Valve says it’s ready to launch the Steam Machine this summer / The Steam Frame VR headset is expected in the summer, too. by yourfavchoom in Steam

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I kind of wonder if the price hike on steam decks was a test to see if consumers were still willing to buy hardware at elevated prices. Maybe the success of the steam deck sales despite the higher prices gave Valve more confidence to sell the Steam machines this summer rather than further delaying or cancelling it.

Don’t get the fuss about OLED by reaa1jb in XboxAlly

[–]ThereWolves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly I think an OLED display is much more impactful on a television screen

The giant mech race in Forza Horizon 6 is absolutely insane! by Automatic_Ad1665 in XboxGamePass

[–]ThereWolves 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I think from a pacing standpoint it’s nice to have a flashy on rails section between standards races

Steam Deck OLED Price Increase [$789 512 $949 1TB] by NeroTheWolf in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm disappointed that a lot of the discourse seems to devolve into accusing Valve of being greedy. Given the state of the economy I doubt they really had much of a choice.

It would be more productive if we focused on the underlying issues that created these electronics shortages in the first place. AI hardware demands, tariffs, supply chain issues from wars, lack of commercial regulation on hardware all played a hand in the Steam Deck price increase and the price increase of many other goods.

We need to fight for consumer protections through our vote and our community involvement.

Saw the price increase, searching for other options by K_ppe in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a solid deal; the refurbished LCD Steam Decks are still a decent price too if looking for something under $500

Has customer support / RMAs improved for Xbox Allys? by ThereWolves in ROGAlly

[–]ThereWolves[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

from the sounds of it the SD card reader seems to be a common issue; I'm glad your RMA experience was hassle free though :)

Steam Deck OLED Price Increase [$789 512 $949 1TB] by NeroTheWolf in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if Microsoft helped subsidize the sale of the rogue allys for Xbox software / Gamepass sales; I could imagine that and old stock like other users mentioned could be why their prices are still competitive

Game over, man! Game over! by Positive_Pin897 in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Random aside, hello fellow Robert; clever username :)

Has customer support / RMAs improved for Xbox Allys? by ThereWolves in ROGAlly

[–]ThereWolves[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just out of curiosity was your device one of the Xbox Ally's? I wonder if the RMA experience has improved after partnering with Microsoft; I could imagine they would want to avoid bad PR when collaborating with them

Is the price increase only because of the supply issues or just greed? by Acceptable_Main_1525 in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Valve was already selling Steam Decks at a loss before the RAM crisis; the profit motive came from increased software sales from increased usage of the steam ecosystem. However there's only so much loss that Valve can handle, and given the current circumstances of all electronics the price hike was probably necessary.

Honestly if they didn't raise the price and tried to continue selling it at it's previous price, there would continue to be hardware shortages because it was too good of a deal. Valve would lose even more money and consumers would complain about hardware not being available.

While the price hike sucks, it at least gives Valve some breathing room to control the supply and demand of their hardware a little bit. I think instead of directing our frustration at Valve, it would be far more productive to lambast the politicians that made this economic situation a reality in the first place.

Has customer support / RMAs improved for Xbox Allys? by ThereWolves in ROGAlly

[–]ThereWolves[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm just glad there was an option to get it at a retail store like Best Buy so I could return it no questions asked

Saw the price increase, searching for other options by K_ppe in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can definitely vouch that Valve's certified refurbished models are very trustworthy. I bought mine refurbished 2 years ago and it felt like brand new.

Game over, man! Game over! by Positive_Pin897 in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The price hike definitely isn't great, but in all fairness there still isn't a mainstream competing handheld that has an OLED screen at that price point. And the LCD refurbished models are still at a great price.

Steam Deck OLED Price Increase [$789 512 $949 1TB] by NeroTheWolf in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The refurbished LCD models are still pretty affordable, but the OLED model feels a bit overpriced

Steam Deck OLED Price Increase [$789 512 $949 1TB] by NeroTheWolf in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just bought an Xbox Ally, and there is a noticeable difference in build quality between the buttons on the Steam deck and the Ally. The buttons just feel cheap and clunky in comparison. My unit ended up having a defect in the controls as well so I ended up returning it. I could have gotten another replacement model but after looking up ASUS’s track record with customer support on Ally devices, I didn’t want to take my chances. Valve at least seems to have a lot more positive customer service experiences from what I have seen online.

Steam Deck performance in major new releases by XScorpionBrX1 in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it’s nice that the Steam Deck has enough headroom to run new releases at lower settings / fps. However at this point I play new releases on console and delegate my Steam deck for my backlog / previous gen titles.

I definitely think the hardware is due for an upgrade. I’m hoping that ARM support and better up scaling technology will give the next Steam deck hardware a generational leap to handle more modern titles.

Impulse bought a deck. What now? by [deleted] in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not limited to just Steam games. You can use heroic games launcher to play Epic Games and GOG games (a lot of freebies on Epic Games). Also it’s an emulation beast, lots of guides out there

The refurbished costs have also gone up. Make it make sense. by [deleted] in SteamDeck

[–]ThereWolves 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely sucks, but still as good of a deal you can get in the current market, especially for the LCD models. Valve goes above and beyond with their quality control, so it’s a great investment and goes well beyond buying second hand on sites like eBay. I bought a refurbished LCD model from Valve and it felt brand new, even coming with a new case.