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Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

arstechnica.com

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Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#81

Post by michaelt »

kogepathic wrote: post #31

Valve's track record with non-VR hardware is, to put it politely, not good. Seven years after launching the Steam machine (2014) initiative, there are no Steam machines available for sale. [1] Both the Steam Controller (2015-2019) and Steam Link (2015-2018) are discontinued and cannot be purchased, despite consistently positive reviews from users. [2] As other commenters have noted there are already numerous "Switch-…

Valve's efforts in hardware (and Linux support) are motivated by getting leverage in negotiations with Microsoft.

After all, Microsoft could pull an iOS and insist on a cut of all sales on Windows - or make the microsoft store the only way to distribute software.

Like a pilot with a parachute, they'll dutifully maintain it - but they hope not to need it.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#82

Post by me_me_me »

croon wrote: post #59
me_me_me wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They need to secure games on it. Even if this console ends up being PC in small form factor. I dont have switch but if i were to buy a console it would be switch, not steam console. I can play my games on PC, if i get console I'd rather have games made specifically for that form factor, plus Nintendo has amazing catalogue of exclusives. If you judge Valves actins in response to Epic agresively taking their already en…

I understand getting a Switch for the exclusives, but outside of that I wouldn't get a portable console for access to games I couldn't play otherwise, but access to games outside of the normal environment (my desktop PC). If you look at the metacritic list of best games for Switch: https://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/... Most games are just ported PC games, which would be playable on a Steam p…

Most games are made for consoles first, rarely other way around.

Anyhow, you can play on your screen with docked switch. You can play on your couch with steam link, or pc hooked up to tv.

I am just not seeing a competitive edge for this device.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#83

Post by hn8788 »

schmorptron wrote: post #75
bob1029 wrote: post #70

Why did Valve get out of the AAA game development business? It seems like hardware has largely been a mistake for them. Sure, I can have 20 different variants of an x86 computer and various HMD interfaces, but if all the games suck ass what's the point? Valve is still surfing on the inertia of their initial software-based innovations, and is only continuing to cruise along by siphoning off others in their (lightly) c…

Artifact was a good card game only killed by really dumb marketing and monetization decisions. Half-Life Alyx is almost universally hailed as the best VR game and as good if not better than the previous Half-Life games. That being said, you're right about them neglecting a lot of their IP. Specifically a TF3 might be really cool to see, along with more love for Counter-Strike.

Being the best VR game isn't a very high bar. From what I read from people who play a lot of VR games, the amount of polish was the only thing to make it stand out, and without the Half-Life name, it would just be a slow hallway shooter that didn't do anything innovative like the previous Half-Life games did.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#84

Post by criddell »

majewsky wrote: post #43
SirLotsaLocks wrote: post #33

A lot of consoles are sold at a loss, where costs are made up by people buying games through the console on the makers store, I wonder how valve will go about this because I don't see a lot of people getting this that didn't already have steam on another device.

> A lot of consoles are sold at a loss I don't believe that's the case anymore. Newer console generations have moved on from exotic ISAs and the like towards using a lot of off-the-shelf parts for smartphones or PCs. The Switch, for instance, has been sold at a profit from day one [1]. [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20170131084504/https://www.bloom...

I don't believe it's ever been the case. On some days (especially early on) the console may sell at a loss, but over the lifetime of the console, the hardware is almost certainly net profitable.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#85

Post by toast0 »

jsnell wrote: post #74
maxsilver wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, Valve needs to better support hardware to build trust. But I think some perspective is worth mentioning. Every Valve hardware device has had a longer maintenance and support lifecycle than any Google Nexus/Pixel device ever sold. Valve has consistently been better than Google about their hardware + software lifecycles. It's totally fair to compare the two, but that doesn't necessarily make them equivalent. V…

Going by the dates on Wikipedia, the 2015 Chromebook Pixel had 6 years and 3 months of updates. The Pixelbook will have 6 years and 6 months, the Pixel Slate 7 years and 9 months, and the Pixelbook Go 6 years and 9 months. 1st gen Chromecast stopped getting feature updates after 6 years, but as far as I can tell is still in scope for security fixes. 2nd gen Chromecast seems to still be fully supported 5.5 years after…

Really, an x86 laptop should get software updates until the wheels fall off, or something actually needs a CPU extension that's not present.

