*** Valve Steam Machine ***

[Vestas]

I believe it was very successful for Valve; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Controller

Well if you had one (like me) then you must have got hit with all the "discounted second controller" stuff appearing on your personal store page on and off for about 2 years? They sent a LOT for disposal which is hardly surprising given how crap they were - both in terms of build standard and operation. About the only thing they got right was haptic feedback.

There's LOTS of controllers on the market & Steam just won't be able to shift them (again) because who uses them as a default controller other than on a console/streamer?

Last time it was the "Steam Link" (or original "Steam Machine"/aka vapourware) they were intended for (it bombed, although it worked quite well), this time its the Steam Machine - with its "dedicated radio for Steam Controllers".

I think you're just looking for an upside to the news

 

[Timber]

Well if you had one (like me) then you must have got hit with all the "discounted second controller" stuff appearing on your personal store page on and off for about 2 years? They sent a LOT for disposal which is hardly surprising given how crap they were - both in terms of build standard and operation. About the only thing they got right was haptic feedback.

There's LOTS of controllers on the market & Steam just won't be able to shift them (again) because who uses them as a default controller other than on a console/streamer?

Last time it was the "Steam Link" (or original "Steam Machine"/aka vapourware) they were intended for (it bombed, although it worked quite well), this time its the Steam Machine - with its "dedicated radio for Steam Controllers".

I think you're just looking for an upside to the news

I did say, I own one and don't really like it. I bought it from GAME in 2015, not long after it came out. Those bits of hardware were Valve's first bit of manufacturing and they've said they learn a lot from it. Which I can believe given how good the Steam Decks controls were.

Do you have a source for Valve putting loads of stock into landfill?

 

[Vestas]

Do you have a source for Valve putting loads of stock into landfill?

Not at this distance in time & it was anecdotal. It came from a guy I knew who worked for Rockstar & then Valve for a while (back at Rockstar last I heard, but not in touch now) and refers to the first generation of controller which apparently they couldn't give away. I have/had one of those - its so bad I needed to go through a dozen batteries to find ones which actually fitted and made a decent contact

The second one got shut down a year or two later supposedly because some other hardware project didn't happen. Again anecdotal but it might have been another attempt at a "Steam Machine".

Probably best they did the Deck, all things considered - at least they got decent data on AMD APUs & Proton.

 

[Kenai]

I wouldn't have thought they went to landfill, if anything I recall when they were selling them off for a couple of quid to get rid of them, they oversold what they actually had and ended up upsetting people who then didn't get orders fulfilled.

 

[Vestas]

I wouldn't have thought they went to landfill, if anything I recall when they were selling them off for a couple of quid to get rid of them, they oversold what they actually had and ended up upsetting people who then didn't get orders fulfilled.

That was 2019 yeah? If so that's the second gen controllers IIRC.

Also by "landfill" I mean scrapped, not literally buried like Atari did with their cartridges.

 

[Timber]

The second one got shut down a year or two later supposedly because some other hardware project didn't happen. Again anecdotal but it might have been another attempt at a "Steam Machine".

Probably best they did the Deck, all things considered - at least they got decent data on AMD APUs & Proton.

I do think though that there are lots of people that don't want this new Steam Machine, but will want the controller. I can imagine they shift millions, certainly not Xbox, or Dualsense volumes but enough for it to have been successful (ignoring the whole 'Steam' is really their priority and hardware projects don't really matter if they are successful, or not).

I still have that aforementioned controller. I never had the issue with batteries although it's not the easiest when it comes from having to push those levers in and get the batteries out. I should really give it a go again for games like Brotato and BALL x Pit. But I never could like it, or use it the same way I can with the Steam Deck's trackpads.

 

[Vestas]

But I never could like it, or use it the same way I can with the Steam Deck's trackpads.

No argument there although all the female members of the family say its too much of a stretch for Deck controls, whereas I get painful cramp on Switch.

 

[Timber]

No argument there although all the female members of the family say its too much of a stretch for Deck controls, whereas I get painful cramp on Switch.

Yea, I can see that. The Deck has to balance a lot of controls crammed into a small space, particularly that d-pad placement. Albeit I do think the trackpad are placed well.

This controller should have less of those issues. I'm looking forward to trying one when they do arrive.

Well if you had one (like me) then you must have got hit with all the "discounted second controller" stuff appearing on your personal store page on and off for about 2 years?

Oops, sorry missed this bit. No - I never got that, which is annoying. At least not from what I can remember. I did have a friend that wanted one, but never got around to it and they did start to go sill on secondary markets (I don't know if he got one in the end. I assume the reason I never got the offer is because I bought one retail from the high street, rather than from Valve directly.

 

[Kenai]

That was 2019 yeah? If so that's the second gen controllers IIRC.

I don't recall a generation before the 2015-2019 run to be honest, so I guess you're talking about something from before then