I just want something that runs Minecraft so I don't have to keep up to date with workarounds on the Switch that Nintendo keeps trying to block

also fuck bedrock edition

my switch exists primarily for Minecraft. I don't use it much because the experience is terrible. if there was something that did the same thing but for Java, I'd buy it

There are loads and loads of really cheap Android-based emulator handhelds. The YouTuber TechDweeb does lots of reviews of these devices. These things have effectively spawned their own retro gaming ecosystem around them.

An alternative is to pick up a used New Nintendo 3DS (New being part of the name, distinguishing it from the original 3DS which is way less powerful). This device can be hacked to run many different emulators and play thousands of games. While the screens are not as good as the best Android handhelds, the form factor is ideally suited for running DS and 3DS games (which obviously run natively on the device) while still being great for older single-screen systems (the unused touch screen is excellent for emulator controls such as pause/resume and save/load state).

You want a linux psp, a media device that had a web browser too. The psp was som far ahead of its time.

So essentially a Steam Link/Moonlight thin client? Yeah, I like the idea of that.

I think a budget android handheld could work well for game streaming. TechDweeb and Retro Game Corps newest videos show android handhelds that cost less than 100€.

The hype train for hl3 is so off the rails that valve can't release it. It would never live up to the hype, so it's a pretty sound decision not to make it.

... So they can afford to ... not price gauge everyone.

They must be too busy enabling children gambling on hats

Also... they're not publically traded.

They do not have investors constantly forcing maximization of short term profits at the cost of literally everything else.

I fantasize about the idea of starting private companies for things currently dominated by public companies, with the sole idea of not being greedy and shitty.

Probably the biggest advantage they have is that they can sell devices at cost or even at a loss and still profit from increased Steam game sales, like how other console makers operate.

3rd parties can't compete with that. Not even close. If there's no profit from the device itself, there's no motivation to make it. And apart from the hardware cost, they also need to pay for the R&D and corporate maintenance. They can't compete with the Steam Deck. If they made an exact Steam Deck clone, they'd have to make it, idk ~$40 more to make a profit, but no one would buy it because the Steam Deck is the same for less. They have to give it slightly higher specs to give it a niche. That might take hardware cost up to $500 and then charge $150 more to make up for the distributor fees and then $100 to make it actually profitable. But at that point, they've already lost most budget and casual gamers, they might as well aim at whales and enthusiasts and make profits $300. If a $950 device sells half as well as a $750 device, it's still more profitable.

Edit: more realistic numbers

Sure. Maybe? The Deck isn't that expensive, and despite being relatively limited runs it definitely has some benefits from scale. For one it's a custom APU, so you have to assume there's a specific deal with AMD.

Valve is certainly a first party that benefits from software sales primarily, so it makes sense for them to go to some lengths to invest in bringing people over, but I'm not sure that they are actively subsidizing the Deck, the price seems pretty reasonable. I'm sure they don't make a ton of money from it, though, so they definitely get to thin those margins up a LOT compared with the pure hardware manufacturers, let alone with the tiny companies making handhelds one at a time.

You went for an Intel handheld? I salute you, sir, that's a deep cut.

As one of the five people on the planet who own an Intel GPU I firmly believe we are in a very exclusive club that will one day do wonders for hardware archaeology.