iPad Steam deck proves Apple missed an opportunity

[varezhka]

This seems more about strengths and weaknesses of Apple App Store/Apple Arcade/Steam as gaming app storefront platform than anything about iPad/Steamdeck as gaming hardware.

And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why one seems to get more game platform attention than the other.

Does Steam have more game specific guidelines that the publishers need to toe the line towards? Sure, but not nearly to the level of console 1st parties, nor do Valve really police the publishers to make sure they don’t break the rules. If anything, Apple’s App Store review is *more* stringent than Steam (which isn’t saying much). And Steam does have its fair shares of bad F2P games up there too.

So, dunno. Maybe if Apple started out with two separate app stores from the start, one for general apps and another for gaming, it would have been different. Not having your gaming app buried among all the dog/cat translators and dating apps might have convinced gamers and publishers that this was a proper gaming platform. I really am not sure.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

I wouldn’t mind there being more PC/console games on the iPad. I’m sure there’d be certain limitations as to what can be rendered and how fast and all.

But the main draw for me would be that on-screen controls suck for most of those kinds of games. So you need a controller or external mouse/keyboard. At that point, the iPad is no longer a proper mobile device and you’d be using a stand or something.
To get around that you’d either need some kind of attachable controller that at the same time allows you to hold the iPad - or an entirely new iPad that has the controller built in. This would then just about exclusively traget gamers and would essentially be a Steam Deck running iPadOS.

 

[xxFoxtail]

I think the poster is saying that Apple should allow a Steam-like app that can run the games on iPads. Maybe a partnership with Valve.

Once third party app stores become a thing worldwide, I'd be willing to bet Steam will be on iOS. I'd expect then a lot more AAA games will start being ported to it.

 

[leman]

Once third party app stores become a thing worldwide, I'd be willing to bet Steam will be on iOS. I'd expect then a lot more AAA games will start being ported to it.

What makes you think that?

 

[xxFoxtail]

What makes you think that?

If there's a lot of money to be made, why not? I'd personally never buy a Steam Deck, but would rather buy games through Steam than the App Store if it means I can play them on any future machine. That's money from me that they'd otherwise not get.

 

[Pressure]

It's disheartening mentioning it but Apple's "gaming" revenue is higher than Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony combined 🙈

 

[ginkobiloba]

4X and turn based games are actuall a genre that would be great on the iPad.

I really enjoy playing civ 6 with my apple Pencil lol.

Almost. I actually nearly turned my iPad into a steamdeck : depending on the game, i either use Steamlink streaming from my tower PC , or ShadowPC ( once you get the right resolution set, it will flawlessly run all my Steam games ).
I even managed to play Europa Universalis 4 on my 11” iPad Air, although it was still a bit cramped.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Steam deck, switch etc are better for games as they are purpose built for games. Battery, processor, physical controls. They are built for long duration use, sustained performance.

The iPad and iPhones are built for regular apps. Bursty workloads.

 

[MathersMahmood]

the iPad is clearly more powerful than steam deck and could play games better. However, Apple decided from the get go to allow companies to make freemium garbage and ruin the gaming ecosystem of iPad.

Hence, Steam Deck was created to fill the niche and also windows gaming handhelds. If Apple were to partner with Valve to allow steam on iPad it would be a game changer, but we won’t see that and it will continue to get outclassed by these new gaming handhelds coming out.

Is it really more powerful than the steam deck?

I still would use my steam deck over an ipad due to the controls etc.

But if Apple can get Diablo 4 running on an iPad and a mac then that would be amazing.

 

[leman]

If there's a lot of money to be made, why not? I'd personally never buy a Steam Deck, but would rather buy games through Steam than the App Store if it means I can play them on any future machine. That's money from me that they'd otherwise not get.

I doubt there is much money to be made for Valve here, given the high investment costs into building and maintaining an iOS store and the infrastructure behind it. For them, it probably makes more sense to focus on the Deck.

 

[ric22]

I’d argue free casual gaming is what proliferated in the App Store because Apple allowed it. Then companies used tactics to make games based off addicting style casino games and the game store has been trash ever since. Honestly the only thing that could fix the store at this point would be for Apple to ban all freemium games.

I despise the freemium model, and also would like a world where it, and evils such as loot boxes, are forbidden, or at least entirely banned for under 18s.

 

[mattoruu]

the iPad is clearly more powerful than steam deck and could play games better. However, Apple decided from the get go to allow companies to make freemium garbage and ruin the gaming ecosystem of iPad.

Hence, Steam Deck was created to fill the niche and also windows gaming handhelds. If Apple were to partner with Valve to allow steam on iPad it would be a game changer, but we won’t see that and it will continue to get outclassed by these new gaming handhelds coming out.

Some history is being forgotten here. Freemium wasn’t the business model from the get go. People paid for games back at the beginning. I paid for games at the beginning. Some of those games were $20+ (looking at your, Square Enix). I never paid $20+ for those Final Fantasy ports, but I definitely remember the sticker shock prices. Lol

 

[joeblow7777]

Gamers were not the market that Apple was aiming for with the iPad. Different devices, different focuses and strengths/weaknesses.

