I’m job searching right now and can’t really justify the Steam Controller purchase this week. Before getting laid off and RAM-pocalypse, the plan was to buy a Steam Machine and controller when it was going to release early 2026, but clearly that plan has changed a bit.

The FOMO is hitting after the previews this week! Do we think we need to worry about Steam Controller availability later in the year?

I use a DualSense Edge for my PS5, and either an old PS controller when docked or my 8BitDo SN30 when I travel for the Steam Deck. If I had the Steam Machine I’d buy it instantly, but who knows when that will happen and how much it’ll cost.

    • mlg@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      It would be like the 2007 financial/housing crisis.

      You could get amazingly huge and quality houses, cars, stores, etc for dirt cheap but that’s because a metric ton of people were layed off and had to sell their assets to make ends meet.

      The AI bubble is compounded by the fact that it’s primarily propped up by ~1 trillion USD in private credit, which for all intents and purposes is basically just the same system as CDOs which caused the 2007/8 crash.

      If AI blows, all that debt comes back null, and since all other major investments are based on speculation and multiplied debt obligations, the economy collapses (again).

      Granted, if you’re lucky enough to not fall to the effects of such a crash, components will be dirt cheap and great time to buy.

      But if you’re layed off, you’re looking at potentially a year+ of unemployment, in which case it won’t matter if you can get a 5090 for $300 because you’ll be more concerned with surviving without an income.

    • cmbabul@slrpnk.net
      7·
      2 days ago

      Because when the bubble pops the entire economy goes with it, computer parts might see a drop in demand but bread will be a much higher priority for most at that point.

      • thingsiplay@lemmy.ml
        2·
        2 days ago

        You forget the used market. If the bubble pops, then many users and companies will start selling RAM and graphics cards. This means the prices will go down in used market, and because less people buy new, the prices for new hardware have to go down too. So building new machines or upgrading will be cheaper than it is right now.

        Which parts would get more expensive and how do you come to that conclusion that people need more money for bread that way? I don’t get the logic, what is the argumentation here?

        • cmbabul@slrpnk.net
          5·
          2 days ago

          The entire US economy has been propped up on the bullshit of AI investing. If AI turns out to not be as profitable as advertised, meaning the bubble pops, literally everything goes to shit. Additionally, the longer war with Iran continues will only exacerbate this shit show, everything that needs to be transported by planes, ships, and trucks especially will get much more expensive, this also has the potential to completely collapse the dollar in value. Components may be relatively cheaper than today when you take inflation into account. But most of us will still not be able to afford them because most of our money will be spent buying essentials.

          I do want the bubble to pop but unless a bunch of other shit is fixed extremely quickly it’s not gonna help affordability for a while

          • thingsiplay@lemmy.ml
            2·
            2 days ago

            You think everything on planet is based on Ai and if it goes down, everything goes down? No. If the Ai bullshit bursts, then companies will have billions to spend on other stuff. Where one part of the economy falls apart, another part will rise. Money doesn’t just disappear (usually). It will be a better world for end consumers and for most companies, including Ai first companies.

            The only money they make is out of speculation, not because it makes them more money in production. People will get hired again, off course not everyone at once, but there will be a need.