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

[deerokus]

There's a new fire emblem coming out soon on switch, so if course I'm playing the GameCube one on deck now.

[Curtis]

Is there a list of games that GE Proton 7-43 improves or enables beyond the yellow exclamation or green tick?

I really want to play RE6 Mercs. If the Switch can run it, surely this can. 😮‍💨

 

In other news I've been re-playing Wind Waker this evening and smiling the entire time. I absolutely adore that game and how joyful it makes me feel. 🥰

[earlymodernsteve]

4 hours ago, deerokus said:

There's a new fire emblem coming out soon on switch, so if course I'm playing the GameCube one on deck now.

Just added that to mine tonight too. Need a separate big sd card for ROMS as I'm just using a spare 32gb one at the moment. That's still big enough for 20 GC games, a couple of PS2 and all the 16 and 8 bit libraries though! Still want to keep them on a different card as doing it this way means it doesn't need formatting which makes transferring a lot easier.

[Gotters]

I just can't resist these old cheap pickups - got a steam code for Mad Max, the Avalanche open worlder from 10y or so back, for £3 via Eneba.

 

Deck verified, plays on quite high settings and seems to run very nicely. 

 

Getting a taste for a few of these more modern games really chews into that 512gb, I'm down to about 200gb left and at my current rate of purchasing that will last me til about Feb. 

[Spleen]

I've got 100gb left on my 1tb sd card... And 100gb left on my 256gb internal drive...

[Simmy]

I'm really thinking about starting BOTW fresh - never did complete it on the Switch.

 

I own both the game itself and a Switch and a Steam Deck - just wondering, for those also with both who might know - would playing it on Steam Deck be the better experience? Or best to just stick with the original at 30fps?

 

I read that the Steam Deck runs it very well at 40fps which is sooo tempting but equally I'm worried that it might break stuff and I'll be 40+ hours in to a game before finding out or something.

 

Anyone tried both and can say one way or the other?

 

Thanks a lot!

[ravnaz]

1 hour ago, Simmy said:

I'm really thinking about starting BOTW fresh - never did complete it on the Switch.

 

I own both the game itself and a Switch and a Steam Deck - just wondering, for those also with both who might know - would playing it on Steam Deck be the better experience? Or best to just stick with the original at 30fps?

 

I read that the Steam Deck runs it very well at 40fps which is sooo tempting but equally I'm worried that it might break stuff and I'll be 40+ hours in to a game before finding out or something.

 

Anyone tried both and can say one way or the other?

 

Thanks a lot!

I think, IIRC, it's the WiiU version that runs well on the deck. 

[Siri]

10 hours ago, Curtis said:

Is there a list of games that GE Proton 7-43 improves or enables beyond the yellow exclamation or green tick?

I really want to play RE6 Mercs. If the Switch can run it, surely this can. 😮‍💨

 

In other news I've been re-playing Wind Waker this evening and smiling the entire time. I absolutely adore that game and how joyful it makes me feel. 🥰

 

There's a change log, but it's not cut and dry - things get fixed, things break.

 

You're better off looking at ProtonDB. User reports say that it runs fine with slight stutter when moving between areas on the default Proton that shipped with the deck (7).

 

And, as always - the verification system is a suggestion, not a rule. Well, unless you're after playing a game with Anti-Cheat.

[auntyclimax]

I've fixed my issue of games not playing (namely Ridge Racer & Finding Paradise) by switching to the Beta firmware channel.

[Gotters]

Maybe for the emulation thread over in Retro but even the Wii U BotW isn't simple dump an iso and away you go from what I've seen this morning.

 

Quite a bit of fannying round with keys into text files and updates and updaters, which need a PC so useless/tricky if you are Deck only or Mac based.

 

It runs quite well apparently, and if you have a Windows PC will be far easier than if you don't 

[StephenM]

Has anyone had any luck installing mods on Paradox games (CK3 in this case)?

 

Whenever I try, it says the mid failed to install. Wondering if it’s a path issue on the deck - could really do with getting this UI scaling thing working though. 

