Community MetaSteam | January 2020 - Toss A Coin To Your Gaben

[fantomena]

I wonder when consolegamers type in "12tf" in regards to a console if they know what that actually means in terms of raw performance for games? Cause I sure as hell don't know what tflop means in terms of actual raw game peformance.

It's one thing to know what teraflop is and how it is calculated, it's another thing to know what it actually give games.

 

[Deleted member 113]

Yeah i am using a spreadsheet to track my spendings
During non sale months i aim to barely spend much.

I'm on the same boat.

In previous years, I kept using spreadsheets to organize my spending habits and house expenses.
But, after a while, I would get tired of it (I'm an accountant; I hate bringing "work" home ), especially because of my blu-ray purchases, which are a ton (if anyone thinks I buy a lot of games, my movie buying habits are several times worse than videogames).

But I recently got married, had a number of big expenses relating to it (mostly house expenses), and I need to cut back.
Especially since I'm turning 40 this year, and realistically, I may have, at the very best, 10-15 years of gaming left in me, and with the amount of games I already own, that remain unplayed, it just seems like a waste of money to continue my spending habits.

So this year, I've started tracking my videogames purchases again, with the aim of minimizing the amount of money I spend on games.
My objective is to play games in my backlog instead, and only buy a handful of "must have" games (Vampire 2, a couple of FMV games like Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, and probably Cyberpunk). The exception will be DLCs for games I already own (pinball games, Euro Truck Simulator 2/American Truck Simulator DLCs, ...). Even bundles, I'll be buying the Humble choice bundles (when there's games of interest), and avoid buying much else. And since I have over 1000+ steam keys from past bundles I purchased, or crowdfunding campaigns (including a few rare, no longer sold games), I'm hoping I can occasionally make a few €, to further minimize the amount of money I spend.

That's why I deleted my 7100+ wishlist (I now only have 25 games there), so I don't get tempted by sales/discount notifications.

 

[Mor]

Ok, now that Cat's out of the bag with Project UFO from Dell/Alienware I think it's about time to talk about the "Steam portable device" that Valve should consider and why.

Switch has made a big impact in terms of hardware form and how we interpret gaming on the move, I would even go as fas as saying that switch factor (as handled machine) has helped the visibility of indies as the interest for those have increased, maybe as games for outdoors sessions, so now that it's the moment of Handled PCs (like GPD or now this UFO project) and this here's why Valve should have considered this idea as their next hardware adventure.

No one knows better the possible conditions that would take most advantage from their services, let's think, Valve would know how to build something around their services, no only steam, but also remote play, remote co-op, local co-op, etc plus the average specs needed to run a great number of games, also, taking in mind that most of the potential users already have a great library it would be a decisive factor to buy such device and let's be honest, Valve's hardware is good quality, Index is superb in terms of materials (and I haven't had any problem with it) so I would totally expect a great device from them.

So, what will happen? well, I'm not part of Valve (I wish) but I think this UFO project reaction will probably spark someone at the office and MAYBE the idea of a handled steam machine will come back, to be honest, I can only hope for this to be true, why? because no one but Valve knows better how to build the device their services need.

Price point would not be cheap, potential customers not even close to Steam daily numbers do, but from something small we go to something big.

 

[Li Kao]

FunktionJCB why only 10-15 years left ?

And about a Steamboy, as much as it would be a dream come true, I'm really not sure it would make sense for Valve. This wouldn't be cheap for one, so the audience is limited. And there is the fact that to the wider customer base it would be a strange beast. Not a pure console because it plays PC games, but not a PC either.
I fear that it would fare as well as Steam Machines.

Prove me wrong, please.

 

[Tizoc]

Uncharted Lost Legacy is really good.
Been playing it the past couple of days and I think I am nearing the end? Or maybe even the final 1/3 of the game but it is far better than past games.
The light puzzles and the hub area you can explore is great.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Li Kao Yeah, i've got a bunch of Grand Strategy, War Gaming, Simulators and PnC Adventures in my library i'll probably be ready to start when i'm old and if i want to play Code Vein X or Ghosts of Dark Souls 7 then there's always cheats and trainers to offset dodgy reaction times.

