![]() ![]() Not to put too fine a point on it, but you don't need to change too many words in the preceding paragraph to describe the situation around the launch of the Steam Deck.īy all means, buy a Steam Deck - I certainly will - but do so for the device it is today, not for the promise of the future it might bring tomorrow Critics have praised Steam Deck but are already discussing what Valve needs to do for a follow-up (if there is a follow-up)Ĭombined with the AAA production values and smart, VR-centric design of Alyx, it felt like a huge jump forward for the VR space taking into consideration Valve's absolutely central role in the PC gaming market, and the remarkable decision that the first Half-Life game in so many years would be a VR title, it felt like the company was about to really get behind VR and push, taking on a platform holder role that the sector desperately needed from a major player. It was solidly amazing still a bulky device to wear on your head, as they all are, but it remains by far the best VR headset I've ever used in terms of the hardware design and quality. However, even my internal resignation to throwing money at Valve for one of these devices the moment they're actually willing to sell me one has a slightly wary note to it, because reader: I've been here before.Īfter dabbling with VR thanks to Sony's smart but ultimately low-spec PSVR headset for the PS4, it was Valve's Index headset - supported at launch by the release of Half-Life: Alyx - that convinced me to take the plunge into full-bore PC VR, with its room-scale laser sensor boxes, mandatory PC upgrades, and well over $1000 price tag. ![]() I want one, and I'll probably end up buying one - albeit that I suspect the middle of next year is the most realistic timeline for being able to do so, given that Valve hasn't even deigned to open pre-orders in my country yet, let alone start fulfilling them. I imagine there are a great many people of similar mind, plus many more who have never really engaged with PC gaming but would be intrigued by the possibility of doing so with a device like the Steam Deck. In terms of the target market for this kind of device, I'm firmly in the crosshairs - something of a lapsed PC gamer who'd dearly love a device that lets me re-engage with the platform (and/or wallow in nostalgia for the games I used to fritter away my life on way back in my twenties) in a context that fits my life now, when sitting at a desk in front of a monitor is the absolute last thing I want to do when I get home in the evening after sitting at a desk in front of a monitor all day. ![]() I'm tempering my anticipation with a little reality about how likely a Steam Deck v2 is, given Valve's track record in hardware It's also eye-opening just how good the Proton system for playing Windows games on Valve's custom Linux OS is imperfect, certainly, but still achieving a level of compatibility unimaginable only a few years ago. It's a remarkable proof of concept, showing that PC gaming in what is effectively a "beefy Switch" form factor can work very well given sufficient focus and attention to the quality of the hardware, both from a technical and from a design standpoint. In many important ways, indeed, the Steam Deck is a milestone - albeit one that's only trickling out very slowly into the hands of consumers, though Valve can hardly take the blame for the world's ongoing problems with semiconductor manufacturing and supply chains. The launch, or quasi-launch, of the Steam Deck should therefore be a major milestone for gaming - a handheld PC gaming platform that's by all accounts head and shoulders above every previous effort at creating such a device, backed up by the considerable muscle of the company that's effectively dominated the distribution of PC games for the past two decades. ![]() It is also one of the most successful platform holders in the world, if you consider Steam to be a platform - which it is, at least to some extent. Valve, when it puts its mind to it, makes some of the best gaming hardware in the world. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |