Thank you, SHARGE, for sponsoring today's episode! Get their power bank and SSD enclosure here: Shargeek 170 official website link: bit.ly/3ZFCj5M Shargeek 170 Amazon link: amzn.to/4gC36px SHARGE Disk Plus: kck.st/3XAb5dY Also, thanks for your patience with this new episode. It was a big challenge, but I hope you love it! The next one should come out quicker! It's about the Boomball, aka the SPHERICAL "GameSphere" console! 🔴
@@SavvySage Why would Valve need them when they racking billions annually. I really glad Valve is still a private company. They're free to do whatever they want without being enslaved by shareholders demanding infinite growth every fiscal year.
@@emperorfaiz Valve was not always a billion plus annual making company. plus it has shareholders Gabe Newell being one of them if not the sole shareholder.
Valve is a case study in how the "Stock Market" and "Free Market" DO NOT help innovation or progress and that was PR BS corrupt greedy people used to feel millions into thinking it's not the destructive leech that it is.
I just dusted off my steam link literally yesterday, and it still works great. Crazy that its latest update was two weeks ago. I think your editorial instincts were on the money.
Good to hear the old units still work. I let the apple TV app handle the steam link duties but I have to switch from cinematic to game mode and all the futzing involved in that on my TV to get the response time down. I know my wife has a steam link laying around somewhere that I can plug into a spare HDMI port and assign that as a game port and not have to swap back and forth. Thanks for the info!
I've been mildly curious about Linux for like 20 years now, but never bothered due to Windows being the defacto gaming platform. The Steam Deck is what finally got me into Linux, and now I'm probably never going back to Windows. I'm really enjoying learning Linux (and having an add-free OS)
@@NothingCoherent Same thing here. I even got a friend of mine to switch, and I hope people continue to do so. It really is a breath of fresh air, and as long as you’re willing to accept its shortcomings for privacy, no AI, no ads and the promise of a healthier desktop ecosystem, there’s really no going back.
Without Valve Linux gaming just wouldn't be a thing, that's how it is. The contributions of the gnu community were significant for the development of Wine but 15 years ago it was a mess. Valve were the ones who took that mess and made it into a real alternative for gaming, their contributions with DXVK and Proton cannot be overstated.
@@quisqueyanguy120 OSS community always lacked recollection in my opinion, and some private company setting a clear vector of movement is already a huge help
I love how Valve LEARNS which is nothing the bigger companies do, because they learnt from this familiar and gave us the amazing Steam Deck, basically the Switch of PC Gaming
The Steam Deck is a comprehensive failure as far as portable gaming goes. 2 hour battery out of the box that degrades overtime. Too big to actually be reasonably portable. Countless quality control issues, mostly pertaining to button & joystick failures. No anti-screen glare (unless you pay extra). Can't fit more than 1-2 games (unless you pay extra). Problems cooling & noisy fans. Inherent incompatibility with most games on Steam due to a Linux OS. Awkward button placements which can't be changed, etc.
@@CoecooThe fact that it's not a piece of engineering marvel doesn't mean it's a failure. You know what is an actual engineering marvel? The Xbox Series X. From engineering stand point, it's actually better than PS5 in virtually anyway except expandable storage (Xbox uses proprietary soultion instead of Sony's standard form factor.) For everything else, the Series X is indeed superior than the PS5. Yet, PS5 is successful and Series X is a failure.
@@Coecoo Is that why it's the best selling PC handheld that I've seen people gush about and the fact you can customize it yourself with expandable storage, replacable Screen, replacable thumbsticks, replacable BATTERY and a cheaper price than the competition like ROG Alley and Legion Go?
@@davidsentanu7836 PS5 Pro is anaother example, it's more powerful than the PS5 and has a fully removable c-moss battery, yet it selling poorly compared to its counter part the PS5 Slim, which is still selling regardless of being weaker. I just think Coecoo just wants to complain for complaining sake of complaining like most Consumers do
The Steam Machine business model reminds me a lot of 3DO. They didn’t make their own hardware and relied on external partners, so the systems were also comparatively high-priced.
Fwiw that's not why they were expensive. The issue was that the 3DO company wanted to use a totally different business model. Normally companies sell consoles at a loss and make it up with game sales, whereas 3DO wanted to profit on the console itself and pump that money into game development.
@@HonkeyKongLiveYep, parents weren't going to buy their kid a 3DO when there were other options, with more games to choose from, at a fraction of the price. I had many arguments about this with my parents because I wanted the superior hardware in the 3DO. But then 3DFX released the original Voodoo a few years later and changed PC gaming forever. I've been primarily a PC gamer ever since.
@Coecoo oh no, they didn't outsource components. They outsourced system production to other companies. But, the thing is, game consoles are expensive to make. They historically sell at a loss and the company makes the profits in the games. However, in the 3DO's case that wouldn't work. The 3DO company woulf see the profits on game sales, but the companies making the systems wouldn't. So they had to make *some* profit making the systems for 3DO. And that's how it ended up with a $799 USD launch price.
One thing that we've missed here is the entire /reason/ for Valve to go for Linux and open platforms - why not just use Windows? At the time the whole project was started, Microsoft was trying to push *everything* into the Windows Store. (See: S mode and related things from the time) If this would have happened, you would end up with all software needing to be packaged for the new Store, and Steam would be redundant. You would also likely lose a ton of older software that nobody would/could remaster into the new Store. Valve going with SteamOS provided a backup plan, and something people could fall back on if Microsoft went ahead with their plans. Once Microsoft backed off on this, Valve didn't have to push as hard or worry so much, so it fell on the back burner for a while.
As far as research goes, Windows 8 was one of the reasons Gabe Newell pushed more for Linux as a gaming platform. (Gabe even went as far as calling Windows 8 a "catastrophe".) That was essentially the catalyst for what would result in Steam for Linux, the Steam Machines, and later the Steam Deck.
Also, despite Steam being a near monopoly, Valve still wants to keep PC software open. They could easily limit Proton for Steam only, lock down Steam Deck or any other thing that big tech companies do to limit consumer choice, but they contribute to open source projects and made the Deck a fully functional PC.
WHA?! You mean, companies competing in a free and open market led to a market pressure for those companies to invest in making better offerings to secure their own future which benefitted everyone?! Nah, fake news, your just a lying capitalist pig trying to gaslight us and enable predatory natural monopolies. (Y'know, like MySpace! That company that started the same year as valve and still to this day holds complete social dominance despite offering less value compared to their competitors?) Nah, what we need is to regulate Microsoft to stop them from ever trying to do somethung that predatory! Then, Valve would have complete, state-backed, taxpayer-funded confidence in Windows as a platform and would've never had to invest in improving linux gaming. And, uh, that would be better for users because... huh... uh, because... something something consumer protection?
Valve has done a lot to make Linux gaming much more feasible than it was in the past. The steam deck being a success ensures these efforts will continue. While there's certainly things to criticize about Valve that effort is greatly appreciated. Also I did quite like the steam controller back in the day, the bottom paddles were awesome and way better than the ones on the xbox elite controller.
Indeed, my current gaming PC is a no-brand box I put together myself in early 2020,* running Manjaro Linux (which is also based on Arch). Proton has been excellent in getting all my Windows Steam games running, as have other people's reports and settings suggestions on ProtonDB. And even Wine by itself (_without_ Steam) has worked well; I've played old Windows 3.x games** that won't run at all on Windows 7 or 10 or 11! And of course, there are some good Linux-native games too, both on and off of Steam. As well as DOSBox for my old DOS games. * right as Windows 7 support was ending. ** like JezzBall and Rodent's Revenge, from an old copy of a "best of the Windows Entertainment Pack" that I think came bundled in a box of Verbatim floppy disks around 1994.
It's interesting how essentially, the Steam Deck is to the Steam Machine as the Switch is to the Wii U. "Our console is failing. Make it portable!" _Instant success._
I think the biggest reason Steam Deck succeeded is that Valve fixed the major lack of games. Their first go at Linux-based Steam Machines they only supported native Linux games, of which there were relatively few. Even back at the time, you could play way more games on Linux by installing the Windows version of Steam in Wine, but Valve didn't officially support this. Between the failure of the Steam Machines and the release of the Steam Deck, they officially integrated Wine into Steam as Proton, and in doing so immediately opened up the vast majority of the remaining unsupported games. They also decided to do the Deck in house and build it around a single specification as you would a traditional console, and making it handheld was a perfect move as it made it appealing to existing PC gamers as well as newcomers. They did everything right with the Deck and I love it.
