SteamPal is a fact. Valve announced their first handheld console named Steam Deck

[AlexGoesHigh]

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Sorry but I'm having a laugh at the most expected outcome regarding purchasing the Steam Deck.

 

[CerealExperimentsLain]

Shut up and take my money... That I will only let you keep if third party reviews show it's as good as Valve wants it to sound, cause the deposit is totally refundable.

 

[Velcade]

I'm curious which accounts will get pushed to Sunday.  When buying they had a FAQ talking about some accounts will not be able to purchase until Sunday to limit the amount of scalpers. 

[yolosnail]

Just now, Velcade said:

I'm curious which accounts will get pushed to Sunday.  When buying they had a FAQ talking about some accounts will not be able to purchase until Sunday to limit the amount of scalpers. 

Accounts that made a purchase before June 2021 were allowed to order today I believe, newer accounts wait until Sunday.

 

Anyway, got my order in within the first minute, so hopefully I might get mine somewhat early...

[CerealExperimentsLain]

Just now, Velcade said:

I'm curious which accounts will get pushed to Sunday.  When buying they had a FAQ talking about some accounts will not be able to purchase until Sunday to limit the amount of scalpers. 

More importantly, I have an unused Steam account, back when I First got into gaming with Steam on a TV but before you could log in to the same account twice.  It only has a few games to it's name and it's not been touched in years, how do I scalp this account to scalpers looking to scalp the Steam Deck?

 

"$5?  Oh I dunno, sounds like you reeeeeeeeally need it.  How about $100? :3"

[Velcade]

10 minutes ago, yolosnail said:

Accounts that made a purchase before June 2021 were allowed to order today I believe, newer accounts wait until Sunday.

Makes sense.  

[Spotty]

46 minutes ago, yolosnail said:

Accounts that made a purchase before June 2021 were allowed to order today I believe, newer accounts wait until Sunday.

 

Anyway, got my order in within the first minute, so hopefully I might get mine somewhat early...

So basically steam is selling the Steam Deck based on a Verified Actual Gamer principal.

Seriously though, I do like that they've let people with pre-existing steam accounts order it first.

[BuckGup]

I haven't been able to get one yet. All I see is Reservation Servers are busy, please try again

 

BULLSHIT GIMME IT NOW 

[GoodBytes]

15 minutes ago, Spotty said:

So basically steam is selling the Steam Deck based on a Verified Actual Gamer principal.

Seriously though, I do like that they've let people with pre-existing steam accounts order it first.

Except, you know:

 

It has started...

[Spotty]

4 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Except, you know:

 

It has started...

Much like LTTs verified actual gamer program, they can't guarantee people won't scalp them. But at least the people scalping them will be gamers

[Falkentyne]

Got my 512 GB reservation in an hour ago.  Wonder what position I'm in on the queue

[Velcade]

3 minutes ago, Falkentyne said:

Got my 512 GB reservation in an hour ago.  Wonder what position I'm in on the queue

I got mine at 10:10 PDT, no email yet. 

[BuckGup]

30 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Except, you know:

 

 

It has started...

That's awesome. I'm gonna get two and then sell one and buy an Index

[WolframaticAlpha]

12 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

It really is, why didnt Valve make this 16:9 when majority of games are made for that aspect ratio… my guess is: those screens are cheaper, because no one wants them.

 

 

So? If the screen is cheap then what is the problem? Having a few pixels blacked off is a dealbraeker? You must be really picky with your hw.

[WolframaticAlpha]

11 hours ago, elfensky said:

Who is the target demographic?

 

If you don't own a computer yet, you should be saving for a real desktop (or laptop).

 

If you already own a computer, you can stream your steam games to a phone or tablet you probably already own. (and just get a controller attachment for it for like 50$)

 

For 399 (and realistically, with its 64gb of eMMC storage, no1 is gonna buy the base model, so the actual price is 529+) you can get a Xbox Series S + games, Nintendo Switch + games, or a PlayStation Digital.

 

It's terrible value. I suppose it's cheaper than its counterparts like the Aya Neo or the GPD, but still. It's so niche.

 

And if you want to emulate old consoles, get a PS Vita. Small, OLED screen, good battery and you can get them for under a 100$.

It is the same argument for the switch. The series S is more powerful, but one thing is meant to be in your media center, while the other is in your hands and in the dock. Many people are not going to spend a thousand bux on a gaming PC. This thing is cheap, can provide a serviceable handheld experience @ 399,  and is handheld. Targets the in betweeners. People who want a handheld, but don't need the nintendo exclusives.

 

Also PC games go on sale al the time. You can play with steam, get gamepass, egs works etc. Whereas I still have to pay 3400 INR(or 52 dollars) for BoTW in 2021

[WolframaticAlpha]

I don't know why, but why are people so negative about this. This seems like a great deal to me. Nitpicking about its screen, how it supposedly belongs to 2009(even though it doesn't), how the aspect ratio is bad, why the touchpads will never work, why the 399 pricetag for a full featured handheld is bad etc. This is not a gaming PC. This is harnessing the power of the PC, to defeat the switch. Even if this thing loses, I hope it gives a good whip to nintendo, which frankly has become lazy with switch. If you are saying that it makes more sense to get a full fledged desktop, then this is not for you. 

