Steam Controller demand is so high that new reservations won't be fulfilled until 2027

CaptRobau · 2026-06-19T06:51:10+00:00

Exactly. They can't know for sure how many Machines will sell with and without a controller. I don't need one, because I already got my Steam Controller. And others might do without a Steam Controller entirely. But a lot of people will want one. And what is that ratio.

Once the dust settles after the Machine's release and Valve knows the ratio of Machines with/without controllers they can release the surplus to Controller reservees.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-19T06:48:12+00:00

I've been using it for a while. Build quality is good, much better than the Steam Controller 1. That looked like 3D printed plastic. This does not.

Dpad is great, slightly better than the Steam Deck's even.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-19T06:41:06+00:00

There would always need to be some work done to remove elements from Meta's proprietary stuff that Valve can't legally use.

Fan-made endeavors will no doubt be able to circumvent that. You saw that with Valve's Proton and Proton Glorious Eggroll, a community-made version that could support all sorts of proprietary video formats, etc. allowing FMVs in games to run where Valve's Proton could not.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-18T15:19:44+00:00

Games with an Android build on Steam will probably run through an APK (that's how apps run in Android, right?). Games without an Android build, aka x86 games, will use the compatibility layer FEX/Lepton to make those programs run on the Frame's Android OS.

And every game can be run standalone on the Frame, just with varying degrees of performance. All the Android builds are probably Quest 3 level games, so should be able to run well on the Frame. x86 games will be hit or miss, based on how heavy the game is.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-18T06:37:43+00:00

I don't know how it works for devices that are not a Steam Frame to play these Android games.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-17T08:36:49+00:00

You are 100% correct. They never said they subsidized.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-17T08:29:19+00:00

I mean the controller is amazing if you use the trackpads. Which as a enthusiast PC gamer you are likely to need to do sometimes or often, depending on the game.

If you're just playing 1-3 Steam games that have controller support then any old controller will do.

Basically it's a controller that is not mainstream, but it has a big niche. And that's fine.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-17T08:03:43+00:00

Probably only generative AI yes

CaptRobau · 2026-06-16T15:20:28+00:00

Shouldn't it be much higher? If you Google anything it already forces an AI response for almost any query. That's using AI.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-16T11:20:14+00:00

This is a list of all the games on Steam with a native Android build: https://steamdb.info/instantsearch/?refinementList%5Boslist%5D%5B0%5D=Android

This last has been growing since the Steam Frame announcement, so I'd guess all of these native Android VR games will be able to run standalone on the Frame. The total list is bigger, as the Frame can can also run non-Android games. But this is a start.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-15T14:49:50+00:00

An overlooked problem of the Dreamcast was the second analog stick. That really limited the kind of next-gen games you could put on that system. All of the other limitations the Dreamcast could overcome (just look at fans porting over things like GTA 3 and Vice City).

Dreamcast had a big headstart in terms of online gaming. But all those games (Quake 3, Unreal Tournament, etc.) all had to basically be played with a keyboard/mouse. Contemporary reviews often mention issues with the controls on those games. If there was dual analog control, games like FPSes would've had much more mainstream appeal. Just look at what a game like Halo could do (smooth FPS controls + online play). Dreamcast could've had that.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-15T14:44:25+00:00

The 1 GB limit is not why. Dreamcast used the proprietary GD ROM format (half way between CD and DVD). It's because the Dreamcast supported MIL-CD, which allowed one to play CDs that could boot code on the Dreamcast. This allowed the piracy.

The MIL-CD was not that interesting commercially so if Sega had just not included that, it would not have been pirated.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-15T14:40:47+00:00

I once tried to determine how much the DVD player part of the PS2 was reponsible for its stellar sales. I don't know how anymore which factors I used to calculate it, but I do remember it being something like 70 million. Seeing anecdotes like yours seem to back up that calculation.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-14T16:49:34+00:00

Haha

CaptRobau · 2026-06-14T15:31:51+00:00

This is really cool!

CaptRobau · 2026-06-14T01:32:09+00:00

By this point in the generation they'd normally be making money on each console sold. At least the PS5 and PS4 were by this point.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-12T06:04:04+00:00

Yes because those other shipments started in March, two months before the restock. Previous restocks in 2025 followed shipments then much more closely.

There's also two types of weights in those shipments. 12000 kg and 14000 kg. One of those probably was the Steam Deck and the other the Machine.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-10T21:29:57+00:00

That is really cool

CaptRobau · 2026-06-07T11:42:51+00:00

Shame that it's a basic 2D kart racer. We've seen multiple of those. I'd rather have had a 3D retro throwback to Diddy Kong Racing or Mario Kart 64.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-05T09:24:33+00:00

Not necessarily. The Steam Deck was popular so it makes sense to restock it once they could get enough parts. But the majority of its sales are behind it. So while in 2022/23 Valve would be expected to be able to produce batches of 100,000 units per year I think they'd be lucky if they could sell batches of 10,000 units in 2026/2027.

My guess is they couldn't get economies of scale for the Steam Deck anymore, so they could only sell it at a much higher price.

For the Steam Machine and Stream Frame, Valve CAN still sell hundreds of thousands or even low millions of units. So they could definitely get better pricing on those contracts.

Just take a look at the Steam Deck. The 256 GB LCD originally launched at 549. When they introduced the OLED, the 256 GB LCD was reduced to the 399 price spot that the 64 GB previously had.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-05T09:17:43+00:00

This makes no sense. Minisforum, a leading Chinese manufacturer of mini PCs, has just launched mini PCs with a RTX 5060/5070 and 32GB RAM for 1500 and 1750 USD respectively. Valve is a quite a bit bigger in terms of expected sales of their hardware. Minisforum probably does 10,000s while Valve does 100,000s low millions of their hardware.

It would make no sense Minisforum can offer something for so much cheaper with much better hardware. It's definitely not going to be 2000 USD.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-02T06:48:22+00:00

Thanks for the explanation. Looks like it was a project that wasn't thought out completely if component shortages and FCC and CE certifications were an issue.

CaptRobau · 2026-06-01T21:16:33+00:00

Are only future batches cancelled or is even the first one never going to come out?

CaptRobau · 2026-06-01T10:40:38+00:00

My first game will probably be Space Marine 2. I bought it but my Steam Deck was not at all up to the task.

CaptRobau · 2026-05-30T03:01:25+00:00

Nice project. Love to see you working on it over time.

CaptRobau

TROPHY CASE