@@CalcProgrammer1People would also be more forgiving when a product is portable. The Steam Deck still can't run 100% of Steam games because of the Linux OS, but people shrug it off because well, can you play with your PC on the train? While a Steam Machine was basically just a PC. It has all the expectations people have to a PC. Even if Valve launched Steam Machines today, people will surely complain when it can't play 100% of Steam games because of the Linux OS.
@@CalcProgrammer1 GloriousEggroll and company is ensuring the efforts do not go to waste _even if_ Valve goes belly-up with Open Wine Components and everything that makes up Valve's pressure-vessel suite (Runtimes, Proton, DXVK etc.) having an open-source alternative so if you don't want to use Steam, you don't _have_ to for the same convenience.
Helps that the software on both the Wii U and Steam Machines were crap, while the Steam Deck and Switch UI are so successful they're being shamelessly copied.
Honestly I would _love_ for valve to come out with a steam controller 2 with the same buttons as the deck. they have the best controller on the market for playing PC games, becaue it was made for it.
Totally agree. Gyro, dual analog, dual touchpads, the works. I'd dump the Xbox pad in a heartbeat. The original Steam Controller was actually quite good but it took a heck of a lot of practice to get even remotely comfortable with it. Not many people bothered. Which is sad. How many other gamepads could you play not only FPSs but also Zork with?!
@ScottDuensing dual analog WITH a dual mode click at the end of the travel! I disagree with the practice part personally, didnt take too long for me. Especially if youve used a laptop before.
I remember when I first baught HL2 at WalMart. Got home, opened the DVD case and all was inside; a DVD to install steam and a code to redeem HL2. I didn't have broadband internet. I ended up having to take my computer to my friend's home and connect to his internet. To this day, I proudly wear my 20 years in service badge.
I knew about Steam when it came out and (like many gamers at the time) I thought it was dumb. I didn't want to "download" my games. Eventually, they finally got me with The Orange Box, and I haven't looked back.
Oh cool! I work at Free Geek Twin Cities and I oversaw the troubleshooting/testing of this very prototype model (it was sent to us before we sent it to Linus)! Ken isn't joking when he comments on how heavy that thing is. Glad to see it make an appearance again.
Thanks for having me involved in the research! The Steam Machines were...interesting to say the least. And I don't even have time to mention the Smach Z, the first attempt at a Steam Machine handheld. Anyways, good episode as always!
That came from LTT? Wonder how many times it's been dropped and broken. That'd explain the hard drive, plus the wonky alignment of the USB3 ports on the front...
The Steam deck is essentially a Steam machine, with a battery. Much like how a switch has a lower resolution display, it can be docked, and played in 1080p. Looking forward to seeing what Valve puts out next, and hope they never become a public company.
I signed up for the Steam Hardware Beta Candidate back in the day and ended up pre-ordering the Steam controller later. I still proudly display the badge on my Steam account to this day! It’s a funny coincidence that you put this video out today because just last week I finally fulfilled my teenage dream of owning a Steam Machine. While all my friends are enjoying their modern Steam Decks I can enjoy my (vintage??) Steam Machine 😎 PS. Because I used to be a Mac user, supposedly the Steam controller launch for macOS was broken so Valve gave us all the Valve Game Collection forever. So I never have to pre-order another Valve title again! Edit: yes by never having to pre-order again I do mean I don’t have to purchase future games.
HL3?? Gabe Newell said they had switched to the episode format so "no one has to wait six years for a sequel again"! He also promised a 9..12 month release cycle, IIRC. Yes, we sadly missed the HL3 launch, decades ago already, and no one noticed! Half Life XVII probably coming out next month, if my math is correct.
But even if Proton had been a thing... would you still have bought one? If you already had a PC, what's the incentive? There was no benefit to buying a new PC. Even if you wanted to use SteamOS - just download it.
@@oxoboo But it was still just a PC. For what they offered they were often just overpriced. You could buy a cheaper one and install SteamOS. You don't reach the console market with a PC for $3000 or whatever.
I still have and use my Steam Controller to this day! Infact I was gaming with it straight through this video. I bought FIVE of them at $5 each when Amazon sold off all the remaining stock, I literally have a lifetime supply of the best controller I've ever used.
Yeah, GPD was really the first one to the portable gaming centric computer line. Back when the Smach Z was being promised and forever delayed and full of scandal, GPD came in with the little GPD Win laptop with game gontrollers integrated, which proved to be very popular and they quickly came out with a 2nd, and they are still going...
I remember it all, I remember looking at the Steam Machines, as I was someone who always built his own PC (unless the deal was incredible), I saw the value for the 3rd party machine and could not justify it. Linux played some games but, not even close to Windows. I ended up just building a new PC at the time with Windows and moved on. On the SteamDeck release, other options for "fairly powerful handheld game system" were like $800+ and the Deck came out around $400, a smoking deal. I waited exactly 1 year and 1 day to get my Deck. Now, it's got a 2tb drive, dual booting with Windows so I can play GamePass and games that SteamOS can't play..... Still a worthy value compared to other devices out there...
There was just no incentive to buy one. Why should I? I already got a PC. If I wanted a Steam Machine, I just had to download/install SteamOS. The Steam Deck on the other hand... there were/are good reasons to get one. You can't just download it.
If it was one or two different versions, I think it would be a different story, but the 3DO approach has the best of neither when it comes to PC vs Console... One or Two variants though, devs could target it, shaders can be precompiled (like Elden Ring on steamdeck)... and it'd serve as a good entry point for people who get confused by PC specs... etc etc but the way they did it has none of those benefits
and don't forget the Steam Link. that thing made more sense to have than the Machines. Valve should've just focused on the Steam Link in the first place to build controller support for most of the games while cooking up SteamOS with Proton simultaneously in the background for what would become the actual Steam Machine/Deck
I don't have a steam prototype but i have a PC that use exactly the same hardware. The sshdd died and the graphic card got upgraded but it use the same ram , the 4770k and the ASRock z87e-itx wifi motherboard. Man it is great stuff.
@@happyspaceinvader508 You say "the Steam Machine" when there was no such thing. There were multiple Steam Machines with bigger cases. One of the Steam Machines had a Coolermaster Elite 110 case for example. I made my own with the same case. It's not exactly living room quiet.
Really well made video! Learning more about the Steam Machine story is honestly very interesting. It’s great to know that VALVe learnt from their shortcomings and didn’t decide to give up, instead turning to different hardware products which have been successful in the end.
Awesome video! I have 2 Steam Links and a controller. I used the Steam Link a bit, and it was nice to have a remote desktop option anywhere. The controller is the cheapest plasticy feeling thing I've ever held. It's been out of the box twice for about 5 minutes total.
I own both a steam link and a steam controller and I still use them to this day. I have my Steam Link hooked up to my dataprojector and even though I don't game on the big screen as much anymore, I still use it to stream other content and the controller is still my go to controller. Love it
I was one of the few who probably only bought the Steam Controller. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. It was also my first mobile game hardware controller, thanks to the BT update.
Hey Ken, small lapse in your research: The Steam Controllers were only discontinued due to SCUF suing Valve on a patent infringement for rear controller paddles, with the remaining stock being sold for $5 a piece. They were not intentionally discontinued, and may have been produced to this day had it not been for this.
This didn't come up in the initial research I did for Ken-just looking at the articles about it right now, they're were all published long after the controller was discontinued. If the lawsuit was the reason, then we didn't really hear about it until about a year after the controller was discontinued.
@@SavvySage Hello, thanks for the reply. Usually that's how it goes with things like this, but either way, might have been fit to mention, given the controller (and perhaps the Link) may have continued otherwise. I may be wrong though.
Seeing Snow Leopard running on that Mac on the background is making me so badly wanna install it on an older iMac and make it my daily driver again... if it wasn't for the browser situation I'd still be using it.
