Valve is releasing a handheld PC

[Eyjabria]

11 hours ago, ExHaseo said:

• PC has never been about affordability. That's why consoles exist. That survey means basically nothing as well. I can pretty much guarantee that these people on the lower end of specs own a console as well, and the survey likely doesn't take into account things like when their account was made. People could have been into PC gaming 5+ years ago and have the same PC, but have now moved on to console. Or even out of gaming in general. They could also just be using it to play F2P games with their friends that have low specs, while having a console for their primary gaming. There's far too many variables for that kind of thing to matter or say anything significant.

 

PC is exactly about affordability. A lot of households have a PC for work or school, etc. - now more than ever thanks to the pandemic. You have thousands of quality games you can play (stuff from decades ago to today's newest titles) even on a less expensive and less powerful setup and games are fed to us free of charge constantly in addition to huge sales on various storefronts. I've already lost count on how many free games I've gotten during the last year on PC and then there's Xbox Game Pass with a great selection of games for a low monthly price. 

PC gaming has been on rise for some years now and I constantly hear about people moving to PC from consoles. Of course I also hear about PC gamers getting consoles or completely moving to consoles as well. It's really a matter of preference and not everyone is looking for the experience you can only get with a high-end PC - that's why options exist.

 

Another common misconception I keep hearing is how PC gaming is somehow difficult. If downloading a game and/or game client and starting up a game by clicking it is too much for someone's IQ, then I wonder how they manage to operate a console or figure out how to play any game.

[Dav9834]

Sense it's a Linux pc, it can tap into a local nas. I wonder if it could dual boot too..

 

If you could get xbmc(ya they changed names, always will be xbmc to me) or plex on steamOS, then you have a pc with dock, handheld gaming, game preservation programs ?, and a htpc(docked to tv) ready at all times. 

That is an awesome setup for the price and power

 

If I had the money, that's what I'd do

[SnowxSakura]

Can finally play halo on the go

[Dreakon13]

The main problem with PC is the lack of standards.

 

If Valve can strike some deals with developers to make their SteamDeck the target performance-wise, like the consoles do, that's the only way it works IMO.  Otherwise it won't take long, especially as the PS5 and XSX start to impact the ceiling of multiplatform games more, for the recommended specs in games to overshadow this thing.  Not even getting into the fact it's SteamOS/Linux so compatibility with Windows games and those without native *nix ports will be spotty, I hear good things about Proton but it's far from perfect.

 

That all said, I may end up getting one.  It's probably as close as I'll get to a PC I can conveniently hook up to my TV alongside my consoles... without building a whole big, expensive, loud thing dedicated to it... and without having to tinker for days to clear up the inevitable screen tearing and jittery framerate/refresh rate issues.  And I have a ton of older Steam games collecting dust, and a Steam controller that I wouldn't mind getting more acquainted with.

 

 

2 hours ago, Eyjabria said:

Another common misconception I keep hearing is how PC gaming is somehow difficult. If downloading a game and/or game client and starting up a game by clicking it is too much for someone's IQ, then I wonder how they manage to operate a console or figure out how to play any game.

 

It's pretty simple if all you do is play a handful of well supported games on a very basic setup.  Break away from that mold a little and it can get painful, especially if you just don't know what you're doing.  Most games require extensive tinkering to work without crazy screen tearing and jittery framerates if I try to plug into a TV.  Not even getting into spotty peripheral support.  Some games don't really support mouse and keyboard anymore, some games don't really support gamepads.  The Steam controller tries to bridge the gap and has a massive learning curve.  I've gone through two Xbox One controller dongles breaking for no particular reason before I gave up and just got something with bluetooth (not all PC's support bluetooth out of the box).  All the random crap that might lead to a game not starting up, loading to endless black screens and errors, etc... PC games run the gamut of optimization issues and QA.

Edited July 16, 2021 by Dreakon13

[theSpirae]

I might consider it, will wait to try one before ordering it. The main reason I barely use Switch is because of controls, it feels awkward and uncomfortable for long sessions.

[fyiByas]

So far my complaint is it looks ugly and uncomfortable but I could be wrong.  Now regards to software and hardware I'm sure this will play well on certain games while others it's probably better off with Keyboard+mouse. Not to mention some of the survival games can be dependent on Modding which might support this hardware well or not.

 

Not sure if this handheld will be good for outdoors, I know Vita / 3DS didn't feel that great outdoors imo.

