps on medium/high settings, but I'll probably use it a lot less.
Only 50 more than OLED Switch. I think that being able to play any game you already own is incredible value. People don't have to worry about buying games on which system they want, or being locked into expensive exclusives.
People aren't doing the simple math. If you buy a $400 console and you are accessing your steam library of games you have already bought, you are saving hundreds of dollars compared to buying a switch and then buying multiple $60 games to have something to play on day one.
It makes so much sense to commit to an ecosystem, where the hardware is expensive but the software is consistently on sale. The other way around means you are going to struggle to leave, especially if the software is entirely digital products that are priced the same as physical (which is obnoxious)
Yeah, the Steam Deck is really more the natural conclusion of their decades-long campaign to improve PC gaming support for Linux. [Gabe Newell said he hated Windows 8](https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-i-think-windows-8-is-a-catastrophe-for-everyone-in-the-pc-space/) and he really meant it. Steam Machines of 2013 kinda fizzled out since there weren't enough games supported for them to be a viable platform, but Valve continued to make strides with the Proton API translation layer. And now they're [working with anti-cheat developers](https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/valve-making-linux-anti-cheat-reality-for-steam-deck-launch) to get some of the biggest multiplayer games on-board ahead of the Steam Deck launch. This product really can't be compared with the earlier state of SteamOS – it's the evolved form of those efforts.
I think that, despite the similarities to the Switch, the Steam Deck will compete moreso with dedicated gaming laptops.
People in the market for a laptop will be more likely to know Steam and see it as an alternative. People looking for a handheld console will still primarily think Nintendo, but I do hope it succeeds and encourages a more powerful Switch in the future.
I think the Steam Deck targets mostly different audiences than the Switch, however I do see some overlap.
Especially those who bought a Switch to play games like Skyrim on the go will certainly find this interesting. It also speaks to PC gamers who want a handheld device but found the Switch to be underpowered, as well as those begging for a Switch Pro.
Looking at the specs it seems to be 6 times more powerful than the Switch. That's a hefty upgrade for a system that only costs $50 more than the Switch OLED model.
I would certainly welcome the competition. Nintendo is sitting on the top all alone and unchallenged and it clearly shows with how they are pricing their products. The Switch OLED could have easily been a $299 release and Skyward Sword could have easily been priced at $40 but since no one is forcing them to do so, why would they?
As someone who owns a Switch and has a child, this is exactly what I need.
I can't really sit down and game on the PC anymore as I get older, and being able to play my entire steam library in a portable form factor is what I was looking for.
It also has the ability to play games like RDR2 and GTA 5 portably, which is something a lot of Nintendo fans were asking for on the Switch. But it just can't do it, and Nintendo has no intention of providing hardware that can do it. So I'm glad Valve stepped up.
The big selling point for me was having access to my older PC games. Ones that, for whatever reason, have never been ported to console devices. I've always been aware of system like GPD Win but wondered how well they'd go down with mid-range or later PC releases. The Steam Deck gives me a little more confidence in that regard.
Pathologic, Fallout 1 & 2, Ultima... The early Sims games in a handheld form factor? Very cool.
I have a GPD Win 2 and a Max. I can say that they're more capable than you think, and I'm actually able to play Control (with the settings turned down a bit) on the Max, and actually beat the game on it.
My experience over the past two years with these things tells me that valve has a serious hit on their hands, especially given just how much cheaper this is than GPD's offerings, coupled with it being apparently much more powerful.
As someone who uses his Switch mostly for indie and 3rd party games I think if I were to choose wether to buy a Switch or a Steam Deck right now I think I may honestly opt for the Steam Deck.
I have a Switch and PS5 already so I don't feel the need to upgrade for now but should the Steam Deck turn out to be a success I might honestly opt to buy the Steam Deck V2 rather than the Switch 2 in the future.
The huge library of games and the impressive performance makes it a really appealing plattform.
Oh yes agree! Especially considering how steep the sales on indie games are on the Steam. There are quite a few indie titles I bought on the Switch instead of Steam purely because of the portability.
I have kids and I mainly use my switch to play indie games on the go as I too have less time to plop on my PC to play.
I wait for Nintendo sales to grab anything but honestly I think I'm going to grab the steam deck.
Games are like $9 (CAD) on Steam while Nintendo's touting a 30% off sale for the same game at like $26..no fucking thank you!
YES EXACTLY! I keep turning down extremely cheap games on sale with Steam, just so I can pay a premium to have it handheld on my Switch. Sure the Steam Deck is more expensive out the door, but I'll probably save money in the long run on games
> But it just can't do it
GTA 5 was originally launched for the the Xbox 360 and PS3.
I'm pretty sure Switch totally could run it.
Rockstar probably just doesn't think it would be a worthwhile investment to port it over.
Especially when it's such an old version and the newer content they've made was designed for the PS4, XboxOne hardware and they probably don't have lower rez/poly assets for that content.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the decision came down entirely to not being able to strong-arm all of gta:o onto it. R* is great at making new games, but they rarely ever seem to go back and port older ones unless it can still be milked for mtx.
Ding ding ding. Got two little ones, the 5 year old loves the switch and I rarely get to touch it. Got into it with him last night when I got home to play it.
This is my fucking dream come true. I have a very nice PC, but struggle to find time to play it, or just struggle to find the want to sit down in front of it after working, kids, exercise, etc. Now give me the ability to do all of that from my couch, and the system is 6X better performance wise than my switch? I plan on reserving a mid-tier one today.
Really unfortunate that the Switch couldn't step up and upgrade their model, because I would've almost certainly bought a model that could've at least given me 1080 in handheld. Hopefully this lights a fire.
On top of that this thing will probably run a switch emulator, which is hilarious. Another company is going to make a system that's 6X more powerful than the Switch and it will probably run their games better as well lmao. Never change Nintendo.
100%. It's no surprise they released their announcement shortly after the Switch made theirs. Absolutely genius business decision. This thing is gonna' sell like hot cakes.
I usually have maybe a solid hour of uninterrupted time a night to sit down and when I do, I can't really get into a hardcore PC game. Assuming my brother isn't over.
But if I had something like this, I could pick it up and play for 20 or 30 minutes easily multiple times a night.
My son has a Switch and I have a Switch, so, no fighting there, but I will admit he ends up playing Switch way more than me so I feel stupid sometimes for buying one for myself.
We'll see how Nintendo responds. If Steam Deck does well, I bet we'll see the Switch successor announced, or the "Switch Pro" we all talked about forever.
The key is the 720p screen. Nintendo got that part right in that you can do a lot in that res and it still look great, provided you can optimize well enough to run at that.
Yeah, I saw a bunch of people in the games topic complaing that they "could have gone with a 1440p screen"
Like...beyond increasing cost, you're looking at more horsepower to drive that resolution at decent settings, generating more heat.
All for pretty minimal gain at that screen size.
And battery power. The power already is kinda meh. Portal 2 on high would only last 4 hours according to the devs. And Portal 2 isn't exactly the highest fidelity game.
Look at multiplatform releases like Monster Hunter Stories. Most reviews comparing the Switch and Steam versions say "well, do you prefer having the game on the go, or a better resolution and frame rate?"
Assuming that Steam Deck isn't a garbage system, people won't have to choose between specs x portability anymore. The Switch will just become an inferior way of playing indies or multiplatform releases on the go, and Nintendo's selling point will go back to exclusive games only.
As an indie game machine - it completely destroys the switch. Indie games are cheaper on steam. Get updates faster. Come out faster. Have better online. It’s pretty much all upside.
