I'm not sure how they compare to other handhelds now, but idk if I can recommend a Steam Deck any more despite really loving mine. Folks with decks collecting dust can probably recoup their cost...
The 512GB OLED model increased from $549 to $789. The 1TB OLED model increased from $649 to $949.
The older 256GB LCD model is no longer in production, leaving OLED as Valve’s current handheld option through the Steam store.
I'm not sure how they compare to other handhelds now, but idk if I can recommend a Steam Deck any more despite really loving mine. Folks with decks collecting dust can probably recoup their cost though.
This makes me concerned the second coming of the Steam Machine will end up dead in the water again due to pricing. The first time, they were priced like prebuilts and outsourced to other companies but ran with Linux, and Proton wasn't nearly as good yet. So your target demographic didn't really exist, folks that were willing to use Linux would've rather built their own for what 1/2 the price. This attempt was setup well now that Proton is good enough that a Steam Machine could serve the common consumer and they've had their own successful hardware products, but seems data centers may out price what most folks can justify.
Fuck AI, and mass crypto mining before that, they're ruining my hobby (not just gaming but computer hardware).
Not entirely unlikely their competition will also go up by hundreds, so unless their competition is willing to loss lead in order to get some market share, comparatively maybe still the same? That...
I'm not sure how they compare to other handhelds now
Not entirely unlikely their competition will also go up by hundreds, so unless their competition is willing to loss lead in order to get some market share, comparatively maybe still the same? That said, I don't think dropping a thousand on the Deck is worth it in general.
Both the Steam Machine and Frame will suffer in sales and there's nothing Valve can really do about either.
The Decks have been out of stock for a few months now so it's with the restock that the new pricing was announced. Others will certainly follow suit once stock runs out or they'll simply decide...
Exemplary
The Decks have been out of stock for a few months now so it's with the restock that the new pricing was announced. Others will certainly follow suit once stock runs out or they'll simply decide that there isn't a market for the price increase and stop producing them. Glad I got my OLED 1TB Limited Edition (I really wanted the translucent case) back when it launched.
Remember kids, the reason RAM/electronics are so much more expensive is because not-yet-manufactured memory was bought with money that doesn't really exist to be put into GPUs that haven't been made to be installed in data centers that haven't been built that are powered by infrastructure that will never paid for by the companies that use it to satisfy a demand that isn't there in order to generate profits that are mathematically impossible.
If I ever see Sam Altman in SF I’m roasting the fuck out of him for buying up all the RAM. I recommend anyone else with the chance do the same. We haven’t tried enough direct social shaming to...
If I ever see Sam Altman in SF I’m roasting the fuck out of him for buying up all the RAM. I recommend anyone else with the chance do the same. We haven’t tried enough direct social shaming to influence billionaire behavior.
I legit think we should start berating and spitting on them in public. They shouldn't feel welcome in regular society, they should be treated with the same level of disdain they clearly have for...
I legit think we should start berating and spitting on them in public. They shouldn't feel welcome in regular society, they should be treated with the same level of disdain they clearly have for the rest of us.
Or, we change the constitution to declare anyone with a net worth > $500m legally not a person, but a noncitizen physical manifestation of their financial assets with almost none of the rights and...
Or, we change the constitution to declare anyone with a net worth > $500m legally not a person, but a noncitizen physical manifestation of their financial assets with almost none of the rights and protections afforded to the rest of us. They can get their personhood back by charitably donating enough of said assets to bring their personal wealth below that threshold.
This would solve so many problems. For one, they could no longer pump money into elections under the guise of "free speech" because the First Amendment would no longer be applicable to them.
This is the Nth time this month that I've seen people on this website suggest financial and/or political things that have zero basis/connection to reality and overall just feel like things you'd...
This is the Nth time this month that I've seen people on this website suggest financial and/or political things that have zero basis/connection to reality and overall just feel like things you'd see on The Other Place.
