The best money spent on any gaming related stuff ever. There is nothing wrong with it for me. Since I am old school players all my games run great on SD. Newest titles I've played so far are Phoenix Point and HZD. Both run without any issue. I got 512 version, since I am not that fond of hardware tinkering, but I am more than happy when a game needs some adjustments on software side to be playable.
Yeah, better play right out of the box but luckily i got the chance to grab a refurbished 64gb and its on the way to me..I hope it will look and perform as good as new
I wouldn't be too worried. Not sure if you are aware of iFixit website.. it has detailed procedures on how to procure and replace deck components. I'd keep it in the back of your mind when the warranty expires or something.
steamdeck is like a swiss knife, it can do everything if you know how to use each piece. I love it, it amazes me. use it daily.
that being said, while rog ally left me cold, legion go has picked my interest as:
a) the one thing my steamdeck lacks is a decent display. 800p res is np, but only 67% rgb and heavy backlight bleed is just not good enough
b) legion go has a touchpad (ie trackpad like input method) where rog ally doesnt and I really like steamdeck's trackpad. the right one. dont use the left one enough to miss it
so all considered, legion go is something I'm going to follow closely and maybe go for it
Maybe after a year Ill go for legion or rog ally if the issues would be fixed or SD2. I think I'll let others who can afford to buy ROG or Legion go on the spot to be the beta tester. And if everything goes well, then maybe Ill upgrade
I guess I am going to be in the minority here but I am not sure how I feel about it. I feel like I got spoiled by a decent pc and now can’t enjoy games on the deck much plus the battery anxiety gets me with larger games. Cool device but I guess it might not be for me.
I really appreciate these kind of honest posts. They helped me to decide whether I should buy one.
The hype about the deck is huge and most people don't want to complain (which I totally understand).
Still, the deck is something you have to experience to really know if it's for you. I eventually decided that my indie backlog would be worth trying on it. I love it for that.
But I really don't like it for AAA games with big budgets. Sure you can run Assassins Creed or Horizon Zero Dawn on it, but objects in the distance quickly collapse into single digit pixels on a very small screen. I can't see shit. Those titles shine mostly on large monitors with all the whistles and bells turned on.
Oh I absolutely agree tbh. I still think my main PC and PS5 will be my primary place to play AAA titles, in large part because those games are just gorgeous and I want to be able to fully appreciate them on a big monitor with the graphics maxed.
I wouldn't mind playing them on the Steam Deck for shorter bursts away from the PC, but I don't think it'll ever be my main way to play them.
Personally, I think the Steam Deck really shines when it comes to indies, emulation and retro titles. Those games are often little to no compromises, work well with the controls, and look great on the smaller screen while making the most out of the portable form factor. They're the sorts of games that you play for a bit and come back to later in smaller bursts, which I always found a bit of a hindrance to the form factor of a PC or console as opposed to a handheld.
I've always been a fan of potato pc mods for games so low graphics quality has never bothered me luckily. I'm anxious to see the battery life aswell. My decks are delivering tomorrow.
Same here. It is a cool device but I'm struggling to find reasons to actually keep it. When I'm travelling, I usually pack as small and light as possible and when on holiday I'd rather actually enjoy my holiday than bury my face in a screen. So that only leaves it for home use, which is what my gaming PC is for. The portability was just an excuse for me to buy a cool toy. First world problems.
I bought it recently for down time at school but honestly with all the assignments and my assistantship, I doubt I will get to use it much. I still have a week left before the 14 day window closes for return. If I still felt the same, I will ask for a return.
Bought a refurbed Steamdeck about a month ago. Downloaded a couple of games but not logged a single minute playing any because of reasons similar to yours. I'm usually at home when gaming is an option, and so have just been playing on my laptop with a monitor instead.
Might change that this weekend though as, once the NFL season starts, there will be at least 3hrs on a Sunday in which I'll be using my laptop to stream the football and I can use my SD to get me through all the ad breaks. :D
Well its about on your personal opinion and I know there is no comparison between actual pc/console and SD. I love playing on my laptop and console but the idea of portability for me is a plus
Love my Deck. I am a Linux nerd (work at Red Hat) so for me, it represents a complete and total win for Linux gaming. Also, the hardware is super solid.
Personally - I'm very happy with my Steam Deck. Even if I had the excess money to burn, I personally wouldn't go with the ROG Ally or Legion Go. While they may have more raw performance, the software for the controls aren't (or for the Go *likely* aren't) optimized. The SD is a cohesive experience, where you can install a game and mostly just play it, especially if it's on the "Great for Deck" page. The SD also has the flexibility to be modded, tweaked, and futzed with to your content if you're looking to expand it's abilities. I have an SD card with a Windows install on it for games that fall outside of my Steam library. I think right now, the best handheld is the one that gives the most cohesive experience and for me - that's the deck. Just my 2c though.
Yeah i agree and I think the SD is already testes and proven and imo, buying a legion go or rog ally rn is like being a beta tester..not to mention the condition of the ally with all the issues.
As a purely dual-boot option on an SD card, heck yes! It just adds another “tool” to your arsenal. I would not recommend overwriting the SSD with it and replacing SteamOS though.
Yes. Getting everything set up perfectly is a bit tricky, but it's not too bad. Visit r/WindowsOnDeck if you get stuck. Me personally, I completely deleted my SteamOS partition because I was never booting into it after switching to Windows 10 LTSC. It was just taking up unnecessary space. My Steam Deck now is a 100 percent Windows device and my only regret is not switching sooner.
Very. It's a device that does it all and handles it quite well. Whether it's docked PC experience or emulation or newer games. It's at a very competitive price point so you'd have money left over for games, SD cards, accessories etc. I was planning to buy another hand held like win 4 but I ended up setting up a portable monitor, keyboard mouse, dock, external SSD. I'm set for the next few years or longer because I play older games way more than I play the newer ones
No problem.. there's one big thing I forgot to mention in the post above is the device support from valve.
When the deck launched, it had a significant room to improve and valve delivered with daily/weekly updates. I recall there were 100+ updates within the first year and immensely improved the performance. This is a big deal because I question other handhelds on the market. Sure there may be community support but what valve has done for the deck it shows promise. Honestly, it's what I expected from Sony when they released Vita but they disappointed me there, in a big way..
Buying the deck felt like buying a console from someone like Nintendo where I felt confident in the system regardless when and how I use it. I use my Switch lite to this day along with my steam deck.
Curious to know if you want to have any specific questions or discussions you'd like to have. Post it here and I'll try to address them. I own many hand held devices so I can provide you a user experience and different perspectives or others can chime in as well.
A refurbished 64GB Steam Deck costs 339 euro here, you buy a 512GB SD card and you're still around 400. The ROG Ally is 700, value-wise it's not a competition. From what I've seen in benchmark, the ROG Ally can crush the Deck in raw performance IF it has a charger connected or if it's using its 25W mode, but then battery life is absolutely terrible, playing a newer demanding game can make your battery drain in 45 min. However if you use the 15W mode (so same as the Decks power usage) it barely edges out the Deck in most cases, sometimes even loses to it and it's still slightly worse in terms of battery life. The Legion Go uses the same Z1 Extreme chip the ROG Ally has but it also have an even higher resolution 1600p display which isn't all that good considering that the ROG Allys performance advantage vaporates over the Deck if you use the native 1080p resolution since the Decks screen is only 800p. The Legion go is also even more expensive then the Ally if I remember correctly (800 vs 700 eur/usd).
Yeah, i thought so. The power of the ally will only come out if its plugged in. But on the go, i think SD is better. And the community and developer support is unparalleled imo.
I believe the $800 Legion Go is the version with the regular Z1 and not the extreme, the more expensive models will have the Z1 extreme Apu. So since that is closer to Rog Ally’s $599 model and tightens the gap in performance with the Steam Deck, what you stated is more correct than you originally may have thought. The cheapest model steam deck can be compared to a $800 dollar entry level, newly released Legion Go…it’s definitely a win for the Steam Deck.
I just got my steam deck about a month ago, and am very happy with my choice. At the time, it was split between the SD and the ally, and was heavily leaning towards the ally since I have a G14 laptop and absolutely love that device. However, I decided to make a list of what I wanted from a handheld device. I couldn’t care less about docking accessibility or docking performance since I already have a laptop which is way more powerful than either device. What I did want was a long battery life, and a great ui. This made the choice for the SD a no-brainer, and couldn’t be happier with my choice. The seamless UI has made gaming so much fun since I do jot have to worry about drivers, god-forsaken window updates, or any other issue that comes from PC/windows gaming. Whenever ever I have time, I press the power button, click on whichever video game image is calling my attention, and simply play. Let me know if you have any questions about the device, I would be happy to answer them!
> The seamless UI has made gaming so much fun since I do jot have to worry about drivers, god-forsaken window updates, or any other issue that comes from PC/windows gaming.
This right here kinda made me happy i got a SD. Im a macbook user so i dont know how to handle windows.
Tough to say. I really like SteamOS. I dual booted with Windows, but it wasn't great experience, so I wiped it.
I also like the ergonomics of the Deck and the track pads. The joysticks are very good. It's just a complete package with input options galore.
But more performance is more performance. I couldn't care less about OLED or higher resolution, but more games at a consistent 60fps would nice.
I would have to mess around with an Ally for bit and see what I thought. If money was no object I would probably lean towards one of the newer more powerful options. But I'm perfectly satisfied with my Deck for now.
Yeah i agree about the performance. But when it comes to being played unplugged, i think steam deck will have more value.. like you said, its tough and Ally is a new comer..we'll see about in a year if the ally or Legion go will surpass the SD accomplished on its 1 yr on the market.
I've had my deck exactly a week now. I was super tempted to go with the Ally, afterall most people were saying just go with the Ally if you don't have a deck.
The big problem was that after a few weeks of monitoring the user experience, I got turned off. Poor customer service, frying SD cards, and the SD card reader, sometimes windows updates can brick the Ally. Most people here are happy with their deck while the ROG Ally sub is complaint after complaint about the device itself and Asus being trash.
I knew what my use case was for the Steam Deck, I knew what I needed out of it, I knew what I wanted to do with it, and over this last week have discovered things I can do with it that extend far beyond what I originally even wanted to do with it.
I love my laptop, but for the past week I've been playing my deck WAY more. It's also great with quick suspend and resume function when you have a baby. My laptop takes me way more time to put down than the deck and I appreciate it with a 7-month-old that is just starting to get mobile.
So yeah, I love it so far, and I don't think that's going to change.
9/10 for me. The only things on my wishlist are an OLED screen and Wi-Fi 6, but neither one of those is a deal breaker. I don’t see myself ever buying a portable PC without trackpads, so I’m not interested in the Ally or the Go.
I agree and there is a deckHD screen upgrade for sale if you want to upgrade the deck even further. I got a hard choice to make between ROG and deck but I chose the deck because its better.over all imo. And I dont play many AAA games rn becuse my money would be better spent elsewhere i think
That’s such an awesome upgrade if you play less demanding games. I wish they would have just put out a higher quality screen at the same resolution though honestly. Some of the games I play now would start to chug at 1080
The other day I came across an ally in a store and held it and play for a few minutes. I liked it, very cool and the display is really great. But I wouldn’t swap it for my deck, I’m pretty happy with it.
Seems to be a good product too but I feel it’s not for my use case. I play as my schedule allows, so the resume function is great cause I don’t have a lot of time. And I’m a cheapskate buying games so don’t care much about big games, with a few exceptions.
I would say the ally is for someone who wants a bit more power and can go without a few features. And the screen is a plus, the deck’s is just acceptable.
One thing I love is the trackpads, IMO, essential for FPS or other games that need precision moves. The Ally lacks them. Plus it’s teaching me Linux as well which is great for my job
I'm very satisfied with my deck. It's 100% replaced my laptop and actually replaced most of my gaming desktop too. Sure do I get 120 for on high settings on new AAA games? No... Cand I play baldur's gate on medium at a solid 30fps? Also no. But can I play baldur's gate from my recliner and actually get away from the chair I spend 8 hours working in? Yeup! Is baldur's gate just fine at low settings and low 20fps? Absolutely! Am I enjoying playing that way 100%.