Stinks how browser compatibility always keeps us from using our favorite old OSs. The internet moves so rapidly. When win98 was out I remember going online with my old Win 3.1 computer and browser compatibility was even a thing back then, there were no 16 bit browsers past IE5 or 5.5, so modern websites didn't work so well, or you missed out on features.
@@kjriwoutube I did try Arctic Fox a couple years back but even so everything was either slow or didn't recognize it as a modern browser forcing mobile and lightweight versions of sites to load.
The Steam machines failed so that the Steam Deck could succeed. Amazing job as always, Ken! I appreciate your effort to create all these high quality vids!
Thank you for mentioning the steam controller. Its an incredible piece of gaming tech and desperately needs a sequel for how unique it is. It has a whole community built around it, no other controller has the accessibility or features of it. You should maybe have mentioned that more and the linear motor haptics that allowed for great touchpad feedback
It deserves the whole video tbh. Valve partnered with Hori to make Controller 2, but it's not the same. For the 3-rd iteration they probably should try to copy layout of Deck (with all trackpads, d-pad, ABXY, sticks and back buttons), but without the screen. I dunno how to make it look good tho, but it will hardly matter with all the functions.
Your story about the end of life of the Steam Link and Steam Controller has glaring omissions. They didn't "quietly delist" or just "run out of stock" - for both of these, they reduced the price of each to $5 during a regular Steam sale. I picked up 2 Steam Links, and tried to buy a Steam Controller, but had an address issue and they refunded it after it was already sold out.
One thing that puzzles me - why did Steam do such a shoddy job of their chat client and streaming system. This left the field wide open for Discord in particular to take and own a major part of the game community streaming / voip industry. Discord now produces a significantly better social / gaming communications app and platform. Steam's management just doesn't seem to care - perhaps it's because of the way Steam is managed internally - it certainly has something to do with that. The cracks are showing - hundreds of thousands of Steam users and gamers have complained over the past couple of years but it seems our complaints just fell of deaf ears.
@mattymattffs - it is a critical part of their business model. The massive number of complaints from Steam users clearly illustrates this. It is self-evident that online gaming is a social sport - in-game, forums, community communications, sharing, and related interaction is a critical and integrated part of that process. If Steam didn't believe it was part of its core business model it wouldn't have launched and continued to develop chat, voice clients, and streaming technology for all of the main OS platforms. The issue is they've just done it so badly.
@sgas Have you used both of these apps? Discord is completely free to use - you are not forced to upgrade. I'm not a big fan of Discord but it's superior in several areas. The app is faster to load and generally feels more responsive, it has superior VoIP and screen-sharing technology. The chat client allows you to edit and delete messages, share images, videos, and lengthy code as well as create channels/rooms, etc. It's not perfect by any means but it is superior to Steam's slow technicality and feature-limited apps.
@RickOShay The ads are annoying regardless. I have had no issues with responsiveness in steam chat which requires no alt tabbing with full screen games. Superior voip and screen sharing? They dont have better audio quality and steam broadcasting exists with less resolution limits than discord. Steam chat does all of the things you mentioned. Code, images, videos, channels and rooms. Nothing about it is slow or limited. It works just fine. discord is very much something people are forced to use when theyd rather not.
I was so excited to get a Steam Machine. I work on my computer all day in my office, so I like to game in the living room, but I want the variety of steam games, indies in particular. By the time I decided to make the plunge, they were already moving on from Steam OS. I got an Alienware Alpha, the Windows version of the Alienware device you talked about. The best part was that I could just stick it in my media cabinet and it fit right in and didn’t take up any room. I used it for four years, and it played most games well, as long as I learned how to adjust the settings for more intensive games. I loved the Steam Controller. It let me play all sorts of games designed for keyboard and mouse. It took some getting used to, and it was really difficult to play games where you needed to input intricate button combos and directions, but overall I really enjoyed it. I’m glad that I was a part of it. The only reason I moved on is that it became outdated, but I still have it. I’m sure I’ll turn it back on at some point and have some fun.
I think market confusion was by far the biggest issue. I've spoken with a few people about the steam machines thing when it was relevant, and a ton of them had no clue what it actually was. Was it a single product? Was it a brand? And the Steam Link was genuinely great to play most games on the TV, especially if you were already an enthusiast with a powerful PC, but wanted to play some games in a relaxed way on the couch.
I remember the "Pandora Steam Machine" that was an italian Steam Box, unlike Valve's official ones it was running on Windows despite having an Xbox like UI. It was launched in early 2015.
first three hardware failures tbh, the steam machine, steam link, and steam controller all failed mass market appeal. as much as i like the steam controller, asking people to relearn how to use a controller just to play keyboard and mouse games better than a controller could but worse than kbm was a big ask.
It only made sense that it took off because of how crappy the Nintendo Switch has become and on the other hand the optimization was a big selling point.
@@sakurojason optimization is HUGE selling point. steam deck's 1% lows in framerate are incredibly good, almost no drop. all the other handheld pcs drop to sub 20 fps in 1% lows, which is noticable in judder/ frame time spikes.
considering the immense popularity of the Switch, I don't think it's fair to say they were "lucky." they have superb market analysis and skilled engineering, as well as growing and faithful userbase.
Great video! I have one of the 'beta' Steam Machines actually still! Was fun to play with back when I got it. It had it's issues to be sure, but still a solid machine at the time.
I remember about the Steam Machines 10 years back when they released it. It's funny to see how it was a thing only to not hear much off it after it came out.
I think the missing point in the video is why valve is so keen on pushing Linux as a gaming environment. Valve got worried with Windows 8+ store push that may compete directly with Steam as a gaming platform, perhaps IE style, making them start to experiment with Linux for their own games which resulted in incredible performance lead (their games were one of the most well made ports on Linux).
That's a bit of a reason, but I don't think it's the big one. They just want independence and being able to control their own hardware. Can't do that with Windows.
@@kuhpunkt I actually think that this is a huge reason. Microsoft at the time stated that Windows 8 might pivot to only allowing software to be installed via the Windows Store. This basically would have killed Steam right there. So as some kind of show of force they brought out Steam OS and the Steam machines. Sure we regard that as a failure now, but this one company pushed gaming on Linux so hard that not just a few games were available, but a whopping 20%. Microsoft at some point threw out their store install only idea, who can really say why. That problem averted, at least temporarily, made Valve put the whole thing on a slow boil. All in all you can see all this as 3 failures and 1 success but imo far more likely these were all more or less calculated steps (and losses) at detaching their business from the whims of another company. Not even 10 years later Linux gaming is in a state nobody would have even dared to dream about back when the steam machines started out.
Another things, back during that time, which was still a bit of an issue for Steam games, was the vast majority had UI and Text that was meant for the computer, with no selectable method of fixing it so it is more readable on the TV. One of the prime immediate changes, usually done on console ports, is fixes to the UI and text so it is clear and legible on a TV screen that you are meant to sit back away from. Small form PCs (which I had) were made often with the idea that (like a console) you can take advantage of playing on a TV, but that notion got killed quickly, with much of the library, when the stuff was barely legible when you are sitting back from a 40/50+ inch TV. Steam Deck still at least warns you about games that need UI/Textr fixes to play better on TV output or the SteamDeck screen. But it also made a lot of people go back to fix, or new developers be more cognizant with TV-friendly UI and Text, in newer games. (Some still slip through the cracks, but the changes were happening). All in all, I think we're in a pretty good place now.
I still have 2 steam controller, and a steam link. The funny part that one my steam controller someone rob it from my door step, and valve refund it to me with out any problem, then I got another one.
Those X enclosures and stacking ability are adorable. I've always hankered for one, but in the UK they are *silly* prices for something I'd want to discard the innards from. I bet you could make quite a competent little machine these days just using the case.
@@iHazMuffinz Yeah, but look at game sales on Switch, as well as the yearly hardware sales median. Also try comparing both in the markets both sell in, within the launch year of the Steam Deck.
@@fujinshu i am sorry to tell you but you cannot compare game sales. why? well... steamdeck can run pc games from steam,GoG, Epic games and it can even run older pc games from DOS to windows 95/98. also it can emulate any older console and it can even emulate switch games. meanwhile... the switch can run switch games.. badly with poor performance...