 

[minimo3]

Apple conditioned the public to games being priced in the $0-0.99 range. Even if Apple made the right hardware with physical controls and a publisher spent tens of millions porting a AAA game to iOS there’d be a total of 10 customers who would buy it at $59.99.

 

[kc9hzn]

Honestly, I get really annoyed with PC gamers. It’s perfectly fine to have a niche interest, as long as you recognize that it’s niche. (It’s also fine to wish that your niche interest was less niche.)

But PC gamers seem to think that everything should cater to them, as if gaming is the reason computers exist. Never mind that console gaming is more popular and more accessible (and has better exclusives), so PC gaming is niche even in the larger gaming market (even if we exclude freemium smartphone games). If it’s not suitable for gaming (using their definition of gaming), it should be changed so that it is.

 

[MathersMahmood]

Honestly, I get really annoyed with PC gamers. It’s perfectly fine to have a niche interest, as long as you recognize that it’s niche. (It’s also fine to wish that your niche interest was less niche.)

But PC gamers seem to think that everything should cater to them, as if gaming is the reason computers exist. Never mind that console gaming is more popular and more accessible (and has better exclusives), so PC gaming is niche even in the larger gaming market (even if we exclude freemium smartphone games). If it’s not suitable for gaming (using their definition of gaming), it should be changed so that it is.

That's not true. PC gaming is no longer niche and people are realising that consoles are just low tier gaming PCs now, which is why all the major publishers are bringing their games to PC so the exclusive argument is no longer valid.

Apple has a very long way to go if they think developers are going to port their games to Mac when its a tiny user base.

I personally would love to play my PC games on my macbook air instead of taking my Alienware laptop around. But i highly doubt games will perform as well on my macbook as it does on my dedicated gaming systems.

 

[throAU]

the iPad is clearly more powerful than steam deck and could play games better. However, Apple decided from the get go to allow companies to make freemium garbage and ruin the gaming ecosystem of iPad.

Hence, Steam Deck was created to fill the niche and also windows gaming handhelds. If Apple were to partner with Valve to allow steam on iPad it would be a game changer, but we won’t see that and it will continue to get outclassed by these new gaming handhelds coming out.

There will be an appleTV that can run high quality games within 12 months.

 

[doolar]

Side note; if anyone hasn’t tried a Steam Deck, it’s awesome. I love my OLED Deck.

One of the best tech purchases I’ve ever made. Highly recommended.

Agree 100%. I love the Steam Deck, I have the OLED one now. I can’t see my iPad replacing it at all, one of the strengths of the Deck is all the inputs it comes with.

 

[Larabee119]

the iPhone is by far the most popular gaming platform when compared to steamdeck. Apple has different focus. It makes money based on service subscriptions.

 

[Abazigal]

Side note; if anyone hasn’t tried a Steam Deck, it’s awesome. I love my OLED Deck.

One of the best tech purchases I’ve ever made. Highly recommended.

I find I don't really have the time to game these days. My switch is collecting dust somewhere, and if I purchased a steam deck, I suspect it would face a similar fate.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

the iPad is clearly more powerful than steam deck and could play games better. However, Apple decided from the get go to allow companies to make freemium garbage and ruin the gaming ecosystem of iPad.

If Apple had done anything OTHER than “allow companies to make freemium garbage”, the EU would have stuck their pitchforks even DEEPER into them.

 

[erasr]

It looks kinda heavy to me. Is it tiring to hold it up to play for a long time?

Not for me at all. I always rest my elbows on the bed, sofa or my body.

Any lighter and it’ll feel cheap. Get the OLED version, the display is amazing and it’s lighter than the LCD model, which I used to have.

I doubt that my iPad will ever be a gaming device. Steam Deck is too good and ergonomically perfect for gaming. I find it even more comfortable than my PS5 controller.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

there in lies the problem. Apple who was once considered the richest company in the world can’t manage to have a good gaming ecosystem on IOS. But a company like Valve who became big with a single computer game and then made steam has an ecosystem with practically no garbage at all and very reasonable prices.

“no garbage at all?” Hmmmm

 

[shadowboi]

I don’t like Valve and their dumb ecosystem. You sign up in their store, you buy a game and still you need to make another account for many games from certain publishers (EA).

If GOG ever releases their console – instant buy. Because at least I am free to download full game installers without any DRM, stores or other crap.

Deck is still a very niche product, unlike Apple devices which are basically mass market now

 

[kimjongbill]

You’re confused. I said the steam deck exists because Apple didn’t make the iPad able to use existing ecosystems like steam. The Arm chips in the iPad are powerful enough to play Mac/windows games (as seen in MacBook airs and pros).

By Apple not working with Valve, not allowing Mac games on iPad OS and not banning freemium to encourage quality triple A games, a system like steam deck (& windows gaming handhelds) were born filling the niche that Apple clearly missed the mark on.

Could steam deck have still been created by valve if iPads were able to play steam games (possibly, but there would have been a lot less incentive if iPads could play steam games)

Software developers don’t need Steam to put games on the iPad, the app store is good enough. The problem is apple has done basically nothing to entice game developers to the platform as well as that people are generally unwilling to spend console amounts of money for games in the App Store.

I think the game porting toolkit is HUGE and I think it’s great that end users can use it on the Mac, it’s a shame that you can’t do the same (as an end user) on the iPad.