So why is this considered a gaming PC and not a console? Because it is moddable?
That is the part I am waiting to hear about - how easy is it to physically do (it should not be hard, but who knows) and are there any software hoops do go through as far as any required system crap on the boot ssd, can I just buy the low-end model and install an nvme easily etc. I am hoping that while that size is not super common now they will become more so as this device and others like it become more common.
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To a degree it’s just semantics. I guess the biggest thing would be that Valve is (apparently) not putting anything in your way as far as installing whatever you want on the thing, unlike a console that by default has lots of software and hardware locks on it to prevent you from doing things that the manufacturer doesn’t want you to do.
From a hardware standpoint these days there is no difference between a PC and an Xbox or a Playstation.
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Personally I want mouse and WASD controls from a PC…
Though I suppose that is possible on this and probably on modern consoles as well.
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Yep - you can easily add a mouse and keyboard to this via USB or Bluetooth and I believe that both the Xbox Series series and the PS5 hardware and OS support keyboard and mouse though I am pretty sure that games need to specifically support them.
The main issue with using this device as a gaming pc hooked up to a TV or monitor with mouse and keyboard is that it is optimized for an 800p screen, so you are not going to get great performance at higher resolutions.
ETA: that said based on the specs the graphics performance should be around Xbox One and PS4 levels, so 1080p at 30-60fps with acceptable settings should totally be possible.
Over the weekend i decided to cancel my mid-tier preorder and got the top of the line one. Sadly now i’ll have to wait until Q3 of '22 but i don’t mind waiting.
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With most technology the longer you wait the better the options become…
Wow! So 30-45 minutes!?!? 
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Nice!
I have one and now know what I will be doing with it. Eventually… 
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Same here, me and my brother recently found our old one in the loft.
A future project for sure.
(Note, there are upgraded modern LCD panel replacements around too, prob worth looking into)
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I’m really looking forward to this. Kind of wish we could get one sooner but we dallied a bit with registering and now will have to wait longer. I’d been wanting a switch but really don’t like the idea of having to buy multiple siloed copies of games. Almost all of my games are already on Steam and I’d rather just access them and play them. We’ve just used an old laptop on potato mode, which I often play with a controller anyway. A lot of the “traveling” we do isn’t the sightseeing fun kind but more the “spending a week at a relative’s house in a suburb of an unexciting US city” kind. Laptop is really kind of bulky but not so bulky it justifies the super expensive consoles-you-can-access-your-PC-games-with that currently exist.
Basically… I have high hopes for this thing.
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I have a Switch but i rarely, and i mean rarely, use it. Like you i mainly buy games on Steam, i dislike Nintendo’s friend system, online matchmaking, etc and there are very very few exclusives from them these days that i just gotta play. I also have veered away from games that require me to dump lots of time into for me to invest in (never finished the last Zelda game), i prefer games i can pick up and play without having to think too hard about what i was doing last time.
Really need to sell my Switch now that i think about it
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At a guess that’d depend on valve and how they handle the software-side…
I’m actually not bothered at all by the the hardware-end, it appears to be relatively easy as far as i can tell (Screw holes, not clips probably!)
It’s the software end…
If they release a USB steamOS installer on a USB stick = should be trivial
If they don’t it’d involve cloning the existing drive to a new drive then expanding it to use all the space. Which could potentially be a huge PITA involving another PC with a free M2 slot or a USB-NVME adaptor…
Based on your preferences above, if the premise appeals to you you should check out Overboard! Very quick runs and very unusual.
Agreed - I am expecting it to be a pretty simple upgrade. Just don’t need it immediately and fine waiting for other people to figure out what the bumps might be before I settle on a model.
For that kind of money (or less) someone can commission a modder to make them a faux Steam Deck that works just as good as the real thing. Or build an awesome gaming rig
But either way i don’t see the point. Valve did a decent job at making sure people could preorder theirs, unlike the fiasco with PS5, Xbox, and GPUs lately. I managed to snag an Nvidia 3080 last year and it was. a. god. damn. nightmare.
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