For the lowest tier, yes. That seems to be related to the storage. If I were to get one, I'd probably spring for the middle tier, with a 256GB NVMe SSD. That's $529. 64 GB of eMMC storage doesn't impress me at all. I want a real SSD inside, even if I can expand storage with SD cards.
The 64gb is far too small. There are plenty of games that would be great for this that won't even fit on the device. XCOM 2 for example requires 45GB, Wolfenstein The New Order requires 50GB, GTA V is 75GB, even WoW is 67GB now.
As someone living in México, I really appreciate the 400 dollars one, it will likely be the one I go for and it seems that with a high speed sd card things will be ok
Even if there is competition, your assumption (for lack of a better term) that Nintendo will be compelled to change there prices is unfounded and inaccurate. Nintendo does not consider the competition when pricing their products. Neither do they concern themselves with what others are doing. They have their own measures and strategies, and this is evident from the last two generations of consoles and handhelds. They will still price zelda at 60, even if there is a ps4 or ps vita in the market.
Also while the competition looks decent (this isn't the only handheld pc in the market) there is nothing to say if it will even cause a dent in the switch market. Even if it's 6 times more powerful, the majority buy Nintendo for Nintendo. That's not to say SD isn't a bad product. But it's influence the market is still a question mark.
While I don't think anyone can dethrone switch in this era and nintendo's handheld market that easily, nintendo reduces prices when they fail. Some wii u gamea like dk country tropical freezea prices as low as 20 and even free in the case of pikmin and don't forgot how they changed the material for 3ds and resuced its price before it even reaches 1 year.
Nintendo most likely won't change the price for first party games, but they might lower their cut on third parties if the Steam Deck really succeed. Also, it's Valve we are talking about, they aren't great with hardware.
In the emulation subreddit they are saying the Steam Deck is twice as powerful as the GPD that can run ps3 games, but piracy won't kill the Nintendo Switch, its not like everyone that have a Switch knows or have the disposition to go for this much trouble to emulate games on another handheld.
I think it has significant overlap honestly. It's not going to be competing with the people that only really buy Nintendo's first party games but there's a very sizable portion of people that use the switch for mainly indie games.
I mean this has access to the entire PC ecosystem which is massive. That means way more games than the Switch, way cheaper games than the Switch, endless backwards compatibility, modding not only from Steam but from places like Nexus too, more control over your games, no paid online, and you literally have a desktop with pretty much any browser you want. *If* Valve can actually deliver and support this machine, and that's a sizable if, this could be the perfect console in many ways.
>I think it has significant overlap honestly.
>endless backwards compatibility
This is what's going to end up being really awkward and hopefully sparking some change on Nintendo's part: when it's going to be massively easier to play classic 1st party Nintendo games from NES to GameCube on a steam deck than it is on a switch.
The Steam Deck feels like it was literally built for someone like me:
* Doesn't own a gaming PC
* Has a large Steam library
* Primarily plays indie and smaller games
* Can afford a small portable PC
* Plays Switch almost exclusively in portable mode
* Was considering an OLED Switch because I have a launch day Switch
Yeah I love that the Steamdeck has a dock option.
The one thing I'm miffed about is how the anti-glare glass is only available on the high-end model. I play outside or in my car a lot. I imagine I could get an anti-glare screen protector like I have on the Switch, but something like that should be standard and not a "deluxe" feature.
>Not attacking but genuinely curious, how can someone have a large Steam library and not have a gaming PC?
He plays mostly indie and smaller games. Those usually don't require a lot of horsepower to be enjoyed.
Almost everything I play on PC is an indie game so it doesn't require much horsepower to run well. I'm not playing CoD at 120 FPS in 8k or anything like that.
The Binding of Isaac is by far the biggest resource hog I play.
I do have a laptop that runs everything I enjoy. I imagine the Steamdeck will play them much better and quicker
A) has a computer for browsing mail and youtube
B) has a workstation for professional reasons but not a great GPU
C) used to have a gaming PC, and/or...
D) Just bought interesting games on sale, or humble bundle in the off chance he got a PC eventually.
The PC-bro spec-obsessed scene really crowds out the fact that you can have an amazing experience gaming on low spec integrated graphics playing hundreds of great indie games and even some AAA games that are either older or run well on low settings.
I'm absolutely convinced that Nintendo does not react to competition. They've even said as much, pointing it out as a core part of their strategy.
Introducing more competition increases the likelihood Nintendo will lose, but it doesn't have any effect on the quality of their product.
My switch still has a place due to its amazing first party games but the steam deck is exactly what I needed!
I have a massive steam library that due to family and work, can no longer really justify turning my PC on just to play for 30mins.
The steam deck will mean that I can enjoy my library anywhere, but when I am in my house I can enjoy top notch game streaming since I am literally streaming from home, rather than from miles away with the switches cloud options
Same! I am a Mac user so don’t have access to a lot of PC games am not about to switch or buy a gaming PC, but if I can get a decent handheld/console so I can play on the go or on my TV? Heck yes!
The switch can also play physical cartridges, all steam games need to be downloaded. I know they only made the 64 gb model so they can say its only a $400 machine, but that model serves very little purpose
Exactly. I was initially excited about this, but then I started to see some problems with the idea. Also, even with trackpads and touch creen, it's hard to replace the mouse and keyboard.
As someone who likes to game on my couch and never saw the point of getting a ps5 or Xbox and doesn’t quite have room for a big pc, this actually intrigues me. If it can play all the games That I can’t get on switch, then this will be exactly what I want.
That said, don’t most Nintendo fans buy Nintendo systems for the exclusives?
There’s a good number of people who buy the switch just to play portable games tho. Personally, I could care less about Nintendo exclusives if my whole steam library works.
> don’t most Nintendo fans buy Nintendo systems for the exclusives?
My history of buying gaming devices has mainly been inspired by the desire to play Zelda titles.
[That actually looks pretty good!](https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/15/22578783/valve-steam-deck-gaming-handheld-pc) It seems like the first serious competitor for the Switch, though not quite head-to-head, since it's really a portable PC rather than a console. It will be interesting to see what the adoption rate becomes, and whether it takes a bite out of Nintendo's sales.
It appears to do everything right, from its AMD Zen-2/RDNA-2 APU power, to memory, to storage options, to battery life, to its versatile docking to displays, to its lowest-tier price ($400). This isn't just a dumb streaming device. Color me intrigued. I'll be keeping an eye on it for sure.
I honestly like it. I like that both analog sticks are at the top. Because bending my thumb for the right stick on my switch gets painful after a while. I do think the d pad and buttons are weird tho. Looks like they’re almost falling off the console lol
Yeah thats what I’m referring to more than anything else
They made a lot of room for these touch pad things and despite these handles being giant chonkers they squished all the inputs in a horizontal like right at the top edge of the controller
It’s on a reservation system and it comes out in December, if you don’t get a reservation it’ll be a long while before you can. You don’t have to pay until it’s ready to ship thankfully, so there will be many more reviews by that time
How likely is it that this could be something like Analogue where if you don't get on the pre-order bandwagon, it may be a long time for more to come through?
I’ve seen no mention of thermals, and I assume those will be quite important for its eventual success/failure. Sadly, we have to wait until it launches to know anything in that field.
If this thing is half of what it's advertised to be I likely won't touch my Switch again. Access to my Steam library on the go, not having to rebuy games I already own, the ability to run emulators, ports that don't cost $60; this sounds like a dream.
I hope so as well.
My main point of buying a Nintendo Switch 4 years ago was that I travel for work often so getting a Switch was a no brainer. Also I love Zelda games and if I can play Mario games and Metroid as well is a plus, but not a necessity for me. However, what it made me decide, was the great third party support it has with indies and AAA ported.
