Steam deck

[polycrac]

Mine has finally arrived and I'm starting to explore how much of my Steam library is compatible. I'll hold off on posting pics/vids yet until I get some steer from a mod - it is technically a none-PCS PC, even if handhelds are not really in competition with anything PCS sells.

I got the 512GB version and it is beautiful - the display is amazing. My first game to try was Valheim and the light looks just as great as on a huge PC screen. Black Mesa is next on my list to try. So far, no fan whine and the controls are really responsive and easy to use.

Proton seems fine so no plans to put Windows on it yet (I do like pubg, though so may give it a try for the anti-cheat. Comes with Firefox and works great for YouTube etc.

I'd love to hear from others about their experiences with different games and I'll update over the coming days as I get to poke around more and try new stuff.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Mine has finally arrived and I'm starting to explore how much of my Steam library is compatible. I'll hold off on posting pics/vids yet until I get some steer from a mod - it is technically a none-PCS PC, even if handhelds are not really in competition with anything PCS sells.

I got the 512GB version and it is beautiful - the display is amazing. My first game to try was Valheim and the light looks just as great as on a huge PC screen. Black Mesa is next on my list to try. So far, no fan whine and the controls are really responsive and easy to use.

Proton seems fine so no plans to put Windows on it yet (I do like pubg, though so may give it a try for the anti-cheat. Comes with Firefox and works great for YouTube etc.

I'd love to hear from others about their experiences with different games and I'll update over the coming days as I get to poke around more and try new stuff.

I would have thought it would be fine to post pics as as you say, this isn't really a competitor to PCS lineup.

I would for one LOVE to see some close ups and your perspective on performance.

Can I ask where you ordered from as I know they're still quite hard to get hold of?

 

[Steveyg]

I want one really badly but can't justify the cost and I'll probably barely use but its coooool

 

[polycrac]

I would have thought it would be fine to post pics as as you say, this isn't really a competitor to PCS lineup.

I would for one LOVE to see some close ups and your perspective on performance.

Can I ask where you ordered from as I know they're still quite hard to get hold of?

I got lucky and had the time to be online at the steam launch - it skipped a few times and dumped me out of the queue, but I was able to complete a reservation a few minutes after the start. Was originally Q1, got bumped to Q2 and then used the Reddit spreadsheet to guestimate my delivery (was quite accurate, but it arrived 9 days ahead of expectations).

I'm told CEX are buying them for hundreds more than I paid and reselling on for hundreds more, but I wouldn't part with it.

My phone pics are too large res for the forum but I'll play around with them and get some up tomorrow.

The sound is amazing, plenty of bass and volume (one benefit of it being chunky). The screen is perfect, in terms of being the right definition for its size and how close you view it. I'd heard the colours are washed out a little when compared to the Switch, but I've never had a Switch to compare it to.

Switches on and off fast, no fan whine (but I'm mid 40's, could be too high pitched for me to hear?)

I have some time tomorrow to bunk off work and explore it more, I'll try and add more details then, but Valheim blew me away.

 

[polycrac]

I want one really badly but can't justify the cost and I'll probably barely use but its coooool

Get the cheapest and expand with SD. Rationally, that's what I would have done, but at the time I'd had a pint or two and it was only a £5 deposit, so...

 

[SpyderTracks]

I got lucky and had the time to be online at the steam launch - it skipped a few times and dumped me out of the queue, but I was able to complete a reservation a few minutes after the start. Was originally Q1, got bumped to Q2 and then used the Reddit spreadsheet to guestimate my delivery (was quite accurate, but it arrived 9 days ahead of expectations).

I'm told CEX are buying them for hundreds more than I paid and reselling on for hundreds more, but I wouldn't part with it.

My phone pics are too large res for the forum but I'll play around with them and get some up tomorrow.

The sound is amazing, plenty of bass and volume (one benefit of it being chunky). The screen is perfect, in terms of being the right definition for its size and how close you view it. I'd heard the colours are washed out a little when compared to the Switch, but I've never had a Switch to compare it to.

Switches on and off fast, no fan whine (but I'm mid 40's, could be too high pitched for me to hear?)

I have some time tomorrow to bunk off work and explore it more, I'll try and add more details then, but Valheim blew me away.

Man, Black Mesa XEN will be incredible on that I'm betting!

 

[polycrac]

Took me a while to compress the images enough, but this is running on stock settings, no tweaks at all

 

[SpyderTracks]

Took me a while to compress the images enough, but this is running on stock settings, no tweaks at all

Looks really sharp, no dithering or stuttering, looks really impressive

 

[barlew]

I am on the Q2 delivery. Mine is expected between July- September. I am so excited for it. I will be turning it into a pure emulation machine!

*edit* - Q3

 

[Scott]

I am on the Q2 delivery. Mine is expected between July- September. I am so excited for it. I will be turning it into a pure emulation machine!

Curious how this turns out.

I've got a Vive that I use pretty much exclusively for this very reason. It can only handle certain levels though which is where I bet this would come into its own.