Hell, i'm older than Funktion and i'm not worrying about it too much yet. There again i do need to get a life.

 

[Mor]

And about a Steamboy, as much as it would be a dream come true, I'm really not sure it would make sense for Valve. This wouldn't be cheap for one, so the audience is limited. And there is the fact that to the wider customer base it would be a strange beast. Not a pure console because it plays PC games, but not a PC either.
I fear that it would fare as well as Steam Machines.

Prove me wrong, please.

Proving you wrong:

Index.
VR is niche (comparing to other technologies)
Most expensive option of the market
Premium quality and enthusiast focus
Headset sold out not one but two times, when it released and when HLA was announced with X-mas campaign near that moment.

Has Index made the numbers of Oculus Quest? no
Has Index sold more than 1 million headsets? AFAWK, no
Is Valve satisfied with the results? yes, they are

Success is relative, it depends of the expectations they have for each device and game, clearly if they go for it, their mindset will be similar to the Index, offer the same thing but with a different touch, an advantage and clearly focused to a very specific public, the enthusiast.

Their marketing campaign should move around why you want to play your steam library on the go and why this steam machine boy is a good thing with their in-service tools.

 

[Dragon1893]

Finished Yakuza Kiwami last night. I plan on playing through the whole saga on PC, including the ones I already played on PS3. I should be done in 2050.
Anyway, I love this franchise so much. Can't believe unskippable credits are still a thing though, let me go sleep you damn game!

 

[Tizoc]

Eh I don´t expect Valve to announce or work on a portable handheld/Console. It's nice but it seems like a pretty risky business >_>;

 

[Ge0force]

Sticks??

I've tried the analog sticks of my X1 controller, but that works even worse. These sticks are meant for FPS games, not fighters. I don't play enough fighting games to purchase an expensive arcade stick.

Finished Yakuza Kiwami last night. I plan on playing through the whole saga on PC, including the ones I already played on PS3. I should be done in 2050.
Anyway, I love this franchise so much. Can't believe unskippable credits are still a thing though, let me go sleep you damn game!

Yeah it's so annoying. The final mission of Yakuza 0 is several hours in length but doesn't have a single save point. I guess these Japanese devs don't need much sleep...

 

[Mor]

Eh I don´t expect Valve to announce or work on a portable handheld/Console. It's nice but it seems like a pretty risky business >_>;

There's no victory without risks

 

[Nabs]

All I need is a Streamboy. Come on Valve, lets do it.

 

[Alextended]

I don't see how Valve could get any good specs in a portable form factor. If you wanna play oldies and indies and stuff there are ultrabooks, notebooks and tablets from various companies, the surfaces, yoga books, gpds, whether low end or premium, Valve aren't wizards to fit better specs than existing socs in...

 

[Deleted member 113]

FunktionJCB why only 10-15 years left ?

I don't believe I'll even "last" that long, in terms of regularly playing games.

It's just the way it is.
As I get older, the time I spend gaming has greatly reduced. I simply don't have the patience to play most days (I arrive home tired, and in no mood to do anything).

My favourite genre was always long, immersive, RPGs. I'm the kind of guy that easily spent 100+ hours on an RPG.
Now? I play arcade games (shmups, beat'em ups, ...), short games that take 4-6 hours to beat, or "episodic" games, in the sense of games that are separated in chapters/missions, and that barely have any story (like HITMAN 2).

I find myself drawn to simple, "pick up and play" gameplay (like older arcade games, or digital pinball tables), and less to many of the big games currently getting released.
For example, I would go bananas if those Darius compilations were released on PC. On the opposite side, I couldn't care less about battle royale games like Battleground/Fortnite/Overwatch, things like Dota 2, Monster Hunter, or even Half-Life: Alyx.

