Steam Deck - SteamOS, Zen2 4C/8T, RDNA2 1.0-1.6 TF, 16 GB LPDDR5 88 GB/s, starting at $399 [2021-12]

[eastmen]

Well yes from the consumer perspective that's beneficial, but from the business side up selling on storage and memory is where the margins are at. How many laptops, tablets, etc. don't carry huge premiums for higher storage?

The $400 model is both there to have a low starting price to market while also giving everyone enough pause to want to pay the premium for the higher ones.

Would anyone pay how much they're charging for the higher storage if the that $400 no drive SKU was available? I really only want to pay the base price, but usability concerns scare me away from it.

I think valve would have the opportunity to do both.

You and I might buy the unit for $400 and add a ssd. However we could be out numbered by people who aren't willing to do such a thing and would pay for the convince of having it all working out of box by as much as 10 to 1

Also to me I'd just as rather spend $500 and be able to put my own ssd in there vs $530 for a 256 gig ssd. So would they actually be loosing out on the upsell for me ? I didn't reserve a 512 because i will just deal with a portable ssd.

 

[eastmen]

The 512gig is now Q2 2022 while the others are Q1 2022

Actually I logged out and its showing both the 256 and 512 as Q2 while the 64gig is Q1 . They were all originally December 2021. So it seems like they are selling fairly well. Of course its hard to know because we don't know what the production amounts are


Also Digital foundry weighs in on the specs

 

[orangpelupa]

Think he missed, unless I misheard, that the dock doesn't connect through the base. There's a cable that plugs into the top USB C.

Can't you just plug the dock while the deck is upside down?

 

[orangpelupa]

At this dimensions its hard to called it portable handheld, its more for playing laying on coach etc

Also quite heavy. Even og Switch is already too heavy for prolonged play

 

[eastmen]

Also quite heavy. Even og Switch is already too heavy for prolonged play

my hands give out on my switch due to the ergonomics of the joycons so I don't know if this wil lbe better or worse.

 

[arandomguy]

They changed the specification page with regards to the storage. There's a new line -

All models use socketed 2230 m.2 modules (not intended for end-user replacement)

Will be interesting to know how that is in practice.

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech

If it's somewhat plausible to slot in your own and the interface speed is still PCie x4 for all 3 options than it'd actually suck for the 256GB version. At least the 512GB still has the etched glass going for it.

Might be some order shifting once details emerge.

I think valve would have the opportunity to do both.

You and I might buy the unit for $400 and add a ssd. However we could be out numbered by people who aren't willing to do such a thing and would pay for the convince of having it all working out of box by as much as 10 to 1

Also to me I'd just as rather spend $500 and be able to put my own ssd in there vs $530 for a 256 gig ssd. So would they actually be loosing out on the upsell for me ? I didn't reserve a 512 because i will just deal with a portable ssd.

If you're saying raising the base no SSD version to $500 that causes the problem of them no longer having a $400 starting price. The up sell is convincing those to go from $400 to $530 or higher currently. Which judging by the rumored numbers seems heavily in favour of the 512GB SKU currently.

I actually dislike the 256GB SKU even though it's the one I have reserved (although not actually decided yet on getting one ultimately) just because of usability concerns not just of the small 64GB storage size but that it's eMMC. It's actually the worst in terms of what you get. The 512GB you also get some other extras like the glass screen. If the new information regarding storage leads anywhere it'd make it even worse.

 

[arandomguy]

View attachment 5706

The 512gig is now Q2 2022 while the others are Q1 2022

Actually I logged out and its showing both the 256 and 512 as Q2 while the 64gig is Q1 . They were all originally December 2021. So it seems like they are selling fairly well. Of course its hard to know because we don't know what the production amounts are

Their API was apparently exposing where you were in the reservation queue for roughly the first hour or so.

I think for NA it was up to around 55k for the 512GB and 25?30k? range for the 256GB. Don't remember for the 64GB one. Most of which was all very early, I think the 512GB was already at 40k or so before 10 minutes and plateaued in the 50k range after 30 or so. EU was quite lower I think at under 10k for the 512GB (most popular for all regions).

People have made posts/etc. about it though so you can find the numbers for multiple regions likely via google.

