Given many new handhelds coming on the scene and general disinterest of Microsoft to support the market, do you think SteamOS will take place of default OS the same way Android did on phones some time ago?

  • HughJanus
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    1 year ago

    (which makes some sense given how successful it’s been)

    It really doesn’t make sense, considering how small the hardware profit margins probably are, if any.

    What would make sense is making the Steam-first OS open to be installed on any device.

    • Pigeon@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      It doesn’t matter if there’s no hardware profit margin if the end result is, as it seems to be, more people buying more games from steam. That’s no different than most console manufacturers anyways - so far as I know, none of them are in it to make profit off the hardware itself, just the exclusivity.

      Granted, Steam Deck still let’s you run non-steam games and connect other launchers, but even so most people will buy from steam for it regardless.

      • HughJanus
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        1 year ago

        the end result is, as it seems to be, more people buying more games from steam.

        This is the end result of releasing their software, not selling more hardware.

        • JonVonBasslake@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          Oh look, you stumbled on to the point. Valve would benefit from making a more console-like pc (a la the steam boxes from yesteryear) because it could get more people into the valve ecosystem. There are people who buy consoles simply because they offer the simplicity of buying a prebuilt thing that you don’t need to fudge around with and comes integrated with everything you need to run the games.

          • HughJanus
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            1 year ago

            I didn’t “stumble onto” anything. Valve would benefit much more from simply releasing their operating system for universal hardware use than they ever would from hardware sales. That was my point from the beginning.