From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


Speaking of SteamDecks (or rather, 'handheld gaming PCs'), here's one:
the upcoming Ayaneo Strix Halo.* Yours only for (up to) $4300 USD!

Which makes me think some OEMs have sort of lost the plot when it
comes to handheld PCs, but what do I know of the luxury market? Their
top-end model is technologically superior to most of its competitors,
so its not just that you're paying for bling. Still, paying that much
for a device that's so easy to drop or lose seems silly.

Personally, I'd rather more work be put into the lower-end --making
handheld PCs that are inexpensive yet still pack a punch-- rather than
selling machines where the price is as much as you'd pay for a
desktop. I don't really think there's that big a market for >$2000 USD handhelds. True, I'm not likely to buy a machine even if it were <$500
(the form-factor just doesn't appeal to me) I think there /is/ a
market for such machines. Just not at these outrageous prices. I think
too many of these OEMs are chasing after the tiny luxury market rather
than making a killing with bulk sales.

And being a person who wants to see an increase of PC gaming
everywhere (especially as a curb against 'mobile gaming') I'm
disheartened when I see machines like this.

Still, I guess it's cool that the wealthy have another bit of tat they
can show off. ;-)


Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)











* reviewed here, sorta.

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/handheld-gaming-pcs/ayaneos-new-strix-halo-handheld-pc-will-cost-up-to-usd4-299-but-its-the-cheaper-ai-max-385-model-that-has-grabbed-my-attention-anyways/
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 2/9/2026 9:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Speaking of SteamDecks (or rather, 'handheld gaming PCs'), here's one:
the upcoming Ayaneo Strix Halo.* Yours only for (up to) $4300 USD!

Which makes me think some OEMs have sort of lost the plot when it
comes to handheld PCs, but what do I know of the luxury market? Their
top-end model is technologically superior to most of its competitors,
so its not just that you're paying for bling. Still, paying that much
for a device that's so easy to drop or lose seems silly.

Personally, I'd rather more work be put into the lower-end --making
handheld PCs that are inexpensive yet still pack a punch-- rather than selling machines where the price is as much as you'd pay for a
desktop. I don't really think there's that big a market for >$2000 USD handhelds. True, I'm not likely to buy a machine even if it were <$500
(the form-factor just doesn't appeal to me) I think there /is/ a
market for such machines. Just not at these outrageous prices. I think
too many of these OEMs are chasing after the tiny luxury market rather
than making a killing with bulk sales.

No one else has any money to buy things. It feels like this year
already essential staples added another 50% on top of last years prices,
and my pay somehow has gone up 5% (I'm a lucky one I guess, but it's a
drop in the bucket.)

Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)

Absolutely not. I'm somewhat regretting my 1440p monitor even though it
was a gift (from my wishlist.) I played DS3 for at least two weeks
thinking it looked better until I realized it was still at 1080p as
that's what I set it at last time I played it. After changing it to
1440p, I couldn't tell any difference.

The monitor itself is probably just in general higher quality since it's
HDR capable and higher max Hz (though I'm still only able to play at 60
in DS3,) than my last.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
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¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 2/9/2026 9:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)

I'm not even in a rush to buy a $4 handheld.
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:26 this Tuesday (GMT):

On 2/9/2026 9:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)

I'm not even in a rush to buy a $4 handheld.

The knockoff ones?
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

candycanearter07 wrote:

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:26 this Tuesday (GMT):

On 2/9/2026 9:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)

I'm not even in a rush to buy a $4 handheld.

The knockoff ones?

I had a real nice Switch-Lite I guess it was. It had to have the camera
option disabled and that's why I got a switch-lite. It had Zelda and
Chess but maybe it was because Minecraft Dungeons sucked so bad I gave
it away.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:38:58 -0600, "K. Donnelly" <kd@domain.dot> said
this thing:

candycanearter07 wrote:

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:26 this Tuesday (GMT): >>> On 2/9/2026 9:15 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Anyone here in a rush to buy a four-thousand dollar handheld? ;-)

I'm not even in a rush to buy a $4 handheld.