 

[eastmen]

They changed the specification page with regards to the storage. There's a new line -

View attachment 5708



Will be interesting to know how that is in practice.

https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech

If it's somewhat plausible to slot in your own and the interface speed is still PCie x4 for all 3 options than it'd actually suck for the 256GB version. At least the 512GB still has the etched glass going for it.

Might be some order shifting once details emerge.



If you're saying raising the base no SSD version to $500 that causes the problem of them no longer having a $400 starting price. The up sell is convincing those to go from $400 to $530 or higher currently. Which judging by the rumored numbers seems heavily in favour of the 512GB SKU currently.

I actually dislike the 256GB SKU even though it's the one I have reserved (although not actually decided yet on getting one ultimately) just because of usability concerns not just of the small 64GB storage size but that it's eMMC. It's actually the worst in terms of what you get. The 512GB you also get some other extras like the glass screen. If the new information regarding storage leads anywhere it'd make it even worse.

If its socketed and we can upgrade it then I'm glad I went 256 but sad that i didn't go 64 gig lol

I don't think the starting price of $400 was needed. I don't think a mom and dad going to the store to buy a switch oled is going to say oh lets get little jimmy this steam deck instead. I think $500 was still a fine entry point as its what $300 less than other similar devices.

As for what your saying. Yea if the 256gig is eMMC then that is a big yikes for me. I don't think valve will do that since they have the 256gig listed as faster and the 512 listed as fastest. I'm assuming the 512 has more chips and maybe more cache so its faster.

For me if it is switchable then I wouldn't mind going with the 256. I would pull it from the system and put that extra $120 towards a 1TB or maybe at the time 2TB (depending on prices) put the 256 in an external enclosure and it use it for more games or just as a data drive for my surface or something.

Their API was apparently exposing where you were in the reservation queue for roughly the first hour or so.

I think for NA it was up to around 55k for the 512GB and 25?30k? range for the 256GB. Don't remember for the 64GB one. Most of which was all very early, I think the 512GB was already at 40k or so before 10 minutes and plateaued in the 50k range after 30 or so. EU was quite lower I think at under 10k for the 512GB (most popular for all regions).

People have made posts/etc. about it though so you can find the numbers for multiple regions likely via google.

Yea I think https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021...mpse-of-steam-decks-initial-preorder-numbers/

it was the first 90 minutes and the 512gig was 71,600 ( 55k NA) 256 was 33,000 ( 28 NA) and they aren't clear on the 64gig but users report 10k for NA. So I am guessing they had around 110-115 thousand preorders easily in that first 90 minutes. But as of now the 64GB and 256 are Q2 and the 512gig is Q3 .

I think because of the long wait on the 512gig people will hedge their bets on the 64 and 256 and pre order and hope its found out in December that the drive is upgradable



I think a major thing is how valve handles this. They have data on the most popular games on their platform. They should be reaching out to them for patches that optimize settings for the deck and loading times for the microsd cards or they should be going through and doing it themselves. That way players can have as seamless of an experience as possible and still let people modify the games if they want.

I do wonder how 640p to 800p would look using amd's upscaling solution.

 

[eastmen]

https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/olsh4h

Looks like Gabe said its replaceable so I guess thats that

 

[hughJ]

The 2230 m.2 form factor really cuts down on the available drives to use. I think that's what's inside those Seagate XBox expansion carts? (n/m, was confusing it with the m.2 that's internal for XB) Certainly better than being soldered though.

 

[eastmen]

The 2230 m.2 form factor really cuts down on the available drives to use. I think that's what's inside those Seagate XBox expansion carts? (n/m, was confusing it with the m.2 that's internal for XB) Certainly better than being soldered though.

The surface line uses the M.2 2230 ssd format.

I guess the question is if anyone will rise to the challenge and put out a line of drives for the steam deck
https://dancharblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/upgrade-sl3-or-spx-to-1tb/

looks like you might want to just buy a usb external ssd and rip it apart to get what you want. Maybe black friday there will be good deals

 

[hughJ]

Maybe OEM/vendors like Dell that sell those types of parts directly to users will be enough to satisfy demand. I can't imagine there'd be enough people doing this to spur manufacturers to actually make new products for it. Even if I were buying one of these things, I wouldn't do this type of upgrade until sometime after the luster of the new toy had worn off, or perhaps even after the warranty has expired.

