Will Steam ever give it a shot at home consoles?

[FOXDUDE69]

Now that Valve has a handheld console, if it proves to be successful in the long term, do you see Valve trying their hand at a home console, too? With a 2.0 version of the Steam controller?

Steam machines don't count 'cus they were built by third parties, it's not really what I'm talking about here. I'm taking about hardware made by Valve.

[Brian9824]

Originalmente postado por FOX6NINE:

Originalmente postado por brian9824:

The digital game sales are highly skewed, for consoles its more like ~70% digital, and for both its very skewed due to indie titles that only have a digital release. To be objective you'd really have to look at titles that had a physical and digital release and then compare thouse.



It's a handheld PC, its not locked into a proprietary OS and can run windows.

Is that how we define what is a console and what is a PC? Because earlier versions of the PS3 OS allowed users to install other OSs, yet nobody ever called the PS3 a PC.

Or could it just be that this is an arbitrary distinction that Valve came up with so they could refer to their console as a "handheld PC" in their marketing and so that PC elitists could own one without getting their egos bruised?

I don't remember this ever being the thing that defines what is and what isn't a console prior to the Deck, so I'll take the definition of console from wikipedia over yours and Valve's:

"A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to a television or other display devices and controlled with a separate game controller, or handheld consoles, which include their own display unit and controller functions built into the unit and which can be played anywhere. Hybrid consoles combine elements of both home and handheld consoles."

So um it helps if you don't remove the parts of the wikipedia page that prove you wrong. Let me finish the quote that you edited out.

Video game consoles are a specialized form of a home computer geared towards video game playing, designed with affordability and accessibility to the general public in mind, but lacking in raw computing power and customization. Simplicity is achieved in part through the use of game cartridges or other simplified methods of distribution, easing the effort of launching a game. However, this leads to ubiquitous proprietary formats that creates competition for market share.[1] More recent consoles have shown further confluence with home computers,

Wikipedia even says consoles and PC's are different, and the Steam Deck like a PC is not proprietary, allowing you to play any games you want, even games from the consoles via emulation.

So exactly like its been said by numerous people's consoles are more locked down, cannot be upgraded, and are a closed system.

[Muppet among Puppets]

Originalmente postado por brian9824:

Wikipedia even says consoles and PC's are different, and the Steam Deck like a PC is not proprietary, allowing you to play any games you want, even games from the consoles via emulation.

So exactly like its been said by numerous people's consoles are more locked down, cannot be upgraded, and are a closed system.

PC means personal computer.
A console is a predefined thing you get, and its aimed on doing something.

[Chika Ogiue]

Originalmente postado por FOX6NINE:

90% of all videogame sales were digital last years.

Physical will be dead in a few years

You can cite sources to back that up?

The way I see it, digital (especially, Steam) cannot compete with physical console releases in my region. This is where the lack of incentive for digital to price drop works against them. Why would I buy, for example, Soul Hackers 2 on Steam for near the equivalent of 77 USD (by today's exchange rate, and near 97 USD when the exchange rate is favourable) when I can go down to a local store and buy it physically for less than 30 USD brand new?

Physical stores thrive because they have competition. Digital doesn't. Steam all but eliminated competition with IP blocks and killed off import markets with the same. Now a publisher has no real reason to offer their product digitally at a price that encourages purchasing outside of a couple of times a year, and even then, the discounts they give are worse than you can get with smart physical shopping.

So if physical "dies" in a few years, it won't be due to lack of consumer interest but due to publisher greed and wanting to lock their customers into their prices.

[CJM]

Originalmente postado por Chika Ogiue:

So if physical "dies" in a few years, it won't be due to lack of consumer interest but due to publisher greed and wanting to lock their customers into their prices.

Physical media will not stay dead:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/15/business/flip-phone-gen-z-ctrp/index.html

People will need to entertain themselves, and if Digital Distribution does not meet the needs of the public, the public will take action necessary to ensure their entertainment needs are met.