Honestly, if anyone isn't at least a little bit deranged from the current state of the world, I just assume they've been deranged in some other more serious way. There's a lot of frustration, to...
Honestly, if anyone isn't at least a little bit deranged from the current state of the world, I just assume they've been deranged in some other more serious way.
There's a lot of frustration, to put things extremely lightly.
I'm well aware that my proposal is ridiculous, that's sort of the point. I'm out of realistic ideas on how to fix the problem, so I'm just going to contribute to the growing chorus of discontent...
I'm well aware that my proposal is ridiculous, that's sort of the point. I'm out of realistic ideas on how to fix the problem, so I'm just going to contribute to the growing chorus of discontent against the class responsible.
Spiritually satisfying, but the upcoming proposals in SF for a "wealth gap" tax might do the job better (and more ethically): https://carenotgreed.org/
Spiritually satisfying, but the upcoming proposals in SF for a "wealth gap" tax might do the job better (and more ethically): https://carenotgreed.org/
FAANG definitely has a bunch of liquid assets that they threw into the pockets of the shovel sellers. The big difference with the dotcom bubble is that this time it actually does have real money...
bought with money that doesn't really exist
FAANG definitely has a bunch of liquid assets that they threw into the pockets of the shovel sellers. The big difference with the dotcom bubble is that this time it actually does have real money behind it. Google and Meta are moving real piles of cash. Whether or not it'll be profitable is another question entirely.
Unless you're alluding to OpenAI promising billions that they don't have. In which case yes, those chickens will come home to roost.
But they’re moving real money in a circle. Even the Googles and Amazons and Metas are making most of their AI revenue from OpenAI and Anthropic… who get most of their money from Google/Amazon/Meta
But they’re moving real money in a circle. Even the Googles and Amazons and Metas are making most of their AI revenue from OpenAI and Anthropic… who get most of their money from Google/Amazon/Meta
Correct, but that's a different problem than "no real money". The dotcom bubble had no actual money whatsoever. Google, Amazon, and Meta also have very profitable side businesses before AI.
Correct, but that's a different problem than "no real money". The dotcom bubble had no actual money whatsoever. Google, Amazon, and Meta also have very profitable side businesses before AI.
Lots of news orgs reported this as Sam Altman “locking up” the supply, but that’s just bullshit spin. This is really over-indexing into the Sam Altman Letter of Intent. SK and Samsung are big...
Remember kids, the reason RAM/electronics are so much more expensive is because not-yet-manufactured memory was bought with money that doesn't really exist to be put into GPUs that haven't been made to be installed in data centers that haven't been built that are powered by infrastructure that will never paid for by the companies that use it to satisfy a demand that isn't there in order to generate profits that are mathematically impossible.
Lots of news orgs reported this as Sam Altman “locking up” the supply, but that’s just bullshit spin.
This is really over-indexing into the Sam Altman Letter of Intent. SK and Samsung are big boys, they’re megacorps, not mom and pops. They knew what a letter of intent is, they know what “nonbinding” means, and I have no doubt that they expected that the deal would not be finalized, or finalized at a lower amount.
Most of the demand spike is from the actual data centers being built sending in real binding orders for HBM memory, most of which isn’t going into the GPUs anyhow.
I don't know why this keeps getting repeated. Isn't this how any serious supply chain works? Stuff is ordered before it's actually produced? Or do grocery stores wait until farmers finish growing...
Remember kids, the reason RAM/electronics are so much more expensive is because not-yet-manufactured memory was bought with money that doesn't really exist to be put into GPUs that haven't been made to be installed in data centers that haven't been built that are powered by infrastructure that will never paid for by the companies that use it to satisfy a demand that isn't there in order to generate profits that are mathematically impossible.
I don't know why this keeps getting repeated. Isn't this how any serious supply chain works? Stuff is ordered before it's actually produced? Or do grocery stores wait until farmers finish growing their crops before, like, auctioning their radishes away before they rot? What should have happened, they buy the land, put a warehouse-ish building there, then hope that the parts they need to finish are available?
