u/NegrasGrande

I have been around long enough to see Valve's first attempt at making a console. Which failed for the same reason this new model will fail. It just isn't better at being a gaming console. Yes, you could argue that this device is an excellent piece of hardware, and it isn't locked down like the other guys. But that simply doesn't matter. Because at the end of the day PC gaming enthusiasts are willing to tinker and build machines with better performance for less money. Unless you are a die-hard valve hardware fanboy, or you want to use it as a media pc, the vast majority of us aren't even considering buying this thing.

People who buy consoles just want to play the fuckin games. For the most part they are happy in their walled off little ecosystems. But eventually they hear about how much better gaming on a pc is and they will dip there toes into the PC gaming world. But they get discouraged fast when they are constantly fighting Windows and drivers and configuring Ram timings or screen tearing variable refresh rate hell. So a lot of them go back to consoles because all this tinkering is not for them. And I don't blame them.

They want something that is BETTER than a console and just fucking works. No one has stepped into the market with something that truly surpasses the console experience and PERFORMANCE.

SteamOS is the star of the show here. I am glad that valve is making a solid attempt at an alternative for Windows hell. Because fuck microsoft. We do need something else.

Price is a huge issue. Now more than ever with the AI shit-bubble we are experiencing. But no one coming from consoles wants to pay MORE money for LESS performance than a PS5 that's been out for years. Especially since they will now have to do deal with bugs and glitches of an entirely new ecosystem in its infancy. It's fucking stupid. It was stupid 11 years ago when they tried partnering with hardware vendors who put shitass hardware in them and its stupid now.

People will buy it if its better. I shit you not. There's fucktons of gamers and PC enthusiasts that wish something of real substance was out there. I would love to tell my friends and family who ask me for a good gaming computer recommendation that there is actually something on the market that’s not only approachable but superior to consoles albeit expensive.

I also understand that consoles are sold at a loss. And Valve likes to build open hardware that’s tinker friendly. And having that open device would allow people to purchase it, install windows, and not even use steam and buy games. Which is why they can't just take a loss to make a Steam machines price more accessible. Well I say fuck it, do it. Lock it down. But do it the right way which we all know valve is capable of doing. Lock that bootloader to the NVME and make it incompatible with other OS's. And after a certain period of time, or games purchased, or with a fee, unlock the bootloader. Get people into your ecosystem, make your money, then set them free.

You got the money to burn on this Gabe, use them balls to create the next evolution in gaming instead of a another failed weird collectors item.

I'll die on this hill. They wiped it. Those bastards keep getting away with it!