You have strange opinions regarding kids. Compare the price to a mobile phone.

/father of three

Man, I just bought a refurbished Pixel 7 for $160 for myself. If you think I’m buying a $400+ Steam Deck – let alone some other handheld PC that’s even more expensive – for my kids, you’re outta your damn mind!

I mean, I don’t know valve’s margins but strategically they could sell steam decks at a loss and still come out ahead.

All the kids i know either have hand-me-down phones or new phones that’re at most mid-range or multiple generations old. I.E. the large majority of kids aren’t using 900 dollar phones

I’m not sure I follow. I have strange opinions about kids because I don’t think you should give a kid a 900€ phone/handheld when alternatives under 200€ exist?

I’m glad you can (and want to) buy a 900€ device for each of your 3 children, but I’m not sure how connected to the reality you are if you think that’s the norm.

The norm where? European middle-class, absolutely.

Yeah, because valve is the one paying when users choose to install their copies of windows

Guy, this is Lemmy where the concept of a happy middle class EU/American is simply a lie that doesn’t exist.

If you think that giving a kid a 900€ phone when there’s a much cheaper alternative that does the same is/should be the norm, you are part of a problem called consumerism.

What’s a valid reason to buy an expensive phone to a kid when a much cheaper alternative can do the same?

I think part of the issue here is that you believe that phones that cost 900 EUR really don’t offer anything cheaper alternatives don’t.

So answer me: what’s a feature that a kid needs and you won’t find in a cheaper phone?

Easy. Security (I work in cybersec) and performance (kids like to game).

Do you consider kids to be actual people?

I suspect they don’t have the means to produce higher volumes, or aren’t willing to take that risk

Sounds like you’re spoiling them. I also don’t see what kind of security you can only get in new-ish high end phone that didn’t exist in high end phones of, say, 2018-2021

First of all: it’s not the price to make a phone safer. I’d argue that grapheneOS is safer than any android commercial rom. And it’s available for cheap phones.

Also: what game does need a flagship phone to run that should be played by a kid? COD? PUBG? I’m not sure a kid should be playing those. But hey, I guess pegi ratings are a lie…

And, again, even if they wanted to play those games, you don’t need a flagship phone for them. Cheaper phones will do.

The fact that you think I don’t consider kids actual people because I don’t think they (or most people in general) need the last flagship phone shows how disconnected from reality you are.

I’m not sure a kid should be playing those. But hey, I guess pegi ratings are a lie…

Yeah. The US is the nanniest country on Earth and those ratings are indeed laughable.

Regarding your cybersec knowledge, the safest for regular consumers are iPhones.

You might want to ponder whether you know as much about the world as you think you do.

Ok, let’s say those ratings are not good. And let’s say that you can only trust iPhone as “paradigm of safety” (lol).

Tell me, does your kid need the latest phone to play their games? Are you telling me that an iPhone 14 or even 13 won’t do?

What’s a feature that only the latest iphone has and doesn’t have an older model?

Exactly, what are your kids doing that need of the highest tier phone to guarantee the highest level of security? Are they potential targets to israel spyware?

PS: stop it with the patronizing tone acting as if you knew best.

let’s say that you can only trust iPhone as “paradigm of safety” (lol)

Feel free to research the consensus opinion by cybersecurity professionals instead of just continously showing off your own ignorance.

what are your kids doing that need of the highest tier phone to guarantee the highest level of security

They, as human beings, have the right to their privacy.

You just answered my previous question; “Do you consider kids to be actual people?”; and the answer is apparently “no”.

Btw, you don’t get the newest high end iPhone for 900 EUR. You might want to get a lot more facts behind your arguments before trying to show off online.

Yeah, like the House market /s

I doubt Windows is the reason these are more expensive. Microsoft wants Windows in the handheld PC space, so they are likely to provide licenses for free and likely help subsidize the costs a bit, especially if they include trials for gamepass.