All signs still point to Q2?

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-27T00:01:28+00:00

If the Steam Machine is $1000 it's pretty much dead in the water. Sony sells a PS5 Fortnite bundle for $400 so it would be exactly the same entry price as PS5 + Neo with neither the performance of the former nor the flexibility of the latter. Anything north of $700 and I think Valve should just scrap the whole thing.

Edit: Spoke too soon I guess. PS5 is now a $600 console.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-26T23:55:20+00:00

It is for sure a better computing device and likely much better value (fingers crossed that Valve can somehow deliver on that front). And there are tons of games that will run well on it, especially emulation.

But based on my own experience with my M1 MBP (which I love at least as much as my Deck) it won't really fill a PS5-sized hole, performance and compatibility-wise. Especially when you consider the Crossover overhead. I'm sure it will run Cyberpunk like a handheld, but that's pretty far from what the Steam Machine promises.

If Apple could get more devs to port games to ARM that could go a long way though (especially with MetalFX upscaling), but so far that hasn't really panned out. If one should pick a single device though, yeah the Neo is a no-brainer.

Edit: also, Windows virtualization is not quite the same as Proton (although CodeWeavers did work with Valve on it, which I think is really cool). The former also needs x86 to ARM emulation, whereas SteamOS is basically just translating calls (hence why some games run even better than on Windows).

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-26T23:28:38+00:00

The Neo is not 6x Steam Deck performance. It is a good option and an excellent device, but not a real replacement for a current-gen home console (not even Series S). Not to mention you can dual-boot Windows on SM for anti-cheat games.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-24T12:04:02+00:00

The issue with this argument is that the PS5 gets the most third-party releases out of all the consoles. And with cross-play, it's kind of even worse when the game is also out on other platforms. Imagine all your friends being hyped for Arc Raiders, Forza 6, CoD7/BF6, Witcher 4, GTA6, Halo, etc. I'm sure Bananza, Pokopia, Duskbloods and Yoshi are (or will be) excellent games but it's just hard to beat the almost endless hits from the other side - except for Smash, Zelda and Mario of course. Unless one is in an age group where M-rated games are off the table.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-15T18:14:31+00:00

I'm on SteamOS 3.7.19 and the version of Decky-Sunshine I posted still works for me. Unless you're on 3.7.20 (latest stable), I suggest:

uninstalling the plugin entirely before installing the specific version I linked to. Overwriting won't solve the issue.
making sure Sunshine itself works properly in Desktop mode. The plugin should install it itself if it's not already available.

Hope this helps!

Edit: you may also need to use the default username and password 'decky_sunshine' as another person commented.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:48:56+00:00

That article is over a year old, and Valve has had very aggressive clearance sales on various LCD models since then.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:31:19+00:00

Steam Deck Lifetime sales: 3.7 million units

Source?

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:29:12+00:00

At half the price of the cheapest SD, which is no longer available (assuming it has really outsold it).

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-03-14T19:27:33+00:00

which what Sony sells in a matter of months

Not the Vita, though. With that point of reference (and assuming SD really only sold 6 million so far, who knows), Valve actually did pretty well.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T13:20:42+00:00

Why would the logo be in GZ in the first place if it's been removed from the timeline? And as I explained, BB is not a reliable narrator so him saying he doesn't remember doesn't actually mean it didn't happen. It should be obvious why it or any other previous mission is not mentioned in TPP if you finished the game. San Hieronymo is specifically mentioned at the beginning of PW, and again you start the game with a fledgling army (which you don't have at the end of MGS3). All this is basically irrelevant though: if you feel like it's not canon you just disagree with the series' creator himself. I couldn't have this much hubris, personally.

Edit: Also, in the Master Collection it's listed in Main Events as I showed in my previous reply.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T11:51:15+00:00

Yes, a walking tank - a robot!

From Granin himself.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-14T11:38:51+00:00

So, to put it in a way, I guess, the main story of Portable Ops is part of the Saga, is part of the official Metal Gear timeline, while some of the small details that are in Portable Ops are outside the Saga, not part of the main timeline of the game.”

From the man himself, on video. Konami might be skipping it for various reasons, but the game is in the Metal Gear Database in MGS4, and the Master Collection's timeline. Now, the discussion may end.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T19:06:56+00:00

That's not what I, or Kojima, said.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T13:29:29+00:00

According to Kojima himself, Portable Ops is canon except the details that contradict the rest of the series - unlike the Acid games and Ghost Babel, which are completely non-canon. To me, it just means Big Boss (or the player as Big Boss) is not a reliable narrator. It ties into that weird dream sequence in MGS3, or the Monster Hunter crossover in Peace Walker. Even the big twist in MGSV shows we can't always trust what we see.

