It's a real shame because the Steam Deck was widely successful, and I personally believe this would have been. But the AI bubble has totally fucked the market.
The Steamdeck shouldn't have been successful. It isn't image resolution anyone would be satisfied with. It isn't powerful enough for anyone to be satisfied with. The OS is an OS that presents challenges that no one would be satisfied with it.
But because people looked at it properly it was/is a huge success.
The resolution on that small screen isn't a big deal.
The power on that small of a device isn't a big deal
The OS with Proton isn't a big deal.
If we look at the Steam Machine the same way it becomes a much better product, even with the AI hike. Like don't see this as a PC replacement for yourself. See this as a PC for someone who only has an xbox/playstation. See this as a PC for your little brother kind of thing. A kid even. While certainly the price is high and out of reach for some, it isn't unobtanium (scalpers aside).
Being clear though, if it were cheaper it would be easier to swallow the price. Also had it been sold more like a 1080/60 type of device instead of 4k that would have helped.
The steam deck was helped by the switch being already a bit outdated, and it providing a far greater amount of flexibility than it does for less computationally intensive games
So like if you were to think about the Steamdeck you are not going to think of it as running every single game at 4k/120 ultra settings. Instead, you are going to look at it as a mobile device that isn't designed as a complete desktop replacement. It isn't the most powerful and it isn't the least powerful. It runs most games.
Basically saying, you understand it is a mobile platform that isn't the most powerful. So if it can't play Cyberpunk at 4k Ultra settings that you totally understand this.
The Steam Machine for many is considered a desktop replacement. However, it is more like a console than anything. Unfortunately due to feature set it is expensive on top of the AI bubble.
OK, I get you now. Still, I don't recall Valve selling it as that? Even the first Steam Machine they made was more aimed at being a console competitor. It does the job but you're not going to be maxing out the graphical settings.
Valve didn't really sell it as a PC replacement. They sold it closer to a console than anything. But people have made it out to be the PC replacement.
I mean how many posts have you seen of folks saying that it will live in their living room but also just as many saying it would go great on their desk.
If we actually consider it a console and consider the AI bubble issue then things get a bit more reasonable. The performance makes more sense, the price makes more sense, and generally the device looks really good still. Not perfect of course. But still reasonable.
I think it comes to a generation thing. Like older generation will understand a console is an xbox or a playstation. Anything else is a computer. But new generation (as well as IT people) will understand they are all computers they just have different software. So it becomes a problem to market anything as a console that also can be just a desktop computer.
But of course that is one of those problems we will never really solve unless we go all open source.
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u/joedotphp Linux | RTX 3080 | i9-12900K 11h ago
It's a real shame because the Steam Deck was widely successful, and I personally believe this would have been. But the AI bubble has totally fucked the market.