Steam Deck (handheld from Valve) - shipping is 4-8 days from NL to UK

[Count Buffalos]

As an aside, I’ve found RPCS3 quite disappointing, although it’s clearly a work in progress. The number of games running without issues is small at the moment.

[DeciderVT]

55 minutes ago, Siri said:

I didn't even realise Space Giraffe was on Steam. I always thought it would be one of those Live Arcade games that would ultimately end up lost to time, like Harmony of Despair and Moon Diver.

 

Another one of my absolute favourite XBLA games was Leave Home, which is now present on Steam and packaged as part of a semi-sequel/remix, called Return Home.

 

 

Not sure if the remixed parts are behaving correctly but the original mode runs very nicely on Deck.

[Stig]

Did anyone else get the email and pay for one last Monday? All my friends who got one, had theirs delivered within a week but my tracking info hasn't updated since last Thursday and doesn't even look like it's left The Netherlands yet.

 

Just wondered for anyone else who paid last Monday, what their tracking info is saying.

[simms]

I was going to ask the same thing although its hasn't been a week as I paid on Thursday and shipping status says 'shipping soon'

[cavalcade]

I bought around a week ago and it arrived today. Try the tracking info by putting the Parcel Force code into the Parcel Force website, rather than using the Netherlands one. 

 

My impressions so far are.... mixed I guess (512Gb model)? The overall impression is certainly that it's a device built on a budget. The screen is mediocre, the general build quality is fine but not particularly good (the touch pads and back triggers feel very afterthoughty) and the software side has the general feel of a work in progress (which, of course, it is). The performance is fine, though the addition of the 40hz screen refresh rate was clearly an enormous boost to the device. It is fucking hot today but I have to say so far the fan noise and heat on the back of the unit has also felt a bit hardware gen 1. 

 

As a hobbyist device I can see the appeal, I've enjoyed diving into Linux and fiddling, though I suspect if you literally treated it as a Switch and only bought fully verified games you'd have a reasonable experience. The elephant in the room for me is I have a 3070 equipped laptop with an OLED screen and a Series 2 Xbox elite controller (let alone my gaming desktop). I can sit this on my lap and have a great gaming experience. Is the Deck really lightyears away in terms of portability? Maybe? I think establishing a use case for it will take time. I also think it clearly is better in some aspects than the Switch, but it's not quite the slam dunk decimation you might expect. I thought I'd probably give my Switch to one of my kids, but now I'm not so sure. One big positive for me is that actually they have done a good job of mapping Steam and the Deck specific performance tools onto the system. While bits of the UI are still clunky, generally I am surprised at how well Steam works (I thought we'd get a Big Picture variant, but it's a lot better than that). 

 

If that all sounds a bit negative, there is still magic there. Elden (which I've not played on any platform) looks good and is a wobbly 40. But I'm far more likely to play it on a handheld. Dishonored looks amazing, and plays really well. I'm downloading Deathloop to see if I can get that running OK. And I'll explore some emulation later - Wii is a big one, but also if I could get WiiU emulation running on it that might also be a gamechanger. 

 

So yeah. Interesting. Brilliant? Not so far. Worth waiting a year for? Nah. A fun gadget? Yes. Steam Deck 2 will be brilliant I'm sure. 

 

 

 

  

[thesnwmn]

19 minutes ago, cavalcade said:

The elephant in the room for me is I have a 3070 equipped laptop with an OLED screen and a Series 2 Xbox elite controller (let alone my gaming desktop). I can sit this on my lap and have a great gaming experience. Is the Deck really lightyears away in terms of portability? Maybe?

 

I'd say definitely lightyears away.

 

The idea of a laptop on my lap is a literal nightmare. It's an uncomfortable and highly restricted playing setup. It's also not going to fit in a bag and carry with you on a short holiday (although maybe this doesn't matter to you).

 

Of course each to their own in this stuff. I remember being nothing but excited for tablets to be good (i.e. when the first iPads came out) because the idea of reading the web on the sofa appealed. Others argued they already had a laptop. I argued they were fucking mental. Never has a laptop been good at anything other than a table for me.

[Siri]

17 minutes ago, cavalcade said:

The elephant in the room for me is I have a 3070 equipped laptop with an OLED screen and a Series 2 Xbox elite controller (let alone my gaming desktop). I can sit this on my lap and have a great gaming experience. Is the Deck really lightyears away in terms of portability? Maybe? I think establishing a use case for it will take time. 

