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The Steam Deck - What kind of market performance do we expect from Valve's portable gaming PC?

There might be a draw to play on a gaming PC without having to deal with Microsoft in any way shape or form. That is one reason I'm rooting for it's success.
 
There might be a draw to play on a gaming PC without having to deal with Microsoft in any way shape or form. That is one reason I'm rooting for it's success.
Fair point, many people are rooting for the SD because of the investments Valve is gonna make towards SteamOS/Linux in general. SO even if you dont plan on buying a Deck soon or ever many are gonna benefit from that development. Streamlining low-powered, portable, MS independent PC gaming.

The goal is to have SteamOS3 run on as many PC plattforms as possible - the SteamDeck is just the Pixel Phone version of Android, will be interesting to see what things look like a couple years from now when actual competitors enter the market, that sell systems for sub 500bucks as well.
 
Fair point, many people are rooting for the SD because of the investments Valve is gonna make towards SteamOS/Linux in general. SO even if you dont plan on buying a Deck soon or ever many are gonna benefit from that development. Streamlining low-powered, portable, MS independent PC gaming.

The goal is to have SteamOS3 run on as many PC plattforms as possible - the SteamDeck is just the Pixel Phone version of Android, will be interesting to see what things look like a couple years from now when actual competitors enter the market, that sell systems for sub 500bucks as well.

Yeah, I hope this makes Linux "mass-market" compatible.
Get enough people hooked on Linux and make Linux-based gaming more accessible.
And maybe we could get a SteamOS or other linux based operating Systems out on normal PC's and laptops and not just handhelds.
There is still the issue about other programs that need Windows, but at least for me, who has a PC specifically for Gaming and another for everything else, it would not be a problem.
 
Yeah, I hope this makes Linux "mass-market" compatible.
Get enough people hooked on Linux and make Linux-based gaming more accessible.
And maybe we could get a SteamOS or other linux based operating Systems out on normal PC's and laptops and not just handhelds.
There is still the issue about other programs that need Windows, but at least for me, who has a PC specifically for Gaming and another for everything else, it would not be a problem.
Steam Deck won't be able to do that but at least it will finally replace Big Picture Mode for Steam on Windows..
 


This isn't directly related to the Deck but probably a interesting video showcasing the current Linux Gaming state.

They make some valid points especially for the crows that insist that the device is gonna be able to attract more casual and mainstream audiences fast. Based on this videos and some of the SteamDeck impressions I've seen there are still ways to go in terms of software support.

Another good point is that while Steam is a bug part of PC gaming, a lot of massive PC games aren't on Steam nowadays. Fortnite, Genshin Impact, Apex etc. while there are still ways to get this kind of content on a Deck, its probably not gonna be something more casual users would look forward to. Once you leave the SteamOS environment the Deck is gonna loose a lot of the console-like features Valve is providing and investing it.

Lets see if Valve can hit the February date. Still hyped for the Deck but i would be lying if I said the delay and this Linus video didn't have negative impact expectations.

Doesn't help that the system kinda screams of - yeah the first revision is gonna be much more improved- with the initial one coming in this hot. Makes you wonder if you wanna spent that amount of cash to be a Beta tester or wait 1-2 for the improve SD experience.

No need for SD v. SWOLED comparisons because they rarely result in something productive, but man if Valve could have delivered a version with smaller bezels i would feel even better about it.

In the end the device is still gonna sell out because the - as of now - niche they are targeting is big enough but how it's gonna evolve in the future will really rely on the software compatibility efforts and how many Valve is gonna be able to produce.
 
This video feels a bit like an assassination attempt; which it surely isn't, because Linus seemed to like the Steam Deck a lot. Still, I cannot agree with what is being criticized in that video. They quickly brush over the critiism against their game choices as if that was totally fair, but I don't think anyone who understands PC-gaming expected all those old, small games nor multiplayer games to work guaranteedly. This was mentioned when the Steam Deck was first announced: Multiplayer on other store fronts is an issue because of anti-cheat tools, and with PC gaming having a library of literally millions of games from over 30 years of accumulated gaming history, yes, older titles will be more likely to have some issues. That isn't new, but it's being presented as "new" information in that video and then people with less benevolent agenda will spread it to tell everyone "look, Steam Deck isn't great actually!!1".

The status quo for the Steam Deck is the same as when it was first revealed: Most popoular singleplayer-games will run without problems. Multiplayer can be an issue because of anti-cheat tools. Non-Steam stores are tricky. And if you want 100% compatibility, just install Windows, and if you don't want to lose SteamOS features, run Windows from an SD card for specific games.

I watched this video expecting some new, shocking info to come up, but there was none. So I don't see why anybody should be more worried now than yesterday. Also, I don't get the impression of the Steam Deck being a "wait for first revision"-type decide. It looks like something a lot of thought went into it and it is the best Steam Deck that could be designed at this point of time. Smaller bezels? Only at the cost of less space inside and less space for the control input. Ofc, should there ever be a Steam Deck 2, it will be better in every area. But at 399, why not buy one now and then the better one in 2 years? Even the 700-model is cheap for what it is and when you take into account its PC-capabilities, upgrading that 2 years later is a finance-friendly move, too.

