Steam Deck (handheld from Valve) - shipping is 4-8 days from NL to UK

[Sumire]

The thing is with this. I only bought the Switch to play Nintendo exclusives, I never had any intention of playing it portably anyway as i find gaming more comfortable on a big screen, so although this device looks interesting, ultimately ill never use it as I have a PC hooked up to my TV anyway.

[Uzi]

1 minute ago, Gotters said:

Well that sucks, apparently to stop new account scalpers you need to have made a purchase on your steam account prior to June to be able to pre-order. Orders only open up for everybody on Sunday.

 

I didn't have a steam account until this morning.

 

That sucks.

You can order - just after 48 hours of the original orders. Who knows how backed up the orders will be by then though.

 

 

[Mr. Gerbik]

3 minutes ago, Sumire said:

The thing is with this. I only bought the Switch to play Nintendo exclusives, I never had any intention of playing it portably anyway as i find gaming more comfortable on a big screen, so although this device looks interesting, ultimately ill never use it as I have a PC hooked up to my TV anyway.

Same for me. As much as I love the look and potential of this, I don't ever play handheld games. And my PC is hooked up to the same telly as my permanently docked Switch. 

[Novelty Bobble]

Struggling to see the downsides with this. Battery life, perhaps? Slightly dodgy controllers? Supply issues?

 

Otherwise this feels like the gaming machine I’ve been waiting for for years. And makes out the Switch OLED as even more of a spectacular own goal than it already clearly was (I was genuinely staggered it didn’t even have Bluetooth audio support, which seems extraordinarily obtuse even for Nintendo).

 

If this is anything other than a total failure, then I can’t speak for anyone else but what I can tell you for a fact is that it will cost Nintendo a big chunk of my disposable income. There are literally dozens of games I’ve double dipped on for the Switch after initially buying on Steam, just so I could play them on the commute.
 

The video on the website of someone playing Factorio handheld just made me make an involuntary noise I’m not particularly proud of.

 

[Disgraced Toblerone]

As someone who absolutely don't want a PC at home, I'm delighted.

[CovisGod]

Anyone know what time the UK reservations for this start please?

[Uzi]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

Same for me. As much as I love the look and potential of this, I don't ever play handheld games. And my PC is hooked up to the same telly as my permanently docked Switch. 

I am the same except this could defeat the main barrier of a PC with pick up and play titles I have. 

 

Eg right now - after turning PC on - log on windows (fast - but a step) - open steam (fast but a step) - scroll through library to the wanted game and click play (fast but a step) game opens - splash screens - click start- fuck sake finally. 

 

Like if I wanted to play something fast like a pick up and play indie game - the level of investment of clicks and steps needed to get into the majority of my library where I don't need graphical fidelity or a huge screen to enjoy is just too much sometimes. I'd rather just go through all of that for a more meaty game so recently I've just been jumping from more higher end experiences to another. 

 

This would help fill that gap that I find to be the only main downside of PC gaming for me. A Steam Deck you would just click on - Steam OS opens - recently played right there quickly navigated by a stick - quick resume for one game - boom done. Just a way to access the lighter side of my library without going through all the set up.

[Uzi]

Just now, CovisGod said:

Anyone know what time the UK reservations for this start please?

6pm

[Myshkin]

The only things missing for me are

changeable faceplates and changeable slide-in controllers. I want to pay more for different colours of exactly the same controller and faceplate. You know - like I did with nintendo.  

[ImmaculateClump]

2 hours ago, GamesGamesGames said:

How would you play that, controlswise?

 

Why, you'd attach a big fuck off arcade stick to it, of course!

 

 

Can we just take a minute to appreciate IGN's photoshop skills.

[Calashnikov]

Maybe they Photoshopped that image using the Steam Deck itself?

 

The prospect of portable full-fat desktop Photoshop has me legit hyped btw

[Mr. Gerbik]

27 minutes ago, Uzi said:

I am the same except this could defeat the main barrier of a PC with pick up and play titles I have. 

 

Eg right now - after turning PC on - log on windows (fast - but a step) - open steam (fast but a step) - scroll through library to the wanted game and click play (fast but a step) game opens - splash screens - click start- fuck sake finally. 