 

Probably not going to get it, already have a handheld, computer & console. but recently bought ram for $149.99 if these prices on computer parts stay the same maybe it's a good idea to get hardware like this heh.

[Cleggworth]

I'm intrigued. Could this be the Bethesda device for me.... possibly with it hooking up to a TV. What interests me the most though is outside of the steamOS could you get remote play running on this? My vita is going to be out of a job soon with the PS5 and I'm in the market for a new solution. Remote play PS5 and a Bethesda device that isn't xbox hardware in the same package ?

[EverythingOnFire]

Well, after 5-6 minutes of trying over and over again to put down the $5 deposit, I was able to secure a reservation for the 256GB version. ?  Hopefully I'm not a mile down the queue.

 

@ExHaseo

Quote

PC has never been about affordability. That's why consoles exist.

 

Blatant misinformation that scares people away from a great gaming platform. The games can be ridiculously cheaper on PC thanks to constant sales and bundles, and there's a ton of options people have when it comes to hardware. I do most of my PC gaming on a $350 machine, 1080p60fps. That of course is a pre-pandemic price, and I definitely wouldn't recommend people buy PC hardware at this point in time, just like I wouldn't recommend they spend double or triple MSRP for a PS5.

 

PC gaming is about choice. You chose to get a high-end PC, and that's great, but please don't make it sound like it's a necessity, because it most absolutely is not.

 

 

 

[DaivRules]

22 minutes ago, EverythingOnFire said:

The games can be ridiculously cheaper on PC thanks to constant sales and bundles

 

Well... mostly thanks to piracy. Sales and bundles are the best tools PC gaming has against piracy. But the rest of your post is true.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by DaivRules

[Katt]

Meanwhile playstation eating hot glue. Give me Vita 2 already.

 

[Caesar Clown]

I got the 2nd one reserved, I'll see how things go and make the final decision when it's actually time to order it.

[EverythingOnFire]

1 hour ago, DaivRules said:

 

Well... mostly thanks to piracy. Sales and bundles are the best tools PC gaming has against piracy. But the rest of your post is true.

 

Well, it's still true. Bundles and constant sales do exist, regardless of the reasons. Piracy definitely does factor into the equation though. Never gone that route myself, but I have purchased from the grey market on occasion, mostly just for de-listed titles like God Mode, 2006's Prey, and Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project.

[ziggypossum]

 

[Eyjabria]

1 hour ago, DaivRules said:

 

Well... mostly thanks to piracy. Sales and bundles are the best tools PC gaming has against piracy. But the rest of your post is true.

 

 

Actually game prices on PC are low because of competition. On PC you have multiple digital storefronts competing for consumer's attention and money which benefits the consumer. When you look at the console ecosystems like Sony's PS Store and Nintendo eShop, there is just one vendor that you have a choice to purchase from, leaving physical games as the sole competitor on those platforms.

[DaivRules]

10 minutes ago, Eyjabria said:

 

Actually game prices on PC are low because of competition. On PC you have multiple digital storefronts competing for consumer's attention and money which benefits the consumer. When you look at the console ecosystems like Sony's PS Store and Nintendo eShop, there is just one vendor that you have a choice to purchase from, leaving physical games as the sole competitor on those platforms.

 

Some competition is a very, very small part of PC game prices. They're all buying from the same publisher and the publisher is still setting the wholesale prices. The publisher drops the prices for PC game storefronts very quickly to combat piracy and the stores pass through those price cuts and reduce prices. The publishers keep the wholesale prices higher for console versions as there is much less piracy to combat. 

 

 

 

 

[SnowxSakura]

Ended up reserving the 512gb model, with a q2 2022 release estimate

[whodeygamer]

I thankfully ended up reserving the 512 gb model, with a Q1 2022 release estimate.

[Wavergray]

Got the 256gb model, with a Q1 2022 release estimate.

[MidnightDragon]

It looks cool, but going to wait and see what people think before I try to get one. After all, just spent a bunch of money on the Switch OLED.

[TJ_Solo]

5 hours ago, Eyjabria said:

 

Actually game prices on PC are low because of competition. On PC you have multiple digital storefronts competing for consumer's attention and money which benefits the consumer. When you look at the console ecosystems like Sony's PS Store and Nintendo eShop, there is just one vendor that you have a choice to purchase from, leaving physical games as the sole competitor on those platforms.

