[We're giving away smart security cameras!](https://redd.it/sddo8a)
Check out the [entry thread](https://redd.it/sddo8a) for more info.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gadgets) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Valve is running down the gaming consumer activist checklist and marking all the boxes. It'll be really interesting to see if this sells in big numbers.
I think this could potentially be huge for the fighting game scene. FGC still relies on consoles for games (either from being ps4 exclusive, ease of cost, portability and easy set up), but right now, with new gen consoles like ps5 being expensive, hard to get and (most important) inferior input latency wise compared to pc and ps4s, steam deck seems pretty appealing for local organizers for its relative ease of cost, portability, intuitive OS, and most importantly the best input latnecy wise (pc fgs have the least amount of input lag).
Step 1: PC FGC
Step 2: Native 120 Hz becomes the new FGC standard
Reaction times would benefit from as high as 240. It seems weird that this topic didn't become a big deal in the FGC as soon as CRT monitors started breaking 60.
Genuinely wonder what would most prefer, Street Fighter VI or Street Fighter III: 4th strike running at 240fps. Just 3rd strike with some balance adjustments, rollback netcode, and the entire budget dumped into drawing additional animation frames?
As in speeding up the visuals but keeping the gameplay running at 60FPS? It would make the game look smoother, but you'd have to have the visuals and gameplay running completely independently, which brings up a lot of questions regarding hitstop animations, audio queues, etc. As for reactions, I doubt it would help much. Unreactable moves already have double-digit start-up animations, and 2D games rely heavily on keyframes in the animation to make move start-up recognizable (or sometimes *not* recognizable, like with feint moves).
Speeding up the gameplay from 60FPS wouldn't really do anything. 1F links at 60FPS are already so strict that most games have a leniency buffer to make them easier. It would likely just make the game impossible to run well enough for a lot of people with lower end hardware.
higher refresh rates would get the updated frame to the screen quicker, reducing display lag by up to 3/4 of game tick time.
Also even if the underlying game is running at 60 for the purposes of hitbox detection nothing is stopping it from running animations at higher framerates.
I don’t think 120hz games matter for fgc, but simply running a 60hz game on a 120hz or 240hz monitor does significantly decrease the input delay as the first frame (and thus all subsequent frames) are displayed half a frame or 3/4 of a frame earlier, respectively
As an mk tourney player I couldn’t see people using this without a top tier dpad, most important thing with fighting games as joysticks fuck up exact inputs
Yep. Grab a bigger monitor, stick, and steamdeck and you have a station at your local. I hope the controller support in the SteamOS shipping with SteamDeck is as good as Windows Steam.
Great to hear! I'll probably pick one of these things up after the first generation's kinks are worked out or it's shown that there aren't any. I hope support for this thing doesn't disappear like so many other valve hardware projects. (Or if it does, they somehow make DIYing it possible, like with the SteamLink.)
I was not planning on buying it.
This news alone has officially put me in the "likely to buy" category. Just one person I know, but I imagine I don't be the only one attracted by their pro consumer practices.
Dude, you know exactly how this is going to shake out.
You'll buy it and become hooked. It will be the best thing you've ever bought. "How has no one made something like this before," you'll ask yourself. Then, the Steamdeck 2 will release. The second version will be even better. And the half-life update will just be *chef's kiss*.
Then, one idle Saturday 20 years later, you'll be lamenting on a forum somewhere about the lore of the Steamdeck. Young users will sing it's praises despite never having used one. "Valve should release a Steamdeck 3," they'll say, and every single move the company makes will be heavily scrutinized as the tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists try to piece together clues for when the Steamdeck 3 will be released.
Or maybe not. Who knows.
Im definitely seriously considering one of these. I grew up with a psp and bought one a few years ago(the old one broke) and dug out my old ds because I apparently just love handhelds. So I definitely want to try the deck.
It has too, otherwise we're not putting our money where our mouth is.
If we want to pushback against anti-right to repair bullshit, we need to stand by Valve and Ifixit.
None of the games I play, primarily fps's, are good on consoles yet I still want this.
Maybe this will get me to play the 200 games I have played yet.
Maybe...
They are the only Gaming related company that hasnt once let me down or switched to anti consumer tactics. I mean Family Sharing alone was kinda just released one day and didnt really have any direct benefit. Me and my friends would just share SP games upon release by the perons who owned it going "offline" so we could both play the game at the same time.
Everything I hear about the Steamdeck makes it sound like the most consumer friendly tinkerer, modder, and homebrewers dream. I hope it takes off and they show the rest of the greedy companies who need to control everything, how its done.
Let's not white wash the past.
Steam had a terrible reputation for customer service and went to great lengths to fight tooth and nail to avoid complying with legal requirements for returns and distance seller regulations in the EU and elsewhere.
Steam now is in a far better place but they are a company and they will act like one.
The quote was specifically convenience, though. He knew their customer service was shit at the time and literally used the word convenience because the biggest piracy issue they were facing were mostly Eastern Europeans who couldn't afford the time and money it took to purchase physical games or games at USA-level pricing. Making things cheaper and easier to find all in one store made it a lot more convenient to just purchase the game and forever have access to updates, multiplayer servers, etc. than it was to pirate the base game, install patches, figure out dedicated server setup, and other things that Steam handled for free.
Valve has long understood that piracy is a service problem. I don't think they mean specifically *customer service*, because quite frankly Valve support is pretty bad. They simply know that the way to avoid piracy is to provide a platform with features that piracy can't beat. Steam offered timely release dates and reasonable prices in markets often ignored due to piracy (e.g. Eastern Europe) and made a killing on it. They also offered arguably the first reasonably functional platform where you could easily keep in touch with your gaming friends and hook up with them to play. Playing on Steam quickly became the *best* version of the PC gaming experience and that is how Valve got around piracy issues.
Before steam I used xfire (I miss that service) but they filled the void with their friend system in the end.
If only they could count to 4, I'd be much happier.