 

Like if I wanted to play something fast like a pick up and play indie game - the level of investment of clicks and steps needed to get into the majority of my library where I don't need graphical fidelity or a huge screen to enjoy is just too much sometimes. I'd rather just go through all of that for a more meaty game so recently I've just been jumping from more higher end experiences to another. 

 

This would help fill that gap that I find to be the only main downside of PC gaming for me. A Steam Deck you would just click on - Steam OS opens - recently played right there quickly navigated by a stick - quick resume for one game - boom done. Just a way to access the lighter side of my library without going through all the set up.

I get that. My PC has seen very little use since getting my Series X - on that console I turn it on and I'm immediately playing in 1 or 2 seconds thanks to quick resume. It's amazing how quickly you get used to that luxury.

[Lorfarius]

Just now, Calashnikov said:

The prospect of portable desktop Photoshop has me legit hyped btw

 

Wouldn't you be better off with something like this? CS6 on a model from 2016:

 

 

[Calashnikov]

Years ago, like 2003 style, someone on the B3ta.com board posted a Photoshop of a Photoshop arcade cabinet. I found it so fucking funny at the time and have since been quite obsessed with the idea of a gamified Photoshop running on otherwise unsuitable gaming hardware, using joysticks and stuff. Love shit like the above, but would never actually mess with it. On the Steam Deck however I know that I just might.

[TomatoConvenienceStore]

1 hour ago, monkeydog said:

 

It don't think it's entirely fair to apply the "release and nothing" brush to Valve hardware

 

Steamlink was a great product. It still just works. It's essentially ended up being replaced by Smart TV/mobile apps. It still had an update recently for Series controller compatibility.  

 

 

 

Funnily enough, after moving house I wanted to get a steamlink because I don't keep my pc on the living room anymore only to find Valve stopped selling them (after clearing stock at selling them off for £5!)

 

There are currently less new than 5 on eBay - the cheapest is £70.

 

Edit: thinking about it, they stopped the steam link because the software then became available for other devices (I actually sideloaded the app to my Amazon Fire TV in the end - no it doesn't work well... But it does work!).

 

It seems that with this is probably a software demonstration for SteamOS, somewhat like the Steambox was. 

 

An advertising campaign really for their operating system.

[monkeydog]

21 minutes ago, TomatoConvenienceStore said:

Funnily enough, after moving house I wanted to get a steamlink because I don't keep my pc on the living room anymore only to find Valve stopped selling them (after clearing stock at selling them off for £5!)

 

There are currently less new than 5 on eBay - the cheapest is £70.

 

Edit: thinking about it, they stopped the steam link because the software then became available for other devices.

 

Yes, it really has been superseded.  It's a nice bit of hardware though.  It's a the size of two pack of playing cards but weighs about the same a small neutron star.  The bundled Ethernet cable is a lovely flat one.  Very classy.

 

Not worth £70!

[JoeK]

1 hour ago, Disgraced Toblerone said:

As someone who absolutely don't want a PC at home, I'm delighted.

 

I submit to the judge that you are exactly the right person that Steam wants to buy this thing. 
 

They need nubile, supple young blood to become hopelessly addicted to spending lots and lots of money on Steam software. 

 

I am intrigued by the unit, but I've never been one for the handheld gaming so I'll pass for now. But I do think it looks pretty swish. Although I do think I'd have preferred a hook-up with Nvidia - the thought of DLSS integration on the thing would have been absolutely brilliant.

[Mr. Gerbik]

6 minutes ago, JoeK said:

Although I do think I'd have preferred a hook-up with Nvidia - the thought of DLSS integration on the thing would have been absolutely brilliant.

I was thinking that too. Surely the obvious choice to wring a buttload more performance out of such a device. Mind you, I think exactly the same about the Series X and PS5.

[Mallet]

OT a little but how realistic is it to expect DLSS on a hand held at this time? I had the exact same thoughts when people were getting hyped about a switch pro.

 

DLSS requires tenser cores as far as I'm aware and I assume you would want the more efficient 2.0 tenser cores that are in the 3000 series cards. Those cards require a lot of power, Nvidia famously made a new power connector for them after all.

 

How much power do tenser cores use? how much heat do they produce? how much of the overall cost of an RTX card is due to tensor cores? I'm really curious if it's even feasible to include tensor cores in a hand held and keep the price resembling anything reasonable.

