TL;DR: Antec is going to be selling a Steam Deck competitive device, based on the Ayaneo Slide. The device has a slide up screen that reveals a keyboard, which is good because using desktop windows is much easier with a keyboard. However the device’s lowest estimated power draw at low/no load is 15w, meaning it will use comparable power to the deck running at max power. This means the battery life will probably be pretty rough when compared to the Deck. It will also likely have a much higher price point.
To be honest, any hardware company can’t really compete with valve toe to toe since valves can cut cost and sell at a loss. But I am interested in how the so-called steam competitor would make the same handheld device. I’m waiting for you Tim Epic.
So far most of the companies that have tried it could have taken the same approach. They just haven’t, like MSI and ASUS. I’m guessing because they know they don’t need to, since there’s a demographic of people who will buy “the best” as long as it’s marketed at them. Why sell it at a loss when someone will pay over full price for something like the ROG Ally.
Microsoft will probably come out with an Xbox branded device some day, but I expect it will be restricted to Microsoft store games and game pass.
Yep, this is more in line with what I expect as a steam deck competitor. We’ll just see if they can provide more value to customers than steam while also making good hardware to support it.
Please for the love of God no Whatever epic released would be half baked and make the entire gaming ecosystem worse
See I’m really split on Epic.
The corporate side is absolute trash, but UE5 is genuinely one of the most advanced game engines currently in existence and will massively push the industry forward in terms of standards as everyone rushes to compete (except for Unity who are sticking with their old strategy of doing nothing at all).
Honestly, I’m not too sure how much price goes into it. I’ve used several of the Steam Deck competitors, each with better specs. But each has a worse overall experience. Each of the people I know with one of the competitors seldom uses it. But even the people with Steam Decks who planned to use theirs only for travel have ended up using them far more than they intended. My Steam Deck has become my primary gaming machine. I’m not sure how a hardware company competes there without working with a major game store, but I don’t really see Valve being particularly opposed to working with hardware companies to provide Steam OS builds for competing hardware since it pushes their platform.
Personally, I don’t think Epic is in a position to make a really feasible Steam Deck competitor, partially because they’ve gone all-in on Windows, and the break from Windows is one of the things that’s allowed the Steam Deck to have its great experience. The only company who can really customise Windows to that extent is Microsoft, and they’d likely rather make an Xbox handheld than work with Epic on a Windows-based one.