this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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Is the steam deck a console?
No, it's a handheld PC.
To be fair, does that make a ps3 running Linux a desktop PC?
"PC" historically refers to devices that are "IBM PC" compatible, although nowadays that mostly means machines with x86 chips... except that powerful ARM desktops, laptops, and servers are becoming a thing too so that's not accurate either. Plus there's that whole "Mac vs PC" ad which also makes the term more confusing.
But even going by the recent historical usage, I'd say the Steam Deck qualifies since it has an x86 chip, whereas the PS3 has a weird custom PowerPC cpu (which, ironically, was made by IBM).
really at this point PC just means it's not locked down to a highly specific software source and lets you change the OS
All consoles are computers, in the sense that their chips are turing-complete
Nobody has really come up with a computer that can only run things you like and none of the things you don't.
They're just computers locked down by digital rights management, opaque operating systems, or other protection measures.
For the purposes of this conversation I would say yes
Then again I would count the steam deck more as a console than a PC in most scenarios
I count it as a portable mini-PC because the games I'm playing on it are the same I own on PC, using the same account...
I guess that depends on your definition, but really I'd lump it into handheld computer, I've owned several, such as the GPD Win series
You can install desktop Linux software on it with no need to perform any types of "jailbreak" so while steam os is a proprietary skin for Linux, its not really locked down the way traditional brick consoles are.
Console doesn't have a hard definition, so anyone could come through and make a case for why it is.
Edit: you can see the people replying after me all have different definitions and standards for the word, it's arbitrary really
It runs desktop Linux natively, steam button, power, switch to desktop.
So was a launch ps3 not a console because you could install linux as an "OtherOS" before sony revoked thr feature?
Again, it's a loose definition and it's pointless and purposefully contrarian to argue about it.
Yes. It's a mass manufactured consumer product with gaming as it's intended purpose
That's a console.
Consoles typically lock the player into their ecosystem, though. You don't have to use steam to play games on the deck.
They don't have to though, that's just what most consoles do.
Getting an Xbox into developer mode, booting retro arch, really whatever you want then doing literally whatever you want with it has never been easier. The 360 was far more difficult and continues to be difficult to hack and mod in meaningful ways. The series consoles you can crack open in like 30 minutes with an article and a YouTube video.
What's the GP32?
What's the NGage?
What's the Ouya?
What are they though?
Are they
?
Depends at what level you define 'console'.
Is it a device purpose built for playing games? Yes.
Does it have its own bespoke gaming platform? No. It plays games and applications made for the x86 PC platform.
Sure steam doesn’t fit that definition exactly but I mean…it kind of serves the same purpose.
Steamdeck is more console than x86 PC is a platform. I get what you mean, but PS4 and PS5 are too technically x86 PCs. Most modern games' tightly coupled target are actually APIs they are using.
It can be one click in a compiler to compile the game to ARM PC, but it's a different story when you port your game engine to console, where you have to implement the same features using different APIs. (E.g. Raytracing, storing game data, connecting to profile, implementing multiplayer etc.).
In the example of SteamDeck, the platform is Win32 or Linux ABI compatible OS.