From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


So the news is that the Steam Deck is back in stock, after being off
the shelves a while.* Except, no, it's out of stock again already; I
waited too long (two days!) to make the initial report.** So if you
were hoping to snag one of the Valve-branded handhelds, you're just
going to have to wait (or maybe find a scalper). Although the
third-party options aren't too bad.***

But the real news is that both models of the SteamDeck saw significant
price increases. The 512GB model jumped up from $549 USD to $789 USD;
the 1GB model went from $649 to $949. Admittedly, this is probably due
to hardware component price hikes out of Valve's control... but it
does start pushing the device into the luxury market rather than
something the general gamer would grab. Nintendo managed to grab the
handheld market largely because their devices were so much less
expensive (markedly with the Gameboy, less-so with the Switch 2).

After all, mobile devices break more often and it's a more palatable
purchase if it isn't costing you the bank every time you smash the
screen. It's not that I don't think that Valve can make a profit at
the price... but the hope was that handhelds like SteamDeck would

1) help push a non-Microsoft based OS onto users
2) provide a new playing experience that would attract younger
users

and high prices aren't going to help either of these goals. These high
prices also don't bode well for the eventual release of the
SteamMachine. Its a direct competitor to consoles, and if it releases
at a > $1000 price, people will look at this unproven device and say,
"Why don't I just get an XBox?"

All the more if Valve can't even keep the product in stock.

I mean, I don't like or want either a SteamMachine or SteamDeck... but
I do want them to succeed. I'm not really sure what Valve can do about
all this... but as things stand, it doesn't look very hopeful.

Meanwhile, Epic's Tim Sweeney, CEO and Chief Troll, taunted Gabe
Newell (Valve's CEO) about the price increases, even as Newell rides
around in a $500 million dollar yacht.**** And while I have no
sympathy for the ultra-rich (including Newell), as mentioned I don't
think these price increases are something Valve could have done
anything about, short of selling the product under-cost. Meanwhile,
many were quick to point out that Sweeney shouldn't be so quick to
open his mouth, as he's fired 1000+ employees just a few months ago...
the sort of mass lay-offs that are almost never done at Valve. Glass
houses, and all that.

(although really, a pox on both of them).




====

* it's back! https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steam_hardware/announcements/detail/672869045073085539

** it's gone already! https://www.ign.com/articles/the-steam-deck-is-sold-out-again-even-after-the-huge-price-rise

*** Intel announced a new mobile 'gaming' CPU with its latest embedded
ARC3 GPU, already featured in the Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld PC.
Is Intel's new SOC as good as the AND Zen2 used in the SteamDecks?
Well, the Acer machine isn't out yet so who is to say. https://www.engadget.com/2182504/the-acer-predator-atlas-8-is-one-of-the-first-handhelds-to-feature-intel-s-latest-arc-g3-chips/

**** shut up, Sweeney https://kotaku.com/epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-dunks-on-gabe-newell-raising-steam-deck-prices-while-flaunting-500-super-yacht-2000700489

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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

But the real news is that both models of the SteamDeck saw significant
price increases.

Other handhelds, like the Lenovo ones, can be more powerful than the SD,
at comparable prices

rms

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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Fri, 29 May 2026 11:10:21 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> wrote:

Meanwhile, Epic's Tim Sweeney, CEO and Chief Troll, taunted Gabe
Newell (Valve's CEO) about the price increases, even as Newell rides
around in a $500 million dollar yacht.**** And while I have no
sympathy for the ultra-rich (including Newell)

There are countries you could move to if you don't think that building something of the magnitude of Steam, including everything positive it
has done for PC gaming, should allow for its creator to reap the
rewards of success.

Like you could move to Iran, where it is unlikely where someone with
an idea and the talent to execute it will be allowed to get that rich,
unless of course the Supreme Leader sees something in it for himself
in which case the regime will take their cut. But at the same time,
you might be forbidden from playing the games you really want to.
Hell, you're not even guaranteed to have access to the Internet unless
you want to pay exhorbant rates for it.

But since you seem to have a problem with Gabe Newell's success, I
think that lifestyle would suit your personality and needs much better
Spalls. You apparently see no value in the freedom and opportunity we
have here in America, so maybe you should get the fuck out.

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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

I have had my super edition Steam Deck for over a year now, and it is
sort of a marvel. But the best thing about it is that I rarely use it
because I do not travel much any more and have a great PC and
monitors. Maybe I should boot it up one day and find a good game that
is perfect for it. I am sure I have a ton! :-)

-pw


On Fri, 29 May 2026 11:10:21 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> wrote:

So the news is that the Steam Deck is back in stock, after being off
the shelves a while.* Except, no, it's out of stock again already; I
waited too long (two days!) to make the initial report.** So if you
were hoping to snag one of the Valve-branded handhelds, you're just
going to have to wait (or maybe find a scalper). Although the
third-party options aren't too bad.***

But the real news is that both models of the SteamDeck saw significant
price increases. The 512GB model jumped up from $549 USD to $789 USD;
the 1GB model went from $649 to $949. Admittedly, this is probably due
to hardware component price hikes out of Valve's control... but it
does start pushing the device into the luxury market rather than
something the general gamer would grab. Nintendo managed to grab the
handheld market largely because their devices were so much less
expensive (markedly with the Gameboy, less-so with the Switch 2).