 

[Li Kao]

Don't see how Valve could get any good PC specs in a portable form factor. If you wanna play oldies and indies and stuff there are notebooks and tablets and stuff like that from various companies that fit the bill, from lower end to expensive premium stuff, Valve aren't wizards to fit better specs than current soc.

I hope nobody is seriously waiting for an handheld that plays RDR2 natively. For these type of very demanding games, there is remote play.
Buuut that would also add to the nebulous nature of the thing for the general audience. Some games would play natively, some not. Now market that shit. Good luck.

And that's without talking about remote play quality, which I suppose varies greatly from people to people. I have slowdowns on Steins;Gate
I admittedly didn't do much fine tuning to the RP app, but that's still a fucking VN. Imagine an action game.

 

[Durante]

All I need is a Streamboy. Come on Valve, lets do it.

A "Streamboy" seems much more viable than a "Steamboy", hardware-wise. You can get a nice highly efficient SoC with good HW video decoding for <20 USD, and you also need much less of a battery, which means the entire thing can be smaller and lighter. But it's also more limited in applicability.

Really though, it doesn't need to be a dedicated thing, you only really need an Android device with good ergonomics and controls.

I hope nobody is seriously waiting for an handheld that plays RDR2 natively. For these type of very demanding games, there is remote play.
Buuut that would also add to the nebulous nature of the thing for the general audience. Some games would play natively, some not. Now market that shit. Good luck.

Yeah, I don't think it could be a mass market device. But maybe it wouldn't have to be to be successful.

 

[Li Kao]

Yeah, I don't think it could be a mass market device. But maybe it wouldn't have to be to be successful.

Yeah, Mor's argument. Success being relative to expectations. A good point, indeed,

 

[yuraya]

Creating a pc gaming handheld for Valve would be a cakewalk. Seeing all the money they invested into VR and those headsets they released. The tech that goes into that stuff is more complex than any handheld device. A handheld pc would be nothing for them. Especially when you factor in a possible partnership with AMD/Nvidia. That would eliminate most of wtvr hard work there is. Valve would even be able to do their own unique steam centric device using SteamOS etc.

But it would probably be better for all these other companies to create/test a market first. That is why its so huge for a company like Dell to showcase this prototype. They are one of the largest pc companies out there so they must see some type of success path with that device. If it does become even a little bit successful all those other hardware companies will jump aboard too. Its probably makes more sense for Valve to sit back and let them compete with one another or maybe even get in bed with them so they can sell their device through steam.

The other problem with Valve is that they are too small to focus on more than two or three things at a time. They are all in on VR right now and probably working on their next iteration after seeing how big Oculus quest is getting. So you are probably gonna see that next from Valve and maybe after that they will dive into handhelds, streaming, new steam controller etc.

 

[Tizoc]

There's no victory without risks

Tell that to Ouya and Stadia :v

Though in all seriousnes
Valve does have a consumer base that may be interested in the concept of gaming on the go.
...but even then i just dont see it.

 

[Le Pertti]

I don't believe I'll even "last" that long, in terms of regularly playing games.

It's just the way it is.
As I get older, the time I spend gaming has greatly reduced. I simply don't have the patience to play most days (I arrive home tired, and in no mood to do anything).

My favourite genre was always long, immersive, RPGs. I'm the kind of guy that easily spent 100+ hours on an RPG.
Now? I play arcade games (shmups, beat'em ups, ...), short games that take 4-6 hours to beat, or "episodic" games, in the sense of games that are separated in chapters/missions, and that barely have any story (like HITMAN 2).

I find myself drawn to simple, "pick up and play" gameplay (like older arcade games, or digital pinball tables), and less to many of the big games currently getting released.
For example, I would go bananas if those Darius compilations were released on PC. On the opposite side, I couldn't care less about battle royale games like Battleground/Fortnite/Overwatch, things like Dota 2, Monster Hunter, or even Half-Life: Alyx.

