Valve just kicked the teeth of all console makers with this announcement. If only they manage to ship and distribute globally they would single-handedly threat taking over the entire gaming industry (hardware side) in a single generation. Of course, it’s well to wait for reviews, hands on demonstrations and the reality that comes out of this. But I bet there’s more than one MS an Sony executive who were apprehensive of seeing this day arrive.
Also: the fact they doubled down on the Steam Machine name. It’s like a huge FU to all OEM manufacturers who laughed at them in 2017.
I think the main hangup is going to be: how easy and simple is this thing for the average person?
The Steam Deck is, any way you slice it, a better value than the Switch or Switch 2. The Steam Deck has sold roughly 6 million units in 3 years. The Nintendo Switch 2 has sold close to 11 million units in about 5 months.
I hope you’re right and that Valve really shakes up the whole industry, but I’m not going to start expecting that until I see it.
I think Switch has a different market (albeit a bigger one)than the Deck.
There is definitely market overlap with Steam Deck but I feel the Deck offers things that the Switch doesn’t. In a similar vein, I think Steam Machine provides a kind of value that extends just beyond the console market. There are people who would not consider getting a console but would definitely consider getting a powerful and compact Mini PC with good gaming capabilities. Therein lies the greatest value of their offering.
I don’t think they even can manufacture at a scale anywhere close to the big three. Like with the Steam Deck, it’ll be a great product for a niche audience, but the numbers will be limited in comparison. No chance of taking over the industry.
They don’t have to manufacture them all. That little SteamOS Compatible sticker is gonna kick Windows out of the gaming throne and push steam machines as the default livingroom gaming solution. One of the big things about this announcement is that it isn’t addressed only to customers, it is aimed at developers. The store page even has sections to announce that development kits are available. They want the software and hardware developers onboard, that’s how they are going to push out competition.
I want to see The Year of the Linux Desktop™ as much as anyone else on this platform, but I think you’re living in a bubble if you believe there’s any universe in which this could suddenly dethrone Windows.
It’ll carve out a good niche for itself, but that’s really all it will be.
“it’s the year of Linux! This year is really it guys!!” lol
No cod, no battlefield, no gta, no apex, no any of the biggest games that the majority of the money-spenders buy. No chance of kicking windows out of the gaming throne whatsoever.
It definitely seems to me like they’re trying a similar strategy to Microsoft’s Surface line or Google’s Pixel line where the main goal isn’t really to outcompete directly, but rather to influence the market by a) proving that the platform is viable and b) providing a blueprint/setting expectations for third-party manufacturers considering getting in on it. I swear I remember valve saying they were open to licensing steam os to third party devices (granted, I dunno if anyone’s taken them up on it), and they obviously want as many people on steam as they can pull off.
Valve just kicked the teeth of all console makers with this announcement. If only they manage to ship and distribute globally they would single-handedly threat taking over the entire gaming industry (hardware side) in a single generation. Of course, it’s well to wait for reviews, hands on demonstrations and the reality that comes out of this. But I bet there’s more than one MS an Sony executive who were apprehensive of seeing this day arrive.
Also: the fact they doubled down on the Steam Machine name. It’s like a huge FU to all OEM manufacturers who laughed at them in 2017.
I think the main hangup is going to be: how easy and simple is this thing for the average person?
The Steam Deck is, any way you slice it, a better value than the Switch or Switch 2. The Steam Deck has sold roughly 6 million units in 3 years. The Nintendo Switch 2 has sold close to 11 million units in about 5 months.
I hope you’re right and that Valve really shakes up the whole industry, but I’m not going to start expecting that until I see it.
I think Switch has a different market (albeit a bigger one)than the Deck.
There is definitely market overlap with Steam Deck but I feel the Deck offers things that the Switch doesn’t. In a similar vein, I think Steam Machine provides a kind of value that extends just beyond the console market. There are people who would not consider getting a console but would definitely consider getting a powerful and compact Mini PC with good gaming capabilities. Therein lies the greatest value of their offering.
It’s not a very powerful gaming pc though. It’s gonna be a 720p, low settings, FSR box.
It also won’t have COD, Battlefield, GTA, Apex, etc, so it has zero chance of selling gangbusters.
I don’t think they even can manufacture at a scale anywhere close to the big three. Like with the Steam Deck, it’ll be a great product for a niche audience, but the numbers will be limited in comparison. No chance of taking over the industry.
They don’t have to manufacture them all. That little SteamOS Compatible sticker is gonna kick Windows out of the gaming throne and push steam machines as the default livingroom gaming solution. One of the big things about this announcement is that it isn’t addressed only to customers, it is aimed at developers. The store page even has sections to announce that development kits are available. They want the software and hardware developers onboard, that’s how they are going to push out competition.
I want to see The Year of the Linux Desktop™ as much as anyone else on this platform, but I think you’re living in a bubble if you believe there’s any universe in which this could suddenly dethrone Windows.
It’ll carve out a good niche for itself, but that’s really all it will be.
“it’s the year of Linux! This year is really it guys!!” lol
No cod, no battlefield, no gta, no apex, no any of the biggest games that the majority of the money-spenders buy. No chance of kicking windows out of the gaming throne whatsoever.
It definitely seems to me like they’re trying a similar strategy to Microsoft’s Surface line or Google’s Pixel line where the main goal isn’t really to outcompete directly, but rather to influence the market by a) proving that the platform is viable and b) providing a blueprint/setting expectations for third-party manufacturers considering getting in on it. I swear I remember valve saying they were open to licensing steam os to third party devices (granted, I dunno if anyone’s taken them up on it), and they obviously want as many people on steam as they can pull off.
There are currently 2 third party handhelds that are officially supported by SteamOS, so at least 2 manufacterers have taken them up on it so far.
Also the controllers are hall effect by the sounds of it. Which will be a jab at Nintendo no doubt.
technically TMR, but yeah