Steam deck forum section?

[Neroon]

1 minute ago, Arika S said:

subforums don't create communities. Communities create subforums.

That's not completely true. If a forum can create a community, so can a subforum. I get your argument, but it's just not completely true.

 

Remember, a subforum would also send a message to the community, that a subject is taken seriously, which can draw in people, both new to it or who have been doing it for a long time., whereas if it's snowed under, no one cares.

[mapegl]

I just stumbled upon this thread and I personally would very much like to have a dedicated section for at least handhelds. 

I would love to have a dedicated place in this forum, because I am tinkering a lot on my steam deck but to be honest I now look elsewhere. 

I really think there is a "need" for pinned threads on what the beste handhelds are, games that run well on the different machine, compatibility with steam is/Linux, 3D-printed accessories for those handhelds, etc.

 

I get that you can't make something for everyone, but I personally think that there are quite a few people out there with different handhelds, especially on this forum. Bringing them together would be nice, because then visibility for those who actually care and may know sth would rise. 

 

Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right. Who knows, but I bet there will be a bunch of new people coming here with those devices and they will be looking for tutorials etc and it would be awesome to collect those in one place. 

[LogicalDrm]

1 hour ago, mapegl said:

I just stumbled upon this thread and I personally would very much like to have a dedicated section for at least handhelds. 

I would love to have a dedicated place in this forum, because I am tinkering a lot on my steam deck but to be honest I now look elsewhere. 

I really think there is a "need" for pinned threads on what the beste handhelds are, games that run well on the different machine, compatibility with steam is/Linux, 3D-printed accessories for those handhelds, etc.

 

I get that you can't make something for everyone, but I personally think that there are quite a few people out there with different handhelds, especially on this forum. Bringing them together would be nice, because then visibility for those who actually care and may know sth would rise. 

 

Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right. Who knows, but I bet there will be a bunch of new people coming here with those devices and they will be looking for tutorials etc and it would be awesome to collect those in one place. 

I'll comment about pinned threads. As threads can only be edited by creator or moderation, they either need to be mainly unchanged information or have active member as creator. For this reason, any thread for "best" anything would not ever exist. We do have tier lists, and all of those use multiple sources for reference. But things like best games or 3D printed mods are too much changing subject to have and be service as pinned thread.

[Ethnod]

21 hours ago, Spotty said:

There is definitely a chicken or egg element to it. Giving a dedicated section for it might increase activity ("Build it and they will come"), however there's also the risk that moving to a dedicated subforum will result in a decrease in activity. If there's not much activity people will stop checking that section on the forum, threads will go longer without replies, and people will eventually stop trying to have those discussions because they see little activity.

 

I had a look through the forum for posts related to the Steam Deck since it was announced almost 14 months ago. In that time there's been approximately 80 threads (550 posts) that would fit in to a Handheld Gaming section. That works out to be around 1 thread every 5 days. I also checked some of the Steam Deck competitors and that adds maybe another dozen threads in that time period.

 

When adding new subforums we also have to be mindful not to bloat the forum with unnecessary or redundant subforums. By redundant or unnecessary I mean we could have separate subforums for CPUs, Motherboards, and Memory, but if what motherboard or what memory somebody buys relies on what CPU they buy then having the same discussion in 3 different subforums isn't helpful. With a Handheld gaming subforum a lot of discussion would overlap with PC Gaming, like people asking if their handheld can run certain games or asking for recommendations on what games to play.

 

While it may seem that the default answer to new subforums is no we're not actually trying to shut down suggestions for new subforums, it's just that there's a lot of consideration that goes in to it before adding new subforums.

 

Anyway, nothing has been decided or ruled out at this stage. I'm still keeping an eye on the thread for people's feedback and we (moderators) are still discussing where Steam Deck/Handheld discussion should go or if we should add a new subforum for it.

I actually really appreciate that you took the time to go through the history of Steam Deck threads and other handhelds. 

 

The question has been raised, you guys are looking into it and considering it, that's enough for me. If you feel there is enough traffic I'd really appreciate it if there was a dedicated section but if there is not enough traffic I just ask that you reconsider it in 6 months or something like that. 

[MultiGamerClub]

No.

[Ethnod]

So, I think handhelds, over the last year have definitely proven to be much more than a passing trend or fad.

Guys, would you be willing to reexamine this request? I honestly feel that the subject of handhelds is not a passing trend or fad and is unique enough to warrant separation. The only question is, is there enough discussion on the forum to warrent a new section? 

@LogicalDrm

@Spotty

@SansVarnic

If its a no that's fair enough, but lfg is not massively active just as an eg

 

To the mods:

Sorry to resurrect a topic but I did not think it was fair to create a new thread as of the mods points may not still be valid. But if you want me to create a new one please just close this thread, pm me to tell me its OK and I'll create a new one 

[SansVarnic]

6 minutes ago, Ethnod said:

So, I think handhelds, over the last year have definitely proven to be much more than a passing trend or fad.

Guys, would you be willing to reexamine this request? I honestly feel that the subject of handhelds is not a passing trend or fad and is unique enough to warrant separation. The only question is, is there enough discussion on the forum to warrent a new section? 

@LogicalDrm

@Spotty

@SansVarnic

If its a no that's fair enough, but lfg is not massively active just as an eg

 

To the mods:

Sorry to resurrect a topic but I did not think it was fair to create a new thread as of the mods points may not still be valid. But if you want me to create a new one please just close this thread, pm me to tell me its OK and I'll create a new one 

Topic authors are allowed to necro their own topics, that said ... I don't believe our stance has changed much since you originally posted this. I went back and re-read what what all the mods posted and I wont quote them but I feel the same is still true today. But I will let the others weigh in as they see this of course.

[GOTSpectrum]

I don't own a handheld gaming pc, but I wanted to give my thoughts.

 

I do think that handhelds in general, rather than the steam deck itself, should have a dedicated section on the forum. I'm thinking about grabbing one in the near future and having a place where I can look to have it all consolidated in one place would be appreciated 

[Ethnod]

18 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

Topic authors are allowed to necro their own topics

Noted, was not aware of that. There won't be a next time

 

Seeing as you've not killed the thread though I'd be interested in if the topic traffic has increased in the last year, I know it will obviously fluctuate but overall is the average better or event stayed consistent? I honestly don't want a section if its not warranted but then again I'd love to see it all together 

 

Also, I believe that I agreed (and if not I meant to and will do so now) it should be handheld in general, not steam deck

[SansVarnic]

1 hour ago, Ethnod said:

I'd be interested in if the topic traffic has increased in the last year, I know it will obviously fluctuate but overall is the average better or event stayed consistent?

I can't say that I have noticed a difference but then again I haven't really noticed.

[LogicalDrm]

My stance has not changed. The amount of discussion was highest when Steam Deck was new and shiny. Now its just like VR discussion, occasional threads on buying hardware and occasional threads about running games. Of which most hardware fits under laptops and prebuilds, and most gaming stuff in PC gaming.