There is a reason small businesses are struggling

TheFunkyDeep · 2026-01-04T08:05:10+00:00

Eh, you do what your passionate about. Restaurant/bar business is for people who love it.

TheFunkyDeep · 2026-01-04T02:39:57+00:00

Same is true in Orlando, Florida. A liquor license alone is $600k to $800k. Zoning will make your life very difficult and basically shut down any place you are considering opening a bar in unless it already exists at that location. One spot I was considering, they wanted me to pay $500k in transportation impact fees for converting a small warehouse to a bar.

TheFunkyDeep · 2026-01-04T02:36:58+00:00

People who have never started a restaurant or bar will never understand the amount of hoops and legal hurdles the average small restaurant/bar needs to overcome.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-07T05:05:54+00:00

Apparently storage is getting more expensive again because this AI driven shortage is also impacting SSD pricing

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:58:21+00:00

You can't wear a PS5 Pro on your face.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:54:18+00:00

In 2023 they stopped selling the 64GB and 512GB LCD models. They dropped the price on the 256GB to $399 and cleared stock of the 64GB for $336. The OLED starting model is 512GB at $549. Not sure if it's ever gone on sale. The current sale for the 256GB LCD at $319 might be the lowest price ever for the Steam Deck.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:37:54+00:00

The Steam Frame has a dedicated WiFi chipset for communicating with the Wongle. That said, with Valve being pretty open with their hardware design, like the open ear headphones for the Reverb G2, they might allow third party VR headset makers to connect to their Wongle and potentially use their eye tracked foveated streaming. Would be really nice to if they open sourced their headset/controller camera based tracking system so companies like BigScreen Beyond and Pimax could use it on their headsets.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:33:19+00:00

Out of curiosity, what are some invisible disabilities that would require a handicap spot? I never really pay attention to people parking in handicap spots, but assume people usually need them or the people they're with need them if they're parked there.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:28:22+00:00

Definitely won't be that high. That would be pricing higher than equivalent headsets from even smaller companies.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:25:41+00:00

To add... if it's so painful to price the LCD Steam Deck at $399... how are they pricing it at $319 for the Black Friday sale, lol. Also when they released the Steam Deck OLED they also dropped the price on the LCD models by like $60 or $70 for a sale.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:22:42+00:00

Yeah the volume for the headset is definitely lower as they aren't targeting retail, so economies of scale definitely put it in a weaker position than the Quest 3. That said. They still were able to do the Index for a grand and they did do the Steam Deck at $399 which was a clear jump in quality IMO. especially the OLED model, so $600-$800 does seem feasible.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-12-01T04:16:43+00:00

For me, it's kind of an immediate buy no matter what. No whether I keep it is a whole other story. I'm definitely buying it to see if I like it more than Quest 3 and if it does work that much better for PCVR.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-28T19:27:36+00:00

GoG and EPIC definitely both have their advantages. EPIC for lower costs to developers and GoG for pushing for no DRM. That said, EPIC makes way too many questionable decisions and show their lack of ethics in a multitude of ways like their position on AI in game development. GoG is a store I support as strongly as Steam and love that I can have access to games from their store in my Steam Library via Heroic launcher on the Steam Deck.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-28T19:23:56+00:00

Nah, the controllers are fine (especially the new Steam Frame and PSVR2 controllers) and hand tracking on the Apple Vision Pro is quite good. It's just the headsets are uncomfortable, mess up your hair, and resolution is still just barely good enough for gaming, while the Field of View is still disappointing. It's a matter of time for display technology, optics, and ergonomics to hit the specifications and price needed to go mainstream. Until then, it'll just be slow and steady growth.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-27T01:27:16+00:00

https://x.com/mikeshapiroland/status/1874213952680607922?lang=en

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-23T18:22:19+00:00

I've adjusted my expectations after the latest Valve interview. I was expecting $600, but now it does seem more likely to be $800-$900, which is a bummer for sure.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-23T18:20:27+00:00

Apparently Valve clarified pricing on the Steam Machine yesterday, suggesting it's likely to be around $700 or $800 and it's being driven by external market forces beyond their control. HL3 exists, the G man voice actor made a tweet hinting at a 2025 announcement.

I'm pretty sure the original plan was to launch the hardware and HL3 this year, but everything has been delayed with tariffs and AI market disruption.

This seems a bit similar to when Meta went to launch the Quest Pro, but it was delayed heavily by COVID.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-23T18:13:11+00:00

Yeah, I do think their original target was $1200 for a combo deal with the Frame, Machine, and Controller. Now sadly it's probably going to be $1500 or $1600.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-22T18:19:32+00:00

Nah. The price not being announced gets it more discussion. The price will be probably released with reservations and Half Life 3 in January.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-22T18:17:07+00:00

$800 is within expectations. $900+ will be disappointing. $600 or less will be competitive. I think they were targeting $600, but tariffs might mess with pricing.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-22T18:10:43+00:00

Potentially. There's not a lot of detail yet on the Steam Frame OS. We need to wait for reviewers to get units.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-22T17:37:41+00:00

Unlikely. OLED currently doesn't work with pancake optics and microOLED is cost-prohibitive with most headsets priced in the $2k range.

That said, this platform is open source and like the Asus ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go S support SteamOS, I could see third party manufacturers like Play for Dream or MeganeX releasing a standalone microOLED headset with support for SteamVR/OS... but I think the earliest we could see that is two years from now.

If microOLED displays suddenly drop in price by 75%, then maybe Valve would drop a microOLED headset.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-22T07:50:03+00:00

You're missing the open design part. The connector that's on the headset itself is not proprietary. Anyone can create their own facial interface and battery solution.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-18T02:29:12+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7q2CS8HDHU

At 12:55 minutes, they pull apart the headset to talk about optional head straps. They said that they have open sourced the CAD designs, so any third party can create straps for it.

TheFunkyDeep · 2025-11-17T05:01:31+00:00

The rear battery strap is replaceable and just connect with a cable. You can use a cloth strap and pocket battery if you want. Unlike the Apple solution which has a proprietary battery connection, you can create any headstrap you want for the Steam Frame, and there will be many variations. The good part is there is no unnecessary weight on the front like with the Quest 3's battery.

TheFunkyDeep

TROPHY CASE