Chris Hansford dared fate by browsing Facebook Marketplace for a pre-owned Steam Deck. The package arrived exactly as advertised, with no hidden surprises or disappointments for the customer. It was a cruel twist of fate, a calamitous instance of unfortunate timing.
Hansford had acquired the device several weeks prior to when the corporation planned to start marketing the Steam Deck in Australia, which was expected to take place in late November. If he had been aware of it, he would likely have delayed his actions.
He acknowledged that they had presumably overlooked opportunities with the Steam Deck.
Despite being rolled out globally and followed by the OLED version, I’m surprised they’re launching it here so belatedly.
“I’d rather take a chance on an inexpensive option than risk investing in something unproven; at least this way, if the product turns out to be subpar or fails quickly, I won’t feel like I’ve lost a lot.”
Launched in February 2022, the Steam Deck’s meteoric rise propelled it to become one of the most highly anticipated gaming devices globally. Overseas critics have universally praised these units for their unparalleled effectiveness in delivering mobile gaming experiences, thanks to their remarkable portability and exceptional ability to handle a wide range of games with ease.
The corporation solidified its triumph by introducing an OLED version of the device in November last year. Until early October, Valve had remained tight-lipped about the potential release of its popular game in Australia, despite numerous online pleas from eager gamers. As a result, fans were left facing a difficult decision: wait patiently for any official word or assume the game would never see the light of day Down Under. While there are no official statistics available, Hansford is still one of the most prominent Australians to have envisioned this scenario.
Oliver Jones purchased the OLED Steam Deck, a year ago, directly from Amazon, shortly after its November 2021 launch. The tech enthusiast shelled out around $1,200 for the device, a staggering $400 more than what Steam plans to charge customers when it hits the market in a month’s time.
Although he claims the acquisition was pricey, it has quickly become his primary gaming device. “For console enthusiasts transitioning to PC gaming, this device serves as an accessible gateway,” Jones notes, echoing the overwhelmingly positive reviews from international critics.
The lack of explicit guidance from Valve on the digital goods trade has spawned a thriving black market in the country. Notorious online retailers, including Big W, Kogan.com, and Amazon, acquired the Steam Deck from international sources and sold it locally at an inflated price, taking advantage of its popularity. Despite being a month past launch and with official prices undercutting online marketplaces, several retailers are still selling imported units at over $1,000, a staggering markup.
All figures in $AUD. Why does Steam’s website RRP differ from Australian retailer prices as of October 28?
Valve’s historical past with Australia
While the Steam Deck’s delayed launch remains unexplained, speculation suggests that Australia’s consumer laws may have played a role in the grey market surge. Given their past experiences with these developers, Valve has understandably been cautious in its dealings with them.
In 2014, Valve was taken to task by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over its refusal to offer refunds to customers who purchased digital video games through its platform.
The matter proceeded to court, and four years later, in 2018, it was found that Valve had been in violation of client laws, as well as being. The organisation struggled to maintain its appeal and ultimately lost its competitive edge due to a lack of adaptability.
The court’s decision played a significant role in defining Steam’s return policy, allowing for a change-of-mind refund for video games that are returned within two weeks of purchase and have been played for less than two hours. For downloadable content and separate game add-ons, distinct guidelines apply.
A separate set of regulations governs the disposal, restoration, and substitution of white goods and electronics in Australia, one that Valve’s Steam Deck might need to adhere to. In Australia, manufacturers are obligated to provide a warranty that covers defects or faults under normal use, at no cost to the consumer, unless the issue arises from misuse or neglect. However, when repair costs exceed the device’s original value, manufacturers may face significant expenses if they have to outsource repairs to foreign-based companies. The manufacturer will replace or refund the product if the consumer needs to restore it more than three times within the warranty period, at no additional cost to the customer.
Valve was contacted with inquiries regarding its restoration practices in Australia, but failed to provide a response prior to publication.
Despite Jones’s lack of enthusiasm, his Steam Deck did still manage to break last year. “When items need fixing, a simple solution exists: opt for aftermarket parts.” “The teardown data has been made publicly available, making it relatively easy to modify as well.”
While crucial guarantees and heightened client safety are essential for Hansford’s success. “If the promise of a brand-new Steam Deck with warranty could be had at a price only marginally higher than what was paid for a used 64GB base model, it’s likely that many gamers might have been willing to wait.”
Although I recently acquired Hades 2, a highly anticipated early-access game exclusively available through the Steam and Epic Games stores, I’ve been delighted to play it on my Steam Deck.
What I’m enjoying: Metaphor: ReFantazio
After approximately 80 hours, you grow accustomed to the unorthodox nature of the “Human” adversaries in this game.
Among my most memorable gaming experiences lie a select few that took place under extraordinary circumstances. Take the Persona sequence. Famed for its tightly crafted gameplay, infectious pop soundtrack, engaging narrative, and memorable characters.
However, the underlying premise of the sequence is a challenging sell for Western gamers: You play as Japanese high school students who ultimately save the world, frequently by overcoming a divine force or deity. Despite their challenges, these open-world video games are notoriously long and time-consuming. Is the most recent installment in the Persona series, Persona 5 Royal, estimated to require around 130 hours of playtime to complete?
