Steam Deck - top tech or train wreck?

So this is interesting - Valve have announced a new handheld PC, pre orders from later today but delivering from Dec this year. About time the Switch had some competition in this space I reckon.

Quick overview:

• 1280 x 800px, 7" diagonal screen
• Thumbsticks, buttons and trackpads
• Twice the weight of a Switch
• Battery that allows "2 - 8 hours of gameplay"
• Prices from 349 - 569 depending on storage size and type
• Separate dock "coming soon"

I'm no expert on PC specs but it looks quite capable of running the sorts of things I'd want to play pretty smoothly at 800p so I'm actually pretty tempted, even if my eyes are already hurting at the prospect of all that teeny tiny UI text…

Can someone tell me why it's a bad idea before I pre-order please?

teeny tiny UI text

That's why

Pricing aside this sounds kind of insane. If I had one I'd probably never get a third party game on Switch again. Like, I hear Ys IX (just came out on Switch) and Cold Steel 3 run fucking atrociously on Switch compared to console, if this is as good as it looks…that's not even an issue now? Also, any game on PC you think would be perfect on Switch/Vita but not available now are. And apparently you can install Windows on it, so you can basically emulate some games that aren't curently available and play those.

I don't think this is gonna take off. Valve's hardware has never panned out the way the marketing promised; I expect early reviews will be cautiously positive with massive caveats, but long-term it fizzles out without making much of an impact.

Plus, the Steam Deck removes one of the major arguments that hardcore PC gamers trot out in their console inferiority screeds: it's not going to be upgradable. Which means it is, essentially, a £400 device for retro PC games.

for retro PC games

So, good games. :D

But seriously, it's a typical useless move for Valve a la the Steam Console thing they did years ago. They tried co-opting Linux basically for that one reason without really giving a shit about it and putting zero real marketing muscle and exclusivity behind it, and after that died off they've been floundering since. They hacked on the Windows compatibility layer Wine to create Proton and it runs many Windows games pretty good on Linux desktop, but it's really just their consolation prize to Linux users who actually wanted Valve to break away from Windows like they said they wanted to because of Microsoft hinting at moves to control the desktop by their store (which never happened, but who knows what Windows 11 or beyond might bring in the future). Now with the success of the Switch, Valve has decided it wants to try to trot out their "we don't have to pay Windows OS license fees for our Steam machine" Linux association again, but in the end you know what's going to happen: since Valve has said people can do what they want, people are just going to install Windows on it.

And I mean, a cheap-ish Windows handheld machine might be cool, but the lowest price one doesn't sound like it has a lot of headroom for installing things unless you buy a slower SD card to add to it. Hell, the cheapest one is eMMC, not NVMe SSD like the more expensive ones. And with the larger storage options, you run into the price points of other, more successful, WIndows-already-there portable machines.

I don't see the point.

Well the upgradeable PC argument is virtually dead currently I would say as its still virtually impossible to get good prices on any PC tech, especially GFX cards. I used the Amazon 10 off discount event they did recently to get some extra ram as it brought it down to a mere 63 quid! Was under 50 when I originally bought that pre pandemic, now back up over 80.

My issue would be the PC games I play are so different to Switch/Vita , but that is mostly because I hadn't had a PC for maybe 10 years till last year.

It roughly has, when you scale for screen size, a sort of Series S level of power. Nobody is currently moaning about the current gen of consoles being out of date. So the power argument I can't see. It's a capable machine which can play current gen titles. Yes, it'll eventually go out of date (though it appears the storage is user upgradeable) but when you compare it to the price of the GPD Win line you could afford to upgrade it once for the same price as a GPD Win 3. The fact you can swap out the Linux OS for whatever you want is also excellent. Also the option to add other stores - having my entire GOG, Gamepass, Epic, Ubisoft etc library on it is hell of a proposition.

