210°

Valve Praises Switch: "It's Just A Great Product From Nintendo"

The relationship between Valve and Nintendo concerning their portable consoles—Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch— seems to be quite synergistic.

_SilverHawk_167d ago

Well that's good to say because steam deck is the best handheld gaming console ever made especially now with the oled version available.

Phlacky167d ago

Its not a console, it's a handheld gaming PC.

Elda166d ago

The Steam Deck is also a gaming console, most handheld gaming devices are gaming consoles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Phlacky166d ago

A console is a closed system a PC is an open system.

WolfSeed166d ago

So that means Nintendo has no console?

Barlos166d ago

Yes, but it's aiming for the usability and convenience of a console. Come on now let's not split hairs.

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166d ago
andy85166d ago

It's not even the best of its portable PC type, that would go to the Legion GO, nevermind every handheld ever.

Barlos166d ago

There's a lot more here than raw power though

andy85166d ago

Not just about power. It has detachable controllers and that's a massive plus.

Barlos166d ago

That OLED edition. I have the 512gb model steam deck but honestly as soon as I can afford it I'll definitely be getting myself an OLED model too. I agree that the Deck is definitely up there as one of the best handhelds ever.

The only thing I'm apprehensive about is that I buy an OLED deck and then 12 months later Valve launch the deck 2.

mrcatastropheAF166d ago (Edited 166d ago )

Debatable. Under 10W sure, but once you go above 10W there is better performance to be had via competitors.

90hz display on the OLED is the most welcome improvement, but no VRR is still a bummer.

Holding out for the next iteration of the Steamdeck -- that will be the one to get .

With Windows now targeting the handheld PC segment for Windows development, Valve's OS advantage will likely shrink in the coming years

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 166d ago
Number1TailzFan166d ago

Ugh why do I get the feeling Valve are not going to target higher end systems anymore with their games. 2004's Half Life 2 while demanding, wasn't quite as heavy as say Crysis. In comparison Source 2's HL Alyx was nowhere near as demanding.

Not saying I want anything that runs like crap on good systems, just wish they pumped up the visuals a bit. It could just be because they were so late releasing stuff on the engine, it looked very pleasing in 2014 with the leaks.. I mean it still kind of does, just not as much. Hopefully Source 2 has more to give.. But it looks like they wanna target lower end stuff with focus on the Deck now.

Profchaos166d ago

From my recollection in 2004 hl2 was pushing systems quite hard.
The growth in graphics cards and CPUs between 2004 and 2006 was huge comparing hl2 to crysis is a little unfair as even if it was only two years the tech jump was staggering.
Crysis was also a system destroyer on launch was rigs built for it only playing it on medium to high settings I don't recall playing it maximum settings until 2010. Even crytek backed way off and with crysis 2 on launch the most mid level systems were pushing max settings.

But as for value they have indicated they are putting more resources back into game dev but I think they will be trying to make highly scalable games they know the market spread better than anyone they don't want to put out games that 80 percent of players can't play or steam decks can't run they would be seen as not supporting their own hardware.

I can see them making games that support the deck on low settings at 30 but scaling up from there.

Number1TailzFan166d ago

Yeah HL2 did push systems fairly hard but as far as I remember it wasn't as hard as Crysis was with the frame rate drops. It's never a good idea to think that you can buy a high end GPU and CPU and shove every setting on maximum anyway, if you do that you can get much worse performance than with slightly lower,
but still way above console level settings & performance. See Alan Wake 2 DF comparison for example where a 3080 was giving 2x more frame rate than PS5 at equivalent settings.

GotGame818166d ago

Mario Wonder blows 99% of games out of the water! Amazing!

FinalFantasyFanatic166d ago

Nintendo has a lot of fantastic games, they're killing it this gen.

Profchaos166d ago

Wonder is so much fun I'm loving it on world 4 right now playing it at a relaxed pace cause it'll be another decade before we get a 2d sequel.

Nintendo just make magic on what everyone else calls weak hardware

Games1st166d ago

It's Just A Great Product From Valve.