It’s evident that Atlas, developers of Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona, possesses a significant level of self-awareness.
Instead of hurtling directly into the highly anticipated Persona 6, Atlus took an unexpected turn, debuting a fresh, more approachable franchise that not only builds momentum for the Persona series but also sets the stage for all subsequent Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) releases. This game is a strong candidate for Recreation of the Year, and it’s an easy decision to make. With the challenge completed in under 80 hours, I’ve marked it off my to-do list.
In a bold departure from its original persona-inspired roots, Metaphor reimagines itself in a richly detailed steampunk fantasy world. Without a monarch to guide, the realm falters in its leaderlessness. What if the democratic fervour were to sweep away the centuries-old traditions of a monarchic regime, leaving in its wake a newly minted democracy?
Beyond the realm of mortality, the monarch’s unparalleled sorcery unleashes a powerful incantation that ultimately precipitates a simulated electoral process across the entire kingdom. As you take on the role of an ordinary individual seeking retribution against one of the main candidates vying for the throne, suspicion falls on them as the mastermind behind the brutal murder of the King’s only son, a tragedy that occurred a decade prior. The protagonist, seeking to thwart another attempt on their life, decides to throw their hat into the ring and become a candidate in the upcoming election. The realm was beset by a peculiar affliction: an onslaught of beings commonly referred to as humanity, whose grotesque visages seemed to have been plucked straight from the eerie canvases of Hieronymous Bosch.
The complexity of Atlas video games is akin to a meticulously crafted puzzle. The fortunate participant receives a steady flow of information, expertly delivered through a concise script and engaging voice acting from the main characters.
The primary sport rivals the popularity of the Persona series. The game employs a comprehensive calendar system that drives player decisions. Each day in the game is characterized by two key decisions that dictate how you allocate your time: morning and evening. These options generally feature a blend of developing character connections to enhance combat potential or crafting skills to reveal fresh relationship pathways. In many cases, completing specific dungeons is tied to a time-sensitive objective that propels players forward in the game.
What sets boxing apart is the intensity of a fight. It’s a turn-based strategy that’s fast-paced and highly responsive. In most cases, exterior encounters outside of boss fights rarely exceed a minute in duration. The moment you engage with trivial foes, they should promptly fall to your party’s prowess, serving as a swift and satisfying reward for your combat proficiency. Elevate your degree sufficiently, and you’ll navigate through dungeons with minimal difficulty.
The customization is further bolstered by a fully customizable character leveling system, which grants you complete control over shaping and developing your party through meticulous level design. Seek to assemble a team of skilled spellcasters? Go for it. Do you harbor a strong aversion to magical practices and instead yearn for methods that prioritize physical harm? Why not? While each character’s unique stats determine their optimal role, there is no limit to your creative freedom as a player. In a departure from previous Persona games, where each character had a fixed role, this installment shatters conventions by granting the protagonist exceptional versatility.
To ensure that users don’t lose a single moment invested in their 80-hour title, Metaphor takes meticulous care to maximise every second spent on it. Compared to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, released earlier this year, which required a comparable duration to complete, some areas of the game nevertheless appeared overextended or unnecessarily prolonged.
While evaluating JRPGs, Metaphor’s most glaring shortcoming becomes undeniable. Cities built on metaphors are often captivating and unique in essence. Despite being a significant improvement over Procedurally generated dungeons in Persona’s past, they still feel a tad monotonous. The majority of buildings feature complex networks of uninspiring hallways, poorly illuminated by flickering lights that fail to generate visual interest. The initial promise of a departure from convention is tantalizingly brief, only to yield to a familiar yet frustrating labyrinth of interconnected corridors, defying the expectation of innovation and instead echoing the challenges encountered earlier in the game.
While Final Fantasy VII Rebirth dedicated considerable effort to crafting imaginative set pieces and meticulously designed environments, Metacritic focused primarily on evaluating the game’s overall gameplay mechanics and visual textures. Whether this might have ultimately emerged on a higher plane as a result? The latest iteration of Last Fantasy has abandoned traditional turn-based gameplay, opting instead for a more dynamic and responsive system to keep pace with evolving player expectations. Intriguingly, Metaphor’s battle showcases such richness and allure that it presents a compelling argument for re-examining this type of conflict across the JRPG genre.
Metaphors won’t be fleeting novelties. As the series embarks on a new franchise, the sport’s familiar yet refined mechanics are reinvigorated, promising a fresh and exciting experience. The prospect of this sport drawing more players to Persona 5 seems all but certain – given its current standing, I would advise new entrants to bypass the earlier titles, which have not weathered the test of time as well as Metaphor.
If the game follows the Persona sequence’s pattern, a re-release can be expected within a few years, likely featuring new content and potentially revamped dungeon designs. While I’d also expect a follow-up, it would be preferable to have this spin-off series alternate releases with the core Persona games. As an extension of its self-awareness, Atlas is cognizant of the fact that it can transform a winner into a lucrative venture.
JRPGs!
