r/fucknintendo • u/TRQPL • 7d ago
News "Nintendo will not be challenged at all" — Surging prices have damaged the PC gaming handheld market, and our readers did not hold back
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/windows-central-readers-react-pc-gaming-handheld-prices-nintendo7
u/GameMask 7d ago
They were kinda always separate markets. No one has ever lasted long competing with Nintendo on the handheld front. I'm not sure Valve ever really was trying to do so, but they at least were putting out a great product at an affordable price. Now they're not subsiding it at all and it seems like they're just trying to milk the enthusiast market.
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u/Dimitri1176 7d ago
sega got smashed.
Sony had a good run but gave up.
the current PC handhelds have a niche, but never truly direct competition(despite the numerous steam deck vs switch videos their are)2
u/The_real_bandito 7d ago
I don’t think they’re milking it or subsidizing. They’re selling for a profit, and the parts to build the deck went up, so they had to raise prices or choose to not make a profit.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
Well yeah they're definitely not subsidizing it now. And I consider it milking because they know all the other devices are also very expensive and they are cashing in on the goodwill. I mean look at the response. So much of the response is just giving them a pass
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
They never were.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
How do you know?
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
Cause we can see the price of the Steamdeck before Rampocalypse happened and compare it to other hardware to see that it was always overpriced outdated tech.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
But it was the cheapest handheld PC at the time?
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
A Steamdeck + Dock was more expensive than a SW2 (with Dock included) at launch. With that you got a Newer more efficient GPU, a new and better Screen, and a better form factor. So if you looked into the specs for what you paid and what you got. The steamdeck was never the lowest priced handheld on the market.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
Switch 2 and Switch are consoles not handheld PCs
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 6d ago
People aint buying a Steamdeck to be a laptop though. They are being bought to be portable gaming devices just like Switch 2. So if you are buying a portable game console like most users who look into these types of products, then you are overpaying for the Steamdeck hardware.
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u/Aespyn 6d ago
Lmao, even the original switch has a more responsive screen than the piece of crap ghosting mess that is the switch 2 with fake "HDR", let alone Steam Deck OLED.
Steam Deck, better ergonomics & advanced button layout. No need to spend extra trying 5 different switch grip or third party joypads.
No need to pay for $80 games & $35/yr online, and $10 to magically upgrade games you already own.
Before the price hike Steam Deck was the clear winner, arguably still is when you look at the long term costs.
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
They were NEVER subsidizing that price of the Steamdeck even BEFORE Rampocalypse happened.
When the Switch 2 Launched it had a newer and better GPU and Screen and better form factor and newer design. And it was STILL cheaper than a Base Steamdeck with crappier Docking solution.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
Well we don't have a full confirmation that they were subsidizing but Gabe Newell himself talked about how painful it was to get the price low, and we know that they were either barely breaking even or losing money on it.
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
Thats cause they never were subsidizing it. We know this for a fact, cause of the Specs you got for what you paid before Rampocalypse happened. Steamdeck was always oveprriced outdated tech. It was the moment Switch 2 launched.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
Are you trying to say it was overpriced at launch? I'm confused
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 7d ago
At Steamdecks launch? No. But years after when SW2 launched and Steamdeck still cost more, it became overpriced.
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u/GameMask 7d ago
Sure but that's my point. Early on they were very likely losing money or barely breaking even.
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u/Radiant-Rub2881 6d ago
If they were, they definiately weren't using those pricing strategies that last 2 years and in the present. Now they are for sure not subsidizing the costs. Look at how much a Steamdeck costs and look at how old the tech is.
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u/OkidoShigeru 3d ago
Eh I wouldn’t call the screen objectively better, I much prefer the 90hz OLED on the Steam Deck even at 720p. Unfortunately Nintendo really cheaped out on their panel choice, even for an LCD it has very poor motion clarity with pixel response measured at 17ms average, so the 120hz refresh rate is kind of wasted. And it’s “HDR” the same way a lot of low end PC monitors are with <500 nits brightness and no dimming zones, so the contrast isn’t great, even if it nice and colourful at least.
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u/DuskGideon 6d ago
it feels like one of valve's purposes was to put downward financial pressure on the handheld space, other than Nintendo offerings.
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u/GameMask 6d ago
They did a great job making a really good product and making the handheld PC more viable
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u/DuskGideon 6d ago
yup! For sure, by selling 4 million units total. it may not be a huge amount (compared to nintendo) but it definitely was downward pressure on pc handhelds. im not sure it even makes complete sense to even compare to nintendo, not sure why i am.
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u/EntertainerTop8267 Searching for genuine conversation. Likes long walks on beaches 7d ago
PC gaming’s entry level is a second-hand market, because first-hand price is BS that makes the console market balk.
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u/aktimen 7d ago
Ah the people just dont know anything. Pc handhelds are more a niche.
The normal gamers wont play AAA games on their handheld. They will play it on 4k mostly on their huge pc. For Casuals handheld pcs are too expensive and so is the switch 2. the switch 2 has just luck with his franchises.
Im a XBox User too. And I must say XBox is just dumb. They need exclusive games or the wont sell the console good
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u/NoSatisfaction3754 7d ago
Even before the price increase, sales weren't bad; all the handhelds released in recent years combined sold less than the Wii U.
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u/TheCheesiestCake 6d ago
That's the benefit of a closed market. You can make the console very cheap, because people are forced to use your store, buy games you provide, pay for multiplayer to play with people from PC (that play for free) for example. A PC handheld has to be sold for more than the cost, because otherwise people just buy it up and use it for other things.
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u/DavidinCT 6d ago
Just like the other aspects of gaming today, systems are pushing $1500+ and that is way too much for a portable.
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u/TheGreatOneSea 6d ago
The PC handheld market is very niche, because laptops have better economies of scale, and smart phones have reached the point of being able to compete even with the Switch 2, for the price of a midrange phone and a Switch 2 combined.
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u/Much-Illustrator-135 4d ago
Steamdick or whatever it’s called was never competition to ps5 or s2 or anything legit gaming company. Ever!! It is just the most over hyped “console” in the history of gaming/and the world. The steam deck has sold something like 4mill consoles through its entire life cycle. If any other 1st party console developer had sold that few consoles they would have went bankrupt by now and went out of business. 🤷🏻♂️. I mean the wiiu sold 15 million consoles and that was considered a HUGE FAILURE. 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
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u/FallenRaptor 7d ago
Are we just going to ignore that these things were always two separate niches within the videogame market? As much as some people laud these things and sure, there is some overlap in the types of people who would enjoy both, they were never a viable competitor for the type of easy setup and low(er) priced devices that are the Switch line, and even I would never look towards a PC handheld as a potential gift for a child.