Discussion Steam Deck

[igor_kavinski]

It's great for something like Virtua Tennis, that you can pick up and play a few matches, get your fill from humiliating the AI and then fall victoriously asleep

 

[Oyeve]

Elden Ring, Assasins creed Valhalla, GTAV so far running great on the Ally. I ordered a 2TB compact m.2 nvme drive as I am already out of space. I was gonna use a VAVA usb hub but decided to just replace the drive.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Elden Ring, Assasins creed Valhalla, GTAV so far running great on the Ally.

What are the caveats? There have to be. It can't all be fun. What do you hate about it?

 

[Oyeve]

What are the caveats? There have to be. It can't all be fun. What do you hate about it?

Other than Skyrim not seeing the controls, the only other thing was the first few initial firmware updates that took forever to finally complete. The other thing is I would have loved it if they put the one USB port/charging port on the bottom so could use an adapter that wouldn't cause unneeded pressure, potential damage, from having heavy cables pulling down.

I am sure I will come across more issues as this is kind of a beta testing device but as long as I can play my core-favorite games (currently Elden Ring) I am happy with it. The speakers are surprisingly very good, it runs GTAV at very high settings really well. Plus its a pretty strong portable PC that can be used as a full fledged computer.

 

[gorobei]

i made a handheld pc thread here https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/handheld-pc-gaming-devices.2612673/ so that we dont clutter up the steamdeck thread. or someone can make a Ally thread if we think this is the one with real legs.

i suspect the people looking for proton compatibility updates dont want to hear about handheld windows stuff.

 

[ibex333]

I don't fully understand what the point of a SteamDeck is, when there's streaming. Let me explain...

A lot of you may say that you can play on the go. But honestly, just how many times are most of you on a plane, waiting in the car for something, or elsewhere like a hotel? I get it. Some of us really do travel. But many dont, and still get SteamDecks, ROG Ally and what not. Many times when you do travel, you'll forget your Deck, or purposely not take it with you because its too bulky or too expensive to take with you. Many times you wont even get a chance to play when traveling because your girlfriend will want your attention, or you will be too busy paragliding or jetskiing.

Thats just silly, to be sitting at home with this thing, tethered to a wire. Just stream to your smartphone dude! Get a cheap sliding controller like a Razer Kishi, and go nuts! That whole setup is so much cheaper and more robust due to longer battery.

Stop telling yourself that you got your SteamDeck for portability. Its really not that portable since the battery will last you 1.5-2 hours tops with AAA games. Plus, most of those AAA games really deserve better than a 7 inch screen and 800p resolution!

The only legitimate excuse I see for owning one of these things, is so you can play in bed. But then you can stream to your smartphone for that... Be it from a console or your PC.

Oh, but I got my Deck to play my emulators! Again.. dude.. stream emulators from your PC and be happy...

When handheld computers can last at least 6-8 hours of heavy gaming on single battery charge, we can talk. But for now, you are just deluding yourself thinking you NEED that SteamDeck.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I don't fully understand what the point of a SteamDeck is, when there's streaming. Let me explain...

A lot of you may say that you can play on the go. But honestly, just how many times are most of you on a plane, waiting in the car for something, or elsewhere like a hotel? I get it. Some of us really do travel. But many dont, and still get SteamDecks, ROG Ally and what not. Many times when you do travel, you'll forget your Deck, or purposely not take it with you because its too bulky or too expensive to take with you. Many times you wont even get a chance to play when traveling because your girlfriend will want your attention, or you will be too busy paragliding or jetskiing.

Thats just silly, to be sitting at home with this thing, tethered to a wire. Just stream to your smartphone dude! Get a cheap sliding controller like a Razer Kishi, and go nuts! That whole setup is so much cheaper and more robust due to longer battery.

Stop telling yourself that you got your SteamDeck for portability. Its really not that portable since the battery will last you 1.5-2 hours tops with AAA games. Plus, most of those AAA games really deserve better than a 7 inch screen and 800p resolution!