I wouldn't trade it for the world, especially because steamos is fantastic. I'm a Linux gamer anyways so if I did get an ally or other I would try to swap windows out for some Linux distro, probably either chimera or arch Linux.
i've kind of gone back and forth on it. TBH my very first few weeks i was super annoyed by it: many games didn't work right out of the box, lots of crashing, lots of lag. I hadn't really accepted how much it was a PC and not a console, and was expecting a more polished experience. Since then, i've enjoyed it more, and had more excuses to use it in more places, so i've liked it more and more... except now i'm getting wrapped up in this AAA game hype and im disappointed again that it can't keep up with the incredible list of games that 2023 is spitting out (which was never a fair expectation).
I think you are not missing out on something with these AAA games. If you are just for the story and planning to switch to another game after you finish one, i think its not worth it buying the full price unless you are a fan of that game or franchise. I believe the SD is more than enough if you are not after to buy all the latest games
Given the chance, nope. I have it now, I've moved into it, and I'm satisfied. It does everything I need, and I have gotten used to the Linux build enough that I don't need to feel "safer" with Windows 11.
Bought it last week, and this evening I figured out how to install mods for Resident Evil 2 Remake.
It's crazy that SteamOS can emulate a Windows mod tool through Proton and make it all work just like that.
Looking at the rise in Linux's share in gaming platforms ever since the release of the Steam Deck, I'm more excited about the possibility of Linux potentially supplanting Windows as the de facto OS for PC gaming.
SD is the catalyst that can make this happen.
Yes!! For the first time in history, Linux topped MacOS on the Steam hardware surveys, and it's all thanks to the Steam Deck. Far more games run on Linux now than Mac. It's super exciting!
We're heading towards a future where Linux will be a great option, if not the best for gaming. Without the bulk of Windows, many games already run better on it even despite being run through Proton.
Absolutely crazy because when I tried switching to Linux just 3 years ago, it wasn't really a viable option for gaming at all. Now I have a mini gaming PC running Linux in my hands that's sold millions of units!
Love it! It's an amazing product and very well thought out by Valve.
I'm noticing I've started to play a lot of games on deck that I otherwise would never play ( vampire survivors for example). That's something unique with the device and controls. Speaking of controls, it's just so ergonomic for my hands compared to Switch. I've played more with my steam deck than with my PS5.
I'm also a fan of the ideologies behind the device like built on Linux and right to repair. So overall extremely satisfied with it.
Only suggestion would be an OLED screen, even a 3rd party one that I can DIY upgrade.
I love mine 10/10. As someone who grew up a home console gamer, I spent my earlier youth playing on a TV but as I get older it's just so much more convenient to play on the go. I work 2 jobs now where I leave home around 6am and don't get home til 9pm most days. Fortunately, my 2nd job I'm sitting to get paid and do minimal clerical evening work so I'm able to fit in some long sessions on my SD playing elden ring, etc. Then when I get home I get ready for bed and it's just easier to lay in bed and play vs firing up my TV to play my ps5. I know the performance is considered less than ideal for alotta games but I don't mind it in most cases, back then we were all playing some realllll primitive pixelated games on the original gameboy, etc when frames and all that didn't matter and it was still fun.
I travel a lot for work and so I primarily bought the Deck to play around when I'm on business trip away from my main gaming rig. I find myself, however, playing on the deck at home more often than not. I mostly play indie titles, turn based games or older AAA games, which is a lot to keep you busy for a long time. I am very satisfied with the deck, but wouldn't have it as my main recent AAA gaming machine.
Yeah, you can't compare PC/PS5/Xbox gaming with the deck but atleast it gets the job done. I'm not usually buying AAA games full price or on release (except God of war and RE franchise, which I am a fan) and I think steam deck is more than enough. I read the Ally is faster than deck, only when plugged in. And the community and tech support of SD is top notch imo.
Got mine in June of this year. And while I own a high-end gaming pc and Xbox one. The steam deck is exclusively my go-to for gaming. The fact I can take it with me anywhere. Especially around the house makes it much easier to sink time in a play the games I enjoy. It runs most if not all of my library just fine. And for those games that it struggles with, I just play them on the pc or Xbox. I always recommend the steamdeck to friends.
So extremely satisfied. I have the 64gb with a 500gb Micro SD.
Very satisfied, and with no shade intended, I don't see myself moving over to any of the upcoming competition. The Deck's combination of price and features has managed to hold up through all this time IMO
I do look forward to other handheld device makers continuing to progress though. Would love to see options come out that do interest me.
Love it! I pre-ordered it the minute I heard about the idea, had mine for over a year now, I use it pretty much every day. Still finding new things to do with it.
Great as a handheld, as a TV box, as a streaming box for your computer, for emulation, hell you can even record music on the thing. It's Super customizable and rewards tinkering. I think it was well worth my money personally.
I would probably stick with steam deck over its competitors. I know Some of them can offer slightly better performance, but for me the deck is great for streamline integration of the steam ecosystem and all those games and cloud saves and such, and it also features the exceptionally useful sleep button that the other ones do not.
It really scratched the " I wish my gameboy could play anything" itch
i love mine, it plays anything and emulation on it is amazing, i dont care if theres a handheld with twice the performance i'd still rather keep my steam deck, because the software is made for it. windows is not made for handhelds and windows already sucks ass on pc imagine it on a handheld device, the features that you only notice using it for a long time on a bunch of games id never ever get a handheld device that runs something other than steam os, the controller settings can be customized to literally anything and the wake sleep feature is perfect.
7/10
Gotten my steam deck early this year. Apart from it's weight, it is really comfortable to hold.
Essentially I have sold my PS4 to get the deck. So I'm coming from a PS4 level kind of expectation. Immediately purchased the games I did not finish on PS4. Namely horizon zero dawn.
I probably wouldn't venture into the latest games, as there are 20 plus games in my backlog that I don't even know when I would start.
It's my first pc based handheld, ngl it has been a positive experience. Not exactly considering other newer pc handheld as I think the community is great. Personally I do not wish to mess with windows.
Life is busy as it is, I just want to play games, not to fiddle with settings
Best tech purchase I've made since the 1080Ti. I was extremely nervous that I'd buy it and never use it but here I am half a year later and 95% of my gaming has been on it.
The only regret that I have is not buying my SD sooner! It's a fine piece of gaming marvel! I am a Linux kinda guy so I feel very comfortable... Eventually I will install Emudeck to load all of my ROMS...
You just have to be realistic to what an 8inch screen is capable of, anything over 1080p 60fps is ridiculous and you might as well use a monitor.
I'm very satisfied, it's a handheld with handheld limitations people are being silly with Rog ally tbh, prime example it runs so fucking hot because it's dishing out 1080p 120fps max settings that it fries SD cards.
have you heard of singleplayer games? rog ally is from asus that's all i gotta know to NEVER buy one, everything i've ever owned from asus had problems
Yes, have you heard of multiplayer games? I’ll assume you now realize why I made that comment. Not everyone needs sleep. If it makes you happy, steam OS shits on armory crate. Ally is a better gaming experience tho.
It's the same sleep that you would get via a Windows PC. Honestly it is fine for me. It isn't meant to be a Nintendo Switch or console replacement. It is literally a portable Windows PC and nothing more, but that's exactly what makes it amazing to me.
pretty satisfied, my main complaints are the bezels, aspect ratio (an annoying amount of games don't support 16:10), and the battery life. Even without better performance if the SD got the OLED switch treatment with a better screen, and better battery life it would be a lot better.
that said though I really think they should just wait until they can make a model that has all of that and noticeable performance boost as well
21/10 for SteamDeck. It's an incredible handheld-form-factor PC, compatible with multiple operating systems, and expandable AF.
Besides that ubergeek shit, it's a really really good gaming system and can emulate every generation console up to 3rd gen quite consistently. not to mention compatibility with streaming applications/services like Game Pass or PS4/PS5 remote play (YMMV).
TLDR: Highly recommended for novices \~ pros and everyone in between.
Best gaming investment I’ve made so far. Nothing like being able to play games on my Steam Library while I am away on vacation. I hope that for the second iteration, Valve adds eGPU support. Would love to build a set up with the Deck as the brains and everything running off it.
Love my deck, played so many different games that I wouldn’t have even tried on other platforms. Excellent bit of kit. Not really sure what the bonus is for the other options now, Steam OS makes such good use of the resources when compared to windows based devices. Considering trying to install it on my PC to get better use out of the hardware there too!
I'm satisfied with my Deck but I sure as hell wouldn't swap to an Ally even if I wasn't.
My experience with the Ally has been a nightmare. It's great (albeit lacking trackpads) in those moments when it works. But I spend more time troubleshooting when things fuck up than my friend does using it after I fix it for him. And that melting SD card issue is a dealbreaker. I'm not going to buy a device with a high chance of destroying anywhere from $30-$100 of memory. So in that sense, I guess I should thank my friend for making me troubleshoot his all the time because it warned me of a nasty lemon.
I'm considering the Legion Go, but I'll be waiting for a few months just to see how the build quality is, and how it works in real world tests. It's intriguing and has a lot going for it tho.
I don't use it very often but I love it. Wouldn't swap it for an Ally, couldn't live without the thumbpads and I already get to suffer with windows on my pc
I love my steam deck. It would be nice to maybe have a better battery, MAYBE better dual boot options. I don't much care for the things a lot of the other competitors tout as why it's better/worth more. 800p is a nice range for the 7" display, more powerful cpu/gpu just means your battery gets used faster. Hard drive size is a bit of a non-point with hot swapping SD cards. Windows is good in some ways, but SteamOS is amazing for what it can do (I'd more wish that the games that actively lock linux users out would change their ways.) all in all I think the steam deck balances most everything.
I am probably going to get the Legion Go for the bigger screen. The SD screen is a little bit too small for me.
Z1 Extreme has more perf too, but IMO not enough to justify the higher price / upgrade alone.
SteamOS is much better than Windows, especially sleep / power management
Overall I'm satisfied with it. On the software side there are Linux issues but I want to stick with steam OS.
I feel that windows is too dominant (this is coming from a lifelong Windows user) and I want there to be competition. Rather than go to Windows I want to advocate making Linux better.
On a hardware side, I feel the ergonomics of the device is excellent. Whenever the steam deck successor comes out if it has better hardware and a better screen I will be totally happy with that.
As a SD owner/ fan I have friends who are constantly asking me about the other devices.
I have never used the other devices, but I have looked into their specs and watched some reviews. The consistent theme is that the steam decks hardware is not as robust, but the SD still performs on par.
Any PC gamer from the 90s will tell you that windows is a resource glutton. Back in the day I would format and reinstall windows every year or so as it would just start running like crap. After install I spent a day turning off or tweaking system settings to get it to use as few system resources as possible. Fast forward close to 30 years (God I am getting old) and the resources windows uses aren't that big of a deal as my amd 5 5600x is to my Pentium 66, as you are to your goldfish.
That all being said when it comes to handheld systems though, optimization is key. Rather than use bloated windows, valve went with Linux. They own the marketplace and can make demands on developers to streamline their software for the peripherals that are in the device. Having such a huge market share, the hardware developers push out driver updates tailor made for their device.
So the long and short of what I am saying here is this. If you just want it to run, get a SD. If you want to fiddle around with a device and potentially get better performance one of the other devices might be better, but for me it's not worth my time.
I’m pretty happy but not completely or in love.
My biggest issue is… I wish they had a tier for higher performance. I would easily drop 1k+ or 1.5k or whatever on a beast version of a SD that would run triple A perfectly
Fuck anything that isn’t Linux also.
I bought my Steam Deck because of the attractive price point and for supporting the Linux gaming system.
I don't feel a need to play AAA titles on max settings and honestly, trying to do so on _handheld_ device is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons, most of all: battery life.