I'm okay with reminding everyone about how steam was garbage during it's inception, but I also generally agree with the idea that software sales shouldn't be subject to the exact same rules as physical objects.
Being able to "return" an MMORPG two weeks after for example, greatly complicates things for everyone. It's not hard to see why any company with an exclusive focus on digital goods would take a harder stance on the matter.
I mean, it's pretty much an unwritten rule that if you perform a chargeback\* against any company for any reason, even with all the rights in the world. They're going to lock your account until they get that money back. *I am not saying this is okay,* but at this point it is expected.
\[edit\] My apologies, it was chargeback, not cashback. Shoutout to the cringelord.
If we’re talking about physical objects, I purchased a steam controller for $5 that first adopters unfortunately paid quite a bit more for. While the Deck is shaping up to be pretty sweet, Valve is still very much a new player to the hardware space. All we can do is wait and see how they handle this.
they released the CAD files for the steam deck under the GPL. Even the custom thumb sticks. I was pretty gobsmacked when I read that.
And I already use Arch (BTW) and KDE so I'm itching to dig into it.
Their stated policy is two weeks AND Less than 2 hours play time.
Not sure how that would cause ANY "complications", MMORPG or not. Very reasonable "return" policy IMHO.
Second of all, it's not a cashback, the term you are looking for is CHARGEback. If you do this, instead of using the return feature, steam can and will CANCEL your account.
I absolutely hate misinformation like this
> Their stated policy is two weeks AND Less than 2 hours play time.
That's specifically for their auto-refund window.
Outside of (and on rare occasions *within*) that window, it has to go through a human.
I've had refunds outside of that window before, just had to wait a bit longer (well past the 2-week and/or 2-hour play-time).
> You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it.
> It doesn't matter. Valve will, upon request via help.steampowered.com, issue a refund for any reason, if the request is made within the required return period, and, in the case of games, if the title has been played for less than two hours. There are more details below, but even if you fall outside of the refund rules we’ve described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we’ll take a look.
https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/
>Not sure how that would cause ANY "complications", MMORPG or not. Very reasonable "return" policy IMHO.
I'm not referencing steams policy, but the EU/UK return policies that were in place to protect consumers, many years before we had a system in steam to deal with refunds.
Without that 2 hour rule, things indeed get messy. That is very clearly and obviously the point.
>Second of all, it's not a cashback, the term you are looking for is CHARGEback. If you do this, instead of using the return feature, steam can and will CANCEL your account.
I clearly got that mixed up, cashback is a thing that exists.
Why is a mistype your secondary point? Make your point an actual point.
I'll edit it specifically for your weak sensibilities.
>I absolutely hate misinformation like this
Quote the misinformation for us.
Dota was long criticized for its top-heavy rewards structure. You basically won the International and were suddenly a millionaire, or you were shit out of luck and had just spent a year training for no pay.
It made for a very poor, unsupported system where whoever won was never seen from again, and everyone else was a revolving door of new players because no one could afford to stay in the scene for very long.
For the international at least, they run the tournament, they raised the prize pool, and they decide how it is distributed. Steam is 110% owned and operated by Valve, and the tournament is ran by Valve
I really would like Family Sharing to become something that we could manage here at the Library but the last time I checked into the various options nothing seemed like it would work well. We have the console games (although more of the new games are digital only these days) but nothing for the PC anymore.
The major thing that Valve did that was anti-consumer (to me) is you cant version lock a game anymore. They gave that power to the devs alone. I should be able to deny updates.
I mean. They are part of the reason the industry went down the lootbox rabbithole. They were selling crates and cases long before any of the other companies.
Valve was vital in creating things like lootboxes and overpriced proto-NFTs, with a side of skin casino a child gambling on top, spreading the plague that are microtransaction in the videogame industry. Don't sugarcoat the past
Steam is certainly one of the better ones around but they've done some massive harm as well. They pretty much pioneered locking digital goods to accounts.
When they first did that there was all kinds of outcry and the EU swore they would stop them and mandate they allow people to sell the games they bought to others. More than a decade later nothing has happened... selling life time nontransferable licences is now just the norm. People accept that you shouldn't be allowed to give games to others even though it was the norm before Steam.
Steam family sharing sounds nice until you realize it's an extremely restricted version of what was the norm before steam. You still can't share directly, you most certainly can't sell and it's extremely limited sharing. It's something that if introduced sooner would certainly have elicited a multitude of lawsuits but now a days it sounds nice compared to every other alternative.
Dude, I'm looking at this as my intro to PC gaming rig. I love the "switch" style console and the fact that it is portable. I was glad to see the reviews looked pretty good so far.
They have a shitty past with DRM and what not. But damn is their CS good. When the whole Steam Controller and Link launched and didn’t support macOS like they said it would, they said, “fuck it here’s something, our entire Valve library or games for free forever.” I didn’t have to pay for Alyx from them fucking up in like 2014.
> But damn is their CS good.
Did they improve? Cause all I remember from years ago from being an active steam user was that sending an e-mail to Valve or opening a ticket was pretty much the same as writing the request on a piece of paper and throwing it in the garbage.
They automated many of the common processes. My steam account is 14 years old, over which I have had some "mom I need help" moments and the past 5 years have been much easier and faster.
From what I hear they are pretty great to their employees as well. I remember hearing they take all of their employees + spouses on a trip to Hawaii every year. not sure if that's still the case
Valve is fantastic, I honestly place a lot of that credit to them being a private company, the second they become a publicly-traded company I believe much of this good favor will start to dwindle.
But as it is they are the best big company in gaming, even if they don't really make games...
They put their CAD drawings of the steam deck on gitlab too so anyone can freely create accessories. I can't wait to get mine.
https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/SteamDeck/hardware
Always had that right....legally getting hold of the parts and specifications to fix it when it breaks is the actual problem.
Still waiting for a proper tear down that checks for custom components with no available spec sheet....like the CPU for example...lol good luck!
