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