I love my SteamDeck. In fact, I use it as a computer in my truck, and watched this using it! Got mine Q3 of release. I got the lowest tier, but once I got it, fiddled with it for a week, and bought a 1 TB drive to swap. Just a month ago I bought the dock so I can easily connect it to the TV in my truck, or when I get a hotel. I always wanted a Steam Machine.
The first PC I bought completely on my own was an Alienware Alpha steam machine. I spent like $300 and it was the best investment I ever made. It opened up so much of the world to me to have my own computer to use how I wanted.
I've been enjoying having a Gaming HTPC in my living rooms over the years since 2006. All running Linux. And I still love using my Steam Controllers on whatever I can (impatiently waiting for a new version, if ever.)
The steam link is still the best implementation of video over network that I've ever seen. It works so well that I still have my steam link and still use it to connect my devices to my television even if it's just for streaming TV
Lol, what's a computer desk? I used to use a recliner and HDTV. Now I use a nice 4K HDTV and it sits in front of my bed - I can lay in bed (with pillows etc, very comfortable) and have a keyboard in my lap, or off the the side, and a mousepad on a large book. That's my setup - and it's glorious.
I honestly thought this was a scrapped product. You have no idea how difficult it was to find one of these in stores, and I'm 10 minutes away from the OG microcenter!
As a person who has owned all of these products, I can agree the steam machine itself didn't have much value in it but even knowing that I fully supported the effort as I longed for an option outside of windows for PC gaming, and I'm glad it did eventually flourish into the steam deck. I did sell my steam machine, but luckily I still own my steam link, steam controller, and steam deck. Kinda wish I'd kept the steam machine for my collection but as you mentioned in the video, the steam link was just the better option of the two, especially if you already owned a nice PC. At the time I sold it, not only did I need the money, I just didn't think of it as something to collect yet.
I remember when the steam link was being discontinued. I don't remember the exact details, but I got a free steam link when I bought something else on steam, as long as I was willing to pay for delivery. So I did. I've only really used it to try it out, but I've never truly used it.
This video was nice timing. Aside from 'grey imports' in Australia. It only took them 2 years to finally bring the Steam Deck here with it's official releases next week (19th Nov).
I have to add to the thousands of Linux users that owe so much to Valve's dedication to support the Linux OS. I now exclusively run Ubuntu on my desktop PC. Steam for Linux, together with the Proton compatibility layer, works beautifully for a large percentage of my library. a HUGE thanks to valve corporation for supporting Linux, and for continuing to actively develop Proton as of the date of this post 😎👍
I am the proud owner of a Steam Deck OLED. It's truly one of the biggest steps Valve took with their hardware, and this step forward also fostered a massive move to push games to run on Linux, even in the Compatibility Layer Proton. Every day I have thought about moving my own main computer to Linux because of how much Linux has evolved to being more usable by the day. Steam Deck wasn't just a big step forward for Valve and portable gaming, it also was the massive step forward for Linux Gaming.
Man I was so stoked for that hardware beta program and entered the contest as soon as I heard about it. Didn't win of course. I did however buy the steam link and later the controller; the link basically replaced my need for any dedicated PC in the living room so I think your call on that was dead on!
I bought two of those steam links and controllers some years back. It was a buy one get one sale on black friday i think. Looking back it was probably a clearance sale. I still have both sets. Only used one of the links a few times, and used a xbox controller with it instead of the steam controler.
NGL the drip feed of Steam Machine content post Steam Deck has been pretty fascinating. I only ever heard about the initial Steam Box announcement and then saw one preview in a Game Informer that showed three of prototypes from the CES show and then the whole shebang from my perspective went dark and, other than the occasional update about the Steam Controller, disappeared like a fart into the wind until the Steam Controller launched by which time I had forgotten entirely about Steam Machines.
I don't have a steam prototype but i have a PC that use exactly the same hardware. The sshdd died and the graphic card got upgraded but it use the same ram , the 4770k and the ASRock z87e-itx wifi motherboard. Man it is great stuff.
I love my steam machine still (the AW model at 18:00 ), i did get it second hand & had to tinker with it to get it working but its so nice for co-op games or just as a portable work PC, Even the steam controller is nice with practice (tho the default haptics make it sound like its breaking apart, after drivers are installed its way better) Shame it never took off, Atleast the deck & index did well. Great coverage man,( & glad this tiny obscure channel "Lioness Tip Toe" could help you out with this one)
I still own and use the steam link. It's a great little device. The fact it's still work in 2024 and I was able to get support for the controller in amazing.
The steam machine was my first gaming computer and made it possible for me to Play more demanding games and helped me get further involved in PC gaming
Thank you, SHARGE, for sponsoring today's episode! Get their power bank and SSD enclosure here:
Shargeek 170 official website link: bit.ly/3ZFCj5M
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Also, thanks for your patience with this new episode. It was a big challenge, but I hope you love it! The next one should come out quicker! It's about the Boomball, aka the SPHERICAL "GameSphere" console! 🔴
How did you say this before the video?
kred for the hl2 shirt. i think your head is juuust the right size Ken :-) and then ending was EPIC!
Thank you shart for sponsoring this video
Great video Ken. Now, if only Linus appeared in this video as a guest (like how Hugh Jeffreys did in the eMac episode).
i've heard of inflation in goods. But "heads" ? 🤣
Valve still being a privately owned company is a good thing in these days.
I also heard they've never accepted any venture capital, something pretty rare for private companies nowadays.
@@SavvySage Why would Valve need them when they racking billions annually. I really glad Valve is still a private company. They're free to do whatever they want without being enslaved by shareholders demanding infinite growth every fiscal year.
@@emperorfaiz Valve was not always a billion plus annual making company. plus it has shareholders Gabe Newell being one of them if not the sole shareholder.
Valve is a case study in how the "Stock Market" and "Free Market" DO NOT help innovation or progress and that was PR BS corrupt greedy people used to feel millions into thinking it's not the destructive leech that it is.
@@anthonymacgregor9790This is called a stakeholder, not a shareholder. To have shareholders you need shares
I just dusted off my steam link literally yesterday, and it still works great. Crazy that its latest update was two weeks ago. I think your editorial instincts were on the money.
Love valves update consistency
I have one sitting brand new in box. A bundle was a cheap way to buy Hollow Knight at some point.
I'm sure it does the job but I haven't needed it.
Good to hear the old units still work. I let the apple TV app handle the steam link duties but I have to switch from cinematic to game mode and all the futzing involved in that on my TV to get the response time down. I know my wife has a steam link laying around somewhere that I can plug into a spare HDMI port and assign that as a game port and not have to swap back and forth. Thanks for the info!
Still got the steam controller and steam link. Been such a long time since using, though probably should again
Sorry for asking, what's steam link do? Like, a remote play dongle basically?
As a Linux user, I can't overstate how important Valve has been to the community.
I've been mildly curious about Linux for like 20 years now, but never bothered due to Windows being the defacto gaming platform. The Steam Deck is what finally got me into Linux, and now I'm probably never going back to Windows. I'm really enjoying learning Linux (and having an add-free OS)
@@NothingCoherent Same thing here. I even got a friend of mine to switch, and I hope people continue to do so. It really is a breath of fresh air, and as long as you’re willing to accept its shortcomings for privacy, no AI, no ads and the promise of a healthier desktop ecosystem, there’s really no going back.
Dualbooted Linux and Windows since middle school and I gotta thank valve for helping me switching 100%
Without Valve Linux gaming just wouldn't be a thing, that's how it is. The contributions of the gnu community were significant for the development of Wine but 15 years ago it was a mess. Valve were the ones who took that mess and made it into a real alternative for gaming, their contributions with DXVK and Proton cannot be overstated.
@@quisqueyanguy120 OSS community always lacked recollection in my opinion, and some private company setting a clear vector of movement is already a huge help
I love how Valve LEARNS which is nothing the bigger companies do, because they learnt from this familiar and gave us the amazing Steam Deck, basically the Switch of PC Gaming
The Steam Deck is a comprehensive failure as far as portable gaming goes.
2 hour battery out of the box that degrades overtime.
Too big to actually be reasonably portable.
Countless quality control issues, mostly pertaining to button & joystick failures.
No anti-screen glare (unless you pay extra).
Can't fit more than 1-2 games (unless you pay extra).
Problems cooling & noisy fans.
Inherent incompatibility with most games on Steam due to a Linux OS.
