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Imagine @steampowered.com releases a new version of Steamdeck, that is slightly more powerful, but comes without a display or controller, and works with external display and bluetooth controllers. Would you buy it? Sounded silly in 2018, doesn’t sound half-bad in 2024.

This has got me thinking about the Steam Controller 2 rumors and the possibility that they're going to make it like a 15,000-in-one console. A controller that IS a Steam Deck, that you can install your games to and then use like a USB-C-to-HDMI cable to play them on your TV.

I never heard that one. Sick! I would love it :)

Honestly, same. Sure that'd be one HOT controller but the convenience alone would be crazy.

And a loud one, for sure, haha!

Now imagine the MatCatz knockoffs. 😧

I welcome all the knockoffs that would contribute to putting an end to the ill-devised ecosystem that Microsoft and Sony have manufactured for the modern games industry. I welcome all the cheap clones making my indie game available to MORE players WORLDWIDE.

This has been bothering me too. Look at the Ouya or the Atari VCS. The idea behind the microconsole ecosystem is GENIUS... in theory. Simple Linux or Android boxes with low cost & barrier to entry for devs AND players. In execution, players would rather have $500+ powerhouses.

Sadly I think _any_ spec that this hypothetical thing would reasonably have will be compared to PS5 and then sneered at by Digital Foundry types. Personally I don't care if it's weaker (bigger library, open system) but "this new game plays better on PS5" isn't going to win over AAA gamers.

So many AAA gamers are locked into their forever games that I'm not too concerned about appealing to them, even for a weekend of their time. That said, while the mobile market has proved lower-end devices can bring in big bucks, bigscreen gamers want devices that can match their TV refresh rates.

The question is: do they WANT that? I have one friend, for instance, who's primarily a console gamer. Got a Steam Deck. Proceeded to become monumentally frustrated with it as he doesn't know Linux at all. Like a lot of things, there's a hype vs. education debate to be had.

Fair point. But in current gen consoles - both Microsoft and Sony - the UX is borderline unusable. Steam's Big Picture is far from perfect either, but it delivers an experience console players will easily understand. SteamDeck on the other hand was designed for PC power-users, not console players.