If physical dies, it is because the consumer allowed it to die. There is an appeal to digital copies in the short term. Long term, the Playstation console looks to be the first that will be brought back, Playstation discs will be like Vinyl records.

[AROCK!!!]

Originalmente postado por Chika Ogiue:

Originalmente postado por FOX6NINE:

90% of all videogame sales were digital last years.

Physical will be dead in a few years

You can cite sources to back that up?

The way I see it, digital (especially, Steam) cannot compete with physical console releases in my region. This is where the lack of incentive for digital to price drop works against them. Why would I buy, for example, Soul Hackers 2 on Steam for near the equivalent of 77 USD (by today's exchange rate, and near 97 USD when the exchange rate is favourable) when I can go down to a local store and buy it physically for less than 30 USD brand new?

Physical stores thrive because they have competition. Digital doesn't. Steam all but eliminated competition with IP blocks and killed off import markets with the same. Now a publisher has no real reason to offer their product digitally at a price that encourages purchasing outside of a couple of times a year, and even then, the discounts they give are worse than you can get with smart physical shopping.

So if physical "dies" in a few years, it won't be due to lack of consumer interest but due to publisher greed and wanting to lock their customers into their prices.

Another issue with digital, especiallywhen it comes to PC gaming....MFN-clauses.

STEAM was sued over this, but won as it is not illegal...at least not at the moment, but it definitely screws the consumer.

https://hothardware.com/news/valve-sued-over-anti-competitive-clause-in-store-agreement


/www.americanbar.org/groups/business_law/publications/blt/2021/03/mfn-clauses/

[SMIFFY]

I don't even see the point to some of the consoles that are currently on the market. The Switch has a reason to exist but there doesn't need to be a PlayStation and an Xbox, neither has a USP.

[AROCK!!!]

Originalmente postado por SMIFFY:

I don't even see the point to some of the consoles that are currently on the market. The Switch has a reason to exist but there doesn't need to be a PlayStation and an Xbox, neither has a USP.

Going by that is there really a need for an Intel and AMD CPU, do we need all the different GPUs and manufacturers, etc?


Consoles are more convenient, cheaper, more family oriented, don't require upgrades, games are better optimized, ability to share, used game market, and so on.

When it comes to which one, it's a matter of taste, and there are differences.

[Tito Shivan]

Originalmente postado por SMIFFY:

I don't even see the point to some of the consoles that are currently on the market.

Consoles nowadays are mostly hardware-locked walled gardens.

[THE LORD]

They should just focus on PC gaming. In fact, I don't even know why they released that steam deck thing.

[Thermal Lance]

Originalmente postado por FOX6NINE:

Originalmente postado por ÁROCK!!!:

They already tried that with the STEAM Machine, and it failed.


I don't think STEAM has what it takes to compete with Xbox, play station and others, plus....STEAM'S customer base is primarily PC.

Yet they are buying a handheld console.

The handheld "console" is a handheld PC.

What you are asking for basically is a Steam Machine which they did attempt and it didn't fly for very long since it was basically a glorified PC and anybody can do that.

[Brian9824]

Originalmente postado por Chika Ogiue:

Originalmente postado por FOX6NINE:

90% of all videogame sales were digital last years.

Physical will be dead in a few years

You can cite sources to back that up?

The way I see it, digital (especially, Steam) cannot compete with physical console releases in my region. This is where the lack of incentive for digital to price drop works against them. Why would I buy, for example, Soul Hackers 2 on Steam for near the equivalent of 77 USD (by today's exchange rate, and near 97 USD when the exchange rate is favourable) when I can go down to a local store and buy it physically for less than 30 USD brand new?

Physical stores thrive because they have competition. Digital doesn't. Steam all but eliminated competition with IP blocks and killed off import markets with the same. Now a publisher has no real reason to offer their product digitally at a price that encourages purchasing outside of a couple of times a year, and even then, the discounts they give are worse than you can get with smart physical shopping.

So if physical "dies" in a few years, it won't be due to lack of consumer interest but due to publisher greed and wanting to lock their customers into their prices.