Didn't we have an article just yesterday that said retirement is the new "game all day everyday" time.

 

[Mor]

I hope nobody is seriously waiting for an handheld that plays RDR2 natively. For these type of very demanding games, there is remote play.

Correct, this is why I said no one would be as on point as Valve when it comes to build a machine that goes around their structure and tools.
A "Steamboy" would need to run indie games and AA games and those demanding AAA would be played via remote play.

 

[Mivey]

A "Streamboy" seems much more viable than a "Steamboy", hardware-wise. You can get a nice highly efficient SoC with good HW video decoding for <20 USD, and you also need much less of a battery, which means the entire thing can be smaller and lighter. But it's also more limited in applicability.

Really though, it doesn't need to be a dedicated thing, you only really need an Android device with good ergonomics and controls.

The ergonomics you need for a smartphone, and the one you need for a device like this are far apart. I guess you could have something where you just need to slide the phone in, and that acts the way UFO thing from Alienware does. But the actual hardware, in terms of its shape, will never be great for this.

 

[RionaaM]

I wonder when consolegamers type in "12tf" in regards to a console if they know what that actually means in terms of raw performance for games? Cause I sure as hell don't know what tflop means in terms of actual raw game peformance.

It's one thing to know what teraflop is and how it is calculated, it's another thing to know what it actually give games.

 

[Cordelia]

UFO looks like better Switch than Switch. Also like the colour. Goddammit Nintendo, make a black and white joycon already!!

I wonder when consolegamers type in "12tf" in regards to a console if they know what that actually means in terms of raw performance for games? Cause I sure as hell don't know what tflop means in terms of actual raw game peformance.

It's one thing to know what teraflop is and how it is calculated, it's another thing to know what it actually give games.

Bigger number is better. To be honest I never heard about teraflops in any VGA marketing. Only console marketing and their fanboys use that term.

 

[Arsene]

 

[Mor]

April 7, CAN'T WAIT!!!!

 

[Durante]

The ergonomics you need for a smartphone, and the one you need for a device like this are far apart. I guess you could have something where you just need to slide the phone in, and that acts the way UFO thing from Alienware does. But the actual hardware, in terms of its shape, will never be great for this.

I agree. The ergonomics need to be dedicated to gaming.
What I meant is that it doesn't really have to be a dedicated Steam thing, it could just be an Android device (which makes sure that its inputs work well with Steam link).

Sadly, there aren't really many good ergonomic choices for something like this out there, despite the huge number of Android devices.
The GPD XD Plus seems like an option (and unsurprisingly it's much more affordable than their x86 machines).

 

[Deleted member 113]

Didn't we have an article just yesterday that said retirement is the new "game all day everyday" time.

We did!

But, if I reach retirement age, I see myself sitting on the couch watching films, and going for walks, not necessarily playing Half Life 2: Episode 3.

 

[fantomena]

 

[Cordelia]

An ROG laptop that looks minimalistic??? Asus must be insane.

 

[Le Pertti]

We did!

But, if I reach retirement age, I see myself sitting on the couch watching films, and going for walks, not necessarily playing Half Life 2: Episode 3.

Yeah I would guess that one biggest interests now will also be what one does then. I will still be going to the cinema then but I do think I will be gaming as much then as now. At least it will help against degenerative brain thingies.

 

[arts&crafts]

Any impressions on DBZ? Is it actually an RPG? Is it actually good?

 

[KainXVIII]

Playing Toonstruck and here is some personal quirks with this game:
Original game resolution was 640x400, so its looks a little squished without aspect ratio correction, but if you turn it on - image will be, i don't know, aliased? Scaling artifacts? Look at the table line.. So in the end i think i will disable pixel-perfect mode and enable image filtering, blurry but without ugly uneven pixels

Also music encoded in 22khz/mono, so on my system it plays only from central speaker (until you switch from 5.1 to 2.1 speaker setup)

 

[Deleted member 113]

Guys, sorry for going OT a bit, but with all the fires currently affecting Australia, which is a very heartbreaking situation, would you guys consider doing a raffle, with donations going for the people and wildlife affected?
Maybe even using the "donate" tab of the forum (if possible)?