 

There is more theft and gray market issuses on PC. That is what keeps prices down and places trying to constantly have big sales. There isn't much retail/legal competition on PC

[Eyjabria]

Steam momentarily crashed yesterday when the Steam Deck pre-orders opened so I assume it has garnered a decent interest. Husbando put in a pre-order for the 512 GB model. Expected order availability is Q1 2022. 

 

For anyone curious about compatibility of certain games, this site may come in handy: https://www.protondb.com/ 
To my dismay it seems Atelier Ryza doesn't seem to run perfectly on Linux. I'm still on the fence if I should get it on PC or Switch because I'd like the better performance of PC but prefer the comfort of handheld play for RPGs. Steam Deck would have been the perfect solution for me. 
Valve commented on Proton's game compatibility that they're working on improving it (at least regarding some popular multiplayer games that have anti-cheat system issues preventing play).

Edited July 17, 2021 by Eyjabria

[SnowxSakura]

5 hours ago, Eyjabria said:

Steam momentarily crashed yesterday when the Steam Deck pre-orders opened so I assume it has garnered a decent interest. Husbando put in a pre-order for the 512 GB model. Expected order availability is Q1 2022. 

 

For anyone curious about compatibility of certain games, this site may come in handy: https://www.protondb.com/ 
To my dismay it seems Atelier Ryza doesn't seem to run perfectly on Linux. I'm still on the fence if I should get it on PC or Switch because I'd like the better performance of PC but prefer the comfort of handheld play for RPGs. Steam Deck would have been the perfect solution for me. 
Valve commented on Proton's game compatibility that they're working on improving it (at least regarding some popular multiplayer games that have anti-cheat system issues preventing play).

You can just install windows on it, you don't have to run the default linux os on it

https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-install-windows-on-a-steam-deck-and-possibly-other-game-storefronts-too/

[Pray_4_the_End]

I know I said I wasn't that interested at the top of this thread, but I started looking into to it a bit more before pre-orders went live yesterday and changed my mind real quick lol. I didn't know about a lot of the features this thing was touting. The fact that you'll be able to install whatever OS you want, dock it/hook it up to a monitor with mouse/keyboard and you have a pc, full bluetooth capabilities (smh Nintendo), and you can play games on it = Sold. Plus it looks like a modern day Sega Gamegear which is kinda hilarious to me lol. After 2 hours of Steam crashing and shitting itself I managed to snag a 512gb model pre-order for Q2 of next year. I'm sure the emulation wizards will be out in full force when this thing comes out and I'll be waiting patiently to play PS1 & PS2 games on the go. I'll be calling mine the "GabeGear" when I get it and I hope Valve doesn't miss the opportunity to call the new dock for it the "Deck Dock" lmao.

 

Side Note:

Scalpers on eBay are fucking out of control with the prices they are charging just for a pre-order for this thing. Worse comes to worse I'll sell the thing for double the price and be laughing all the way to the bank. ?

[SnowxSakura]

5 minutes ago, Pray_4_the_End said:

I know I said I wasn't that interested at the top of this thread, but I started looking into to it a bit more before pre-orders went live yesterday and changed my mind real quick lol. I didn't know about a lot of the features this thing was touting. The fact that you'll be able to install whatever OS you want, dock it/hook it up to a monitor with mouse/keyboard and you have a pc, full bluetooth capabilities (smh Nintendo), and you can play games on it = Sold. Plus it looks like a modern day Sega Gamegear which is kinda hilarious to me lol. After 2 hours of Steam crashing and shitting itself I managed to snag a 512gb model pre-order for Q2 of next year. I'm sure the emulation wizards will be out in full force when this thing comes out and I'll be waiting patiently to play PS1 & PS2 games on the go. I'll be calling mine the "GabeGear" when I get it and I hope Valve doesn't miss the opportunity to call the new dock for it the "Deck Dock" lmao.

 

Side Note:

Scalpers on eBay are fucking out of control with the prices they are charging just for a pre-order for this thing. Worse comes to worse I'll sell the thing for double the price and be laughing all the way to the bank.

Those listings will probably get removed if reported since they violate the 30 day presale policy

[Pray_4_the_End]

3 minutes ago, SnowxSakura said:

Those listings will probably get removed if reported since they violate the 30 day presale policy

 

Let's hope so because there's a lot of them. If people are really out here spending $1500-$2000 for a handheld that's not coming out till probably next year then people are just about as dumb as I would expect unfortunately lol.