 

Handhelds are really fun and versatile. Even if it can play games from 2016 at medium settings, I will be happy. Switch versions of AAA games from 2015 like the witcher are cheesegrated as all hell. At least at medium I knwo the game was mean to look like. If I can play at 720p60 or 1080p30(docked) with medium settings with games like portal 2, doom, skyrim, master chief collection and play some emulators, I will be happy. I

[CerealExperimentsLain]

1 minute ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

This is harnessing the power of the PC, to defeat nintendo. Even if this thing loses, I hope it gives a good whip to nintendo, which frankly has become lazy with switch.

I dunno why so many PC gamers buy into this delusion.  This is not a competitor to the Switch, it will not 'Defeat' Nintendo or anything like that.  It's an expensive, less idiot proof hand held PC that plays Steam games.  It will really only appeal to PC gamers who want exactly that.  The switch is lighter, cheaper, has a massive library of beloved first and second party games, before you even get into the second party games, and every game for the Switch actually works with the Switch input controls, where many PC games will not even 'quite' work right on a gamepad due to not being built for it.

This is like opening a middle class fast casual dining restaurant and saying 'HAH.  WE WILL FINALLY DESTROY THE MCDONALDS DOWN THE STREET'.  hah. both are gonna coexist and, at best, see their own independent successes.

 

People who buy Switches are not going 'Hey, I want this because of it's great specs!'  They buy it because it's the Mario/Pokemon/Zelda/Metroid/Animal Crossing machine that also has a big library of other games.  The Steam Deck will not 'defeat Nintendo' because these two devices demographics will barely overlap.

 

Some of you really have no perspective.  The PS Vita for example was basically a PS3 that fit in your hands and all Nintendo did was like 'Hey, you like the 3DS?  We got a 3DS XL! :O' and they just happily went along printing money.

[Forbidden Wafer]

7 minutes ago, CerealExperimentsLain said:

Some of you really have no perspective.  The PS Vita for example was basically a PS3 that fit in your hands and all Nintendo did was like 'Hey, you like the 3DS?  We got a 3DS XL! :O' and they just happily went along printing money.

And it can run some SNES titles that were not available on the non-XL, so you can purchase the exact same games for the 10th time \o/
I want one of these Steam handhelds exactly for this reason: 1 game library to rule them all.

[GoodBytes]

1 hour ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

I don't know why, but why are people so negative about this. This seems like a great deal to me. Nitpicking about its screen, how it supposedly belongs to 2009(even though it doesn't), how the resolution is low, why the 399 pricetag for a full featured handheld is bad etc. This is not a gaming PC. This is harnessing the power of the PC, to defeat nintendo. Even if this thing loses, I hope it gives a good whip to nintendo, which frankly has become lazy with switch.

It doesn't aim at Nintendo. For every handheld system, Nintendo had the weakest hardware, and lowest price, even though you could get better for a bit more by the competition, Nintendo still sold significantly more units. Graphics don't sale. Quality, polished games sales. Most people who buy a Nintendo console, is for Nintendo games primarily.  They are game that you don't need to check reviews for. You know with great confidence that are Nintendo own games are going to deliver a great and fun experience. In addition, these games are for all or all ages. If a parent plays Zelda or Metroid, they know there won't be a sex scene somewhere or the usage of colorful language that their young kids might hear or see.

 

I don't see this device doing well in the long run. Sure, it will be sold out. But in the end, assuming Valve even makes a lot of the base model, they won't come close to anything really substantial. The device has many cons:

