Valve introduces Steam Deck

[Slav Power]

If you can't appreciate what valve has done in the last decade IDK what to tell you.

There's "appreciating what Valve has actually done" and then there's "making up shit that Valve will never be able to realize".

What Valve did is:
-release a bunch of hardware, mainly meant to secure their main business, Steam, to be independent of other companies
-contributed to Linux by forking Wine and actually putting in work to make it work, unlike what Wine devs did for the last couple of decades which was the usual FOSS "sit on our thumbs and act holier than thou" charade
-created their own specialized distro targeting a very narrow subset of AMD based systems as to ensure that it's experience is flawless for the average user since trying to make it a general distro would cause it to have the exact same general distro issues every other general distro has

If you want to switch to Linux now, you have Bazzite. You have CachyOS. You don't have to wait for Valve to shoot themselves in the foot and try to do something other people already done. The only reason people are this obsessed about SteamOS is because they're ignorant idiots. One, they thrive in their learned helplessness towards Windows and can do nothing but bitch and moan about how bad and evil it is without even thinking that maybe, just maybe, there are ways to make it less shit. Two, this learned helplessness also makes them sit on their asses and build up SteamOS as some sort of PC messiah while in reality they could abandon Windows right here and now for one of the distros I mentioned that does everything a general SteamOS would do, but they refuse to as they have some cultist attachment to Valve as a brand, thinking that if Valve were to work on this sort of distro it wouldn't suffer from problems all the other distros have. Even though people who switched to Bazzite or CachyOS don't have any problems using them for gaming.

I don't know what to tell you, but Valve didn't explicitly say "we are 100% going to make SteamOS a general distro so that people won't have to suffer with Windows". All of that is what Valve fanatics told themselves and accepted as the only truth, making them blind to other Linux alternatives that exist today. At best, Valve suggested that maybe they'll make it a general distro, but from what I've seen that's highly unlikely. Too much of SteamOS is tailored specifically for Valve's hardware, and whenever they partner with other hardware manufacturers, they target similar handhelds like the Deck, down to the all-AMD specs. Doubt they'd be able to make it "just work" the same way on the millions of Nvidia based machines that make up almost 3/4th of Steam's userbase.

Most importantly: Valve is a business. They're not doing anything out of the generosity of their heart, they want to make a profit off of you, even if you keep ignoring that fact because they're the only company that does that by offering good products. What money is there to be made by having SteamOS as a general distro? None, zero, null, nada. Why? Everyone who's on Windows already uses Steam, so Valve makes money off of them. Everyone who will buy Valve's hardware will do so to use Steam, and that's the core idea behind the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. The only reason Valve made SteamOS is so that their hardware is truly theirs, and the reason they collaborate with other handheld manufacturers is because SteamOS is tailored for handhelds while Windows is not. They'd be making money off of those Windows handhelds either way, because Steam.

It's in the name. Steam Deck. Steam Machine. SteamOS. All of it exists so that you use Steam. So that Valve makes money off of your in-store purchases. That's the business model.

 

[Hooked on phobics]

It's in the name. Steam Deck. Steam Machine. SteamOS. All of it exists so that you use Steam. So that Valve makes money off of your in-store purchases. That's the business model.

I can add plenty of NON steam games and programs that still benefit from the steam framework regardless. You kinda paint it as a walled garden intentionally or not, but its not, steam input, proton, and other stuff has gone miles for user experience, and you aren't REQUIRED to spend hundreds on steam games to use it

Do they PLAN to make profit? sure. But this is still far better than xbox, ps, or nintendo has ever been.

They all wanted a CAPTIVE audience. Steam is not making people captive, they are just making it so MOST people will want to use it

 

[Slav Power]

I can add plenty of NON steam games and programs that still benefit from the steam framework regardless. You kinda paint it as a walled garden intentionally or not, but its not, steam input, proton, and other stuff has gone miles for user experience, and you aren't REQUIRED to spend hundreds on steam games to use it

Do they PLAN to make profit? sure. But this is still far better than xbox, ps, or nintendo has ever been.

They all wanted a CAPTIVE audience. Steam is not making people captive, they are just making it so MOST people will want to use it

I don't mean that it's a walled garden, I mean that everything that Valve does is for the goal of making Steam a lucrative business. They do it by offering you good products. However, since that's the ultimate goal of everything that Valve does, which is getting people on Steam, they don't have the motivation to make their own Linux distro for general availability. People that are on Windows are already on Steam. The reason SteamOS exists is because Valve wants to have the Steam access avenue of first party hardware with first party software. Deck/Machine with SteamOS.