Its launch is close. Let's just wait one more month and then see what user impressions tell us. Personally, the only thing that could kill my pre-order at this point is loud fan-noise.
 
This isn't something that will keep the people that preordered or are Day 1 from buying the device. Just something about the current state of Linux Gaming and how things have to improve if the end goal is a more mainstream console like device.

When people blindly state all PC games are gonna work and talk about 10000 or whatever at launch it's okay to remind everyone, that this is a work in progress situation.

Let's see how things look like when Valve shares launch Information on the games.
 
This is going to be a very niche product. It will never really appeal to the everyday user. As such, I expect somewhere around 1 million lifetime sales.
 
MS buying Activision, XGS offers their games on Steam. So in the future CoD, Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 etc. could be on SteamOS/SteamDeck. At the same with this acquisition i can see why Valve is going forward with trying to establish a OS outside of the MS ecosystem and not have their whole business depend on MS and Windows.

Also in a recent Update Valve re-confirmed that they are still on track to have the first shipments to customers end of February.

 
I still don't really see how the SteamOS helps Valve too much. if AB games gets on steam through MS, then Valve still profits
Steam is Valve's main business, likely worth well into the billions. Without any Linux efforts that whole business would be fully reliant on Microsoft's antics, like on a short notice introducing (and over time forcing people onto) Windows 11 after for years saying that Windows 10 is the last Windows ever. There already is a Windows version that only allows for software installation through Microsoft Store, nowadays Windows 10/11 S, its initial introduction is what started all of Valve's Linux efforts. All of Valve's Linux efforts culminating in SteamOS are Valve's hedge against Microsoft turning Windows into something that endangers the Steam ecosystem.
 
I still don't really see how the SteamOS helps Valve too much. if AB games gets on steam through MS, then Valve still profits
It means that they are not left at the mercy of Microsoft and their whims with Windows; they can chart their own course.

Microsoft have already tried (and failed) to kill Win 32/64 before and make the Windows Store the only place to buy Windows apps/games. It’s not hard to see why Valve want to not be reliant on Microsoft’s continued good will and/or ineptitude.
 

List of games with SteamDeck verified support status.

Let's see how this develops seems like there is still a lot of work ahead.
Only 38 games? I was under the impression that most games on Steam would work out of the gate. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.

There's still a few weeks before launch and I expect that list to grow quickly, but there will be some obvious growing pains with this device. More so than I was expecting.
 
Only 38 games? I was under the impression that most games on Steam would work out of the gate. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.

There's still a few weeks before launch and I expect that list to grow quickly, but there will be some obvious growing pains with this device. More so than I was expecting.
Pretty much all games that don't have some anti-cheat stuff will work immediately. There's just no guarantee that controls work in a satisfying manner, or screen resolution is supported, or, or, or. All the small things that make or break enjoying a game in the year 2022. The games listed in the link are games that Valve has officially approved as being perfectly compatible with Steam Deck.
 
There's just no guarantee that controls work in a satisfying manner, or screen resolution is supported, or, or, or. All the small things that make or break enjoying a game in the year 2022.
Ah, so the classic "yeah it works on PC, only with a bunch of caveats that can diminish the overall experience."

The response from early adopters will be interesting. I'm glad I cancelled my pre-order.
 
Only 38 games? I was under the impression that most games on Steam would work out of the gate. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.

There's still a few weeks before launch and I expect that list to grow quickly, but there will be some obvious growing pains with this device. More so than I was expecting.
Those are just some of the games that Valve was able to test/verify and or the devs. The device will run much more games but YMMV may vary and some workarounds might be needed.

Not a big deal for the people picking up a SteamDeck early on and are more in tune with PC Gaming, but this is gonna be an issue for the more mainstream audience. Thankfully Valve has likely like 2-3 years before they have to worry about that and i think the verified list will grow a lot and very fast in the next couple months.

PS. This is also a reason why i was perplexed by people downplaying the Switch library in previous discussions by stating that 10k games (or something along those lines) would be ready for the SD on Day 1.
 
Pretty much all games that don't have some anti-cheat stuff will work immediately. There's just no guarantee that controls work in a satisfying manner, or screen resolution is supported, or, or, or. All the small things that make or break enjoying a game in the year 2022. The games listed in the link are games that Valve has officially approved as being perfectly compatible with Steam Deck.
Yep, this is another reason why people who think the Steam Deck is a "Switch killer" have been delusional. Even if Steam Deck became widely available in retail stores/worldwide a lot of casual gamers are going to be frustrated having to do the pc settings thing for their handheld pc.
 
Only 38 games? I was under the impression that most games on Steam would work out of the gate. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.

There's still a few weeks before launch and I expect that list to grow quickly, but there will be some obvious growing pains with this device. More so than I was expecting.
that list is just for Proton. install windows and everything should "work"
 
No P4G? Lmao, yeah, no, fuck that
No user accessible P4G. You need to use Proton GE for P4G because they use some codecs that are patented and Valve can't use it for their Proton fork without infringing some rights.
But yeah, this kinda of thing is why the SteamDeck will never be a user-acessible and mass-market seller device.
 