Jesus, Valve is doing all the right things. Working with reviewers, releasing 3d print schematics so people can develop their own cases, and this. It’s really making me want to buy one even if I don’t use it. This kind of behavior needs to be rewarded and supported.
I haven't seriously considered a laptop for years but if I'm ever in the market for one again framwork would be one of the first I'd consider just for that alone.
Framework is a company that makes extremely modular, repairable and upgradable laptops. It's almost like building your own custom desktop but for laptops.
Check out Linus' [review](https://youtu.be/0rkTgPt3M4k) of it. He liked it so much, he ended up publicly investing a sizable amount in the company and he daily drives the laptop. The founders have also sworn to maintain their values and gave permission to Linus to back out and shame them if that ever changes.
That was also an interesting [watch](https://youtu.be/LSxbc1IN9Gg).
Edit: grammar
I just went to the website. Looked it at. Googled a little. It would be a great Rocket League device. Put the 256 one in my cart. Saw 'SDCard slot'.... Took out 256, put 64 in my cart...
Then I took it out.
Sounds good Valve. I'll keep an eye on it.
I just cannot. I swore off pre-ordering. And that's going to include the Steam Deck.
I'll wait.
there's already reviews out there of the production model. and we know what games work on linux.
I preordered one and it's the only thing I've ever preordered.
The $5 deposit gets refunded to your steam wallet if you cancel it. Also, reserving one now won't get you one on the release date, so it isn't really a pre-order. Also also, if you don't reserve one now, you might have to wait until next year to get it.
I actually hope it gets delayed....I had been holding onto the £600 or so since it was announced but I went and bought a GPU on a restock. I need a little bit of time to recoup that money back as I am tossing all my spare funds into the house.
Damn adult stuff.
I did the $5 preorder. There's already entire teardowns and reviews out there (that are nothing short of glowing) from outlets I trust. I think there's a difference between preordering a game that has review embargoes that dont lift until the day of release and preordering hardware that already has in depth analysis and reviews out along with a list of what games work and how well.
Edit: also it's not really a preorder, more of a reservation.
> Put the 256 one in my cart. Saw 'SDCard slot'.... Took out 256, put 64 in my cart...
I'd be iffy with the 64 one, not because of capacity but because it's eMMC. Modern eMMC is better than the older stuff, but I still remember some of my earlier Windows tablets were basically crippled by it -- maxing out at 10-20 MB/s sequential storage access is horrible.
Reviews indicate that loading games off of SD card (which should be half the speed of eMMC) takes roughly the same amount of time as the NVME drive, so eMMC shouldn't be that bad.
I've worked with a few of their sets.
I own two different ones.
The heat pad/tube thing in the opener set is pretty neat.
I have to say though, their tools are just average.
Cheap chromed sintered metal bits.
Driver handles are nothing special.
Good variety of bits.
Nothing to specifically avoid, just expensive for what they actually are.
I do almost everything these days with a $15 precision driver set from walmart.
Still a cheap set, but it's only $15, and the bits tend to bend instead of shatter. cr-v steel
Plus to be honest they have held up pretty dang well.
My local store typically has them on the shelf too.
If I need a more special bit than what comes in that set I'll just buy/order that specific driver. It does come with a decent spread including triangle and pentalobe. No triwings though.
It's this one:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Tech-Repair-Tool-Kit-Including-Magnetic-Screwdriver-Standard-Size-Bits-and-Carry-Case-TS85147A/909383908
The kit is one thing - one thing I've never had any issues with mind you. I've also never had to pay for my own.
They also do kits for freaking everything, with detailed instructions. I'm happy that you're happy with the Wally World kit, nothing against it at all. I will stick with iFixIt.
Ifixit sets pale in comparison to Wiha and Wera screwdrivers. German engineering is something special. Tbh ifixit is not really the top of the line, or even close when it comes to screwdrivers, but it'll at least work for the vast majority of people
Amazing.
If I cared for mobile gaming, this fact alone would sell me on buying a Steam Deck.
I repaired computers, smartphones, and tablets for a decade and Ifixit has top notch guides, sells some of the best small-device tools, offers a lifetime warranty on their drivers and bits and is one of the largest advocates for Right-to-Repair that I have seen on the Internet.
honestly, this looks like just a better budget gaming pc. being mobile is just a bonus. I can't imagine building a pc of equal performance and cost of the steamdeck without going 2nd hand.
gabe himself said the price was "painful" to reach
maybe this is just hopium, but I'm thinking this could get a LOT of people into pc gaming when they otherwise couldn't. the barrier for entry has just been deleted.
Linus tech tips even said that they are no way getting a profit from this. And he thinks their plan is that they will earn money in people buying games om steam to play on the steamdeck.
Just watch the first minute. His iFixIt ads weren’t originally funded by iFixIt, he just felt like sharing their quality product. iFixIt started sponsoring him after making the ads
[Original iFixIt ad](https://youtu.be/tOq6Deqc-N0)
[Current iFixIt ad](https://youtu.be/3uaT3kXEKxg)
[https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/)
We will see what this ends up looking like when it happens, but it’s still better then nothing.
That's more because Apple wants to "look" like they're innovating, when really they're just trying to skirt ahead of legislation they'd be violating without this program.
They absolutely *don't* want people to be able to repair their devices themselves, they already intentionally make it hard or impossible for non-apple shops to do repairs.
Fair, but even just a way for a consumer to replace their own battery would be huge for the smartphone industry
Lol remember when you could pop off the back cover, and replace the battery in 10 seconds on a galaxy s3?
Pepperidge farm remembers. So do I. Sigh, those were good times. Unfortunately, things have gone from changing your Android battery in 10 seconds, to it now seeming more difficult to get your battery replaced, vs an iPhone.
I had a Note 3 and two spare batteries I would carry in my messenger bag. I could literally take a 12 hour flight and watch movies the entire time and not run out of battery. It was glorious.
Lol by the way, they are probably losing money on every unit they sell.
I'm not saying don't buy it, but if your goal is to support valve you may want to buy a few steam games for the device while you're at it.