If you want to be petty, don't add new quality of life features to devices past the sell by date, like say no Android apps on older Chromebooks, even if they've got the hardware virtualization support needed. But when you kill the existing printer service, it's kind of rude to not push the replacement local printer daemon, or leave a half-ass version that doesn't really work either.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#86

Post by jamesgeck0 »

peanut_worm wrote: post #69
Hamuko wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about the HTC Vive and the Valve Index?

I suppose their VR hardware would be the exception. SteamOS, Steam Machines and their controller all got abandoned even though they all seemed like pretty good ideas.

Those are still getting software updates even though they aren’t on the market anymore. Additionally, they spawned the “Big Picture” mode, an absurdly robust controller mapping feature, and a Wine variant that benefits all Linux gamers.

Every time Valve makes a hardware product, Steam gets some new killer feature.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#87

Post by alias_neo »

chimpansteve wrote: post #54
schmorptron wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That being said, they did support both the Steam Controller and Link for a very long time, and the Steam Controller continues to be used by many (The configurator and services for sharing the configurations work all the same today). Steam Link has mostly been replaced by software solutions like an Android App, or it being straight up built into some TVs.

I've got a hardware Link - it's still being supported now. It had an update a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, but I've had 4K monitors and 4K TV for almost as long as the Link has existed. It very quickly became useless to me the moment I upgraded to a 4K TV. The Steam controller is also an utterly horrible UX so the pair were just a waste of money that sat in a drawer until I stuck them on eBay.

A 4K Steam Link should have been an obvious iteration, and a controller with actual buttons and sticks (I half-joke about the controller, I know some love its touch nature, I just hated it, could never keep my thumbs in the right spot).

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#88

Post by justinclift »

schmorptron wrote: post #75
bob1029 wrote: post #70

Why did Valve get out of the AAA game development business? It seems like hardware has largely been a mistake for them. Sure, I can have 20 different variants of an x86 computer and various HMD interfaces, but if all the games suck ass what's the point? Valve is still surfing on the inertia of their initial software-based innovations, and is only continuing to cruise along by siphoning off others in their (lightly) c…

Artifact was a good card game only killed by really dumb marketing and monetization decisions. Half-Life Alyx is almost universally hailed as the best VR game and as good if not better than the previous Half-Life games. That being said, you're right about them neglecting a lot of their IP. Specifically a TF3 might be really cool to see, along with more love for Counter-Strike.

> Half-Life Alyx is almost universally hailed as the best VR game and as good if not better than the previous Half-Life games.

Yet weirdly, Valve refuses to sell their Index VR system to people in Australia.

As I discovered recently, when looking to get one, here in Australia. :/

There are people selling some international version via Amazon, however apparently if any kind of warranty issue happens then you're screwed. So, "no" to that.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#89

Post by rriepe »

bob1029 wrote: post #70

Why did Valve get out of the AAA game development business? It seems like hardware has largely been a mistake for them. Sure, I can have 20 different variants of an x86 computer and various HMD interfaces, but if all the games suck ass what's the point? Valve is still surfing on the inertia of their initial software-based innovations, and is only continuing to cruise along by siphoning off others in their (lightly) c…

Valve have too much employee direction to participate in the race to the bottom that is modern video games.

But, to your point-- everyone got out of the AAA game development business. We've had one Elder Scrolls and one GTA for ten years now. All of those insane articles dramatizing Bioshock: Infinite as the last AAA title were true. It's like the Waterworld of games, the last big effects movie before everything became cheap CGI.

Games are lootboxes, middling cartoony style, addiction mechanics with some social stuff lightly sprinkled on top now.

Sidenote: Making TF3 would be especially weird because Valve basically popularized all of those trends.

That's just the format now. Even CDPR and other companies clinging to the old formula are just coasting on past momentum, with the cracks starting to show.

Re: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC

#90

Post by rowanG077 »

bitL wrote: post #80
schmorptron wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Artifact was a good card game only killed by really dumb marketing and monetization decisions. Half-Life Alyx is almost universally hailed as the best VR game and as good if not better than the previous Half-Life games. That being said, you're right about them neglecting a lot of their IP. Specifically a TF3 might be really cool to see, along with more love for Counter-Strike.

> Half-Life Alyx is almost universally hailed as the best VR game MS Flight Simulator 2020 and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice might be other "best VR game" contenders.

I haven't played Hellblade but FS 2020 can't be even really be called a VR ready game. Even with a 3080 you struggle to reach 90 fps. It's a vomit machine.
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