The Open Handheld Thread

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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Looks pretty cool, and it's at a decent price.
ian wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:04 am But I doubt they'll come here, and like an index you'll pay the Price for it then add in 10 trillion dollars shipping and tax, and then if anything goes wrong with it you're fucked.
EB & Amazon will probably get them for Australia. Maybe $600ish.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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melancholy wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:31 am This is the exact device I wanted 5 years ago. I LOVED handhelds because I did 80% of my gaming at night in bed. But then I got a Surface and an arm mount for my bed, and it has changed my life. Now I can remote play anything to the bedroom on a big ole 12” screen. Ironically the only console I can’t play in bed with my new setup is the Switch. I plan to get a capture card so that I can soon, but for now my Switch hasn’t been touched in like a year because I just like gaming on the Surface so much better.
I still prefer to get out of bed and sit up and game (either a desk or couch I'm not fussed) but I've played an absolute fucktonne of switch in bed and I played a bunch of Forza Horizon 3 in bed on a Surface via remote play and it was great. And that was only a Gen 1 surface pro, and all wireless networking from an xbone one slim.

So I can really see the appeal of your surface on an arm setup. It is something I might look into when I'm not playing so many old games.
If the arm was good enough, I could even have it adjusted over my head to play laying down, then adjust it to sit up in bed, and then just fold it out of the way when I want to get up.
Your idea of a surface on an arm becomes more appealing to me the more I think about it, with the only downside that I would never get out of bed.

But this Stetch (I'm calling it a Steam Switch) is more appealing when I think about how it will handle emulating all the old games I'm forever playing. And holding this device while I output to my bedroom TV seems even more appealing.

This thing could be the end of me gaming on a desktop. Even if I just plug a real keyboard and mouse and monitor into it when I want that.
I hope this thing also offers remote play, so I COULD use the power of a desktop and just stream the games 10 feet away to me.

I want this thing more and more, and damn the expense.
Dr. Zoidberg wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:01 pm Looks pretty cool, and it's at a decent price.
ian wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:04 am But I doubt they'll come here, and like an index you'll pay the Price for it then add in 10 trillion dollars shipping and tax, and then if anything goes wrong with it you're fucked.
EB & Amazon will probably get them for Australia. Maybe $600ish.
Even at $999 I would buy one. The access to my full steam library is a HUGE selling point.
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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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ian wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:19 pm The access to my full steam library is a HUGE selling point.
Agreed.

Handheld Halo & Horizon Zero Dawn will be nice.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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ian wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:19 pm I still prefer to get out of bed and sit up and game (either a desk or couch I'm not fussed)
That’s because you don’t have kids that you can’t play certain games in front of. By the time they are all in bed and it’s time to play something, I’m ready to just collapse in bed and play a game until I pass out.
ian wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 12:19 pmI can really see the appeal of your surface on an arm setup. It is something I might look into when I'm not playing so many old games.
If the arm was good enough, I could even have it adjusted over my head to play laying down, then adjust it to sit up in bed, and then just fold it out of the way when I want to get up.
Your idea of a surface on an arm becomes more appealing to me the more I think about it, with the only downside that I would never get out of bed.
That’s literally what I do. The Surface hovers above my head and has one USB-C wire that runs under the bed to a hub with an Ethernet adapter, a micro USB cable for a PS4 controller, a cheap $15 composite to USB adapter for retro systems, and a USB-C charging brick to keep it charged. The arm isn’t strong enough to hold up the surface on its own, but that was easily remedied by putting blocks of wood between the metal folding arms. That way it doesn’t matter how weak the springs are, the block is holding the weight, not the springs. And when I’m done, it just swivels out of the way against the wall. Paired with a pair of Bluetooth headphones, it’s nearly better than being in front of the TV.

The only bad part will be when I upgrade to an Xbox Series X. The Xbox Companion app only works with Xbox One. So to remote play a Microsoft Xbox Series X, I have to put away my Microsoft Surface and hook up…an iPad. Seriously.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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I wonder if Nintendo & Nvidia are thinking they should have worked on Switch Pro now?

