Valve Announces New Hardware!

[Macalicious2011]

Maybe that's the thing. I already use my Magic Trackpad 8 hours a day, don't need two of them on my gamepad! A tiny touchpad like on the Legion Go or (I think) PlayStation controllers would be great for clicking buttons in a pinch. But Valve is going for the Swiss army knife of controllers and it certainly won't be cheap.

Hopefully steam will release a trackpad less controller. If not I believe that you can use Xbox and PlayStation controllers with steam hardware.

 

[salamanderjuice]

I've never used the Steam Deck's touchpads in a game and I doubt their controller will be a hit. If I want to play a game designed for a mouse, I'll walk to my desk.

The Steam Machine will definitely replace my current SteamOS/Bazzite HTPC though, which will then replace my Mac for work to some degree. Valve (and Framework) are really bringing the hype and fun back into computing for me.

And I think Valve is wise in not trying to replace high-powered desktop PCs (for now) because then people would be much more critical of the SteamOS desktop/online multiplayer experience. SteamOS shines for indies and local multiplayer, where Linux' anti-cheat issues don't really matter.

I'm buying one day one. The trackpads make entire classes of games playable with a controller on a TV, think about titles like The Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Total War, etc.

Hopefully steam will release a trackpad less controller. If not I believe that you can use Xbox and PlayStation controllers with steam hardware.

You can use a Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo controller already. Any controller compatible with Linux will work. Even something like a NES controller if you have the proper adapter. There's absolutely no reason for Valve to make a trackpad-less controller. There's a billion options out there already from the console ones to ones for PC.

 

[jlnr]

Hopefully steam will release a trackpad less controller. If not I believe that you can use Xbox and PlayStation controllers with steam hardware.

Yep, you can use almost anything! It blew my mind when I paired two Switch Joy Cons with my docked Deck and I could choose to combine them into a single controller right from the settings. Support and fixes for various obscure controllers often make up large portions of the SteamOS release notes.

The Steam Store is Valve's cash cow, not hardware. Other vendors already offer trackpad-free gamepads that work with SteamOS, just like there's a version of the Steam Deck without trackpads (Legion Go S), so there's no reason for Valve to re-invent these wheels. They have limited engineering resources and only try to fill the gaps in the landscape.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Yep, you can use almost anything! It blew my mind when I paired two Switch Joy Cons with my docked Deck and I could choose to combine them into a single controller right from the settings. Support and fixes for various obscure controllers often make up large portions of the SteamOS release notes.

The Steam Store is Valve's cash cow, not hardware. Other vendors already offer trackpad-free gamepads that work with SteamOS, just like there's a version of the Steam Deck without trackpads (Legion Go S), so there's no reason for Valve to re-invent these wheels. They have limited engineering resources and only try to fill the gaps in the landscape.

Fair point. I don’t need a trackpad in any games that I play on my pc. Even if I had s trackpad I wouldn’t play titles like StarCraft, C&C and similar strategy titles on a controller. Therefore the trackpads do make the controller look a bit bulky but it’s good that it’s bundled.

Although I'm more interested in the next gen Xbox console/PC where I'll be able to have an all in one gaming device (Xbox, PC and Steam Libraries + higher end hardware), these new products are wonderful new options for so many people who loving playing games. Competition for Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo is very welcome.

I think it's awesome that Valve is going to release dedicated PC hardware that Developers can target and optimize for since it's a specific set of hardware just like a console. Bonus: it's a compact PC too if there's a need for it. The ARM-based SoC headset is interesting since it's opens up the ARM platform for SteamOS and games which hopefully leads to future more efficient handhelds for example.

Personally I prefer the console convenience over the PC hassle: No worries about hardware compatibility, OS is usually very stable, system and game updates are simple, boot up the console and game with little settings fiddling required, play on a big TV and from the couch and use it with a controller (first UI). However I like to play certain games modded (almost exclusively a PC thing) and PC games tend to be cheaper or on sale more frequently. Both Valve's Steam Machine and the next gen Xbox console/PC will give me all that on one device.

And for Linux as a plattform itself, all of this is also awesome, more ressources poured into it, more development and optimizations, increasing the userbase.

Something like the ROG Ally X is my ideal next console. Xbox and steam. However it will probably be snitched 1-2 years before has perfected the software, power consumption and other bits. The benefits of steam is that they have a single focus which is gaming optimisation of steam OS.

With Xbox it’s nit the same case. Satya has mentioned that windows is the new Xbox. Therefore there is risk of bloat, bugs, conflicting priorities etc. Therefore I am more likely to buy a steam handheld. Mainly for playing my embarrassingly growing library of indie titles and older games that are not super demanding. Any demanding AAA titles would be played on my pc.

 

[Reverend Benny]

Make Halflife 3 a Steam Machine unique title and it might outsell all consoles :-D

 

[Pezimak]

LOTS of speculation on the Steam Machine pricing, some even predicting as high a 1000 for the 2 terabyte model. I personally am not sure it will cost that much, I still think the 512 will be around the 500 to 600 mark.

