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Valve is about to win the console generation

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Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#141

Post by wraptile »

robomc wrote: post #48
Normal_gaussian wrote: post #46

Valve certainly won't win it, but they're bringing the heat where it wasn't before. SteamOS is the important part here - if it is proven to be a good console experience (which the deck has basically proven already) then licensing of the OS to other manufacturers will put a lot of pressure on integrated h/w s/w manufacturers. Unlike the handheld format, the tvbox console is fairly easy to manufacture and is tolerant o…

Yeah I mean... can I play Fortnite, BF6 or the upcoming GTA on steamOS?

These are not winner games these days. Gaming trends are so fast that indie games like the one where you play a duck with a gun is what's driving the gaming community these days.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#142

Post by taeric »

neighbour wrote: post #20
esseph wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nintendo has a tiny library. Steam does not.

Steam Deck has a tiny install base. Switch 2 does not. I'm mostly a PC gamer but let's be real here.

Though, to be fair, my kids steal my Steam Deck from me more often than I try to get the Switch from them. The family share features of the Switch leave a lot to be desired.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#143

Post by bsder »

ethmarks wrote: post #138
bsder wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What non-gaming use cases do you imagine people might use these for? Media box under your TV? Right now I don't have a lot of options that also don't inundate me with ads. Sure, I can build one, but if Valve can put this out at a price that makes me go "Nah. Not worth building it myself." that's a win.

Couldn't you use a Raspberry Pi or a mini PC for this?

Sure? But RPi's are anemic and not cheap while refurb mini PC's are $400.

So, there's quite a bit of pricing room.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#144

Post by TiredOfLife »

jauntywundrkind wrote: post #91
jsheard wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It absolutely can have the cheap pricing of a console Valve hasn't committed to a price yet, but they told Gamers Nexus that it'll be priced less like a console and more like an entry level computer (i.e. more expensive than a console).

Weird statement, because I can search for PS5 pro & see $750 price points, and entry level computers have been far far cheaper. Cheaper than Xbox series X at $650. Getting pretty solid laptops for a bit under $500 has been possible for many years now. But "entry level computer" has a very broad interpretation available. Could be higher for sure.

Steam machine is barely at base ps5 level in performance

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#145

Post by wpm »

ethmarks wrote: post #77
TheRoque wrote: post #51

I hardly understand the headline. Steam machine is just a computer, and since it can be used for other stuff than playing games, then it can't have the cheap pricing of a console. Most consoles are sold at a loss, and the benefits are made when selling console-exclusive games. If you sell something at a loss, but users aren't forced to buy your games, then you're not gonna make any money. Hence, the Steam Machine (AK…

Laptops have lots of components that the Steam Machine doesn't have. The screen, keyboard, touchpad, cameras, microphones, speakers, battery, et cetera are all fairly small costs, but they add up. Plus using a Linux-based OS instead of Windows automatically knocks around $50 off the price because the price doesn't include the cost of an OEM Windows license. I don't think the Steam Machine will be priced lower than a…

I mean, Valve built this with the profits, at least, in no small part with the profits from selling games, DLC, and gacha skins on their storefront which has many many competitors too bozo-brained to run their stores as well as Valve does.

If any company has a business case for “we’ll sell the form factor at a loss with our store preinstalled” now it’s Valve, especially if they want to make the hardware only to prove the viability of the form factor, and especially since they already have been selling on platforms they don’t own.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#146

Post by wpm »

Aeolun wrote: post #136
nodja wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All they have to do is market the fact you don't have to pay for online. PS5 + 3 years of PS Plus = $740 Steam Machine = $700 Add/remove more years of PS Plus if the SM turns out to be more/less expensive. If you add the fact that games on PC are usually cheaper and have sales more often then it's a no brainer, but that won't convince the FIFA and COD players.

Plus a game catalog that stretches back some 30 years?

And +X years, because you could write your own games for it and install them without begging for permission from Valve.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#147

Post by lotyrin »

bsder wrote: post #143
ethmarks wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't you use a Raspberry Pi or a mini PC for this?

Sure? But RPi's are anemic and not cheap while refurb mini PC's are $400. So, there's quite a bit of pricing room.

I think the mini PCs they're talking about are more likely to be N100 systems or similar that are sub 100 dollars new. Significantly less anemic, and their hardware media decode (which is well supported by software) is more than sufficient for realtime 4k playback.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#148

Post by wongogue »

xena wrote: post #135
intexpress wrote: post #94

To win this console generation and outsell the PS5, Valve would have to sell 85 million Steam Machines (as of today, and likely need to sell 120 million by the end of the generation). About a 0% chance of that happening. Looks cool, though

I'm implying they'd win via a cultural victory TBH

I am up for a lego pyramid made of Steam machines.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#149

Post by itsn0tm3 »

wraptile wrote: post #141
robomc wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I mean... can I play Fortnite, BF6 or the upcoming GTA on steamOS?

These are not winner games these days. Gaming trends are so fast that indie games like the one where you play a duck with a gun is what's driving the gaming community these days.

I would say that‘s a bit overly simplified, as much as the indie or indie like game scene is thriving, so is the online multiplayer scene. Gaming is huge and just because one thing is big doesn’t mean another is not. Not a zero sum game here.

Re: Valve is about to win the console generation

#150

Post by Agentlien »

bathtub365 wrote: post #140
robomc wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I mean... can I play Fortnite, BF6 or the upcoming GTA on steamOS?

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to play GTA 6 on any PC platform as it’s only coming out on consoles.

At least to start. Microsoft strongly encourages all Xbox games to also come out on PC, though they sometimes release later. I cannot find any game developed originally for Xbox Series X|S where this hasn't happened eventually (and the developers definitively aren't still working on the PC version).
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