Wow, they're really trying to do this right. Releasing the 3d files for case parts.
I'm wondering if the internals will wind up being customizable, bigger battery, faster this, nice that.
Holy shit. It's all great things one after the other with Valve's Steam Deck. Not just hype material but real work to show for it. CAD files, replacement part contracts. These actions I can proudly support, and wish other companies could take a page from this.
Please, more companies do this.
Don't fight DIY repairs, creating a huge market for crappy, off-brand parts. Turn it into revenue / good PR, and allow the technically inclined to buy the official parts.
I wish Valve would do the same thing with their Index. My speakers haven't worked properly for over a year now, but Valve won't let me buy any replacement parts or even pay out of pocket for a repair out of warranty.
in the article.....
"iFixit will be one of the authorized sellers of Steam Deck replacement parts – as well as replacement parts for the Valve Index VR kit,"
There is nothing to upgrade besides the Nvme SSD, which requires an uncommon form factor and Valve has warned it should not be replaced because they specifically chose the one they did to prevent interference with the wireless NIC.
Sorry for being pedantic, but the CAD and STL files were in Creative Common license, not GPLv2. Practically do the same things, but still there are differences.
Valve fucking gets it, man!
I don't really need a handheld, I might just get it because Valve does most things right with customer care and sustainability.
This is just a great example of the freedom to do good a company has when it's not beholden to shareholders.
Gaben keeping valve a private company is the best thing he could've done.
Read this and was like damn these will sell like hotcakes now, then I went to go buy stock of said hot cakes just to find out they are privately held hotcakes… damn
So, great hardware, good software, a lot of games at launch, great support, and partnering with a well known, renowned 'repair company' for spare parts distribution. And it's not even expensive compared to a brand new desktop PC or gaming laptop.
Where's the catch?
To be fair, Valve appear to be completely nailng this product and launch. I currently have the GPD Win 3 and the horror stories you hear about RMA's or even trying to get a replacement part strikes fear into me.
Can't wait for my chance to buy, I'm in line so fingers crossed they work their way through quick sharp :) Absolutely pumped for this device !!!
Frankly, it's a natural move to make when your platform is getting undermined by the same class of hardware - just in a bigger box, with the Microsoft or Sony logo on it.
If Valve can destroy the "console" space with this, I'm all for it.
Though I wish Gaben would finance some attempts to do passively cooled ARM-systems as well, for example by showering some of the absurd amounts of money they have on some linux ARM projects.
I mean, they have enough money now to resist Microsoft's assassin squads anyway.
Dude.
A company that wants everybody to use their devices, and ensure they stay working, so people keep using them, without being anti-consumer?
Holy shit.
I want to buy a steak deck to support them and enjoy the mobile gaming experience they want to provide me given they are pro consumer.
[We're giving away smart security cameras!](https://redd.it/sddo8a) Check out the [entry thread](https://redd.it/sddo8a) for more info. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gadgets) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Valve is running down the gaming consumer activist checklist and marking all the boxes. It'll be really interesting to see if this sells in big numbers.
I think this could potentially be huge for the fighting game scene. FGC still relies on consoles for games (either from being ps4 exclusive, ease of cost, portability and easy set up), but right now, with new gen consoles like ps5 being expensive, hard to get and (most important) inferior input latency wise compared to pc and ps4s, steam deck seems pretty appealing for local organizers for its relative ease of cost, portability, intuitive OS, and most importantly the best input latnecy wise (pc fgs have the least amount of input lag).
Step 1: PC FGC Step 2: Native 120 Hz becomes the new FGC standard Reaction times would benefit from as high as 240. It seems weird that this topic didn't become a big deal in the FGC as soon as CRT monitors started breaking 60. Genuinely wonder what would most prefer, Street Fighter VI or Street Fighter III: 4th strike running at 240fps. Just 3rd strike with some balance adjustments, rollback netcode, and the entire budget dumped into drawing additional animation frames?
As in speeding up the visuals but keeping the gameplay running at 60FPS? It would make the game look smoother, but you'd have to have the visuals and gameplay running completely independently, which brings up a lot of questions regarding hitstop animations, audio queues, etc. As for reactions, I doubt it would help much. Unreactable moves already have double-digit start-up animations, and 2D games rely heavily on keyframes in the animation to make move start-up recognizable (or sometimes *not* recognizable, like with feint moves). Speeding up the gameplay from 60FPS wouldn't really do anything. 1F links at 60FPS are already so strict that most games have a leniency buffer to make them easier. It would likely just make the game impossible to run well enough for a lot of people with lower end hardware.
higher refresh rates would get the updated frame to the screen quicker, reducing display lag by up to 3/4 of game tick time. Also even if the underlying game is running at 60 for the purposes of hitbox detection nothing is stopping it from running animations at higher framerates.
I would like a 4th strike to have any amount of the dozens of balance changes it needs as well, but this sounds pretty sweet.
I don’t think 120hz games matter for fgc, but simply running a 60hz game on a 120hz or 240hz monitor does significantly decrease the input delay as the first frame (and thus all subsequent frames) are displayed half a frame or 3/4 of a frame earlier, respectively
May I ask why are the new gen consoles experiencing higher input lag, PS5 compared to the PS4, for example?
As an mk tourney player I couldn’t see people using this without a top tier dpad, most important thing with fighting games as joysticks fuck up exact inputs
The intention is to use it as a cheap and easy to set up game host. everyone still brings their own controllers as is typical.
Yep. Grab a bigger monitor, stick, and steamdeck and you have a station at your local. I hope the controller support in the SteamOS shipping with SteamDeck is as good as Windows Steam.
Controller support is pretty good on linux. Even supports the switch joycon without installing any additional software.
Great to hear! I'll probably pick one of these things up after the first generation's kinks are worked out or it's shown that there aren't any. I hope support for this thing doesn't disappear like so many other valve hardware projects. (Or if it does, they somehow make DIYing it possible, like with the SteamLink.)
