Has the Steam Deck changed your gaming habits?

[AlexM]

3 hours ago, the_debaser said:

I got one a while back, but haven’t used it much in the last month after spending the first few weeks getting it set up, installing emulators and creating a sync system with my pc for emulated games.

How did you setup the sync? I’d quite like to do this too.

[the_debaser]

59 minutes ago, Mogster said:

Well that's just not true. The screen is larger than the original Switch, and the bezels are pretty much exactly the same size as that console. The screen is obviously not going to match the OLED Switch in terms of vibrancy, but it's a perfectly fine LCD screen.

 

 

The desktop mode is designed for desktop use, and yes this would involve a mouse and keyboard. I can't say I've noticed mine get too hot, although the fan gets quite noticeable when playing more demanding stuff.

 

The point of Steam OS on the Deck is that you don't need to use a desktop for its primary function, which is handheld gaming. It also gives you quick access to a whole bunch of system level performance options, including the screen refresh rate which makes 40fps a viable option. Then of course there's suspend/resume, which is something I never thought I'd see on a PC.

 

I think if you buy a Steam Deck and expect a traditional games console experience then you're going to be disappointed. What it does do is take PC gaming as close to that ideal as you can get at the moment, without removing the options you'd expect from buying a PC. You can absolutely avoid the desktop entirely if you only want to play supported Steam games, but if you want to stray outside that you have to expect some hurdles. Buying a games console doesn't have any such hurdles, but then you can't install the Xbox store on a PlayStation 5, or indeed install an entirely different OS.

LCD is ancient tech now. The old switch came out 5 years ago and wasn’t groundbreaking then, so the screen just isn’t acceptable now. 

 

7 minutes ago, AlexM said:

How did you setup the sync? I’d quite like to do this too.

Syncthing. 

[snowbind]

The steam deck is an obscenely wonderful bit of kit. It's single handedly reignited my desire to want to play single player games. I've had mine for 3 months or so and I've played more single player games than I have in the preceding decade. 

[r1skbreak3r]

So far I've spent more time tinkering with it than playing, but hopefully that should change once I've got Emudeck sorted out.

 

One tip for an easy life in desktop mode if you have an android phone - download an app called Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse. It lets you use pair your phone with the Steam Deck and then you can use the phone as a touchpad/virtual keyboard. It's a lot easier to use than the Deck touchpads, and less hassle than connecting real peripherals.

[AK Bell]

Sort of. Yes and No. I don't have a steam deck. 

 

I'm mostly a handheld gamer already now because of life so I've been through all this. I need something I can pick up between children and jobs, that ideally I don't have to get off the sofa for or use the TV my wife has monopolised. So I've been through all this with the Switch where my gaming time shot up massively and I've been buying various handhelds since for things like emulators. 

 

What Steam Deck, and the potential of it, has done is change my buying habits.  I have something that runs Steam Link very well on handheld now and the eShop died for me when I got that working. 

 

Switch was getting a lot of love catching up on games I hadn't bothered with on PC. But you pay a premium for it. You can be paying ten times as much on eShop for something you can get for pennies on Steam.

 

Also, (especially in handheld) you're getting what is likely the worst version of the game. I'd been happily playing Ys VIII on Switch, but once I played it on a 9 year old PC I realised Switch was looking a bit shit with pixelation and 15fps animation of stuff in the distance. That crap version of the game is locked in on Switch too. It will not only never improve, but not get a chance to as any purchase you make on eShop is unlikely to carry over to a new generation. Steam does have that issue. 

 

If Steam Deck hits gen 2 or 3, or someone else knocks out a good value windows handheld, I'm probably getting one as long as it's 1080p and doesn't munch through loads of battery power in minutes. 

 

 

 

 

[deerokus]

The screen isn't incredible but I think it's somewhat overstated that it's terrible.

 

I like the 800p resolution, quite a lot of stuff looks razor sharp rather than soft as it would on a 1080p.

[Paulando]

The 800p is fine, and undoubtedly the best choice from a performance point of view. It just looks shit next to the OLED Switch and basically any modern phone. Will be a great future upgrade though.

[AK Bell]

Okay, maybe it doesn't need to be 1080 but I'd want more pixel density. I'm used to 1080 on a seven-inch screen (Ayn Odin Pro) so a jump up to 8 inches even at 1080 might still look a little off to me. 