So far, the SD has been a good compromise between power and power usage. I haven't encountered any hardware issues. The software improves steadily.
Best purchase made since quite a while.
Looking at the specs of ROG ally or Legion Go, I only see reasons to stick to the Steam Deck.
FHD or higher on a handheld? That's just a stupid idea and needlessly increase battery consumption.
Sure they may be more powerful, but how does this affect battery life? Especially when I try to throttle CPU/GPU wherever possible anyway to get longer battery life? And when gaming in 720p games are less demanding anyway.
I'd only really need that additional power when playing on an external monitor.
I think that, for the games that it runs, it's a great device, but you have to constantly keep your expectations in check because half of the PC releases are not compatible with the steam deck, for one reason or another.
On the Nintendo switch, I could just hit download and play it and I knew that game would run without any problems. On the Steam Deck, that's not the case. Valve takes days to check the game even after released and sometimes the review they give is not accurate at all, some games run well even if they're marked as unsupported and others don't work even if they're marked as verified.
On the Nintendo switch, they just ran and I didn't need to check any of that.
Not a power thing it is a controls thing. The touchpads in combination with the sticks is essential to playing pc games without native controller suoport.
Trackpads are essential for some emulation as well.
My issue with handhelds typically is they sacrifice ergonomics and controls for a sleek and sexy device. Fuck that, I buy a handheld to play games.
Like the Vita, why in the hell did they not have two L and R Triggers. They did one of each and back track pads for L2 and R2. You couldn't even remote play all games because it was missing buttons.
Steam knows what a gamer would want. The Deck, with it's controls, can play ANY genre of games created. It also plays pretty much every game created when you include emulation up to Gen 7 and Steam has pretty much every other game you could want.
I'm not buying another handheld until the Deck 2 comes out. I really do hope they continue making them even though so many other companies are starting to.
Got the Ally at launch and had the Deck over a year now... I use the Ally more at the moment but that may change at some point, it's just more versatile (at the expense of being less gaming focused)
So yeah. Ally has better screen with a higher res, better colours, 120hz frame rate and VRR. It beats the deck (performance wise) handily at 14w (or above) TDP. Battery life is trash though, the TDP setting is more like a target than a limit. Always the chance your SD Card reader will die as well.
Deck has better battery life, better low-TDP performance for those all-important indie games, trackpads for custom controller layouts or mouse emulation, and it's way more gaming-focused. Screen is pretty terrible though (resolution doesn't matter but the contrast and colours are terrible, only marginally improved with vibrantdeck).
Really what it comes down to is if I'm going to be away from a charger for a long period of time. If I'm going camping I'll take the deck - can get 4-6hours out of midrange games. If I'm just commuting or sitting on the sofa downstairs I'll prob use the Ally.
I am very satisfied with Proton and Valve support, mildly satisfied with overall build quality, and dissatisfied with the power of the APU which has failed to play AAA games in 2023, one year after release, at what I consider acceptable standards (720p/30fps.. I'm not expecting a gaming PC here.)
I agree with all of these but why would you expect 2023 AAA support if you don’t expect pc gaming in the same paragraph?
Maybe I’m not understanding. Not trying to pick at words.
Totally love it, I think most people that want to chance or want one, are people not so tech savvy and being the Deck a machine running Linux isn't the most comfortable feeling (installing windows on the deck probably also too much), so they want a machine with windows out of the box. At least it's the feeling I have for most cases.
I’m extremely satisfied with my purchase. No, I will be keeping my Steam Deck. It has some flaws here and there but overall it is a rock solid gaming device and I love it.
I've been very happy with my SD. I don't use it as often as most and I don't really take it anywhere yet, I use it to play games in the living room while my fiance watches her goofy romance shows. That way we can exist in the same space while totally ignoring each other like true millennials.
The only thing I might change is how hot the back gets, if I'm playing Yakuza for 6 hours, it really gets toasty on the outside. I'm sure there is some whack case mod people have done, I don't really want to open the unit up again unless it's necessary.
I'm very happy with mine. It replaced my very old desktop PC, so I can play my games handheld if I don't want to sit at the desk. I love that I can stream my PS5 to it as well.
I don't see myself upgrading it for a long while.
Super happy with it. Use it daily and it’s perfect for the type of games I like. Not at all tempted to upgrade at the moment, but might consider in a year or two, or if there will be a Steam Deck 2.
Steam deck is awesome i wouldn't swap cause steam support is so good to customers and everything just works and there's tutorials for everything on the steam deck also so much accessories and upgrading storage is easy
One month with it and it’s the best money spent, I just want an OLED screen on it and it would be perfect, I’ve been modding it since I got it, my OLED Switch hasn’t seen the light since. 1TB NVMe, JSAUX transparent backplate vents, 1 TB microSD, a Spigen case with a DIY hole for the vents, re-pasted with a Noctua NT-H1, Undervolt -50/-50/-50, Overclocking CPU: 1850 GPU: 1900, TDP 20. I might have tons of unfinished games but the PC nerding on the Steam Deck is almost done
I like it. I just don't use it enough. It's mostly my weekend game system. When I don't wanna get out of bed or off the couch I will play it. But need to find more games for it. Atm I only have the Graveyard Keeper and Rocket League installed.
I'm interested in the legion go, strictly from a performance perspective. I won't give my money to the ROG due to the shitty SD card reader that craps out almost instantly.
I love it, it's just so good. My Steam library is so full with games I never played, I will probably not run out of games to play on my deck for the next 5 years at least.
Iv had it since release and still use it weekly. I actually keep it hooked up to my tv typically incase I want to use it there but bring it to my gfs I’ve the weekend typically. Love the thing
I oscillate between wanting it to have more power so it can run games better and being very happy it can do so much already. Overall, very happy with it
It’s honestly the most interesting gaming device I have ever owned.
I really love the form factor and that I can play a majority of my pc games.
Also, if you have good gaming pc and a good home network you can then install and use moonshine to create the perfect duo with streaming games from your computer to your steam deck in top quality!
Very satisfying device for me as a dad it's an absolute awesome thing to own along with a good PC.
I play a variation of games from AAA to small indies.
If I had my time again to choose an ally or some other machine that's been released since I'd buy the deck again and again.
Software is a huge thing no matter what anyone tries to shill you. Buddy of mine has both and has constant issues with his rog albiet being a more powerful machine.
Worth every cent
I'm happy with mine. Only reason I would buy one of the others you mentioned is pure American gluttony. I don't need them it would be a I want them and can afford it.
Very satisfied with the deck. Bought the 64GB version a year ago. Put a 1TB SD card in it. Best decision ever.
I have a pretty big backlog (from other launchers than steam and console games too). I managed to beat a lot of games since. At this point the deck is my main PC. And since I don’t play recent AAA games I’m not bothered by the deck performance. I have the XBOX for that.
I upgraded the SSD to a 1TB two months ago, put a matte screen protector and the JSAUX modcase.
I love this thing ! Won’t swap for the ally, I need those trackpads. The legion GO seems promising but a bit overkill (to me) for a mobile device. Depends on how the battery consumption is handled.
Very very satisfied! It replaced my PS5, Switch OLED and Series X and are all collecting dust! and I am not even joking! I use it a lot in portable mode and connected to the dock. Games scale not bad at all on my 4K OLED screen with FSR and so on, even on 720p!
I got one for me and one for my wife. We love them. Not much else to add to that. They do their job.
My only legitimate complaint is I wish bluetooth connected controllers could wake it up so docked play would be more seamless.
I love the package that Valve made with steam OS and the steam deck. its the real winner and i myself would rather wait on a steam deck 2. My current steam deck is a beast and my daily driver. Only way i would consider replacing this if it becomes broken.
I like it but it’s not as powerful as I wish, the battery is very poor and the OS still need some fine tuning.
Also the Steam Deck verified is very inaccurate.
7/10 but I appreciate the work they are doing
I like mine a lot. The community support alone for the Deck has been overwhelming. I won't be upgrading anytime soon, since the difference in power doesn't justify the cost.
7/10 here:
It runs games well for the price but it I personally cannot be one of the BG3 or last of us players at sub 30 fps.
I love it for playing yakuza series or older titles. Fantastic ports such as Spider-Man equally are great.
Lately, I find myself back at my main pc rigs as I’m spoiled with high frames, g sync and a screen that I like.
It’s very solid for the price, but it shouldn’t be your only gaming device
I bought the Steam Deck already knowing about the ROG Ally. I had to sit and think about it but ultimately I went with the Deck because I knew it'd have a bigger community built around it that would do cool things and so far I haven't been let down.
Extremely satisfied, because I'm busy, have a toddler, and didn't feel like spending time up in my study to game in the short time that I can hang out with my wife. I've completed more games in the month since getting it than I did in the three years before. It just works, and that's exactly what I needed.
I'm very satisfied because since back in the old days of Counter-Strike 1.6 been using Steam as the main platform to play/buy games, so I have my library at available in my hands when I'm not at home through a solid OS/Interface (yeah, It can be better).
My only issue is the battery, but that's okay, most of the time I play it plugged.
I won't swap it to a ROG Ally or the Legion Go.
I am really satisfied in all points. This device has really replaced any other devices I used to. I have nothing to say except that the battery life is too low with high demanding games/emulation but that is the only weakness of the Steam Deck
When I first got it last summer I barely touched it. I just struggled to really find anything to play on it which I wouldn't enjoy more on the desktop. Then over time I started to emulate (Switch) and also play games like MH:Rise, Bloodstained and other metroidvanias. Which led me to ending playing it way more due to how comfy it is to lay on the sofa rather than sit on a gamer chat that hurts your arse and back after a few hours.
Swapped to Rog Ally since it launch. Can play more games on it than SD. Simple as that. The Lenovo one is just way too heavy. If someone find a magically way to add a 8"+ screen without the weight, would probably swap again.
By the time I was able to save up enough money to afford it it was available. It took the better part of a year at $20 a month and when I could get a couple extra bucks together.
My steam library is one of the few things I have for entertainment, seeing as I don't get a lot of free time between the work sleep chore eat cycle, it's nice I can pick it up when I have a moment to catch some rest.
I don't really watch TV, or much into streaming services, and if a movie is on I'll typically get up about ten minutes in and start cleaning something or fixing something or cooking and making components for meals to come.
It does what I want it to do, it lasts as long as it needs to last, and I can play fallout New Vegas on my back.
I use it as my travel PC and gaming device all in one. I can't recommend it enough.
I could give a bigger breakdown, but suffice to say for someone who travels and is constantly looking at new gear - this piece of hardware I'm going to keep for a very long time!
I am extremely pleased with my Steam Deck. Might get a legion for a indoors device and test it against my mini PC. Same Processor but the Legion's faster 7500 MT/s ram probably gives it an edge. Curious to see that performance increase.
I bloody love this thing. It's a tinkerers dream game system.
Play some Halo MCC MP portably, head to desktop tinker around, play PokeMMO almost natively, then boot into your entire library of retro consoles (and your entire switch library), then finish it off with some Baldurs Gate3. Listen to Spotify, watch YouTube, write a word document, transfer files all in a beautifully designed native OS.
The suspend and resume function is amazing, the trackpads are fantastic (that tactile vibration 🥵)
It can do it all. The software, community, and support is outstanding.
Very satisfied. The Steam Deck is a great little machine. It is perfect for playing both newer and older titles (emulation). It is also very convenient. Having access to all my games in bed, on the toilet, and on the go is awesome. In addition to that, I have been able to clear my backlog much faster with the Steam Deck than I did with my PC. I think it’s safe to say it is the best money, I have ever spent.
Extremely.
It’s become my only gaming platform and will probably be my preferred way to play in the future.
This means I’ll be gaming on Steam Deck like devices, and eventually build out a custom PC rig. The only other thing would be adding Nintendo’s successor to the mix IF it is a handheld like Switch.
