The Portable PC market is going to change to game forever

[Deleted member 42501]

Literally.

Give it about 18 months and you'll see MS and Sony scrambling to play catch up as what so many people think is a fad is going to take off in a major way. Steam have seen the future and intend to create it by blue oceaning their userbase in a lateral move that is virtually risk free. We've already seen Chinese manufacturers stepping up at various price points from $300 - $1300 and the quality levels are ever increasing.

Once this catches on and crosses over from the nerd chic arena its sitting in now to mainstream and people see how immense the library of games ranging from classic to modern is then its going to put a dent into traditional console sales quite quickly.

Its inevitable really as the days of solo platforms are over due to shared tech etc.. (apart from Nintendo who will hold out till the end due to the IPs and ideology) but soon you will see "Games Consoles" as generic as Blu Ray players and it will be the online features, back catalogue, controller and brand that differentiates but the games will play on anything because it will just be PC tech with a new skin anyway.

And this is where the handheld market will flourish because of its relative ease, user friendliness, price, value etc... Nintendo have already shown there is a hybrid market out there but for every one person who bought one there are 4 who didn't because they don't like withered tech with crappy framerates at low resolution. Take that issue away, open the platform up to Linux/Windows and watch the tills ring once the tech becomes tested and more affordable.

MS have seen this coming which is why they have such a huge BC push and are already PC friendly, Sony have recently realized it and are trying to catch up. Nintendo gone Nintendo because thats how they roll and they want to be Disney-like in their own environment they control totally. Next year you'll see Apple making a push for it. Google are already trying so standardization is going to be the thing but back catalogue is what will sell subscriptions as that is the only thing that will differentiate.

Wait and see. Its super obvious to me. This will be as big as the leap from dumbphones to smartphones was and the tech will become as ubiquitous purely because its ultimately a fully fledged portable computer that can do everything you want it to without taking up loads of room. Plus the main market that will be snapping them up is parents for their children as it will be the old "play games and then plug it in and do your homework" thing that was used to sell Amigas back in the days.

Old is the new new.

 

[Taleweaver]

Erm... I share your wish, but i think you're overestimating our user base.

Look... Gpd releases similar products yearly for... What? Four, five years now?
I've got a gpd win (1) and a gpd xd+. Nice products, but the former is clunky and the latter is mainly a great retro emulator. The newer products do a better job for newer games and better product quality... But they haven't exactly changed the landscape.

Oh, sure : the price point needs to be lower. But there's the problem : valve can only afford pricing this kind of hardware because they cash in through the store.

Gpd can probably mimick the deck in the near future and shave off a bit off the price by shipping with steamos... But i honestly think they can't compare it to valve's own product.

 

[tech3475]

I can see MS and Sony pushing cloud streaming as opposed to portable hardware, not saying I like it.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

Erm... I share your wish, but i think you're overestimating our user base.

Look... Gpd releases similar products yearly for... What? Four, five years now?
I've got a gpd win (1) and a gpd xd+. Nice products, but the former is clunky and the latter is mainly a great retro emulator. The newer products do a better job for newer games and better product quality... But they haven't exactly changed the landscape.

Oh, sure : the price point needs to be lower. But there's the problem : valve can only afford pricing this kind of hardware because they cash in through the store.

Gpd can probably mimick the deck in the near future and shave off a bit off the price by shipping with steamos... But i honestly think they can't compare it to valve's own product.

GPD buyers were liked paid Beta testers as the build quality was never quite there. Abernic were the first to bring the more premium (almost Alpha) feel to lower end pricing and this is the sector we're going to see huge leaps in because people have stopped recycling the same cheapo Android chipset and are now moving toward proper PC compatible hardware.

The GPD era was ultra niche, aimed at the superhardcore nerd whereas what I'm speaking of will be an iPhone level shift in the industry. Think of what came before as trailers to gauge interest and this is the main feature.

I can see MS and Sony pushing cloud streaming as opposed to portable hardware, not saying I like it.

Thats also possible but I do think the portables are going to cut into their sales and that will make them reconsider their strategy. That and the success of the Switch has shown there is a definite market.

Either way it will be very interesting because no more scenes, no more script kiddies, hacking, port begging, optimization etc... as you'll finally have a portable device that can emulate to PC starndards with decent hardware at a reasonably affordable price.

Watch and see, this area is what will develop into the forefront of all forms of gaming and will have the old guard scrambling to keep up with the shift.

 

[Veho]

I wish someone would apply Nintendo's design philosophy to the portable PC instead of chasing the cutting edge (that will become outdated in half a year anyway). A low-end, lower-spec but also much cheaper system. It might not run this year's AAA titles, but I think there's plenty of games in the library to make up for that. And in all this retro gaming madness, I don't think DOS games are getting enough love

 

[FAST6191]

I don't see it. There were some borderline gaming netbooks out there (acer did some, sometimes branded ferrari) and laptops have been a thing throughout it, getting smaller a lot of the time as well.

I won't object to having an almost handheld portable computer I can actually do something with. Might be even more fun when someone smooshes a mobile phone board and such a thing together as well. As far as it being world changing... believe it when I see it.

