Yeah I think that was my point about feeling like Valve is purposely screwing me. Microsoft showed with the Xbox Ally X that their appetite for hardware subsidies is waning (perhaps even their appetite for hardware at all).

Valve has a lot of goodwill with Steam Deck owners and I think if they price it at a number higher than any one person’s expectations, that person is less likely to think it’s Valve’s fault, than if Sony were to do the same.

See point a. Everyone is so capitalism-brained they assume every company’s goal is to sell the maximum amount of product and anything less is abject failure. (Ok that’s a bit of hyperbole.) But Valve is a weird company and we just don’t know what their criteria for success is.

If they’re aiming for a market the same size or larger than the Steam Deck, they will probably struggle at higher price points. But if they’re look at 1-2M units? That could be doable with people like me. That’s a relatively small portion of the gaming market, but might be enough for them to be worth it.

I really don’t understand the hand-wringing about the cost. I see comments all the time about how it’s “DOA” at some price or another and it strikes me as someone projecting their own preferences and values, including the “analyst” quoted in the article.

As an outside observer you don’t know a) Valve’s goals; b) almost anyone else’s preferences and values.

I say this as someone who enjoys gaming, won’t ever buy a console and won’t ever build a gaming rig. This product is perfect for me and I’d have to feel like Valve were purposely screwing me to not buy it. I may be a minority but I can’t be alone.