The only legitimate excuse I see for owning one of these things, is so you can play in bed. But then you can stream to your smartphone for that... Be it from a console or your PC.

Oh, but I got my Deck to play my emulators! Again.. dude.. stream emulators from your PC and be happy...

When handheld computers can last at least 6-8 hours of heavy gaming on single battery charge, we can talk. But for now, you are just deluding yourself thinking you NEED that SteamDeck.

I'm pretty sure more people use the Deck to sort of lazy game on their couch while watching TV the way they might doom scroll reddit sort of half paying attention to everything, than use it while actually traveling somewhere.

I understand why, as I get older the act of dedicating myself to going down to my PC and firing it up away from the wife or family can feel like a very isolating experience that I don't enjoy as much as I used to.

 

[Muadib]

I got one mostly to play while traveling, however playing home in bed is a game changer. I now have something to do when the wife is watching some show.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I now have something to do when the wife is watching some show.

This.

 

[Stg-Flame]

I don't fully understand what the point of a SteamDeck is, when there's streaming. Let me explain...

A lot of you may say that you can play on the go. But honestly, just how many times are most of you on a plane, waiting in the car for something, or elsewhere like a hotel? I get it. Some of us really do travel. But many dont, and still get SteamDecks, ROG Ally and what not. Many times when you do travel, you'll forget your Deck, or purposely not take it with you because its too bulky or too expensive to take with you. Many times you wont even get a chance to play when traveling because your girlfriend will want your attention, or you will be too busy paragliding or jetskiing.

Thats just silly, to be sitting at home with this thing, tethered to a wire. Just stream to your smartphone dude! Get a cheap sliding controller like a Razer Kishi, and go nuts! That whole setup is so much cheaper and more robust due to longer battery.

Stop telling yourself that you got your SteamDeck for portability. Its really not that portable since the battery will last you 1.5-2 hours tops with AAA games. Plus, most of those AAA games really deserve better than a 7 inch screen and 800p resolution!

The only legitimate excuse I see for owning one of these things, is so you can play in bed. But then you can stream to your smartphone for that... Be it from a console or your PC.

Oh, but I got my Deck to play my emulators! Again.. dude.. stream emulators from your PC and be happy...

When handheld computers can last at least 6-8 hours of heavy gaming on single battery charge, we can talk. But for now, you are just deluding yourself thinking you NEED that SteamDeck.

This is the main reason why I have emulators on my phone and if I'm playing something that requires something more precise than touch-screen controls, I have a PS2 to USB converter cable that let's me plug in any PS2/PS3 controller into my phone with no latency issues. Also, given that I work in the oilfield, I REALLY don't want to spend hundreds or more on a handheld console and hope the massive amount of dust or jostling around in my work bag won't break it. Plus when I do travel, I don't want my nose buried in a device unless I'm on a road that I've seen a thousand times before.

For now, old SNES and N64 RPGs (and randomizers for those RPGs) keep me entertained enough that I don't see it necessary to grab any current-gen handhelds. Besides, the thousands of hours I spent as a kid huddled up next to a window with my Gameboy has done enough damage to my neck. The less I have to keep my neck craned down the better.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I don't fully understand what the point of a SteamDeck is, when there's streaming. Let me explain...

A lot of you may say that you can play on the go. But honestly, just how many times are most of you on a plane, waiting in the car for something, or elsewhere like a hotel? I get it. Some of us really do travel. But many dont, and still get SteamDecks, ROG Ally and what not. Many times when you do travel, you'll forget your Deck, or purposely not take it with you because its too bulky or too expensive to take with you. Many times you wont even get a chance to play when traveling because your girlfriend will want your attention, or you will be too busy paragliding or jetskiing.