I considered the Switch for this very purpose but I guess the Steam Deck wouldn't need fettled with, it would be an out the box solution...... which would be nice.

 

[barlew]

Curious how this turns out.

I've got a Vive that I use pretty much exclusively for this very reason. It can only handle certain levels though which is where I bet this would come into its own.

I considered the Switch for this very purpose but I guess the Steam Deck wouldn't need fettled with, it would be an out the box solution...... which would be nice.

I am so excited for this machine. Take my entire PS2 library away with me on a handheld! Yes, Yes and Yes!

 

[Deleted member 41971]

steam deck has received a decent update (june 2nd)

Steam Deck :: News

Steam Deck is here!

www.steamdeck.com

Steam Deck™

Steam Deck™ is the most powerful, full-featured gaming handheld in the world.

store.steampowered.com

Lock Screen
Adding a lockscreen was a pretty hotly requested feature, from both outside and inside the company. Now players can set their PIN using the touchscreen or controls, and there are settings to have it show up on wake, boot, login, and/or when switching to Desktop mode. We think this will give folks a little more peace of mind, especially around grabby kids or siblings.

Keyboards
The onscreen keyboard for Steam Deck continues to get better. We’ve recently added more localized keyboards and now have a total of 26 languages and layouts supported. Players can enable multiple keyboards and toggle through them with the new globe key on the keyboard. Chinese / Japanese / Korean keyboards are currently being worked on, so watch out for those soon.

Achievements
The Achievements page has gotten a refresh for Steam Deck, making it faster to load and easier to navigate. Players can toggle between their stats and global stats or use the new drop down to compare their achievements with any friend who also plays.

Multiple Window Support
Steam Deck now supports games and applications that have multiple windows. Just push the Steam button while in-game, and the in-game overlay has new options to switch between active windows. This is especially useful for games and apps that might have multiple windows, like web browsers or games with launchers.

External Display
Work continues on making more external USB-C docks compatible with Steam Deck, as well as making our Steam Deck interface play nice with monitors of various sizes. We just shipped an update that makes the interface now scaled to a virtual 1280x800 resolution when shown on an external display, and we’re continuing to do work to improve external display support.

Per app performance profiles
Steam Deck comes with a ton of built in functionality to tweak settings like framerate (and soon refresh-rate), TDP, and more – for players who enjoy customizing their experience. We’ve recently added the ability to save settings per-game or app, so players don’t have to manually switch settings around between games. This works for both Steam games, as well as non-Steam games that have been added as shortcuts.

Offline mode
Offline mode has received some love in recent updates – it’s much quicker to switch in and out of Offline mode, it's easier to access, and a host of bugs that pop up only in Offline mode have been stomped.

Remote play
Remote Play on Steam Deck has also received some much needed updates, like making the system buttons on Deck work as expected, providing an in-UI option to stop streaming, and adding streamed games to the Recently Played list on the homescreen.

Remote Play Together
Remote Play Together (join someone else's game as if you're sitting next to them on the couch, but virtually) is now completely functional on Steam Deck. This includes both hosting and joining Remote Play Together sessions.

Updated Fan Behavior
Steam Deck now has a new OS-controlled fan curve, which means that it’s smarter, more responsive, and much quieter in low usage scenarios. And for those of you who prefer the old fan behavior, you can always switch back to it in Settings > System. We're continuing to work on improvements, so let us know what you think.

Adjustable Refresh Rate
The in-game screen refresh rate can now be adjusted on the fly anywhere between 40-60Hz. This feature is a game changer for finding that perfect balance between framerate, game quality, and battery life. And of course, you can set and save this on a per-game basis.

More OS updates
There are a bunch of other updates we've made on an OS level, including a higher max speaker volume, more internal screen resolution options for games to choose from, quick formats for microSD cards, and more.

SD Card Support
The team has done a bunch of work on SD card functionality as well, like making them usable as boot devices, improving formatting times, and adding a check to detect potentially counterfeit SD cards before formatting.

Windows support
A few important updates have shipped in the last couple months, making Windows a better experience on Steam Deck for those who want to go that route. We’ve shipped an update that added fTPM support, enabling Windows 11 installation. We’ve also just shipped audio drivers for both Win10 and 11 – you can find all that information here.

And more There are a plethora of other changes and fixes that came to Steam Deck, like adding the Steam hardware survey, making life better for customers with gigantic Steam libraries, adding pinned notifications for certain notification types, a bunch of updates to the controller configurator, and a host of other quality of life fixes. All of these changes and more you can read all about in the detailed patch note posts here.

Deck Verified
Last up, a quick update on the Deck Verified program: We recently crossed 3,000 Playable and Verified titles on Steam Deck.

We're continuing to test new releases and older titles at a steady clip, while also working on the underlying technology. The team recently shipped Proton-7.0-2, adding and improving support for a bunch of titles, and is already hard at work on 7.0-3.