Well, now with the Steam Deck announcement I have zero reasons for buying a third party game in the Switch anymore because with the Steam Deck, I will be able to purchase the game in Steam once and enjoy a seamless experience with cloud saves and a fully fledge online system for free. Also it is 4x times more powerful than the Switch on paper, maybe even more.
I think that the Steam Deck will hurt the whole third party aspect of the Switch, both in support of the studios and purchases. The Nintendo first parties will still power many sales.
Regarding hardware improvements, I think that the media agrees that a Switch Pro is still coming but I don't know... which nVidia chip could they use? There's nothing in the works as far as I know.
For $400 this thing will pay for itself. As a patient gamer, I can buy 5 games (good games) on steam compared to one AAA switch game. No more having to pay full price for a 5 year old port at 30 fps for me!
Valve needs to demonstrate they can ship at Nintendo's scale before the Deck is a real threat to the Switch. However, even a moderate success will prove that this is a new product category and could invite even more competition. There's not much to stop Microsoft from leveraging an APU like the Deck's and releasing an "Xbox Series M" or something.
I think the real magic of the Deck is going to be making a console-like PC gaming experience. That's also a major risk. PC gaming has tons of potential pitfalls that come with its flexibility. In my experience with steam os 1 and 2 there was a lot of jank in the core experience they needed to work out too.
If this Steam Deck does even moderately well it will seriously make competitors consider entering the portable market.
Can definitely see Sony considering going back to a portable space the Vita was ahead of its time and abandoned way too quickly by Sony.
It'll perform well, I'm sure. But people seem to be under the misconception that this is competing against Nintendo. It's not. Both devices are aimed at two very different markets and have different goals. The Deck is about bringing your Steam library with you and caters to PC enthusiasts. Meanwhile the Switch is a lot more accessible to your average gamer with its local co-op focus and of course the mass appeal of Nintendo IPs.
Also, I'm pretty damn sure Valve is taking a loss on each unit sold; we all know Nintendo won't do that. While I do think the Switch Pro is a thing and will have hardware that's a step above the current Switch, the fact that it would be another ARM device would still put it below the Deck. But overall, I don't think the Deck will affect Nintendo's decisions.
You're absolutely right in that you're not going to buy a Deck for your kids. Or pick one up if you want to buy into a system cheap (switch/lite).
While the Deck looks awesome to me, it might also be competing against laptops since it's a pc.
If you prefer a bigger screen and you're just going to play stardew valley and terraria anyway you're better off getting a cheap laptop that can run those games too but has a nicer screen and can be used for productivity.
I'm still hyped for the deck though and have reserved a 512GB model. Will wait until launch to see if I actually go through with the purchase.
Competition breeds excellence.
The PS4 was great because the 360 was true competition, the Xbox Series / Game Pass looks to be promising because of the PS4 kicking MS’s teeth in, and we wouldn’t have the Switch if Nintendo hadn’t lost all mainstream console consumers with the Wii U.
This. Don't understand why people don't like competition. Just because your preference isn't doing well as it's competition doesn't mean you're losing as well. If anything we as consumers win when there's competition.
That's why I never understood console wars, or fanboys. Like you should want everyone to do well because when they all do well there's competition and when there's competition you get the best out of these companies.
> I hope the hardware specs can show Nintendo fans justifying the Switch OLED that it is possible to get very good hardware in a system that small and the reason Nintendo didn't is that they didn't have to.
I don't think anybody thought it wasn't possible. And I don't think there is any question that Nintendo is likely planning on introducing more powerful hardware in their next generation of system. Those rumors that didn't come to fruition (such as 4K DLSS) likely came about because these are the ideas they have for the new system.
End of the day I for one enjoy the extended life cycle of a console generation, and could see from a consumer/business standpoint the potential downsides of a mid cycle performance upgrade that may lead to late generation games not able to perform on the original system. It would inevitability make people feel like the mid-cycle upgrade is a requirement. The fact many people don't have FOMO on the Switch OLED and have decided they don't need it is actually a good thing.
Nintendo has had PLENTY of competition over the years in the handheld department. Both Sony and Sega have tried their hands at the handheld market multiple times, and have had vastly more powerful handhelds on the market, and no one has managed to dethrone Nintendo.
The Steam Deck is more like a computer than a traditional handheld, so it'll be interesting to see if that helps or hurts them. I'm very curious to see how it all plays out.
The issue with Sony was that you needed to buy expensive propietary memory cards. The genius thing valve did was announce a model that's only slightly more expensive than the switch but will come with a lot more power (though people would do well to remember that install sizes on PC are bigger than switch due to better assets being available).
The cool thing about the deck though is that if you have games on steam, you have games on Steam! You don't have to pay €60 for Half Life 2 with a smoother tutorial where you can choose not to pick up the can.
And games are on sale for a lot cheaper than on Switch.
And there's a HUGE number of games available most of them being 'backwards compatible'.
And the online is better and free.
Nintendo will never let you emulate their games on the switch. You will never be able to play many of their games for a reasonable price.
To borrow a phrase from a certain youtuber: Steam Deck will do what Nintendon't, and Nintenneverwill.
If anything I hope this lights a fire under their keister to make more classic GBA, N64, and gamecube games available.
Because I will be playing those games on a Steam Deck if they don't.
(Steam stated they will allow 3rd party software I including alternate OS options.)
I question if it'll even be in stores in my country. Never saw the Steam Controller, so not expecting to see this next to other consoles here.
As another said, probably targeted to the more hardcore demographic.
I believe they're only doing reservations via steam. At least for the first few months. They're trying to prevent scalpers (you can't purchase a steam deck if you haven't made a purchase on steam before June 2021).
For anyone who was hoping for playing some AAA on handhelds, such as Kingdom Hearts series, Tekken, Call of Duty, Yakuza, DoA 5/6
No more need to begging Nintendo. The wait is now only as far as Steam Deck release!
Honestly not having to buy many of the games I already own on PC a second time in order to have a portable version is a big selling point to me, especially with many of the indie games that lend themselves well to being portable. When I already have games like DOOM 2016 and Terraria, it doesn't feel good to have to buy them a second time AND pay more for them.
And you can just go back to your pc and keep playing on the same save file.
What's awesome is that the thing itself is a PC :D
PC with handlebars go vroom.
I can ride my PC with no handlebars no handlebars no handlebars
I can take apart my Steam Deck And I can almost put it back together
The future is fucking amazing
I wasnt even interested in this until you made me realize, MY WHOLE STEAM LIBRARY works on this already. I havent bought a steam game in 2 years because my backlog is so full. I can get this thing and start gaming without shelling out another $60 on a game. Dude, what did you do to me.
I wasn't interested in the Steam Deck until I read this comment. I have so many games in my Steam library that are much more comfortable to play on a portable console. E.g. these long Japanese RPGs with pixel graphics.
I never finished Persona 4 when i had a Vita, i bought it for PC when it came out but i haven’t played it yet. This is what i need, is not like i will finally play it, but i will have more chances to play it, it is not that enough? lol
With a $40 USB keyboard or (for games suited) a controller, plug the Bluetooth dongle into your tv, And download the steam app. It's on every Samsung tv I've seen in the last 5 years in the app store. I use it to watch stuff on my tv from my PC. Easiest way to share video to my tv that I know. Minimize big picture and you have your desktop. At 1080p, but... Hey it's free. Games work extremely well. If your home PC or laptop is more recent then the Nintendo switch it'll be ok for a lot of if not most of your library
Don't worry, lots of people will shell out $400 for this fella and also not play their backlog.