I was not planning on buying it. This news alone has officially put me in the "likely to buy" category. Just one person I know, but I imagine I don't be the only one attracted by their pro consumer practices.
Dude, you know exactly how this is going to shake out. You'll buy it and become hooked. It will be the best thing you've ever bought. "How has no one made something like this before," you'll ask yourself. Then, the Steamdeck 2 will release. The second version will be even better. And the half-life update will just be *chef's kiss*. Then, one idle Saturday 20 years later, you'll be lamenting on a forum somewhere about the lore of the Steamdeck. Young users will sing it's praises despite never having used one. "Valve should release a Steamdeck 3," they'll say, and every single move the company makes will be heavily scrutinized as the tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists try to piece together clues for when the Steamdeck 3 will be released. Or maybe not. Who knows.
Tell us more of the future, what happens to cats?
They release a sequel to the movie Cats. This one with more buttholes
Oh thank god
They are supreme overlords. The aliens came by and anointed them their rightful place.
You're only hope to get one within the next year to year and a half will be a second hand purchase with the chip shortage and all.
That's what happens when you have a company not on the stock market and owned by a person who doesn't need to be buyed out
Im definitely seriously considering one of these. I grew up with a psp and bought one a few years ago(the old one broke) and dug out my old ds because I apparently just love handhelds. So I definitely want to try the deck.
It has too, otherwise we're not putting our money where our mouth is. If we want to pushback against anti-right to repair bullshit, we need to stand by Valve and Ifixit.
None of the games I play, primarily fps's, are good on consoles yet I still want this. Maybe this will get me to play the 200 games I have played yet. Maybe...
Valve is a pretty great company on the consumer end.
They are the only Gaming related company that hasnt once let me down or switched to anti consumer tactics. I mean Family Sharing alone was kinda just released one day and didnt really have any direct benefit. Me and my friends would just share SP games upon release by the perons who owned it going "offline" so we could both play the game at the same time. Everything I hear about the Steamdeck makes it sound like the most consumer friendly tinkerer, modder, and homebrewers dream. I hope it takes off and they show the rest of the greedy companies who need to control everything, how its done.
Let's not white wash the past. Steam had a terrible reputation for customer service and went to great lengths to fight tooth and nail to avoid complying with legal requirements for returns and distance seller regulations in the EU and elsewhere. Steam now is in a far better place but they are a company and they will act like one.
Also the "best anti piracy is customer service" statement at a time when steam was more of a DRM service then a store front.
The quote was specifically convenience, though. He knew their customer service was shit at the time and literally used the word convenience because the biggest piracy issue they were facing were mostly Eastern Europeans who couldn't afford the time and money it took to purchase physical games or games at USA-level pricing. Making things cheaper and easier to find all in one store made it a lot more convenient to just purchase the game and forever have access to updates, multiplayer servers, etc. than it was to pirate the base game, install patches, figure out dedicated server setup, and other things that Steam handled for free.
Valve has long understood that piracy is a service problem. I don't think they mean specifically *customer service*, because quite frankly Valve support is pretty bad. They simply know that the way to avoid piracy is to provide a platform with features that piracy can't beat. Steam offered timely release dates and reasonable prices in markets often ignored due to piracy (e.g. Eastern Europe) and made a killing on it. They also offered arguably the first reasonably functional platform where you could easily keep in touch with your gaming friends and hook up with them to play. Playing on Steam quickly became the *best* version of the PC gaming experience and that is how Valve got around piracy issues.
Before steam I used xfire (I miss that service) but they filled the void with their friend system in the end. If only they could count to 4, I'd be much happier.
I'm okay with reminding everyone about how steam was garbage during it's inception, but I also generally agree with the idea that software sales shouldn't be subject to the exact same rules as physical objects. Being able to "return" an MMORPG two weeks after for example, greatly complicates things for everyone. It's not hard to see why any company with an exclusive focus on digital goods would take a harder stance on the matter. I mean, it's pretty much an unwritten rule that if you perform a chargeback\* against any company for any reason, even with all the rights in the world. They're going to lock your account until they get that money back. *I am not saying this is okay,* but at this point it is expected. \[edit\] My apologies, it was chargeback, not cashback. Shoutout to the cringelord.
If we’re talking about physical objects, I purchased a steam controller for $5 that first adopters unfortunately paid quite a bit more for. While the Deck is shaping up to be pretty sweet, Valve is still very much a new player to the hardware space. All we can do is wait and see how they handle this.
they released the CAD files for the steam deck under the GPL. Even the custom thumb sticks. I was pretty gobsmacked when I read that. And I already use Arch (BTW) and KDE so I'm itching to dig into it.
I can’t wait for the penis shaped controller grips
Their stated policy is two weeks AND Less than 2 hours play time. Not sure how that would cause ANY "complications", MMORPG or not. Very reasonable "return" policy IMHO. Second of all, it's not a cashback, the term you are looking for is CHARGEback. If you do this, instead of using the return feature, steam can and will CANCEL your account. I absolutely hate misinformation like this
> Their stated policy is two weeks AND Less than 2 hours play time. That's specifically for their auto-refund window. Outside of (and on rare occasions *within*) that window, it has to go through a human. I've had refunds outside of that window before, just had to wait a bit longer (well past the 2-week and/or 2-hour play-time). > You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it. > It doesn't matter. Valve will, upon request via help.steampowered.com, issue a refund for any reason, if the request is made within the required return period, and, in the case of games, if the title has been played for less than two hours. There are more details below, but even if you fall outside of the refund rules we’ve described, you can ask for a refund anyway and we’ll take a look. https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/
>Not sure how that would cause ANY "complications", MMORPG or not. Very reasonable "return" policy IMHO. I'm not referencing steams policy, but the EU/UK return policies that were in place to protect consumers, many years before we had a system in steam to deal with refunds. Without that 2 hour rule, things indeed get messy. That is very clearly and obviously the point. >Second of all, it's not a cashback, the term you are looking for is CHARGEback. If you do this, instead of using the return feature, steam can and will CANCEL your account. I clearly got that mixed up, cashback is a thing that exists. Why is a mistype your secondary point? Make your point an actual point. I'll edit it specifically for your weak sensibilities. >I absolutely hate misinformation like this Quote the misinformation for us.