Speaking of game support, it's important to emphasize that compatibility across titles is improving not due just to our work here, but also thanks to the incredible efforts developers are putting in. Ordered by user playtime on Deck, the top ten titles of the last month
*
are all Verified, but that's only because of work taking place across the industry: four of these ten titles used to be either Unsupported or Playable, and still would be without devs doing the work to improve the experience for Deck customers. While we're highlighting these titles here, this same work is happening all over the giant Steam back-catalog.

 

[Deleted member 41971]

if anyones interested, snazzy labs tore down the steam deck and repaired it, interesting, starts at 6:11

 

[barlew]

So my steam deck is due to be available starting next month. For those of you that have had one for a while is it worth while. I am sitting on the fence a bit at the minute. I am away with work and have been absolutely glued to my switch in what little free time I have. It has got me thinking do I actually need a steam deck.

 

[Steveyg]

So my steam deck is due to be available starting next month. For those of you that have had one for a while is it worth while. I am sitting on the fence a bit at the minute. I am away with work and have been absolutely glued to my switch in what little free time I have. It has got me thinking do I actually need a steam deck.

I've heard nothing but positive things about them, I'd probably have no use for one personally but I really really want one

 

[barlew]

I've heard nothing but positive things about them, I'd probably have no use for one personally but I really really want one

This is the thing mate. I definitely don't need one but my god I want it.

 

[polycrac]

So my steam deck is due to be available starting next month. For those of you that have had one for a while is it worth while. I am sitting on the fence a bit at the minute. I am away with work and have been absolutely glued to my switch in what little free time I have. It has got me thinking do I actually need a steam deck.

I never had a switch but mine has surprised me - I've taken to gaming with it at home, downstairs, just so I spend more time with my wife - sure we're doing different stuff but we chat and we wouldn't if I was upstairs on the PC.

I also use it for things I didn't expect like watching stuff on YouTube and things you might go to a tablet for, over a phone, because of the screen size. I've been AMAZED by how fast it sleeps/wakes, when you have an extra few mins it's actually viable to flick it on and play, then flick it off and know it just waits perfectly using almost no battery.

If I could pick again, I might go for the 256GB model as I'm currently under that anyway but if I go crazy in filling it up I'd want expanded storage anyway and I've heard good things about adhesive alternatives to the etched glass. The main thing is having the system on a decent speed SSD.

On the negative side, it IS an evolving product, updates get rolled out and suddenly you need to forget and pair your Bluetooth headphones or change a game control profile.

It is for fiddlers. If you prefer Iphone over Android because 'it all just works', maybe Switch is better. If you prefer Android over Iphone because you like open systems you can customise then go Steamdeck. (Sorry, I know that analogy is outdated, but I hope you get the drift)

 

[barlew]

I never had a switch but mine has surprised me - I've taken to gaming with it at home, downstairs, just so I spend more time with my wife - sure we're doing different stuff but we chat and we wouldn't if I was upstairs on the PC.

I also use it for things I didn't expect like watching stuff on YouTube and things you might go to a tablet for, over a phone, because of the screen size. I've been AMAZED by how fast it sleeps/wakes, when you have an extra few mins it's actually viable to flick it on and play, then flick it off and know it just waits perfectly using almost no battery.

If I could pick again, I might go for the 256GB model as I'm currently under that anyway but if I go crazy in filling it up I'd want expanded storage anyway and I've heard good things about adhesive alternatives to the etched glass. The main thing is having the system on a decent speed SSD.

On the negative side, it IS an evolving product, updates get rolled out and suddenly you need to forget and pair your Bluetooth headphones or change a game control profile.

It is for fiddlers. If you prefer Iphone over Android because 'it all just works', maybe Switch is better. If you prefer Android over Iphone because you like open systems you can customise then go Steamdeck. (Sorry, I know that analogy is outdated, but I hope you get the drift)

It does sound like a pretty good bit of kit. I've said before the main thing i would probably use it for is emulation. Its emulation support looks absolutely insane.

What sort of games are you playing on it? Do you find the majority just work or do you spend ages messing about with them to get them just right?

 

[Steveyg]

I never had a switch but mine has surprised me - I've taken to gaming with it at home, downstairs, just so I spend more time with my wife - sure we're doing different stuff but we chat and we wouldn't if I was upstairs on the PC.

This was big for Elden Ring for me, I played it on the sofa with a Steam Link and the missus liked hanging out and watching and chatting trash about my failures

Got God of War yesterday we're going to go through that next

 

[AgentCooper]

the missus liked hanging out and watching and chatting trash about my failures

It’s the love and support of our nearest and dearest that helps us get through challenging times, isn’t it?

I remember playing Dark Souls 3 and getting a bit stuck taking on Lorian and Lothric. Mrs Cooper wandered past and saw the iconic screen…

‘So you died? Why would you die? Surely that’s not going to get you very far?’

Then she toddled off whilst I had another crack at taking on the boss fight. Ten minutes later she walks in and looks at the monitor…

‘Oh, I get it! The objective is to suck and die repeatedly. You’re amazing at this game’

😑​