OneXPlayer are a series of handheld gaming devices, they're somewhat popular and it appears they've been keeping a close eye on SteamOS and how it's been working on the Steam Deck.
Currently they offer various models like the OneXPlayer Mini, OneXPlayer 1S, two AMD models and the One-GX 1 Laptop. However, all of them currently ship with Windows. Some of them are pretty powerful too, like the currently sold-out "ONEXPLAYER AMD® - 8.4 inch Ryzen® 5700U" model. Their prices are quite a bit higher than Steam Deck too, with that model in particular retailing at $1,419.
The good news is that they might actually be shipping SteamOS Linux in future, bringing them more in line with what the Steam Deck can do. As WePC recently did an interview with the VP of OneXPlayer, Jason Zeng. Here's the excerpt:
Zeng continued to share his opinions on Valve’s market-disrupting machine by giving his stance on how Valve managed to achieve success with the device. ‘Steam Deck is a very influential product that has managed to leverage its accumulated assets and bring [the] public’s attention to the field of portable gaming. We sincerely congratulate Steam Deck for its achievements, and will keep working on our competitive edges.’
[…]
Of particular note is how the Proton developers actually improved performance in games such as Elden Ring, which highlights the OS against running something a little harder on the system like Windows 11. Zeng comments that the team has been ‘working on’ shipping the OneXPlayer line of devices with a build of Linux or SteamOS in the future.
Having more devices out there shipping Linux sound awesome. However, they seem to have no plans for cheaper devices right now, so you might want to keep waiting on and sticking with the Steam Deck if you don't have a ton of spare cash stuffed under your bed.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
it started!
the oem revolution is here!
i know we had some micro consoles with linux or android before, but i think steamOS will take things to the next level, valve bet is starting to pay of.
maybe things will be like with android x windows, microsoft didnt lose their dominance on the desktop, yet android surpassed then in the user count growing in another class of device.
maybe video game consoles will be the next battleground, or maybe the desktop market will shake, i dont care the result, the future looks bright!
[edit]
ok i could swear they were a bigger company, but i can foresee companies like alienware being the next to enter this market.
Last edited by elmapul on 31 March 2022 at 1:43 pm UTC
But I must say I find these expensive devices kind of a dead end. At that price point you are more or less competing with actual gaming PCs, that have a plethora of conveniences to offset not being portable - with the line a bit blurred for laptops, which are kind of portable. And also competing with phones/tablets, that are the mainstream portable devices, with lots of support, and have a lot of benefits to compensate not having access to x86 applications (i.e., Windows games). The subset of games that people would rather play on portable than on a full PC, but can't get (or a similar game) on a tablet, and that require such high-end hardware, might not justify the cost.
A cheaper device might not run _all_ the games or have the bestest quality, but it just doesn't need to compete in the same way. It could appeal to all the people that don't know or don't care about the hardware differences, and be cheap enough that people can just get it in addition to their main gaming PC. There is a reason Valve and Nintendo made sacrifices to reach the more moderate price points.
Quoting: eldakingThere is a reason Valve and Nintendo made sacrifices to reach the more moderate price points.
completely agree, its just a matter of seeing PS3 lauch price and how it affected it.
or even the last gen PS4 vs xbox one, sony was selling much more than microsoft, due to (among other things) it being more powerfull and the marketing fiasco microsoft did at the begining of the gen.
microsoft removed xbox requirement puting the price on pair with ps4, and that was not enough, then they did an price cut of 50USD, and that was enough for a little bit, the reason why that was not enough is because sony followed their price cuts.
entrey cost is very important for an gaming device to sell tens of millions of units, more than the price of the games after the initial purchase it seems.
Last edited by elmapul on 31 March 2022 at 2:26 pm UTC
Quoting: elmapulentrey cost is very important for an gaming device to sell tens of millions of units, more than the price of the games after the initial purchase it seems.
This and game availability are the two most important aspects imho - Deck has both
From what I've read and watched folk enjoy the SteamOS interface, it integrates so much more nicely than what was previously possible with Windows based handhelds.
I think game device manufacturers really want a slice of that game oriented integration that SteamOS provides especially if Valve is footing the bill.
ElamanOpiskelija Mar 31, 2022
Quoting: eldakingBut I must say I find these expensive devices kind of a dead end. At that price point you are more or less competing with actual gaming PCs
I know, right? Same here. And yet, we have seen one kickstarter after another succeed (or indiegogo), and get funded in record time: AYA Neo, OneXPlayer, GPD Win, whatever, all more expensive.
Another thing that it's a serious question from me and I still don't get is: what is this device offering that is so important, that a small laptop cannot? What is the use case?
Quoting: eldakingBut I must say I find these expensive devices kind of a dead end.It's a question of scale. The price per unit is vastly different if you're buying a thousand compared to if you're buying ten million, multiplied out by every component in your device.
Of course the price that Microsoft will charge you for an OEM licence is also a lot different if you say, "actually, we're thinking of using Linux instead," so the visibility of SteamOS will help these companies even if they decide to stick with Windows as a differentiator from the Steam Deck.
Quoting: kit89I think a lot of these handheld game device manufacturers are ecstatic over how the Steam Deck has legitimised the PC handheld game space.Not all of them: the GPD boss went on a public rant about how the Deck was terrible because it couldn't run pirated games. I think he was feeling rather threatened by it.
wit_as_a_riddle Mar 31, 2022
It's been noticed by all that other manufacturers have a major disadvantage compared to Deck when it comes to hardware cost and value. I think Valve could do something about this if they truly wish to grow their marketplace.
Their own hardware is partially subsidized by the fact of them taking 30% from each game sold on their platform. They could also help other manufacturer's subsidize their hardware, in order to make it more competitively priced, thus growing Steam's market share.
I'd bet it would be in Valve's best interest to offer a share of that 30% for every game sold through SteamOS by another manufacturer's device. This could expire after a decided value was reached.
In this way they can encourage other manufacturers to join the handheld PC ecosystem, if their hardware is partially subsidized they can offer more aggressive pricing and thus sell more units. This in turn will grow Valve's market share.
Quoting: ElamanOpiskelijaAnother thing that it's a serious question from me and I still don't get is: what is this device offering that is so important, that a small laptop cannot? What is the use case?These devices let you play games while you're just holding the device. Laptops (especially gaming laptops) don't: the operation of those is the same as the old luggables - you can move them from one static location to another, which is an advantage over a big desktop, but you can't just play on them wherever.
Quoting: CatKillerbut you can't just play on them wherever.
the toilet.. you mean the toilet.
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