Does it bother you that Steam Deck will have the best launch lineup in human history?

Happy end of the week to all! I just wanted to gauge the community on a very important topic. Launch lineups!

How many times have we seen devices launch with thin lineups only to languish for months waiting for games to play? (Think ps3 or Xbox one... :P)

Steam Deck will be launching with thousands of games from small indie studios to the biggest AAA games and everything in between... It'll be the single biggest launch lineup in gaming history. Does this matter in terms of immediate success for the handheld or is it one of those things where we don't talk about as an advantage for the console because it ruffles too many feathers?

Does it fall under the umbrella of, "it's a pc so despite being a hardware offering aimed at a new source of gamers the wholeness of the pc catalog doesn't count...?" or do we say, "wow, having a launch lineup that big is a really great advantage to starting out!"

Curious how system wars sees this undeniable perk of owning a steam deck day 1? How are your feelings? 😷🤒🤕

Only issue I see is gamers having way too much games to look through. But since this is for gamers who already have tons of games, I see no issue. Just not ideal for more casual gamers, they stay clear of this device.

I think some do yeah... But I also see this attracting a lot of gamers who have no interest building a rig or being tethered to the traditional pc experience.

Not at all.. it fucking amazes me!

I remember playing crap gba ports thinking how cool it was. Now to have my steam collection in the palm of my hands is something that makes me appreciate how far gaming has come.

@enzyme36: it really is amazing. I used to play on monochrome screens with floppy discs for God's sake. It brings a tear to the eye

Not really that excited. They're probably games that were already released.

Personally, the PS2 lineup had some bangers and exclusives during it's time:

• Armored Core 2
• DOA2: Hardcore
• Dynasty Warriors 2
• ESPN International Track and Field
• ESPN X-Games Snowboarding
• Eternal Ring
• Evergrace
• FantaVision
• Gungriffon Blaze
• Kessen
• Madden NFL 2001
• Midnight Club
• Moto GP
• NHL 2001
• Orphen
• Q-Ball Billiards Master
• Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
• Ridge Racer V
• Silent Scope
• Smuggler’s Run
• SSX
• Street Fighter EX3
• Summoner
• Swing Away
• Tekken Tag Tournament
• TimeSplitters
• Unreal Tournament
• Wild Wild Racing
• X-Squad

That is .0000000001% the size of the steam deck launch lineup.

Steam deck will gave every game released on steam.

Wanna play halo infinite day one? You can on steam deck.

Launch titles? How can it have launch titles if it's a PC? A really cool piece of PC kit, but a PC all the same.

Pretty sure Herms are the first to criticize consoles when it comes to ports so it's funny that they're relying on them now 😄

@SolidGame_basic: ports? Steam games are ports?

Playing my PC games anywhere on the go is a dream come true to me, so yeah this console's "launch library" is terrific.

The concept of the Switch is something I've always wanted, the Deck is most likely to closest thing to that ideal console I've looked for.

Unless you're an insecure sheep, I don't know why it'd bother anyone since that's the draw of the device - if you use steam, then you likely already have hundreds of games at your disposal.

I don't see how having such a huge amount of already purchased content at launch for a platform should bother anybody.. I'm not even into mobile gaming but having access to my 200+ steam library right out of the box is something no other gaming platform (normal PC aside) has been able to do in my 25+ years of gaming.

A gamer know what he wants and knows what games to play on Steam Deck. Nothing needs to be said about launch games.

Ports?!?! Not trying to be this guy but what are you talking about?

@TheEroica: Seems like you are purposefully redefining what are launch line ups. Supporting already existing games is not a launch line up.

I'm starting to think the Steam Deck may actually be successful though. A lot of people seem legitimately interested in it.

@eoten: Interested? Man, I've been praying for a device like this! If Microsoft or Sony made one I'd be interested too...

@Pedro: isn't a launch lineup the games that can be played on a device on its first day/week?

Interest and purchase don't always align.

A device that simply plays all previous platform games and has nothing new to offer at launch that it can call its own doesn't really count as having a launch lineup. We never counted last gen's library as being part of the new system's launch lineup so I'm not sure why the goal post change on this.

Nope! The games that launches the same day as the system are launch line ups. That is akin to saying that PS5 and Series had a launch line up of thousands of games because it can play PS4/One games.

Likewise, thanks to the thousands of dregs released to Steam, it also simultaneously has the worst launch lineup of all time.

I don't think there's such a thing as a launch lineup for PCs, TBH.

Time has no meaning; PC is eternity

Curious though, how much of the Steam catalog is Linux compatible? Figure someone with familiarity with the platform could say what will work and the unfortunate titles that won't be playable.

I mean.... the Steam Deck technically includes these games too since you will 100% be able to get them running if you wanted to.

My Steam Deck will absolutely be set up to play PS2 games.

@lamprey263: part of the problem is we don't technically know. What have to go off of right now is ProtonDB which indicates that out of 19,040 games with user reports, 15,471 work in Linux with Proton. However, a few caveats to that are: Steam claims they have a new enhanced Proton release rolling out with the Deck that will offer expanded compatibility (they've kind of implied "full" but I will believe that when I see it). On the flip side, of those 15,471 it isn't 100% -> even games rated platinum can still give some headaches to some people, and some of the games NOT in the Platinum category are actually popular ones (on my library alone there are a handful of games that fall outside the Platinum list)

So there's definitely an element of we'll-just-have-to-see. Still, it's probably safe to say the number of playable games will be very very large

Come to think of it, I would be able to play my beloved Final Fantasy and Persona 4 games on Steam Deck, so I see the benefit in that.