 

[Taleweaver]

GPD buyers were liked paid Beta testers as the build quality was never quite there. Abernic were the first to bring the more premium (almost Alpha) feel to lower end pricing and this is the sector we're going to see huge leaps in because people have stopped recycling the same cheapo Android chipset and are now moving toward proper PC compatible hardware.

The GPD era was ultra niche, aimed at the superhardcore nerd whereas what I'm speaking of will be an iPhone level shift in the industry. Think of what came before as trailers to gauge interest and this is the main feature.



Thats also possible but I do think the portables are going to cut into their sales and that will make them reconsider their strategy. That and the success of the Switch has shown there is a definite market.

Either way it will be very interesting because no more scenes, no more script kiddies, hacking, port begging, optimization etc... as you'll finally have a portable device that can emulate to PC starndards with decent hardware at a reasonably affordable price.

Watch and see, this area is what will develop into the forefront of all forms of gaming and will have the old guard scrambling to keep up with the shift.

There's certainly something to be said for the argument, yes. And mobile gaming is already pushing more revenue than the 'big three', so dismissing the android and Apple store because they don't cater much to the hardcore gaming crowd just isn't fair.

Again : i really do wish the steam deck becomes a runaway success. On paper it has the potential to seduce everyone (you can turn it in a desktop computer and a console without too much extra hardware, and is mobile without it). But it's just too early to tell if it'll last. I mean... Guitar hero and movement controls had a serious impact on video gaming as well... For a while.
Don't get me wrong : handheld gaming will always be a thing. But for it to be the future it means that traditional consoles and desktop pc gaming will diminish to the exception rather than the rule... And that's what I'm not so sure about...

 

[Deleted member 42501]

No doubt. Thing is trends and forecasts is kind of my thing so I can sense the changing winds before the market does more often than not.

Lets leave this here and see what happens when the present catches up to my vision.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

I wish someone would apply Nintendo's design philosophy to the portable PC instead of chasing the cutting edge (that will become outdated in half a year anyway). A low-end, lower-spec but also much cheaper system. It might not run this year's AAA titles, but I think there's plenty of games in the library to make up for that. And in all this retro gaming madness, I don't think DOS games are getting enough love

They are, there are various other companies out there putting together their own versions that use more withered tech. Hopefully they go with a smaller form factor as well because I find the Steam Deck looks quite hefty (if ergonomic).

I don't see it. There were some borderline gaming netbooks out there (acer did some, sometimes branded ferrari) and laptops have been a thing throughout it, getting smaller a lot of the time as well.

I won't object to having an almost handheld portable computer I can actually do something with. Might be even more fun when someone smooshes a mobile phone board and such a thing together as well. As far as it being world changing... believe it when I see it.

Wait and see. Like an iPhone this sector will fill a need people didn't know they wanted, yet. Whoever takes advantage of the Switch like docking aspect between portable, TV console and productivity device with screen, mouse and keys is going to clean up and thats what will flip the game on its head. One machine, three tiers/uses = quite a large section of the market covered.

Portables previously have been a cut down experience. Tablets have been coming up in spec to fill the gap but this will slot in perfectly and bridge both areas perfectly and (at that right price) will sell like crazy as its essentially a native PC so comes with everything all ready to go.

The Chinese manufacturers who've been churning out high quality machines with the same old tired Android chipset are going to have a field day with better SOCs as they move away from the 100 bucks price range and step into the 350s. Currently the only ones out there are well over 1K so this mid tier market is what will go crazy and thats what will push this from enthusiast niche into mainstream over the next couple of years.

 

[linuxares]

We had Portable PCs for a long long time, they're called Laptops. I don't think it will change the PC landscape at all really.

 

[subcon959]

It's probably worth making a distinction between portable and handheld.

I think it will take a bigger breakthrough in battery life for anything truly significant to change though. Valve has managed to get the price/performance right, now they just need to be able to give you more than a couple hours of full power.

 

[Deleted member 42501]

Its obvious what I'm referring to so no need to get into semantics, the scope of this is whats game changing plus laptops in general don't play games (properly) unless they are those big, expensive, goofy looking virginity protectors.

Mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, navigation devices all had their own niche till the iPhone came and rendered them obsolete. We're going to see a lateral evolution of that here as well except it will cannibalize the markets of games consoles, desktops, laptops and tablets for this new portable with power sector as it can do what they all do separately in one device.

Agree on the battery life though, thats why I call it the Steam Gear. That and the design is oddly reminiscent of one without looking like it.

Its also why I think the lower end Chinese stuff based on a SOC setup is a better option for me because it'll be cheaper, have a better battery life and is perfect for someone who doesn't want to play maxed out AAA new releases on the go but prefers a nice all in one emu device for the portable PS2/GC/Wii experience.

Phone tech and chipsets are already there for those three and they pull it all off with no active cooling a very, very slim chassis so there is obviously room to breathe if they make it larger/less powerful/cheaper. Its also why the Nintendo approach of using older tech often pays off on the consumer level as well as profits/reliability of established components.

Remember how long a GameBoy ran on a set of AAs in contrast to the Game Gear that was inhaling batteries like it was on commission? Steam Gear is going to be like that and just like the original GG people will gloss over it in the moment because what it provides is so far advanced of the competition. That and some people still hate Nintendo.

Either way, watch and see. Its going to unfold as I say.