Valve’s New Hand-held Console, The Steam Deck

Ziuro Zhan (G8)

Published Issue 2 2021-2022

Entertainment

When it comes to gaming consoles, the scene is undoubtedly dominated by the three big tech companies; Sony,

Microsoft, and Nintendo, and has

remained so for decades. The newest generation of consoles from this trio, referred to as generation 9, includes the Xbox Series X and S, Playstation 5, and the Nintendo Switch, a holdover from generation 8. No other competitors seem to have even come close to the popularity and quality of these consoles. However, this may change with the launch of Valve’s Steam Deck handheld console launching this December. The decade-old trio might have to make space for Valve soon-watch out!

What makes the Steam Deck a strong competitor?

Steam Deck’s parent company is Valve Corporation. Valve is not only one of the biggest game companies right now, but also owns the video game distribution service, Steam. Steam Deck isn’t what Valve is using to compete against the trio, it’s actually the Steam service, which Steam Deck users download content from. As the world’s largest, strongest, most successful video game distribution service for PC gaming, Steam holds 75% of the PC gaming market, over 30,000 games, and over 120 million active users, it is the frontier of PC gaming, and maybe console gaming too, very soon. Imagine these 30,000 games becoming available on a brand new, powerful hand-held console, and an audience of 120+ million active users. Even at the ambitious price of $499 for the standard version and an even crazier price of $659 and $819 for 256GB and 512GB versions (For reference the Nintendo Switch is $380 and the PS5 digital version is $500), it could still stand a chance with it’s gigantic game library. It would certainly wipe the floor with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, and perhaps even best all three of them with its colossal audience..

The Current Chip Shortage

Computer chips, aka semiconductor chips (Electric circuits with many components formed on a semiconductor wafer), play a very important role in our daily lives. They help make sure our devices don’t overheat and help maintain a longer device lifespan. Today, in modern 2021, we are surrounded by technology that contains these tiny chips. The demand for these computer chips have been rising dramatically for decades, and it seems we have finally hit a breaking point. With the pressure of COVID-19 and the ever-increasing demand for them, there simply are not enough chips being produced to go around. Gaming consoles, phones, washing machines, cars, laptops, and many other tech products have started taking major hits in production and availability for the past year. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are no exception. Buying the PS5 in Canada today feels like the Hunger Games, with tons of restock notifying Twitter accounts with 100k+ followers and even more desperate buyers jitter-clicking the “Add to Cart” button only to find it sold out milliseconds after restock. The same goes for the Xbox Series X, although thankfully not so much for the less-demanded Series S.

The point is, these chips are giving the console gaming industry a really hard time right now, and even more so for buyers trying to get their hands on the new generation 9 consoles. However, this could be very advantageous for Valve’s upcoming Steam Deck release in December. If Valve is able to release the Steam Deck now, in the midst of the chip shortage and pandemic, then surely this means they have an ample stock of semiconductor chips. This means a large Steam Deck console, and therefore better availability than any of the current big consoles. With the situation right now, this really could be Steam Deck’s opportunity to take it’s rise. Buyers are already looking at the Steam Deck’s library of familiar games and ambitious performance claims with curiosity. This shortage will indefinitely help with Steam Deck release sales and popularity with the lack of competition and Valve’s hopefully ample supply of chips.

Conclusion

It’s been one crazy journey for the console gaming industry this past year, with the release of the Playstation 5, Xbox Series

X/S, the chip shortage, and soon in December, the Steam Deck. Valve’s Steam Deck has really been looking like a solid console and competitor (Except for the crazy price of $899 for the 512GB version) Whether you’ve purchased one of the new consoles by some miracle or are looking to buy one, watch out for any news on the Steam Deck, as it’s release is really going to be exciting and unpredictable.