Yeah, community being split up might just lead to inactivity for certain hardware if it isn't popular enough. There's enough overlap with SteamOS that I think being all in one is the best route. Maybe if lemmy gets way more users in the future then splitting up discussion to dedicated hardware communities might be an option, but for now better to be one.
I don't think most people shoot for higher than console specs or even upgrade as often as people think. Like I'm on AM4 which is a last gen chipset and on a 3000 series gpu which is 2 gpu generations ago.
And with stuff like dlss it's extended how often people need to upgrade to hit fps targets. Like I'm still able to play at over 100 fps. All the ones talking up the latest video cards and cpus are pretty seeking next gen performance, and they are outliers based on steam hardware surveys.
Me. I don't see myself upgrading until the next console gen when hardware requirements will go up again.
And not everyone wants to build a pc, and there's people who've been happy with the performance of the Deck. So not all pc gamers are the stereotypical must max everything out crowd. So for them getting something more powerful than the Deck would would be for them. And for some like me PC flexibility when it comes to mods, tweaks, and being able to use whatever preferred input they want is the draw than the graphics.
As for me if the Steam Machine is cheap enough or goes on sale for around the base price of the Deck in the future I might just pick it up to use as a secondary PC on my other monitor.
Pretty much why in my first comment it was addressing PC gamers to try using a HDMI cable if they want to play on the TV. Wasn't directed towards console gamers to get a PC.
Steam machine will require same troubleshooting, since it is in the end a PC that lets you install any games even if it isn't compatible. And will require sometimes to go to a site like protondb to see which proton version is compatible to get the game running.
Steam machine is more an entry for those interested in getting into PCs that isnt super expensive.
Kind of funny this long conversation ended up being with a console gamer than my intended target demographic. So I kept wondering why is this pc gamer so resistant to hdmi cables.
Cheaters probably pay monthly get caught then spend money to buy the game again then pay for more cheats.
So those cheaters seem to have moved onto some more sophisticated setup running something called a DMA device so their main PC has no cheats and is running on a separate machine.
Yeah iot version is the one I've been running. I like how it is stripped so much that I had to download Irfanview for photos. Just how an OS should be. Have barebones stuff to function and install what you need.
Well yeah that's just comes with being a PC. But, if you already got your games set up not really much need to do troubleshooting when TV gaming.
Like you can go on and on and on trying to find issues, but main point is for PC gamers who already have a gaming PC hdmi cable and controller is generally all that is needed to game on the TV. So they can save on needing another system just for the purpose of playing on a TV.
At that point if a PC is as troublesome as you keep making it out to be a Steam Machine or Steam Deck isn't going to be any better if you truly want a simple as possible system like the console.
Steam Big picture mode you don't even need to bother with that. It can all be done through controller.
If you are familiar with Steam Deck that's basically big picture mode.
And I just keep my K400 at the couch since that's only time I use it. Sometimes I feel like browsing web a bit on the TV, or in game might want to utilize text chat. I use my PC to play video files to watch movies and shows, so pretty much multiple reasons for me beyond gaming.
I'm using the k400 to navigate desktop. I'm using my controller to play games. Kind of weird to go through the set up of playing on the couch in front of a TV away from the desk and thinking about using a mouse and keyboard instead of a controller.
If its a Linux phone then wouldn't it just be SteamOS? So they wouldn't be bothering with trying to enter Android since it'd be Linux, so trying to start a whole new market on Android and convincing people to release Android games to Steam to have games to play wouldn't be an issue. Maybe frameworks running arm is a test for that.
And I'd imagine the phone would be something like the Sony Xperia Play in terms of design.
Not an issue either. If you can have the money for a fiber optic hdmi cable then you have the money for a powered usb cable to extend the wireless range.
I've been gaming on PC that wasn't near my TV for years since back during the 360/PS3 era. And hdmi and usb cable is all that's been needed to get started. Nothing more complicated beyond that.
And OS front end? There's Steam big picture mode or just use a cheap wireless keyboard like the K400 to navigate the desktop. You are talking to pc gamers who built a powerful pc. Im not talking about this set up to some console player and trying to convert them to PC. And I'm not trying to convince someone who wants a dedicated system for the TV so might want a dumbed down UI, but someone who has a powerful PC they use for desktop use and gaming and wants to play on the TV too without moving their PC.
Just showing there is a cheap affordable option using existing powerful hardware that one already has on hand if they want to also utilize it on their TV. But if someone insist on dropping hundreds or thousands more for a secondary system to play on the TV that's fine too.
What's to keep Windows from deciding to get rid of allowing people to install any exe? What's to stop them from deciding to charge a 30% fee of all transactions from exes that they allow to be published? Whats to stop them from banning Steam, Epic, GOG from existing on their OS so everything is through the Microsoft Store?
When has Android been open? How many people do you know building their own parts to make their own Android phone from random parts? Android has mostly been at the mercy of OEM prebuilts.
Yeah, no Microsoft store, no onedrive to uninstall. No messenger, candy crush, tiktok on the start up menu after a fresh install. No copilot paint. No copilot notes. No xbox copilot app.
Its a boring OS which is what most critics wanted.
Original Steam controller felt like it was made with really cheap looking materials to cut costs.
This controller looks like the build quality is much more premium and has a lot of inputs and tech put in than the expensive Xbox Elite. The dualsense edge getting removable joysticks and grips raised the price too.
So when its those controllers that this controller will be closer to in terms of features than the base Sony and Xbox controllers. Being only $100 would be a bargain.
I would be happy if I was proved wrong. Please prove me wrong Valve.
Yeah, community being split up might just lead to inactivity for certain hardware if it isn't popular enough. There's enough overlap with SteamOS that I think being all in one is the best route. Maybe if lemmy gets way more users in the future then splitting up discussion to dedicated hardware communities might be an option, but for now better to be one.