At the end of February, the launch of the much anticipated Steam Deck platform took place. Valve’s portable PC / Console offers its owner several interesting features that helped him scare his main competitor. However, Valve got a bit unlucky with the release date. Let’s try to look at the results of the first days of Steam Deck life.
Gabin Courier
In the early days of release, news spread that Gabe Newell, the legendary head of Valve, personally delivered the Steam Deck to some customers. He left his autograph on the case of the device and recorded the customer’s reaction to such an unexpected meeting. Later they said that the reaction recording should be part of Valve’s gaming platform advertising. A very interesting decision, I must say. Gabe Newell has always looked like the simplest guy. So to speak, on the board, your shirt is a guy. Such a move is absolutely in his style and fits Steam Deck perfectly. We like you, Uncle Gaben.
Launch that was not noticed
I know that many were waiting for the Stream Deck, and even though it was not officially planned to be delivered to the CIS, quite a few gamers still hoped to get it one way or another. Unfortunately, however, we were not lucky. Just like Valve itself. Against the backdrop of recent events (everyone knows what), it is now almost impossible to purchase a Steam Deck in our region.
This gaming platform was supposed to make a splash but was lost in the background of all this. The info field is crammed with completely different content. We all know that for Steam, our region is an extremely tasty morsel and, if my memory serves me right, is one of the three most significant for Valve. Of course, this does not mean at all that the platform will be a failure, but still.
Reds in horror
But this is a little funny. The main competitor for Steam Deck is considered by many to be the Nintendo Switch. Although the latter already have over a hundred million devices sold (even I have one switch), the functionality and power of the Steam Deck are many times greater than those of the Switch. Of course, we all understand that the Stream Deck is an extremely niche device.
A huge form factor, PC architecture, and a bunch of chips that are unnecessary for an ordinary gamer. This platform is more for enthusiasts than for ordinary players. Nintendo themselves do not think so.
We all know the peculiarities of Nintendo policy. These guys would rather have no one get their intellectual property than someone intellectual who can consume it for free. This has been seen many times already. They have a certain department that catches all such content on the Internet and bans it. Moreover, they do not even try to sell it. Still more fun with Steam Deck.
Steam Deck In PC
PC architecture and relatively high power by portable standards easily allow Steam Deck to run Nintendo platform emulators. Usually, even despite their stupid “neither to us nor do you” policy, Nintendo still bypasses the topic of emulators. You can easily find a lot of information on the net on how to run a Switch emulator or other systems on your PC.
Nobody touches them. But not in the case of Steam Deck. I think many players who understand the gaming industry at least a little should understand that Steam Deck does not pose any real threat to the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo has a huge fan base around the world, and their unusual games command respect even from those who dislike Nintendo itself as a company. In other words, Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck have completely different audiences. But Nintendo itself doesn’t think so.
Just a couple of days after the release of Steam Deck, guides began to appear on the network telling how to run the same Zelda or other RED projects using emulation. And after a couple of days, these guides began to disappear en masse. The guys at Nintendo have lashed out furiously at those who spread such information, even though their claims here are not entirely legal. And while everyone understands that Steam Deck isn’t a threat to Nintendo, the Reds themselves seem to be genuinely afraid of Valve’s platform.
Destiny 2 doesn’t want a Steam Deck
Well, one more fun news. Bungie has announced that their project, the multiplayer shooter Destiny 2, will not be supported by the base operating system of the Steam Deck platform. If a player tries to enter the game from it, he will simply be thrown to the desktop. However, if set as Windows OS, everything will work fine. Many people think that it is connected with anti-cheat. Personally, it seems to me that the guys from Bungie are either too lazy to rework their project under the Steam Deck OS, or this will be fixed in the future.
Outcome
Steam Deck is an extremely interesting gaming device. In principle, it can be made by anything and used in any way. Competitors are already afraid of him, although he has not had time to start normally. It is a pity that it will be unrealistic to purchase it now and shortly. I will keep an eye on this platform, and maybe someday I will still be able to purchase it. Although, I’m not hopeful. In any case, I wish success to the brainchild of Valve, it has a very high potential for further development.