Does a new grocery store chain preemptively buy every radish for the next several years, before having any way to store the radishes, both physically and with the infrastructure that can support...
Does a new grocery store chain preemptively buy every radish for the next several years, before having any way to store the radishes, both physically and with the infrastructure that can support it, in the hopes that they'll generate enough demand for the radishes that they'll all be sold for profits that aren't actually mathematically possible?
More or less? Hyperbole for the sake of comparison aside, this older article about Target wasting a shitload of food starting their grocery department has sat in my mind for a decade because...
More or less? Hyperbole for the sake of comparison aside, this older article about Target wasting a shitload of food starting their grocery department has sat in my mind for a decade because there's so much waste over building a customer base and fucking up on a grand scale to figure out the infrastructure. Yes, they had preemptive contracts in place for the product; no, they didn't have the infrastructure to store or ship these appropriately; yes, they were trying to generate demand; no, the results were off the mark.
Granted, that's all to sell a basic human need rather than generating boilerplates and cats with moustaches.
If there were like 2 radish suppliers in the whole world, then of course this would be possible. Sure, for example when building new locations. What do you think they should do, have empty...
buy every radish for the next several years
If there were like 2 radish suppliers in the whole world, then of course this would be possible.
before having any way to store the radishes
Sure, for example when building new locations. What do you think they should do, have empty warehouses for months to come?
in the hopes that they'll generate enough demand for the radishes
Not that they generate enough demand, that there will be enough demand. Of course. Not sure why you would think this is impossible, there was an infamous tulip market crash in the 17th century for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania
they'll all be sold for profits that aren't actually mathematically possible
First time I hear of this being "mathematically impossible". If there wasn't enough demand, we wouldn't be talking about it because steam deck wouldn't be rising in prices. Clearly the demand is there and so is the competition for it. Just because you think they're making a bad investment doesn't make this order nonsensical. From the perspective of making a good investment it makes perfect sense.
I think the handheld PC market is small enough that loss-leading is essentially impossible. Valve has at least a small avenue to do so, but I'd say even they'd be wary, given half their base is...
I think the handheld PC market is small enough that loss-leading is essentially impossible.
Valve has at least a small avenue to do so, but I'd say even they'd be wary, given half their base is contingent on cheap games and an ever-expanding library.
To add, loss-lead to what? None of the other handheld PC makers seem to have any post-sale profit makers. Steam could sell the Deck at a loss because they know you are likely to buy games on Steam.
I think the handheld PC market is small enough that loss-leading is essentially impossible.
To add, loss-lead to what? None of the other handheld PC makers seem to have any post-sale profit makers. Steam could sell the Deck at a loss because they know you are likely to buy games on Steam.
This is why I'm confused that Microsoft never jumped on this opportunity, despite the tech being viable for some 15 years. They'd be one of the few companies who could loss lead and profit from...
This is why I'm confused that Microsoft never jumped on this opportunity, despite the tech being viable for some 15 years. They'd be one of the few companies who could loss lead and profit from XBox and Windows sales.
Microsoft seems to have dropped the ball with gaming in general for the last... Several years, really. I was never into Xbox or "Microsoft Gaming", but I got the sense that their gaming division...
I agree. It's a dumb proposition and unlikely to happen but hey if the likes of Asus want to capture a piece of that market share by undervaluing their product I won't stop them.
I agree. It's a dumb proposition and unlikely to happen but hey if the likes of Asus want to capture a piece of that market share by undervaluing their product I won't stop them.
Taking the ROG Ally/Ally X as an example, seems like there are several variations on sale within 600-1000 with specs that seem to be comparable or better than the deck. I imagine you're right...
Taking the ROG Ally/Ally X as an example, seems like there are several variations on sale within 600-1000 with specs that seem to be comparable or better than the deck. I imagine you're right about them shooting up as back stock clears/catch wind of deck price increases.