Awkward button placements which can't be changed, etc.
@@Coecoo but people like it so it's not a failure
@@CoecooThe fact that it's not a piece of engineering marvel doesn't mean it's a failure.
You know what is an actual engineering marvel? The Xbox Series X. From engineering stand point, it's actually better than PS5 in virtually anyway except expandable storage (Xbox uses proprietary soultion instead of Sony's standard form factor.) For everything else, the Series X is indeed superior than the PS5.
Yet, PS5 is successful and Series X is a failure.
@@Coecoo Is that why it's the best selling PC handheld that I've seen people gush about and the fact you can customize it yourself with expandable storage, replacable Screen, replacable thumbsticks, replacable BATTERY and a cheaper price than the competition like ROG Alley and Legion Go?
@@davidsentanu7836 PS5 Pro is anaother example, it's more powerful than the PS5 and has a fully removable c-moss battery, yet it selling poorly compared to its counter part the PS5 Slim, which is still selling regardless of being weaker.
I just think Coecoo just wants to complain for complaining sake of complaining like most Consumers do
The Steam Machine business model reminds me a lot of 3DO. They didn’t make their own hardware and relied on external partners, so the systems were also comparatively high-priced.
Fwiw that's not why they were expensive. The issue was that the 3DO company wanted to use a totally different business model. Normally companies sell consoles at a loss and make it up with game sales, whereas 3DO wanted to profit on the console itself and pump that money into game development.
@@HonkeyKongLiveYep, parents weren't going to buy their kid a 3DO when there were other options, with more games to choose from, at a fraction of the price. I had many arguments about this with my parents because I wanted the superior hardware in the 3DO. But then 3DFX released the original Voodoo a few years later and changed PC gaming forever. I've been primarily a PC gamer ever since.
Outsourcing your components (buying the cheapest possible stuff from China like Valve does) DECREASES the price, not increasing it.
And mustn't forget the Pippin
@Coecoo oh no, they didn't outsource components.
They outsourced system production to other companies.
But, the thing is, game consoles are expensive to make. They historically sell at a loss and the company makes the profits in the games.
However, in the 3DO's case that wouldn't work. The 3DO company woulf see the profits on game sales, but the companies making the systems wouldn't. So they had to make *some* profit making the systems for 3DO.
And that's how it ended up with a $799 USD launch price.
One thing that we've missed here is the entire /reason/ for Valve to go for Linux and open platforms - why not just use Windows?
At the time the whole project was started, Microsoft was trying to push *everything* into the Windows Store. (See: S mode and related things from the time)
If this would have happened, you would end up with all software needing to be packaged for the new Store, and Steam would be redundant.
You would also likely lose a ton of older software that nobody would/could remaster into the new Store.
Valve going with SteamOS provided a backup plan, and something people could fall back on if Microsoft went ahead with their plans.
Once Microsoft backed off on this, Valve didn't have to push as hard or worry so much, so it fell on the back burner for a while.
As far as research goes, Windows 8 was one of the reasons Gabe Newell pushed more for Linux as a gaming platform. (Gabe even went as far as calling Windows 8 a "catastrophe".) That was essentially the catalyst for what would result in Steam for Linux, the Steam Machines, and later the Steam Deck.
Also, despite Steam being a near monopoly, Valve still wants to keep PC software open. They could easily limit Proton for Steam only, lock down Steam Deck or any other thing that big tech companies do to limit consumer choice, but they contribute to open source projects and made the Deck a fully functional PC.
WHA?! You mean, companies competing in a free and open market led to a market pressure for those companies to invest in making better offerings to secure their own future which benefitted everyone?! Nah, fake news, your just a lying capitalist pig trying to gaslight us and enable predatory natural monopolies. (Y'know, like MySpace! That company that started the same year as valve and still to this day holds complete social dominance despite offering less value compared to their competitors?)
Nah, what we need is to regulate Microsoft to stop them from ever trying to do somethung that predatory! Then, Valve would have complete, state-backed, taxpayer-funded confidence in Windows as a platform and would've never had to invest in improving linux gaming. And, uh, that would be better for users because... huh... uh, because... something something consumer protection?
"1...2...C..."
Because Valve can't count to 3! Well done, Ken!
Half-life 2 confirmed! Oh wait...
half life C
oh yeah, uploaded right in time for my lunch, I didn't even need to waste 10 minutes in youtube finding something to watch
This is now one of the very few channels I instantly click a video for. It's one of my favorite channels now.
I love it when that happens 😂
Me too
Valve has done a lot to make Linux gaming much more feasible than it was in the past. The steam deck being a success ensures these efforts will continue. While there's certainly things to criticize about Valve that effort is greatly appreciated.
Also I did quite like the steam controller back in the day, the bottom paddles were awesome and way better than the ones on the xbox elite controller.
Indeed, my current gaming PC is a no-brand box I put together myself in early 2020,* running Manjaro Linux (which is also based on Arch). Proton has been excellent in getting all my Windows Steam games running, as have other people's reports and settings suggestions on ProtonDB. And even Wine by itself (_without_ Steam) has worked well; I've played old Windows 3.x games** that won't run at all on Windows 7 or 10 or 11!
And of course, there are some good Linux-native games too, both on and off of Steam. As well as DOSBox for my old DOS games.
* right as Windows 7 support was ending.
** like JezzBall and Rodent's Revenge, from an old copy of a "best of the Windows Entertainment Pack" that I think came bundled in a box of Verbatim floppy disks around 1994.
7:18 BRINGUS MENTIONED
BRINGLE
Bringle springle
BINGUS SRUDIOS
That was very gaming of Ken to do.
It's interesting how essentially, the Steam Deck is to the Steam Machine as the Switch is to the Wii U. "Our console is failing. Make it portable!" _Instant success._
I think the biggest reason Steam Deck succeeded is that Valve fixed the major lack of games. Their first go at Linux-based Steam Machines they only supported native Linux games, of which there were relatively few. Even back at the time, you could play way more games on Linux by installing the Windows version of Steam in Wine, but Valve didn't officially support this. Between the failure of the Steam Machines and the release of the Steam Deck, they officially integrated Wine into Steam as Proton, and in doing so immediately opened up the vast majority of the remaining unsupported games. They also decided to do the Deck in house and build it around a single specification as you would a traditional console, and making it handheld was a perfect move as it made it appealing to existing PC gamers as well as newcomers. They did everything right with the Deck and I love it.
@@CalcProgrammer1People would also be more forgiving when a product is portable. The Steam Deck still can't run 100% of Steam games because of the Linux OS, but people shrug it off because well, can you play with your PC on the train?
While a Steam Machine was basically just a PC. It has all the expectations people have to a PC.
Even if Valve launched Steam Machines today, people will surely complain when it can't play 100% of Steam games because of the Linux OS.
@@CalcProgrammer1 GloriousEggroll and company is ensuring the efforts do not go to waste _even if_ Valve goes belly-up with Open Wine Components and everything that makes up Valve's pressure-vessel suite (Runtimes, Proton, DXVK etc.) having an open-source alternative so if you don't want to use Steam, you don't _have_ to for the same convenience.
Helps that the software on both the Wii U and Steam Machines were crap, while the Steam Deck and Switch UI are so successful they're being shamelessly copied.
@@davidsentanu7836the only stuff that doesn't work on Linux nowadays is DRM and anticheat crap.
Other than that proton is pretty awesome
Honestly I would _love_ for valve to come out with a steam controller 2 with the same buttons as the deck. they have the best controller on the market for playing PC games, becaue it was made for it.
I second this
I would rather it be a bit closer to the original
Totally agree. Gyro, dual analog, dual touchpads, the works. I'd dump the Xbox pad in a heartbeat. The original Steam Controller was actually quite good but it took a heck of a lot of practice to get even remotely comfortable with it. Not many people bothered. Which is sad. How many other gamepads could you play not only FPSs but also Zork with?!
@ScottDuensing dual analog WITH a dual mode click at the end of the travel! I disagree with the practice part personally, didnt take too long for me. Especially if youve used a laptop before.
I remember when I first baught HL2 at WalMart. Got home, opened the DVD case and all was inside; a DVD to install steam and a code to redeem HL2. I didn't have broadband internet. I ended up having to take my computer to my friend's home and connect to his internet.