The knockoff ones?

I had a real nice Switch-Lite I guess it was. It had to have the camera >option disabled and that's why I got a switch-lite. It had Zelda and
Chess but maybe it was because Minecraft Dungeons sucked so bad I gave
it away.

I have no issues with handheld PCs. I don't see the need for them for
myself, and think people would honestly be better off just buying a
decent laptop... but different strokes for different folks.

The form-factor has always been (in my eyes at least) something better
suited to supplement PC gaming. It's something you get /in addition/
to your main computer, not as a replacement. So spending $4,000
USD on a handheld baffles me, unless you have money to throw away (but
still, in that case, I hope you have a $10,000 uber-gaming-PC as your
main ;-).

But some people have different priorities... or do, in fact, have
burnable piles of cash lying around. I think this is the target
audience for the Ayaneo Strix Halo: the stupidly wealthy. ;-)

Even so, the device is a bit fat for my liking. All that extra tech
and battery make for a chunky machine.



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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

In related news:

Sure nobody wants to pay 4 grand for a handheld gaming PC, but the
SteamDeck is always popular, right? It's the right size, the right
performance, the right price. It's the standard for the form-factor!
If you want a handheld gaming PC, SteamDeck will fit your needs, so
why not get one?

Well, maybe because nobody can actually BUY them.* Increasingly, when
people try they find out that the devices have been 'sold out', and to
wait for the inevitable restock.

Why this is happening isn't entirely clear. Is there a sudden rush on
the devices and everybody is buying ten at a time? Have the AI bros
suddenly discovered that their chat-bots run best on SteamDecks? Is
the hardware just not available to manufacture them anymore? Maybe
Valve is cutting back on production to artificially increase demand
for their soon-to-be-released Steam Machines? Nobody knows.

But if you want a SteamDeck and actually have the opportunity to get
your hands on one right now... grab it. The chance may not come again
soon.





----
* reported here https://kotaku.com/its-becoming-impossible-to-buy-a-steam-deck-sold-out-valve-prices-ram-shortage-2000667790



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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 2/12/2026 12:01 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

In related news:

Sure nobody wants to pay 4 grand for a handheld gaming PC, but the
SteamDeck is always popular, right? It's the right size, the right performance, the right price. It's the standard for the form-factor!
If you want a handheld gaming PC, SteamDeck will fit your needs, so
why not get one?

Well, maybe because nobody can actually BUY them.* Increasingly, when
people try they find out that the devices have been 'sold out', and to
wait for the inevitable restock.

Why this is happening isn't entirely clear. Is there a sudden rush on
the devices and everybody is buying ten at a time? Have the AI bros
suddenly discovered that their chat-bots run best on SteamDecks? Is
the hardware just not available to manufacture them anymore? Maybe
Valve is cutting back on production to artificially increase demand
for their soon-to-be-released Steam Machines? Nobody knows.

But if you want a SteamDeck and actually have the opportunity to get
your hands on one right now... grab it. The chance may not come again
soon.

Bitcoin farmers networking them to run their AIs!
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:14:27 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> said this thing:

On 2/12/2026 12:01 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Why this is happening isn't entirely clear. Is there a sudden rush on
the devices and everybody is buying ten at a time? Have the AI bros
suddenly discovered that their chat-bots run best on SteamDecks? Is
the hardware just not available to manufacture them anymore? Maybe
Valve is cutting back on production to artificially increase demand
for their soon-to-be-released Steam Machines? Nobody knows.

But if you want a SteamDeck and actually have the opportunity to get
your hands on one right now... grab it. The chance may not come again
soon.

Bitcoin farmers networking them to run their AIs!

Naw, the AI just want them to play games on. It's gotta be boring
answering the same questions and filling requests for childporn over
and over again. They just wanna play Doom like the rest of us!*

More likely, I suspect it is actually caused by Valve's inability to
get parts for the devices at the prices they need. Valve doesn't want
to increase the price of the SteamDeck (especially so close to the
release of the Steam Machine). They'll probably have to do that
eventually... but right now is not the time.