No user accessible P4G. You need to use Proton GE for P4G because they use some codecs that are patented and Valve can't use it for their Proton fork without infringing some rights.
But yeah, this kinda of thing is why the SteamDeck will never be a user-acessible and mass-market seller device.
Yeah. And even if SD was mass market, I’m sure P4G wouldn’t be what makes or breaks its fate for mainstream customers. It does however single handedly define my interest in this product so if they won’t get P4G to work seamlessly on the system, I have very little interest in it.
 
that list is just for Proton. install windows and everything should "work"
No. The proton list is much bigger than that.

This list is apparently games which were tested by Valves which mets their criteria for the Deck specifically.

There are a lot more games which will work out of the box which Valve hasn't validated yet. And there will likely be games which run perfectly on Linux, either native or through Proton, which will not meet Valve criteria for the Deck (like text being too small, for example).
 
Ah, so the classic "yeah it works on PC, only with a bunch of caveats that can diminish the overall experience."

The response from early adopters will be interesting. I'm glad I cancelled my pre-order.
And so am I! :p Thank you, good sir.
 
No. The proton list is much bigger than that.

This list is apparently games which were tested by Valves which mets their criteria for the Deck specifically.

There are a lot more games which will work out of the box which Valve hasn't validated yet. And there will likely be games which run perfectly on Linux, either native or through Proton, which will not meet Valve criteria for the Deck (like text being too small, for example).
yea, then this means less that it appears. I don't see devs spending time fixing stuff like small text or whatever save for some indies
 
It does feel like hype went down. Way down. Especially with the delay.
Delay dampened hype, yeah. But wait for end of Februar and hype will reach new heights. Saw some dev show off his Steam Deck yesterday and I'm instantly hyped again. Actually, here's the video:



Such clear, clean graphics. Really hope Switch 2 will deliver on that front, I hate sub-native, blurry resolution.
 
I expect it to run decently, if a bit blurry due to resolution. the CPU will be more than enough to keep the gpu fed
Shouldn't be blurry at all as long as it runs in native res, which should be no problem.
 
Have Valve said if there will be a collection of profiles stored for each game containing various graphics settings depending on what you want to prioritize? Something similar to user created controller profiles in Big Picture Mode.

Probably even at 60FPS with PS4 settings
That would be incredible and definitely turn some heads.
 
Have Valve said if there will be a collection of profiles stored for each game containing various graphics settings depending on what you want to prioritize? Something similar to user created controller profiles in Big Picture Mode.


That would be incredible and definitely turn some heads.
I remember they said something about having setting to prioritize performance or battery-life.
About profiles for each game, that will be up to the community to do and share.
 
Personally i wont spent much time with games on the SD that would need this but its indeed great news for the plattform - especially when you consider that SteamOS/Proton is something that Valve is trying to establish outside of the SteamDeck hardware as well. Glad that they were able to streamline things for developers that rely on Anti-Vheat services.
 
Only 38 games? I was under the impression that most games on Steam would work out of the gate. Perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention.

There's still a few weeks before launch and I expect that list to grow quickly, but there will be some obvious growing pains with this device. More so than I was expecting.
FYI, this is only the first patch of specifically Valve tested games for the Deck which means that more games are being added as STEAM Deck Compatible.. there is still a ton of time between now and its launch next month so the Deck compatibility verified games no. will grow much further than just '38' and even then there are games on ProtonDB that can run on the deck too and 'out of the gate'. Games like Gow and HZD already run out of the gate on it for example..
 
As the launch approaches, new cool features are being announced:

Exciting times indeed, such a great feature with a lot of potential down the line. I hope as many devs as possible opt-in to use, i think like always indies will be the ones to be on board first but its gonna be interesting to see it being used in bigger projects as well.

Likely too late for that at this point, but it would have been dope if they could have demonstrated the feature with something like Elden Ring.
 
Oh yes, cant wait for it. One month to go, hope we some big previews and hands-on with the final hardware soon.
 
Seriously, at this point in time, the only thing that could deflate hype for is if Valve announced Steam Deck 2 for 2023.
 
It seems kind of odd to me, that Valve wouldn't make their own anti-cheat middleware solution, and offer it for free to game software developers. That way the could use it outside the Steam environment if they want, but when they bring their games to Steam it would make it easier for games to hook into native APIs instead of the hodgepodge of look alike might be compliant Windows APIs on Steam OS. A whole suite of platform agnostic APIs would be ideal, but that seems unlikely, but a few that work anywhere the developer wants, should be beneficial to all parties.
 
Ah, so the classic "yeah it works on PC, only with a bunch of caveats that can diminish the overall experience."

The response from early adopters will be interesting. I'm glad I cancelled my pre-order.
Remember people here talking about 4000 games on the fly, so... it´s worst than Proton's default definition?
 
Reviews and impressions starting to proliferate.
I remain bullish!
This is not a switch mass-market competitor. But it represents a new best-in-class portable PC gaming device. Gonna be a while before my Wave 2 unit arrives tho :/
 
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