 

Maybe it's old man sensibilities, but having a gaming capable laptop anywhere on my person while playing games these days would annoy the piss out of me - let alone the fact the Deck's the type of form factor where I can quite happily sit in the driver's seat of a car and play it while waiting for random bullshit, or sling it in my work backpack along with my lunch. It's quite a sizable amount of estate you're gaining.

 

And with a mobile 3070, I'd be short of another 500 quid of what the top of the line deck would cost, too.

[bradigor]

One of the things the Steam Deck has over a laptop for me (and PC desktop) is how easy it is to actually pick it up and start playing. There are no distractions wshatsoever, so it like picking up a Switch to play in that respect. Making the desktop mode a secondary affair is the genius part, as all the distractions are gone, unless I REALLY want to jump into them. I almost wished I'd noted down my playtime* before  and after Steam Deck. As it feels it has grown massively. 

 

*as in for playtime for me, not for reviews, the podcast, etc

[cavalcade]

Yes, I'm not talking generically whether a 3070 equipped laptop is going to smoke a Steam Deck or be more expensive. Clearly it's going to be and do both.

 

I think the portability depends on what you need to portability for - I frequently have to go to France and Ireland, and having a device I can play games on, for me, is more of a thing to have while I'm away, rather than a commuting device. But sitting on a sofa, or on a hotel bed, I can sit a laptop on a book on my lap and use a gamepad, and the entire thing packs away not much larger than the enormous Steam Deck case. I wouldn't whip a laptop and gamepad out on a train because I'm not a twat. 

 

So I'd say, for me, the use case for the Steam Deck is quite narrow. Which isn't to shit on the device, and clearly if you commute or have to cradle a baby while trying to get some PC time in or whatever it's going to be miles better than the alternatives. I was more interested in if it could be a catch all device to take away in a camper van or for work away and it's not quite that. 

 

I do like it though and don't really want to genuinely benchmark it against a 4k gaming pc and 1.5k laptop as it's not really fighting in the same cost band. Just musings on whether I find space for it, or whether a gaming laptop and maybe a Swith/mobile phone fills in the gaps adequately.  

[Siri]

It's a perfectly fair consideration - I mean, I got a very capable PC, tablets and a bunch of consoles, and I did wonder where it would fit amongst all that.

 

As it turns out, the thing it has replaced in terms of overall estate is.. the 3080 laden desktop, of all things. I simply don't care to sit at a desk any more to play my games. Maybe it's an effect of the pandemic, or just that series of cards being too hot, power hungry or loud, I'm not sure.

[LaveDisco]

If I had a decent gaming laptop, I wouldn't get a deck (despite the far better usability) unless I had already got an X, a PS5, an OLED TV and a VR helmet.

 

If you've all that, and you've still money to burn, go mad. 

[cavalcade]

Just now, Siri said:

It's a perfectly fair consideration - I mean, I got a very capable PC, tablets and a bunch of consoles, and I did wonder where it would fit amongst all that.

 

As it turns out, the thing it has replaced in terms of overall estate is.. the 3080 laden desktop, of all things. I simply don't care to sit at a desk any more to play my games. Maybe it's an effect of the pandemic, or just that series of cards being too hot, power hungry or loud, I'm not sure.

 

I mainly use my 3080 desktop for competitive shooters (Valorant/Apex) as I do notice the higher refresh rate screen and enjoy using mouse/mechanical keyboard. I also spent ages making sure it was quiet and unobtrusive and I'm fortunate as I play just in front of a patio which opens out onto a Marina and the sea side (so I don't feel like I'm shut in a spare room). Beyond that, I've found myself drifting to the PS5 on the couch for anything a bit more sedate as I think my days of playing 80 hour RPGS without being able to fully slump are beyond me. 

 

So, apart from this being a paragraph describing just how rich I am ( - sorry @LaveDisco), I think the Deck does have some slumpability possibility that I will have to ponder on. A laptop definitely doesn't offer the ability to be curled up in a semi-foetal position covered in crisp crumbs eating Minstrels off your bare chest.

 

 

[Stig]

1 hour ago, cavalcade said:

I bought around a week ago and it arrived today. Try the tracking info by putting the Parcel Force code into the Parcel Force website, rather than using the Netherlands one. 

 

 

I've tried both the link they emailed me, the Parcel Force code and the Netherlands one. Its currently telling me its not even reached the sorting office. I know I'll get it sometime this week but I was excited to have it today. Been looking forward to it all week, so a little gutted it won't be waiting for me when I get home.

