>The original price should have been in $700-800 range, pre-RAM and storage pricing escalation
Also on a 2025 launch, but that 2023 mid-level hardware feels already pretty weak in 2026, especially for a console you're supposed to run 6-7 years into the future. Sure, it's as powerful as a base PS5 but that console is already 6 years old by now. So the valve box is a pain to justify jumping in unless you're a big valve fan and don't want to DIY a PC.
What's most surprising is the benchmarks dont look too hot vs the PS5... which doesn't cost nearly as much.
Sony are masters of optimizations. Some of their PC ports run really well on the Steam Deck.