Switch doesn't offer as much games as Steam Deck. Its also more versatile, in which you can connect to keyboard and mouse and has non-gaming applications too.It’s a fantastic machine from a hardware point of view but I don’t see it taking over the handheld market simply because who is the target market for this?
You need to have a need for mobility AND not be satisfied with the much cheaper options of a Switch or mobile games if you’re into this. I commute an hour every day and sure it’d be nice to play Ys IX at 60 fps instead of 20 but I can’t justify the investment.
The other « issue » is that the PC games I enjoy are games like Civ or Stellaris which need KBM and a lot of screen space to work.
But that’s just a guess, I didn’t do market research or anything.
Same use case as the Switch. I use Nintendo Switch when in train, in bed or when i go to my friend's houseWho would buy this? Serious question.
If you are a gamer over a certain age, where are you going to be using it? Commute? At home where you most likely have a PC or a console already anyway?
And if you are a younger gamer, you probably haven't even heard of the thing at all.
The Vita has no games though.Revolutionize the handheld market? No. Be a niche product that really fits the needs of hardcore gamers? Absolutely. Super powerful handhelds that can play console quality games was done with the Vita and that didn't really sell in droves. Also, with the advent of things like tablet laptops, I don't know if I'd prefer holding a fat handheld versus having a portable computer that I can hook a bluetooth controller up to.
What's funny is that the only amazing exclusive of the Vita, Persona 4 Golden, is on PC now and has been certified on Steam Deck.The Vita has no games though.
Who would want a handheld gaming system? Well, a lot of people.Who would buy this? Serious question.
If you are a gamer over a certain age, where are you going to be using it? Commute? At home where you most likely have a PC or a console already anyway?
And if you are a younger gamer, you probably haven't even heard of the thing at all.
So again you are saying it will revolutionize the handheld gaming industry because its cheap and can play PC games?Proton might not support every game but you can install Windows on it and run every PC game that way, and they run the same or better than Proton in most cases as of right now. The revolution is that for $399 you can get a portable machine that can play all PC games which include exclusives from Sony and MS like like God of War, Horizon, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, not to mention emulators of old consoles.
As somebody who enjoys portable gaming but doesn't like the Switch, I really find it quite revolutionary.
Too expensive
Yes. There's never been a handheld that was able to play current gen games, or such a wide slection of games while playing them well and being affordable. Not to mention the well-established and well-received Steam platform for content management. They nailed it, and if they perfect it with future iterations I think it will sell well. i had virtually no interest in handhelds but they managed to make me want one.So again you are saying it will revolutionize the handheld gaming industry because its cheap and can play PC games?
Did it really sell enough? I don't see it selling that much.
already backordered in the foreseeable future. Not that you care since you said you ain’t playing on PC
It sell as much as they produce, that's what matter to Valve. Certainly not to you.Doesn't mean much, we need to know how many are sold/being sold. It's a niche market, and not comparable to Nintendo. Doesn't mean it's not good, just don't expect crazy sales.
Steam Deck can do cloud gaming and interface with bluetooth controller too.future of handheld gaming is in cloud gaming and mobile/tablet devices, they are much more versatile that devices specifically made for gaming like the steam deck. Bluetooth controller + nvidia geforce now give you access to the latest AAA games. mobile SoC are getting more and more capable at graphic computations; M1 SoC is more powerful than the steam deck.
That's less of a problem here. PC games offer a wide range of customization for bunch of PC configuration, which means players/developers can scale down to 720p or low setting for portability.Bottom line is, PC games were not developed as portable experiances, it's the same problem Sony fell into twice by making console games portable.
Mobile gaming makes portable experiences and probably more of them and cheaper (Or free).
Steam Deck, great for a niche use case of traditional gamers, for the masses carrying two devices is a no go.
I think it’s real nice to have a capable handheld gaming system to get some extra time with Elden Ring when I can’t sit at the PC or console for different reasons like kids occupying everything or just being lazy in bed.Who would buy this? Serious question.
If you are a gamer over a certain age, where are you going to be using it? Commute? At home where you most likely have a PC or a console already anyway?
And if you are a younger gamer, you probably haven't even heard of the thing at all.
Same use case as the Switch. I use Nintendo Switch when in train, in bed or when i go to my friend's house
The Vita has no games though.
I bought it and have been using it at work. I teach but it's the end of the semester and now we just have meetings and course maintenance shit to do. Being able to chill in a lab between meetings or hide in my office avoiding the cunts I work with while I play Insurgency Sandstorm and BF4 had been delightful.Who would buy this? Serious question.
