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

[ph0rce]

Aaaah, every time I pick it up to play something, I just start another game of Vampire Survivors, so annoying ( but so, so addictive! ).

 

Had a run yesterday evening where I was almost completely invincible for the first 24 minutes & 30 seconds, then 17 seconds later I was annihilated by more enemies than I could count. First time I've heard the deck working hard as well, the fan was pretty loud.

[bradigor]

Terra Nil is fantastic. No community control profiles yet, so had to do a temp one, but controls really really well. Great UI scaling and super relaxing to play. 

 

With this and Dredge* it's a great week for Indies on Deck. 

 

*Had the a few weeks now and it is just so so good

 

 

[Stanley]

11 minutes ago, bradigor said:

Terra Nil is fantastic. No community control profiles yet, so had to do a temp one, but controls really really well. Great UI scaling and super relaxing to play. 

 

With this and Dredge* it's a great week for Indies on Deck. 

 

*Had the a few weeks now and it is just so so good

 

 

Terra Nil is free on iOS for Netflix subscribers, do you reckon it would be playable with touch? 

[bradigor]

Yeah I think so

[deerokus]

Sifu is now on steam.

[StumpyJohn]

Wrote a massive rant about the 8bitdo 'ultimate' 2.4g wireless pad last night but finally after 2+ hours I did manage to actually get in almost fully working. 🤬

It still randomly turned itself off a few times so it is back in the box and getting returned to Amazon.

 

Think I'm now just going to get an extra Series S/X controller to use with my docked deck.

[Poet]

Well, after using my new Vampire Survivors machine for a few other games, then adding Chrome, setting up my kb&m and dock, then Heroic Launcher and trying that out briefly (having issues with games not showing up in my Steam library but I imagine a reboot will sort that - I did it late last night and was distracted because...) and then installing emudeck and a few games and omg even without tweaking I am just blown away by how easy and amazingly versatile it's all been. I've barely scratched the surface.

[Lorfarius]

I wouldn't worry about it, spent forever setting loads of ROMS and games then spent the last few months focused on a few plus the odd fresh title in Steam sales. Too many damn games to play and not enough time in the day!

[Siri]

31 minutes ago, StumpyJohn said:

Wrote a massive rant about the 8bitdo 'ultimate' 2.4g wireless pad last night but finally after 2+ hours I did manage to actually get in almost fully working. 🤬

It still randomly turned itself off a few times so it is back in the box and getting returned to Amazon.

 

Think I'm now just going to get an extra Series S/X controller to use with my docked deck.

 

2.4g always sounds like a faff - although I've also had shit situations with controllers on Bluetooth via Windows, they've been A-OK on Linux.

 

Heck, the PS4 controller was nothing but a headache on Windows - constant lag and drop-outs no matter what I used (DS4W, DS4W w/ a different Bluetooth stack, using a Mayflash dongle or trying Steam's controller input). Not even a blip on my tiny Linux desktop or the Deck, even with the same hardware dongle.

 

Anyway - haven't actually been playing much due to late nights, and the remainder of those late nights have been spent starting up all my downloaded games for the first time so they'll work once offline.

 

I did find myself pulling away from Lumines Remastered to carry on with that task, though. What a delight!

[Poet]

15 minutes ago, Lorfarius said:

I wouldn't worry about it, spent forever setting loads of ROMS and games then spent the last few months focused on a few plus the odd fresh title in Steam sales. Too many damn games to play and not enough time in the day!

 

Oh I'm not. I'm very much playing games mostly, and enjoying the exploration at a slow pace. Just marvelling at how easy it all is every time I do or try something new.

[Siri]

Honestly, it's the best way to handle it. I've barely touched emulation, and the games I have, it's normally to jump on immediately and play until I see credits (like Ridge Racer 7).