After all, mobile devices break more often and it's a more palatable
purchase if it isn't costing you the bank every time you smash the
screen. It's not that I don't think that Valve can make a profit at
the price... but the hope was that handhelds like SteamDeck would

1) help push a non-Microsoft based OS onto users
2) provide a new playing experience that would attract younger
users

and high prices aren't going to help either of these goals. These high
prices also don't bode well for the eventual release of the
SteamMachine. Its a direct competitor to consoles, and if it releases
at a > $1000 price, people will look at this unproven device and say,
"Why don't I just get an XBox?"

All the more if Valve can't even keep the product in stock.

I mean, I don't like or want either a SteamMachine or SteamDeck... but
I do want them to succeed. I'm not really sure what Valve can do about
all this... but as things stand, it doesn't look very hopeful.

Meanwhile, Epic's Tim Sweeney, CEO and Chief Troll, taunted Gabe
Newell (Valve's CEO) about the price increases, even as Newell rides
around in a $500 million dollar yacht.**** And while I have no
sympathy for the ultra-rich (including Newell), as mentioned I don't
think these price increases are something Valve could have done
anything about, short of selling the product under-cost. Meanwhile,
many were quick to point out that Sweeney shouldn't be so quick to
open his mouth, as he's fired 1000+ employees just a few months ago...
the sort of mass lay-offs that are almost never done at Valve. Glass
houses, and all that.

(although really, a pox on both of them).

====

* it's back! >https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steam_hardware/announcements/detail/672869045073085539

** it's gone already! >https://www.ign.com/articles/the-steam-deck-is-sold-out-again-even-after-the-huge-price-rise

*** Intel announced a new mobile 'gaming' CPU with its latest embedded
ARC3 GPU, already featured in the Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld PC.
Is Intel's new SOC as good as the AND Zen2 used in the SteamDecks?
Well, the Acer machine isn't out yet so who is to say. >https://www.engadget.com/2182504/the-acer-predator-atlas-8-is-one-of-the-first-handhelds-to-feature-intel-s-latest-arc-g3-chips/

**** shut up, Sweeney >https://kotaku.com/epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-dunks-on-gabe-newell-raising-steam-deck-prices-while-flaunting-500-super-yacht-2000700489

--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Fri, 29 May 2026 16:34:35 -0600, PW <[email protected]> said
this thing:

I have had my super edition Steam Deck for over a year now, and it is
sort of a marvel. But the best thing about it is that I rarely use it >because I do not travel much any more and have a great PC and
monitors. Maybe I should boot it up one day and find a good game that
is perfect for it. I am sure I have a ton! :-)

[note: corrected typo in subject-line. I wish Agent's spell-check
fixed stuff there too ;-)

Heh. Grabbed it not only before the current rush, but also before the
prices started exploding. Clever. ;-)

I've a fondness for the device even though I know I'd never use it. I
know this because I have a closet full of similar handheld devices
that rarely get used. Heck, I only use my laptops when I have to. When
I game, immersion is important to me, and it's really hard for me to
get immersed in a game hunched over and staring into a tiny screen.

That's why when I do play games 'on-the-go', they tend to be stuff
where each round can be finished in minutes-not-hours. A quick match
of FreeCell or something like that, where I'm in and out of the game
in moments. For longer experiences, I turn to my big-screen desktop.

[It's also an issue of age, of course. The tiny screen
is less compatible with older eyes, and just holding a device
up all the time isn't quite as appealing as it was even ten
years ago. Not to mention big, clumsy old-person hands don't
fit as well with the tinier controls on hand-held devices. The
youths don't notice these things, but we fogeys do. But
they'll learn eventually ;-)]

So I skipped out on buying any of these devices --SteamDeck or its competitors-- even though a part of me yearns to play with them, just
because that much raw power in such a small form factor excites me.
Twenty years ago having a handheld that could render the visuals of
"Cyberpunk 2077" would have seemed an impossibility to me. Now it's commonplace. I keep getting reminded of how powerful modern hardware
really is, and it keeps surprising me.

So I didn't get one, because I didn't need to spend $500 on a
tchotchke that would just end up collecting dust except for the two or
three times I'd pick it up to marvel at it. But if I did use it to
play games, almost inevitably I'd pick slower titles rather than
action-heavy experiences: strategy or RPG games, or maybe adventures.
I just couldn't imagine playing something like "Cyberpunk 2077" or
"Elden Scroll" on the thing. The combination of screen size and
cramped controls just horrify me.



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