🟪 #89: We're switching things around, Steam Deck turned three years old

Good morning, friends. I hope you’re doing well.

I’ve got a big announcement to start this newsletter. This week, we decided to shift overkill’s editorial focus. Going forward, we won’t just cover handheld gaming. We’re expanding into general tech, toys, and other hobbies that are, well, a bit overkill (pun intended).

Chris and I have always been into more than just handheld gaming. For a while, we debated how to cover these other interests. Should we launch a new site? A second newsletter? In the end, we realized the answer was right in front of us. overkill itself. The name fits, so why not embrace it?

Here’s the full announcement post with all the details:

Expanding our playground: tech, toys, and more things that spark joy

overkill now covers more of what we love: tech, toys, collectibles, and other hobbies that are a bit, well, …overkill.

overkillKevin Wammer

With that change, we also decided to rename this newsletter from overkill digest to overkill gaming. The reason is simple. When you signed up, it was because you were interested in handheld gaming. While we’re now covering other topics, you might not be interested in them. So, we’ll keep that content out of this newsletter, but since it’s no longer a true digest, we felt the name should reflect that.

Right now, I’m not entirely sure how to cover the other topics in newsletter form. Should we launch a new overkill digest that covers everything? Would you be interested in that? Or should we expand this newsletter to include those topics? I’m still undecided, so I’d love your input. Let me know by voting in the poll below.

How should we cover the new topics on overkill?

• Launch a new newsletter
• Add them to this newsletter

Thanks for your help.

For this edition, I’ve added all the new topics to the Quick Links section since we don’t have a dedicated spot yet. Don’t worry, this is just a one-time thing.

Now, let’s get to the news!

🗞️ This Week in Handhelds

🚀 Big Handheld Moves

• The Steam Deck turned 3 years old. Happy birthday! You’re officially past the toddler stage. Sean Hollister at The Verge shared some (estimated) numbers, reporting that Valve has sold around 4 million units so far. That’s twice more than all major-brand Windows handhelds combined (excluding smaller players like AYANEO and GPD). I’ve got more thoughts below.
• AYANEO cancelled the Flip, or, actually no, they didn't. A wild 24 hours for fans of the AYANEO Flip (I reviewed the keyboard-version here). Due to what we believe was a misinterpreted Indiegogo update, we initially thought AYANEO had canceled the clamshell handheld before fulfilling all preorders. However, in a statement given to us, AYANEO clarified that this was not the case. In fact, a Flip 2 now appears to be in the works.

🎮 Platform Updates

• Steam has passed 40 million concurrent players for the first time ever. Damn!
• Microsoft’s Muse AI and the future of game development. Kieran dives into Microsoft’s new AI model, Muse, and what it really means for game development. Could it lead to a flood of algorithmic, soulless games? Or is it just another corporate pipe dream?
• Warner Bros closed Monolith. F** this. Monolith gave us FEAR and Shadow of Mordor, two absolute legendary franchises. I really hoped for a remake of FEAR, and a comeback of the Nemesis system (maybe in 2036). Thankfully, GOG added the games to their Preservation program.
• Valve might release a $1200 VR headset this year. This is the so-called Project Deckard, a standalone VR-headset, that runs an adapted version of SteamOS. $1200 feels expensive, but according to the leaker, it will still be sold at a loss.

💻 Hardware Corner

• Anker launched a USB-C to HDMI cable, that also charges your device. Ok, this might be the best product Anker has released in a while. Not only does it support up to 4K60, but its USB-C/Thunderbolt plug can also deliver up to 140W of power. If you own a handheld PC, this is a must-have.
• The Framework Desktop is a powerful mini-PC. The hype surrounding this new mini-PC is huge. It's still too early to say if it's any good, especially at an admittedly high price, but color me intrigued.
• Sony lowered the price of the PSVR2. Sony's handhelds now cost $399, instead of the original price of $549. This still doesn't help the fact that there are just no games on PS5, but at least you can connect it to your PC to play SkyrimVR.

🎲 Gaming News

• Balatro is now on Game Pass. If you haven't tried the deck building roguelike phenomenon (psssttt, I didn't, please don't judge me), you can now do so on Microsoft Game Pass, if you're subscribed to the service.
• The new Fable has been delayed to 2026. To misquote Miyamoto (he actually never said it, read this post for a fascinating deep dive): "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
• Over 1 Million people played the new Monster Hunter Wilds at the same time. (Since originally posting this, the number has gone up even more.) This makes it the fifth most played games on Steam (based on concurrent player count). That's higher than Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur's Gate 3, and freaking Elden Ring. Absolute wild! Ironically, on Steam the game has mixed reviews as a lot of people struggle to run it. So Capcom has still a lot of fixing to do. Which is fine, I am still playing Avowed, will soon play Assassin's Creed: Shadows (but not on Steam Deck!), and haven't yet started Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

📌 Quick Hits

• An iOS-app brings PictoChat to the iPhone. I have to admit, I never used PictoChat on the Nintendo DS back in the days. But Chris did, so let me quote him: "I've got fond memories of using it with buddies, testing just how far the LAN network would work across the high-school playground, chatting with rando's whilst riding the train, and of course, the inevitable sharing of crude dick drawings...." Now you can do all that, on an iPhone.
• You can get over 400 games, comics and tools for $10. 100% of the proceeds (minus fees) go to relief efforts supporting the communities impacted by California’s recent, devastating wildfires.
• My Boox Go Color 7 review. I originally posted this on my personal blog, but here is my review of this colored e-ink device running Android, and...
• My Boox Palma review. And here is my review of the smartphone shaped, Android based, e-ink tablet. This is some of the new content, that will now appear on overkill. And there is much more e-ink content coming, since I got more devices I am currently testing (and there's even a reMarkable Paper Pro on its way, too).

🔒 Premium Deep Dive: The Steam Deck is the only handheld PC that counts, but...

The Steam Deck is three years old now, and if the latest shipment estimates are accurate (linked above), Valve’s handheld has sold over 4 million units, with another 2 million expected this year.

In three years, the Steam Deck alone has outsold every single Windows-based handheld combined. The ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go, the MSI Claw, and their various revisions have barely hit 2 million units together. So when it comes to handheld PCs, there’s the Steam Deck, and then there’s everything else, trailing far behind.

This raises an interesting question: Why has the Steam Deck dominated so thoroughly?