To this day, I proudly wear my 20 years in service badge.
I thought that was insane the first time I heard of game boxes not actually housing a functional copy of the game in it.
The DVD also had the game on disc. It wasn't just Steam.
I knew about Steam when it came out and (like many gamers at the time) I thought it was dumb. I didn't want to "download" my games. Eventually, they finally got me with The Orange Box, and I haven't looked back.
Well that was such a scam....
@@claudioramirez84 How was it a scam?
Oh cool! I work at Free Geek Twin Cities and I oversaw the troubleshooting/testing of this very prototype model (it was sent to us before we sent it to Linus)! Ken isn't joking when he comments on how heavy that thing is. Glad to see it make an appearance again.
How have I never heard of Free Geek before!? I'll definitely have to make a visit.
@thumbsarehandy. I assume it's run by the same organization, but linus tech tips has a video on Free Geek Vancouver.
Better here with Ken than with LTT
Thanks for having me involved in the research! The Steam Machines were...interesting to say the least.
And I don't even have time to mention the Smach Z, the first attempt at a Steam Machine handheld.
Anyways, good episode as always!
Ah, the Smach Z and all their shenanigans...
Even the name Smach Z was short for Steam MACHine Z
That came from LTT?
Wonder how many times it's been dropped and broken.
That'd explain the hard drive, plus the wonky alignment of the USB3 ports on the front...
Never thought I'd see a Computer Clan-LTT line of communication
LTT? Not familiar.. Must be new.
Good to see Ken supporting smaller creators
The Steam deck is essentially a Steam machine, with a battery. Much like how a switch has a lower resolution display, it can be docked, and played in 1080p.
Looking forward to seeing what Valve puts out next, and hope they never become a public company.
I signed up for the Steam Hardware Beta Candidate back in the day and ended up pre-ordering the Steam controller later. I still proudly display the badge on my Steam account to this day!
It’s a funny coincidence that you put this video out today because just last week I finally fulfilled my teenage dream of owning a Steam Machine.
While all my friends are enjoying their modern Steam Decks I can enjoy my (vintage??) Steam Machine 😎
PS. Because I used to be a Mac user, supposedly the Steam controller launch for macOS was broken so Valve gave us all the Valve Game Collection forever. So I never have to pre-order another Valve title again!
Edit: yes by never having to pre-order again I do mean I don’t have to purchase future games.
Even the future games? Wow 🤯
@@Sour_Dani future games? Otherwise its a bad deal as it costs nothing on sale
@@sgasyes
Bringus,ltt,computer clan in one video??? Awsome!
32:55 - *THE OFFICIAL HALF LIFE 3 RELEASE DAY* !!! 😎
HL3?? Gabe Newell said they had switched to the episode format so "no one has to wait six years for a sequel again"!
He also promised a 9..12 month release cycle, IIRC.
Yes, we sadly missed the HL3 launch, decades ago already, and no one noticed!
Half Life XVII probably coming out next month, if my math is correct.
The hardware didn't suck, it was the software before proton when they still used native linux ports, and there weren't many of them.
But even if Proton had been a thing... would you still have bought one? If you already had a PC, what's the incentive? There was no benefit to buying a new PC. Even if you wanted to use SteamOS - just download it.
@@kuhpunkt yeah there was no incentive to buy a steam machine if it was just a PC running an OS.
@@kuhpunktValve was trying to tap into the console market. It wasn't supposed to be solely for PC gamers.
@@oxoboo But it was still just a PC. For what they offered they were often just overpriced. You could buy a cheaper one and install SteamOS. You don't reach the console market with a PC for $3000 or whatever.
They might've had a better chance releasing a gaming PC for $300-400 with specific hardware. Steam Deck swept the handheld market with its low price
I love the Valve doesn’t count to three joke at 11:58
I glad I read this comment, i didn't notice that the first time I watched the video
I didn't notice that, thanks for pointing it out! I love Ken's attention to detail and humor😂
I like how Gabe went from looking 40 in 2010 to looking 60 in 2014. Going through something like that myself right now.
What is this a crossover episode? Bringus Studios and LTT collab at the same time, just pure awsome, keep it up 💚
I still have and use my Steam Controller to this day! Infact I was gaming with it straight through this video.
I bought FIVE of them at $5 each when Amazon sold off all the remaining stock, I literally have a lifetime supply of the best controller I've ever used.
28:42 And all the lessons they learned from scanning the GPD Win line of handheld gaming computers.
Yeah, GPD was really the first one to the portable gaming centric computer line.
Back when the Smach Z was being promised and forever delayed and full of scandal, GPD came in with the little GPD Win laptop with game gontrollers integrated, which proved to be very popular and they quickly came out with a 2nd, and they are still going...
From Vancouver, to Seattle, to Chicago. Man this cross-over was awesome!
I remember it all, I remember looking at the Steam Machines, as I was someone who always built his own PC (unless the deal was incredible), I saw the value for the 3rd party machine and could not justify it. Linux played some games but, not even close to Windows. I ended up just building a new PC at the time with Windows and moved on.
On the SteamDeck release, other options for "fairly powerful handheld game system" were like $800+ and the Deck came out around $400, a smoking deal. I waited exactly 1 year and 1 day to get my Deck. Now, it's got a 2tb drive, dual booting with Windows so I can play GamePass and games that SteamOS can't play.....
Still a worthy value compared to other devices out there...
7:11 Batarong oh also Bringus Studios
There was just no incentive to buy one. Why should I? I already got a PC. If I wanted a Steam Machine, I just had to download/install SteamOS. The Steam Deck on the other hand... there were/are good reasons to get one. You can't just download it.
If it was one or two different versions, I think it would be a different story, but the 3DO approach has the best of neither when it comes to PC vs Console...
One or Two variants though, devs could target it, shaders can be precompiled (like Elden Ring on steamdeck)... and it'd serve as a good entry point for people who get confused by PC specs... etc etc
but the way they did it has none of those benefits
and don't forget the Steam Link. that thing made more sense to have than the Machines. Valve should've just focused on the Steam Link in the first place to build controller support for most of the games while cooking up SteamOS with Proton simultaneously in the background for what would become the actual Steam Machine/Deck
I don't have a steam prototype but i have a PC that use exactly the same hardware. The sshdd died and the graphic card got upgraded but it use the same ram , the 4770k and the ASRock z87e-itx wifi motherboard. Man it is great stuff.
A PC is still not small & quiet enough for living room gaming. The Steam machine was aimed at console players.
@@happyspaceinvader508 You say "the Steam Machine" when there was no such thing. There were multiple Steam Machines with bigger cases. One of the Steam Machines had a Coolermaster Elite 110 case for example. I made my own with the same case. It's not exactly living room quiet.
Really well made video! Learning more about the Steam Machine story is honestly very interesting. It’s great to know that VALVe learnt from their shortcomings and didn’t decide to give up, instead turning to different hardware products which have been successful in the end.
Glad you give a bit of a spotlight and tribute snippet to Kitty0706. May he rest in peace. 🙏
Awesome video! I have 2 Steam Links and a controller. I used the Steam Link a bit, and it was nice to have a remote desktop option anywhere. The controller is the cheapest plasticy feeling thing I've ever held. It's been out of the box twice for about 5 minutes total.
I own both a steam link and a steam controller and I still use them to this day. I have my Steam Link hooked up to my dataprojector and even though I don't game on the big screen as much anymore, I still use it to stream other content and the controller is still my go to controller. Love it
the steam link is awesome
i got one when it was 95% down, and i got it for 5 Euros...
playing on it every other day on my TV on my couch
love it!
I was one of the few who probably only bought the Steam Controller. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. It was also my first mobile game hardware controller, thanks to the BT update.
I used mine until it broke. If they were still selling them I'd have bought another. I loved the virtual roller for camera control.
Came for the topic in my recommended stayed and subbed for the personality and humor
Hey Ken, small lapse in your research: The Steam Controllers were only discontinued due to SCUF suing Valve on a patent infringement for rear controller paddles, with the remaining stock being sold for $5 a piece. They were not intentionally discontinued, and may have been produced to this day had it not been for this.
This didn't come up in the initial research I did for Ken-just looking at the articles about it right now, they're were all published long after the controller was discontinued. If the lawsuit was the reason, then we didn't really hear about it until about a year after the controller was discontinued.