The ROG Ally was always a pretty decent deal if you looked at specs alone. I personally thought the Deck was the better product regardless even if you're just looking at the OS. If someone didn't...
The ROG Ally was always a pretty decent deal if you looked at specs alone. I personally thought the Deck was the better product regardless even if you're just looking at the OS.
If someone didn't buy the ROG at this price point, they probably won't when it jumps up either.
Fuck billionaires. They're the ones pouring so much money into all of this dog shit, with the explicit goal of triggering a mass unemployment crisis. Billionaires aren't people like you and me,...
Fuck AI, and mass crypto mining before that, they're ruining my hobby (not just gaming but computer hardware).
Fuck billionaires. They're the ones pouring so much money into all of this dog shit, with the explicit goal of triggering a mass unemployment crisis. Billionaires aren't people like you and me, they have more in common with rabid dogs. It's about time our treatment of them started to reflect that.
I just want to vent about how last year was finally the year I started earning enough to save money for pc upgrades and other extras like a steam deck. I was so excited to get to the end of the...
I just want to vent about how last year was finally the year I started earning enough to save money for pc upgrades and other extras like a steam deck. I was so excited to get to the end of the year and treat myself to a nice Christmas treat, as my friends had gotten steam decks earlier in the year, and I was also ready to finally upgrade to a serious gaming pc. And now it's all ruined and I can't afford anything I want again.
I already accepted I won't own a house and likely won't have a car for the foreseeable future due to rising gas prices, but having even what little joy I had left in my hobbies being stolen as I'm totally price gated, just as I was getting to that goal feels so... Bleak and hopeless.
I know I can keep saving and eventually get there but it just feels unfair. It feels like the reward for my hard work, and the work of others, is just even higher prices on everything. It's insane to live in a world where anything computer is now accruing value because AI companies said so, instead of depreciating like any other consumer electronic up until now. I feel so done with everything right now.
I just hope I'll be able to last until the AI bubble pops, if some other disaster hasn't hit by then.
I know you are venting and likely not looking for solutions per se, but I do want to point out that Valve has been intermittently restocking refurbished LCD steam deck models, and at least for now...
I know you are venting and likely not looking for solutions per se, but I do want to point out that Valve has been intermittently restocking refurbished LCD steam deck models, and at least for now the prices on those has not changed as part of this announcement. I was fortunate enough to snag one in the last restock a little over a week ago. There is a discord channel that notifies upon restocks, and that's how I was able to grab one.
FWIW I do sympathize with how unfair it all feels. I didn't ask for any of the decisions and actions that have led to these ridiculous price spikes. :(
My guess is that Valve aren't doing this out of corporate greed. They don't have the same clout when it comes to negotiating supplier prices compared to a major consumer electronics giant like...
My guess is that Valve aren't doing this out of corporate greed. They don't have the same clout when it comes to negotiating supplier prices compared to a major consumer electronics giant like Nintendo or Samsung, and the price hikes reflect that.
Valve would be wise to indefinitely delay the Steam Machine until the AI bubble either collapses or the semiconductor market recovers.
That or sell it at a loss like every other console manufacturer and give consumers an incentive to switch to Linux.
I saw some odd headlines and YouTube titles blaming Valve for this. Like yeah, they set the price.. but they don't control the cost. The Machine seems to have been rather close to release-ready. I...
I saw some odd headlines and YouTube titles blaming Valve for this. Like yeah, they set the price.. but they don't control the cost.
The Machine seems to have been rather close to release-ready. I wonder if they can shutter the program indefinitely at this point.
Indeed, the first iteration of Steam Machine was a huge flop and this one has the software & hardware to theoretically be a success, but not at this price point. I'm afraid that the brand might...
Valve would be wise to indefinitely delay the Steam Machine until the AI bubble either collapses or the semiconductor market recovers. That or sell it at a loss like every other console manufacturer and give consumers an incentive to switch to Linux.