Valve hardware is usually decent. The VR stuff is expensive, but best in class. The Steam Controller was a miss, but a valiant effort. I have no doubt the hardware will be good. The downsides are clearly going to be power draw, UI scaling and ergonomics (as it is fairly heavy). But none of those are deal breakers - and I'm fairly sure a lot of games will quickly have mods for UI adjustment (or devs themselves will update).

I think it could well be moderately successful. I certainly have preordered one (if only to flip it for massive profit damage) but the thought of my full Steam library being easily accessible on a comfortable device that I can use in the camper van or in bed is appealing. I find the Switch has so many compromises (ergonomics, cost of games and closed ecosystem) that this could be a great machine. It also has the potential to be an emulator monster - certainly flawless up to about WiiU level, but maybe even more than that.

I can't really see the lack of enthusiasm from people here - if you commute, travel, have young kids, want to sit in a communal space playing games when your other half is using the TV etc and don't have huge set periods to sit and game then this, like all portables, is going to tick a lot of boxes. It might be a touch gimmicky in some ways, but all handhelds have a slightly gimmicky air to them. So I think it's pretty good.

It's certainly the kind of thing that might make me actually play my (current) Steam library, although I'd never rely on it for anything even close to future proofing. The storage is lacking, for sure, but that's manageable if you're restricting what you put on there (assuming what you're putting on there is small enough to fit). It's fine for what it is.

For me, what makes me not want it:

• The ergonomics of that control layout is horrible. The main buttons are way too close to the outside, would be uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time.
• PC gaming still comes with random functionality issues for me, the usual software failures, error messages, other screw ups that don't make it as convenient as 'press play and go' consoles. I can't see how having it in my hand is going to stop that happening.
• I tried this before, having Steam in my arcade machine to negate the need for mouse/keyboard. Too much of my library is only marked 'controller compatible' rather than 'made for controller'. I'd get too many problems making things work, too much need for jerry rigging things until it's kind of okay. No way I'd use those touch pads as mice, that's not good.

So, not for me but I respect the effort. Happy to lay down a fiver now and say they'll sell quite a few, but it won't last and Valve will give up in three years or less.

I don't think we can make a call on the ergonomics until we hold one. The Switch is pretty horrendous, and this'll certainly be better than that. The rear triggers are also a brilliant addition. Once you've played on an Elite controller or any other one with back paddles there's no going back.

Storage seems fine for me. Cheap SD cards for smaller non-load intensive indie games and the NVME storage for more power hungry stuff.

PC gaming these days is pretty much run and go. And this will be one of the tested platforms for most games (and will benefit from being a fixed platform in that sense) so I suspect compatibility errors will be minimal on any games released over the last few years. I've had games crash on the Switch, and I doubt this'll be much worse.

And yes, the pad only thing is hard to judge. The two touchpads are what I'm interested in - if they make non PvP mouse only games viable (eg Civ 6) then I think they'll be fine. Yes, you're giving up some mouse only games (Valorant, League etc) but I don't think that'll be a killer as I don't think many mouse driven games are going to be the sort of thing you'd want to play on it anyway, certainly not competitively. And of course, you could just use a Bluetooth one in a pinch and prop it I guess.

Again, I don't think this is going to be a Game/Gabeboy, but I do think it could well be this generation's Vita. A powerful machine with a small to medium sized audience who will fervently sing its praises and love using it.

I don't think we can make a call on the ergonomics until we hold one. The Switch is pretty horrendous, and this'll certainly be better than that.

I don't get what you're basing 'this'll certainly be better than that' on at all, given I can see the layout. Taking the Switch as an example (but it can also be applied to Vita, PSP, Game Gear, whatever), the buttons there are in from the edge and lower down. There's purchase to hold onto, your thumb sits inwards to press them. Here, they're all the way up on the top-right edge, so I'm having to tip my hand round so my thumb points up to press them (or I'm holding the right side with the ends of my fingers rather than comfortably in my palm). That's not practical, especially if it really is twice as heavy as a Switch (which is already too heavy for me, hence why I swapped to the Lite). So that's better… how?