This thing can probably emulate Switch games.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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melancholy wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:24 pm a cheap $15 composite to USB adapter for retro systems
:whoa: My mind is blown, didn't know that was an option! I really like my Surface for work, they're good stuff.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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I did get a reservation on a 512 GB model, one of my coworkers got a 256 GB model. It says that I should expect it in Q1 2022, but who knows that means :olol:

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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Ars Technica wrote:HTML holes provide a glimpse of Steam Deck’s initial preorder numbers

Though Valve is fiercely protective of its PC game sales data, a rare HTML hole in its Steam service revealed apparently firm order numbers for the Steam Deck, the company's recently confirmed Switch-like portable gaming PC.

For the first 90 minutes of the system's preorder period earlier today—as limited to shoppers in North America, the UK, and the EU—Valve's database coughed up exact preorder numbers, thanks to "queue" metadata appearing in publicly viewable calls to the HTML version of Steam. During that time, SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik kept track of the sales tally, and by his count, the publicly reported queue for confirmed preorders exceeded 110,000 across those three sales regions.

Djundik's count was limited to Steam Deck's pricier SKUs, so the estimate doesn't account for sales of the cheapest, $399 version (which comes with 64GB of onboard storage). His count, as backed up by other users' image captures of sales data through the preorder period's first 90 minutes, boils down as follows:

• 512GB model, $649: 71,600 (of which 55,000 came from North America)
• 256GB model, $529: 33,000 (of which 28,000 came from North America)

Other users have chimed in to count close to 10,000 64GB model preorders from North America, with other regions' 64GB counts remaining unclear.

As of press time, all three models are still available for preorder. However, only buyers in the very beginning of the preorder period could guarantee hardware arriving as early as "December 2021." Valve is continuing to accept preorders, with shipment estimates bumped to "Q1 2022" for the 64GB and 256GB models and "Q2 2022" for the 512GB model.

Mild scalper protections didn’t buttress the servers

Still, even after a frantic opening to the Steam Deck preorder process, the company is happily accepting as many orders as customers want to make, so long as they're willing to get in line for more models to be produced. All preorders between now and Sunday, July 18, require a Steam account in "good standing," which is verified by any purchase made through Steam by June 2021. Once Sunday rolls around, anyone can place an order via Steam.

This process differs from the endless availability song-and-dance we've seen from consoles by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, which tends to revolve around variable amounts of stock opening up at third-party retailers. Sony and Microsoft's own direct-sales options are similarly scattershot, though Xbox All Access is among the most scalper-proof options on the market. It requires attaching a buyer's Xbox account credentials, and its layaway price model includes a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

That count of over 110,000 preorders came amid an apparent server maelstrom, as the earliest Steam Deck shoppers ran into error messages and emotional cartoon mascots. Worse, some would-be buyers were met by the insulting claim that they had "been attempting a lot of purchases in the last few hours"—likely due to the site itself telling users to refresh its error-filled pages. Getting to the latter error punted a user to the back of the line.

Anonymized purchase information appearing as public metadata doesn't represent a particularly concerning HTML hole, but it's not the first such problem we've encountered within Valve's Steam service. A 2013 report from Ars' Kyle Orland led the company to patch an issue that left a lot of potentially identifying user information out in public view, especially for users who had marked their information as private or friends-only. Orland has since followed that report with a number of examinations of Steam's sales figures and user numbers based on various data leaks and interpretations.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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pixel wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:07 am
Ars Technica wrote:HTML holes provide a glimpse of Steam Deck’s initial preorder numbers

Though Valve is fiercely protective of its PC game sales data, a rare HTML hole in its Steam service revealed apparently firm order numbers for the Steam Deck, the company's recently confirmed Switch-like portable gaming PC.