Indeed, the first iteration of Steam Machine was a huge flop and this one has the software & hardware to theoretically be a success, but not at this price point. I'm afraid that the brand might not get a third chance if this one flops due to pricing.
Steam machine will probably be $1200/$1500 for the two SKUs, based on this pricing. They’ll still sell units at that price but it does put a damper on things.
Steam machine will probably be $1200/$1500 for the two SKUs, based on this pricing. They’ll still sell units at that price but it does put a damper on things.
My Steam Deck OLED has become my main gaming device (I barely boot up my PS5 anymore) and I played 100+ hours on it, but this new price makes it impossible to recommend anymore. Thankfully, the...
My Steam Deck OLED has become my main gaming device (I barely boot up my PS5 anymore) and I played 100+ hours on it, but this new price makes it impossible to recommend anymore. Thankfully, the device being easy to repair and old enough, there's second-hand units available in the 300-400€ price range (although most listings are at completely unreasonable prices).
Other x64 handhelds might keep a better price/performance ratio for a few more months thanks to higher stock levels, but they'll also rise their price eventually. Don't forget who is to blame for this: Sam Altman and who is funding him (oil sellers and techno-fascists).
I'd imagine that Valve might be looking urgently at putting their existing hardware in the bullpen, and/or fast tracking Steam for Android compatibility so that they don't have to deal with new...
I'd imagine that Valve might be looking urgently at putting their existing hardware in the bullpen, and/or fast tracking Steam for Android compatibility so that they don't have to deal with new hardware pipelines in a world where all this nonsense is going on. Maybe branded Retroid hardware?
I don't see that happening. Smartphones aren't built to run AAA PC games, and anyone building more bespoke Android gaming handhelds will face the exact same problems Valve is right now. Plus, why...
Steam for Android compatibility so that they don't have to deal with new hardware pipelines in a world where all this nonsense is going on. Maybe branded Retroid hardware?
I don't see that happening. Smartphones aren't built to run AAA PC games, and anyone building more bespoke Android gaming handhelds will face the exact same problems Valve is right now. Plus, why even run Android when SteamOS is purpose built for this exact job?
I think Steam for ARM is going to move outside the Steam Frame. Mobile devices are the most populous computation devices around, and run on ARM. It's entirely possible that Steam puts out bespoke...
I think Steam for ARM is going to move outside the Steam Frame. Mobile devices are the most populous computation devices around, and run on ARM. It's entirely possible that Steam puts out bespoke ARM handhelds with ARM SteamOS and ARM compatibility with Proton, but I'd put good money on them not just leaving the mobile space to Gamehub and Gamenative and would put out a first party solution to their games on your phone.
My pie in the sky hopes (despite being mixed on Valve as a company) would be for Steam to move into mobile and offer a resurgence in the premium mobile game market somehow. A place that you know...
Plus, why even run Android when SteamOS is purpose built for this exact job?
My pie in the sky hopes (despite being mixed on Valve as a company) would be for Steam to move into mobile and offer a resurgence in the premium mobile game market somehow. A place that you know doesn't have 99% "Free" to play MTX laden services would have been a godsend for potential gamers and developers alike. The rat race on Google/App store was long lost there.
Apple tried to pave that with Apple Arcade, but Android had no equivalent.
Super happy I got a retro console instead of a Steam Deck. Lighter, cheaper, and plays basically anything I want it to. I suspect those will go up in price too, but not to this extent.
Super happy I got a retro console instead of a Steam Deck. Lighter, cheaper, and plays basically anything I want it to.
I suspect those will go up in price too, but not to this extent.
I'm not sure how they compare to other handhelds now, but idk if I can recommend a Steam Deck any more despite really loving mine. Folks with decks collecting dust can probably recoup their cost though.
This makes me concerned the second coming of the Steam Machine will end up dead in the water again due to pricing. The first time, they were priced like prebuilts and outsourced to other companies but ran with Linux, and Proton wasn't nearly as good yet. So your target demographic didn't really exist, folks that were willing to use Linux would've rather built their own for what 1/2 the price. This attempt was setup well now that Proton is good enough that a Steam Machine could serve the common consumer and they've had their own successful hardware products, but seems data centers may out price what most folks can justify.