There's an argument here that they've applied Western thinking to the design. It's all squared edges, blockiness. It doesn't look streamlined at all. Why this happens, I have no idea, but it doesn't really work.

The rear triggers are also a brilliant addition. Once you've played on an Elite controller or any other one with back paddles there's no going back.

An Elite pad is smaller, more comfortable to hold. Back paddles there are good, your hands naturally curve around the smaller form factor. Here, everything's really far apart because the screen is in the middle. Reaching back further might hurt. The touchpad on the back of the Vita was nigh-on useless for the same reason.

It has to be better than the Switch as the Switch is terrible to hold. This looks fine, you cradle it in your hands and unless you have halfling fingers I can't see how your fingers wouldn't naturally fall onto all the controls. The Switch involves holding it in a claw shape on each hand as it's a flat rectangle with no concessions to ergonomics whatsoever. If that's "streamlined" then thank god they've adopted whatever design approach they have.

And the hands on this sit higher than a traditional handheld. You're holding it more towards the top than a Switch. It's going to be heavy, for sure, but there is absolutely no chance it's worse to hold than a Switch. I suspect it'll be at its most comfortable when you're lying down, partially resting it on your legs. The only way the Switch is comfortable is in the ergonomic shell I bought for it and even then 20 minutes of Hades is agonising.

The Switch in the Satisfye grip ends your point though. Yes I get that's a 40quid on top add on, but still it does. No cradle I tried with the Vita made it a suitable long term use device the way a controller is.

I get your other points but I already have a device for commuting or visiting people, and that has Mario Kart on it!

This to me is an intriguing device but for me I am still on onboard graphics with my PC, I'd rather spend the money my actual PC.

This can emulate Mario Kart 8 better than the Switch to be fair. CEMU will fly on it.

And yeah, I mean. If you don't have a good PC or if you work for Nintendo these are all reasons to be all in on a Switch, I just think this has a sizeable niche and will be a great device at a fair price.

I just think this has a sizeable niche and will be a great device at a fair price.

Saving this for posterity.

Vita sold about 16 million units worldwide. Do I think it'll equal that, perhaps not, but the pre-order figures seem decent and I could see it shifting a sizeable chunk of that figure over 5 years. How many does it need to sell to be a success really?

The preorders at the moment aren't actual preorders though, right? It's a ticket to the preorder queue.

And of course the preorders are nuts, it's a tremendously tempting device at first glance for people with the disposable income to chuck at Valve's latest tech experiment on a whim. The question is how long of a tail this thing's got, and I'm not convinced the PC hardcore are going to support it long-term, or that the console market is going to switch (ha) over.

Why do the PC hardcore need to support it? PC gaming exists beyond "hardcore" players. In the same way there are hardcore console owners and people who play the occasional game. I'd say there are a fair few people who perhaps have a PC for a couple of games and wouldn't mind the opportunity to take it portable, but haven't been attracted by the Switch. Or who have but want the same thing but for their PC library.

For sure, wave 1, like any wave 1 of a console launch will be the people with more money than sense, but I don't think this has any less of a chance at a tail just because it's a PC gaming device.

I could see it shifting a sizeable chunk of that figure over 5 years.

Considering that PCs become obsolete faster than I finish a packet of biscuits, that has to be on the assumption that they'll release a new version fairly regularly with better specs, meaning folk will upgrade. Otherwise, in five years it won't run anything but what works on it now.

Not wishing ill of it, more choice is a good think for the market. But honestly, outside of a curio, we're not looking at mass market penetration here. To think otherwise is a bit silly. I'd love to be proven wrong and if I am, great! But come on. Be realistic.

Why do the PC hardcore need to support it? PC gaming exists beyond "hardcore" players.

