Latest Comments by Mal
Valve has formally announced the Steam Deck, a portable handheld console with SteamOS
16 Jul 2021 at 7:23 am UTC Likes: 4
16 Jul 2021 at 7:23 am UTC Likes: 4
"It's not the size of the Deck, it's how you use it."
Sorry, but I had to. :grin:
Sorry, but I had to. :grin:
Steam on a Chromebook could be closer than we think, with an AMD dGPU model coming
15 Jul 2021 at 12:19 pm UTC Likes: 3
15 Jul 2021 at 12:19 pm UTC Likes: 3
Chromebooks are already great as they are. They're cheap and they can do everything a generalist user need for a tenth of the price of an Apple counterpart.
But if they also start to support steam libraries then there might be a case for buying the premium versions. They would still be cheaper than premium Apple counterparts and able to run more games.
If might help "pure" Linux popularity as well if Chromebooks start to educate people that you don't need to be ripped off by Apple to have a portable pc that actually works. Though, at the same time, ever since Chromebooks I find it harder to justify installing an Ubuntu on a relative's pc given their use case. As opposed to the times when you just had to replace windows with Linux to fix every issue a year old notebook could have, with Chrome OS things just works. In my opinion there are little reasons to "upgrade" to Linux from Chrome OS if your a generic user, gaming being probably the only one until borealis takes it away.
But if they also start to support steam libraries then there might be a case for buying the premium versions. They would still be cheaper than premium Apple counterparts and able to run more games.
If might help "pure" Linux popularity as well if Chromebooks start to educate people that you don't need to be ripped off by Apple to have a portable pc that actually works. Though, at the same time, ever since Chromebooks I find it harder to justify installing an Ubuntu on a relative's pc given their use case. As opposed to the times when you just had to replace windows with Linux to fix every issue a year old notebook could have, with Chrome OS things just works. In my opinion there are little reasons to "upgrade" to Linux from Chrome OS if your a generic user, gaming being probably the only one until borealis takes it away.
A busy weekend ahead perhaps? Steam Play Proton 6.3-5 is out now
28 Jun 2021 at 8:58 am UTC Likes: 2
For AAA games often it's just a matter of waiting like 1 year or so until the project goes support mode. With their obsene day 1 prices, waiting it's not a bad idea anyway.
28 Jun 2021 at 8:58 am UTC Likes: 2
Quoting: CatKillerA game that isn't native and accidentally works in Proton is worth maybe 10%. It could stop working at any time.I also believe that buy a "new" game because it works well on proton is nuts. It works today, it's easy anti cheat tomorrow. Eventually though new games become old games. Old games -> no more development cycles. No dev cycles -> no (or close to null) risk of proton breaking.
For AAA games often it's just a matter of waiting like 1 year or so until the project goes support mode. With their obsene day 1 prices, waiting it's not a bad idea anyway.
The new trailer for One Lonely Outpost has me hyped for this sci-fi farming game
15 Jun 2021 at 10:41 am UTC Likes: 1
15 Jun 2021 at 10:41 am UTC Likes: 1
I remember that one. I didn't backed it when it was kickstarted because it was about the time EGS was scooping up all indies it could find. And with so many other ks projects already ditching Linux the second they hit a snag, I wasn't in the mood. But I'll gladly buy a copy when they hit early access.
What we want to see from the possible SteamPal handheld from Valve
12 Jun 2021 at 2:36 pm UTC
12 Jun 2021 at 2:36 pm UTC
Smartphones "killed" the portable console market. It submerged the market with casual audience easily satisfied with F2P crap reducing the hardcores to a small minority unworthy of big investments. And even then premium smartphones and accessories can rival any dedicated handheld console making very difficult to justify the existence of such a device.
In this market mess where the bounds between consoles, pc, Smartphones, tablets and whateverelse are blurred and not clearly defined, only the vendor with the clear personality could survive which of course is Nintendo with the switch.
If steam pal has to be a handheld console, it needs this. A clear and well defined personality that makes it distinct and allows it to deliver experiences that no other hardware can. You can replace a PS with an Xbox. And also a PC easily enough now. A vita you can replace it with a portable switch or a handheld pc. You just can't replace a switch with anything else. It's in a league of its own.
Imho that's not the kind of things Valve excels at. Quite the opposite. I would be surprised if their board (or whatever equivalent they have) really believe they are. If they release something and hope it's a success, I bet it will be a pc accessory, rather than full fledged console.
With proton sitting in a nice place, and stuff like Nvidia Now working excellently it's a good time to bring out something that allows PC gamers to survive this dire times of Hardware famine by exploiting the opportunity of the cloud. And after that, when cards come back to the stores, LAN streaming if one still wants it. A pal meant to amplify streaming experience, could really find the best market window right now with Chinese miners and global scalpers running wild. To bad it won't be able to escape the semiconductor crisis though.
In this market mess where the bounds between consoles, pc, Smartphones, tablets and whateverelse are blurred and not clearly defined, only the vendor with the clear personality could survive which of course is Nintendo with the switch.