Fuck AI, and mass crypto mining before that, they're ruining my hobby (not just gaming but computer hardware).
Not entirely unlikely their competition will also go up by hundreds, so unless their competition is willing to loss lead in order to get some market share, comparatively maybe still the same? That said, I don't think dropping a thousand on the Deck is worth it in general.
Both the Steam Machine and Frame will suffer in sales and there's nothing Valve can really do about either.
The Decks have been out of stock for a few months now so it's with the restock that the new pricing was announced. Others will certainly follow suit once stock runs out or they'll simply decide that there isn't a market for the price increase and stop producing them. Glad I got my OLED 1TB Limited Edition (I really wanted the translucent case) back when it launched.
Remember kids, the reason RAM/electronics are so much more expensive is because not-yet-manufactured memory was bought with money that doesn't really exist to be put into GPUs that haven't been made to be installed in data centers that haven't been built that are powered by infrastructure that will never paid for by the companies that use it to satisfy a demand that isn't there in order to generate profits that are mathematically impossible.
If I ever see Sam Altman in SF I’m roasting the fuck out of him for buying up all the RAM. I recommend anyone else with the chance do the same. We haven’t tried enough direct social shaming to influence billionaire behavior.
I legit think we should start berating and spitting on them in public. They shouldn't feel welcome in regular society, they should be treated with the same level of disdain they clearly have for the rest of us.
Yell abuse all you like with my blessings, but avoid spitting, unless you're willing to suffer a battery charge.
Or, we change the constitution to declare anyone with a net worth > $500m legally not a person, but a noncitizen physical manifestation of their financial assets with almost none of the rights and protections afforded to the rest of us. They can get their personhood back by charitably donating enough of said assets to bring their personal wealth below that threshold.
This would solve so many problems. For one, they could no longer pump money into elections under the guise of "free speech" because the First Amendment would no longer be applicable to them.
This is the Nth time this month that I've seen people on this website suggest financial and/or political things that have zero basis/connection to reality and overall just feel like things you'd see on The Other Place.
Honestly, if anyone isn't at least a little bit deranged from the current state of the world, I just assume they've been deranged in some other more serious way.
There's a lot of frustration, to put things extremely lightly.
I'm well aware that my proposal is ridiculous, that's sort of the point. I'm out of realistic ideas on how to fix the problem, so I'm just going to contribute to the growing chorus of discontent against the class responsible.
Spiritually satisfying, but the upcoming proposals in SF for a "wealth gap" tax might do the job better (and more ethically): https://carenotgreed.org/
FAANG definitely has a bunch of liquid assets that they threw into the pockets of the shovel sellers. The big difference with the dotcom bubble is that this time it actually does have real money behind it. Google and Meta are moving real piles of cash. Whether or not it'll be profitable is another question entirely.
Unless you're alluding to OpenAI promising billions that they don't have. In which case yes, those chickens will come home to roost.
But they’re moving real money in a circle. Even the Googles and Amazons and Metas are making most of their AI revenue from OpenAI and Anthropic… who get most of their money from Google/Amazon/Meta
Bingo. Circular money flow is a bigger red flag than a pyramid-shaped one.
And they all give money to Nvidia who then invests money right back into the AI companies.
Correct, but that's a different problem than "no real money". The dotcom bubble had no actual money whatsoever. Google, Amazon, and Meta also have very profitable side businesses before AI.
Lots of news orgs reported this as Sam Altman “locking up” the supply, but that’s just bullshit spin.
This is really over-indexing into the Sam Altman Letter of Intent. SK and Samsung are big boys, they’re megacorps, not mom and pops. They knew what a letter of intent is, they know what “nonbinding” means, and I have no doubt that they expected that the deal would not be finalized, or finalized at a lower amount.