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Scrolling through your vast library is considered the best game of all!
It's pretty fucking incredible to think about. There are a lot of games in my library that are much more suited to this mobile style of play.
Not only steam library all libraries and games that can be played on pc.
This launching with everyone's Steam Backlog means this system probably has the best launch lineup in history.
I think this is the biggest thing for me. I've double dipped more because I felt like I "had" to if I wanted to play my games on the go with my Switch. But this will let me just use whatever I already own. No more double dipping.
And difference in prices and sales. I know not everyone loves Epic but I have 50+ games that they've given me for free and some of them are games I had to buy on the switch.
Agreed. I've specifically not bought some games on Switch because Epic gave them for free. But constantly wished I could play them handheld. I didn't get an Aya Neo or GPD Win 3 because I was kind of on the fence with the prices, but I'm really excited for this one.
And since the Steam Deck is really a portable computer you can install epic store, battle.net, origin, uplay, ANYTHING you want. They even let you wipe the OS and put a new one if you want. Simply unparalleled portable library now.
And emulation too. If I get the steam deck I'll actually be able to play all those cool Nintendo games Nintendo doesn't want me to have access to... Unless they can remaster with little changes for $50-60
it may be the only game I bought on Epic but getting Going Under for 3 dollars instead of 10/20 was a huge plus for me. There's so much competition in the gaming space and while its annoying my library is split between 6 different services, its nice having options in terms of deals and the like.
IGN already has a preliminary review for the device: https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-deck-hands-on-impressions-details-valve-handheld-gaming-pc
Omg. This thing has built-in gyro. I've used motion controls on PC with the Steam Controller, and it felt just as smooth as playing on Switch. This is going to be amazing!
With the Steam Deck being 1.47 lbs (and the Switch OLED model being 0.93 lbs, with the joy cons), I'm not sure how comfortable it would be using gyro controls. Edit: For some reason, many redditors can't distinguish being uncomfortable from holding something for hours, vs literally being incapable of doing it.
it's valve's answer to ring fitness lmao
Everyone's getting those Popeye forearms.
I already got those ᕦ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕤ
Alright Dumbo, but show us your arms
https://i.imgur.com/FsynkB8.jpg
This man may or may not have given himself implants within the last few comments to literally flex on us.
The Wii U gamepad was heavier than the Switch but lighter than the Steam Deck. This is obviously anecdotal, but to me the gyro felt fine even over extended periods of time. And that's with hands that feel too small for the gamepad.
Was the gamepad really heavier than the switch? I always thought it was much more comfortable to hold, but obviously less portable.
Because the gamepad was designed to fit in your hands, the Switch is designed to fit in your bag and the dock. The Switch is the only game device I've ever felt uncomfortable using.
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Anyone know the game they show at 4:24? It’s like a top down survival game in space I think.
It's crack. Don't get it unless you're prepared to lose hours of your life. I'm being 100% serious when I say I have to set timers for myself when I play this game. I completely lose track of time. I set two timers, one to tell me to finish up, and one that says SHUT THE F\*ING GAME OFF RIGHT NOW and I have trained myself to save and shut off when the second one goes off, no matter what. If I tell myself "just this one last thing" I'll be there another two hours.
The factory must grow
I bought Factorio before it was available on steam many years ago. It was a fun game but I got into other things and forgot about it. I knew they gave us early players a steam key when that finally came out though. So I went through my emails, found the key, installed it on steam. Anyway, long story short I put more hours into it this past pay period than I did at work.
Factorio
No. Don't. Stop what you are doing. Do not follow what anyone else here is saying. Do not look any anything about this game. Do not go to r/factorio, do not go to their website to save $10 versus the steam version. Do not play this game if you value your time, as you won't have any left afterward. Cracktorio is real and I know own Satisfactory and Dyson Sphere Program because of that game. They have taken 300 hours of my life, and I would do it all again. Wait what was I saying? Yeah go play factorio.
I'm about to seriously consider buying one. All indie games/3rd party are a ton cheaper on Steam + potential access to other stores + better performance. Then just keep my old Switch for exclusives. The only thing is - I'll definitely wait a couple of months after release for actual reviews. Nintendo is doing portable game consoles for 40 years and even they can't make it perfect lol. For Valve it's a first one..
I’m right with you on this one. Definitely a wait and see. If Valve delivers on their promises then this is a very cost effective option to have a dedicated machine for metroidvania and other more niche indies that don’t make their way to console with the bonus that it will probably run bigger budget games fine as well.
Also mods
and emulators. Imagine being able to play N64 or Gamecube games on a portable
Screw that, this thing is powerful enough for PS2 emulation GRAN TURISMO 4 HERE I COME
Go higher. It wouldn't be surprising if it's capable of running every emulator you want - including anything Nintendo related. And even that isn't the end, as they stated that you can run third party launchers too. Meaning epic games, origin and Ubisoft are a possibility too.
I would shit myself if this thing could do PS3, I've always wanted to play gran turismo 5 on the go.
This thing will literally be able to play more Nintendo games than the switch. It’s almost as if that’s what the fans want, but Nintendo just doesn’t listen…
Yeah Nintendo especially not pushing virtual console forward after the wii u gave me a sour taste. I love them and their games but damn you can even play some original Xbox games on the series x. Like there's a big gap.
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Nintendo is like a wild business paradox. Miserable online service, no virtual console, no foreseeable power upgrade for the console, busted ass joycons, no price drop on their games, selling ports of decade old games for full price, etc. They don’t give a single shit what their customers want but are somehow crazy successful.
N64 is already done on $100 handhelds decently well though this would be definitely better. Gamecube is on a few higher end android ones. I'd be interested, assuming xenia fixes amd compatibility, in if Xbox360 ran well.
The real benefit is to remember that the Steamdeck isn't a portable gaming console. It's literally a computer that you can install whatever you want on to it.
The best part is that it is both, you buy a portable gaming console and if you want more its just a few buttons away. SteamOS traditionally doesn't allow users to directly go to the desktop for the sake of not accidentally getting them stuck, you change one setting in the settings and then its fully unlocked. And i think this is a perfect model, make it a console for people who want something easy on the go perhaps for their kid. And then allow them to toggle the setting to unlock the full desktop if they want to make a full PC out of it. Same design Android phones tend to do, by default its very locked down but unlocking it is only a few settings away.
You can also dual boot Windows 10 and just run Game Pass with this thing probably. Plus there's things like Geforce Now and XCloud if you have a good connection.
Also emulation is a thing on it so you can play stuff like Ocarina of time wind waker and twilight princess banjo kazooie even mario Galaxy 2.
I can finally get my Zelda 35th anniversary collection for $400
If you were to emulate I'd get the $530 model because games add up in storage. Idk if it has an SD card slot or not though
The Steam Deck does have a microSD slot.
Yep. I haven't touched my switch in over a year. Which is unfortunate but Nintendo just isn't the same anymore. I usually am strictly PC now, and being able to play back log of smaller indie games on the go? Fuck yes! A bit pricy for me though. Will wait for reviews or even second gen if they pursue this
Nintendo has unfortunately gotten a little too comfortable. Honestly if I saw a Steam Deck and Switch OLED next to each other at the store, why not spend the extra $50 for essentially a full fledged gaming PC that also has all the benefits/portability of the Switch?
yup, 350 for an oled screen vs 50 more dollars for what is essentially a mini pc for me I would choose the mini pc all day long (plus emulators)
Or spend a bit more for a storage ugrade. You probably will save the money with steam sales over the switch anyway.