Granted with this just being a PC, there's no particular need for the storage to be internal. Just get some rubber bands and strap a USB3 external drive to it.

 

[MfA]

Are they going to have official steam tags to indicate compatibility?

I'd really like if Valve created a premium tag for linux games developed for Vulkan as the primary API (ie. not daft directx ports, they have to support Vulkan for windows too and it has to offer equivalent performance to DirectX if used unless the developer can prove a failing in Vulkan).

They can't afford to play nice with Microsoft anymore. Between Epic, gamepass and win32 on the store time is running out for Valve to have the muscle to force better Linux support.

I'd also like Valve to support virgil3d-Vulkan development, though that might scare off Google from continued support for it. If Google continues support it though it would open up Chromebook to Steam.

 

[MfA]

The Steam Machines were never actual Valve products and Valve went with a hands-off approach to them. Which in hindsight was a mistake because what system sellers did was to simply charge premiums over their existing platforms with a new paint job and no Windows license. They all thought of the opportunity as means to make a quick buck instead of trying to build a customer base out of the world's largest PC gaming platform. And Valve's reputation got hurt by it.

This was 100% predictable, hardware PC manufacturers don't have the correct financial incentives to support the software platform. What probably happened was cowardice, too cowardly to commit the resources to do it right (ie. like Google does it with Chromebooks) but at the same time too cowardly to just scrap it altogether. It was cowardly shipped to fail.

Valve seems to have found their balls now, but I still think the Chromebook model is worth copying too.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

I wish they'd been more honest with storage expandability from the start. In the first IGN interviews they very clearly stated the storage wasn't upgradable.

That said, those getting the eMMC model can upgrade to a 1TB drive for as little as 180€:

https://geizhals.de/kioxia-bg4-client-ssd-1tb-kbg40zns1t02-a2122660.html

In the end, there's the option between spending 420+180= 600€ for a 1TB NVMe + 64GB eMMC, or 680€ for a 512GB drive..

Unless there's some ungluing or some complicated process that makes the replacement risky to the hardware, I don't get why they initially said that storage wasn't replaceable.

 

[cheapchips]

Unless there's some ungluing or some complicated process that makes the replacement risky to the hardware, I don't get why they initially said that storage wasn't replaceable

Think you have to take off the heat shield and redo thermal paste etc. Probably ranks as "sure you can do it, but it's warranty voiding".

 

[Jay]

I wish they'd been more honest with storage expandability from the start. In the first IGN interviews they very clearly stated the storage wasn't upgradable.

Is it possible that the eMMC and NVME are only upgradable with the same type?
Or eMMC isn't at all?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Think you have to take off the heat shield and redo thermal paste etc. Probably ranks as "sure you can do it, but it's warranty voiding".

I don't know if repasting could be warranty voiding in the U.E.'s right to repair laws. I don't think it is.
I was thinking more like the process changing the SSD on the earlier Surface Pros, where you needed to unscrew + unglue + repaste + glue again, etc. And for an inexperienced person the probability to fail and break the whole thing was enormous.

If it's just about taking 5, 10, 15 screws then although it's not optimal, it's nowhere near a warranty voiding thing.

Is it possible that the eMMC and NVME are only upgradable with the same type?
Or eMMC isn't at all?

The eMMC model has the M.2 slot unpopulated. The first of Gabe's e-mail responses in the video @eastmen posted said there was a M.2 slot in the $399 version.

 

[Jay]

The eMMC model has the M.2 slot unpopulated. The first of Gabe's e-mail responses in the video @eastmen posted said there was a M.2 slot in the $399 version.

Thanks, that's pretty cool.

 

[MfA]

The support for third party linux applications (and app stores) sounds a bit scary. Unless they use VM or container isolation it will be hard to keep the core Linux install secure. A VM solution will be awkward without multiuser GPU drivers from AMD (which they don't currently offer for consumer hardware, unlike Intel). Even with containers they have to be careful with say X-windows isolation.

Just going letting people install any Arch package they want for the core OS is a recipe for disaster.