Most of the demand spike is from the actual data centers being built sending in real binding orders for HBM memory, most of which isn’t going into the GPUs anyhow.
I don't know why this keeps getting repeated. Isn't this how any serious supply chain works? Stuff is ordered before it's actually produced? Or do grocery stores wait until farmers finish growing their crops before, like, auctioning their radishes away before they rot? What should have happened, they buy the land, put a warehouse-ish building there, then hope that the parts they need to finish are available?
Does a new grocery store chain preemptively buy every radish for the next several years, before having any way to store the radishes, both physically and with the infrastructure that can support it, in the hopes that they'll generate enough demand for the radishes that they'll all be sold for profits that aren't actually mathematically possible?
More or less? Hyperbole for the sake of comparison aside, this older article about Target wasting a shitload of food starting their grocery department has sat in my mind for a decade because there's so much waste over building a customer base and fucking up on a grand scale to figure out the infrastructure. Yes, they had preemptive contracts in place for the product; no, they didn't have the infrastructure to store or ship these appropriately; yes, they were trying to generate demand; no, the results were off the mark.
Granted, that's all to sell a basic human need rather than generating boilerplates and cats with moustaches.
If there were like 2 radish suppliers in the whole world, then of course this would be possible.
Sure, for example when building new locations. What do you think they should do, have empty warehouses for months to come?
Not that they generate enough demand, that there will be enough demand. Of course. Not sure why you would think this is impossible, there was an infamous tulip market crash in the 17th century for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania
First time I hear of this being "mathematically impossible". If there wasn't enough demand, we wouldn't be talking about it because steam deck wouldn't be rising in prices. Clearly the demand is there and so is the competition for it. Just because you think they're making a bad investment doesn't make this order nonsensical. From the perspective of making a good investment it makes perfect sense.
I think the handheld PC market is small enough that loss-leading is essentially impossible.
Valve has at least a small avenue to do so, but I'd say even they'd be wary, given half their base is contingent on cheap games and an ever-expanding library.
To add, loss-lead to what? None of the other handheld PC makers seem to have any post-sale profit makers. Steam could sell the Deck at a loss because they know you are likely to buy games on Steam.
This is why I'm confused that Microsoft never jumped on this opportunity, despite the tech being viable for some 15 years. They'd be one of the few companies who could loss lead and profit from XBox and Windows sales.
Microsoft seems to have dropped the ball with gaming in general for the last... Several years, really. I was never into Xbox or "Microsoft Gaming", but I got the sense that their gaming division has been a lower priority to the point it almost felt like they planned to just give up on Xbox and focus on PC gaming. Though apparently the new Xbox CEO has been making a lot of steps to turn things around since she got the position back in February.
I agree. It's a dumb proposition and unlikely to happen but hey if the likes of Asus want to capture a piece of that market share by undervaluing their product I won't stop them.
Taking the ROG Ally/Ally X as an example, seems like there are several variations on sale within 600-1000 with specs that seem to be comparable or better than the deck. I imagine you're right about them shooting up as back stock clears/catch wind of deck price increases.
The ROG Ally was always a pretty decent deal if you looked at specs alone. I personally thought the Deck was the better product regardless even if you're just looking at the OS.
If someone didn't buy the ROG at this price point, they probably won't when it jumps up either.
Fuck billionaires. They're the ones pouring so much money into all of this dog shit, with the explicit goal of triggering a mass unemployment crisis. Billionaires aren't people like you and me, they have more in common with rabid dogs. It's about time our treatment of them started to reflect that.
They should probably just not release the other products in 2026.
I just want to vent about how last year was finally the year I started earning enough to save money for pc upgrades and other extras like a steam deck. I was so excited to get to the end of the year and treat myself to a nice Christmas treat, as my friends had gotten steam decks earlier in the year, and I was also ready to finally upgrade to a serious gaming pc. And now it's all ruined and I can't afford anything I want again.
