I don't think the problem is that there aren't people in the market for it, but more that increasingly products that used to be meant for the average middle class are now perks for wealthier individuals - to the point where I think if there's a collapse of the AAA gaming industry is because there's not enough wealthy people time to accommodate for all the titles.

Like GTA VI is speculated to release at around 90$, and any AAA game that will drop around that time will probably have a bad release.

But regarding the steam machine, it's just yet another example that this product isn't at the reach of "the people", it's yet another luxury item.

Not because Valve wanted to, but because this new standard of scalping, hoarding and squeezing the most out of the market is having repercussions across industries.

The sad thing is that Valve used to be on the other side of the fence, at least for some products, it seemed like it was aimed to be accessible for gamers in a pro-consumer way (not all of course, that would be impossible).

In the end even Valve had to fall in line with the rest, and it's just sad to witness it.

So let people grief, they're not just grieving Valve, but also the last hope of a group that still thought there was a counter culture company in the current state of a greedy world, where shared holders value is more important than customers.

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bestekov 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

For basically my whole gaming life starting in the early 1990s, PC games have been ~$50. It is frankly shocking that the price points have been so sticky. $50 in 2000 dollars is $96 today. Inflation is real. It sucks, but that's the reality of economics. It is completely reasonable for video game prices to appreciate along with everything else.

	▲	libertine a day ago \| parent [-]
		The problem was mainly the income not following inflation.

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thegrim33 a day ago | parent | prev | next [-]

People have been buying $1000+ iPhones for a decade now.

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happymellon 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> In the end even Valve had to fall in line with the rest, and it's just sad to witness it.

It's sad that LLMs have hiked prices so high that economical computers don't exist? I would agree, but your phrasing makes it sound like Valve "had to get involved in shady practices because everyone else did" but the truth is that you can't build a computer at the moment for a reasonable cost because tech bros are speed racing us to a global climate catastrophe.

	▲	libertine 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yes my phrasing was deliberately like that because I think that's the general sentiment. I don't think Valve has high margins with this when you factor in assembly and distribution costs, and I don't think Valve has the business model like some console makers had where they could afford to sell at a loss - it would be sold out anyway. The way you summed it up as the truth, is spot on.