They absolutely took the console business model on the Steam Deck. Just like the other big guys Sony, Nin, Micro. Sell the hardware at a loss with the promise that the customer will buy the associated products, in this case, the games from the steam store. The bigger and better difference of course being that you can do whatever with the steam Deck. But Valve knows that the majority will still get their games from Steam because it’s just easier that way.
It’s the old razor blade model. Sell the handle cheap because you know people will buy the razors for it, and they most likely buy your brand of razors since you bought their brand of handle.
Printer companies (at least home consumer ones) do it too but are slimy about it. Get a printer for $50 then buy ink for it that often costs twice as much.
Don’t worry, rule34 has covered that very thoroughly. Both of your questions actually.
I’ll take a wonderful experience over a repetitive “make rank number go up” game any day of the week.
Don’t get me wrong, I played all the online multiplayer stuff, many MMOs, all the FPS games, RTS, you name it. But even in those universes I preferred something like Left 4 Dead over something like Counter Strike. At least with a co-op game like L4D the gameplay was more interesting and felt more immersive. CS, Overwatch, even good old Quake in multiplayer mode just felt so repetitive that I got tired of them after 15 minutes of “get flag, kill enemy, twitch around the map like a hyena on meth”
An old single player rpg with a great story was always going to capture my interest more than those online games. An MMORPG is more like an MMO and less like an RPG. And for games with less of a story to tell, a great platformer or adventure game where there was actual progression and new mechanics/challenges to discover level by level, was just more engaging than running Dust 2 a hundred times a night.
Now a days with games like Witcher 3, BG3, Cyberpunk, Hades, and the like, I just can’t bring myself to plug into those perpetually repetitive online experiences. Especially when if I do want to do some multiplayer, a game like BG3 has a wonderful implementation of it. Something like that is the kind of multiplayer I can get down with.
And also, plenty of others have said it already but I’m old and I got shit to do man. I can’t be gaming on someone else’s clock. Steam Deck has really helped get me back into gaming through. That thing has been a godsend. Knock out a chapter in Justice before I go to bed, it’s like reading a bit of a good book before bedtime. Love it.
Justice is great by the way if you like the Yakuza series but want something a little less goofy. Same studio.
Hell yeah. Another vote for Seal!
Tell that to 2FA apps for banks and enterprise security systems.
Casshern (the 2004 live film not the original anime)
I’m on a Pixel 8 Pro and I am sticking with that for now. I don’t think the iterative upgrades the 9 series offers justifies the price. And naturally, a lot of places are putting the 8 series on sale, so it’s an even better deal if you can find one. The 9 series internals are barely upgraded over the 8 series. And in typical Google fashion (if you end up sticking with the stock OS) many of the exclusive 9 series features will come to the 8 series eventually. The only real reason to get a 9 series phone is if you really like the hardware design. The increased ram on the 9 is mostly for the Gemini stuff they are pushing, and the rest of the general specs are almost the same as the 8. Yes of course it’s a new generation so the processor is “better” and whatnot, but not to a degree where in real world use, would you notice the difference between the 8 and the 9. Again, most of the internal improvements are targeting the AI stuff that all companies are pushing for.
TLDR: Save your money and get an 8. It’s mostly the same.
Lollipop in my ass
Don’t forget, the doctor diddles the protagonist too.
Would
Tokyo Xtreme Racer
And thankfully, they just released a teaser for a new one so I guess my wish is going to be granted!
Milo and Otis, Toys, and The Goonies. Watched those 3 movies a thousand times.
I’d say definitely. The first useful thing I printed was during the pandemic where all the paper towels you could get were those z fold ones you see in office building bathrooms. Suffice to say, most people don’t have a container at home for those types of paper towels, so I mocked one up that was like a home tissue box and printed it out. Saved myself 80+$ on making one instead of buying one on Amazon (also they’re all wall mounted and I didn’t want to do that)
Since then I’ve printed toilet paper roll holders, plant pots, catch all bowls, insulated drink holders, tie racks, jewelry racks and boxes, all manner of things I use almost every day, and I’ve learned about 3d modeling as a result (not really good yet but still) so win win.
Edit: I’d say at this point I’ve definitely printed more than how much the printer costed in terms of things I use. Printing mini figures and scenery for tabletop games alone has exceeded the cost it would have been to buy that stuff.
Yes I have an fdm and a resin printer, but they’ve both got a lot of good use and yes absolutely worth it.
RPG: Star Ocean 2, Breath of Fire 3, Grandia 1 and 2, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, Zelda link to the past, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 9, Skies of Arcadia, Legend of Heroes series (start with trails in the sky), Persona series (start with 4), FF Tactics series, Tactics Ogre series, Phantom Brave series
Fighting: Tekken 3, Soul Calibur, Rival Schools, Power Stone 1 and 2, SNK vs. Capcom
Racing: Ridge Racer series, Tokyo Xtreme racer series, Colin McRae rally series, Burnout Paradise, FlatOut series
Shooters: Mars Matrix, Einhander, Cotton series, Ikaruga, Bangai-o, Rez
Fps: Time splitters 2, Red Faction series, Quake series, anything in Orange Box, Rise of the Triad
Adventure: Beyond good and evil, Devil May Cry series, Gurumin, Sleeping Dogs, Syberia series
Platformer: Klonoa Series
I ran out of brain but maybe I’ll add more when I wake up.
They are indeed unfortunately expensive. I’d start with one and if they’re as perfect as you’re looking for, just do the slow replacement. I just buy one every time an existing pair of old undies starts getting too old and eventually you are all set.
Y’s X Nordics for sure. Gonna hack and slash the seven seas.