For Microsoft, the key threat is that the Steam Deck isn’t even a Windows OS device by default, let alone having Microsoft’s Xbox services and Game Pass on it. Valve has used the platform, very successfully, to evolve Steam from being simply a digital store that runs (usually) on Windows, into being a very capable gaming OS in its own right.
That, perhaps more than anything else happening in the industry in recent years, is a threat to Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox platform and gaming more broadly – and if the success of the Steam Deck is a key component of that threat, then creating an Xbox device to compete directly in that space seems like the logical response.
And there’s the real reason why Microsoft cares. The success of the Steam Deck is a threat to Windows because it runs Linux. Also, the more games that run on the Steam Deck means the more games run on Linux.
Microsoft normally solves problems like this by abusing their monopoly and crushing their competition. In this case though, Microsoft is the underdog since Steam is the one with a much larger gaming monopoly. They’re going to have to spend billions and billions if they want to stand a chance against the Steam Deck.
The other enormous problem they face is that Windows is very, very far behind when it comes to technology compared to Linux. Devices made for Linux vastly outperform the best hardware that runs Windows. Even if that hardware was made to run Windows!
Windows is decades behind Linux from a technological development standpoint. For example, Windows is still running the same filesystem from over 30 years ago!
What this means is that for any given portable hardware Linux is going to vastly outperform Windows in basically every benchmark from battery life to frame rate. That doesn’t even include the fact that in Windows you’re forced to install many background apps (and kernel level rootkit anti-cheat) that takes up memory and slows everything down just to get basic security and play games.
Microsoft seems to be trying to transition away from consoles to become a distribution platform and publisher. They’re heavily entrenched in the business ecosystem so the os is pretty safe (for now), but they want to leverage consumer pc dominance to kickstart their gaming division transition
And the mad part is I regularly find Windows games run better on Linux though Proton than on Windows directly - and my Windows partition is only for gaming (no other crap installed)!
Microsoft normally solves problems like this by abusing their monopoly and crushing their competition. In this case though, Microsoft is the underdog since Steam is the one with a much larger gaming monopoly. They’re going to have to spend billions and billions if they want to stand a chance against the Steam Deck.
Oh, they still do it regardless. There was a handheld that was supposed to release with HoloISO (SteamOS) preinstalled instead of Windows to hit a lower MSRP.
Microsoft stepped in (and probably gave them free Windows licenses) just so that wouldn’t happen.
At the same time Linux is eating their lunch on the server side thanks to containers and immutable systems not really being a thing that is possible for anyone but Microsoft to build on Windows and licensing becomes extremely complicated compared to Linux in those areas.
I’m far to be a pro Microsoft but Windows is more versatile to run games. Asus understood it. If you want to play with steam, xbox, gog or indie games. It’s far more flexible than linux even if some huge progress were done.
No one wants to see a beloved game ruined by cheaters. My purpose is not about anti-cheat. It is about the games leader on the market, those with +100 millions players.
And for a handheld, Linux is perfect. Yeah, anticheat games generally don’t work on Linux, but I don’t want to play those anyway on a handheld. Steam Deck is for playing around the house or on a plane or something, my desktop PC is for more hardcore gaming.
You don’t, maybe. LOL and Fortnite represent 365 million players. That’s the main market.
The steam deck is for steam only. You don’t like DRM-free games? Or use a retro gaming portal to launch roms ? Do you prefer to deal with a single company that decides when and which game has to be removed?
I chose the ASUS because the performance was the same, it heats up less so the fan is less active and I can also use it daily as a desktop with a dock.
Sure, but how many want to play on a handheld? Or phrased differently, how many would consider that a deal breaker.
I play competitive games on my PC, and single player games on my desktop. I suppose you could install Windows on your Deck if you really wanted to play specific anti-cheat games on it, but I imagine most people looking for a handheld aren’t intending to play big MP games on it, it’s just not the form factor for competition.
You don’t like DRM-free games? Or use a retro gaming portal to launch roms ?
Not sure what you’re getting at. GOG (and Epic) works just fine in desktop mode (Heroic games), and I play the games in Steam mode (external game feature). In fact, GOG has a deal with the dev of Heroic to share a cut of sales through Heroic.
Likewise, emulation works fine. I haven’t done it, but I’ve read articles about it and people seem to really love their setups.
I can also use it daily as a desktop with a dock.
You can do the same with the Steam Deck. I haven’t bothered because I have a PC, but I’ve heard of people that do. There’s also an official dock as well, so that use case is intendeside. > Do you prefer to deal with a single company that decides when and which game has to be removed?
Do you prefer to deal with a single company? Microsoft pretty much has a monopoly on PC gaming, and Valve is the only one trying to combat that. When game devs target Steam Deck, they also make their games playable on any Linux distribution, so while I’m unlikely to change the OS on my Deck, I can change the OS on my desktop and laptop.
On my Deck, I can and do play games from GOG and EGS as well as Steam. There’s no lock-in, and I know I’m supporting an alternative to Microsoft’s stranglehold on PC gaming.
I love that the ASUS ROG Ally exists, but I also think the Steam Deck offers a better experience. Get what works for you, but the Steam Deck has surpassed my expectations (and I love those trackpads on either side).