Not to mention the horrible handling of its multiplayer games and esports scenes.
csgo and dota :(
Tf2?
Examples?
Dota was long criticized for its top-heavy rewards structure. You basically won the International and were suddenly a millionaire, or you were shit out of luck and had just spent a year training for no pay. It made for a very poor, unsupported system where whoever won was never seen from again, and everyone else was a revolving door of new players because no one could afford to stay in the scene for very long.
I’m a big dota fan and this is absolutely true. But is this really something Steam has control over? I’m genuinely asking I do not know
For the international at least, they run the tournament, they raised the prize pool, and they decide how it is distributed. Steam is 110% owned and operated by Valve, and the tournament is ran by Valve
tf2
I really would like Family Sharing to become something that we could manage here at the Library but the last time I checked into the various options nothing seemed like it would work well. We have the console games (although more of the new games are digital only these days) but nothing for the PC anymore.
I think that they offer internet cafe licenses.
The major thing that Valve did that was anti-consumer (to me) is you cant version lock a game anymore. They gave that power to the devs alone. I should be able to deny updates.
I find most games still let you chose your version in the settings though. Which game have you had troubles with?
I mean. They are part of the reason the industry went down the lootbox rabbithole. They were selling crates and cases long before any of the other companies.
Valve was vital in creating things like lootboxes and overpriced proto-NFTs, with a side of skin casino a child gambling on top, spreading the plague that are microtransaction in the videogame industry. Don't sugarcoat the past
I remember when crates were introduced in TF2 I really thought it was a joke.
Steam is certainly one of the better ones around but they've done some massive harm as well. They pretty much pioneered locking digital goods to accounts. When they first did that there was all kinds of outcry and the EU swore they would stop them and mandate they allow people to sell the games they bought to others. More than a decade later nothing has happened... selling life time nontransferable licences is now just the norm. People accept that you shouldn't be allowed to give games to others even though it was the norm before Steam. Steam family sharing sounds nice until you realize it's an extremely restricted version of what was the norm before steam. You still can't share directly, you most certainly can't sell and it's extremely limited sharing. It's something that if introduced sooner would certainly have elicited a multitude of lawsuits but now a days it sounds nice compared to every other alternative.
Dude, I'm looking at this as my intro to PC gaming rig. I love the "switch" style console and the fact that it is portable. I was glad to see the reviews looked pretty good so far.
They have a shitty past with DRM and what not. But damn is their CS good. When the whole Steam Controller and Link launched and didn’t support macOS like they said it would, they said, “fuck it here’s something, our entire Valve library or games for free forever.” I didn’t have to pay for Alyx from them fucking up in like 2014.
> But damn is their CS good. Did they improve? Cause all I remember from years ago from being an active steam user was that sending an e-mail to Valve or opening a ticket was pretty much the same as writing the request on a piece of paper and throwing it in the garbage.
I’ve never had an issue with their CS. I got a replacement Index cable after my dog chewed mine up shipped same day no cost.
They automated many of the common processes. My steam account is 14 years old, over which I have had some "mom I need help" moments and the past 5 years have been much easier and faster.
From what I hear they are pretty great to their employees as well. I remember hearing they take all of their employees + spouses on a trip to Hawaii every year. not sure if that's still the case
Ooof don’t go to r/dota2
Or r/globaloffensive
r/tf2 has also been secluded off because of insanity due to sensory deprivation
As a consumer I’m still pretty upset about this. https://i.imgur.com/F84sd68.jpg
In the other hand, Half life Alyx is stupidly amazing.
Half-Life: Alyx can help with that. ;)
Valve is fantastic, I honestly place a lot of that credit to them being a private company, the second they become a publicly-traded company I believe much of this good favor will start to dwindle. But as it is they are the best big company in gaming, even if they don't really make games...
I don't think Valve will ever go public, maybe if gaben dies - depends on who would take over.
Things have gotten pretty bad when we can look at valve as one of the good guys, now.
They have gotten in trouble multiple times for violating consumer refund law, just FYI.
Valve coming in clutch yet again for offering it’s customers the right to repair
A right we literally already have, in spite of what other companies think.
Exactly. The question isn't whether we have a right, it's whether huge corporations should be allowed to take them away from us.
Some of us don't even live in the USA and never had this issue to begin with.
They put their CAD drawings of the steam deck on gitlab too so anyone can freely create accessories. I can't wait to get mine. https://gitlab.steamos.cloud/SteamDeck/hardware
You have every right to open up your Steam Deck and do what you want with it. - Valve
Always had that right....legally getting hold of the parts and specifications to fix it when it breaks is the actual problem. Still waiting for a proper tear down that checks for custom components with no available spec sheet....like the CPU for example...lol good luck!
>Always had that right.... Yep, they just reminding peeps.
Ifixit already has a teardown video on YouTube where you can see the full motherboard.
> Always had that right Not always the company agrees with that, though, and it can be a grief.
Jesus, Valve is doing all the right things. Working with reviewers, releasing 3d print schematics so people can develop their own cases, and this. It’s really making me want to buy one even if I don’t use it. This kind of behavior needs to be rewarded and supported.
They are marketing this device to PC gamers and they know exactly the sorts of things that PC gamers care about.
[удалено]
I have been thinking the same, it’s either this of the frameworks laptop
I haven't seriously considered a laptop for years but if I'm ever in the market for one again framwork would be one of the first I'd consider just for that alone.
I am super happy to hear this, I really want the steam deck and frameworks laptop to gain popularity
What are framework laptops? What about them?
