Why Steam Deck Is One of the Most Significant PC Gaming Moments in Years
This article is nice overall, but it arguably misrepresents the influence of the PSP and PS Vita. Valve was just inspired by the surprise success of the Switch, so they decided to make a Switch-like gaming PC. For some unknown reason GPD (then the largest handheld gaming PC maker) staunchly refused to make a device with Switch form factor.<p>PSP / PS Vita apparently didn't even influence the design of the Switch itself. The Switch was more likely Nintendo's internal answer to the questions "What if we move the console into the Wii U tablet controller?" and "What if we consolidate our handheld and console divisions and make a hybrid console?"<p>The piece is also missing a key aspect of the Steam Deck success: Its price. While the cheapest Steam Deck is not too far away from the Switch OLED price, all the other Switch-like gaming PCs cost so much that it makes them irrelevant for the mass market. Even the Steam Deck, despite the initial hype, apparently didn't manage to come anywhere near the early Switch sales, and Valve seems not interested to bring it into stores and to market it more broadly.