 

[Stanley]

What is Proton? I’ve been looking at a website called Protondb which shows compatibility issues with games and workarounds, tips etc. but there is talk on there about changing the settings to experimental and stuff like that. I have no idea what it means though. 

[Siri]

18 minutes ago, Stanley said:

What is Proton? I’ve been looking at a website called Protondb which shows compatibility issues with games and workarounds, tips etc. but there is talk on there about changing the settings to experimental and stuff like that. I have no idea what it means though. 

 

It's the thing that makes the Steam Deck and SteamOS what it is, really - it's a compatibility layer that sees a Windows program, and interprets it so it runs on a different operating system (in this case, Linux). It's comprised of a few things, if you look at it in depth, but don't worry too much about it.

 

But, yeah. For the vast majority of games you're playing on this thing? They're not even designed to run on it! Shocking, really.

 

There's been loads of versions over the last couple of years - as mentioned, things get fixed, things break. Changing the compatibility layer to a different version or type might help make games work better, or at all.

[Spleen]

7 hours ago, Gotters said:

Maybe for the emulation thread over in Retro but even the Wii U BotW isn't simple dump an iso and away you go from what I've seen this morning.

 

Quite a bit of fannying round with keys into text files and updates and updaters, which need a PC so useless/tricky if you are Deck only or Mac based.

 

It runs quite well apparently, and if you have a Windows PC will be far easier than if you don't 

 

I've got it on mine and I don't recall messing around with text files. 

You do get options for cheats and enhancements too, like no breaking weapons!

[Stanley]

17 minutes ago, Siri said:

 

It's the thing that makes the Steam Deck and SteamOS what it is, really - it's a compatibility layer that sees a Windows program, and interprets it so it runs on a different operating system (in this case, Linux). It's comprised of a few things, if you look at it in depth, but don't worry too much about it.

 

But, yeah. For the vast majority of games you're playing on this thing? They're not even designed to run on it! Shocking, really.

 

There's been loads of versions over the last couple of years - as mentioned, things get fixed, things break. Changing the compatibility layer to a different version or type might help make games work better, or at all.

Thank you, one of the first games I’ll be getting is Defense Grid 2, and on protondb a user has posted this

Quote

-skiplauncher

Secondary Launcher Problem:Yes

Had to skip the launcher with -skiplauncher

Significant Bugs:Yes

Game freezes when exiting, needs to be closed from steam overlay. But everything is saved.

Otherwise it’s said to run fine, so is there a command line I can add per game, such as -skiplauncher? 

[Flub]

25 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Thank you, one of the first games I’ll be getting is Defense Grid 2, and on protondb a user has posted this

Otherwise it’s said to run fine, so is there a command line I can add per game, such as -skiplauncher? 

 

 

If you go into the properties for a game there's always an option to add arguments to the startup.

[Curtis]

My opinion after owning one for 4 days: this is a miraculous piece of kit. 🤩 

[SteveH]

For connoisseurs of the racing genre, the second best racing game of all time, World Racing 2, is back on sale in remastered form (number one racing game is of course the first one  ) and a bargain at only £6 odd. 

Not tried it yet but it has an official Steam control setup so I am guessing the devs must have tested it? Finally got around to putting my skin on as well. It was a right pain in the arse.

 

[Gotters]

what is going on with that racing game, looks like its PS1 era on the steam page videos and the camera has that weird go-pro look to it where all the geometry looks a bit wrong and fisheye like.

 

there is a nice looking Friday The 13th puzzle game just gone free with with several chapters of free dlc available too. 

 

I used to like Defense Grid 2 on the xbox, forgot all about that, got a green tick on the store so unless the tick lies shouldn't need anything to run.

[Isaac]

Completed Spiritfarer last night. What a fantastic game, that utterly destroyed me.

 

Also absolutely perfect for the deck (and fully verified).

[Siri]

17 minutes ago, Gotters said:

what is going on with that racing game, looks like its PS1 era on the steam page videos and the camera has that weird go-pro look to it where all the geometry looks a bit wrong and fisheye like.

 

I believe that's what is known in the biz as 'Eurojank'.