Keep in mind that they've tried it back in 2015. First SteamOS was Debian based and was meant to run on anything, and Steam Machines were meant to be made by various OEM's. All of this failed. One, it's hard to get Linux to run so perfectly on any generic hardware. Second, the OEM approach only confused people and led to the failure of the first Steam Machines. A decade later, Valve learned their lesson. The hardware must be designed by them and manufactured by them to make it simple, as well as to have more control over this chain, and SteamOS has to be tailored for this narrow subset of hardware configurations so that it's a buttery smooth experience.

The issue is that Linux attracts the biggest, loudest midwits on the entire Internet. Valve even touches Linux and people will praise them as the messiah. Completely ignoring anything else. For example: Valve's work on SteamOS as well as Linux is all open as per nature of FOSS so one could easily follow what they're doing. Are there any signs they're working on better compatibility with Intel/Nvidia hardware? No? Still all AMD? Then they're not working on SteamOS for desktops, period. Do people even check that? No, they keep yapping about how SteamOS will save them from Windows.

Here's the thing: no one is coming to save you. You either save yourself now or suffer. Look into WinUtil. Look into Bazzite/Nobara/CachyOS. Learn something new. Do something yourself. No one is going to cut out all this work for you. Unless you buy the Steam Machine that is, then you'll get SteamOS out of the box.

 

[Hooked on phobics]

I don't mean that it's a walled garden, I mean that everything that Valve does is for the goal of making Steam a lucrative business.

This is technically true, but I think they are one of the few NOT EVIL tech companies left. amazon is fucked, google is fucked, microsoft is fucked, steam has actually IMPROVED things in ways which had no gaurentee of profits at all.

I get it, they are still capitalist, but ffs lay off the black pills

 

[Slav Power]

ffs lay off the black pills

All I'm saying is that you should be mindful they're not aiming to save you from Windows. Anything that helps in that is a side effect of them securing their bag in the way they know best, which is making good products. SteamOS is something they made for themselves, and all the benefits of it like Proton trickle down to the Linux ecosystem by the very nature of FOSS. If you despise Microsoft, you can switch to Linux now without having to wait for something that's highly unlikely to happen, but you have to actually want it enough to do and learn something new.

'Cept most Windows gamers are nigger cattle that don't even know how to reinstall Windows, let alone install Linux. Which is why they just should buy the Steam Machine and shut the fuck up, they're too retarded to use computers.

 

[Mister Fister]

This is technically true, but I think they are one of the few NOT EVIL tech companies left. amazon is fucked, google is fucked, microsoft is fucked, steam has actually IMPROVED things in ways which had no gaurentee of profits at all.

I get it, they are still capitalist, but ffs lay off the black pills

Steam is greedy but smart greedy. You can just say pajeeted for the others.

 

[Hooked on phobics]

Mighty keef made a video about it which echos his video on the steam deck years ago.

Funny shit.

Original vid

Spoiler: vid

 

[GeorgeFloydFentanylStash]

They’re clearly already hinting at the idea of the GabeCube being your next PC.

Since I’m lazy these days, I would love to have this as my next pc. But I use jellyfish, which is a pain to setup in these immutable Linux distros.

 

[Duane Dibbley]

The comparisons between steambox v1 and gabecube aren't apples to apples.

When the first steambox launches, Xbox was DAO and PS4 owned the market. Say what you want about sony but the cheap, discreet little box of the PS4 had quality exclusives on it.

Fast forward to today or 2026, and Xbox is dead, their next console will cost $1499 - according to Sarah Bond, and Sony are pushing their exclusives games on to PC while expecting you to pay for hardware that they bump the price up on every year, with dwindling games or reasons to play.

Nintendo are always Nintendo and will always be Nintendo and the big 3 are now Big1 ; Nintendo and 2 minnows squabbling about over scraps and PC.

Is Valve are clever and put the gabecube on store shelves for next Christmas, normies will see a shiny new toy to buy and it's goodnight vienna for both Microsoft and Sony. Sure, it won't kill Sony overnight, they're doing a good job of killing themselves, but it's competition that neither Sony nor Microsoft can counteract.

Sony and MS have, for two generations, played down the importance of exclusives and how "play anywhere" is the best option. Why then, would the average normie buy a PS5 to only play the two exclusives per generation, when they can buy a gabecube and play Xbox, PS and PC games on it?

If Valve are really smart, they will have HL3 (lol) ready to drop next year, or VR remakes of their old classics with updated graphics to relaunch alongside this.
Left4Dead used to be hugely popular back in the day.

Selling this thing for the same price of a console but emphasising on the free online play would be a smart move. And, after five years it pays for itself vs the £120/year PSN/XBL costs.

This could be a real game changer in the industry and I welcome it. Fuck Microsoft and Fuck Sony.

 

[Stratos Sphere]

Nintendo are always Nintendo and will always be Nintendo and the big 3 are now Big1 ; Nintendo and 2 minnows squabbling about over scraps and PC.

