Gaming handheld prices are out of control, except for the Steam Deck
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I don’t really know what demographic you’re chasing if you’re going after people wanting top of the line specs on a handheld.
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Once again Valve proves they actually understand what people want; a relatively cheap and effective system that lets people play the games they want to play
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I don’t really know what demographic you’re chasing if you’re going after people wanting top of the line specs on a handheld.
@etchinghillside @Fubarberry I guess if your device is not really scaleable, the only way to make any money is shoot for the top end.
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I don’t really know what demographic you’re chasing if you’re going after people wanting top of the line specs on a handheld.
They probably fear that Nintendo already has that market secured.
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I don’t really know what demographic you’re chasing if you’re going after people wanting top of the line specs on a handheld.
The only companies that can really compete with Valve for scale are MAYBE Asus. And if they just release approximately the same SKU as Valve or one with minor updates they can maybe get some market share but... why would you not buy the Valve one in that case?
So we instead get a case where they leverage something closer to their gaming laptops SKU... and the price goes up a lot. Although, to be clear, 1k for a "gaming laptop" is actually a REALLY good price... which is why gaming laptops are a stupid purchase.
And that mostly just leaves the Aya Neos and GPDs of the world. They more or less paved the way for Valve but they just can't produce (and import) at scale to compete so you mostly get niche SKUs that specifically target a type of gaming (often emulation) or come with keyboards everyone hates and so forth.
Which sucks because I really would like there to be competition to encourage Valve to keep pushing the envelope... and Valve would likely like it so they don't have to release a new gameboy every other year.
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Once again Valve proves they actually understand what people want; a relatively cheap and effective system that lets people play the games they want to play
Don't forget battery life. Most of those systems get some pretty awful battery life, or are comically large.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
Steam has the platform to recoup the hardware costs. They are selling PC-based consoles, while the rest is selling handheld-shaped PCs.
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This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
This is just... not true?
The Deck ranges from 420 to 680. The Legion Go S is 520, right in the middle of that. The Z1 Extreme ROG Ally is 670, right in line with the top of the line Deck (and noticeably more powerful). The Switch 2 is 470, on the cheaper side and also a fair bit beefier.
This article is arguing that having next-gen chips in boutique devices for 1K is a) a new development, and b) a bad thing. It is neither.
Before the Deck went mass market with PC handhelds they would routinely be a lot more expensive. The original Ayaneo was between 800 and 900 in 2021. The Pro model went up to 1200.
I want those things to exist. I want GPD to cram a Strix Halo into a handheld with a removable battery. I want Ayaneo to build a dual screen clamshell. I want Odin to slap a Xbox controller around an iPad. I want them to make a dumb console that spits out its buttons so you can flip them around. I want vertical handhelds. All that kooky weirdness is experimenting with new form factors and parts in ways that will move the segment forward. Without Ayaneo, Odin or GPD being dumb enough to cram a laptop into a handheld there'd be no Steam Deck in the first place.
Let the people who like weird hardware dump a grand or two into those weird things and that's how you eventually get a comfortably priced for-the-rest-of-us device from Valve or Asus that takes the ideas from those that work.
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Once again Valve proves they actually understand what people want; a relatively cheap and effective system that lets people play the games they want to play
I think the big difference is that they seem to be optimizing for customer satisfaction where others are not.
My favorite example I use often is how the Steam Deck comes with a case. It’s free and there’s not even an option to not get it. They know you need one, they include it. The Switch doesn’t come with a case. They know you need one but they don’t care. You’ll buy one if you want it bad enough and that’s more revenue.
It’s just a different type of optimization.
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Mudman here with the most salient point and better written then my “fuck off if you don’t want those devices you don’t have to buy them” but also the used market for those devices is way weirder, I grabbed a Z1 extreme Ally for $250, I’m also for sure ordering a Ayn Thor at 10 tonight, but I enjoy playing with weird hardware more than I do the games tbh
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I don’t really know what demographic you’re chasing if you’re going after people wanting top of the line specs on a handheld.
I find this train of thought weird, because these are all niche devices.
It's strange to hear that there's no demographic for boutique handhelds at the same time any mention that the Switch sold an order of magnitude more than the Deck gets a dozen responses that the Deck is "experimental" or "a first try" or "not competing directly".
And hey, all that's true. The Deck will never move 150 million consoles or sell 5 million in a week. There's value in limited run hardware that does things that aren't mainstream propositions alongside the "let's get every kid to get one of these from their grandma" devices.
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Mudman here with the most salient point and better written then my “fuck off if you don’t want those devices you don’t have to buy them” but also the used market for those devices is way weirder, I grabbed a Z1 extreme Ally for $250, I’m also for sure ordering a Ayn Thor at 10 tonight, but I enjoy playing with weird hardware more than I do the games tbh
wrote last edited by [email protected]I choose to read that as a genuine compliment.
And yeah, man, these weird devices are being sold to weird people who like them for what they are. Which also means when the next weird thing comes out those weirdos are likely to get upsold and resell older stuff. All of these things are going to be fantastic eBay haul Youtube videos from retro hardware people in the 2070s, assuming we avoid going full Mad Max Idiocracy that long.
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wrote last edited by [email protected]
It was, I read that like a beautifully worded rebuttal. And yeah once you’re really in that subculture you kind of learn to buy and sell and it mostly washes out as a free hobby. I buy a handful of lower end shit on Aliexpress during a sale, get to try stuff out, put Cfw on it and sell for a small profit, I then use those profits to buy other shit
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Once again Valve proves they actually understand what people want; a relatively cheap and effective system that lets people play the games they want to play
They have advantage of being able to sell at almost cost because they make so much on game sales. Like the other console vendors.
Actually kind of unfair business practice.
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They have advantage of being able to sell at almost cost because they make so much on game sales. Like the other console vendors.
Actually kind of unfair business practice.
I mean that’s just how consoles are, except Valve does let you just use it as a normal pc so you can use other stores if you want to. Still an advantage to them
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The joke is you n all of them - I’m an adult and I enjoy coming home and playing PC games on my PC with its large gaming PC monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
I’m glad you all love your handhelds, but I’m good without one.
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Total agreement.
It sucks when a device category dies and disappears. Most people might not care, but those who do really do, and it sucks when you can't upgrade to what you want anymore.
I'm not a handheld guy, but for me, it's phones with keyboards.
So if there's somebody making boutique devices for niche audiences, more power to them!
Handheld gaming PCs are really not necessary devices, so if you can't afford a high-end one, get a cheap one. And if you can't afford that, stick a gamepad on your phone and boot up a switch emulator or winlator.
Leave people their niche hobbies!
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The joke is you n all of them - I’m an adult and I enjoy coming home and playing PC games on my PC with its large gaming PC monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
I’m glad you all love your handhelds, but I’m good without one.
I have a gaming pc monitor, keyboard, and trackball (no reason to debase myself and use a mouse) all on my Steam deck. And if I want to take my Steam deck with me to work, I can do that too.
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Once again Valve proves they actually understand what people want; a relatively cheap and effective system that lets people play the games they want to play
Two things massively help Valve:
Steam is a goddamned money printing machine, they are the most profitable software company per capita, per employee... possibly bar none.
Also... they're not publically traded.
They do not have investors constantly forcing maximization of short term profits at the cost of literally everything else.
... So they can afford to ... not price gauge everyone.
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Don't forget battery life. Most of those systems get some pretty awful battery life, or are comically large.
the two things that made the game boy a success: "good enough" system with a great battery life all for a great price