 

I didn't realise they finally put the game out on Steam, I thought it would be stuck on charity shop DVD shelves for time immemorial (as was the style at the time of its original release).

 

I got £3 in credit after returning something that didn't work (funnily enough, another racer - Loop Racer GT), I'll give it a punt for another couple of bob.

[robdood]

I recently rebought a Switch. Got OLED version. Once I've done botw2, it's getting sold to fund a deck, I think. There's nothing on switch I really want to play these days, and the games I am interested all would run better on a deck with the respective pc version. 

 

Hype! They look great. 

[SteveH]

2 hours ago, Gotters said:

what is going on with that racing game, looks like its PS1 era on the steam page videos and the camera has that weird go-pro look to it where all the geometry looks a bit wrong and fisheye like.

 

there is a nice looking Friday The 13th puzzle game just gone free with with several chapters of free dlc available too. 

 

I used to like Defense Grid 2 on the xbox, forgot all about that, got a green tick on the store so unless the tick lies shouldn't need anything to run.

It was originally an OG Xbox and PC game. It plays really well actually. It does look great on the Steam Deck and runs at maximum settings at 60fps. Any kind of AA is disabled though for some reason. It was known at the time for having huge environments to race in. Though I still think the first game is better.

 They've updated the graphics though the cars have been slightly remodelled as they don't have the license for them anymore. I seem to remember it integrating custom music really well on the Xbox. 

[Stanley]

2 hours ago, Gotters said:

 

I used to like Defense Grid 2 on the xbox, forgot all about that, got a green tick on the store so unless the tick lies shouldn't need anything to run.

It’s my second favourite tower defense game, after GeoDefense on iOS which is sadly no longer available, lost forever. 
 

Yeah green tick but apparently it crashes when you try and exit the game so you need to use -skiplauncher, apparently, and the it’s completely fine. 

[Gotters]

Got a cheap steam code for Defense Grid 2 off eneba as I used to like it back on the xbox.

 

Can confirm the game runs fine from what I've see so far, but does hang on exit so needed to quit manually (even with that skip launcher command).

 

Controls are there out the box but think there is room to improve them and map better, need to explore the community options. 

[Stanley]

49 minutes ago, Gotters said:

Got a cheap steam code for Defense Grid 2 off eneba as I used to like it back on the xbox.

 

Can confirm the game runs fine from what I've see so far, but does hang on exit so needed to quit manually (even with that skip launcher command).

 

Controls are there out the box but think there is room to improve them and map better, need to explore the community options. 

Brilliant, I have wanted this for ages on a handheld. So when you say quit manually is there like the equivalent of the Xbox and PS home buttons which you use to go back to the dashboard and then manually select and quit the game from there? Thanks for reporting back btw 

 

I am so excited for the Steamdeck to

arrive now 

[earlymodernsteve]

17 minutes ago, Stanley said:

Brilliant, I have wanted this for ages on a handheld. So when you say quit manually is there like the equivalent of the Xbox and PS home buttons which you use to go back to the dashboard and then manually select and quit the game from there? Thanks for reporting back btw 

 

I am so excited for the Steamdeck to

arrive now 

Yep. Seem to be a mixture of games that either only close this way or misbehave when they are (apparently Dragon Quest XI really doesn't like not being closed from its own menu). Imagine these are mostly teething problems and most big titles are getting updated periodically).

[simms]

I had this site bookmarked for indie games which may reveal hidden gems which would be a good fit for Steamdeck 

 

https://buried-treasure.org

[LaveDisco]

20 minutes ago, simms said:

I had this site bookmarked for indie games which may reveal hidden gems which would be a good fit for Steamdeck 

 

https://buried-treasure.org

 

One of ours, and a brilliant site, big part of the reason I jumped on a SteamDeck, I was sick on not being able to play weird PC games, and whilst the SteamDeck can't do them all, I'm in an endlessly better place because of it.

[earlymodernsteve]

John Walker's a grumpy sod but his work in raising the profile of indie games is really valuable. I try and jeep my finger on the pulse but there's just too many to keep track of.