• Big / Bulky
• Heavy to hold, Switch is light.
• Few multiplayer games on the same system and requires additional controllers to be purchased. 2 vs 1 for the Switch (as it comes with detachable ones)
• Higher entry cost (despite cheaper games)
• While technically "open", most people (and you can bet Valve bet on this fact as well) won't format the device, install Windows (to run Epic Game Store or something). Why? Because not everyone can do it, probably would void the warranty, no support, and won't have the drivers or proper ones for the touchpad, touchscreen and controller. So, unless Valve provide these official drivers for Windows and other Linux distros, it's not really open. It is just marketing fluff at this point.
• Not all games run on it... as it doesn't run Windows. Sure, you have Wine/Proton, but still.
• The games showed are aged old. Of course, it runs fine... Portal 2 runs great on an Intel integrated graphics as well.... so we don't know on actual performance. The CPU is closer to the PS4 performance. Sooo, not a good start. Sure, GPU is more powerful, but a balanced-out system is important, especially on a device that won't have games specially tuned for it.
• Screen aspect ratio selected means, either: black bars at the top and bottom OR the side of your view being cut left and right. Considering that this is an entertainment device, it should have opted for a 16:9 aspect ratio screen instead.
• Dock not included.
• Dock is clucky with a cable to plug in at the top, and it has no cable management on the rear, making the thing... non-wife approved. Too utilitarian., if what I am trying to say. In the living room, where typically people aim to have a clean and neat looking place. This is a no go. With the Switch, you just slide it in, and has a cover and special opening to guide the cables on the back to help with cable management, and keep things clean. And this is a PC, they could have easily put a USB Type-C on top and bottom and have a Switch like dock. But, I guess they needed something for v2.
• Too many buttons on the controllers, too many variations of controllers between games, so already only hard-core gamers will enjoy it. Touch screen won't work in games. That is beside some board games and Civ 5 and 6, because their layout happens to somewhat support a touch screen by accident. So, some games you'll need to use the touchpad, others the buttons and others a mix.
• Controller layout of the analogue sticks is similar to the WiiU one, and that wasn't liked by the masses. So, while it is a different group of people, they might have a different opinion on it, it is still not a promising start.
• Short battery despite its large size
• One has to still have to play with game configurations to have their games run properly with the best visuals on this system. Switch or any console, the work was done for you by the developer.
• If you play your games on PC and on it, and the game settings sync on the cloud, then you'll keep adjusting your graphics setting back and forth. You can't selectively say to Steam not to sync those. This is clearly going to be annoying.
• 64GB of storage is very limited for PC games. Switch games are designed for limited storage in mind, so it is not really an issue for the majority of games despite it having only 32GB until recently.
• No cartridge or disk support. So, no secondhand market support.
• No kickstand... can't play comfortably on a plane or train.
• If it gets stolen, it's more money lost than the Switch.

 

Don't get me wrong, it is a great device! But don't think it is a Switch competitor by any mean. The device isn't this perfect by any means.

[CerealExperimentsLain]

3 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

• While technically "open", most people and you can bet Valve bet on this fact as well: won't format the device, install Windows. Why? Because not everyone can do it, probably would void the warranty, no support, and won't have the drivers or proper ones for the touchpad, touchscreen, and controller. So, unless Valve provide these official drivers for Windows and other Linux distros, it's not open, as it is marketed to

I would not be surprised if they release drivers for it for Windows.  It seems likely.  But it does remain to be seen, yes.

 

4 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

• One has to still play with game configurations to have their games run properly with the best visuals. Switch or any console, the work was done for you.

This is one that is a minor worry as some Steam games cloud save your graphics settings too.  Most of the Source games do for example.  I play Black Mesa at my desk with a 1440p monitor but an RTX 3080... I also play on my TV at 4K on an GTX 1080.  ...Cloud saving the graphics settings is a problem there.   It'd be much worse if it's like 'Hey you last used this on your 3080, lemme load up those settings to use on this 15w embedded APU.  ...Wow 2 frames per second! :O'

[Quackers101]

17 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

I am going to buy one at launch. This was the switch pro I've been waiting for. 4C/8T is a good CPU. 8 RDNA cores aren't bad.

 

THANK YOU LORD GABEN!

 

Cool, gaben becoming racer jesus?

 

I get the feeling that the button layout got some more cons and pros, different at least, with back buttons which is a decent touch.

 

Also in power, to me it seems a bit lacking for the price, when the software are likely not going to help them. Also it being wide with smaller screen? In my mind, the valve/steam support is in my mind would either make or break the console.

+ the need for addons, if they add good value storage modules through USB C or something. As that storage price currently is NOT worth it, unless streamed to it. (Steam remote play etc).

 

And are those small touch pads?

[Fasterthannothing]

Got mine! Took literally an hour to get through checkout but I was determined. I did give up on the 512gb since those got pushed back to q2 really quickly. Managed to snag a 256gb for Q1 which isn't bad. I still managed to get the fast storage and other than storage space the only thing I gave up was a skin, a fancier case, and a glass screen. the glass screen would have been nice but I'll end up putting a glass screen protector on it anyway and I'll add a USB C drive for storage so it will be fine.

 

[SteveGrabowski0]

2 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

It is the same argument for the switch. The series S is more powerful, but one thing is meant to be in your media center, while the other is in your hands and in the dock. Many people are not going to spend a thousand bux on a gaming PC. This thing is cheap, can provide a serviceable handheld experience @ 399,  and is handheld. Targets the in betweeners. People who want a handheld, but don't need the nintendo exclusives.

 

Also PC games go on sale al the time. You can play with steam, get gamepass, egs works etc. Whereas I still have to pay 3400 INR(or 52 dollars) for BoTW in 2021

$399 feels like a trojan horse. You're not getting the AAA games they advertise the system playing installed in 64GB after factoring in the space for the OS and Steam itself. Real price is $529 for the 256GB model.

[GoodBytes]

Digital Foundry released a video talking about the hardware

In summary: Concerning.

[IamGame]

not sure if this has been posted yet, but it appears the storage might just be upgradeable:  click here

 

edited for fat-finger-itis