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The Steam Deck's budget price tag is the reason I still rate it nearly two years on
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this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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Author can't seem to understand that Valve's the only company that can properly do the console-style "subsidize hardware cost based on the cut you'll get from selling the games" method in the PC space. Asus, Lenovo, Ayaneo - they don't have the luxury of maybe taking a bit of a haircut on the hardware and then more than making it up on the back end via software sales. They only get paid for the initial sale and then they're done, so their devices are going to have to be more expensive.
If they were to cooperate with valve and/or epic they could pull it off to some degree. Basically a fixed return from valve/epic per unit sold.
The big question with that plan, though, is what's in it for Valve/Epic? Valve has no incentive to let anyone else in on their cut, and Epic's is so low already there wouldn't be any room to let anyone else in on it with them.
I suppose Epic could try to get a deal in place where EGS is installed as the default store on the Ally or Legion, but it's not like anyone's going to just stick with the default - first thing anyone will do is just install Steam, and everyone knows it. I don't see a way for a deal like that to make sense for Epic to even bother with.
What's in it for valve? More games sold. They don't seem to mind steam keys being sold on aggressive sales through other platforms. Partnering with another hardware manufacturer for a revenue share doesn't seem like an extreme stretch. Unlikely? Sure. Impossible? No.
I disagree on Valve being the only company. I don't think your traditional PC hardware companies could pull it off, however I think a company that has an successful enough online store could do it. Microsoft could do it If they wanted to. They might already be in that path as the Xbox becomes more PC like. It wouldn't surprise me if there was an option to buy Windows for the Xbox.
Also depending on your definition of PC, love them or hate them but Apple potentially could do something like that. However I would be very surprised as Apple isn't in the business if subsided cost on hardware lol.
Epic or Amazon also come to mind.
Fair points, yes, but I was speaking within the context of companies that are actually producing handheld PCs. None of the other potentially capable companies you've mentioned have shown any indication that they care to enter the space.