 

Although I continue to ensure I have 2,000 hours worth of entertainment for an 18 hour flight across the world and back like a fool

[Hawklord]

On 21/03/2023 at 20:07, Hawklord said:

I've taken a punt on a 1Tb SSD from AliExpress

 

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/2230-m2-ssd-1tb-nvme-hard-drive-for-steam-deck-with-free-screwdriver-and-steamos-usb-stick-5053-from-aliexpress-imidossd-store-4106048

 

Just over £60 and paid via PayPal. Hopefully it will actually work  

This actually arrived today. And 2 weeks earlier than the ETA

 

Hopefully I'll get it installed this afternoon. I won't be using the image that comes on the USB though, will do a fresh flash from Steam

 

 

 

[Siri]

23 minutes ago, Hawklord said:

This actually arrived today. And 2 weeks earlier than the ETA

 

Hopefully I'll get it installed this afternoon. I won't be using the image that comes on the USB though, will do a fresh flash from Steam

 

Just a tip after you're done installing SteamOS again - remember to actually take out the USB drive after the install, if you get a black screen directly after it.

 

I was getting very confused after the deck detected my SSD correctly, only to not work after installing the OS again.

[moosegrinder]

YAAAAASSSSSSS

 

[Dr_Dave]

4 hours ago, StumpyJohn said:

Wrote a massive rant about the 8bitdo 'ultimate' 2.4g wireless pad last night but finally after 2+ hours I did manage to actually get in almost fully working. 🤬

It still randomly turned itself off a few times so it is back in the box and getting returned to Amazon.

 

Think I'm now just going to get an extra Series S/X controller to use with my docked deck.

 

What problems did you have? Is this the 2.4G only one or the Nintendo-layout 2.4/Bluetooth one?

 

I've got the 2.4G one, which I use exclusively on my SteamDeck, and I've found it to be one of the best controllers I've ever used. No issues with compatibility, awesome latency, no range issues, lovely charging cradle that doubles up as the 2.4G receiver...

 

I've heard that the Bluetooth one has issues though, specifically around some buttons not working in 2.4G mode or something.

[StumpyJohn]

22 minutes ago, Dr_Dave said:

What problems did you have? Is this the 2.4G only one or the Nintendo-layout 2.4/Bluetooth one?

 

I've got the 2.4G one, which I use exclusively on my SteamDeck, and I've found it to be one of the best controllers I've ever used. No issues with compatibility, awesome latency, no range issues, lovely charging cradle that doubles up as the 2.4G receiver...

 

I've heard that the Bluetooth one has issues though, specifically around some buttons not working in 2.4G mode or something.

The 2.4g only one.  I would've otherwise preferred the bluetooth with the hall effect sticks version but my brain just can't cope with using a nintendo button layout controller on the deck which is natively xbox layout!  I tried that out for a bit with my SN30Pro and just couldn't stop regularly pressing the wrong buttons on both the controller and the deck when swapping between the two.

 

In terms of problems essentially it would not connect at all out of the box and even after installing the ultimate controller software on PC plus the separate firmware updater and fully updating it still wouldn't work.  It would just flash for several seconds and then switch off.  Eventually, and only thanks to a random reddit post I got hold of a specific 8bitdo ultimate controller pairing tool and that finally connected the controller to the dongle.

 

Thought that would be job (finally) done but I then used it for an hour or so and it randomly switched itself off several times in that period. Not battery related as was essentially fully charged. So yeah, pretty much done with it at that point and refunded/ returned it.

 

Overall the ultimate controller line seems to be a bit of a confused mess at the moment.  Things like different versions that do and don't work well with PC, Xbox, Switch etc.  Needing several software tools rather than just all being in one.  There being literally nothing on the FAQ page about getting it working on steam deck or fixing pairing issues...

 

[Dr_Dave]

4 minutes ago, StumpyJohn said:

Ong verall the ultimate controller line seems to be a bit of a confused mess at the moment.  Things like different versions that do and don't work well with PC, Xbox, Switch etc.  Needing several software tools rather than just all being in one.  There being literally nothing on the FAQ page about getting it working on steam deck or fixing pairing issues...

 

 

I wonder if you got a faulty one? I didn't have to do a single thing to pair mine with the dongle or use it on the SteamDeck (unless it was so seamless that I've already forgotten about it). And it's been fine ever since.

 

It was quite a relief actually. I've been previously using Xbox controllers paired over Bluetooth, and the Bluetooth connection was horrendous. Constants drops, difficulty connecting, lag spikes. Have never had Bluetooth controllers that were so bad.