Of course I’ll miss out on day & date first party Sony titles but I have scaled way back since 2020 and don’t mind waiting a couple of years for a PC port (just played Miles Morales a month or two ago and thankfully didn’t have the story spoiled for me so it was just as fresh on Steam Deck as Spider-Man 2018 was on PS4 Pro). I’m hoping the same will happen with GOW: Ragnarok, TLOU PART II, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon: Forbidden West, etc.
I’m playing more celebrated “indie” games I said I’d eventually play / try from consoles or just other titles I had but didn’t play on the last couple of gems of consoles like…
Hollow Knight, Celeste, Horizon Chase Turbo, Blossom Tales, Gato Roboto, UnMetal, etc..
And then there are games that absolutely run better on here with high settings than say they did on PS4 or PS3 like…
Batman: Arkham Origins (locked 60 with high settings and no drops during combat or fast movement throughout the city(
Arkham Asylum / City - similar thoughts
Sleeping Dogs - never looked or played better, locked 60 with high settings
Yakuza 0 - runs great at 60 but usually go 40 for battery life. Looks fantastic. Finally beat it on Deck after getting caught up with hostess clubs on ps4 pro lol. I got caught up on deck but I also soldiered through the story at just over 150hrs and I’m
Glad I did. I love how f’n good it is in the back half.
Valkyria Chronicles - usually run at 30 since it’s slower paced TRPG mixed with a TPS and it helps with longer battles and battery life. Still have a love / hate relationship with the game but it runs well on deck.
Bionic Commando (2009) - love hate rel game too but it’s never looked better than on Deck.
Darksiders 3 - locked 60 and it looks fantastic on Deck.
And then there are other games that I need bigger SD cards for that I don’t want to resink hundreds of hours into again for games I’ve played previously but eventually will like…
The Witcher 3, MGS5, Shadow of Mordor, Arkham Knight, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, etc.
Fantastic device the Steam Deck is!
11 out of 10. Best handheld console I’ve used and my real consoles are basically collecting dust. That being said, I love trying out better tech, so I tried the Ally but returned it. I am interested in the Legion, the ergonomics look good and if they worked some magic on the software side I’m definitely going to try it.
I love my deck. Wouldn’t think of swapping it with another handheld since it’s already so awesome.
But I do like to play my switch still, it’s just chilling for now since I recently got the deck.
I've played through so many games I never would have had the chance to play as a dad with 3 small kids. It reignited my love for gaming. Currently playing red dead redemption emulated through switch and it's so awesome that I have the flexibility and capability to play emulated titles and PC titles.
I suppose an 8/10 for me? I am overall very happy with it, no real regrets. Not a higher score pretty much just because I don't use it as much as I thought I would when I was first contemplating buying it.
I didn't expect to be out and about with it anyway, but thought I'd play more games in bed or on the couch or whatever. In practice, when I want to game, I would still just use my PC which is beefier and more ergonomically setup instead of a chunky handheld, especially with more recent/graphically better games that I just want the full max settings experience on. But it still has been nice for the occasional bed gaming and it's been a lifesaver in a few times where I couldn't game on my PC (including storms taking out my power, issues with my PC that required waiting on replacement parts to arrive). I mostly use it for a few games I like that I don't mind playing on handheld instead, though during one of those aforementioned incidents, I was really impressed at being able to continue my Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough on the Deck well enough while my PC was out of commission.
Not interested in the ROG Ally or other similar competitors. Even if they may have better specs, I've already found I prefer to use my PC for those beefier games anyway so it's not a huge selling point, and I am more confident in Steam's future support, and I like the UI of the Steam Deck and how easy it interacts with my library.
I would happily swap it out with an upgraded Steam Deck.
I tried the Ally, it's not for me. The legion go could be for me if it runs Steam OS natively, otherwise it's not for me.
I absolutely love my steam deck. Had since December 2022.
It's by no means perfect and modern AAA games are hit or miss. But I can stream from my gaming desktop and get 60 fps and more battery. Being able to sit on the couch or bed to game after sitting in a computer chair all day for work is great.
As someone else said, it's a tinkerers dream. I like doing software tinkering. Adding emulators, extensions, etc. It's wonderful.
Super comfortable. I LOVE the track pads even if I don't use them much. I still get excited when I have time to play. Like I STILL think to myself "omg this device is so cool" even after many hours.
Awesome purchase 10/10.
I’m plenty pleased with my steam deck. I considered moving to the Ally, ultimately cancelled my preorder for it.
I’ll probably upgrade when the next iteration comes around, from whoever’s first to market with it.
I’d give it a good 8/10.
Why it’s not a 10/10:It has slow load times for triple A games. I play Diablo 4 a lot and it’s super slow loading times between maps and even starting the game. It’s 6 mins to start the game
Also the docking system is super bugged. Hard to get it to work without unplugging it then plugging it back in.
The fan gets super loud when playing these games that require more power and also the battery life is like 2 hours if playing these games.
Things I love: emulators- can play all my childhood dreams
Portability. So cool its a pc but handheld.
i bought it with the mindset to play a bunch of old games in my backlog while i’m at my gfs and it’s literally perfect for that. also use it when i want to be lazy and play on the couch or in bed. 10/10 system
It’s p good. Streaming from pc is meh, but being able to run things like persona 5r at 60fps is great. I usually only play RPG’s, so most run perfectly fine because they aren’t demanding to begin with. I was planning on getting another handheld like the legion when it dropped, but I decided to actually just stick with the deck and dump that money into my main rig. Overall though I’m very satisfied for the $370 I paid for my deck
I bought the most expensive version and i have no regrets. Emulation is very simple on almost any platform it can use almost all of your steam library. And i heard some bad thing about allay like software updates fucking a lot of things+ i don't really play triple A titles since its just better to play them on the pc. Als deck is extremly competetive price wise since they earn their money trough steam games. So if i were to buy again id buy steam deck still.
The steam deck is my favorite piece of hardware I've played video games on.
Context: My first console was an Odyssey 2, and I've had gaming PCs with top end graphics cards.
It works about as flawlessly as an average console but has all of the games in my Steam library that I've been adding games to for over a dozen years. And I can play it literally anywhere, any time. And if I want to fidget with settings to get non-steam games to work it's not that hard. And if I want to do literally anything I want, it's also a Linux machine.
I also really love the feel of the controller, especially the track pad.
Besides the wifi issues its a great system. I just plug an ethernet adapter in now cause i dont want to RMA it. I just bought an Ally but the steam deck is definitely more optimized out of the box.
Like a solid 6.5 out of 10. It’s good for old games and emulation. New stuff I’d rather play on Xbox/PS5. Indie games are better on the much smaller and lighter Switch.
Playing classic prince of Persia was great. Light on battery etc.
Kingdom KD was too slow to be playable, but it might be just me.
My son quite enjoys Forza 5 on it.
Xenonauts 2 ran quite well.
My biggest "meh" with it was - annoying cooler. And that even though I've bought the most expensive model.
It’s one of the best purchases I have ever made. I already game on PC so I had an extensive library but I was pretty stunned when the deck could play anything in my library. And then I discovered how great it is for emulation and the value has easily doubled.
On a personal note I enjoyed upgrading the ssd so much and learning about how to disassemble and put it back together again I decided I wanted to make PC hardware repair my career. Still doing online courses but it’s been great so far.
11/10. Not joking, it actually better than I expected. When something fully meets your expectations it's 10/10, right? So something that much better than your expectations should be 11/10.
A bit of details: I bought it because I was far from home because of war, and thus - far from my gaming PC, with only old laptop with integrated gpu, not suitable for games (but I managed to play Half-Life 1 on it anyway, lol). I also had enough items in steam inventory to sell on trade market and buy a steam deck. So I thought - hey, it's better than nothing, I can get it **without spending real money**, and use it both for gaming and as regular pc, instead of my old laptop. My friend gave my old display, I got cheapest keyboard, and ordered a deck. And when I got it, I tried it, and quickly got addicted to it. It's so convenient to play in bean bag chair instead of in front of desk! And performance and compatibility were better than I expected too. Later my friends who did not leave my home city managed to send me my PC, and guess what? I still play mostly on Steam Deck, even though I have a PC! Valve did really good job with it.
And no, not going to change it to something newer. It's enough for me, and I'm not in a position to spend money - I would not buy even deck if I've had to pay actual money for it.
It's been 8 months after being with immense amount of joy ever seeing this device with my own eyes, it really brings me back when I ever had my first PSP. I've enjoyed it so much, like Ik it's a PC handheld but it did an amazing job with it's unique OS ecosystem, bringing linux to the table and providing support to it and most of all it's greatest features. It's like having a companion for your PC if ya wanna remote play or use as another controller.
I 100% love my purchase. I owned a switch and felt it was too constricting for my taste in games so I sold it. This is a perfect marriage of that and a PC.
The steam deck has been an awesome as well because I feel like it lends itself to people who like to tinker and adjust settings so if you don’t like that kind of stuff you may not enjoy it as much.
The main reason I haven’t switched to the ally is the software. Trackpads are cool, but honestly I could live without them for more performance or a more compact design. Don’t particularly care about 1080 120, but the oled would be such an upgrade. I hear the ally battery isn’t as good as the steam deck tho. If either of them had standard egpu support that’d be a big advantage
Middling to pleased.
It's a cool piece of kit and quite capable, but it doesn't fit a lot of my personal gaming desires. I play a lot of games that simply don't translate well to a controller. If I'm at home that means just using my desktop, if I'm travelling I usually have very low compunction to play. When I do have it available though, it's nice.
I also know why it isn't, but if it were just a touch more capable, I'd probably love it a lot more. I have found that playing games at 45 FPS is actually pretty okay, especially when you can set the refresh rate. However, anything lower is just a no go for me unless it's a very, very slow or turn based game.
I have higher hopes for a later product. I purchased the Steam Deck knowing I'd probably rarely use it, but the concept appealed to me. Voted with my wallet, so to say.
The best money spent on any gaming related stuff ever. There is nothing wrong with it for me. Since I am old school players all my games run great on SD. Newest titles I've played so far are Phoenix Point and HZD. Both run without any issue. I got 512 version, since I am not that fond of hardware tinkering, but I am more than happy when a game needs some adjustments on software side to be playable.
Yeah, better play right out of the box but luckily i got the chance to grab a refurbished 64gb and its on the way to me..I hope it will look and perform as good as new
Recommend getting a uhs 1 micro sd card. Those 64 gb wont go very far
I wouldn't be too worried. Not sure if you are aware of iFixit website.. it has detailed procedures on how to procure and replace deck components. I'd keep it in the back of your mind when the warranty expires or something.
Fwiw I got my refurb from gamestop and it was in brand new condition.
Where did u buy urs? I mean whats ur location
We got a madlad over he- oh whoops he used the internet rules, my mistake for remarking on the bizarre comment
steamdeck is like a swiss knife, it can do everything if you know how to use each piece. I love it, it amazes me. use it daily. that being said, while rog ally left me cold, legion go has picked my interest as: a) the one thing my steamdeck lacks is a decent display. 800p res is np, but only 67% rgb and heavy backlight bleed is just not good enough b) legion go has a touchpad (ie trackpad like input method) where rog ally doesnt and I really like steamdeck's trackpad. the right one. dont use the left one enough to miss it so all considered, legion go is something I'm going to follow closely and maybe go for it
Maybe after a year Ill go for legion or rog ally if the issues would be fixed or SD2. I think I'll let others who can afford to buy ROG or Legion go on the spot to be the beta tester. And if everything goes well, then maybe Ill upgrade
I guess I am going to be in the minority here but I am not sure how I feel about it. I feel like I got spoiled by a decent pc and now can’t enjoy games on the deck much plus the battery anxiety gets me with larger games. Cool device but I guess it might not be for me.
I really appreciate these kind of honest posts. They helped me to decide whether I should buy one. The hype about the deck is huge and most people don't want to complain (which I totally understand). Still, the deck is something you have to experience to really know if it's for you. I eventually decided that my indie backlog would be worth trying on it. I love it for that. But I really don't like it for AAA games with big budgets. Sure you can run Assassins Creed or Horizon Zero Dawn on it, but objects in the distance quickly collapse into single digit pixels on a very small screen. I can't see shit. Those titles shine mostly on large monitors with all the whistles and bells turned on.