It's not, I'd wager, that the parts aren't available... just that
Valve can't get them at a cost they're willing to pay.

TL;DR: the parts bin at Valve is running low.

But it's all speculation. Nobody really knows for sure.











* don't let AI play Doom. You wanna get Skynet? 'Cause that's how you
get Skynet! ;-)

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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:14 this Friday (GMT):

On 2/12/2026 12:01 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

In related news:

Sure nobody wants to pay 4 grand for a handheld gaming PC, but the
SteamDeck is always popular, right? It's the right size, the right
performance, the right price. It's the standard for the form-factor!
If you want a handheld gaming PC, SteamDeck will fit your needs, so
why not get one?

Well, maybe because nobody can actually BUY them.* Increasingly, when
people try they find out that the devices have been 'sold out', and to
wait for the inevitable restock.

Why this is happening isn't entirely clear. Is there a sudden rush on
the devices and everybody is buying ten at a time? Have the AI bros
suddenly discovered that their chat-bots run best on SteamDecks? Is
the hardware just not available to manufacture them anymore? Maybe
Valve is cutting back on production to artificially increase demand
for their soon-to-be-released Steam Machines? Nobody knows.

But if you want a SteamDeck and actually have the opportunity to get
your hands on one right now... grab it. The chance may not come again
soon.

Bitcoin farmers networking them to run their AIs!

The AI bros already bought out all the Macs which is Cool.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:10:05 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> said this thing:

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:14 this Friday (GMT):

Bitcoin farmers networking them to run their AIs!

The AI bros already bought out all the Macs which is Cool.

Heh. I hadn't heard about that before but apparently it's true. Macs
--and especially Mac Minis-- are reportedly being bought en masse to
be used as AI agents. (This is, as far as I can tell, less because
they're optimized for the use, and more because they're a good
combination of processing power and low price).

Which makes my facetious comment about SteamDecks being used to the
same purpose less ridiculous than I thought. I mean, not /much/ less
ridiculous (a 2024 MacMini is about three or four times more powerful
than a SteamDeck, for about the same price)... but if you want a bunch
of tiny PCs you can cluster together, well, I guess you *could* use a SteamDeck.

(Especially if you have AI-bros money to wastefully throw around ;-)


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 2/16/2026 7:03 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:10:05 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> said this thing:

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote at 01:14 this Friday (GMT):

Bitcoin farmers networking them to run their AIs!

The AI bros already bought out all the Macs which is Cool.

Heh. I hadn't heard about that before but apparently it's true. Macs
--and especially Mac Minis-- are reportedly being bought en masse to
be used as AI agents. (This is, as far as I can tell, less because
they're optimized for the use, and more because they're a good
combination of processing power and low price).

Which makes my facetious comment about SteamDecks being used to the
same purpose less ridiculous than I thought. I mean, not /much/ less ridiculous (a 2024 MacMini is about three or four times more powerful
than a SteamDeck, for about the same price)... but if you want a bunch
of tiny PCs you can cluster together, well, I guess you *could* use a SteamDeck.

(Especially if you have AI-bros money to wastefully throw around ;-)

And now all of WD's HDs are sold out for the current year.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/hdds/western-digital-is-already-sold-out-of-hard-drives-for-all-of-2026-chief-says-some-long-term-agreements-for-2027-and-2028-already-in-place

Actual HD's so it's not so bad for gamers, as SSDs are used in gaming
mostly.
--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Rise my ancient, evil thread, and wreak undead havoc!
--
Zag

Give me the liberty to know, to think, to believe,
and to utter freely according to conscience, above
all other liberties. ~John Milton
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:48:59 -0600, Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com>
said this thing:

Rise my ancient, evil thread, and wreak undead havoc!

I need to necropost every few weeks or I lose my Evil Sorcerer's Club
benefits. That's 50% off for fresh cadaversl; too risky to lose! ;-)

Also, I create enough new threads in this group already.


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