It's $350 for the worst version. No casual player spends that on a handheld device, let alone more. And you can't have it both ways… praising the ability to use more than Steam on it is only appealing to the hardcore market. Casual users don't have the technical know-how to add multiple stores, install different OSes, etc. But hey, whatever.

Considering that PCs become obsolete faster than I finish a packet of biscuits

May have been the case 20 years ago but emphatically not the case these days. I built my PC in 2014 and it’s still going strong. I’ve upgraded the graphics card once in seven years, and I probably didn’t even need to do that. It’s not going to run the latest AAA games at max at 4K but it runs a surprising amount of stuff at frame rates and settings better than you’d get on console.

Meanwhile I bought a laptop for work and it’s not a gaming device at all really but it’s surprising how much of the Game Pass library runs really well on it. A quick game of Monster Train has become a guilty lunchtime habit.

A PC is a big one-off investment but if you choose wisely it can last you for years and years these days. Even the big games are surprisingly scalable for older hardware.

I think this is a fairly spectacular device and I wish it the very best of luck. I'm not sure how well it'll do but it's clearly a very brave attempt.

I think the 64 gig one might be a bit on the wee side in terms of storage but, by the same token, you could have it just be a machine that runs a shitload of indie games which tend to have faster lead-times because they're less asset bloated.

Hardware-wise, I'm going to riff really hard on a great thread by CaseyExplosion, but too many people have bought into the idea that we should be obsessed with the highest possible fidelity. Valve have the numbers to back up every decision they've made with this thing - the most popular GPU is the 1060. The vast majority of people are running at 1080p, with more people running at 1440p than 4k. The Glorious Golden Whoever The Fuck PC Gamer - in an at-scale sense - does not exist in such a way as to be a core demographic for a new piece of hardware.

"But you can't install X on it with the storage of the base model" is fine as a point, but I think that kind of misses the point. I can install Civ 6, Monster Train, Hades, and X-Com at the same time? Or stick Windows on it to get Gamepass games too?! Well, then.

I like the idea of the Steam handheld, I could totally buy a handheld which lets me buy all the Steam RPGs I've never played. £400 is a bit steep though and it's form factor looks awful. I have tiny hand though and can play the Switch or the Vita for hours without complaint. I can't imagine playing anything on this thing which requires both sticks and the shoulder buttons.

That said, I do think Cav is right, it will find an audience. Probably most among people who want a powerful emulation device but there's plenty of them.

feltmonkey said I was right this year as well. These truly are the end times.

The emulation angle is the key with me. Much more interested in that than playing the games I do on my PC, on the move.

So I tried to get one in first 15 mins or so but it wouldn't let me add the order to my basket. Had to do teatime/bedtime with kids and by the time I remembered and got back to it, delivery of orders for mid/high spec models were not going to happen until well into 2022. That's not the sort of instant gratification modern life has prepared me for!

This is getting closer to release, and most of the previews have confirmed what I thought when I ordered it - it looks fucking great.

It certainly looks fucking massive.

Ah, the GBA, the current handheld of choice for a modern generation.

Show me it next to an N-Gage.

It's smaller than a 300BC stone writing tablet. Checkmate Garwoofoo.

That thing probably plays DOOM, too.

Held a Steam Deck the other day. 's pretty cool.

As God of War, Days Gone and Horizon are now certified on the device and Sony are bringing all their IP to Steam, someone pointed out the Steam Deck is essentially Vita 2.

Well now I want one.

They look massive though and I have tiny hands. Which console's controller are they most similar to?

Atari Lynx, by the look of it. Or maybe…

I haven't held a Lynx since I was a kid and I have no idea what that is. Thanks though!

The problem I see with the steamdeck is that the sticks are both high up and in from the edge which doesn't look comfy for prolonged play.

Have you tried eating less avocado toast and just getting bigger hands?

Having small hands is a valid lifestyle choice.

Well now I want one.