It's really cool, but if I got one, itd just feel like I was getting a new laptop. Not sure how excited I'd be, other than just getting a new PC.

Does it bother me if something that I am not interested and indifferent to in is hyped as "the greatest in human history"? No. I do not get "worked up" over things that do not affect my life and any reasonable person should do the same.

I....

1 ) am not a hardcore gamer

2 ) only have 7 steam games

3 ) have pre-ordered the £569 model.

I don't know why gamers think only steam fans and hardcore pc gamers would be the only ones interested in this device.

@TheEroica: Not sure if serious....

It's not really a launch line up. That's like saying the PS3 had the best launch line up ever since it could play every PS1 and PS2 game.

And being able to play almost every PC game going back to the 1980s far, far exceeds the PS1/PS2 library.

To actually take out of the house or for around the house? Because if it's just around the house you can get almost identical functionality with a tablet and a controller running in remote play modes available on all those consoles as well as PC. I've tested Steam's service running games off my desktop to my phone connected to a Ps4 controller and couldn't really detect any kind of additional latency over a 5.0ghz wifi connection.

Indifferent, as usual with all things related to pc gaming.

Nobody is talking about this thing already.

It's only been a week.

DOA.

@NukleaWorfair: prepare for your library to explode in size :-) It's hard not to when sales roll around

It's certainly the best launch lineup of any console. Ever. I'm bothered because I have to wait for one!

I think most would much rather have those PS1 and 2 games than most of the PC library before PS3 though. Many of those old PS games are remastered on PC nowadays anyway, which kinda demonstrates my point.

I don't know if pre-existing titles really count as "launch titles" in the context we usually know them as. I think you might be changing that term to fit your needs, you sly devil @TheEroica.

But that's OK, whatever keeps the console peasants in their place and the PC Master Race at the top of the food chain.

I for one will happily shell out 1600 dollars for a scalped Steam Deck to play 10-dollar pixelated indie titles just like I do on my 10,000-dollar desktop.

@mrbojangles25: lol, you scrub. It needs to be pirated pixelated indies on a 15,000 rig. Bonus points if it's on a 1080p non-oled display without Dolby Atmos

CRT, and I ain't talkin' bout the sensationalized educational reform, foo'

Awwwwww yeeeeahhhhh

It will have access to +20,000 PC games and emulations. If the Switch emulation goes very well also Switch games.

The tech looking very amazing. Worth it alone for the emulation scene.

Stop pretending again. Its mentioned in almost every thread with two plus pages. I understanding you're in panic mode for over two weeks now, but its not by covering your eyes and plugging your ears while pretending that the situation will change. You will get clapped, and your switch will get rammed by the deck. It is what it is. Now what's your opinion about it?

@hardwenzen Leading the Steam Deck movement 😄

@casey-wegner: lol. I love that gif

Lots of games aren't on steam OS the new FF Pixel Remasters won't be playable on deck as well as tons of other steam games.

This thing has much smaller library than Windows + Steam unless you get windows on it than it might be ok but thats not how it comes and you gotta buy windows and a dock this thing is too expensive just get a acer or something.

Arrested Development FTW

@TheEroica: So what new, Deck only launch games are making it the best ever exactly?

@TheEroica: So what new, Deck only launch games are making it the best ever exactly?

I've been looking through ProtonDB and it seems nearly all the games in the top 100 most played on Steam and popular in general are games that don't work on Proton are because of anti cheat software. Valve is working on that, if they can get these anti cheat programs to work with proton/linux then they've basically achieved parity with windows for nearly all games or at least the ones that matter the most.

I think the Steam Deck has the potential to be the next PSP. What made the PSP so popular was how easy it was to hack to allow you to do things like play imported games, emulators, use custom themes, plugins, install games and movies directly to the console,, etc. It was so easy to hack that piracy was a problem on the PSP and affected game sales while also making it popular in places like China. The Steam Deck is a literal PC so it doesn't even have to be hacked to do all that, it's openness is its greatest strength.

The Steam Deck could possibly be a big hit Asia and more specifically China because mobile gaming is dominate in Asia with PC being second and consoles a very, very, very, very distant third. The Nintendo Switch is doing better than the PS4 and Xbox One in sales in China thanks to its portability aspect. It can possibly do well in China because China practically pioneered handheld gamin g PCs with the Aya NEO and GPD Win. The Steam Deck can be really appealing because of its ability to play PC games on the go, not only that PC games that are only accessible through Steam for them. Emulating mobile games on PC is becoming pretty common in Asia to the point that some major mobile games are getting PC versions. The Steam Deck can help bridge that gap. There is a market for gaming phones in Asia and the Steam Deck can intercept that market. The APU in the Steam Deck is way more powerful than fastest phones on the market while costing less than them. The Steam Deck can be marketed as a device that allows you to go from playing the PC version of PUBG to playing Arena of Kings mobile through an emulator on the same device.