If you are a gamer over a certain age, where are you going to be using it? Commute? At home where you most likely have a PC or a console already anyway?
And if you are a younger gamer, you probably haven't even heard of the thing at all.
I will get a handheld since my PC can already play current and next gen AAA games at home, but not outdoor. Not to mention current handhelds can now double as a home console now, so you can leave it docked permanently and play it on tv. Switch is still selling very well too in the fact of current and next gen home consoles.For the most part, people don't really want console experiences on a handheld like that. PSP was more powerful than whatever Nintendo had out at that time, and while the PSP did relatively good for a handheld, Sony still lost out to Nintendo. With the price of Steam Deck ranging from 350 to 650, it feels out of range for a handheld to do well. You can get a ps5 cheaper than the price of the high end steam deck. While handhelds and consoles don't seem to be directly competing markets, they do affect each other. if you only have $500 to get something are you going to get a nice handheld or are you going to get a 'next gen console'?
Same, at least for this generation. Things can always change over time, but as of now Steam Deck doesn't have enough market presence to even begin competing with Switch, nor is it like to do so in the future with how few of them are being produced. I am very interested to see what a Steam Deck 3 might look like, however, assuming Valve learns to count that high.I voted other but I mean no because Nintendo have it locked down with Switch.
Don't you think it's fair to say that the combination of that functionality in a convenient form factor, with a suite of controls that actually work for the vast majority of PC games, at an accessible price point very well could prove revolutionary in the long run? I do. I just think it's more appropriate to frame it as a revolution in the PC gaming space than for handhelds. That is the arena where the Deck line (assuming it becomes a line and isn't a one-off) could really shake things up in the same way that the Gameboy kicked off a revolution by taking console gaming on the go.So again you are saying it will revolutionize the handheld gaming industry because its cheap and can play PC games?
We can agree to disagree.Don't you think it's fair to say that the combination of that functionality in a convenient form factor, with a suite of controls that actually work for the vast majority of PC games, at an accessible price point very well could prove revolutionary in the long run? I do.
We can agree to disagree.
I dont see how the Deck will revolutionize handheld gaming....not in the slightest.
Im looking at it right now the same way i looked at the Steambox......a good idea but certainly not something revolutionary......we will see if its revolutionary in time but i highly doubt it, cuz im sure the next Switch or even MS's handheld Gamepass box wont look at the Deck thinking its got any ideas ,or systems, or features, or anything that will change the handheld gaming industry....being cheaper option isnt a revolution.....in my opinion not when systems going forward will be cheaper and effectively will ignore its existence.
The steam deck is already a portable game pass box. And it runs games better than the vast majority of game pass consoles out there.
We can agree to disagree.
I dont see how the Deck will revolutionize handheld gaming....not in the slightest.
Im looking at it right now the same way i looked at the Steambox......a good idea but certainly not something revolutionary......we will see if its revolutionary in time but i highly doubt it, cuz im sure the next Switch or even MS's handheld Gamepass box wont look at the Deck thinking its got any ideas ,or systems, or features, or anything that will change the handheld gaming industry....being cheaper option isnt a revolution.....in my opinion not when systems going forward will be cheaper and effectively will ignore its existence.
A $399 game console is too expensive?
It's a computer, not a console.
There's a lot to digest here, but let's focus on the battery life claim. In an apples-to-apples comparison, I think the Deck fares quite well compared to the average Switch battery life.Nothing revolutionary about it, same shit nicer graphics. It’s just a continuation of the side competitor to Nintendo just like the lynx/gamegear/pce gt were, more colours but garbage battery as the price you have to pay for it. A Handheld that barely gets a few hours of battery life is not portable, they didn’t learn that lesson back then and it seems they still haven’t now.
There's a lot to digest here, but let's focus on the battery life claim. In an apples-to-apples comparison, I think the Deck fares quite well compared to the average Switch battery life.
In TW3, for instance, Switch runs 456-540p, PC 'Low' or 'Lower than Low', 30fps. Battery life on Switch Lite at max brightness is about 2h59m, while Switch V2 at max brightness comes in around 3h45m.
I ran TW3 on Deck at 30fps, 600p FSR, higher settings than PS4(High settings except Med Shadows and Ultra Textures), 90% battery life, full brightness, and it came out with an estimated 3h7m battery life. This is with 46sec loading time from SanDisk microSD card compared to Switch's 1m17sec loading to the same area(Crookback Bog), and with a superior frame rate(30fps riding Roach at Glory Gate, compared to Switch dropping to 22fps).
If people can have a Switch as their main game device, I don’t see how this is not possible.