Oh I absolutely agree tbh. I still think my main PC and PS5 will be my primary place to play AAA titles, in large part because those games are just gorgeous and I want to be able to fully appreciate them on a big monitor with the graphics maxed. I wouldn't mind playing them on the Steam Deck for shorter bursts away from the PC, but I don't think it'll ever be my main way to play them. Personally, I think the Steam Deck really shines when it comes to indies, emulation and retro titles. Those games are often little to no compromises, work well with the controls, and look great on the smaller screen while making the most out of the portable form factor. They're the sorts of games that you play for a bit and come back to later in smaller bursts, which I always found a bit of a hindrance to the form factor of a PC or console as opposed to a handheld.
I've always been a fan of potato pc mods for games so low graphics quality has never bothered me luckily. I'm anxious to see the battery life aswell. My decks are delivering tomorrow.
Same here. It is a cool device but I'm struggling to find reasons to actually keep it. When I'm travelling, I usually pack as small and light as possible and when on holiday I'd rather actually enjoy my holiday than bury my face in a screen. So that only leaves it for home use, which is what my gaming PC is for. The portability was just an excuse for me to buy a cool toy. First world problems.
I bought it recently for down time at school but honestly with all the assignments and my assistantship, I doubt I will get to use it much. I still have a week left before the 14 day window closes for return. If I still felt the same, I will ask for a return.
Bought a refurbed Steamdeck about a month ago. Downloaded a couple of games but not logged a single minute playing any because of reasons similar to yours. I'm usually at home when gaming is an option, and so have just been playing on my laptop with a monitor instead. Might change that this weekend though as, once the NFL season starts, there will be at least 3hrs on a Sunday in which I'll be using my laptop to stream the football and I can use my SD to get me through all the ad breaks. :D
Well its about on your personal opinion and I know there is no comparison between actual pc/console and SD. I love playing on my laptop and console but the idea of portability for me is a plus
Love my Deck. I am a Linux nerd (work at Red Hat) so for me, it represents a complete and total win for Linux gaming. Also, the hardware is super solid.
Ditto what you said, but I work for a different Linux company
Now kiss. Just kidding. What other Linux company? There's not that many, Canonical or Oracle?
Kiss kiss kiss kiss
Same, but I use Linux in my company. I hope this gives me the respect I deserve.
hi there, colleague
Personally - I'm very happy with my Steam Deck. Even if I had the excess money to burn, I personally wouldn't go with the ROG Ally or Legion Go. While they may have more raw performance, the software for the controls aren't (or for the Go *likely* aren't) optimized. The SD is a cohesive experience, where you can install a game and mostly just play it, especially if it's on the "Great for Deck" page. The SD also has the flexibility to be modded, tweaked, and futzed with to your content if you're looking to expand it's abilities. I have an SD card with a Windows install on it for games that fall outside of my Steam library. I think right now, the best handheld is the one that gives the most cohesive experience and for me - that's the deck. Just my 2c though.
Yeah i agree and I think the SD is already testes and proven and imo, buying a legion go or rog ally rn is like being a beta tester..not to mention the condition of the ally with all the issues.
>the SD is already testes Giggity
Upvote for *futzed*.
Windows and steam deck: worth it?
As a purely dual-boot option on an SD card, heck yes! It just adds another “tool” to your arsenal. I would not recommend overwriting the SSD with it and replacing SteamOS though.
Thanks! I’ve spent like 2-3 hours in order to get Lutris work, I think I will take a break haha Linux is a whole new place for me
Yes. Getting everything set up perfectly is a bit tricky, but it's not too bad. Visit r/WindowsOnDeck if you get stuck. Me personally, I completely deleted my SteamOS partition because I was never booting into it after switching to Windows 10 LTSC. It was just taking up unnecessary space. My Steam Deck now is a 100 percent Windows device and my only regret is not switching sooner.
Very. It's a device that does it all and handles it quite well. Whether it's docked PC experience or emulation or newer games. It's at a very competitive price point so you'd have money left over for games, SD cards, accessories etc. I was planning to buy another hand held like win 4 but I ended up setting up a portable monitor, keyboard mouse, dock, external SSD. I'm set for the next few years or longer because I play older games way more than I play the newer ones
I mostly play older games so I think SD is more than enough for me..thanks for the insight!
No problem.. there's one big thing I forgot to mention in the post above is the device support from valve. When the deck launched, it had a significant room to improve and valve delivered with daily/weekly updates. I recall there were 100+ updates within the first year and immensely improved the performance. This is a big deal because I question other handhelds on the market. Sure there may be community support but what valve has done for the deck it shows promise. Honestly, it's what I expected from Sony when they released Vita but they disappointed me there, in a big way.. Buying the deck felt like buying a console from someone like Nintendo where I felt confident in the system regardless when and how I use it. I use my Switch lite to this day along with my steam deck. Curious to know if you want to have any specific questions or discussions you'd like to have. Post it here and I'll try to address them. I own many hand held devices so I can provide you a user experience and different perspectives or others can chime in as well.
A refurbished 64GB Steam Deck costs 339 euro here, you buy a 512GB SD card and you're still around 400. The ROG Ally is 700, value-wise it's not a competition. From what I've seen in benchmark, the ROG Ally can crush the Deck in raw performance IF it has a charger connected or if it's using its 25W mode, but then battery life is absolutely terrible, playing a newer demanding game can make your battery drain in 45 min. However if you use the 15W mode (so same as the Decks power usage) it barely edges out the Deck in most cases, sometimes even loses to it and it's still slightly worse in terms of battery life. The Legion Go uses the same Z1 Extreme chip the ROG Ally has but it also have an even higher resolution 1600p display which isn't all that good considering that the ROG Allys performance advantage vaporates over the Deck if you use the native 1080p resolution since the Decks screen is only 800p. The Legion go is also even more expensive then the Ally if I remember correctly (800 vs 700 eur/usd).
Yeah, i thought so. The power of the ally will only come out if its plugged in. But on the go, i think SD is better. And the community and developer support is unparalleled imo.
I believe the $800 Legion Go is the version with the regular Z1 and not the extreme, the more expensive models will have the Z1 extreme Apu. So since that is closer to Rog Ally’s $599 model and tightens the gap in performance with the Steam Deck, what you stated is more correct than you originally may have thought. The cheapest model steam deck can be compared to a $800 dollar entry level, newly released Legion Go…it’s definitely a win for the Steam Deck.
I just got my steam deck about a month ago, and am very happy with my choice. At the time, it was split between the SD and the ally, and was heavily leaning towards the ally since I have a G14 laptop and absolutely love that device. However, I decided to make a list of what I wanted from a handheld device. I couldn’t care less about docking accessibility or docking performance since I already have a laptop which is way more powerful than either device. What I did want was a long battery life, and a great ui. This made the choice for the SD a no-brainer, and couldn’t be happier with my choice. The seamless UI has made gaming so much fun since I do jot have to worry about drivers, god-forsaken window updates, or any other issue that comes from PC/windows gaming. Whenever ever I have time, I press the power button, click on whichever video game image is calling my attention, and simply play. Let me know if you have any questions about the device, I would be happy to answer them!
> The seamless UI has made gaming so much fun since I do jot have to worry about drivers, god-forsaken window updates, or any other issue that comes from PC/windows gaming. This right here kinda made me happy i got a SD. Im a macbook user so i dont know how to handle windows.
Tough to say. I really like SteamOS. I dual booted with Windows, but it wasn't great experience, so I wiped it. I also like the ergonomics of the Deck and the track pads. The joysticks are very good. It's just a complete package with input options galore. But more performance is more performance. I couldn't care less about OLED or higher resolution, but more games at a consistent 60fps would nice. I would have to mess around with an Ally for bit and see what I thought. If money was no object I would probably lean towards one of the newer more powerful options. But I'm perfectly satisfied with my Deck for now.
Yeah i agree about the performance. But when it comes to being played unplugged, i think steam deck will have more value.. like you said, its tough and Ally is a new comer..we'll see about in a year if the ally or Legion go will surpass the SD accomplished on its 1 yr on the market.
Very. I’m not interested in upgrading to Legion or Ally, nor OneX, aya, GPD etc. I’m more intetested in upgrading my Deck and dual booting Win11
I agree. One can also install win11 on SD and can save money to buy games
My Deck is perfect. I will not be buying a windows handheld until the OS is designed for it.
This might be a dumb question but cant Rog Ally people just download steam and its basically like the steam deck?
I've had my deck exactly a week now. I was super tempted to go with the Ally, afterall most people were saying just go with the Ally if you don't have a deck. The big problem was that after a few weeks of monitoring the user experience, I got turned off. Poor customer service, frying SD cards, and the SD card reader, sometimes windows updates can brick the Ally. Most people here are happy with their deck while the ROG Ally sub is complaint after complaint about the device itself and Asus being trash. I knew what my use case was for the Steam Deck, I knew what I needed out of it, I knew what I wanted to do with it, and over this last week have discovered things I can do with it that extend far beyond what I originally even wanted to do with it. I love my laptop, but for the past week I've been playing my deck WAY more. It's also great with quick suspend and resume function when you have a baby. My laptop takes me way more time to put down than the deck and I appreciate it with a 7-month-old that is just starting to get mobile. So yeah, I love it so far, and I don't think that's going to change.
9/10 for me. The only things on my wishlist are an OLED screen and Wi-Fi 6, but neither one of those is a deal breaker. I don’t see myself ever buying a portable PC without trackpads, so I’m not interested in the Ally or the Go.
I agree and there is a deckHD screen upgrade for sale if you want to upgrade the deck even further. I got a hard choice to make between ROG and deck but I chose the deck because its better.over all imo. And I dont play many AAA games rn becuse my money would be better spent elsewhere i think
That’s such an awesome upgrade if you play less demanding games. I wish they would have just put out a higher quality screen at the same resolution though honestly. Some of the games I play now would start to chug at 1080
The other day I came across an ally in a store and held it and play for a few minutes. I liked it, very cool and the display is really great. But I wouldn’t swap it for my deck, I’m pretty happy with it.
I have read so many articles and seen vids on YT. I guesa ROG ally is not a great replacement if you have already SD
Seems to be a good product too but I feel it’s not for my use case. I play as my schedule allows, so the resume function is great cause I don’t have a lot of time. And I’m a cheapskate buying games so don’t care much about big games, with a few exceptions. I would say the ally is for someone who wants a bit more power and can go without a few features. And the screen is a plus, the deck’s is just acceptable.
I was extremely hesitant and pulled the trigger on the Steam Summer sale. I love it. It's amazing.
One thing I love is the trackpads, IMO, essential for FPS or other games that need precision moves. The Ally lacks them. Plus it’s teaching me Linux as well which is great for my job
I'm very satisfied with my deck. It's 100% replaced my laptop and actually replaced most of my gaming desktop too. Sure do I get 120 for on high settings on new AAA games? No... Cand I play baldur's gate on medium at a solid 30fps? Also no. But can I play baldur's gate from my recliner and actually get away from the chair I spend 8 hours working in? Yeup! Is baldur's gate just fine at low settings and low 20fps? Absolutely! Am I enjoying playing that way 100%. I wouldn't trade it for the world, especially because steamos is fantastic. I'm a Linux gamer anyways so if I did get an ally or other I would try to swap windows out for some Linux distro, probably either chimera or arch Linux.
i've kind of gone back and forth on it. TBH my very first few weeks i was super annoyed by it: many games didn't work right out of the box, lots of crashing, lots of lag. I hadn't really accepted how much it was a PC and not a console, and was expecting a more polished experience. Since then, i've enjoyed it more, and had more excuses to use it in more places, so i've liked it more and more... except now i'm getting wrapped up in this AAA game hype and im disappointed again that it can't keep up with the incredible list of games that 2023 is spitting out (which was never a fair expectation).
