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NEWS: Valve Announces Steam Deck Portable PC Gaming Console


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LightningCount



Joined: 04 Mar 2018
Posts: 228
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 7:13 pm Reply with quote
I think this is a logical and legit endeavor, especially given Steam's library. Looks like they considered all the inputs, too, to support a variety of games. However, I am getting 90s vibes from this device. First thing that came to mind was Atari Lynx, but it's actually more like Sega Nomad and Sega Game Gear at first glance in terms of form factor. But maybe it's just me.
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dreamingsamurai



Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Posts: 32
Location: Fairfax, VA
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:22 pm Reply with quote
LightningCount wrote:
First thing that came to mind was Atari Lynx, but it's actually more like Sega Nomad and Sega Game Gear at first glance in terms of form factor. But maybe it's just me.

Nope, my first impression was to the Game Gear as well (man that think sucked batteries). Smile
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SilverTalon01



Joined: 02 Apr 2012
Posts: 2401
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:55 pm Reply with quote
I mostly play AAA games on steam and don't have much interest in a handheld Steam device. This is a really neat idea, and there are a lot of games on Steam that would work great on a handheld including titles that are on a handheld device.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 9:26 pm Reply with quote
Will there be a convenient way to see if it meets a given game's listed system requirements?
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:38 pm Reply with quote
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...
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Vanadise



Joined: 06 Apr 2015
Posts: 488
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:13 pm Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too.

Bear in mind there is no Switch "Pro". The OLED is nice but mostly a cosmetic upgrade from the current Switch. The Deck's CPU & GPU are a bit more powerful (although not vastly so), but the NVMe drive models are likely to have vastly faster storage than the Switch.

Of course, the real reason anybody buys any console is the games, not the specs -- Nintendo has certainly never won a handheld console war by having the fastest hardware -- and having access to the vast majority of PC games ever made is pretty nice. The Deck being effectively just a portable Linux computer is going to be very nice for homebrew / indie games, too.

I'd say whether you should buy this instead of a Switch depends on how much you like Nintendo exclusives, but if you buy this and a Switch, there's little reason to buy anything else unless you want a high-end console or desktop PC for 4k gaming on a TV.
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Joa



Joined: 25 Jul 2015
Posts: 98
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:21 pm Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...

The Steam Deck is just a PC so you can use it for anything, not just Steam. I think that will be a big deciding factor for a lot of people. In theory you could install a Switch emulator on it and play both Steam and Switch games.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:38 pm Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...


Around 4,000 games on Switch, maybe 50,000 on Steam. There's a logic to it.
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Levonr



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 807
PostPosted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:45 pm Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...


Whats wrong with Steam users wanting to play mobile? Its not really a competition to Switch, its mostly a different player base and everyone knows this won't outsell and be mainstream like the Switch, should companies not do a handheld just because of that? Steam has tons of content thats not on Switch. Its been around for 18 years with 50,000+ games and over 120 million active users. I personally have about 2,000 games on Steam, there's a lot more games on Steam thats not on Switch than the select few that are Switch exclusive.

This hardware specs is looking promising, obviously much more powerful than a Switch. We saw gameplay of demanding games like Death Stranding and Control which was nice. Of course only time will tell when it comes out just how good it will be.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:05 am Reply with quote
This looks like a much better attempt from Valve than their foible Steam Machines. Wish 'em luck. I'll probably sit out the first generation and maybe pick up the 2nd or 3rd after they've made whatever adjustments are necessary.
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AiddonValentine



Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 2201
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:28 am Reply with quote
-Looks at the mountain of skulls outside of Nintendo's handheld fortress-

Good luck with that
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:41 am Reply with quote
Nintendo Life thinks Valve's Steam Deck might be the closest we'll get to a Switch Pro In 2021.

And according to Polygon:



Xcloud? Emulators? Mods? Adult VN games? Zelda 60fps anyone?
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jrockfreak



Joined: 06 Sep 2013
Posts: 125
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:43 am Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...


I think this is geared towards PC gamers who want to take their games on the go and gamers like myself who dont use steam cause my Computer wont run it so I would consider getting something like this
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ranran-001



Joined: 25 Oct 2018
Posts: 532
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:48 am Reply with quote
AiddonValentine wrote:
-Looks at the mountain of skulls outside of Nintendo's handheld fortress-

Good luck with that


It doesn't need to compete against Nintendo. It needs to compete against PC gaming desktops and laptops. In that space, it could do well.
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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6199
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 10:33 am Reply with quote
Hiroki not Takuya wrote:
Why anyone would buy this instead of a Switch OLED/Pro is beyond me because the prices and storage are the same and the screens look very close too. Does Valve really think Steam games are that much more popular than the army of great games already on Switch with more on the way? "You won't have to spend money on these other great games because you have already purchased Steam games and you want so badly to take them mobile"? Delusional...


Being able to play GTA V or Persona 5 portable has a big appeal to me. Nintendo needs to get on the ball with their specs and third parties.

My biggest concern is longevity. With how fast PC graphics are evolving, will you even get a few years out this thing? Next year games like Starfield are coming out, and I don't think it's equipped to handle that, based on the specs.
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