[AlexM]

I have Chiaki working nicely in SteamOS, but I can’t work out how to close the app when I’ve finished with it - anyone else solved this little predicament?

[Popo]

3 minutes ago, AlexM said:

I have Chiaki working nicely in SteamOS, but I can’t work out how to close the app when I’ve finished with it - anyone else solved this little predicament?

I’m unfamiliar with Chiaki, but can it not be closed using the Steam button, and force closing it in the same way as you would other apps?

[AlexM]

7 minutes ago, Popo said:

I’m unfamiliar with Chiaki, but can it not be closed using the Steam button, and force closing it in the same way as you would other apps?

Sadly not, it’ll say ‘closing’ but never actually closes the app. 

[Popo]

6 minutes ago, AlexM said:

Sadly not, it’ll say ‘closing’ but never actually closes the app. 

I gather pressing the Home or Library buttons won’t just shunt it off, ready to be unloaded by the next app when launched?

[AlexM]

18 minutes ago, Popo said:

I gather pressing the Home or Library buttons won’t just shunt it off, ready to be unloaded by the next app when launched?

It stays open in the background, yesterday it was picking up button presses in the background while I played Wreckfest..

[ox1973]

I have a gaming capable laptop (it's an older model, but it checks out) and a deck. I think they are different enough to warrant having both.

 

Full fat, GPU melting, bleeding edge stuff (e.g. Cyberpunk at max settings) = laptop.

Mouse and keyboard/HOTAS/steering wheel/weird controller preferable (e.g. Elite Dangerous, Battletech, F1) = laptop.

 

Indies and low spec gaming (e.g. Slay the Spire, Monster Train) = deck.

Gamepad preferred (e.g Yakuza, Souls) = deck.

 

Emulation on deck is a bonus. Plenty of other (cheaper) options for that, but it's nice to have as an extra. The fact that I can sit in the garden with a cold beverage and chill with the deck in this punishing heat is use case enough for me.

[AK Bell]

I'm really liking Steam Link at the moment and I'm getting better performance on my 9 year old PC (770 GTX, and other bits of that era) than Steam Deck can push out.

I'm surprised that people with much better PCs than me aren't just using it too. 

 

Is everyone actually daring to leave the house with it? It just seems too big and expensive to whip out on the bus. 

 

Bothered about lag? As I'm not really noticing it over Wifi 6. And apart from it not looking as silky smooth on spinning a camera around fast, it looks pretty sharp.

 

Compatibility to games seems about the same (except for the trackpads opening up more games, I guess). Quite happy how most of the verified stuff just works. But I wouldn't want to go through the same pain on PC I've had to do for setting up some older games on a Steam Deck. Anyone had to poke around with ini files on it yet? Or set up a controller config?

 

But I'm not far off Steam Deck compatibility with games. It's unified memory is going to let some newer PS5 level stuff work, but my PC seems to be running PS4 level much better. 

 

But that just makes me wonder how quickly new releases won't work on a Steam Deck? Maybe devs will make sure there is a low enough option for it to work but that'll keep my tired old PC going for longer too. 

 

Anyway, fingers crossed I can play the new Star Ocean without having to buy a new machine. 

[Mogster]

@AK Bell Digital Foundry published a video a while ago comparing Steam Deck performance with the Xbox Series S, and found it more or less kept up with it. Their thinking was that the Series S is currently the lowest specced of the current gen consoles, and as long as that's supported with new games you'd hope the Steam Deck would hold its own too.

 

Steam Link is a cool feature, but it has its own limitations and takes away a lot of the convenience factor. If I'm going to go to the "effort" of going upstairs and turning on my PC then I might as well just play on it directly. Alternatively I can just pick up the Steam Deck, resume my game from exactly where I left it and off I go. There's also the small matter of the Steam Deck using a lot less power than a full blown desktop PC. I hope...

 

I've also got a lot of games I want to play on the Deck that will run really well natively, for which streaming would only be a downgrade.

[AK Bell]

It probably helps that I keep my handheld charging by my PC. By the time I'm back to the sofa, steam is booting.

 

I'm more worried about PS5 ports as all the exclusives are coming out on that and should save me buying another expensive box too. But sounds like most of them are still getting PS4 versions so should hopefully hold stuff back as much as the Series S.