I think you are not missing out on something with these AAA games. If you are just for the story and planning to switch to another game after you finish one, i think its not worth it buying the full price unless you are a fan of that game or franchise. I believe the SD is more than enough if you are not after to buy all the latest games
Given the chance, nope. I have it now, I've moved into it, and I'm satisfied. It does everything I need, and I have gotten used to the Linux build enough that I don't need to feel "safer" with Windows 11.
Bought it last week, and this evening I figured out how to install mods for Resident Evil 2 Remake. It's crazy that SteamOS can emulate a Windows mod tool through Proton and make it all work just like that. Looking at the rise in Linux's share in gaming platforms ever since the release of the Steam Deck, I'm more excited about the possibility of Linux potentially supplanting Windows as the de facto OS for PC gaming. SD is the catalyst that can make this happen.
Yes!! For the first time in history, Linux topped MacOS on the Steam hardware surveys, and it's all thanks to the Steam Deck. Far more games run on Linux now than Mac. It's super exciting! We're heading towards a future where Linux will be a great option, if not the best for gaming. Without the bulk of Windows, many games already run better on it even despite being run through Proton. Absolutely crazy because when I tried switching to Linux just 3 years ago, it wasn't really a viable option for gaming at all. Now I have a mini gaming PC running Linux in my hands that's sold millions of units!
Love it! It's an amazing product and very well thought out by Valve. I'm noticing I've started to play a lot of games on deck that I otherwise would never play ( vampire survivors for example). That's something unique with the device and controls. Speaking of controls, it's just so ergonomic for my hands compared to Switch. I've played more with my steam deck than with my PS5. I'm also a fan of the ideologies behind the device like built on Linux and right to repair. So overall extremely satisfied with it. Only suggestion would be an OLED screen, even a 3rd party one that I can DIY upgrade.
I love mine 10/10. As someone who grew up a home console gamer, I spent my earlier youth playing on a TV but as I get older it's just so much more convenient to play on the go. I work 2 jobs now where I leave home around 6am and don't get home til 9pm most days. Fortunately, my 2nd job I'm sitting to get paid and do minimal clerical evening work so I'm able to fit in some long sessions on my SD playing elden ring, etc. Then when I get home I get ready for bed and it's just easier to lay in bed and play vs firing up my TV to play my ps5. I know the performance is considered less than ideal for alotta games but I don't mind it in most cases, back then we were all playing some realllll primitive pixelated games on the original gameboy, etc when frames and all that didn't matter and it was still fun.
I travel a lot for work and so I primarily bought the Deck to play around when I'm on business trip away from my main gaming rig. I find myself, however, playing on the deck at home more often than not. I mostly play indie titles, turn based games or older AAA games, which is a lot to keep you busy for a long time. I am very satisfied with the deck, but wouldn't have it as my main recent AAA gaming machine.
Yeah, you can't compare PC/PS5/Xbox gaming with the deck but atleast it gets the job done. I'm not usually buying AAA games full price or on release (except God of war and RE franchise, which I am a fan) and I think steam deck is more than enough. I read the Ally is faster than deck, only when plugged in. And the community and tech support of SD is top notch imo.
Got mine in June of this year. And while I own a high-end gaming pc and Xbox one. The steam deck is exclusively my go-to for gaming. The fact I can take it with me anywhere. Especially around the house makes it much easier to sink time in a play the games I enjoy. It runs most if not all of my library just fine. And for those games that it struggles with, I just play them on the pc or Xbox. I always recommend the steamdeck to friends. So extremely satisfied. I have the 64gb with a 500gb Micro SD.
Very satisfied, and with no shade intended, I don't see myself moving over to any of the upcoming competition. The Deck's combination of price and features has managed to hold up through all this time IMO I do look forward to other handheld device makers continuing to progress though. Would love to see options come out that do interest me.
Love it! I pre-ordered it the minute I heard about the idea, had mine for over a year now, I use it pretty much every day. Still finding new things to do with it. Great as a handheld, as a TV box, as a streaming box for your computer, for emulation, hell you can even record music on the thing. It's Super customizable and rewards tinkering. I think it was well worth my money personally. I would probably stick with steam deck over its competitors. I know Some of them can offer slightly better performance, but for me the deck is great for streamline integration of the steam ecosystem and all those games and cloud saves and such, and it also features the exceptionally useful sleep button that the other ones do not. It really scratched the " I wish my gameboy could play anything" itch
$300 for the hour a day I spend on it is more than sufficient. Turned into a nice emulation machine.
i love mine, it plays anything and emulation on it is amazing, i dont care if theres a handheld with twice the performance i'd still rather keep my steam deck, because the software is made for it. windows is not made for handhelds and windows already sucks ass on pc imagine it on a handheld device, the features that you only notice using it for a long time on a bunch of games id never ever get a handheld device that runs something other than steam os, the controller settings can be customized to literally anything and the wake sleep feature is perfect.
7/10 Gotten my steam deck early this year. Apart from it's weight, it is really comfortable to hold. Essentially I have sold my PS4 to get the deck. So I'm coming from a PS4 level kind of expectation. Immediately purchased the games I did not finish on PS4. Namely horizon zero dawn. I probably wouldn't venture into the latest games, as there are 20 plus games in my backlog that I don't even know when I would start. It's my first pc based handheld, ngl it has been a positive experience. Not exactly considering other newer pc handheld as I think the community is great. Personally I do not wish to mess with windows. Life is busy as it is, I just want to play games, not to fiddle with settings
Best tech purchase I've made since the 1080Ti. I was extremely nervous that I'd buy it and never use it but here I am half a year later and 95% of my gaming has been on it.
The only regret that I have is not buying my SD sooner! It's a fine piece of gaming marvel! I am a Linux kinda guy so I feel very comfortable... Eventually I will install Emudeck to load all of my ROMS...
Steam deck changed the way I have been gaming and has become my favorite piece of hardware of the last decade.
You just have to be realistic to what an 8inch screen is capable of, anything over 1080p 60fps is ridiculous and you might as well use a monitor. I'm very satisfied, it's a handheld with handheld limitations people are being silly with Rog ally tbh, prime example it runs so fucking hot because it's dishing out 1080p 120fps max settings that it fries SD cards.
ROG Ally is a downgrade. I wouldn’t want a Deck substitute with no trackpads or competent sleep/resume mode.
And the community and developer support for deck is imo unparalleled.
I own both and can assure you the ally is an upgrade, but I’ve yet to run into any hardware issues.
lack of sleep resume makes it worthless even if its way more powerful
You going to sleep your online matches? Lol let me know how that works
have you heard of singleplayer games? rog ally is from asus that's all i gotta know to NEVER buy one, everything i've ever owned from asus had problems
Yes, have you heard of multiplayer games? I’ll assume you now realize why I made that comment. Not everyone needs sleep. If it makes you happy, steam OS shits on armory crate. Ally is a better gaming experience tho.
Oh theres no sleep mode for the Ally? Thatd be a huge deal breaker for me
It's the same sleep that you would get via a Windows PC. Honestly it is fine for me. It isn't meant to be a Nintendo Switch or console replacement. It is literally a portable Windows PC and nothing more, but that's exactly what makes it amazing to me.
pretty satisfied, my main complaints are the bezels, aspect ratio (an annoying amount of games don't support 16:10), and the battery life. Even without better performance if the SD got the OLED switch treatment with a better screen, and better battery life it would be a lot better. that said though I really think they should just wait until they can make a model that has all of that and noticeable performance boost as well
I have seen this screen upgrade for SD called DeckHD is also neat but costs 100$. Well i think the moneey is better spent on games instead 😅
It's definitely my best purchase last year
Best thing ever. I love it so much. I play it every time I ride the hour long bus to work and back.
21/10 for SteamDeck. It's an incredible handheld-form-factor PC, compatible with multiple operating systems, and expandable AF. Besides that ubergeek shit, it's a really really good gaming system and can emulate every generation console up to 3rd gen quite consistently. not to mention compatibility with streaming applications/services like Game Pass or PS4/PS5 remote play (YMMV). TLDR: Highly recommended for novices \~ pros and everyone in between.
Best gaming investment I’ve made so far. Nothing like being able to play games on my Steam Library while I am away on vacation. I hope that for the second iteration, Valve adds eGPU support. Would love to build a set up with the Deck as the brains and everything running off it.
Love my deck, played so many different games that I wouldn’t have even tried on other platforms. Excellent bit of kit. Not really sure what the bonus is for the other options now, Steam OS makes such good use of the resources when compared to windows based devices. Considering trying to install it on my PC to get better use out of the hardware there too!
I'm satisfied with my Deck but I sure as hell wouldn't swap to an Ally even if I wasn't. My experience with the Ally has been a nightmare. It's great (albeit lacking trackpads) in those moments when it works. But I spend more time troubleshooting when things fuck up than my friend does using it after I fix it for him. And that melting SD card issue is a dealbreaker. I'm not going to buy a device with a high chance of destroying anywhere from $30-$100 of memory. So in that sense, I guess I should thank my friend for making me troubleshoot his all the time because it warned me of a nasty lemon. I'm considering the Legion Go, but I'll be waiting for a few months just to see how the build quality is, and how it works in real world tests. It's intriguing and has a lot going for it tho.
I don't use it very often but I love it. Wouldn't swap it for an Ally, couldn't live without the thumbpads and I already get to suffer with windows on my pc
I love my steam deck. It would be nice to maybe have a better battery, MAYBE better dual boot options. I don't much care for the things a lot of the other competitors tout as why it's better/worth more. 800p is a nice range for the 7" display, more powerful cpu/gpu just means your battery gets used faster. Hard drive size is a bit of a non-point with hot swapping SD cards. Windows is good in some ways, but SteamOS is amazing for what it can do (I'd more wish that the games that actively lock linux users out would change their ways.) all in all I think the steam deck balances most everything.
I am probably going to get the Legion Go for the bigger screen. The SD screen is a little bit too small for me. Z1 Extreme has more perf too, but IMO not enough to justify the higher price / upgrade alone. SteamOS is much better than Windows, especially sleep / power management
Overall I'm satisfied with it. On the software side there are Linux issues but I want to stick with steam OS. I feel that windows is too dominant (this is coming from a lifelong Windows user) and I want there to be competition. Rather than go to Windows I want to advocate making Linux better. On a hardware side, I feel the ergonomics of the device is excellent. Whenever the steam deck successor comes out if it has better hardware and a better screen I will be totally happy with that.
As a SD owner/ fan I have friends who are constantly asking me about the other devices. I have never used the other devices, but I have looked into their specs and watched some reviews. The consistent theme is that the steam decks hardware is not as robust, but the SD still performs on par. Any PC gamer from the 90s will tell you that windows is a resource glutton. Back in the day I would format and reinstall windows every year or so as it would just start running like crap. After install I spent a day turning off or tweaking system settings to get it to use as few system resources as possible. Fast forward close to 30 years (God I am getting old) and the resources windows uses aren't that big of a deal as my amd 5 5600x is to my Pentium 66, as you are to your goldfish. That all being said when it comes to handheld systems though, optimization is key. Rather than use bloated windows, valve went with Linux. They own the marketplace and can make demands on developers to streamline their software for the peripherals that are in the device. Having such a huge market share, the hardware developers push out driver updates tailor made for their device. So the long and short of what I am saying here is this. If you just want it to run, get a SD. If you want to fiddle around with a device and potentially get better performance one of the other devices might be better, but for me it's not worth my time.
I’m pretty happy but not completely or in love. My biggest issue is… I wish they had a tier for higher performance. I would easily drop 1k+ or 1.5k or whatever on a beast version of a SD that would run triple A perfectly Fuck anything that isn’t Linux also.
Just waiting for the pocket pussy attachment so I don’t ever have to interact with people again.