 

Honestly, the £349 base model, even though it using slower storage, looks to be incredible value to me. You are getting a lot for your money there.

 

Also even though it isn't nvme SSD I assume loading from an SD card is still much better that a mechanical hard drive?

[JoeK]

1 minute ago, Mallet said:

OT a little but how realistic is it to expect DLSS on a hand held at this time? I had the exact same thoughts when people were getting hyped about a switch pro.

 

DLSS requires tenser cores as far as I'm aware and I assume you would want the more efficient 2.0 tenser cores that are in the 3000 series cards. Those cards require a lot of power, Nvidia famously made a new power connector for them after all.

 

How much power do tenser cores use? how much heat do they produce? how much of the overall cost of an RTX card is due to tensor cores? I'm really curious if it's even feasible to include tensor cores in a hand held and keep the price resembling anything reasonable.

 

Honestly, the £349 base model, even though it using slower storage, looks to be incredible value to me. You are getting a lot for your money there.

 

Also even though it isn't nvme SSD I assume loading from an SD card is still much better that a mechanical hard drive?

 

I would be absolutely amazed and shocked if nVidia hadn't already worked out how to make a new Tegra chip incorporate tensor cores in the thing to be honest. It's just a case of working out when is the best time to launch something like this, as quite honestly the amount of extra graphical grunt you get from it absolutely makes something like my 3090 seem even more pointless than it usually does in most cases.

 

I mean, I love my 3090 to bits, but it is by far the most pointless upgrade I've ever done.

 

But I am a very stupid person at the best of times.

[monkeydog]

1 minute ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

I was thinking that too. Surely the obvious choice to wring a buttload more performance out of such a device. Mind you, I think exactly the same about the Series X and PS5.

 

Nvidia don't have an x86 solution.  Rules them out Steam OS devices. They also don't have an off the shelf SOC for mobile devices anymore.  If Nintendo want a Super Switch chip from Nvidia, they'll have to commission their own chip instead of warehouse raiding.

 

Just now, JoeK said:

OT a little but how realistic is it to expect DLSS on a hand held at this time?

 

I believe the tensor cores are not that large, and you don't need loads for DLSS.  

[Alex W.]

Presumably you would only DLSS when docked as well, so power/heat is less of an issue. It’s not unrealistic to suppose a future nVidia “hybrid” part might feature them. Not just for something like Switch, but for laptops being used docked and undocked.

[Sane]

2 hours ago, Strafe said:

Is the memory type different in the upper two models? I know the cheapest has slower memory but is there another different between the mid and upper tiers?

According to the pre order page there is yes:

 

 

[krenzler]

We need a predictions voting thread for this ASAP. 

[KRP]

Love the form factor of this - it's big and king of ugly but I would never have it leave the house anywayid just use it for sofa/bed/bog playing. My only reservations are: 

- already got a Switch and Xbox Series X with three years GP. I can't really justify the expense financially or from a time perspective; and

- worried that it might slow down over time (never had a gaming PC but I imagine this is something that happens).

 

[Zio]

2 minutes ago, KRP said:

Love the form factor of this - it's big and king of ugly but I would never have it leave the house anywayid just use it for sofa/bed/bog playing. My only reservations are: 

- already got a Switch and Xbox Series X with three years GP. I can't really justify the expense financially or from a time perspective; and

- worried that it might slow down over time (never had a gaming PC but I imagine this is something that happens).

 

 

Just throwing this out there, but if you were to install Windows on this thing, you could have GamePass for PC on it.

[carlospie]

Most importantly, when did Gabe evolve into the good lord himself. 

[simms]

I wonder if this will have enough grunt to play PC VR games wirelessly on my Quest 2 via airplay or virtual desktop?  That would be epic

[KRP]

25 minutes ago, Zio said:

 

Just throwing this out there, but if you were to install Windows on this thing, you could have GamePass for PC on it.

That's true and tbh, if this had come out before series X I might have got this instead. But as it is, I do not think I would get 400 pounds or more, value out of this

[Lorfarius]

28 minutes ago, simms said:

I wonder if this will have enough grunt to play PC VR games wirelessly on my Quest 2 via airplay or virtual desktop?  That would be epic

 

Can't see why not. It's got more grunt than my older gaming PC had and that ran those perfectly.