The number is sorta accurate, but VERY misleading. So many titles ONLY have a digital release that it vastly skews the numbers and its very misleading to use. Especially on PC when many games are only released digitally now.

[Thermal Lance]

Originalmente postado por brian9824:

Originalmente postado por Chika Ogiue:

You can cite sources to back that up?

The way I see it, digital (especially, Steam) cannot compete with physical console releases in my region. This is where the lack of incentive for digital to price drop works against them. Why would I buy, for example, Soul Hackers 2 on Steam for near the equivalent of 77 USD (by today's exchange rate, and near 97 USD when the exchange rate is favourable) when I can go down to a local store and buy it physically for less than 30 USD brand new?

Physical stores thrive because they have competition. Digital doesn't. Steam all but eliminated competition with IP blocks and killed off import markets with the same. Now a publisher has no real reason to offer their product digitally at a price that encourages purchasing outside of a couple of times a year, and even then, the discounts they give are worse than you can get with smart physical shopping.

So if physical "dies" in a few years, it won't be due to lack of consumer interest but due to publisher greed and wanting to lock their customers into their prices.

The number is sorta accurate, but VERY misleading. So many titles ONLY have a digital release that it vastly skews the numbers and its very misleading to use. Especially on PC when many games are only released digitally now.

Physical console games are already on the block. The thing many don't people don't realise is that games that are borderline unusable without patching or which have DLCs on the "live" only is growing. When those online services are taken offline, so are those patches/dlcs.

Which is why places like gamestop gives you such a low price on buyback. They know once that generation is over and the plug is pulled, these copies won't be worth much to anyone.

Yes, physical gaming is there on console but it's a shadow of what it used to be. One could even argue it is mostly a smoke show to keep the customer happy.

[[?]legit]

Originalmente postado por D-45H-YR:

Originalmente postado por brian9824:

The number is sorta accurate, but VERY misleading. So many titles ONLY have a digital release that it vastly skews the numbers and its very misleading to use. Especially on PC when many games are only released digitally now.

Physical console games are already on the block. The thing many don't people don't realise is that games that are borderline unusable without patching or which have DLCs on the "live" only is growing. When those online services are taken offline, so are those patches/dlcs.

Which is why places like gamestop gives you such a low price on buyback. They know once that generation is over and the plug is pulled, these copies won't be worth much to anyone.

Yes, physical gaming is there on console but it's a shadow of what it used to be. One could even argue it is mostly a smoke show to keep the customer happy.

Yes, but games on a console have a higher longevity than on pc, especially multiplayer games. Usually multiplayer games die out on pc years earlier, before anything gets taken offline.

[Thermal Lance]

Originalmente postado por legit windows:

Originalmente postado por D-45H-YR:

Physical console games are already on the block. The thing many don't people don't realise is that games that are borderline unusable without patching or which have DLCs on the "live" only is growing. When those online services are taken offline, so are those patches/dlcs.

Which is why places like gamestop gives you such a low price on buyback. They know once that generation is over and the plug is pulled, these copies won't be worth much to anyone.

Yes, physical gaming is there on console but it's a shadow of what it used to be. One could even argue it is mostly a smoke show to keep the customer happy.

Yes, but games on a console have a higher longevity than on pc, especially multiplayer games. Usually multiplayer games die out on pc years earlier, before anything gets taken offline.

Still happens. Not sure how that changes anything.

[wuddih]

there is no reason to mass produce a small-form-factor PC and cripple it with marketing that people don't seem to understand into a "console".
every interview, Valve: "b-b-b-but Steam Deck is a PC" .. journalists and people: THIS IS THE SWITCH FOR STEAM ... -.-

Steam Machines failed because of Linux. there was no proton at the time and the concept didn't really fail. many involved system builders sold Windows variants of their Steam Machines for years after and it changed the entire market for small cases and accessories. they no longer cost triple the price to build.
and even with everything done, Linux still sucks for gaming and will for a long time as that is a mount everest to climb and Proton actually might have put the nail in the coffin for native Linux game development. RIP