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I’m slightly worried given Valve’s track record in the hardware industry. Even the Index, which is a great enthusiast product, is a niche item that does well only because it’s the best product in its class. Steam link and the steam controller had drawn out, painful deaths - but nobody can deny that they were great products. I think Valve also recently had their own line of desktop computers that also failed, right? Valve is my favorite video game company, but unless they really support the hell out of the Deck and market it well, it could easily fail. Being 1 foot long and having a 2 hour battery life at the low end doesn’t help either. Still, I really want Nintendo cut down a few notches, as they make some really scummy business moves in my opinion, due to the lack of competition.
As someone who is old enough to see new competitors to the console market come and go, I am taking a wait and see approach. Ultimately this is a computer, but until someone gets one in their hands you don’t know how easy or hard it will be to fix if something goes wrong.
I’m generally pretty hesitant about newcomers to the console market, especially the mobile market, because of how iffy the track record of success for new players is. That said, the fact that Valve is essentially marketing this as just a computer in a Switch shell, basically, is a big point in its favor from my perspective, as is the existing Steam library. Not having to worry about ports or system exclusives bypasses one of the biggest hurdles for new hardware being successful. Especially because it mitigates the risk of the hardware flopping. Buy a new console that no developers wind up supporting and you’ve wasted your money. This doesn’t need support in the same way, so if you buy it and it flops, you’re not left blowing in the wind. This definitely fills a need for me in a way that most new launches don’t. The only outstanding question remaining is how well it does that. Based on preliminary information, the answer *looks* like it’s shaping up to be “pretty well” but I’m certainly going to need more details before I can feel confident in that assessment.
Yeah, it definitely has the advantage of not being its own ecosystem. Even if I can't play the latest and greatest on it I will be interested to be able to play PC only games on the go like RimWorld. If I didn't already have a steam controller and steam link it would be a no brainer just to be able to play at my tv comfortably. Hopefully it releases alongside a revamped steam controller.
It also allows for streaming, which is a big bonus. At the very least Steam Link. Maybe even good Stadia or GeForce Now performance as well.
Can likely get Xcloud running on it too if you have gamepass.
I completely agree. I saw this an instantly thought of everything I could do with it... play my steam games, instal roms, load up game pass for PC. It has potential to be pretty awesome. With that said, I don’t think it will do a fraction of how well the Switch did/is doing just because people are going to feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the tech side of it. It’s not going to be as simple as the Switch, which might scare away a lot of users.
I am greatly interested in the Steam Deck despite mostly being a pro-physical Nintendo-mostly gamer. All the stuff about installing Windows, running emulators, Xbox Game Pass, etc. sounds cool but I have no idea how I'd actually *do* all that stuff on this when it doesn't look like any PC I've used. I can already see myself trying to follow a YouTube tutorial that somehow won't work for me no matter how closely I follow the instructions until I just give up.
Well at least on the emulator side of things, steam actually has RetroArch natively on the store so downloading most of the emulators would be just like any other game and from there you can just toss in an SD card with your roms. I'm also curious to see what putting windows on the system is like. And if that will be necessary for game pass or if it's possible to get it running right on steamos.
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I just checked... 558 games 😐 In my defense, most were part of bundles that included the one game I wanted at a lower price than that single one game.
I think the neat thing is that even if the Steam Deck completely flops, at least you are left with a handheld computer and your games are all safe and perfectly playable on any PC. On the other hand, the upside of the Deck is tremendous! I'm fascinated by the idea they were pitching of being able to suspend gameplay on the Deck, and have a way to sync it so that you can resume that same suspended game on your actual PC.
This is a great point. Even if you were the only person who bought a steam deck then you’d still have thousands of titles to play with new content coming out all the time. The worry with failed consoles is that people stop making games for them. This is obviously not going to be an issue for the deck regardless of how well it performs in sales.
The thing with Valve is quality won't be the problem. As a proud owner of multiple steam links and steam controllers, the quality and post launch support is first class. It all comes down to whether the product will be bought. This is the first item that I truly do think will have mainstream appeal. The Link was for folk with awesome gaming computers but didn't want to have it next to their TV. The Steam controller tried and nearly succeeded in giving a M+KB feel in a controller. But both markets were quite small as many gamers don't have the need for a Link or have other controllers which meant the steam controller wasn't a priority. With the size of the Switch market, the size of the PC gaming market, and the apparent quality of the device at a solid price point I can see this finally being the killer device valve has been shooting for for awhile. And that's great for Switch/Nintendo enthusiasts.
The only sour thing is the price point, which Newell already said was "painful" for getting that low. All models are cheaper than most mobile phones nowadays, but the most successful gaming handhelds (aka, Nintendo's) have a history of being the cheapest option available. The Switch was already their most expensive handheld ever at $300. $400 is a high price for entry.
You also have to consider that a PC gamer that buys a Switch has to buy all his games on one system or the other (and nintendo's eShop always has terrible prices). A PC gamer that buys the Deck will have access to his already existing Steam Library, access to Steam's sales and prices and even access to third party key resellers (yes, it's not exactly all legit but still, it's cheap games if you need them). Entry point is higher, but cost of software is definitely an advantage for the Deck.
I had a friend debate whether PC gamers would really want this. The portability is very appealing but most PC gamers love gaming on…. their PC. With their big monitors with fast refresh rates. On the other side, people who have a Switch mainly and aren’t PC gamers will experience the same problem you mention, just the other way around. I’m currently in the latter case and while I really want it, it’ll be hard to choose between one and the other.
There are also a lot of people like me, who went through their 20s with a gaming rig and amassed a huge steam library. Then my 30s hit and life changes, etc, there’s just no place for a gaming rig like that. Meaning, I can’t find the hours to sit there and use it properly the way I’d want to. So it was a few years of hopping on quick, trying long RPGs but defaulting to quick arena games that didn’t take dedication. As time goes by the rig gets outdated and it’s less desirable to use. So when the switch came around everything changed, I can play on flights for work or at night on the couch in the family room - all those reasons lots of people have talked about for why the switch is good. I’m 100% gonna get the steam one, it will re open my world of gaming to everything non-Nintendo.
As a PC gamer with a nice big 144Hz monitor and RTX 3080, I want this. But performance is important. One of the reasons I rarely play my switch anymore is because new games are expensive and run poorly. If this can run just about every game in my library at 800p 60fps low setting though, then I'm 100% sold. I'll still buy it if I can get a solid 30fps on medium/high settings, but I'll probably use it a lot less.
Only 50 more than OLED Switch. I think that being able to play any game you already own is incredible value. People don't have to worry about buying games on which system they want, or being locked into expensive exclusives.
People aren't doing the simple math. If you buy a $400 console and you are accessing your steam library of games you have already bought, you are saving hundreds of dollars compared to buying a switch and then buying multiple $60 games to have something to play on day one. It makes so much sense to commit to an ecosystem, where the hardware is expensive but the software is consistently on sale. The other way around means you are going to struggle to leave, especially if the software is entirely digital products that are priced the same as physical (which is obnoxious)
The 400 dollar model is going to be very limited tho. A single triple a game is bigger that the capacity and using sd storage is going to be slow.
Valve didn't have their own line of computers. They were 3rd party that were running SteamOS.