Thats just silly, to be sitting at home with this thing, tethered to a wire. Just stream to your smartphone dude! Get a cheap sliding controller like a Razer Kishi, and go nuts! That whole setup is so much cheaper and more robust due to longer battery.

Stop telling yourself that you got your SteamDeck for portability. Its really not that portable since the battery will last you 1.5-2 hours tops with AAA games. Plus, most of those AAA games really deserve better than a 7 inch screen and 800p resolution!

The only legitimate excuse I see for owning one of these things, is so you can play in bed. But then you can stream to your smartphone for that... Be it from a console or your PC.

Oh, but I got my Deck to play my emulators! Again.. dude.. stream emulators from your PC and be happy...

When handheld computers can last at least 6-8 hours of heavy gaming on single battery charge, we can talk. But for now, you are just deluding yourself thinking you NEED that SteamDeck.

I'm not a big handheld guy for much of what you are saying. If I'm home I would rather be at my PC playing games. The handheld cannot compete with that. I have a backbone for my iphone and though it works great, the iphone 13 Pro Max screen is just too small for me to really enjoy gaming on it. Some games are fine but anything I would play on the PC, I don't enjoy streaming to my phone screen. The phone battery does last so much longer and it is a viable solution but playing on a larger screen makes me happier.

I have never been a fan of handhelds other than for traveling. Lately though I started noticing how I spend so much time in our detached back house (where our gaming room/theater is) while my wife is in the main house watching TV or whatever. I now use the handheld at home while lounging on the couch with my wife. We are still doing different things but we are in the same room which is nice. I was going to buy the Steam deck for this purpose but decided to get the Ally instead. Honestly I am super impressed with this thing but the battery is the one thing that really holds handheld gaming back. 1080p gaming in my hand and upscaling to 4k on my TV works a treat.

I'm leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and I will be taking my Anker 737 power bank with me which actually adds a lot of battery life to the Ally. Tomorrows flight will be a real test though. 5 hours 45 minutes. I'll be playing Star Trek Resurgence and watching a movie or two. Once in hawaii, and at night when the wife and kids are bedding down, I'll be playing Diablo IV and though I will have to eventually plug it in while playing, I don't mind as it will let me play games that my laptop just can't play.


My only real concern with owning one of these handhelds is that I won't use it enough to justify the price. Only time will tell. So far, I dig it.


/edit I want to add that this thing makes a great little backup PC. being windows 11 based, it does everything my gaming rig does just slower.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

My only real concern with owning one of these handhelds is that I won't use it enough to justify the price. Only time will tell. So far, I dig it.

-Same but the opposite: I'll spend too much time on it trying to justify the price.

 

[gorobei]

austin evans put this out a few days ago and all the refurbs on the steam site disappeared.

some really nice upgrade options, that clear backcover with integral heatsink and paste is sweet.
$320 + $80 of upgrades vs a nib $400 deck seems like a no brainer now, or it would be if there wasn't a screen condtion lottery. other refurb reviews have noted issues with screen blemishes.

 

[gorobei]

valve releasing minor refresh of steamdeck nov 16, no change in pricing tiers (400/550/650).

Valve reveals the Steam Deck OLED: $549 buys better screen, battery, and more

And a new fan and a new heatsink and...

www.theverge.com

revised apu (may improve battery life/playtime)
7.4" oled screen(possibly same module as oled switch) thinner
larger battery from display change
changes to internals: slight changes to layout and shape of main board and sub-boards. not interchangeable with 1st gens, 3rd party upgrade parts will need a new sku.
still no hall effect sticks.
philips to torx
$400 version doesnt get any of the upgrades

clear case is unobtainium.

 

[blckgrffn]

APU update is a move to N6 from N7. Like the PS5 silent refresh, etc. Maybe it’s less heat constrained but sounds like it’s really tuned to use less power.

A supposed increase of battery life of 30-50% due slightly larger battery, oled efficient screen tech and APU shrink is pretty solid imo.

Screen quality and battery life being my main concerns (other than how little I seem to use it) about my launch unit.

