I’ll first admit I predicted Valve wasn’t bothering with a Steam Machine again. I was proven wrong.
But I still absolutely don’t see it being more popular than the Steam Deck. They don’t have the production scale to make them at the Xbox / PlayStation hardware-per-dollar values, so they’ll still be an enthusiast item for people aware they’re buying a prebuilt PC.
So yes, you do already see this; indies target the Steam Deck as a supreme metric for Linux compatibility (and if someone complains HDR doesn’t work on his desktop Mint install, well, whatever). Valve even promotes some store presence to indies that do a bit of work to certify this. We’ve seen lots of games get patches mentioning Steam Deck related fixes - even when the game is a windows build using Proton.
I personally hope you’re wrong again. I think the level of hype should provide a huge stack of orders early on, and I think SteamOS is now SO good that this could go to the moon after the honeymoon period.
Time will tell where between you and I it winds up.
I wish this was a likely outcome but realistically steam hardware is too small a userbase. They are most likely to get performance profiles for their hardware due to the standardization and free steam marketing of compatibility, but windows users are still a supermajority.
Steam hardware has so far been pretty niche, though. If the user experience is smooth enough, a SM could replace many people’s xbox/playstation.
We’re like 5y into the PS5/XBSX, new games are jumping up to $70-100 each, and hardly any are platform exclusives. Msft have all but canceled the next Xbox, and if Sony tries to push the PS6 in a few years, I think there’s a world where a good chunk of people say nah.
And with the amount of attention Linux is getting from the win10 eol, we could be at the beginning of an historic inflection point in gaming.
Why would you rank those two as better platformers? I reckon FLUDD introduced a lot of fun ways to solve the level puzzles and the hub world is the best designed next to Mario 64.
FLUDD is pretty well done but, pun unintended, they still hadn’t nailed the fluidity of movement that the later titles have. (The existence of a hub world is pretty neutral for me, they mostly serve as a way to soft tutorial the controls.)
I think you’re right with odyssey, that game played beautifully but galaxy (the first one at least) felt as jank if not more jank than sunshine. The wiimote never felt good for platforming and the switch adaptation also struggles with awkward camera angles.
Totally fair! Personally I found the gravity stuff more interesting than the FLUDD mechanics but they definitely feel different and I can’t dispute the camera struggle.
When Valhalla released I got a copy because I hadn’t played an AC game since Syndicate and thought a Viking one would be fun. I decided to go in blind. I got maybe 30 hours in and checked how far along I was after stopping and going “no way the story is that long”, and nope. It is that long.
I was going to return it but never got around to it. Both my younger brothers ended up playing it through to completion though, so I suppose it found a home at least
These modern day sequences are gorgeous this one you posted about the under construction skyscraper also the one that takes place in Brazil, it’s just spectacular, epic and action filled missions
The Skyscraper and Brazil ones are the most memorable ones too me. I briefly remember the final one too but only really a section where you’re climbing around in rafters.
As big of a fan of the franchise as i am, i’m a bit embarrassed to admit the only game of the first 4 i had played is Revelations and the first half of 1, so i suppose i don’t have much to base it on
Steam’s been the indie darling for ages, so another ‘machine’ just means more places to ignore my backlog. It’s a win-win for everyone, especially those dev teams making actual bangers.
Steam has been the primary indie platform for games for like 15 years. Xbox had a moment in the early Xbox love arcade but the time the Xbox One came out, it was Steam and it has been ever since especially after Greenlight and early access
I thank Xbox Live Arcade for introducing me to Trials HD. Even though the latest game wasn’t the greatest game ever created, the series as a whole has been a joy to experience.
I used to play the flash games of a trials theme and always thought a fleshed oit game would be really cool. i was right. :p
In particular though, I loved my old Steam Controller, and hope this new one compares.
I’d still be using one now if they weren’t all bought by asshole scalpers and marked up 6000%..
I still have my boxed copy of the Orange Box on a shelf. It still sees use because every once in a while I get embroiled in a Kids These Days type of conversation and I need a prop to wave around.
I’d happily put an orange Gabecube right next to it.
bin.pol.social
Aktywne