Nintendo is not the shining star it once was. The new games suck and they dont have a whole generation of games nobody played to rerelease.

 

[Private Tag Reporter]

The issue is that Linux attracts the biggest, loudest midwits on the entire Internet.

Kettle, meet kettle in the mirror.

 

[GeorgeFloydFentanylStash]

Selling this thing for the same price of a console but emphasising on the free online play would be a smart move. And, after five years it pays for itself vs the £120/year PSN/XBL costs.

Correct me if I’m wrong. But is Microsoft dropping the pay to play online requirement for the new “Xbox”?

 

[hog cranking frog]

Valve not being public has been able to play the long game. Really goes to show where long term vision versus short term gains takes you.

 

[Hooked on phobics]

If Valve are really smart, they will have HL3 (lol) ready to drop next year,

They did release 3 items so... maybe

Valve not being public has been able to play the long game. Really goes to show where long term vision versus short term gains takes you.

It has been interesting seeing the evolution. Steam machines were mocked despite being intriguing hardware. Steam decks succeeded massively despite initial mocking from some console fanboys, and now all this is coming out, and you can feel the fear.

 

[hog cranking frog]

Another thing Valve is doing the other guys are unable to do with their structures is building a hands off device. Not, open device, like I'm sure there's a handful of proprietary things here and there idgaf. But hands off. I can just plug my steam deck into a USB c dock and do whatever, connect whatever, it works. Maybe I'm gun shy from so many anti consumer experiences with the other guys but no worries MS or Nintendo will patch away the ability to use a 3rd party headset or change the UI in a way that makes it harder to use (but more ad impressions), any controller I can hook up and it just works, etc. I guess I'm over thinking that it's simply a PC. This hands of nature with their shit is refreshing and rare.

 

[Stasi]

I can add plenty of NON steam games and programs that still benefit from the steam framework regardless. You kinda paint it as a walled garden intentionally or not, but its not, steam input, proton, and other stuff has gone miles for user experience, and you aren't REQUIRED to spend hundreds on steam games to use it

I got a deck on release and haven't bought a single game on steam because of it. Literally all I play on it are emulators and pirated games, it's great.

 

[Duane Dibbley]

Correct me if I’m wrong. But is Microsoft dropping the pay to play online requirement for the new “Xbox”?

I'm note sure, I haven't heard that but if they make it a PC-in-a-box, they will most likely have to drop it.
I'm still laughing that the new head of xbox has said that the new xbox will be $1499 and an exclusive experience aimed at a particular set of customers, and nobody cares.
Sony have taken the piss with their pricing, putting the cost of their hardware up 3 times, but it's about to bite them in the arse.

If Valve take a hit on the gabecube, it will sell silly amounts.

 

[Belvedere]

Is Valve are clever and put the gabecube on store shelves for next Christmas, normies will see a shiny new toy to buy and it's goodnight vienna for both Microsoft and Sony.

That's the wrinkle. There is no "if" - Normies in the US and Europe are never going to see a Steam Machine on any shelve because Valve only sells their hardware directly through Steam. The reason Sony and Microsoft still have a foothold on regular costumer's mind share is because their products are available in physical retail stores worldwide. Valve essentially sells to an audience that already are Steam costumers, their measure of success is entirely based on their own metrics, not traditional retail ones and that's just fine by them.

The only retail presence of Valve's hardware is in Asia where they partnered with Komodo for distribution of the Steam Deck in that region, it is a niche product for a niche audience.

 

[Duane Dibbley]

That's the wrinkle. There is no "if" - Normies in the US and Europe are never going to see a Steam Machine on any shelve because Valve only sells their hardware directly through Steam. The reason Sony and Microsoft still has a foothold on regular costumer's mind share is because their products are available in physical retail stores worldwide. Valve essentially sells to an audience that already are Steam costumers, their measure of success is entirely based on their own metrics, not traditional retail ones and that's just fine by them.

The only retail presence of Valve's hardware is in Asia where they partnered with Komodo for distribution of the Steam Deck in that region, it is a niche product for a niche audience.

View attachment 8171544 View attachment 8171545

Could that change, though? Footfall at high street retailers is dying. Valve only need a few adds and to partner with Amazon as the distributor and voila, this thing will be everywhere.

 

[Almighty Space Duck]

It’s all going to come down to price, but I’m very tempted to get a base spec Steam Machine and upgrade the SSD and RAM myself.

I got a deck on release and haven't bought a single game on steam because of it. Literally all I play on it are emulators and pirated games, it's great.

My OLED has completely displaced my 3DS and Vita as portable emulation boxes, it is so good, especially the OLED just not lighting pixels when playing outside of the 16:10 aspect ratio. With the exception of TXR every other new game (with a price over a fiver) has come from the high seas in some way or another.