Recently, the release of Steam Deck has attracted everyone's attention to the handheld, Steam Deck is equipped with a V society to AMD customized SoC chip, that is, AMD's Van Gogh APU, the CPU part uses Zen 2 architecture, with 4 cores and 8 threads, 2.4 ~ 3.5GHz; GPU using RDNA 2 architecture, with 8 CU, frequency 1.0-1.6GHz. Equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, available in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB capacity, and support for microSD expansion cards.
Steam Deck features SteamOS 3.0, developed by Valve. With the built-in Proton compatibility class technology, the game can be executed on SteamOS without the developer's additional porting.
Steam Deck was officially released on February 25, and the Steam Deck price was $64GB 399 (about 2521.68 yuan), 256GB 529 US dollars (about 3343.28 yuan) and 512GB 649 US dollars (about 4101.68 yuan).
It is reported that G Fat, the founder of V Society, mentioned in an interview that Steam Deck can become a platform for virtual reality and augmented reality in the future.
"The next iteration will focus more on the possibilities that mobile platforms offer us and how they go beyond the known range of traditional gaming environments such as desktops or laptops," G Fat said. ”
G Fat references computer vision, which could mean spatial tracking of VR headsets. Of course, computer vision encompasses much more than that, such as the recognition and classification of objects in a physical environment, and is a key technology in augmented reality.
Therefore, G Fat should consider a Steam Deck with an integrated camera that captures the environment and expands it specifically with digital elements.
G Fat also said: "You take a personal computer and develop something more portable. We're not there yet, but it's the first step in that direction. "V's vision is to create a gaming device that has the best of both worlds: the (approximate) computing power of a PC and the mobility of smartphones and tablets.
At the same time, it is similar to G Fat's view of portable VR, which G Fat believes that the future handheld can provide power for VR headsets and realize portable VR solutions.
Is the handheld really the right one to power a VR headset or platform? The Steam Deck chip is currently too weak to display SteamVR games at an acceptable frame rate.
Assuming that Steam Deck can run SteamVR games perfectly, is the battery enough to support the PCVR headset for more than two hours of use? At present, steam Deck has a built-in 40Wh rechargeable lithium battery with a battery life of 2 to 8 hours, and it may be difficult to support a long-term experience if you provide power for the VR headset.
Assuming sufficient power again, what are the steam deck+ VR headset usage scenarios? According to G Fat's view, Steam Deck can provide the advantages of PC + mobile phones in the future, but VR is not suitable for carrying around, and the current use of VR headsets is still home and studio.
The handheld may not be perfect if paired with PCVR, the current handheld does not have the ability to support PCVR operation, and secondly, PCVR itself aims to provide power through the PC to achieve a better experience. AT the beginning of the DESIGN OF PCVR, it was not conceived of using it through a handheld computer, and the frame rate may also be affected during the use of notebook computers due to insufficient power.
Wouldn't it be appropriate to use VR while charging the handheld? The answer is No! The original intention of the handheld is to facilitate carrying, anytime, anywhere to experience PC games, if you use VR while charging, directly use the PC is not to get a better experience.
The combination of handheld and PCVR is similar to a sedan but uses the wheels of a truck, and although it can run, it is not very fast but more difficult.
Is it more suitable for handhelds and all-in-ones? The power life of the handheld itself can reach more than 2 hours, and the all-in-one machine does not need the handheld to provide power support when streaming, so there is no problem at all with the handheld + all-in-one machine for more than two hours.
In addition, the all-in-one machine itself has a processor and battery, for the handheld only needs its game platform, the combination of handheld + all-in-one machine is more suitable for G fat's expectations. However, at present, there are problems with some headset streaming, so it still takes some difficulty to truly implement a portable VR solution.
However, the advantages of handheld + all-in-one machine are significantly higher than PCVR, if the future all-in-one machine is more light and thin, handheld + all-in-one machine may be a better choice. But when the content of the all-in-one machine is richer, why do you need a handheld to provide content?
Our view:
The combination of Steam Deck and VR is not a ridiculous idea, even a bit ahead of its time, but it is only a transition in the development of VR. Handheld + VR is developing in the direction of light and easy to carry, but G fat seems to be a little overconfident, and the most portable way for VR in the future is thin and light, discarding the handle, and long battery life.
The way of handheld + VR is similar to the current part of the AR glasses that require mobile phones to provide computing power and power, which not only violates the characteristics of the product itself, but also does not meet everyone's understanding of "portability".
Handheld + VR may help us take the VR experience outdoors to some extent, but it will definitely not achieve a VR experience that surpasses PCVR perfectly. The VR all-in-one machine itself is already designed for portability, should we really go against the original idea?