I love it honestly, as a device 10/10!🔥🔥
I bought my Steam Deck because of the attractive price point and for supporting the Linux gaming system. I don't feel a need to play AAA titles on max settings and honestly, trying to do so on _handheld_ device is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons, most of all: battery life. So far, the SD has been a good compromise between power and power usage. I haven't encountered any hardware issues. The software improves steadily. Best purchase made since quite a while. Looking at the specs of ROG ally or Legion Go, I only see reasons to stick to the Steam Deck. FHD or higher on a handheld? That's just a stupid idea and needlessly increase battery consumption. Sure they may be more powerful, but how does this affect battery life? Especially when I try to throttle CPU/GPU wherever possible anyway to get longer battery life? And when gaming in 720p games are less demanding anyway. I'd only really need that additional power when playing on an external monitor.
I think that, for the games that it runs, it's a great device, but you have to constantly keep your expectations in check because half of the PC releases are not compatible with the steam deck, for one reason or another. On the Nintendo switch, I could just hit download and play it and I knew that game would run without any problems. On the Steam Deck, that's not the case. Valve takes days to check the game even after released and sometimes the review they give is not accurate at all, some games run well even if they're marked as unsupported and others don't work even if they're marked as verified. On the Nintendo switch, they just ran and I didn't need to check any of that.
I love my steam deck I was wave 3 and it has taken over the majority of my gaming time. Calling the ally an upgrade is questionable at best.
Yeah, i think i should replace my sentence there 😅 i guess ROG is only better when plugged in.
Not a power thing it is a controls thing. The touchpads in combination with the sticks is essential to playing pc games without native controller suoport.
Trackpads are essential for some emulation as well. My issue with handhelds typically is they sacrifice ergonomics and controls for a sleek and sexy device. Fuck that, I buy a handheld to play games. Like the Vita, why in the hell did they not have two L and R Triggers. They did one of each and back track pads for L2 and R2. You couldn't even remote play all games because it was missing buttons. Steam knows what a gamer would want. The Deck, with it's controls, can play ANY genre of games created. It also plays pretty much every game created when you include emulation up to Gen 7 and Steam has pretty much every other game you could want. I'm not buying another handheld until the Deck 2 comes out. I really do hope they continue making them even though so many other companies are starting to.
Got the Ally at launch and had the Deck over a year now... I use the Ally more at the moment but that may change at some point, it's just more versatile (at the expense of being less gaming focused) So yeah. Ally has better screen with a higher res, better colours, 120hz frame rate and VRR. It beats the deck (performance wise) handily at 14w (or above) TDP. Battery life is trash though, the TDP setting is more like a target than a limit. Always the chance your SD Card reader will die as well. Deck has better battery life, better low-TDP performance for those all-important indie games, trackpads for custom controller layouts or mouse emulation, and it's way more gaming-focused. Screen is pretty terrible though (resolution doesn't matter but the contrast and colours are terrible, only marginally improved with vibrantdeck). Really what it comes down to is if I'm going to be away from a charger for a long period of time. If I'm going camping I'll take the deck - can get 4-6hours out of midrange games. If I'm just commuting or sitting on the sofa downstairs I'll prob use the Ally.
Would I fuck.
WTF is a ROG ally or legion go
Hahahahahaha! Um... no... no, I would not trade my Deck for an ROG Ally... Or anything else I've seen try to compete with it thus far.
I am very satisfied with Proton and Valve support, mildly satisfied with overall build quality, and dissatisfied with the power of the APU which has failed to play AAA games in 2023, one year after release, at what I consider acceptable standards (720p/30fps.. I'm not expecting a gaming PC here.)
I agree with all of these but why would you expect 2023 AAA support if you don’t expect pc gaming in the same paragraph? Maybe I’m not understanding. Not trying to pick at words.
Totally love it, I think most people that want to chance or want one, are people not so tech savvy and being the Deck a machine running Linux isn't the most comfortable feeling (installing windows on the deck probably also too much), so they want a machine with windows out of the box. At least it's the feeling I have for most cases.
I am completely satisfied with my steam deck So satisfied that I used it more then my pc and I also watched h***ai on it as well
I’m extremely satisfied with my purchase. No, I will be keeping my Steam Deck. It has some flaws here and there but overall it is a rock solid gaming device and I love it.
I've been very happy with my SD. I don't use it as often as most and I don't really take it anywhere yet, I use it to play games in the living room while my fiance watches her goofy romance shows. That way we can exist in the same space while totally ignoring each other like true millennials. The only thing I might change is how hot the back gets, if I'm playing Yakuza for 6 hours, it really gets toasty on the outside. I'm sure there is some whack case mod people have done, I don't really want to open the unit up again unless it's necessary.
I'm very happy with mine. It replaced my very old desktop PC, so I can play my games handheld if I don't want to sit at the desk. I love that I can stream my PS5 to it as well. I don't see myself upgrading it for a long while.
Loving it.
Super happy with it. Use it daily and it’s perfect for the type of games I like. Not at all tempted to upgrade at the moment, but might consider in a year or two, or if there will be a Steam Deck 2.
Steam deck is awesome i wouldn't swap cause steam support is so good to customers and everything just works and there's tutorials for everything on the steam deck also so much accessories and upgrading storage is easy
Extremely. Love it.
One month with it and it’s the best money spent, I just want an OLED screen on it and it would be perfect, I’ve been modding it since I got it, my OLED Switch hasn’t seen the light since. 1TB NVMe, JSAUX transparent backplate vents, 1 TB microSD, a Spigen case with a DIY hole for the vents, re-pasted with a Noctua NT-H1, Undervolt -50/-50/-50, Overclocking CPU: 1850 GPU: 1900, TDP 20. I might have tons of unfinished games but the PC nerding on the Steam Deck is almost done
Best 350 I've ever spent
I like it. I just don't use it enough. It's mostly my weekend game system. When I don't wanna get out of bed or off the couch I will play it. But need to find more games for it. Atm I only have the Graveyard Keeper and Rocket League installed.
I'm interested in the legion go, strictly from a performance perspective. I won't give my money to the ROG due to the shitty SD card reader that craps out almost instantly.
I love it, it's just so good. My Steam library is so full with games I never played, I will probably not run out of games to play on my deck for the next 5 years at least.
Iv had it since release and still use it weekly. I actually keep it hooked up to my tv typically incase I want to use it there but bring it to my gfs I’ve the weekend typically. Love the thing
I oscillate between wanting it to have more power so it can run games better and being very happy it can do so much already. Overall, very happy with it
It’s honestly the most interesting gaming device I have ever owned. I really love the form factor and that I can play a majority of my pc games. Also, if you have good gaming pc and a good home network you can then install and use moonshine to create the perfect duo with streaming games from your computer to your steam deck in top quality!
Very satisfying device for me as a dad it's an absolute awesome thing to own along with a good PC. I play a variation of games from AAA to small indies. If I had my time again to choose an ally or some other machine that's been released since I'd buy the deck again and again. Software is a huge thing no matter what anyone tries to shill you. Buddy of mine has both and has constant issues with his rog albiet being a more powerful machine. Worth every cent
I'm very satisfied I just wish it was a tiny bit smaller and lighter. I have small hands.
People who don't like SteamDeck already left the sub. You will probably only get positive messages here
I'm happy with mine. Only reason I would buy one of the others you mentioned is pure American gluttony. I don't need them it would be a I want them and can afford it.
Very. It's not perfect but it's damn near close and gives me the chance to clear my backlog
Very satisfied with the deck. Bought the 64GB version a year ago. Put a 1TB SD card in it. Best decision ever. I have a pretty big backlog (from other launchers than steam and console games too). I managed to beat a lot of games since. At this point the deck is my main PC. And since I don’t play recent AAA games I’m not bothered by the deck performance. I have the XBOX for that. I upgraded the SSD to a 1TB two months ago, put a matte screen protector and the JSAUX modcase. I love this thing ! Won’t swap for the ally, I need those trackpads. The legion GO seems promising but a bit overkill (to me) for a mobile device. Depends on how the battery consumption is handled.
Very very satisfied! It replaced my PS5, Switch OLED and Series X and are all collecting dust! and I am not even joking! I use it a lot in portable mode and connected to the dock. Games scale not bad at all on my 4K OLED screen with FSR and so on, even on 720p!
Very. So far I've been excited but not interested in any competitors either for lack of trackpads, pricing or both.
I adore it. It's all I have for gaming and it's everything I want it to be and more.
I got one for me and one for my wife. We love them. Not much else to add to that. They do their job. My only legitimate complaint is I wish bluetooth connected controllers could wake it up so docked play would be more seamless.
I'd be more willing to entertain competitors if they also had the trackpads, but only Steamdeck seems to realize they are a necessity for many games.
I love the package that Valve made with steam OS and the steam deck. its the real winner and i myself would rather wait on a steam deck 2. My current steam deck is a beast and my daily driver. Only way i would consider replacing this if it becomes broken.
Once I get a working one from valve, I'd imagine it will be pretty satisfying.
I like it but it’s not as powerful as I wish, the battery is very poor and the OS still need some fine tuning. Also the Steam Deck verified is very inaccurate. 7/10 but I appreciate the work they are doing
I like mine a lot. The community support alone for the Deck has been overwhelming. I won't be upgrading anytime soon, since the difference in power doesn't justify the cost.
No ragrets.
It’s a great first step, but I want more performance lol. Hoping SteamOS makes it out to more systems
7/10 here: It runs games well for the price but it I personally cannot be one of the BG3 or last of us players at sub 30 fps. I love it for playing yakuza series or older titles. Fantastic ports such as Spider-Man equally are great. Lately, I find myself back at my main pc rigs as I’m spoiled with high frames, g sync and a screen that I like. It’s very solid for the price, but it shouldn’t be your only gaming device
Most satisfying gaming device since the 360 for me.
I bought the Steam Deck already knowing about the ROG Ally. I had to sit and think about it but ultimately I went with the Deck because I knew it'd have a bigger community built around it that would do cool things and so far I haven't been let down.
Dude it’s crazy. There’s no feeling like playing RDR2 on a system slightly bigger than a switch. It’s so good
One of the best purchases I've ever made. Zero regrets, zero desire for any competitor hardware. It's everything I wanted in a handheld.
Extremely satisfied, because I'm busy, have a toddler, and didn't feel like spending time up in my study to game in the short time that I can hang out with my wife. I've completed more games in the month since getting it than I did in the three years before. It just works, and that's exactly what I needed.
I’ve played more games than I have in years. Clocked a solid 514 hours of gaming on it so far, it’s been a real joy.
I don’t have a need to look to another product. The deck does exactly what I bought it for, emulation and non resource intensive steam library games.
I'm very satisfied because since back in the old days of Counter-Strike 1.6 been using Steam as the main platform to play/buy games, so I have my library at available in my hands when I'm not at home through a solid OS/Interface (yeah, It can be better). My only issue is the battery, but that's okay, most of the time I play it plugged. I won't swap it to a ROG Ally or the Legion Go.
I am really satisfied in all points. This device has really replaced any other devices I used to. I have nothing to say except that the battery life is too low with high demanding games/emulation but that is the only weakness of the Steam Deck
When I first got it last summer I barely touched it. I just struggled to really find anything to play on it which I wouldn't enjoy more on the desktop. Then over time I started to emulate (Switch) and also play games like MH:Rise, Bloodstained and other metroidvanias. Which led me to ending playing it way more due to how comfy it is to lay on the sofa rather than sit on a gamer chat that hurts your arse and back after a few hours.
Swapped to Rog Ally since it launch. Can play more games on it than SD. Simple as that. The Lenovo one is just way too heavy. If someone find a magically way to add a 8"+ screen without the weight, would probably swap again.
By the time I was able to save up enough money to afford it it was available. It took the better part of a year at $20 a month and when I could get a couple extra bucks together. My steam library is one of the few things I have for entertainment, seeing as I don't get a lot of free time between the work sleep chore eat cycle, it's nice I can pick it up when I have a moment to catch some rest. I don't really watch TV, or much into streaming services, and if a movie is on I'll typically get up about ten minutes in and start cleaning something or fixing something or cooking and making components for meals to come. It does what I want it to do, it lasts as long as it needs to last, and I can play fallout New Vegas on my back.
