Except that unlike a PS5, games are plenty, cheaper, and you probably already have a huge library even before buying it.

I’m not the target but I can see the point.

▲

yieldcrv a day ago | parent [-]

has that still been accurate in the last half decade?

indie devs have easy access to release on PS5, latest Xbox, Switch alongside Steam simultaneously

the subscription any of those users have (a prerequisite for online or multiplayer access) also comes with many many free games, games that are otherwise $4 - $25 without the subscription

people already in those ecosystems have been accumulating (unplayed) titles just like Steam users meme about, and as soon as they sign in on their new console all are available

▲

amlib a day ago | parent | next [-]

> indie devs have easy access to release on PS5, latest Xbox, Switch alongside Steam simultaneously

And yet steam's indie library far outpaces what all other consoles indie games combined provide. Also you get access to a vast amount of games distributed independently and other stores that the PC ecosystem has available.

> the subscription any of those users have (a prerequisite for online or multiplayer access) also comes with many many free games, games that are otherwise $4 - $25 without the subscription

I don't think most PC gamers like being told every month what games they have to play in order to maximize their subscription value. They view it as wasting 100$ yearly just to have the ability to play online along other features that are free on PC.

> people already in those ecosystems have been accumulating (unplayed) titles just like Steam users meme about, and as soon as they sign in on their new console all are available

That's a legit improvement from the console platforms but since it was only a change made in the previous gen you can only go back a single generation for now. On steam your library might encompass stuff sold three generations ago and if you are willing to take advantage of PC gaming outside steam you can go as far back as the invention of video games itself with emulators.

▲

yieldcrv a day ago | parent [-]

and all of those obvious counterpoints is still not enough to justify the price difference between a current gen console and this Steam Machine when an old sub $99 mobile device can power three generation old games as well, and connect to a monitor for those inclined to go out of their way for that user experience

▲

amlib a day ago | parent [-]

> when an old sub $99 mobile device can power three generation old games as well, and connect to a monitor

Running an outdated, out of support version of android with limited app availability and a crappy selection of poorly maintained emulation forks... with a buggy GPU driver that causes so many visual and performance issues on a digital platform that does everything they can keep you from installing your choice of OS, let alone the lack of usual niceties that desktop operating systems get you. It will do in a pinch but I don't think anyone who likes emulating stuff enjoys using a system like this. Even a new flagship phone will share some of these issues and if you have an iphone you will pay to have an still inferior solution that can vanish at moments notice if apple decides the emulator your purchased isn't compliant to their draconian guidelines or isn't compatible with newer apis. I guess at least the UI/UX will be nice.

▲

yieldcrv 21 hours ago | parent [-]

Alright, so at what price does your opinion stop being true, because there will certainly be consumer hardware price hikes again in 6 months, due to further RAM demand

▲

amlib 21 hours ago | parent [-]

I just think that phones and specially old ones are quite bad at being repurposed, its hard to work with them when they were purposely engineered that way. You will have much better results with an old pc desktops or pc notebook. Some may even be as performant as the steam machine, just don't expect low power usage and something small and good looking for the living room, a sore point in pc desktops that the steam machine tries to address.

	▲	yieldcrv 19 hours ago \| parent [-]
		We got that part, they’re good points At what point does the value proposition go back, for the target audience you are fond of and can imagine to be disinterested in both consoles and enthusiasts uses of old phones That was the premise of this thread, the price point of consoles and a generally antiquated understanding of current gen console indie gaming libraries

▲

ex-aws-dude a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

As someone who plays a lot of both I would say it still is

I constantly encounter indie games that are only on PC, for example Satisfactory, Chained Together, Last Call BBS

Steam is still way better for indie stuff

▲

wetpaws a day ago | parent | prev [-]

[dead]