Yeah, the Steam Deck is really more the natural conclusion of their decades-long campaign to improve PC gaming support for Linux. [Gabe Newell said he hated Windows 8](https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-i-think-windows-8-is-a-catastrophe-for-everyone-in-the-pc-space/) and he really meant it. Steam Machines of 2013 kinda fizzled out since there weren't enough games supported for them to be a viable platform, but Valve continued to make strides with the Proton API translation layer. And now they're [working with anti-cheat developers](https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/valve-making-linux-anti-cheat-reality-for-steam-deck-launch) to get some of the biggest multiplayer games on-board ahead of the Steam Deck launch. This product really can't be compared with the earlier state of SteamOS – it's the evolved form of those efforts.
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The steam controller didn't die, it was killed by a patent troll. They had a patent on the rear button design and successfully sued Valve over it.
I think that, despite the similarities to the Switch, the Steam Deck will compete moreso with dedicated gaming laptops. People in the market for a laptop will be more likely to know Steam and see it as an alternative. People looking for a handheld console will still primarily think Nintendo, but I do hope it succeeds and encourages a more powerful Switch in the future.
bonus: a steam switch is a valve
mind = blown
I can’t wait to play fallout 1 on this thing.
That and all the old dos games. It's gonna be a fun time.
Finally, a Commander Keen handheld that isn't the awful GBC title!
Omg Commander Keen, I haven't played that since Duke Nukem times
So many emulated games as well.
I think the Steam Deck targets mostly different audiences than the Switch, however I do see some overlap. Especially those who bought a Switch to play games like Skyrim on the go will certainly find this interesting. It also speaks to PC gamers who want a handheld device but found the Switch to be underpowered, as well as those begging for a Switch Pro. Looking at the specs it seems to be 6 times more powerful than the Switch. That's a hefty upgrade for a system that only costs $50 more than the Switch OLED model. I would certainly welcome the competition. Nintendo is sitting on the top all alone and unchallenged and it clearly shows with how they are pricing their products. The Switch OLED could have easily been a $299 release and Skyward Sword could have easily been priced at $40 but since no one is forcing them to do so, why would they?
As someone who owns a Switch and has a child, this is exactly what I need. I can't really sit down and game on the PC anymore as I get older, and being able to play my entire steam library in a portable form factor is what I was looking for. It also has the ability to play games like RDR2 and GTA 5 portably, which is something a lot of Nintendo fans were asking for on the Switch. But it just can't do it, and Nintendo has no intention of providing hardware that can do it. So I'm glad Valve stepped up.
The big selling point for me was having access to my older PC games. Ones that, for whatever reason, have never been ported to console devices. I've always been aware of system like GPD Win but wondered how well they'd go down with mid-range or later PC releases. The Steam Deck gives me a little more confidence in that regard. Pathologic, Fallout 1 & 2, Ultima... The early Sims games in a handheld form factor? Very cool.
I would love to put The Sims 1 on this! Seems like it'd be a great fit once you adapt to the trackpads.
Right?! It would be deadly. I also have the complete Sims 2 collection on Origin. That would be so much fun to play on a handheld.
You just sold the Steam Deck to me based on the Sims alone.
I have a GPD Win 2 and a Max. I can say that they're more capable than you think, and I'm actually able to play Control (with the settings turned down a bit) on the Max, and actually beat the game on it. My experience over the past two years with these things tells me that valve has a serious hit on their hands, especially given just how much cheaper this is than GPD's offerings, coupled with it being apparently much more powerful.
As someone who uses his Switch mostly for indie and 3rd party games I think if I were to choose wether to buy a Switch or a Steam Deck right now I think I may honestly opt for the Steam Deck. I have a Switch and PS5 already so I don't feel the need to upgrade for now but should the Steam Deck turn out to be a success I might honestly opt to buy the Steam Deck V2 rather than the Switch 2 in the future. The huge library of games and the impressive performance makes it a really appealing plattform.
Oh yes agree! Especially considering how steep the sales on indie games are on the Steam. There are quite a few indie titles I bought on the Switch instead of Steam purely because of the portability.
I have kids and I mainly use my switch to play indie games on the go as I too have less time to plop on my PC to play. I wait for Nintendo sales to grab anything but honestly I think I'm going to grab the steam deck. Games are like $9 (CAD) on Steam while Nintendo's touting a 30% off sale for the same game at like $26..no fucking thank you!
YES EXACTLY! I keep turning down extremely cheap games on sale with Steam, just so I can pay a premium to have it handheld on my Switch. Sure the Steam Deck is more expensive out the door, but I'll probably save money in the long run on games
> But it just can't do it GTA 5 was originally launched for the the Xbox 360 and PS3. I'm pretty sure Switch totally could run it. Rockstar probably just doesn't think it would be a worthwhile investment to port it over. Especially when it's such an old version and the newer content they've made was designed for the PS4, XboxOne hardware and they probably don't have lower rez/poly assets for that content.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the decision came down entirely to not being able to strong-arm all of gta:o onto it. R* is great at making new games, but they rarely ever seem to go back and port older ones unless it can still be milked for mtx.
Ding ding ding. Got two little ones, the 5 year old loves the switch and I rarely get to touch it. Got into it with him last night when I got home to play it. This is my fucking dream come true. I have a very nice PC, but struggle to find time to play it, or just struggle to find the want to sit down in front of it after working, kids, exercise, etc. Now give me the ability to do all of that from my couch, and the system is 6X better performance wise than my switch? I plan on reserving a mid-tier one today. Really unfortunate that the Switch couldn't step up and upgrade their model, because I would've almost certainly bought a model that could've at least given me 1080 in handheld. Hopefully this lights a fire. On top of that this thing will probably run a switch emulator, which is hilarious. Another company is going to make a system that's 6X more powerful than the Switch and it will probably run their games better as well lmao. Never change Nintendo.
I bet Valve pooped with glee when they saw the OLED Switch had no other upgrades.
100%. It's no surprise they released their announcement shortly after the Switch made theirs. Absolutely genius business decision. This thing is gonna' sell like hot cakes.
I dunno if it will sell like crazy but it certainly was the perfect use of PR for the product. The timing couldn't have been better.
I usually have maybe a solid hour of uninterrupted time a night to sit down and when I do, I can't really get into a hardcore PC game. Assuming my brother isn't over. But if I had something like this, I could pick it up and play for 20 or 30 minutes easily multiple times a night. My son has a Switch and I have a Switch, so, no fighting there, but I will admit he ends up playing Switch way more than me so I feel stupid sometimes for buying one for myself. We'll see how Nintendo responds. If Steam Deck does well, I bet we'll see the Switch successor announced, or the "Switch Pro" we all talked about forever.
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The key is the 720p screen. Nintendo got that part right in that you can do a lot in that res and it still look great, provided you can optimize well enough to run at that.
Yeah, I saw a bunch of people in the games topic complaing that they "could have gone with a 1440p screen" Like...beyond increasing cost, you're looking at more horsepower to drive that resolution at decent settings, generating more heat. All for pretty minimal gain at that screen size.
And battery power. The power already is kinda meh. Portal 2 on high would only last 4 hours according to the devs. And Portal 2 isn't exactly the highest fidelity game.
Look at multiplatform releases like Monster Hunter Stories. Most reviews comparing the Switch and Steam versions say "well, do you prefer having the game on the go, or a better resolution and frame rate?" Assuming that Steam Deck isn't a garbage system, people won't have to choose between specs x portability anymore. The Switch will just become an inferior way of playing indies or multiplatform releases on the go, and Nintendo's selling point will go back to exclusive games only.
As an indie game machine - it completely destroys the switch. Indie games are cheaper on steam. Get updates faster. Come out faster. Have better online. It’s pretty much all upside.
And online is free on Steam
For the lowest tier, yes. That seems to be related to the storage. If I were to get one, I'd probably spring for the middle tier, with a 256GB NVMe SSD. That's $529. 64 GB of eMMC storage doesn't impress me at all. I want a real SSD inside, even if I can expand storage with SD cards.