Yes if you got the knowledge and a recent PC with the right GPU, you can install vulkan and run few games faster. The gain should be around 17%. That’s not for the mass market.
And there’s the real reason why Microsoft cares. The success of the Steam Deck is a threat to Windows because it runs Linux. Also, the more games that run on the Steam Deck means the more games run on Linux.
Microsoft normally solves problems like this by abusing their monopoly and crushing their competition. In this case though, Microsoft is the underdog since Steam is the one with a much larger gaming monopoly. They’re going to have to spend billions and billions if they want to stand a chance against the Steam Deck.
The other enormous problem they face is that Windows is very, very far behind when it comes to technology compared to Linux. Devices made for Linux vastly outperform the best hardware that runs Windows. Even if that hardware was made to run Windows!
Windows is decades behind Linux from a technological development standpoint. For example, Windows is still running the same filesystem from over 30 years ago!
What this means is that for any given portable hardware Linux is going to vastly outperform Windows in basically every benchmark from battery life to frame rate. That doesn’t even include the fact that in Windows you’re forced to install many background apps (and kernel level
rootkitanti-cheat) that takes up memory and slows everything down just to get basic security and play games.Microsoft seems to be trying to transition away from consoles to become a distribution platform and publisher. They’re heavily entrenched in the business ecosystem so the os is pretty safe (for now), but they want to leverage consumer pc dominance to kickstart their gaming division transition
And the mad part is I regularly find Windows games run better on Linux though Proton than on Windows directly - and my Windows partition is only for gaming (no other crap installed)!
Oh, they still do it regardless. There was a handheld that was supposed to release with HoloISO (SteamOS) preinstalled instead of Windows to hit a lower MSRP.
Microsoft stepped in (and probably gave them free Windows licenses) just so that wouldn’t happen.
Source:
News article from January showing the spec sheet saying “pre-installed HoloISO”.
Product website with the spec sheet saying “pre-installed Windows 11”
At the same time Linux is eating their lunch on the server side thanks to containers and immutable systems not really being a thing that is possible for anyone but Microsoft to build on Windows and licensing becomes extremely complicated compared to Linux in those areas.
I’m far to be a pro Microsoft but Windows is more versatile to run games. Asus understood it. If you want to play with steam, xbox, gog or indie games. It’s far more flexible than linux even if some huge progress were done.
It’s not versatile at all, it’s just what most games are made for so it doesn’t have to be.
Linux is more versatile because it can play games it wasn’t targeted for.
You can’t even play the top 5 games on Linux due to the anti cheat.
You say that like it’s a bad thing. I don’t want to play games with kernel-level anti-cheat.
No one wants to see a beloved game ruined by cheaters. My purpose is not about anti-cheat. It is about the games leader on the market, those with +100 millions players.
And for a handheld, Linux is perfect. Yeah, anticheat games generally don’t work on Linux, but I don’t want to play those anyway on a handheld. Steam Deck is for playing around the house or on a plane or something, my desktop PC is for more hardcore gaming.
You don’t, maybe. LOL and Fortnite represent 365 million players. That’s the main market. The steam deck is for steam only. You don’t like DRM-free games? Or use a retro gaming portal to launch roms ? Do you prefer to deal with a single company that decides when and which game has to be removed?
I chose the ASUS because the performance was the same, it heats up less so the fan is less active and I can also use it daily as a desktop with a dock.
Sure, but how many want to play on a handheld? Or phrased differently, how many would consider that a deal breaker.
I play competitive games on my PC, and single player games on my desktop. I suppose you could install Windows on your Deck if you really wanted to play specific anti-cheat games on it, but I imagine most people looking for a handheld aren’t intending to play big MP games on it, it’s just not the form factor for competition.
Not sure what you’re getting at. GOG (and Epic) works just fine in desktop mode (Heroic games), and I play the games in Steam mode (external game feature). In fact, GOG has a deal with the dev of Heroic to share a cut of sales through Heroic.
Likewise, emulation works fine. I haven’t done it, but I’ve read articles about it and people seem to really love their setups.
You can do the same with the Steam Deck. I haven’t bothered because I have a PC, but I’ve heard of people that do. There’s also an official dock as well, so that use case is intendeside. > Do you prefer to deal with a single company that decides when and which game has to be removed?
Do you prefer to deal with a single company? Microsoft pretty much has a monopoly on PC gaming, and Valve is the only one trying to combat that. When game devs target Steam Deck, they also make their games playable on any Linux distribution, so while I’m unlikely to change the OS on my Deck, I can change the OS on my desktop and laptop.
On my Deck, I can and do play games from GOG and EGS as well as Steam. There’s no lock-in, and I know I’m supporting an alternative to Microsoft’s stranglehold on PC gaming.
I love that the ASUS ROG Ally exists, but I also think the Steam Deck offers a better experience. Get what works for you, but the Steam Deck has surpassed my expectations (and I love those trackpads on either side).
The impressive part is that some of those games can actually run even better than on Windows.
Yes if you got the knowledge and a recent PC with the right GPU, you can install vulkan and run few games faster. The gain should be around 17%. That’s not for the mass market.