I’m Attending GDC 2022 in March!

I was originally supposed to attend GDC for the first time in 2020. Like many people, my plans were canceled barely a few weeks before the event.

Anyway, GDC 2022 is happening in-person for the first time in three years, and I’m going! I’ll write a follow-up post about how it went in a couple weeks (given the pandemic situation, how this event was dealt with should be of high interest). In the meantime, if you happen to also be attending in San Francisco from March 21 – 25, 2022, don’t be afraid to say “hi!” and swap a business card or two. I don’t have anything new to show, but I’m looking for opportunities and collaborators that I can work with as early as this summer.

After two full years, I’m finally getting to travel again. So… yay?

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I’m an Indie Developer, and I Pre-Ordered a Steam Deck 64GB

For years, I’ve wanted to see a mainstream(-ish) handheld PC for gaming on the go. GPD Win and similar Chinese competitors have been paving the way, but their latest models have being putting top-of-the-line ultrabook specs inside, with a high price to match; a great technical feat, but off-putting for non-enthusiasts.

Well, after some sudden rumors of a “SteamPal” device a couple months ago, Valve has announced the “Steam Deck,” a mainstream handheld PC, with a starting price of only $399 USD. Like other hyped-up tech devices, the pre-order rules (starting July 16) were complicated, and it’s possible that the first shipment has already sold out. I was lucky and DID get a preorder in, after a few inconsistent error messages, so I’d recommend you keep trying before the gates open for non-Steam users, or else wait until 2022 when supply and demand naturally balance out, or for the eventual improved v2 model.

(And please don’t buy this on Ebay for a silly price, that makes things worse for everyone and it’s not worth it: you could buy a regular laptop with similar specs in the meantime.)

Anyway, there are different tiers for the “Steam Deck,” the cheapest one coming with only 64GB of old eMMC storage. Virtually everyone is saying to not buy that one (and instead to buy the next tier up for $529). But as a small indie game developer, the 64GB is perfect for me. This post will go over why I’m excited for the device, and why 64GB is OK for my intended purpose.

Steam is bringing portable PC gaming to the masses.

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