 

[Macalicious2011]

LOTS of speculation on the Steam Machine pricing, some even predicting as high a 1000 for the 2 terabyte model. I personally am not sure it will cost that much, I still think the 512 will be around the 500 to 600 mark.

Valve is a highly profitable and lean business. They could choose to sell it at or even below break even. RAM and ssd prices are terrible right now but Valve likely has contracts with prices locked for 6 months post release.

Even at 800-1000ndollsr it wouldn’t look bad value against the ps5 pro.

 

[Pezimak]

Valve is a highly profitable and lean business. They could choose to sell it at or even below break even. RAM and ssd prices are terrible right now but Valve likely has contracts with prices locked for 6 months post release.

Even at 800-1000ndollsr it wouldn’t look bad value against the ps5 pro.

I was thinking Great British Pounds where I am and the PS5 Pro is £700 here, so it would make it more expensive and DOA too. With the specs it has that is poor value at that price.

 

[jlnr]

If the Steam Machine turns out to be more expensive than expected thanks to exploding DRAM prices, then wouldn't the PS5 and Xbox also have to raise their prices soon enough? It's not like these things only affect Valve. What matters is not only the price but also the price in relation to that of its competitors.

 

[maflynn]

If the Steam Machine turns out to be more expensive than expected thanks to exploding DRAM prices, then wouldn't the PS5 and Xbox also have to raise their prices soon enough?

Yes, its a rising tide, that will lift all ships, so to speak

 

[Pezimak]

If the Steam Machine turns out to be more expensive than expected thanks to exploding DRAM prices, then wouldn't the PS5 and Xbox also have to raise their prices soon enough? It's not like these things only affect Valve. What matters is not only the price but also the price in relation to that of its competitors.

Yes but I expect the competitors will have ordered X amount at a locked in price, and it would all depend on how much Valve will offer had to off paid for it’s locked in pricing at the time of ordering. If that is how it works of course with the pricing. I did read the blame is being put on AI for the increase in priced as Ai manufactures like Nvidia are taking the majority of RAM stock available. Another reason to dislike Ai.

 

[maflynn]

Yes but I expect the competitors will have ordered X amount at a locked in price,

The question is how long are those contracts. Apple is purported to have their memory prices locked in, but is that for the next 6 months, 12 months?

What will effect this, AFAIK, is the AI bubble will burst, and I think we may be close to that Oracle's stock was hammered because they announced a pivot to AI, which doesn't make sense for a database maker and/or ERP cloud system provider.

 

[Pezimak]

The question is how long are those contracts. Apple is purported to have their memory prices locked in, but is that for the next 6 months, 12 months?

What will effect this, AFAIK, is the AI bubble will burst, and I think we may be close to that Oracle's stock was hammered because they announced a pivot to AI, which doesn't make sense for a database maker and/or ERP cloud system provider.

Yes I think I it will burst too. It is utterly ridiculous they have valued Nvidia at over 5 Trillion dollars! That's more than several large countries put together. It is totally unsustainable and they all know it's going to burst, they are just milking it for as much as they can till then.
Sadly though it is making us all pay the price in the meantime.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I was thinking Great British Pounds where I am and the PS5 Pro is £700 here, so it would make it more expensive and DOA too. With the specs it has that is poor value at that price.

I think the Gabecube might be the hero we need. The next 12 months will be the darkest and most expensive era for buying a PC ever! At £700-900 it will be a good deal.

The question is how long are those contracts. Apple is purported to have their memory prices locked in, but is that for the next 6 months, 12 months?

What will effect this, AFAIK, is the AI bubble will burst, and I think we may be close to that Oracle's stock was hammered because they announced a pivot to AI, which doesn't make sense for a database maker and/or ERP cloud system provider.

Price contracts for components that use rare materials or are sensitive to demand can limited to 3-6 months. 6-12 months are possible if you are a big fish like Apple, Dell or Nvidia.

To illustrate how bad things are, in March 2024 I bought 32GB Corsair DDR4 3200mhz on eBay for £38. Bargain. Today the same RAM new is £137. 12 months ago i also bought a 2TB SSD. Today it’s £20 more expensive.

DDR5 is messed up in block capital letters. 32GB RAM is £280-370 depending on brand. 18 months ago. That’s the money you would spend on an entry level GPU or a mid range CPU. RAM used to be one of the cheapest PC components. Try building an entry level AM5 PC now. RAM and SSD alone will shoot past the price of a PS5/Series X.

It’s going to get worse. GPU manufacturers haven’t adjusted their prices yet but will. Nvidia, OpenAI, Apple and Oracle are all paying silicon manufacturers billions of dollars upfront for as much RAM as they can get their hands on. Consumers(gamers) are left with restricted supply at high prices.

Therefore we will need to recalibrate what poor/good value is. An entry-mid level PC built 12-18 months ago is likely be 30-50% more expensive now.