If steam pal has to be a handheld console, it needs this. A clear and well defined personality that makes it distinct and allows it to deliver experiences that no other hardware can. You can replace a PS with an Xbox. And also a PC easily enough now. A vita you can replace it with a portable switch or a handheld pc. You just can't replace a switch with anything else. It's in a league of its own.
Imho that's not the kind of things Valve excels at. Quite the opposite. I would be surprised if their board (or whatever equivalent they have) really believe they are. If they release something and hope it's a success, I bet it will be a pc accessory, rather than full fledged console.
With proton sitting in a nice place, and stuff like Nvidia Now working excellently it's a good time to bring out something that allows PC gamers to survive this dire times of Hardware famine by exploiting the opportunity of the cloud. And after that, when cards come back to the stores, LAN streaming if one still wants it. A pal meant to amplify streaming experience, could really find the best market window right now with Chinese miners and global scalpers running wild. To bad it won't be able to escape the semiconductor crisis though.
Judge upholds $4M damages in the patent case against Valve for the Steam Controller
2 Jun 2021 at 8:13 am UTC Likes: 5
They are the nuclear deterrent equivalent of business, a "lawsuit weapon" arsenal that can be used both for offence and defense. I.e.: if you lawsuit me for your patent I counterlawsuit you with mines ensuring mutual destruction.
And then there are trolls. Who do what your average troll would do with a nuclear weapon. Use it to blackmail people and get some cash.
2 Jun 2021 at 8:13 am UTC Likes: 5
Quoting: GuestDo you paladins really think Valve owns no patents [External Link]?Patent portfolios are a sad norm in the modern industry. It's what you do with them that makes the difference.
They are the nuclear deterrent equivalent of business, a "lawsuit weapon" arsenal that can be used both for offence and defense. I.e.: if you lawsuit me for your patent I counterlawsuit you with mines ensuring mutual destruction.
And then there are trolls. Who do what your average troll would do with a nuclear weapon. Use it to blackmail people and get some cash.
Hints appear of Valve making a handheld Steam "SteamPal" Neptune console
26 May 2021 at 11:14 pm UTC Likes: 2
The last generations though suffered pc competition greatly, they had to reduce iteration to just two years so probably they never had the time to compensate.
Nintendo however is a different player. It doesn't use superior hardware as it's selling point. It's totally possible Nintendo sells at production cost at launch and then start to gain something already after a few months.
Funny thing. Everyone is 100% sure consoles are sold at loss, nobody challenge this accepted fact. Yet in EpicVSApple Epic couldn't provide any piece of evidence or even some clue that this is a fact, despite this being a fundamental piece of its theory and despite having both Sony and M$ support. This at least should suggest something on consoles real manufacturing costs.
26 May 2021 at 11:14 pm UTC Likes: 2
Quoting: Purple Library GuyThat is true. I'm sure the Switch itself sells at a loss, after all, and the other consoles.That is most likely true at console launch, when it's of paramount importance to get the majority share of the market to reap the benefits of network effect. You only have 1 console launch. But after that it's not a given anymore. There was a lot of speculation back then at xbox 360 and ps3 time that m$ and Sony stopped selling at loss after 3-4 years and were in active territory since ages.
The last generations though suffered pc competition greatly, they had to reduce iteration to just two years so probably they never had the time to compensate.
Nintendo however is a different player. It doesn't use superior hardware as it's selling point. It's totally possible Nintendo sells at production cost at launch and then start to gain something already after a few months.
Funny thing. Everyone is 100% sure consoles are sold at loss, nobody challenge this accepted fact. Yet in EpicVSApple Epic couldn't provide any piece of evidence or even some clue that this is a fact, despite this being a fundamental piece of its theory and despite having both Sony and M$ support. This at least should suggest something on consoles real manufacturing costs.
Hints appear of Valve making a handheld Steam "SteamPal" Neptune console
25 May 2021 at 12:18 pm UTC Likes: 1
25 May 2021 at 12:18 pm UTC Likes: 1
Am I a boring uninspired person if all I want from Valve is a new steam link device? A new Controller would be nice I guess but not a game changer.
Apart from that, there is actually a healthy market of handheld PCs right now... kind of like the nintendo switch but without the switcheroo things attached. I guess having a steamOs or just a steam client optimized for such devices would open interesting perspectives for tinkers and brave OEMs alike.
Apart from that, there is actually a healthy market of handheld PCs right now... kind of like the nintendo switch but without the switcheroo things attached. I guess having a steamOs or just a steam client optimized for such devices would open interesting perspectives for tinkers and brave OEMs alike.
Multiple Paradox titles free to play this weekend along with a big sale for PDXCON
21 May 2021 at 7:29 pm UTC
21 May 2021 at 7:29 pm UTC
Imho Stellaris is in good shape now (not exactly a given with pdx games).
Perhaps if someone wants to try it it could be a good idea to directly try the test build since (among other things) it speeds up the game sensibly by increasing pop growth.
Perhaps if someone wants to try it it could be a good idea to directly try the test build since (among other things) it speeds up the game sensibly by increasing pop growth.
Paradox Interactive finally announces the hotly anticipated Victoria 3
21 May 2021 at 7:05 pm UTC
21 May 2021 at 7:05 pm UTC
You're drunk Pdx, go home! 1st April was more than one month ago.