By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
curl-6 on 27 June 2024
Edit Thread
Conina said:
curl-6 said:

Steam Deck is too expensive and has too many barriers to entry to achieve mainstream success, but it has its niche.

Steam Deck is too expensive? You can buy the entry model (64 GB) for €314, taxes and shipping included.

The (sold out) refurbished ones were even cheaper, on eBay you can get used models for €200 - €250.

And the Steam Deck doesn't have most barriers of PC gaming. People who manage to set up an account in the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store or Xbox Marketplace will also succeed in setting up a Steam account and log in. Buying digital games on Steam is as easy as on consoles. Gifting games on Steam is much easier.

Stick to the selection of over 5,000 Steam games which are verified, you will have a great experience. With most of the over 10,000 Steam games with "playable" status, you will also have a good experience... in many cases the flaws are benign, f.e. entering a player name via touchscreen keyboard while the rest of the game supports the sticks and buttons).

If you want to get the most out of the hardware (f.e. other PC launchers, console emulation), it gets a bit trickier... but that's totally optional.

I'm not saying it's out of reach or not worth it, just that to the casual consumer it's not as easily accessible as either the Switch or their phone. It's an enthusiast device, and that's okay.