I already accepted I won't own a house and likely won't have a car for the foreseeable future due to rising gas prices, but having even what little joy I had left in my hobbies being stolen as I'm totally price gated, just as I was getting to that goal feels so... Bleak and hopeless.
I know I can keep saving and eventually get there but it just feels unfair. It feels like the reward for my hard work, and the work of others, is just even higher prices on everything. It's insane to live in a world where anything computer is now accruing value because AI companies said so, instead of depreciating like any other consumer electronic up until now. I feel so done with everything right now.
I just hope I'll be able to last until the AI bubble pops, if some other disaster hasn't hit by then.
I know you are venting and likely not looking for solutions per se, but I do want to point out that Valve has been intermittently restocking refurbished LCD steam deck models, and at least for now the prices on those has not changed as part of this announcement. I was fortunate enough to snag one in the last restock a little over a week ago. There is a discord channel that notifies upon restocks, and that's how I was able to grab one.
FWIW I do sympathize with how unfair it all feels. I didn't ask for any of the decisions and actions that have led to these ridiculous price spikes. :(
My guess is that Valve aren't doing this out of corporate greed. They don't have the same clout when it comes to negotiating supplier prices compared to a major consumer electronics giant like Nintendo or Samsung, and the price hikes reflect that.
Valve would be wise to indefinitely delay the Steam Machine until the AI bubble either collapses or the semiconductor market recovers.
That or sell it at a loss like every other console manufacturer and give consumers an incentive to switch to Linux.
I saw some odd headlines and YouTube titles blaming Valve for this. Like yeah, they set the price.. but they don't control the cost.
The Machine seems to have been rather close to release-ready. I wonder if they can shutter the program indefinitely at this point.
Indeed, the first iteration of Steam Machine was a huge flop and this one has the software & hardware to theoretically be a success, but not at this price point. I'm afraid that the brand might not get a third chance if this one flops due to pricing.
They’re famously reliable at counting to three, after all.
Steam machine will probably be $1200/$1500 for the two SKUs, based on this pricing. They’ll still sell units at that price but it does put a damper on things.
My Steam Deck OLED has become my main gaming device (I barely boot up my PS5 anymore) and I played 100+ hours on it, but this new price makes it impossible to recommend anymore. Thankfully, the device being easy to repair and old enough, there's second-hand units available in the 300-400€ price range (although most listings are at completely unreasonable prices).
Other x64 handhelds might keep a better price/performance ratio for a few more months thanks to higher stock levels, but they'll also rise their price eventually. Don't forget who is to blame for this: Sam Altman and who is funding him (oil sellers and techno-fascists).
I'd imagine that Valve might be looking urgently at putting their existing hardware in the bullpen, and/or fast tracking Steam for Android compatibility so that they don't have to deal with new hardware pipelines in a world where all this nonsense is going on. Maybe branded Retroid hardware?
I don't see that happening. Smartphones aren't built to run AAA PC games, and anyone building more bespoke Android gaming handhelds will face the exact same problems Valve is right now. Plus, why even run Android when SteamOS is purpose built for this exact job?
I think Steam for ARM is going to move outside the Steam Frame. Mobile devices are the most populous computation devices around, and run on ARM. It's entirely possible that Steam puts out bespoke ARM handhelds with ARM SteamOS and ARM compatibility with Proton, but I'd put good money on them not just leaving the mobile space to Gamehub and Gamenative and would put out a first party solution to their games on your phone.
My pie in the sky hopes (despite being mixed on Valve as a company) would be for Steam to move into mobile and offer a resurgence in the premium mobile game market somehow. A place that you know doesn't have 99% "Free" to play MTX laden services would have been a godsend for potential gamers and developers alike. The rat race on Google/App store was long lost there.
Apple tried to pave that with Apple Arcade, but Android had no equivalent.
Super happy I got a retro console instead of a Steam Deck. Lighter, cheaper, and plays basically anything I want it to.
I suspect those will go up in price too, but not to this extent.