The above map is the world map, separated more or less properly by countries. In green, I highlighted the countries which Valve sells their hardware(Steam Frame, Deck, Machines, Controller, etc) to. They are:
- United States
- Canada
- UK + European Union
- Australia
And a few asian countries through a 3rd party:
- Japan
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Hong Kong
Now if you’re a western and your knowledge of geography is equivalent of that of a 5 year old, you’d think “Yea, that’s about 99% of everyone! So what?”. Well little Timmy, that isn’t 99% of the world. As a matter of fact, that is barely 1.1 Billion people and we live in a planet which passed 8 billion 4 years ago.
Now if you can do 2nd grade math, you’d find out that means that a huge majority of people world wide can’t buy a Valve hardware product directly. This means higher prices and no rights to RMA.
Here’s a neat little example: Brazil has 200 million people, with a yearly growing minium and avg wages. If you were to buy a steam frame there, due to taxes, delivery and a bunch of other stuff, you’d have to pay a solid 2000$, IF you found someone or company to send it to you. And you’d lose on the ability to RMA, so if its broken on arrival, tough luck.
Another neat little example: China has 1.4 Billion people(1 in every 6 people, world wide, is chinese). Nobody in China can buy it from steam, so like a brazilian, they’d need to import(losing RMA rights) which would add at least some 50% on the price.
This means that valve products are either
- A) prohibitively expensive to 90% of the world
- B) Not worth it, because if they break you can’t replace or
- C) All of the above.
Now little Timmy, you may think “that’s no biggie, they’ll expand in the future!” and that would be so nice…. if it were true.
Valve has been selling hardware since at least 2019(Valve Index, 7 years ago). Between then and now, the list of countries they sell to has indeed expanded. It was something like US, Canada and EU only back then, and a few years ago it added Australia and very few countries in Asia. The problem is: At the current rate, it’d take valve another 20+ years to finally properly sell to HALF the people world wide, and who knows how long to 90%.
And you, little blue eye, blond westerner Timmy, might try to defend valve here saying “Oh but it’s just not affordable or viable! Think of Gabe’s poor new Yacht dreams!” and to that I say: How in the fuck a multi BILLION dollar company with years of experience is not capable of doing it when much smaller ones do? Their profit margins are ABSURDLY high(40% as of 2024) and steam is a money printing machine, so they ABSOLUTELY got the money, just not the desire or competence to do it.
So, in the end, little Timmy, don’t forget: Next time you want to glaze Valve, remember they don’t give a shit about 90% of people in the world.
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