@@mr.anonymous9556 it wasnt discontinued because of that.
@@SavvySage Hello, thanks for the reply. Usually that's how it goes with things like this, but either way, might have been fit to mention, given the controller (and perhaps the Link) may have continued otherwise. I may be wrong though.
Steam Controller is one of the greatest controllers of all time.
I will die on this hill!
It still makes me want to sell my Dualshock 4 & buy a Steam Controller
I agree, it can do so much, takes time to customize though and with some games it works annoying. But I still love it
Seeing Snow Leopard running on that Mac on the background is making me so badly wanna install it on an older iMac and make it my daily driver again... if it wasn't for the browser situation I'd still be using it.
Stinks how browser compatibility always keeps us from using our favorite old OSs. The internet moves so rapidly.
When win98 was out I remember going online with my old Win 3.1 computer and browser compatibility was even a thing back then, there were no 16 bit browsers past IE5 or 5.5, so modern websites didn't work so well, or you missed out on features.
Artic fox 🦊 a community fork of Firefox still supports 10.6
@@kjriwoutube I did try Arctic Fox a couple years back but even so everything was either slow or didn't recognize it as a modern browser forcing mobile and lightweight versions of sites to load.
The Steam machines failed so that the Steam Deck could succeed.
Amazing job as always, Ken! I appreciate your effort to create all these high quality vids!
Nice one Ken, almost 500,000 subs. Any day now
You should auction that unit for charity !
Thank you for mentioning the steam controller. Its an incredible piece of gaming tech and desperately needs a sequel for how unique it is. It has a whole community built around it, no other controller has the accessibility or features of it. You should maybe have mentioned that more and the linear motor haptics that allowed for great touchpad feedback
It deserves the whole video tbh.
Valve partnered with Hori to make Controller 2, but it's not the same.
For the 3-rd iteration they probably should try to copy layout of Deck (with all trackpads, d-pad, ABXY, sticks and back buttons), but without the screen. I dunno how to make it look good tho, but it will hardly matter with all the functions.
@UselessZero Without the touchpads, its not even close and should not be treated as a successor. Id also happily give up a second joystick
Good video man, just came across your channel, been following tech channels for years! got a new sub
Good on Ken to promote those scrappy young new UA-camrs like Linus Tech Tips.
Your story about the end of life of the Steam Link and Steam Controller has glaring omissions.
They didn't "quietly delist" or just "run out of stock" - for both of these, they reduced the price of each to $5 during a regular Steam sale. I picked up 2 Steam Links, and tried to buy a Steam Controller, but had an address issue and they refunded it after it was already sold out.
One thing that puzzles me - why did Steam do such a shoddy job of their chat client and streaming system. This left the field wide open for Discord in particular to take and own a major part of the game community streaming / voip industry. Discord now produces a significantly better social / gaming communications app and platform. Steam's management just doesn't seem to care - perhaps it's because of the way Steam is managed internally - it certainly has something to do with that. The cracks are showing - hundreds of thousands of Steam users and gamers have complained over the past couple of years but it seems our complaints just fell of deaf ears.
It's not part of their business model, it doesn't benefit them
@mattymattffs - it is a critical part of their business model. The massive number of complaints from Steam users clearly illustrates this.
It is self-evident that online gaming is a social sport - in-game, forums, community communications, sharing, and related interaction is a critical and integrated part of that process. If Steam didn't believe it was part of its core business model it wouldn't have launched and continued to develop chat, voice clients, and streaming technology for all of the main OS platforms. The issue is they've just done it so badly.
@@RickOShay nothing is bad about the way steam did it, discord has annoying monetization which steam does not
@sgas
Have you used both of these apps? Discord is completely free to use - you are not forced to upgrade. I'm not a big fan of Discord but it's superior in several areas.
The app is faster to load and generally feels more responsive, it has superior VoIP and screen-sharing technology.
The chat client allows you to edit and delete messages, share images, videos, and lengthy code as well as create channels/rooms, etc. It's not perfect by any means but it is superior to Steam's slow technicality and feature-limited apps.
@RickOShay The ads are annoying regardless. I have had no issues with responsiveness in steam chat which requires no alt tabbing with full screen games. Superior voip and screen sharing? They dont have better audio quality and steam broadcasting exists with less resolution limits than discord. Steam chat does all of the things you mentioned. Code, images, videos, channels and rooms. Nothing about it is slow or limited. It works just fine.
discord is very much something people are forced to use when theyd rather not.
I was so excited to get a Steam Machine. I work on my computer all day in my office, so I like to game in the living room, but I want the variety of steam games, indies in particular. By the time I decided to make the plunge, they were already moving on from Steam OS. I got an Alienware Alpha, the Windows version of the Alienware device you talked about.
The best part was that I could just stick it in my media cabinet and it fit right in and didn’t take up any room. I used it for four years, and it played most games well, as long as I learned how to adjust the settings for more intensive games.
I loved the Steam Controller. It let me play all sorts of games designed for keyboard and mouse. It took some getting used to, and it was really difficult to play games where you needed to input intricate button combos and directions, but overall I really enjoyed it.
I’m glad that I was a part of it. The only reason I moved on is that it became outdated, but I still have it. I’m sure I’ll turn it back on at some point and have some fun.
I really relate to this. The Steam Deck is nice, but it just isn't the same.
@@HexGramaryeagreed. And my late-40s eyes have a hard time with a screen that small.
The countersunk hole being the unit production number is so damn cool
It makes sense too. I can totally see that being done on the prototypes. Cool touch
He has the most adorable baby face on the internet.
Bless this man
Probably the price was the major reason and the 2nd reason is the competition with ps and xbox.
BEST ending to a video EVER 11/10 you nailed that Ken ! What a great video
did anyone else saw "this computer sucks" sticker
I think market confusion was by far the biggest issue. I've spoken with a few people about the steam machines thing when it was relevant, and a ton of them had no clue what it actually was. Was it a single product? Was it a brand?
And the Steam Link was genuinely great to play most games on the TV, especially if you were already an enthusiast with a powerful PC, but wanted to play some games in a relaxed way on the couch.
6:48 oh wow it's modular? You mean like... Almost every single PC out there? CRAZY! NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.
Computer Clan, Linus, and Bringus? Daaaaaaaamn.
I remember the "Pandora Steam Machine" that was an italian Steam Box, unlike Valve's official ones it was running on Windows despite having an Xbox like UI.
It was launched in early 2015.
3 shows up quite a lot for a company that can’t count to 3 lol
What a great video! I lived through this all and had some of the dates messed up in my head, but it's so nice to see it all laid out like this. o7
Valve sure is lucky the Steam Deck took off, especially after their first failure.
first three hardware failures tbh, the steam machine, steam link, and steam controller all failed mass market appeal. as much as i like the steam controller, asking people to relearn how to use a controller just to play keyboard and mouse games better than a controller could but worse than kbm was a big ask.
It only made sense that it took off because of how crappy the Nintendo Switch has become and on the other hand the optimization was a big selling point.
@@sakurojason optimization is HUGE selling point. steam deck's 1% lows in framerate are incredibly good, almost no drop. all the other handheld pcs drop to sub 20 fps in 1% lows, which is noticable in judder/ frame time spikes.
a handheld console capable of PC level gaming is several times more exciting and desirable than a console capable of pc gaming.
considering the immense popularity of the Switch, I don't think it's fair to say they were "lucky." they have superb market analysis and skilled engineering, as well as growing and faithful userbase.
Great video! I have one of the 'beta' Steam Machines actually still! Was fun to play with back when I got it. It had it's issues to be sure, but still a solid machine at the time.
1:29 Pretty cool. It's similarly as mod-oriented as Doom and Quake were.
I remember about the Steam Machines 10 years back when they released it. It's funny to see how it was a thing only to not hear much off it after it came out.
I think the missing point in the video is why valve is so keen on pushing Linux as a gaming environment. Valve got worried with Windows 8+ store push that may compete directly with Steam as a gaming platform, perhaps IE style, making them start to experiment with Linux for their own games which resulted in incredible performance lead (their games were one of the most well made ports on Linux).
That's a bit of a reason, but I don't think it's the big one. They just want independence and being able to control their own hardware. Can't do that with Windows.