They look massive though and I have tiny hands. Which console's controller are they most similar to?

there's some dna from the steam controller in them in the panels at the back but in order to avoid the 'lol steam controller bad' I'd probably say one of those tricked out xbox pads with the panels on the rear. the track pads feel a bit tacked on.

Huge slew of reviews in - mostly positive. I think the Verge one is the fairest, and points out that essentially this isn't a handheld console. It's a hobbyists and tinkerers' PC with a lot of freedom but also an awful lot of ways for it to be difficult to use and obtuse. The most important thing to me is performance and I have been impressed with that - 60fps on older titles, but locked 30 on stuff like God of War and Forza Horizon 5 - not bad. I'd be willing to just have 2 hours battery life to play high fidelity PC games at reasonable framerates with a bit of tinkering. I'd say this is very much a wait-for-round-2 product though for most people. I think the slickness of it will improve exponentially over the months. At the moment this is Cyberpunk the console. Which I still thought was great at launch but which really annoyed other people.

There is an OLED Steam Deck on the way, and the non OLED is having a price cut. I have mine with me at the moment in the US, and it remains a great device, though I maintain it requires far too much tinkering to get stuff running (and keep stuff running). The new version will have a "better" screen (I've seen a lot of stuff complaining the original doesn't have a good screen, when it does) and a slight bump in battery life. Out in Nov.

I think the OLED screen on the Switch is certainly a bit nicer than the one in the Deck, but I have the non reflective coated model and I really don't think there's a huge amount between them in day to day use. The Switch is nice, but the Deck's screen is larger and less reflection prone. I'm not sure I'd really be all that fussed to upgrade, though it's a nice bonus for new users.

Convincing enough for any of the holdouts here? The 349 SKU is a lot of device for the money.

I keep flip flopping on this, the only time I'd play on it is in front of my PC and there's no way I would be bold enough to take it anywhere out the house but I can't say having all Legend of Heroes games on a handheld doesn't sound comfy as fuck. I wish the Steam Deck could get actual Games Pass access somehow. (on the Steam OS)

I have a few games on the (bloody awful) Ubisoft Connect. If I bought a Steam Deck, would I be able to easily play those, or would I need a degree in coding to run anything non-Steam?

The answer to both those questions is the same. You can absolutely get Game Pass and Ubisoft's store (as well as GOG, Epic and others) working on the Deck. To do so is a massive pain in the arse, will break every time there is a major firmware update and will rely on you following a multistep guide. Even for Steam native UNIX games, with a Green tick (fully compatible) there will be times stuff doesn't run and you need to tinker. It's a PC. A modern PC, so gradually pushing the fucking about to a minimum, but it's still there.

But it is significantly more ergonomic, powerful and comfortable than a Switch, with a massive library of games that are available at a fraction of the price they are on the Nintendo store.

As with everything in life, it's a compromise.

Digital Foundry made the new OLED model sound like the most desirable invention since the wheel, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so enraptured by anything.

The gadget lover in me absolutely wants one. The bit of me that used to love tinkering endlessly with PCs wants one too. The gamer in me… maybe less so. I don’t really play handheld much these days, I find the Switch awkward and uncomfortable to hold, and tend to just stick it on the TV these days. Maybe the Deck is much more comfortable and appealing as a handheld device, as cav says, but I’m not sure I am going to splash out £500+ to find out it’s not.

The cheapest model of Deck is now £350 (OLED starting at £479), and the market is about to be flooded with second hand decks in the 200 quid range. So unless you're intending to snort coke off the screen, I'm not sure why you'd need 500+ quid to sample if the general concept is for you.

The Deck is light years ahead in terms of comfort when compared to the Switch. It's the most comfortable handheld ever made, by a massive margin. But that also contributes to a weakness, that when it's in its case it's just too large to practically take anywhere without having to plan carefully what other items you won't be putting in your backpack. My rucksack on the aeroplane was about 75% Steam Deck.