[Giddas]

3 hours ago, cavalcade said:

 

I mainly use my 3080 desktop for competitive shooters (Valorant/Apex) as I do notice the higher refresh rate screen and enjoy using mouse/mechanical keyboard. I also spent ages making sure it was quiet and unobtrusive and I'm fortunate as I play just in front of a patio which opens out onto a Marina and the sea side (so I don't feel like I'm shut in a spare room). Beyond that, I've found myself drifting to the PS5 on the couch for anything a bit more sedate as I think my days of playing 80 hour RPGS without being able to fully slump are beyond me. 

 

So, apart from this being a paragraph describing just how rich I am ( - sorry @LaveDisco), I think the Deck does have some slumpability possibility that I will have to ponder on. A laptop definitely doesn't offer the ability to be curled up in a semi-foetal position covered in crisp crumbs eating Minstrels off your bare chest.

 

 

 

I am very disappointed you haven't managed to drop in what car you drive there.

[Siri]

It's not surprising that Steam Link works well with WiFi6 - that protocol has enough bandwidth to stream a VR game to a Quest without a lot of latency via Virtual Desktop, from my own experience. Anything below that level of wireless performance has been atrocious in my experience, though, even with Steam Link. As mentioned, it's definitely not a miracle cure-all.

 

And, to be honest, neither was the HTPC front that occurred a few years back with Big Picture. You can try all your might to get it as smooth as possible, but something outside of the interface's control was bound to fuck up, and you'd have to drag yourself over and futz with a keyboard and mouse. Sometimes, there's just value to having the thing right in front of you to mash in a ctrl-alt-delete or get through a shitty pre-game launcher.

 

RE: future games, I'm of the opinion of  'fuck it' - If it plays, that's great, but if it doesn't, there's 30 years of games to play in some shape or form on the bloody thing. Christ, I've been playing the same diablo clone for the past decade and now it's on deck to play for the next ten years!

[Danster]

8 hours ago, Stigweard said:

Did anyone else get the email and pay for one last Monday? All my friends who got one, had theirs delivered within a week but my tracking info hasn't updated since last Thursday and doesn't even look like it's left The Netherlands yet.

 

Just wondered for anyone else who paid last Monday, what their tracking info is saying.

 

8 hours ago, simms said:

I was going to ask the same thing although its hasn't been a week as I paid on Thursday and shipping status says 'shipping soon'

I paid Tuesday last week and got a GLS tracking number Thursday, looks like mine hasn't moved beyond the Netherlands yet. I don't seem to have been given a parcel force tracking number either. 

 

[bradigor]

8 minutes ago, Siri said:

It's not surprising that Steam Link works well with WiFi6 - that protocol has enough bandwidth to stream a VR game to a Quest without a lot of latency via Virtual Desktop, from my own experience. Anything below that level of wireless performance has been atrocious in my experience, though, even with Steam Link. As mentioned, it's definitely not a miracle cure-all.

 

And, to be honest, neither was the HTPC front that occurred a few years back with Big Picture. You can try all your might to get it as smooth as possible, but something outside of the interface's control was bound to fuck up, and you'd have to drag yourself over and futz with a keyboard and mouse. Sometimes, there's just value to having the thing right in front of you to mash in a ctrl-alt-delete or get through a shitty pre-game launcher.

 

RE: future games, I'm of the opinion of  'fuck it' - If it plays, that's great, but if it doesn't, there's 30 years of games to play in some shape or form on the bloody thing. Christ, I've been playing the same diablo clone for the past decade and now it's on deck to play for the next ten years!

 

To be honest. Not much in the future AAA space excites me much, if at all. 

 

By the time most Indies are not playable in the current Deck a new one will be established I imagine. 

[Bonzai1888]

Have a 500gb micro SD and now got a 1 TB one...decided to move all the big games to external storage, now have 32gb of games on internal....260gb of other files....what is this madness???

[bradigor]

15 minutes ago, Bonzai1888 said:

Have a 500gb micro SD and now got a 1 TB one...decided to move all the big games to external storage, now have 32gb of games on internal....260gb of other files....what is this madness???

 

Seems a lot for shadercache and compatdata. 

 

Go into desktop mode and see if you can see where the space is being taken up. 

 

Wait... Have you got any non Steam games? That would show as 'other' 

[cavalcade]

1 hour ago, Giddas said:

 

I am very disappointed you haven't managed to drop in what car you drive there.

 

2017 Kia Estate. 

[Stig]

1 hour ago, Danster said:

 

I paid Tuesday last week and got a GLS tracking number Thursday, looks like mine hasn't moved beyond the Netherlands yet. I don't seem to have been given a parcel force tracking number either. 

 

 

It's not the end of the world, I was just buzzing for today and now I'm waiting and don't know what day for.