Alright, time for a controversial theory!

Steam Deck is a Trojan Horse that if successful, Microsoft will need to be wary of.

See I have been watching a number of videos and going through sites and etc because of my interest in the Steam Deck. And the one thing I have noticed is that it's really hard to get a PC with 16GB of Ram for $399. Like practically impossible let alone all the other things it comes with like RDNA 2. So I think it's pretty clear that Valve is losing money, maybe a lot of money on the base model. But the question is, what is their end game? Sure it brings more people to PC gaming at a lower price point and allows reasonably priced PC handhelds but is that really all there is to it?

So I think their real end game is Linux. At face value, it might seem like Valve is just losing money on hardware but there's more to it than that. They have been working since 2018 on Proton to make Windows games work on Linux. They have also been continuing support for Steam OS. So they aren't just losing money on Steam Deck's hardware but all the R&D costs for Proton and maintaining Steam OS. Well what is the purpose when Linux gaming is such a small % of market share?

Well the purpose is that while it is an open system that you can install Windows on it... Valve is hoping that you don't. And instead you keep using Steam OS and get used to Linux. It's why they have exclusive features launching with Steam OS 3.0 such as suspending games which you can't do on Windows. It is why they said all games on steam will work by the time it launches. They could have just used Windows and Volume Licensing instead as that would cost much less than all this R&D. But if the Steam Deck is a success and people get used to gaming on Linux, then the future will be hella interesting. And if not, well, least they tried something interesting.

True, but IIRC (it's been a long, long time), in RL performance 720p to 1080p is only around 1.3x-1.5x. But as i said, if Deck turns to be popular, maybe devs will start optimizing for it as well.

@Captain_Yuri Yeah same no rush to upgrade immediately to Win 11, will wait for previews first on release and see if all apps and stuff I use runs as is, and that it won't break anything.

New video from IGN in SteamOS on the Deck. They go through some of the OS looks and fatures. The one I'm looking forward to is quick resume. Being able to jump in and out of games quickly is quite awesome.

In my opinion, you're overthinking.

Valve and MSoft are no longer at odds as they were a while ago, when Valve started working on SteamOS to try to put pressure on MSoft and its monopolistic tactics. But MSoft failed to achieve most of what they wanted to do and has become more open and flexible in the recent years.

Besides that... Valve doesn't really want to get on MSoft's bad side nowadays. Sure, the lack of MSoft games at Steam wasn't a big when Windows 10 came with the Store, but MSoft is much bigger now. Which kind of impact would have on Steam if all the new MSoft games skipped the store and went to EGS (with the assumption that MSoft is pissed at Valve and wants to hurt them)? What would happen when the games from Bethesda land on a competing storefront and not on Steam? How much will that affect Valve's results given how much have games like Skyrim, FallOut, Wolfenstein, etc. sold? Would Valve risk all that money just to push Linux?

I think that, in this case, the easiest answer is more likely, and they're going with Linux/SteamOS to avoid licencing problems with Microsoft and third parties while offering the capabilities of a regular PC and then some like suspending the games and such.

Certainly sounds like it's hitting the right check boxes! I think I will try out the Steam OS when I get mine and see how it goes instead of just wiping it from the gecko.

Yea I probably am overthinking it but I do think that there is some merit to this.

The thing with licensing fees is that 100k+ Windows Volume licenses would have costed Valve significantly less than putting all this R&D effort into Steam OS and Proton. And realistically, putting Steam OS instead of Windows on a Steam Deck by default (assuming it's successful) would get Microsoft's attention. And if users do use Steam OS instead of Windows as Steam OS is more optimized for the screen resolution, then they would get on Microsoft's "bad side" regardless.

I am not saying that Valve will one day force Linux to be the only option and completely lock out Windows. But I am saying that Valve is going to try and increase it's market share for Linux to get peoples attention so that they will develop games and software for both Linux and Windows instead of only Windows.

Valve should've waited for those technologies and partner with Nvidia for SteamOS and Steam Deck(it's better for all portables, hence why Nintendo is waiting for them patiently), but oh well, Steam Deck will be just a warm up, i hope Steam Deck mark 2 will be different.

Yea but part of the problem is that Nvidia doesn't have a GPU that can do like 15 watts that's also RT and DLSS capable. While I am sure the Switch 2 will have it, that could be a few years down the line and that point, I also hope that Valve will have a version with Nvidia GPU as well even if it costs more.

Maybe Microsd card performance isn't that bad for last gen titles at least on the Steam Deck

If i got a Steam Deck, i wouldn't install any heavy AAA game(like more than 24GB) on a microSD card. It's gonna probably bottleneck and have micro-stuttering experience.

I heard high speed write UHS-I card is recommended for better performance like this one. https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/professional-1066x-microsdhcmicrosdxc-uhs-i-cards-silver-series/

Or high class V90 UHS-II mofo o.o