@@kuhpunkt I actually think that this is a huge reason. Microsoft at the time stated that Windows 8 might pivot to only allowing software to be installed via the Windows Store. This basically would have killed Steam right there. So as some kind of show of force they brought out Steam OS and the Steam machines. Sure we regard that as a failure now, but this one company pushed gaming on Linux so hard that not just a few games were available, but a whopping 20%. Microsoft at some point threw out their store install only idea, who can really say why. That problem averted, at least temporarily, made Valve put the whole thing on a slow boil.
All in all you can see all this as 3 failures and 1 success but imo far more likely these were all more or less calculated steps (and losses) at detaching their business from the whims of another company. Not even 10 years later Linux gaming is in a state nobody would have even dared to dream about back when the steam machines started out.
Another things, back during that time, which was still a bit of an issue for Steam games, was the vast majority had UI and Text that was meant for the computer, with no selectable method of fixing it so it is more readable on the TV. One of the prime immediate changes, usually done on console ports, is fixes to the UI and text so it is clear and legible on a TV screen that you are meant to sit back away from.
Small form PCs (which I had) were made often with the idea that (like a console) you can take advantage of playing on a TV, but that notion got killed quickly, with much of the library, when the stuff was barely legible when you are sitting back from a 40/50+ inch TV.
Steam Deck still at least warns you about games that need UI/Textr fixes to play better on TV output or the SteamDeck screen. But it also made a lot of people go back to fix, or new developers be more cognizant with TV-friendly UI and Text, in newer games. (Some still slip through the cracks, but the changes were happening). All in all, I think we're in a pretty good place now.
The Valve episode!!!
It always makes my day when you release a new video, Krazy Ken!
And I loved the Ai art joke, that shit is everywhere and people think it's real😂
I still have 2 steam controller, and a steam link. The funny part that one my steam controller someone rob it from my door step, and valve refund it to me with out any problem, then I got another one.
Those X enclosures and stacking ability are adorable. I've always hankered for one, but in the UK they are *silly* prices for something I'd want to discard the innards from.
I bet you could make quite a competent little machine these days just using the case.
the steam machine crawled so the steamdeck could walk and dominate the handheld space.
yea but the hardware was never the issue. The idea sucked because the software wasn't ready. they didn't have proton back then.
Except the Switch still dominates lol
@@SetariM switch doesn't dominate anything... even a current mobile phone is more powerfull and a steamdeck can even emulate switch games.
@@iHazMuffinz Yeah, but look at game sales on Switch, as well as the yearly hardware sales median. Also try comparing both in the markets both sell in, within the launch year of the Steam Deck.
@@fujinshu i am sorry to tell you but you cannot compare game sales. why? well... steamdeck can run pc games from steam,GoG, Epic games and it can even run older pc games from DOS to windows 95/98. also it can emulate any older console and it can even emulate switch games.
meanwhile... the switch can run switch games.. badly with poor performance...
I love my SteamDeck. In fact, I use it as a computer in my truck, and watched this using it! Got mine Q3 of release. I got the lowest tier, but once I got it, fiddled with it for a week, and bought a 1 TB drive to swap. Just a month ago I bought the dock so I can easily connect it to the TV in my truck, or when I get a hotel. I always wanted a Steam Machine.
The first PC I bought completely on my own was an Alienware Alpha steam machine. I spent like $300 and it was the best investment I ever made. It opened up so much of the world to me to have my own computer to use how I wanted.
I've been enjoying having a Gaming HTPC in my living rooms over the years since 2006. All running Linux.
And I still love using my Steam Controllers on whatever I can (impatiently waiting for a new version, if ever.)
The steam link is still the best implementation of video over network that I've ever seen. It works so well that I still have my steam link and still use it to connect my devices to my television even if it's just for streaming TV
Lol, what's a computer desk? I used to use a recliner and HDTV. Now I use a nice 4K HDTV and it sits in front of my bed - I can lay in bed (with pillows etc, very comfortable) and have a keyboard in my lap, or off the the side, and a mousepad on a large book. That's my setup - and it's glorious.
Cool.
I honestly thought this was a scrapped product. You have no idea how difficult it was to find one of these in stores, and I'm 10 minutes away from the OG microcenter!
As a person who has owned all of these products, I can agree the steam machine itself didn't have much value in it but even knowing that I fully supported the effort as I longed for an option outside of windows for PC gaming, and I'm glad it did eventually flourish into the steam deck. I did sell my steam machine, but luckily I still own my steam link, steam controller, and steam deck. Kinda wish I'd kept the steam machine for my collection but as you mentioned in the video, the steam link was just the better option of the two, especially if you already owned a nice PC. At the time I sold it, not only did I need the money, I just didn't think of it as something to collect yet.
I remember when the steam link was being discontinued. I don't remember the exact details, but I got a free steam link when I bought something else on steam, as long as I was willing to pay for delivery.
So I did.
I've only really used it to try it out, but I've never truly used it.
You knocked it out of the park with this one, Ken!
I luv stories with a happy ending!
I didn’t know Steam had a checkered past.
Great video as usual
21:21 hahaha thanks for the cookie! Your humongously swollen head lives!
thank you for time stamps, really would have had to wait 23 min to get to what i wanted to actually hear about
This video was nice timing. Aside from 'grey imports' in Australia. It only took them 2 years to finally bring the Steam Deck here with it's official releases next week (19th Nov).
I must say it's nice to see Linus tech tips getting a shout out from one of the big players in the UA-cam tech space.
That joke at the very end was absolutely diabolical.
I have to add to the thousands of Linux users that owe so much to Valve's dedication to support the Linux OS. I now exclusively run Ubuntu on my desktop PC. Steam for Linux, together with the Proton compatibility layer, works beautifully for a large percentage of my library. a HUGE thanks to valve corporation for supporting Linux, and for continuing to actively develop Proton as of the date of this post 😎👍
I am the proud owner of a Steam Deck OLED. It's truly one of the biggest steps Valve took with their hardware, and this step forward also fostered a massive move to push games to run on Linux, even in the Compatibility Layer Proton. Every day I have thought about moving my own main computer to Linux because of how much Linux has evolved to being more usable by the day.
Steam Deck wasn't just a big step forward for Valve and portable gaming, it also was the massive step forward for Linux Gaming.
Worst part is I'm still waiting for the Steamdeck to be available in my region😂 What a great product they got in the end
Man I was so stoked for that hardware beta program and entered the contest as soon as I heard about it. Didn't win of course. I did however buy the steam link and later the controller; the link basically replaced my need for any dedicated PC in the living room so I think your call on that was dead on!
I bought two of those steam links and controllers some years back. It was a buy one get one sale on black friday i think. Looking back it was probably a clearance sale. I still have both sets. Only used one of the links a few times, and used a xbox controller with it instead of the steam controler.
NGL the drip feed of Steam Machine content post Steam Deck has been pretty fascinating. I only ever heard about the initial Steam Box announcement and then saw one preview in a Game Informer that showed three of prototypes from the CES show and then the whole shebang from my perspective went dark and, other than the occasional update about the Steam Controller, disappeared like a fart into the wind until the Steam Controller launched by which time I had forgotten entirely about Steam Machines.
I don't have a steam prototype but i have a PC that use exactly the same hardware. The sshdd died and the graphic card got upgraded but it use the same ram , the 4770k and the ASRock z87e-itx wifi motherboard. Man it is great stuff.
I love my steam machine still (the AW model at 18:00 ), i did get it second hand & had to tinker with it to get it working but its so nice for co-op games or just as a portable work PC, Even the steam controller is nice with practice (tho the default haptics make it sound like its breaking apart, after drivers are installed its way better) Shame it never took off, Atleast the deck & index did well.
Great coverage man,( & glad this tiny obscure channel "Lioness Tip Toe" could help you out with this one)
I still own and use the steam link. It's a great little device. The fact it's still work in 2024 and I was able to get support for the controller in amazing.
The steam machine was my first gaming computer and made it possible for me to Play more demanding games and helped me get further involved in PC gaming
Amazing video and we all love the shape of your head ❤
I have spent the last couple weeks playing HL2 (smod 40aq). This November 16th marks 20 years since valve released it. ❤
Its a blast!