Steam Deck is already causing a lot of excitement in the gaming community, giving players an affordable way to take their massive Steam library with them everywhere they go. However, if things went according to Gabe Newell's plans, Steam Deck wouldn’t be alone in the marketplace for very long – instead, he wants other PC manufacturers to jump into the action and create their own handheld gaming systems.
It might seem odd to ask for competing products to join the market, but Newell points out that more competition in the market could drive more demand. As exciting new products become available, handheld PCs could potentially break into the mainstream – leading to long-term growth and sales for Steam Deck.
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"Our view is, if we're doing this right, that we're going to be selling these in millions of units," Newell said. "And it's clearly going to be establishing a product category that ourselves and other PC manufacturers are going to be able to participate in. And that's going to have long-term benefits for us. So that's sort of the frame in which we're thinking about this."
While it might hurt to have competition in the short-term, over the course of years it'll help establish a true "Handheld PC Gaming" community that's always looking for the next big launch. And if Valve plays its cards right, it could be the standout product in the category. Competitively priced and with tons of flexibility in terms of installed OS, it's going to be a hard one to beat.
Tim Sweeney of Epic Games recently praised Steam Deck for its flexibility in terms of available storefronts and access to markets beyond Steam, but said his company likely won't be joining the handheld PC frenzy. A few alternatives are currently available on the market – but they carry price tags nearly twice that of Steam Deck.
For now, we'll have to wait and see how Valve's foray into mobile gaming plays out. If things go well, maybe other companies will jump on the bandwagon.
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