Barlos166d ago

I've had 2 Switches - although I did end up selling them both. I'll give credit where it's due, although the selection of games on the Switch wasn't for me on the whole, there can be no denying how good the hardware is. Without it the handheld PC market might not have taken off in the way that it has.

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190°

Steam’s Refund Policy Change Won’t Affect You Unless You’re A Lowlife

Steam is changing its refund policy, but you probably won’t be affected

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
thorstein7h ago

Should have happened a long time ago. People wanting refunds after 50 hours in game.

fsfsxii3h ago

Pc gamers will take this as an excuse to pirate things

KyRo3h ago

I'm not sure why you're getting disgrees. Whilst not all PC gamers are petty, an awful lot of them are lol

Crows902h ago

Entirely untrue. Not any more petty than console gamers. The only large difference is console gamers don't have much of a choice.

qalpha3h ago

Daily reminder that 'TheGamer' is a corporate-generated, anti-gamer, anti-consumer, clickbait web site. They are mostly A.I. generated articles that villainize gamers. They provide nothing positive and actively try to provoke and divide the community through extreme view points and politics. Do not give them any clicks.

Inverno3h ago

Only scumbags? As if people don't play their games on console put in the most amount of hours and return it to GameStop and trade it in for another game. But also how many people are actually do this? And what games have been allowed to be refunded?

DustMan2h ago

You can refund any game you've purchased as long as it hasn't been longer than two weeks, and you've played less than 2 hours. I wish they would change it to 3 hours because some RPG's have so much exposition that you may only get an hour total of complete gameplay. That's my only knock on it. I've refunded plenty of stuff I was just curious to try. I typically stay away from Early Access titles which are the only ones affected by this policy change.

Inverno2h ago

Apparently early access doesn't count, only complete games with a play early preorder bonus.

Gaming4Life19813h ago

I definitely know if I want a refund in 2 hours.

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110°

Outriders Dev's Next Game Has Been Canceled After Publishing Agreement With Take-Two Fell Through

Outriders developer People Can Fly's next game has been canceled after its publishing agreement with Take-Two Interactive fell through.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
Tacoboto2d ago

"the capital group of PCF Group S.A."

If you're getting funding from a group that needs two different ways of Acronyming itself, things will not go the way you want them to.

banger881d 20h ago

If it was more online-only crap then good riddance.

jjb19811d 6h ago

Outriders was crap. They slapped that game together and threw in a loot system to get players' attention. This game was absolutely jank and the always online nonsense made it stutter like crazy. People Can't Optimize.

thorstein1d 5h ago

I liked Outriders but I could see where the artistic vision was compromised. The way the industry is now, it wouldn't surprise me that upper management would scrap something that didn't pull in money via gaas, mts, or other means.

290°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv721d 23h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle1d 10h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18811d 7h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio1d 7h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning771d 2h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga1d 10h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv7220h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

neutralgamer199215h ago

Darth

30% physical sales: yet Phil and xbox division are in a rush go give up on that 30%. they don't have any right to give up any piece of the pie since the control such a little of the pie to begin with

also, the market is clearly speaking that the model Xbox is pushing isn't working right now the keyword being right now. you are right about freedom to play anywhere so i hope they put their games on steam

shinoff21831d 9h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga1d 8h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan1d 4h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit20h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus231d 2h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv721d 2h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

Chevalier15h ago

@Darth

You should stop parroting metrics like an idiot without context.

"Xbox content and services revenue grew 62% in Q3 from a year earlier, “driven by 61 points of net impact” from the purchase of the third-party video game giant, Microsoft said."

61 of the 62% was from their merger so net increase is ONLY 1%

https://www.mesaonline.org/...

itsmebryan6h ago

@chevalier

It looks like made a great purchase. Much better then Sony buying Bungie. 😉
Cheers

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 6h ago
purple1011d 12h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos1d 12h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-1d 2h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac1d 11h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1011d 11h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic1d 9h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead1d 2h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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