For the first 90 minutes of the system's preorder period earlier today—as limited to shoppers in North America, the UK, and the EU—Valve's database coughed up exact preorder numbers, thanks to "queue" metadata appearing in publicly viewable calls to the HTML version of Steam. During that time, SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik kept track of the sales tally, and by his count, the publicly reported queue for confirmed preorders exceeded 110,000 across those three sales regions.

Djundik's count was limited to Steam Deck's pricier SKUs, so the estimate doesn't account for sales of the cheapest, $399 version (which comes with 64GB of onboard storage). His count, as backed up by other users' image captures of sales data through the preorder period's first 90 minutes, boils down as follows:

• 512GB model, $649: 71,600 (of which 55,000 came from North America)
• 256GB model, $529: 33,000 (of which 28,000 came from North America)

Other users have chimed in to count close to 10,000 64GB model preorders from North America, with other regions' 64GB counts remaining unclear.

As of press time, all three models are still available for preorder. However, only buyers in the very beginning of the preorder period could guarantee hardware arriving as early as "December 2021." Valve is continuing to accept preorders, with shipment estimates bumped to "Q1 2022" for the 64GB and 256GB models and "Q2 2022" for the 512GB model.

Mild scalper protections didn’t buttress the servers

Still, even after a frantic opening to the Steam Deck preorder process, the company is happily accepting as many orders as customers want to make, so long as they're willing to get in line for more models to be produced. All preorders between now and Sunday, July 18, require a Steam account in "good standing," which is verified by any purchase made through Steam by June 2021. Once Sunday rolls around, anyone can place an order via Steam.

This process differs from the endless availability song-and-dance we've seen from consoles by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, which tends to revolve around variable amounts of stock opening up at third-party retailers. Sony and Microsoft's own direct-sales options are similarly scattershot, though Xbox All Access is among the most scalper-proof options on the market. It requires attaching a buyer's Xbox account credentials, and its layaway price model includes a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

That count of over 110,000 preorders came amid an apparent server maelstrom, as the earliest Steam Deck shoppers ran into error messages and emotional cartoon mascots. Worse, some would-be buyers were met by the insulting claim that they had "been attempting a lot of purchases in the last few hours"—likely due to the site itself telling users to refresh its error-filled pages. Getting to the latter error punted a user to the back of the line.

Anonymized purchase information appearing as public metadata doesn't represent a particularly concerning HTML hole, but it's not the first such problem we've encountered within Valve's Steam service. A 2013 report from Ars' Kyle Orland led the company to patch an issue that left a lot of potentially identifying user information out in public view, especially for users who had marked their information as private or friends-only. Orland has since followed that report with a number of examinations of Steam's sales figures and user numbers based on various data leaks and interpretations.
How long till literally every one of them is on ebay?
I just had a quick look then, and no listings for them 6 months before they're out for 20 times the RRP is actually a REALLY BIG surprise.
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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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pixel wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:22 am I did get a reservation on a 512 GB model, one of my coworkers got a 256 GB model.
Nice.

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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ian wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:21 am
pixel wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:07 am
Ars Technica wrote:HTML holes provide a glimpse of Steam Deck’s initial preorder numbers
How long till literally every one of them is on ebay?
I just had a quick look then, and no listings for them 6 months before they're out for 20 times the RRP is actually a REALLY BIG surprise.
I'm sure there will be plenty on eBay when the first shipment goes out. But I think the Deck is still pretty niche, unlike the Switch which has all the Nintendo exclusives that we all craze. So who knows how high the prices will go.

That and the reservation system quells the panic buying that scarcity brings. Even if the reservation is months after the launch, you can feel better that your name is written down in the queue. At least it does for me. I'm willing to waiting longer knowing there's a system for me eventually.

All that said, I wonder if they'll meet their demand for systems. I'm already preparing myself for this whole thing to devolve into a shit show for any of the myriad of supply chain issues that could arise.

But there are people out there trying to scalp reservations at twice the cost:
Screenshot_20210716-235658_eBay.jpg
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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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pixel wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 3:08 pm I'm sure there will be plenty on eBay when the first shipment goes out. But I think the Deck is still pretty niche, unlike the Switch which has all the Nintendo exclusives that we all craze. So who knows how high the prices will go.

