If you look at the history of video games, you’ll notice that at key times there have been people jumping into the mix trying to change the game with mixed results. In the early days, multiple companies tried and failed to make good games and consoles, and as a result, the market crashed–that is until Nintendo stepped in and saved it in 1983. Then, SEGA came to challenge then, then Sony, then SEGA crashed console-wise and Microsoft came in. The point is, getting into the console market right now is a bit hard to do because of the three main publishers. However, the exception to that rule is the Steam Deck.
The Steam Deck is Valve’s idea of a Steam console, and players can basically jump into all the games they have in their Steam library on this portable system. While there was a lot of hesitation at first when the platform was announced, things have now skyrocketed for the company. The supply literally can’t meet the demand, even with the system having a starting price of $400.
They also have had success despite not being able to ship all over the world like other platforms. Yet, that’s not stopping them from thinking long-term with the system. In a special booklet paired with the Steam Deck in Japan, Valve notes that they see it as a “multi-generational product,” meaning that they’re already thinking about the sequel to it and not just focusing on the one they have right now.
Fear not–those that have the current version will not just be satisfied, they’ll have their voice heard in terms of what can be improved with the system and the OS. As the booklet also said:
“We will learn from the Steam community about new uses for our hardware that we haven’t thought of yet, and we will build new versions to be even more open and capable than the first version of Steam Deck has been.”
It’s clear that Valve is going all in on this, and with the positive word of mouth that’s already coming out about the platform, you can see why this is the exception to the rule about video game systems. It’s not perfect, but there also is nothing like this truly on the market right now. Imagine what it’ll be once all the bugs and kinks are worked out.
Source: ComicBook.com