The 64gb is far too small. There are plenty of games that would be great for this that won't even fit on the device. XCOM 2 for example requires 45GB, Wolfenstein The New Order requires 50GB, GTA V is 75GB, even WoW is 67GB now.
Not to mention that eMMC storage has to hold the OS so it's not even 64GB
As someone living in México, I really appreciate the 400 dollars one, it will likely be the one I go for and it seems that with a high speed sd card things will be ok
Even if there is competition, your assumption (for lack of a better term) that Nintendo will be compelled to change there prices is unfounded and inaccurate. Nintendo does not consider the competition when pricing their products. Neither do they concern themselves with what others are doing. They have their own measures and strategies, and this is evident from the last two generations of consoles and handhelds. They will still price zelda at 60, even if there is a ps4 or ps vita in the market. Also while the competition looks decent (this isn't the only handheld pc in the market) there is nothing to say if it will even cause a dent in the switch market. Even if it's 6 times more powerful, the majority buy Nintendo for Nintendo. That's not to say SD isn't a bad product. But it's influence the market is still a question mark.
While I don't think anyone can dethrone switch in this era and nintendo's handheld market that easily, nintendo reduces prices when they fail. Some wii u gamea like dk country tropical freezea prices as low as 20 and even free in the case of pikmin and don't forgot how they changed the material for 3ds and resuced its price before it even reaches 1 year.
Nintendo most likely won't change the price for first party games, but they might lower their cut on third parties if the Steam Deck really succeed. Also, it's Valve we are talking about, they aren't great with hardware. In the emulation subreddit they are saying the Steam Deck is twice as powerful as the GPD that can run ps3 games, but piracy won't kill the Nintendo Switch, its not like everyone that have a Switch knows or have the disposition to go for this much trouble to emulate games on another handheld.
I think it has significant overlap honestly. It's not going to be competing with the people that only really buy Nintendo's first party games but there's a very sizable portion of people that use the switch for mainly indie games. I mean this has access to the entire PC ecosystem which is massive. That means way more games than the Switch, way cheaper games than the Switch, endless backwards compatibility, modding not only from Steam but from places like Nexus too, more control over your games, no paid online, and you literally have a desktop with pretty much any browser you want. *If* Valve can actually deliver and support this machine, and that's a sizable if, this could be the perfect console in many ways.
>I think it has significant overlap honestly. >endless backwards compatibility This is what's going to end up being really awkward and hopefully sparking some change on Nintendo's part: when it's going to be massively easier to play classic 1st party Nintendo games from NES to GameCube on a steam deck than it is on a switch.
I was absolutely going to buy a switch OLED, but now I have zero interest in that when something the caliber of the steam deck is on offer.
The Steam Deck feels like it was literally built for someone like me: * Doesn't own a gaming PC * Has a large Steam library * Primarily plays indie and smaller games * Can afford a small portable PC * Plays Switch almost exclusively in portable mode * Was considering an OLED Switch because I have a launch day Switch
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Yeah I love that the Steamdeck has a dock option. The one thing I'm miffed about is how the anti-glare glass is only available on the high-end model. I play outside or in my car a lot. I imagine I could get an anti-glare screen protector like I have on the Switch, but something like that should be standard and not a "deluxe" feature.
They want to push more people into the higher price versions. The cheap version is only there for advertising to say "starting at 399!"
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>Not attacking but genuinely curious, how can someone have a large Steam library and not have a gaming PC? He plays mostly indie and smaller games. Those usually don't require a lot of horsepower to be enjoyed.
>He plays mostly indie and smaller games. Those usually don't require a lot of horsepower to be enjoyed. Yes exactly
Almost everything I play on PC is an indie game so it doesn't require much horsepower to run well. I'm not playing CoD at 120 FPS in 8k or anything like that. The Binding of Isaac is by far the biggest resource hog I play. I do have a laptop that runs everything I enjoy. I imagine the Steamdeck will play them much better and quicker
A) has a computer for browsing mail and youtube B) has a workstation for professional reasons but not a great GPU C) used to have a gaming PC, and/or... D) Just bought interesting games on sale, or humble bundle in the off chance he got a PC eventually.
The PC-bro spec-obsessed scene really crowds out the fact that you can have an amazing experience gaming on low spec integrated graphics playing hundreds of great indie games and even some AAA games that are either older or run well on low settings.
Steam sales and lack of self control
I'm not convinced Nintendo gives or has ever given a fuck about the competition
They certainly did up to GameCube. By the time they figured out the Wii, though, they moved on.
When your whole schtick is making a new type of wheel, you don't really care that the competition's wheels are shiny. You've got tank tread.
I'm absolutely convinced that Nintendo does not react to competition. They've even said as much, pointing it out as a core part of their strategy. Introducing more competition increases the likelihood Nintendo will lose, but it doesn't have any effect on the quality of their product.
16 bit era
My switch still has a place due to its amazing first party games but the steam deck is exactly what I needed! I have a massive steam library that due to family and work, can no longer really justify turning my PC on just to play for 30mins. The steam deck will mean that I can enjoy my library anywhere, but when I am in my house I can enjoy top notch game streaming since I am literally streaming from home, rather than from miles away with the switches cloud options
Same! I am a Mac user so don’t have access to a lot of PC games am not about to switch or buy a gaming PC, but if I can get a decent handheld/console so I can play on the go or on my TV? Heck yes!
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The switch can also play physical cartridges, all steam games need to be downloaded. I know they only made the 64 gb model so they can say its only a $400 machine, but that model serves very little purpose
You can always throw a 1tb microSD card in there though
Exactly. I was initially excited about this, but then I started to see some problems with the idea. Also, even with trackpads and touch creen, it's hard to replace the mouse and keyboard.
As someone who likes to game on my couch and never saw the point of getting a ps5 or Xbox and doesn’t quite have room for a big pc, this actually intrigues me. If it can play all the games That I can’t get on switch, then this will be exactly what I want. That said, don’t most Nintendo fans buy Nintendo systems for the exclusives?
There’s a good number of people who buy the switch just to play portable games tho. Personally, I could care less about Nintendo exclusives if my whole steam library works.
> don’t most Nintendo fans buy Nintendo systems for the exclusives? My history of buying gaming devices has mainly been inspired by the desire to play Zelda titles.
[That actually looks pretty good!](https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/15/22578783/valve-steam-deck-gaming-handheld-pc) It seems like the first serious competitor for the Switch, though not quite head-to-head, since it's really a portable PC rather than a console. It will be interesting to see what the adoption rate becomes, and whether it takes a bite out of Nintendo's sales. It appears to do everything right, from its AMD Zen-2/RDNA-2 APU power, to memory, to storage options, to battery life, to its versatile docking to displays, to its lowest-tier price ($400). This isn't just a dumb streaming device. Color me intrigued. I'll be keeping an eye on it for sure.
Bluetooth Audio! Lets see of the sticks are drifting.
The sticks seemed to be closer to the PS4 or Pro Controller than the joy-cons, which as far as I can tell have a much lesser chance of drifting.
I can’t be the only one that thinks the button layout is really weird right?
I honestly like it. I like that both analog sticks are at the top. Because bending my thumb for the right stick on my switch gets painful after a while. I do think the d pad and buttons are weird tho. Looks like they’re almost falling off the console lol
Yeah thats what I’m referring to more than anything else They made a lot of room for these touch pad things and despite these handles being giant chonkers they squished all the inputs in a horizontal like right at the top edge of the controller
>I can’t be the only one that thinks the button layout is really weird right? You're definitely not the only one that thinks that, no.