That said, I finally found a pair of replacement 3rd party joycons for the Switch that absolutely transformed it ergonomically and comfort wise. As with all things non licenced you sacrifice gyro and rumble, but it has improved the device a huge amount. The choice to take the Steam Deck this time was just based on games I happened to be playing, rather than platform.

Anyway - the flood of Decks onto rllmuk suggest that the market for the OLED model is likely to be early adopters and people who simply must have the latest tech. It looks like a marginal upgrade, at best, especially if you go for the etched glass screen. The main attraction for me is probably the 90hz refresh rate and reduced weight. Even so, I think I'll wait for SD2, which surely has to land in a couple of years time.

cav what are your thoughts on the Lenovo Legion Go?

The entry-level one is actually £309 while stocks last, so even more tempting!

So what SNES game are we all intending to emulate on it first???

I've got an Asus Rog Ally and I think it might be my favourite object. Out of all the objects I own, and even including those that I don't own, it is objectively the best object.

It's a Steam deck, but more powerful, and Windows-based so you can install Game Pass, the Epic Games Store, GOG, the terrible Ubisoft one, or whatever you want as well as Steam without any more fiddling than you would on any other Windows PC. Games run well and look amazing on the machine, too. Albeit only for about an hour before you have to recharge the battery.

As that alludes to, it's not all positives compared to the Deck. It lacks the touch pads, so you can't realistically play RTS games or anything that is mouse-controlled. You can use a thumbstick as a mouse, but that's just terrible. The Windows thing is a mixed blessing really. It gives you flexibility, but it gives you a UI that is not designed for a handheld device, and it also inflicts all the fun of Windows. One day, my Ally suddenly became locked in a weird resolution so all the icons were absolutely tiny. It turned out that Windows had installed an update that over-wrote the device's graphics driver. Fixing that was an absolute nightmare. It took hours, and I had to go out and buy a wireless mouse and keyboard to attach to the device in order to click on the icons and boxes I needed to, as prodding them in touchscreen mode was literally impossible. It also cooks it's own SD card reader after a while. This isn't a fault that affects some machines. It's inevitable.

On the positive side though, and most of this applies to the Deck as well, a handheld PC like this is a genuine game-changer. I've always loved handheld gaming, and in many ways this is exactly what I've been dreaming of for decades. My entire PC library is right there, accessible wherever I go (for about an hour) so I can play Red Dead Redemption 2 or Starfield in a car park. For about an hour. Starfield looks and runs better on the Ally than my desktop PC. It doesn't make it any better as a game, unfortunately. The fact that it is a PC gives it a huge advantage over the Switch in terms of affordability. Obviously the unit is expensive, but then you can get the games for a lot cheaper. Switch games don't really come down in price much. Breath of the Wild is still £40 second hand, for example. If you use Steam Sales and CD Keys, you can get fantastic fairly recent games for under a tenner. That's not even taking into account Game Pass.

What's more, if you happen to be a dangerous renegade, a rebel with no regard for the law, the libraries of previous generations are there through the magic of emulation. I play PS2 and Xbox 360 games on the Ally as much as I play PC games. I can finally play Geometry Wars 2 again! In a car park! For about an hour. There is a program you can get for the Deck called Emudeck which organises all your emulation stuff in one place and makes it simplicity itself to use them. It is available for Windows as well, but you have to sub to their patreon for a month as it is currently in early access. It's well worth it, frankly.

A Steam Deck for £350 is such a no-brainer in my opinion. It's so worth it. A second hand one for something like £200 is tempting even though I already have a Rog Ally, frankly. It's even not too difficult to upgrade the SSD to a much bigger one. I have a 2TB SSD in my machine now, so I have hundreds of ROMs and about 20 full size PC games installed on there and still quite a lot of free space. I also have an unused 500gb 2230 SSD that could find a new home in a second-hand Steam Deck…