Gabe wants other PC makers to create their own Steam Decks | PC Gamer - downingdifebath

Gabe wants some other PC makers to make their own Steamer Decks

(Persona credit: Valve)

Valve wants the Steamer Deck to be the start point for a whole new hand-held Personal computer ecosystem. Speaking to IGN Gabe Newell has explicit that the relatively low price point for the Deck was "painful" just "critical", but he also goes on to state his expectations that IT testament comprise the jumping turned point for establishing a product class that benefits Valve in the long term.

That means helium hopes other PC manufacturers are going to get on board the Deck train, and release their own versions of the handheld PC, probably hoping they're running the bespoke mobile version of SteamOS Valve has created for it.

"Our view is, If we're doing this aright, that we're going to personify selling these in millions of units," says Newell. "And it's understandably going to be establishing a product family that ourselves and other PC manufacturers are going to be able to participate in. And that's going away to have long-term benefits for us. So that's sort of the frame which we're intellection about this."

Those "long-condition benefits" then might explain one of the biggest surprises approximately the Steam Deck: its cost. When other hand-held gaming PCs are costing upwards of $1,000, the entry point for the 64GB Deck is just $399. Of course, you are going to want one of the NVMe-battery-powered 256GB surgery 512GB versions if you're serious well-nig playacting on the go, and they cost $529 and $649 respectively, merely that's still an moving price.

But if Valve is looking at this to establish a product family that other manufacturers and then build off, having a popular, affordable initial device is the way to go.

And I can definitely see it happening. Valve May struggle to conserve with demand, after all we are in the middle of a chip supply crisis right now, and thither are a lot of AMD APUs that Microsoft and Sony want TSMC to make for their own consoles, only I'd wager there's expiration to be a huge backlog on that pre-order queue.

That could be all the imperviable the like MSI and Asus need to starting time making their own Decks. Asus has already past all-in on play phones, so this doesn't feel like practically of a step for it to take. But the likelihood is that both of those companies leave see the limitations of the Steam Deck and deficiency more. I can see an MSI or ROG Deck being sold for upwards of $1,000 like the current hand-held PCs, and that is going to mow the number of potential difference buyers real prompt.

Alienware UFO concept handheld gaming PC — (Image credit: Alienware)

We've already seen Dell and Alienware has its own ideas about handheld gaming with the UFO prototype, so I can also see that given a bat of paint, SteamOS installed onto it, and IT shoved out the door, again for a premium price.

Whether any early Microcomputer maker is willing to accept the like sort of "painful" pricing Valve was willing to bind the Deck is upwards for debate. I'd suggest it's unlikely, and it also feels like that could quickly monotonous the enthusiasm for the handheld PC ecosystem.

But that's just based on what happened with the original Steamer Machines Valve tried to launch every those years ago. Itself a SteamOS-based pseudo PC console, then stacked for the sitting room, but another product class Valve tried to push out to other PC manufacturers.

Things could be different this time around, however, and Valve is certainly looking to rise the Deck's value aside departure it solo first, earlier delivery other system builders into the mix. Hopefully the Deck ends up being more Index than Steam Simple machine.

Dave has been gambling since the days of Zaxxon and Lady Bug on the Colecovision, and write in code books for the Commodore Vic 20 (Death Race 2000!). He built his for the first time gaming PC at the untoughened age of 16, and finally all over bug-altering the Cyrix-based arrangement approximately a twelvemonth later. When he dropped it out of the window. Atomic number 2 first started writing for Functionary PlayStation Magazine and Xbox World many decades ago, then moved onto PC Arrange full-time, then PC Gamer, TechRadar, and T3 among others. Now helium's back, writing about the nightmarish graphics batting order market, CPUs with Thomas More cores than sense, gaming laptops hotter than the sun, and SSDs more capacious than a Cybertruck.