Comment on Some speculation on the Steam Controller and scalpers
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 days agoValve doesn’t have the scale.
They’re nowhere near as big of companies as Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony.
They retooled the place that was making Steam Decks… into being the place that makes Steam Controllers.
Because that would be more affordable than renting out and kitting out an entirely new production somewhere near Shenzen or whatever.
They’re not big enough to get first dibs, preferential contract bulk pricing, from component manufacturers.
In the ocean they’re swimming in?
They’re bass or salmon, compared to dolphins, sharks, orcas.
I made a joke about this being an ‘artisinal, small batch’ controller in another thread, but it basicslly isn’t a joke, if you understand the scales involved.
zqps@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
The number of employees is pretty meaningless in this context, and it’s telling that is the only metric you cite. The number of active users would be far more meaningful.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 days ago
Oh its telling of me, huh?
Tell me you’ve never worked in an industry that made or moved actual things without telling me you’ve never worked in an industry that made or moved actual things.
Active number of users on servers you are paying someone else to physically operate and maintain has nothing to do with orchestrating an international manufacturing and shipping program.
Its an entirely different animal.
zqps@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Yeah because that’s not totally something you can outsource just as easily.
You’re arguing as if Valve is a logistics company.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 days ago
I was an executive level data analyst for an international logistics middle man company, based in Seattle.
Yes, correct, you cannot infact outsource that just as easily, it is, as I said, an entirely different animal, with many different kinds of problems and costs, and potential problems and potential costs.
An enormous amount of logistics ultimately comes down to who knows, who, who introduces who to who, and who has what kind of reputation, with who.
You either pay a firm like the one I worked for a considerable premium in order to have them manage every single step of the process, every single link in the chain… or you try to do all that on your own, maybe hire a few new expert people to figure out how to do that.
I am arguing as if Valve is not a logistics company.
You are arguing as if you do not know anything about logistics at all.