I’m not a hardware guy, how is this different from the Steam Deck? Is the hardware here used of crappy quality by comparison? I thought most people liked the Deck (and everyone in here, I thought this is general Linux for a second), I sure do and will likely use it for a decade.
The steam deck is a portable device, soldering components and custom parts in devices that need to be small it’s more justifiable because it can save space. This box on the other hand is a SFF pc that has to be small only for marketing reasons.
Well I know that, but isn’t that good in the context of waste (OP’s problem)? Since PS6 hasn’t been released yet, it’s seems the PS5-like specs here will last a decade and be future proof enough. PS4 is almost 13 years old and still has games coming out. The Switch 2 is PS4 level and it seems to be successful for now, and Steam Deck was aiming for that benchmark too.
(You can tell I’m a tech idiot by how I measure power in Playstations)
The difference is in the form factor. The Steam Deck is a purpose-built device for handheld gaming, with the expectation that it won’t be useful for AAA games that push current PC hardware. It’s found that niche and serves very, very well there. For that reason, it will likely outlive its tech specs - it will continue to work for many lower-spec indie games, because expectations will be reasonable.
The Steam Machine, on the other hand, is positioned as something that can play all current games (that aren’t kernel-level DRMed to hell and back, at least). These become outdated the moment new games start coming out that run poorly on it. Since it’s not upgradeable, the whole device becomes outdated and will need to be replaced if you want to play the next new hotness at a good FPS.
The thing is that since Steam Deck’s release, a lot of competitors made handhelds, and it’s mostly keeping up because of SteamOS. It sounds to me like Valve just needs the Steam Machine to once again offer software, convenience etc. above everyone else in the couch gaming market this is aiming for.
Then the only upgrade most users would want is from Valve themselves, but the same goes for Steam Deck - they said they might make a new one with a big enough generational leap, and then the old SD’s become outdated too. We had emulation machines before Steam Deck - being able to play last gen games on it was still a big appeal.
Also, is constantly upgrading PCs better, when instead of selling off/scrapping the PUs and other parts every 5-10 years, you sell off/scrap PUs annually? I don’t think people doing that are the target audience here anyway. I think some patient gamers would buy a used GabeCube 15 years from now for a low price.
SteamOS, the trackpads that drastically increase the breadth of games that are reasonable to play on it, AND the price-to-performance ratio that blows nearly everything else out of the water.
You’re not wrong; it’s possible that the SM will see a longer lifespan than its specs suggest. I do think it’s more likely to get bumped in less time than the SD though.
I’m not a hardware guy, how is this different from the Steam Deck? Is the hardware here used of crappy quality by comparison? I thought most people liked the Deck (and everyone in here, I thought this is general Linux for a second), I sure do and will likely use it for a decade.
The steam deck is a portable device, soldering components and custom parts in devices that need to be small it’s more justifiable because it can save space. This box on the other hand is a SFF pc that has to be small only for marketing reasons.
Hardware in the cube is said to be roughly 6x more powerful.
Well I know that, but isn’t that good in the context of waste (OP’s problem)? Since PS6 hasn’t been released yet, it’s seems the PS5-like specs here will last a decade and be future proof enough. PS4 is almost 13 years old and still has games coming out. The Switch 2 is PS4 level and it seems to be successful for now, and Steam Deck was aiming for that benchmark too.
(You can tell I’m a tech idiot by how I measure power in Playstations)
The difference is in the form factor. The Steam Deck is a purpose-built device for handheld gaming, with the expectation that it won’t be useful for AAA games that push current PC hardware. It’s found that niche and serves very, very well there. For that reason, it will likely outlive its tech specs - it will continue to work for many lower-spec indie games, because expectations will be reasonable.
The Steam Machine, on the other hand, is positioned as something that can play all current games (that aren’t kernel-level DRMed to hell and back, at least). These become outdated the moment new games start coming out that run poorly on it. Since it’s not upgradeable, the whole device becomes outdated and will need to be replaced if you want to play the next new hotness at a good FPS.
The thing is that since Steam Deck’s release, a lot of competitors made handhelds, and it’s mostly keeping up because of SteamOS. It sounds to me like Valve just needs the Steam Machine to once again offer software, convenience etc. above everyone else in the couch gaming market this is aiming for.
Then the only upgrade most users would want is from Valve themselves, but the same goes for Steam Deck - they said they might make a new one with a big enough generational leap, and then the old SD’s become outdated too. We had emulation machines before Steam Deck - being able to play last gen games on it was still a big appeal.
Also, is constantly upgrading PCs better, when instead of selling off/scrapping the PUs and other parts every 5-10 years, you sell off/scrap PUs annually? I don’t think people doing that are the target audience here anyway. I think some patient gamers would buy a used GabeCube 15 years from now for a low price.
SteamOS, the trackpads that drastically increase the breadth of games that are reasonable to play on it, AND the price-to-performance ratio that blows nearly everything else out of the water.
You’re not wrong; it’s possible that the SM will see a longer lifespan than its specs suggest. I do think it’s more likely to get bumped in less time than the SD though.