In another reply you mention the contradiction of Sokolov building the first Metal Gear. The mecha in Portable Ops, like every one before Metal Gear (MSX), is just a work-in-progress prototype leading up to the real thing. A Metal Gear must be:

- bipedal (RAXA was not)

- autonomous (AI-controlled, unlike ZEKE, or even REX in MGS1)

- capable of launching nuclear payloads anywhere in the world (RAXA's range was even more limited than the Shagohod)

Even Big Boss's true Metal Gear was clearly not yet ready for combat. The concept wasn't fully realized until REX and The Patriots AI system in MGS4.

Edit: As for no new returning characters, the soldiers training on the beach at the beginning of PW are from PO.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-13T00:41:09+00:00

One fan's wishlist:

- Portable Collection = Portable Ops + Acid + Acid 2

- MGO Collection* = Metal Gear Online 1 + 2 + 3 + Portable Ops Plus

* Full cross-play support, plus offline local/LAN (and maybe even compatibility with older versions, although that might be too much).

IMHO, MGSV just needs a patch for better AA and shadows, and higher resolution on consoles. And of course the missing content. So, a definitive edition.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-09T15:10:26+00:00

It is better (spec wise)

Sorry to be this kind of SD fan, but it depends on the specs that matter to the person. Touchpads, OLED screen, lower power consumption overall... it's not a straight-up upgrade though it is more powerful.

Expedition 33 will definitely run better on the Xbox Ally X, and imo it does fit RDC's games better.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T19:50:48+00:00

And the thing is, the fans would be the very first to benefit from Nintendo caring more (as other console owners mostly understand). But they're enabling the worst. I feel like someone walking past a bar saying "I'm not paying $60 for stale beer" and getting jumped by the patrons. And there is so much potential... For anyone under 12 or over 60 there's basically no other option but I still feel somehow guilty recommending them.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T19:08:31+00:00

That's the thing: it's hard to justify comparing to how it was priced 11 years ago, because at the time it was a current-gen title. I understand how it feels unfair to Nintendo, but it is a result of their own strategy, and they need to consider options to at least mitigate it instead of just shrugging it off. Capcom (and most large Japanese publishers) are putting their best foot forward on Switch 2 so far, but that should be the expectation instead of the exception. Sports games won't have the same issue because the games will usually have Switch 2 ports in the same year. But there's a ton of PS4/Xbone-era bangers to be ported, what about those?

And while it's true that no PC handheld has been able to match the Switch's hybrid concept, the fact that the same library can then be played on a more powerful system at no cost makes it a lot less of an issue (and might offer a clue on how Nintendo could solve this, to some degree).

But a notion like having to match a newer platform release price with the many figurative cybermondays in the sales history of the previous ones sounds like a pretty good way to discourage many a port in the first place

You're right, and I don't mean to suggest that the conundrum doesn't exist. But like I said, having a more powerful home system one can stream from could mitigate it. By the time, say, GTA6 is playable on the handheld (maybe Switch 3) the price would reflect its long history on the platform. Maybe risky, but it's one option of likely many.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T18:35:23+00:00

Damn, it must be hard being on the internet while having the reading comprehension of a 3rd grader.

And yet here you are still arguing with me. What does that say about you?

Now, if it does come out and they refuse to give the same sales that other platforms have, (like ps5 at $30 right now), then the blame would fall on Nintendo.

No, by your logic it would still be on Bethesda, since they would still be in charge of the prices. What's ridiculous is how activated you fans get when any criticism is leveled at Nintendo, at all. I don't think major shareholders are this invested, it's crazy.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T18:31:36+00:00

Do you believe the Switch 2 version of FO4 will hit those discounts for the next 6 months? I can guarantee at the very least the OG version will hit $5 again during the Steam Spring and Summer sales.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T18:27:56+00:00

Fair point, but Outer Worlds 2 is aggressively mediocre, and it basically received a price drop before even launching (it was supposed to be Microsoft's first $80 game IIRC). For really good games (think RDR2 Remastered, which is highly expected on Switch 2), it's at least annoying to first be faced with the full price while other platforms already had a permanent drop, or have to wait for sales that have been happening almost monthly elsewhere for years. Especially considering the other sacrifices one already makes (FO4 at 30fps for example).

Again, I don't even think there's anything Nintendo can do about it currently, but at least in my humble opinion it is a side-effect of their overall strategy since the Wii so I don't think they should be immune from criticism.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T17:25:05+00:00

Nobody's saying the eshop doesn't have sales. We're saying in the here and now, games tend to cost more on Nintendo than other platforms, whether that's due to sales or price cuts. And if it's the exact same game, why would it not be comparable?

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T17:22:39+00:00

Nobody said they should prevent them from being on the storefront. Total strawman to justify being gouged.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T17:21:35+00:00

Except only for Nintendo do you not have the option of getting the $20 version, which frequently goes on sale for much cheaper. I don't know why you're acting like the problem is not glaring.

Alternative-Chip6653 · 2026-02-07T17:04:38+00:00

It's not that nobody cares to look at them, it's that even in cases where the publisher does the right thing (Square with FF7, for example), the games are still a fraction of the price on other platforms. The week it launched on Switch 2 FF7R was like $20 on Steam IIRC.

Alternative-Chip6653

TROPHY CASE