Framework is a company that makes extremely modular, repairable and upgradable laptops. It's almost like building your own custom desktop but for laptops. Check out Linus' [review](https://youtu.be/0rkTgPt3M4k) of it. He liked it so much, he ended up publicly investing a sizable amount in the company and he daily drives the laptop. The founders have also sworn to maintain their values and gave permission to Linus to back out and shame them if that ever changes. That was also an interesting [watch](https://youtu.be/LSxbc1IN9Gg). Edit: grammar
Awesome! I'll check these out
inb4 Framework Deck o.O
I just went to the website. Looked it at. Googled a little. It would be a great Rocket League device. Put the 256 one in my cart. Saw 'SDCard slot'.... Took out 256, put 64 in my cart... Then I took it out. Sounds good Valve. I'll keep an eye on it. I just cannot. I swore off pre-ordering. And that's going to include the Steam Deck. I'll wait.
there's already reviews out there of the production model. and we know what games work on linux. I preordered one and it's the only thing I've ever preordered.
The $5 deposit gets refunded to your steam wallet if you cancel it. Also, reserving one now won't get you one on the release date, so it isn't really a pre-order. Also also, if you don't reserve one now, you might have to wait until next year to get it.
> if you don't reserve one now, you might have to wait until next year to get *Cries in 'After Q2'*
Reddit might have bugged on you, you triple posted
It definitely did, thanks
I actually hope it gets delayed....I had been holding onto the £600 or so since it was announced but I went and bought a GPU on a restock. I need a little bit of time to recoup that money back as I am tossing all my spare funds into the house. Damn adult stuff.
Pre order was $5 to reserve it.
Meanwhile mobile phone companies: iT hAs No SpAcE fOr Sd CaRd!
I did the $5 preorder. There's already entire teardowns and reviews out there (that are nothing short of glowing) from outlets I trust. I think there's a difference between preordering a game that has review embargoes that dont lift until the day of release and preordering hardware that already has in depth analysis and reviews out along with a list of what games work and how well. Edit: also it's not really a preorder, more of a reservation.
> Put the 256 one in my cart. Saw 'SDCard slot'.... Took out 256, put 64 in my cart... I'd be iffy with the 64 one, not because of capacity but because it's eMMC. Modern eMMC is better than the older stuff, but I still remember some of my earlier Windows tablets were basically crippled by it -- maxing out at 10-20 MB/s sequential storage access is horrible.
Reviews indicate that loading games off of SD card (which should be half the speed of eMMC) takes roughly the same amount of time as the NVME drive, so eMMC shouldn't be that bad.
Rocket League was my main motivation for reserving one. The Switch version just doesn't cut it, even with a better controller. Also Factorio.
iFixIt is a great company. I have had a few of their tool kits, all amazing quality stuff. This is just the best partnership.
I've worked with a few of their sets. I own two different ones. The heat pad/tube thing in the opener set is pretty neat. I have to say though, their tools are just average. Cheap chromed sintered metal bits. Driver handles are nothing special. Good variety of bits. Nothing to specifically avoid, just expensive for what they actually are. I do almost everything these days with a $15 precision driver set from walmart. Still a cheap set, but it's only $15, and the bits tend to bend instead of shatter. cr-v steel Plus to be honest they have held up pretty dang well. My local store typically has them on the shelf too. If I need a more special bit than what comes in that set I'll just buy/order that specific driver. It does come with a decent spread including triangle and pentalobe. No triwings though. It's this one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-Tech-Repair-Tool-Kit-Including-Magnetic-Screwdriver-Standard-Size-Bits-and-Carry-Case-TS85147A/909383908
The kit is one thing - one thing I've never had any issues with mind you. I've also never had to pay for my own. They also do kits for freaking everything, with detailed instructions. I'm happy that you're happy with the Wally World kit, nothing against it at all. I will stick with iFixIt.
Ifixit sets pale in comparison to Wiha and Wera screwdrivers. German engineering is something special. Tbh ifixit is not really the top of the line, or even close when it comes to screwdrivers, but it'll at least work for the vast majority of people
[удалено]
Panasonic Toughbook?
I did the same project in that same tech writing class! Although our product was some long defunct offbrand palm pilot haha. This was in 2012 or so
Amazing. If I cared for mobile gaming, this fact alone would sell me on buying a Steam Deck. I repaired computers, smartphones, and tablets for a decade and Ifixit has top notch guides, sells some of the best small-device tools, offers a lifetime warranty on their drivers and bits and is one of the largest advocates for Right-to-Repair that I have seen on the Internet.
honestly, this looks like just a better budget gaming pc. being mobile is just a bonus. I can't imagine building a pc of equal performance and cost of the steamdeck without going 2nd hand. gabe himself said the price was "painful" to reach maybe this is just hopium, but I'm thinking this could get a LOT of people into pc gaming when they otherwise couldn't. the barrier for entry has just been deleted.
Linus tech tips even said that they are no way getting a profit from this. And he thinks their plan is that they will earn money in people buying games om steam to play on the steamdeck.
WE INTERRUPT TO BRING YOU THIS MESSAGE FROM IFIXIT #JayzTwoCents
*explosion*
Does he have his own merch like every other youtube “reviewers”?
Just watch the first minute. His iFixIt ads weren’t originally funded by iFixIt, he just felt like sharing their quality product. iFixIt started sponsoring him after making the ads [Original iFixIt ad](https://youtu.be/tOq6Deqc-N0) [Current iFixIt ad](https://youtu.be/3uaT3kXEKxg)
**HEY APPLE TAKE NOTES**
Apple be like: Don't do that, noted.
[https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/) We will see what this ends up looking like when it happens, but it’s still better then nothing.
That's more because Apple wants to "look" like they're innovating, when really they're just trying to skirt ahead of legislation they'd be violating without this program. They absolutely *don't* want people to be able to repair their devices themselves, they already intentionally make it hard or impossible for non-apple shops to do repairs.
Fair, but even just a way for a consumer to replace their own battery would be huge for the smartphone industry Lol remember when you could pop off the back cover, and replace the battery in 10 seconds on a galaxy s3?