I would gladly donate games from bundles (100 or more) to give as prizes, and maybe someone else is willing to throw a few games as well.

Any ideas to get something going?

 

[freshVeggie]

1200p seems like overkill at that screen size.

 

[Le Pertti]

Lol, there was a homeless person sleeping right outside my door in the hall, didn't want to be an ass and tell him too move. Turns out afterwards he pours out gasoline and tries to burn down the place. Thankfully I was fast with water.

 

[fantomena]

Checking r/pcmasterrace (for pics of other peoples builds) and r/pcgaming, it makes me feel Im one of very few who doesn't give a shit about the looks and eaesthethic of my PC. RGB, PSU cover and all that stuff, no care. Only thing I care about is clean cable management and that the PC components have a lot of breathing room and that's it.

 

[freshVeggie]

Those are all fancy accessory extras anyway. I just need a box to screw in.

 

[NarohDethan]

Lol, there was a homeless person sleeping right outside my door in the hall, didn't want to be an ass and tell him too move. Turns out afterwards he pours out gasoline and tries to burn down the place. Thankfully I was fast with water.

What the fuck, I’m glad you’re okay. Stay safe brother.

 

[Cordelia]

If anyone said that building a PC is hard and you need PhD in computer engineering and certification from NASA, give them this video,

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Oh Razer have hired some ex-Silicon Graphics engineers and made a modular PC. About damned time tbh. The Indy was so easy to work on compared to other machines of it's era, it was a joy. Modular usually means expensive though and with Razer on the box, yeah. Sell them kidneys peeps!

 

[lashman]

Maybe even using the "donate" tab of the forum (if possible)?

should be possible

 

[Dragon1893]

Lol, there was a homeless person sleeping right outside my door in the hall, didn't want to be an ass and tell him too move. Turns out afterwards he pours out gasoline and tries to burn down the place. Thankfully I was fast with water.

Dude what?!

 

[Deleted member 113]

should be possible

Thanks.

Guys, any suggestions on what we can do?

I was thinking about, for example, each $1 donated would get you an entry in the raffle, and the winners would get a whole bunch of games from our bundle extras. I already donated to a few institutions, but I would gladly chip in as well, and I can contribute with 100 or more games from Humble.

Can anyone help arrange this?

 

[lashman]

Thanks.

Guys, any suggestions on what we can do?

I was thinking about, for example, each $1 donated would get you an entry in the raffle, and the winners would get a whole bunch of games from our bundle extras. I already donated to a few institutions, but I would gladly chip in as well, and I can contribute with 100 or more games from Humble.

Can anyone help arrange this?

just don't forget about paypal fees

 

[Deleted member 113]

just don't forget about paypal fees

Any suggestions on how to minimize fees, lashman?

And, can anyone help setup things (and organize a raffle, and/or suggest something, to get this up and running)?

 

[lashman]

Any suggestions on how to minimize fees, lashman?

no clue, sorry

 

[arts&crafts]

An ROG laptop that looks minimalistic??? Asus must be insane.

I bought an ROG laptop with a "1070" a few years ago. It is so so much worse than my 970 desktop from 2 years prior. I only play solitaire games on the laptop and play the rest on my 970. Never again! (I think this is due to instant overheat throttling due to poor air circulation and may be better in newer models)

 

[Nabs]

 

[fantomena]

Can someone explain to me like Im 8yo what AMD is doing with their new Ryzen CPUs that trounces Intels CPUs? Hearing lots of good stuff about the Ryzen CPUs, but don't know why they are good compares to Intel.