[Hawklord]

2 hours ago, Hawklord said:

This actually arrived today. And 2 weeks earlier than the ETA

 

Hopefully I'll get it installed this afternoon. I won't be using the image that comes on the USB though, will do a fresh flash from Steam

 

 

All good. Easy enough to install the SSD if a little finnicky. Shows as the full 1Tb available (minus the OS) so seems so far to be genuine. Would recommend good lighting and having the correct screwdrivers ready. Took longer for Rufus to write the disk  image to USB than it did to replace the drive lol.

 

Now to re-install everything

 

2 hours ago, Siri said:

 

Just a tip after you're done installing SteamOS again - remember to actually take out the USB drive after the install, if you get a black screen directly after it.

 

I was getting very confused after the deck detected my SSD correctly, only to not work after installing the OS again.

 

Cheers, I ended up having to fully remove from the dock for some reason otherwise the install just stalled on reboot, even with the USB drive removed

[StumpyJohn]

10 minutes ago, Dr_Dave said:

I wonder if you got a faulty one? I didn't have to do a single thing to pair mine with the dongle or use it on the SteamDeck (unless it was so seamless that I've already forgotten about it). And it's been fine ever since.

 

It was quite a relief actually. I've been previously using Xbox controllers paired over Bluetooth, and the Bluetooth connection was horrendous. Constants drops, difficulty connecting, lag spikes. Have never had Bluetooth controllers that were so bad.

 

Oh man, don't say that.  An xbox controller via bluetooth is what I am now planning to use 

 

[Mogster]

I've been using an Xbox pad paired over BT and it's been flawless so far. I had an 8Bitdo Ultimate pad in my wishlist before getting the dock in case it didn't work out, but I don't think there's any need for it now.

 

It would be nice if the pad could remotely turn on the Steam Deck, or indeed if turning off the Deck powered off the pad, but you can't have everything.

[Lorfarius]

18 minutes ago, Mogster said:

I've been using an Xbox pad paired over BT and it's been flawless so far. I had an 8Bitdo Ultimate pad in my wishlist before getting the dock in case it didn't work out, but I don't think there's any need for it now.

 

It would be nice if the pad could remotely turn on the Steam Deck, or indeed if turning off the Deck powered off the pad, but you can't have everything.

 

Doesn't it usually power off after 15 minutes? Mine def does. Might be worth plugging it into the PC Xbox and setting it to a time limit as the pad remembers.

[Mogster]

1 minute ago, Lorfarius said:

 

Doesn't it usually power off after 15 minutes? Mine def does. Might be worth plugging it into the PC Xbox and setting it to a time limit as the pad remembers.

Oh that's interesting, thanks. I normally just force it off by holding the Xbox button.

[bradigor]

My son broke his headset so had to give him mine. So what are everyone's suggestions for a good quality headphones for the Steam Deck?

[thesnwmn]

"son broke"

"had to"

... new headset for you

 

A likely story 

[bradigor]

3 minutes ago, thesnwmn said:

"son broke"

"had to"

... new headset for you

 

A likely story 

 

Haha. 

 

I'm not happy with it I'll be downgrading as I had a decent steelseries I got as a promo unit but it's overkill for the Deck. 

 

Fucking kids.

[Siri]

I always hop on HotUKDeals in case there's an offer and check against RTings.

 

Argos currently have Steelseries 9X's for 50 quid off, which you can check RTings before buying: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/steelseries-arctis-9x-4111450

 

 

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/steelseries/arctis-9x-wireless

 

I bought some proper fancy ones for my holiday and silly plane ride, but they went out of stock at Amazon quick

 

When I do use headphones at the moment, I just throw on the the wireless Xbox headphones via Bluetooth and put up with the lag. They're pretty good, but for a tenner more I'd imagine the 9x is better and it can be plumbed in with a wire.

[bradigor]

@Siridoes the wire come with it?

[thesnwmn]

Argh. Dredge won't launch on my Deck. First game to give me any hassles in a while.

[thesnwmn]

Okay. Uninstall, reboot and we are in business. Phew.

[Siri]

1 hour ago, bradigor said:

@Siridoes the wire come with it?

 

Not according to RTings:

 

Spoiler

Although the SteelSeries Arctis 9X don’t come with a 1/8” audio cable in the box, they support audio over their 1/8” jack. However, you won't be able to use the microphone, even if you're using a TRRS connector. If you're looking for similar SteelSeries headphones with an included audio cable, check out the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless instead.

 

Edit: not actually a spoiler, I just pressed the wrong button