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Valve is releasing a handheld PC


Xyleh

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Interesting idea, but I is there really a market for this? People who care about portable gaming are probably more likely to go with a Switch, if they somehow don't have one already. Given it has Nintendo games as well. Also, people who generally play portable games, aren't likely to be into PC gaming, which is all about getting as many frames as possible in the highest resolution possible. Then people who are into PC gaming aren't going to be into this, because it's not going to run anywhere near as well as their $2000+ PC. Since once again, PC gaming is all about getting as many frames as possible with the highest resolution possible. Neither of which this will be capable of. Since it's just playing PC games, it's also lacking big exclusives. Sure, there's a virtually infinite number of exclusive indies, but the vast majority of them aren't great. Which is why they weren't able to make the leap to console in the first place. And honestly, sifting through them is more of a pain than it's worth. I'm sure there will be some people into it, but I can't imagine there being too many.

 

It's a cool idea, and I'm surprised at how cheap it is, but I don't see much reason to get this. I already have a switch, a PS4, a controller for my phone, and a high-end PC (which I really only have for 3D modeling and animation). Whenever I really want to play portable games, I just use my Switch or I'll do remote play to my phone. And if I want to play a PC game, I sit down in my PC setup and enjoy the high frames and high resolution. I hope I'm wrong and this takes off though. Nintendo could use some competition.

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Good move on Valve. The portable gaming is still really big, but one of the biggest issues was the fact that many people would have the rebuy games just to play them portably. This eliminates that issue and makes portable gaming much more affordable. While it may not kill the switch for people who love Nintendo IPs, it it could kill the need for a switch for most people since if they have a steam library they can just play their steam games on the go. Plus it's a PC as well so the possibility of emulators is also there as well.

Edited by Wavergray
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This is huge. And a ballsy move into a market that is screaming for competition. Literally all of my hopes for a new Sony handheld are being pumped into this and at no cost. 

 

I am 100% onboard. 

 

Anyone know if they've fixed achievements yet or are they still outrageously hoardable?

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4 minutes ago, ExHaseo said:

Also, people who generally play portable games, aren't likely to be into PC gaming, which is all about getting as many frames as possible in the highest resolution possible. Then people who are into PC gaming aren't going to be into this, because it's not going to run anywhere near as well as their $2000+ PC. Since once again, PC gaming is all about getting as many frames as possible with the highest resolution possible.

 

According to the June 2021 Steam hardware survey, 85% of Steam users with a single monitor setup play at 1080p & below, and if you look at the GPU stats, the vast majority aren't playing on anything stronger than a GTX 2060. It's fair to deduce that 4 out of 5 people still play games at 1080p60 and below. I myself have a nicer setup than most, and I spent less than $800. The gamers with $2000+ 4K multi-monitor setups are typically hardcore enthusiasts, and like with anything else, the enthusiasts make 95% of the noise. Big Youtubers that have 9 different machines because they got sent everything for free also help to feed the misconceptions. 

 

Not saying the Steam Deck won't flop BTW. I'm just saying that I don't think most PC gamers will dismiss it simply because it's 720p60. Hopefully I'll be able to get one without too much waiting. Planning on the 256gb version.

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It'll be interesting to see how this sells.

 

I doubt it'll be able to rival the Switch.  With a handheld PC, you've got a larger catalog, yes, but how much of it (particularly AAA games) will you have to mess around with the settings to get it to run decently?  And how long will the hardware hold up until it feels outdated?  I think those are the main challenges on something like this.  If Valve can address that, then they could actually have something..

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2 minutes ago, mareepx said:

I'm interested by this, seems at first glance to be a compelling package but I don't know much about PCs or specs at all. How does it compare in reference to consoles (something I can actually understand! ?)

It's about as strong as the base PS4.

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1 hour ago, Helyx said:

Introducing Valve's Steam Deck, a portable gaming PC.

 

The Steam Deck has a form factor similar to that of a slightly larger Nintendo Switch but with the capabilities of a full gaming PC. It runs a modified version of Valve’s SteamOS, complete with a new console-like interface for easy navigation of both the Steam store and your Steam library, but it also provides access to an unrestricted computer desktop where any third-party applications can be installed (including non-Steam games or launchers).

 

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

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Currently, there's 3 models available for pre-order.

 

What are your thoughts on this? Will it rival the Switch Pro? Is Sony going to introduce a Vita 2 or will they hold off for another few years?

 

I think this is huge for gaming and handhelds and will set a new bar for what we expect from handheld consoles.

so they made their own Nintendo switch that uses steam instead? 

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This is interesting to me. I’ve been getting more and more into handheld gaming lately. I was thinking about going Switch but this sounds a little more appealing.

 

Probably going to wait and see how Xbox’s Android gamepass streaming turns out first, cause to me that’s the most appealing handheld thing that’s coming, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this.

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Really looking forward to see more on this! Previously xCloud or maybe Nvidia's platform was looking to be the strongest way to enjoy games of console/PC quality on the go but this changes everything because it eliminates the need for a decent internet connection to play games well and it can play pretty much any PC game. Streaming services don't support all games, as far as I understand it. A gaming laptop already exists of course but this is a handheld where Nintendo owns the market currently unless you're into mobile games.

 

Hopefully you can also pair a DualSense or Xbox controller as this with the dock puts the convenience on par with the streaming services but with the benefit of local rendering eliminating input lag and picture quality loss.

 

Overall I'm just really pleased that local hardware gaming is still embraced as I'm really not looking forward to a streaming future.

Edited by InfraRedPS
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