[snowbind]

That's one of those things that seems like an issue, until you start playing on it, then you literally normalise it within 20 minutes and then it's not even a thing afterwards. 

[alex3d]

6 minutes ago, snowbind said:

That's one of those things that seems like an issue, until you start playing on it, then you literally normalise it within 20 minutes and then it's not even a thing afterwards. 

 

100% this. 

[Uzi]

I count myself as a screen snob as for large screens, no LCD/LED's are allowed in my property bar our work laptops but the Steam Deck screen is absolutely fine. I've never played it thinking "man I wish the screen was better" and having this much graphic engine fidelity and framerate far surpasses what a higher res or OLED screen could currently do on other portables. What I was thinking when playing Yakuza Kiwami at 60fps and looking absolutely beautiful was "my GOD". It doesn't need higher res and if anything, upscaling res systems like FSR2.1 keep improving to allow games to run even lower than native res for better fidelity settings and higher perf. I'd rather play Witcher 3 or Doom on the Deck than the switch OLED any day ever ever EVER.

 

The steam deck isn't a mainstream device, not yet nor do I know if it will be, but it absolutely presents a potentially mainstream package with the best PC games distributor and store/play featureset in the business in a time where PC gaming hardware costs in general are rising due to inflation and wafer costs. Its incredible, it has the hit download and play simplicity of consoles 95 percent of the time, a cheap and obtainable library of thousands of games and its essentially "jailbroken" by default by those who like to fiddle and run emulation. All for an insanely low price for an all in one machine that handles what it is designed for incredibly well. 

 

For me, it makes smaller game/indie game playing a lot easier than on my desktop. It's more immediate, fast and suitable for the device and leaves me to do my triple A or power gaming on my desktop or consoles.

[deerokus]

It's better than the screen on my sort of gaming laptop if nothing else!

[Gotters]

This thing has totally changed my gaming habits in the space of a fortnight, so much so I'm quite taken aback at how good it is.

 

For starters I've sold my PS5 and don't feel any need/desire to turn on my X series or Switch, which unfortunately means Mario v Rabbids may be the first game to lose out there, or at least I'll wait for a sale.

 

My other half thinks I've become a 12y old boy attached to his xmas present as wherever I'm sat I've got the deck next to me.

 

It's reignited my interest in actually playing games, mostly old ones, and made me realise how that PS2/Gamecube was the sweet spot to my tastes in gaming, things looked good enough and had nice enough control systems and the bloat of busy work, HR management tasks and general fannying about in games hadn't taken hold.

 

I've started to poke about the Steam store which is something I've never really used before, so finding some treasures there too.

 

On top of playing the odd game I've got this general fiddling habit with it messing around in desktop mode and adding bits and bobs to it.

[Siri]

4 minutes ago, Gotters said:

This thing has totally changed my gaming habits in the space of a fortnite

 

Quote

fortnite

 

[bradigor]

Don't cha think

[Opinionated Ham Scarecrow]

It gets me out of my nerd cave a bit more cos I play in bed instead with headphones on whilst the wife watches shite.

[AlexM]

5 hours ago, Gotters said:

This thing has totally changed my gaming habits in the space of a fortnight, so much so I'm quite taken aback at how good it is.

 

For starters I've sold my PS5 and don't feel any need/desire to turn on my X series or Switch, which unfortunately means Mario v Rabbids may be the first game to lose out there, or at least I'll wait for a sale.

 

My other half thinks I've become a 12y old boy attached to his xmas present as wherever I'm sat I've got the deck next to me.

 

It's reignited my interest in actually playing games, mostly old ones, and made me realise how that PS2/Gamecube was the sweet spot to my tastes in gaming, things looked good enough and had nice enough control systems and the bloat of busy work, HR management tasks and general fannying about in games hadn't taken hold.

 

I've started to poke about the Steam store which is something I've never really used before, so finding some treasures there too.

 

On top of playing the odd game I've got this general fiddling habit with it messing around in desktop mode and adding bits and bobs to it.

 

I haven't used any of the consoles since receiving my Deck, despite having purchased an LG C1 recently - convenience is king!

 

The Deck has inspired me to setup an old gaming PC with Linux and I've been experimenting with software/games on there too, much more convenient than plugging in the Deck each time to try it out. It's really helping my understanding of Linux overall, and I'm finding it much easier than the last time I tried to run Linux on a desktop.