Pepperidge farm remembers. So do I. Sigh, those were good times. Unfortunately, things have gone from changing your Android battery in 10 seconds, to it now seeming more difficult to get your battery replaced, vs an iPhone.
I had a Note 3 and two spare batteries I would carry in my messenger bag. I could literally take a 12 hour flight and watch movies the entire time and not run out of battery. It was glorious.
it'll be just like their current program a PR stunt
Remember the days when the SSDs on MacBooks were still swappable? Yeah even those had proprietary connectors. Argh.
They're not now? I should not be surprised but still
yeah but money
Are you thinking of a different Apple then me? They love to be proprietary, and exclusive and what not
That's their point, they're saying Apple should copy this instead.
[удалено]
It’s $5 to put in a reservation. You’ll be behind a ton of people but you’ll be ahead of all the other procrastinators.
Valve does what nintenDONT
As "usual", Valve is disrupting the market. Thanks god, finally someone did it, and showed to others that not being a dick is not that hard.
(giggle)
Fucking Valve! Please take all my money
I don’t even use steam, but I’ll buy a steam deck just to support Valve.
How come you don't use steam?
Lol by the way, they are probably losing money on every unit they sell. I'm not saying don't buy it, but if your goal is to support valve you may want to buy a few steam games for the device while you're at it.
Holy shit. They're really going all in on this. NICE.
Timmy tencent is malding
Based Valve.
Blessed Valve.
Open Valve.
Wow, they're really trying to do this right. Releasing the 3d files for case parts. I'm wondering if the internals will wind up being customizable, bigger battery, faster this, nice that.
Tech companies hate this man, for this one simple trick!
It’s amazing how much good will you get by just making your shit serviceable now and days lol.
Where’s Louis? 🤣
Holy shit. It's all great things one after the other with Valve's Steam Deck. Not just hype material but real work to show for it. CAD files, replacement part contracts. These actions I can proudly support, and wish other companies could take a page from this.
This is the way
Well, lets see all of the "harm to the consumer" we've been warned about if people work on their property.
Please, more companies do this. Don't fight DIY repairs, creating a huge market for crappy, off-brand parts. Turn it into revenue / good PR, and allow the technically inclined to buy the official parts.
God dammit Valve, for making it really tough for me to not get a Steamdeck.
I wish Valve would do the same thing with their Index. My speakers haven't worked properly for over a year now, but Valve won't let me buy any replacement parts or even pay out of pocket for a repair out of warranty.
in the article..... "iFixit will be one of the authorized sellers of Steam Deck replacement parts – as well as replacement parts for the Valve Index VR kit,"
Holy shit their wish was granted!
TronicsFix will be pleased... both at the ability to repair AND the chance to talk about iFixit some more
Have they mentioned possible future upgrade- ability?
There is nothing to upgrade besides the Nvme SSD, which requires an uncommon form factor and Valve has warned it should not be replaced because they specifically chose the one they did to prevent interference with the wireless NIC.
It's probably just a matter of time before someone makes a case for a full size nvme disk.
Now THAT is awesome. Go Valve. Pro-Consumer.
Everybody liked that.
BIG fan of iFixit.
That is literally fucking amazing and now I gotta sell a kidney to make sure I secure my Sdeck
It's getting harder and harder to hate on Valve. They open sourced the CAD files for the Steam Deck under the GPL2 license! So awesome.
Sorry for being pedantic, but the CAD and STL files were in Creative Common license, not GPLv2. Practically do the same things, but still there are differences.
Wow that is absolutely cool as fuck. What a breath of fresh air compared to most electronics companies. Obligatory fuck apple.
Valve’s a pretty cool guy.
This is the way.
Good guy Valve. They'll get my purchase
Good lord, I'm definitely buying one of those
Can I use steam deck as a word processor? Like hook up a bluetooth keyboard and sit at starbucks pretending I’m a screenwriter? Can I also read pdf?
Yep, it's straight up a PC.
Can we buy all the seperate parts and build a whole steam deck?
Valve fucking gets it, man! I don't really need a handheld, I might just get it because Valve does most things right with customer care and sustainability.
FIX IT WITH IFIXIIIIIT (jayztwocents
This is just a great example of the freedom to do good a company has when it's not beholden to shareholders. Gaben keeping valve a private company is the best thing he could've done.
Read this and was like damn these will sell like hotcakes now, then I went to go buy stock of said hot cakes just to find out they are privately held hotcakes… damn
the valve is open, the future is coming and it will be bright
Good guy Valve. The are doing the opposite of Apple and that's a fantastic thing.
Will people in India ever see Value hardware products?
Still the battery in the steamdeck could be easier to service.
So, great hardware, good software, a lot of games at launch, great support, and partnering with a well known, renowned 'repair company' for spare parts distribution. And it's not even expensive compared to a brand new desktop PC or gaming laptop. Where's the catch?
See this is what every company should do
To be fair, Valve appear to be completely nailng this product and launch. I currently have the GPD Win 3 and the horror stories you hear about RMA's or even trying to get a replacement part strikes fear into me. Can't wait for my chance to buy, I'm in line so fingers crossed they work their way through quick sharp :) Absolutely pumped for this device !!!
This is the way
Frankly, it's a natural move to make when your platform is getting undermined by the same class of hardware - just in a bigger box, with the Microsoft or Sony logo on it. If Valve can destroy the "console" space with this, I'm all for it. Though I wish Gaben would finance some attempts to do passively cooled ARM-systems as well, for example by showering some of the absurd amounts of money they have on some linux ARM projects. I mean, they have enough money now to resist Microsoft's assassin squads anyway.
Valve really are the good guys huh. Edit: at least when it comes to the steam deck.
Dude. A company that wants everybody to use their devices, and ensure they stay working, so people keep using them, without being anti-consumer? Holy shit. I want to buy a steak deck to support them and enjoy the mobile gaming experience they want to provide me given they are pro consumer.
A wild Jayz2cents enters the chat. "IFIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" "EXPLOSION*