It could also be a strategy to then lobby and make everyone else give up their stores, levelling the playing field.

Microsoft seems to be preemptively doing that already.

I think the issue here is DirectX, so unless there’s meaningful changes to how DX works internally, DXVK at this point can always be a step ahead with all the changes it can make without tech debt to worry about. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why Series X despite being stronger than PS5 on paper, struggles to match performance in non zero count of games.

That’s how competition works!

He? You mean she, Carrey Patel?

So how much did they make?

I wonder if Microsoft’s shopping spree induced FOMO in Sony and they ended up buying shit. Sony already had the best studios but they chased live service for no reason.

As long as you use AI to generate it

Word

Devil’s advocate: they created a new studio with all the lessons and right core employees who understand the space the best.

It ain’t powerful enough for modern titles sadly. I’m trying to say that there’s a space where Valve made steam machine with niceties of SteamOS and power of say PS5 can really thrive.

There’s some nuance.

• One of the bigger issues about PC gaming these days is the shader compilation stutter. Valve is able to precompile and upload these for SteamDeck, so a fixed hardware “console” from them will solve this problem too.
• SteamDeck is pretty weak but games are still sort of optimised for it. Same would be true for such a console, making devs focus on a target platform directly.
• Assembling PC yourself can have its own issues. You may not get all the ROPs, or a new Windows update may break your games, or you may occasionally update drivers to make a game more playable without black screens, or wouldn’t turn on with a controller when set up as a “console”. I’m not saying it isn’t doable, but there is an audience for consoles who would love whatever SteamDeck has done for handheld but in console form, and may not want to bother with setting everything up. Valve can disrupt that

Steam can’t release a “console” soon enough.

“Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some cash for our console, it’s called xCloud”

I would like to predict the future too but alas I’m quite bad at it

Yeah you’re right. It is quite a lot, especially with this kind of an IP and expectations to deal with

I would say Forza Motorsport reboot had its issues, Flight Simulator 2024 had issues with cloud infra and Red Fall had various bugs and T poses.

They were playable so I agree with you on that, except FS24

Actually there are two studios within Playground Games, I’m sure there’s cross pollination but the other studio is still making Forza supposedly.

“Late is just for a little while, suck is forever”

• Lord Gabe

Thanks for sharing!