That and the reservation system quells the panic buying that scarcity brings. Even if the reservation is months after the launch, you can feel better that your name is written down in the queue. At least it does for me. I'm willing to waiting longer knowing there's a system for me eventually.

All that said, I wonder if they'll meet their demand for systems. I'm already preparing myself for this whole thing to devolve into a shit show for any of the myriad of supply chain issues that could arise.

But there are people out there trying to scalp reservations at twice the cost:
Screenshot_20210716-235658_eBay.jpg
Yes, the device is niche... BUT it's more than 1 niche. Which makes me think it's going to be huge IF they can supply to meet demand.
PC gamers, console gamers, and mobile gamers will all consider this thing.

As a Brand/platform agnostic gamer I'm not paying 2 trillion dollars for a fucking video card. But I find myself playing my switch more than PC/PS4pro/XBoneX/retro stuff simply because it's convenient. In bed, on TV, or into my PC monitor, take it when I'm driving mum around and waiting for her to do her things, or that one time to play at a friends house in the one day in the past 2 years Melbourne wasn't in a lockdown... It just makes gaming so easy when I want to do it.

This things hardware is no slouch. And Valve have said it's not locked, it's a REAL COMPUTER. A full steam library is enough for me to buy it...
But then you add in that it can run windows because it's a REAL PC with controller attached... And then you can put origin, uplay, the epic games store, and countless emulators that are on windows.
I'm going to send Gabe an EMAIL saying that if he brings it to Australia, I will put Windows on it, Plug a USB DVD-RW into it, and install STEAM and half life 2 off my original Half life 2 CD's

Assuming it makes it here, and keeps it's REALISTIC price (Less than $999AUD for top spec) I am DAY ONE.
I haven't been this excited for a piece of gaming hardware since I got my Dreamcast... And I was pretty fucking jazzed for the WII, 360, my 4790K, Ryzen CPU's, GTX 1070 and switch. (and only the Wii let me down)

We'll see how the next year goes. This thing could be a dreamcast! (Only hardware I will never ever sell even if it fails, I will be buried or cremated with the fucking thing if I have my way)
And the thing about the DC is, it came out when I was a teenager. I hadn't yet had a chance to become jaded, physically exhausted, or generally tired of life.
This is coming out as I'm more than half way into life... Maybe a mid life crisis these days is buying a portable computer not a Ferrari?

I Identify as a Reclusive Billionaire... I don't have any money, but if I did, bet your fucking ass I'd be Howard Hughes.
And if I was a billionaire, I'd buy a lifetime supply of these.
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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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ian wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:07 pmThis things hardware is no slouch. And Valve have said it's not locked, it's a REAL COMPUTER. A full steam library is enough for me to buy it...
But then you add in that it can run windows because it's a REAL PC with controller attached... And then you can put origin, uplay, the epic games store, and countless emulators that are on windows.
That's what fueled the hype train for me, the sheer openness of the hardware. I haven't found confirmation, but there's a rumor that that NVMe storage is upgradable. The Switch and other Nintendo handhelds have active hardware modding communities, so what kind of scene will the Deck have? Repro shells? Third-party upgrade kits? Custom sticks, d-pads and buttons?? That kind of thought process sends me into pleasure overload.

Image

But I've got to keep my expectations in check. There's still so many unanswered questions and possible issues that could arise. But even if this is a emulation/indie/sim game machine, I'll be really happy. I'm not super big into the AAA titles anyway. Luckily, none of us have put down serious money, yet.
ian wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:07 pmI'm going to send Gabe an EMAIL saying that if he brings it to Australia, I will put Windows on it, Plug a USB DVD-RW into it, and install STEAM and half life 2 off my original Half life 2 CD's
:olol: I'd definitely try that too

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Re: The Open Handheld Thread

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Slow eMMC in the 64gb, NVME in the other models.

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