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You have to consider that PC hardware is currently spiraling out of control in terms of price, and $400 for the specs it has presently is a fairly decent buy ev
by caslon 5y ago
You have to consider that PC hardware is currently spiraling out of control in terms of price, and $400 for the specs it has presently is a fairly decent buy even if you don't care about the form factor.
- ketzo 5y agoThat’s a really good point, viewing this as an accessibly-priced entry into PC gaming makes it even more attractive.
- Ancapistani 5y agoIf current trends around availability of discrete desktop graphics cards hold out, then it'll be even more attractive.
- libertine 5y agoPC hardware prices will affect this as well, since this is based on shortages and high demand... basically these will be almost impossible to get outside of secondary market.
- caslon 5y agoI'm calling it now, people looking back on this thread six months or a year from now will have found your speculation false.
- libertine 5y agoI gain/lose nothing for being right/wrong, it's just the status quo. I'm waiting to buy a laptop I want for some months now, still not available. Unless this custom APU for Steam Deck is made in a special foundry with a special process, then they will be in line just like everyone else. Plus scalpers love this shortage to make easy money.
- anoraca 5y agoYou don't think that Valve was waiting until the supply chain was ready before making this announcement?
- libertine 5y agoYou think Sony Computer Entertainment didn't wait until the supply chain was ready before launching the PS5? It's not about being ready or not, it's about supply and demand. An example from Valve themselves from early this year regarding Index, an interview with Gabe: “We actually have components that are manufactured in Wuhan and when you’re setting up your manufacturing lines it doesn’t occur to you that you’re suddenly going to be dependent on this peculiar transistor that’s sitting on one board that you can’t get,” Newell said. “Everybody ended up running into the same problem simultaneously — you go from, ‘Oh, we’re in great shape,’ to, ‘What do you mean Apple or Microsoft just bought the next two years’ supply of this just so they could make sure they aren’t going to run out?’ You went from a situation where everything was getting done just in time to people buying up all the available supplies.” Newell says these constraints are also why the headset still doesn’t ship to some markets like New Zealand or Australia. “The only thing keeping us from shipping in New Zealand at this point is just getting enough of them made — we’re very much manufacturing constrained.” [1] https://uploadvr.com/gabe-newell-index-supply-shortage/ https://uploadvr.com/gabe-newell-index-supply-shortage/
- f6v 5y agoI can buy a decent gaming laptop right now, but it's much harder to get a desktop GPU. I'm guessing all stock goes to OEMs.
- tempest_ 5y agoA steam machine if you will
- bogwog 5y agoI wonder if they're selling at a loss? Valve can afford it, plus it'd be no different than Sony/Nintendo/etc subsidizing hardware since they make most of their profits from software sales. Only difference is that, unlike traditional game companies, this Steam Deck thing isn't a walled garden. But of course, Steam has a near monopoly on PC gaming so it's unlikely that'll be a problem for them.
- rchaud 5y agoI don't see why they would, they'd be on the hook for service costs as well.
- Rebelgecko 5y agoSimilar products (look up GPD Win for example) are roughly in the same ballpark cost wise, and that's without much economy of scale.
- mywittyname 5y agoI doubt it. If Valve isn't locking the hardware down, but is subsidizing it, then they might run into a situation where cryptominers (or some other group) start buying these things up in bulk, but never playing any games on them. I could see owning one of these as a non-gaming desktop.
- sbierwagen 5y agoFor what coins is PC hardware competitive with ASIC?
- Fabricio20 5y agoEthereum, because there are not ASICs for it. See the news about recent crackdowns on mining in China, that's where all the GPUs were at, mining Ethereum.
- baby 5y agoEthereum is moving away from proof of work
- the8472 5y agoPS5 and Xbox are using PC hardware too. The only difference is that they might have secured some supply for those customized parts in advance.