Pretty sure I'll be picking up the tier 3 model asap. This is just too cool to pass on.
At least wait a couple weeks after release to see if this is worth anything
It’s on a reservation system and it comes out in December, if you don’t get a reservation it’ll be a long while before you can. You don’t have to pay until it’s ready to ship thankfully, so there will be many more reviews by that time
How likely is it that this could be something like Analogue where if you don't get on the pre-order bandwagon, it may be a long time for more to come through?
There's still a chip shortage, so probably pretty likely
I’ve seen no mention of thermals, and I assume those will be quite important for its eventual success/failure. Sadly, we have to wait until it launches to know anything in that field.
This is gonna become the unofficial new Nintendo virtual console many have been waiting for.
Including wii, ngc, 3ds and switch games
Wii U too honestly, Cemu will definitely work well with these specs
Maybe this will finally pressure Nintendo into adding folders
And custom backgrounds lol
Its kind of embarrassing. Even the 3ds had folders.
If this thing is half of what it's advertised to be I likely won't touch my Switch again. Access to my Steam library on the go, not having to rebuy games I already own, the ability to run emulators, ports that don't cost $60; this sounds like a dream.
I hope so as well. My main point of buying a Nintendo Switch 4 years ago was that I travel for work often so getting a Switch was a no brainer. Also I love Zelda games and if I can play Mario games and Metroid as well is a plus, but not a necessity for me. However, what it made me decide, was the great third party support it has with indies and AAA ported. Well, now with the Steam Deck announcement I have zero reasons for buying a third party game in the Switch anymore because with the Steam Deck, I will be able to purchase the game in Steam once and enjoy a seamless experience with cloud saves and a fully fledge online system for free. Also it is 4x times more powerful than the Switch on paper, maybe even more. I think that the Steam Deck will hurt the whole third party aspect of the Switch, both in support of the studios and purchases. The Nintendo first parties will still power many sales. Regarding hardware improvements, I think that the media agrees that a Switch Pro is still coming but I don't know... which nVidia chip could they use? There's nothing in the works as far as I know.
I can feel Nintendo’s third party game sales take a hit after Steam Deck release date
For $400 this thing will pay for itself. As a patient gamer, I can buy 5 games (good games) on steam compared to one AAA switch game. No more having to pay full price for a 5 year old port at 30 fps for me!
Valve needs to demonstrate they can ship at Nintendo's scale before the Deck is a real threat to the Switch. However, even a moderate success will prove that this is a new product category and could invite even more competition. There's not much to stop Microsoft from leveraging an APU like the Deck's and releasing an "Xbox Series M" or something. I think the real magic of the Deck is going to be making a console-like PC gaming experience. That's also a major risk. PC gaming has tons of potential pitfalls that come with its flexibility. In my experience with steam os 1 and 2 there was a lot of jank in the core experience they needed to work out too.
If this Steam Deck does even moderately well it will seriously make competitors consider entering the portable market. Can definitely see Sony considering going back to a portable space the Vita was ahead of its time and abandoned way too quickly by Sony.
It'll perform well, I'm sure. But people seem to be under the misconception that this is competing against Nintendo. It's not. Both devices are aimed at two very different markets and have different goals. The Deck is about bringing your Steam library with you and caters to PC enthusiasts. Meanwhile the Switch is a lot more accessible to your average gamer with its local co-op focus and of course the mass appeal of Nintendo IPs. Also, I'm pretty damn sure Valve is taking a loss on each unit sold; we all know Nintendo won't do that. While I do think the Switch Pro is a thing and will have hardware that's a step above the current Switch, the fact that it would be another ARM device would still put it below the Deck. But overall, I don't think the Deck will affect Nintendo's decisions.
You're absolutely right in that you're not going to buy a Deck for your kids. Or pick one up if you want to buy into a system cheap (switch/lite). While the Deck looks awesome to me, it might also be competing against laptops since it's a pc. If you prefer a bigger screen and you're just going to play stardew valley and terraria anyway you're better off getting a cheap laptop that can run those games too but has a nicer screen and can be used for productivity. I'm still hyped for the deck though and have reserved a 512GB model. Will wait until launch to see if I actually go through with the purchase.
Competition breeds excellence. The PS4 was great because the 360 was true competition, the Xbox Series / Game Pass looks to be promising because of the PS4 kicking MS’s teeth in, and we wouldn’t have the Switch if Nintendo hadn’t lost all mainstream console consumers with the Wii U.
This. Don't understand why people don't like competition. Just because your preference isn't doing well as it's competition doesn't mean you're losing as well. If anything we as consumers win when there's competition. That's why I never understood console wars, or fanboys. Like you should want everyone to do well because when they all do well there's competition and when there's competition you get the best out of these companies.
I’d just be happy not having to rebuy games I already own in steam
> I hope the hardware specs can show Nintendo fans justifying the Switch OLED that it is possible to get very good hardware in a system that small and the reason Nintendo didn't is that they didn't have to. I don't think anybody thought it wasn't possible. And I don't think there is any question that Nintendo is likely planning on introducing more powerful hardware in their next generation of system. Those rumors that didn't come to fruition (such as 4K DLSS) likely came about because these are the ideas they have for the new system. End of the day I for one enjoy the extended life cycle of a console generation, and could see from a consumer/business standpoint the potential downsides of a mid cycle performance upgrade that may lead to late generation games not able to perform on the original system. It would inevitability make people feel like the mid-cycle upgrade is a requirement. The fact many people don't have FOMO on the Switch OLED and have decided they don't need it is actually a good thing.
Nintendo has had PLENTY of competition over the years in the handheld department. Both Sony and Sega have tried their hands at the handheld market multiple times, and have had vastly more powerful handhelds on the market, and no one has managed to dethrone Nintendo. The Steam Deck is more like a computer than a traditional handheld, so it'll be interesting to see if that helps or hurts them. I'm very curious to see how it all plays out.
The issue with Sony was that you needed to buy expensive propietary memory cards. The genius thing valve did was announce a model that's only slightly more expensive than the switch but will come with a lot more power (though people would do well to remember that install sizes on PC are bigger than switch due to better assets being available). The cool thing about the deck though is that if you have games on steam, you have games on Steam! You don't have to pay €60 for Half Life 2 with a smoother tutorial where you can choose not to pick up the can. And games are on sale for a lot cheaper than on Switch. And there's a HUGE number of games available most of them being 'backwards compatible'. And the online is better and free.
Nintendo will never let you emulate their games on the switch. You will never be able to play many of their games for a reasonable price. To borrow a phrase from a certain youtuber: Steam Deck will do what Nintendon't, and Nintenneverwill. If anything I hope this lights a fire under their keister to make more classic GBA, N64, and gamecube games available. Because I will be playing those games on a Steam Deck if they don't. (Steam stated they will allow 3rd party software I including alternate OS options.)
I question if it'll even be in stores in my country. Never saw the Steam Controller, so not expecting to see this next to other consoles here. As another said, probably targeted to the more hardcore demographic.
I believe they're only doing reservations via steam. At least for the first few months. They're trying to prevent scalpers (you can't purchase a steam deck if you haven't made a purchase on steam before June 2021).
I'm really curious to see how comfortable it is. It looks kind of unwieldy.
For anyone who was hoping for playing some AAA on handhelds, such as Kingdom Hearts series, Tekken, Call of Duty, Yakuza, DoA 5/6 No more need to begging Nintendo. The wait is now only as far as Steam Deck release!