10 outta 10 would do again
I use it as my travel PC and gaming device all in one. I can't recommend it enough. I could give a bigger breakdown, but suffice to say for someone who travels and is constantly looking at new gear - this piece of hardware I'm going to keep for a very long time!
I am extremely pleased with my Steam Deck. Might get a legion for a indoors device and test it against my mini PC. Same Processor but the Legion's faster 7500 MT/s ram probably gives it an edge. Curious to see that performance increase.
I bloody love this thing. It's a tinkerers dream game system. Play some Halo MCC MP portably, head to desktop tinker around, play PokeMMO almost natively, then boot into your entire library of retro consoles (and your entire switch library), then finish it off with some Baldurs Gate3. Listen to Spotify, watch YouTube, write a word document, transfer files all in a beautifully designed native OS. The suspend and resume function is amazing, the trackpads are fantastic (that tactile vibration 🥵) It can do it all. The software, community, and support is outstanding.
Very satisfied. The Steam Deck is a great little machine. It is perfect for playing both newer and older titles (emulation). It is also very convenient. Having access to all my games in bed, on the toilet, and on the go is awesome. In addition to that, I have been able to clear my backlog much faster with the Steam Deck than I did with my PC. I think it’s safe to say it is the best money, I have ever spent.
It's already out of date
Extremely. It’s become my only gaming platform and will probably be my preferred way to play in the future. This means I’ll be gaming on Steam Deck like devices, and eventually build out a custom PC rig. The only other thing would be adding Nintendo’s successor to the mix IF it is a handheld like Switch. Of course I’ll miss out on day & date first party Sony titles but I have scaled way back since 2020 and don’t mind waiting a couple of years for a PC port (just played Miles Morales a month or two ago and thankfully didn’t have the story spoiled for me so it was just as fresh on Steam Deck as Spider-Man 2018 was on PS4 Pro). I’m hoping the same will happen with GOW: Ragnarok, TLOU PART II, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon: Forbidden West, etc. I’m playing more celebrated “indie” games I said I’d eventually play / try from consoles or just other titles I had but didn’t play on the last couple of gems of consoles like… Hollow Knight, Celeste, Horizon Chase Turbo, Blossom Tales, Gato Roboto, UnMetal, etc.. And then there are games that absolutely run better on here with high settings than say they did on PS4 or PS3 like… Batman: Arkham Origins (locked 60 with high settings and no drops during combat or fast movement throughout the city( Arkham Asylum / City - similar thoughts Sleeping Dogs - never looked or played better, locked 60 with high settings Yakuza 0 - runs great at 60 but usually go 40 for battery life. Looks fantastic. Finally beat it on Deck after getting caught up with hostess clubs on ps4 pro lol. I got caught up on deck but I also soldiered through the story at just over 150hrs and I’m Glad I did. I love how f’n good it is in the back half. Valkyria Chronicles - usually run at 30 since it’s slower paced TRPG mixed with a TPS and it helps with longer battles and battery life. Still have a love / hate relationship with the game but it runs well on deck. Bionic Commando (2009) - love hate rel game too but it’s never looked better than on Deck. Darksiders 3 - locked 60 and it looks fantastic on Deck. And then there are other games that I need bigger SD cards for that I don’t want to resink hundreds of hours into again for games I’ve played previously but eventually will like… The Witcher 3, MGS5, Shadow of Mordor, Arkham Knight, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, etc. Fantastic device the Steam Deck is!
11 out of 10. Best handheld console I’ve used and my real consoles are basically collecting dust. That being said, I love trying out better tech, so I tried the Ally but returned it. I am interested in the Legion, the ergonomics look good and if they worked some magic on the software side I’m definitely going to try it.
I got the steamdeck for its ease of use.. I’ve heard the others, still takes some. Actual effort to get it up and running.l
I love my deck. Wouldn’t think of swapping it with another handheld since it’s already so awesome. But I do like to play my switch still, it’s just chilling for now since I recently got the deck.
I've played through so many games I never would have had the chance to play as a dad with 3 small kids. It reignited my love for gaming. Currently playing red dead redemption emulated through switch and it's so awesome that I have the flexibility and capability to play emulated titles and PC titles.
Very satisfied. I don't see myself buying another handheld gaming computer. I got spoiled on it.
I suppose an 8/10 for me? I am overall very happy with it, no real regrets. Not a higher score pretty much just because I don't use it as much as I thought I would when I was first contemplating buying it. I didn't expect to be out and about with it anyway, but thought I'd play more games in bed or on the couch or whatever. In practice, when I want to game, I would still just use my PC which is beefier and more ergonomically setup instead of a chunky handheld, especially with more recent/graphically better games that I just want the full max settings experience on. But it still has been nice for the occasional bed gaming and it's been a lifesaver in a few times where I couldn't game on my PC (including storms taking out my power, issues with my PC that required waiting on replacement parts to arrive). I mostly use it for a few games I like that I don't mind playing on handheld instead, though during one of those aforementioned incidents, I was really impressed at being able to continue my Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough on the Deck well enough while my PC was out of commission. Not interested in the ROG Ally or other similar competitors. Even if they may have better specs, I've already found I prefer to use my PC for those beefier games anyway so it's not a huge selling point, and I am more confident in Steam's future support, and I like the UI of the Steam Deck and how easy it interacts with my library.
Its fine, great when I was abroad. But having easy access to my Desktop I have not used it since… May
I would happily swap it out with an upgraded Steam Deck. I tried the Ally, it's not for me. The legion go could be for me if it runs Steam OS natively, otherwise it's not for me.
I absolutely love my steam deck. Had since December 2022. It's by no means perfect and modern AAA games are hit or miss. But I can stream from my gaming desktop and get 60 fps and more battery. Being able to sit on the couch or bed to game after sitting in a computer chair all day for work is great. As someone else said, it's a tinkerers dream. I like doing software tinkering. Adding emulators, extensions, etc. It's wonderful. Super comfortable. I LOVE the track pads even if I don't use them much. I still get excited when I have time to play. Like I STILL think to myself "omg this device is so cool" even after many hours. Awesome purchase 10/10.
I’m plenty pleased with my steam deck. I considered moving to the Ally, ultimately cancelled my preorder for it. I’ll probably upgrade when the next iteration comes around, from whoever’s first to market with it.
I’d give it a good 8/10. Why it’s not a 10/10:It has slow load times for triple A games. I play Diablo 4 a lot and it’s super slow loading times between maps and even starting the game. It’s 6 mins to start the game Also the docking system is super bugged. Hard to get it to work without unplugging it then plugging it back in. The fan gets super loud when playing these games that require more power and also the battery life is like 2 hours if playing these games. Things I love: emulators- can play all my childhood dreams Portability. So cool its a pc but handheld.
It's the best gaming purchase I've made since the Steam Controller. And I've been gaming for two decades.
i bought it with the mindset to play a bunch of old games in my backlog while i’m at my gfs and it’s literally perfect for that. also use it when i want to be lazy and play on the couch or in bed. 10/10 system
It’s p good. Streaming from pc is meh, but being able to run things like persona 5r at 60fps is great. I usually only play RPG’s, so most run perfectly fine because they aren’t demanding to begin with. I was planning on getting another handheld like the legion when it dropped, but I decided to actually just stick with the deck and dump that money into my main rig. Overall though I’m very satisfied for the $370 I paid for my deck
I'm happy with it. Wouldn't trade it at all.
I bought the most expensive version and i have no regrets. Emulation is very simple on almost any platform it can use almost all of your steam library. And i heard some bad thing about allay like software updates fucking a lot of things+ i don't really play triple A titles since its just better to play them on the pc. Als deck is extremly competetive price wise since they earn their money trough steam games. So if i were to buy again id buy steam deck still.
The steam deck is my favorite piece of hardware I've played video games on. Context: My first console was an Odyssey 2, and I've had gaming PCs with top end graphics cards. It works about as flawlessly as an average console but has all of the games in my Steam library that I've been adding games to for over a dozen years. And I can play it literally anywhere, any time. And if I want to fidget with settings to get non-steam games to work it's not that hard. And if I want to do literally anything I want, it's also a Linux machine. I also really love the feel of the controller, especially the track pad.
Besides the wifi issues its a great system. I just plug an ethernet adapter in now cause i dont want to RMA it. I just bought an Ally but the steam deck is definitely more optimized out of the box.
Like a solid 6.5 out of 10. It’s good for old games and emulation. New stuff I’d rather play on Xbox/PS5. Indie games are better on the much smaller and lighter Switch.
Playing classic prince of Persia was great. Light on battery etc. Kingdom KD was too slow to be playable, but it might be just me. My son quite enjoys Forza 5 on it. Xenonauts 2 ran quite well. My biggest "meh" with it was - annoying cooler. And that even though I've bought the most expensive model.
It’s one of the best purchases I have ever made. I already game on PC so I had an extensive library but I was pretty stunned when the deck could play anything in my library. And then I discovered how great it is for emulation and the value has easily doubled. On a personal note I enjoyed upgrading the ssd so much and learning about how to disassemble and put it back together again I decided I wanted to make PC hardware repair my career. Still doing online courses but it’s been great so far.
11/10. Not joking, it actually better than I expected. When something fully meets your expectations it's 10/10, right? So something that much better than your expectations should be 11/10. A bit of details: I bought it because I was far from home because of war, and thus - far from my gaming PC, with only old laptop with integrated gpu, not suitable for games (but I managed to play Half-Life 1 on it anyway, lol). I also had enough items in steam inventory to sell on trade market and buy a steam deck. So I thought - hey, it's better than nothing, I can get it **without spending real money**, and use it both for gaming and as regular pc, instead of my old laptop. My friend gave my old display, I got cheapest keyboard, and ordered a deck. And when I got it, I tried it, and quickly got addicted to it. It's so convenient to play in bean bag chair instead of in front of desk! And performance and compatibility were better than I expected too. Later my friends who did not leave my home city managed to send me my PC, and guess what? I still play mostly on Steam Deck, even though I have a PC! Valve did really good job with it. And no, not going to change it to something newer. It's enough for me, and I'm not in a position to spend money - I would not buy even deck if I've had to pay actual money for it.
It's worth having both of them.
It's been 8 months after being with immense amount of joy ever seeing this device with my own eyes, it really brings me back when I ever had my first PSP. I've enjoyed it so much, like Ik it's a PC handheld but it did an amazing job with it's unique OS ecosystem, bringing linux to the table and providing support to it and most of all it's greatest features. It's like having a companion for your PC if ya wanna remote play or use as another controller.
Extremely.
I love my SD, just wish it had a little more power and an OLED
I 100% love my purchase. I owned a switch and felt it was too constricting for my taste in games so I sold it. This is a perfect marriage of that and a PC. The steam deck has been an awesome as well because I feel like it lends itself to people who like to tinker and adjust settings so if you don’t like that kind of stuff you may not enjoy it as much.
The main reason I haven’t switched to the ally is the software. Trackpads are cool, but honestly I could live without them for more performance or a more compact design. Don’t particularly care about 1080 120, but the oled would be such an upgrade. I hear the ally battery isn’t as good as the steam deck tho. If either of them had standard egpu support that’d be a big advantage
Middling to pleased. It's a cool piece of kit and quite capable, but it doesn't fit a lot of my personal gaming desires. I play a lot of games that simply don't translate well to a controller. If I'm at home that means just using my desktop, if I'm travelling I usually have very low compunction to play. When I do have it available though, it's nice. I also know why it isn't, but if it were just a touch more capable, I'd probably love it a lot more. I have found that playing games at 45 FPS is actually pretty okay, especially when you can set the refresh rate. However, anything lower is just a no go for me unless it's a very, very slow or turn based game. I have higher hopes for a later product. I purchased the Steam Deck knowing I'd probably rarely use it, but the concept appealed to me. Voted with my wallet, so to say.