If you wanted one to mess with for “cheap” the old models appear to be on sale and the certified refurbs are even better value:

Steam Deck™ Certified Refurbished

Steam Deck™ is the most powerful, full-featured gaming handheld in the world.

store.steampowered.com

$350 for a 512 unit. $320 for 256.

 

[DeathReborn]

Valve also said it's 2-3 years until Steam Deck 2 (for the generational leap) which does mean 2-3 years until I consider a Steam Deck.

 

[Muadib]

Valve also said it's 2-3 years until Steam Deck 2 (for the generational leap) which does mean 2-3 years until I consider a Steam Deck.

Why did you pass on the OG Steamdeck?

 

[DeathReborn]

Why did you pass on the OG Steamdeck?

While I do like the appeal of gaming on the move, I want more than what the OG Steam Deck offers, the OLED screen is a good start but the SoC needs a bit more performance for me to jump on board. The Z1 Extreme is close but still not quite there for me.

 

[Muadib]

While I do like the appeal of gaming on the move, I want more than what the OG Steam Deck offers, the OLED screen is a good start but the SoC needs a bit more performance for me to jump on board. The Z1 Extreme is close but still not quite there for me.

Fair enough! I bought my Steamdeck knowing what to expect, and it surprised me. You can get at least 30fps on most verified games, but 40fps is what I strive for. The biggest negative for me is that you really need a basic understanding of Linux. If the Ally was out when I bought my Steamdeck, I probably would have got one over the Steamdeck. Windows is still the king of pc gaming, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. You can put Windows on the deck though. I might try it one day.

 

[gorobei]

gamersNexus full teardown and comparison with 1st gen

radically different motherboards, rotated apu orientation, 2 mem modules vs original 4, tons of cabling changes, reduced number of smd, cooling is drastically changed, vrm is redesigned. i doubt few if any of the parts are interchangable between the two.

this is functionally a brand new device as far as manufacturing goes. it seems weird to put so much effort to target roughly the same performance of the 1st gen/partial refresh. but that is what you do when you are a console maker and you dont want to cannibalize your own market. a gen2 deck too soon burns your early adopters and the performance upgrade makes game studios second guess about how long you will support the older hardware.

it will be interesting to see if asus fixes the ally sd card heat issues in the same way as valve did the oled deck.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

gamersNexus full teardown and comparison with 1st gen

radically different motherboards, rotated apu orientation, 2 mem modules vs original 4, tons of cabling changes, reduced number of smd, cooling is drastically changed, vrm is redesigned. i doubt few if any of the parts are interchangable between the two.

this is functionally a brand new device as far as manufacturing goes. it seems weird to put so much effort to target roughly the same performance of the 1st gen/partial refresh. but that is what you do when you are a console maker and you dont want to cannibalize your own market. a gen2 deck too soon burns your early adopters and the performance upgrade makes game studios second guess about how long you will support the older hardware.

it will be interesting to see if asus fixes the ally sd card heat issues in the same way as valve did the oled deck.

-Steam Deck: we have no idea what we're doing or whether or not this will be a successful product.

Deck Refresh: This is clearly a successful product and we're basically relaunching it with what it should have had in the first place.

 

[gorobei]

looks like the new user policy has kept the scalpers from hoovering up the limited edition oled.

Steam Deck™ Limited Edition

Steam Deck™ is the most powerful, full-featured gaming handheld in the world.

store.steampowered.com

available now for $679 US and it is yours.

sorta tempting but assuming this is a trend like the other handhelds with specialty skins, i would just wait for the actual deck2.

i really like clear cases despite how weak/brittle it ends up being in the long run.

 

[igor_kavinski]

-Steam Deck: we have no idea what we're doing or whether or not this will be a successful product.

That's how they work at Valve. Someone starts working on something on their own. If enough people pull their desks near that person to work on the same thing, that's what gets released.