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[Filben]

I like gaming without much complication,

The Steam Deck is probably as much plug in and play as it gets with being a PC. However, it's still a PC so sometimes you have to tinker a bit to get that one specific game from 1999 to run or the other one from 2022 that may not work on Valve's official Proton version.

Thousands of games work out of the box, though. You'll still encounter minor oddities at times, e. g. when navigating a huge library and the cursor goes wild.

However, Valve is constantly pushing out minor and major updates, further improving on features, stability, and performance.

As for the games, even RTS games work well as long as you don't play competitive. Games without gamepad support can be played with the Steam Deck but require pre-made community controls or tinkering with SteamInput on your own. Once its setup correctly it does work well; trial and error is part of the process though.

If the game supports controller natively, you're good to go in almost all instances.

The speakers are exceptionally good and loud if you want to and retro games are amazing on that display and with the built in speakers.

Personally, I wouldn't want to play games like Elden Ring or Cyberpunk on it. Many do though and that's the brilliance of it. Gives you lots of options but I think it works best when playing older games that won't make the fan start, gives you 3-6h hours battery life and offer native game pad support. For those it's like playing on a console.

If you feel adventurous you can always do more with it. I'd also recommend it highly for pre PS2 era emulation.

 

[calistan]

As a portable device specifically, it is not as good as the Switch (the Switch has better build quality, screen, weight, ergonomics, and battery life, which are all critical for a portable)

Battery life and the size of the thing count against it, but I'm not sure about the rest.

I have a Deck with the matte screen, and it's bigger and better than my standard non-OLED Switch screen. Build quality on the Deck is solid, whereas I've had to return my Switch controllers twice because something broke inside one of the joysticks, and the whole thing flexes where the controllers attach. Ergonomics - the Deck has normal sized controls and is comfortable for adult hands, while the Switch most certainly is not.

I probably wouldn't take either of them anywhere, though. They're both home consoles for me.

 

[KiteGr]

I thought about a few additional bullet points

Got it. Loved it.

• It's very powerful and can do wonders.
• It's surprisingly light.
• It can run nearly all emulators.
• The community around it is very active, and streamlined most modifications you'll have to do your self.
• It's fantastic for indies and most last gen games.

• Valve have been ultra consumer friendly with the Deck! Every hardware is sold bellow cost, including the docking station, that at first glance it looks expencive until you realise how much the included charger costs independently. They also allow returns and replacements without much banter, allow competitior's stores to work on it, and released them selfs tuttorials on taking the console appard to repair, upgrade or modify it.
• The console's controler is also very compatible. It's structured like an Xbox controler and is as compatible with that. It uncludes trackpads, touch screen and gyros for the times you'll need a mouse, Rumble and analogue triggers for the games that make use of it, Steam's support for all other controlers, bluetooth or wired, and 4 extra buttons on the back for god knows what. It's hard to find a known game that won't work (Check ProtonDb for more accurate compatibility).

However!...

• If you are playing a resource heavy game or a demanding emulator you should expect the battery to drain as fast as even an hour and a half. On lower games it can even reach 6-8 hours. There is a seperate options button to help you squeese more life with a few downgrades.
• If you are planning to play the most recent AAA games, it also wouldn't possibly run them without major sacrifices. It's like playing a PSP port of a PS3 game. No mater how groundbreaking it is for a portable console, it's still a portable "console" so stuff are going to look downgraded. At least the SSD prevents most lags and loadings.
• It's based on linux, so not all games are compatible. Valves rating often marks as incompatible games that actually are, or would be with a custom upgrade to Proton (linux emulator) that you'll have to do your self. Check Protondb.com for the true compatibility.

• The linux operating system can make it hard to run mod tools. Many mods don't support linux, and running them through compatibility tools can be a learning experience.
• If you plan on installing windows, it's still not recomended as they are slower.
• While being called, "portable", it's still quite big. It won't fit on any pocket, and you wouldn't want it anywhere in the wild outside it's case.

Still if you already have a current console for the AAA games, I think it's a no-brainer.

 

[LakeOf9]

Battery life and the size of the thing count against it, but I'm not sure about the rest.

I have a Deck with the matte screen, and it's bigger and better than my standard non-OLED Switch screen. Build quality on the Deck is solid, whereas I've had to return my Switch controllers twice because something broke inside one of the joysticks, and the whole thing flexes where the controllers attach. Ergonomics - the Deck has normal sized controls and is comfortable for adult hands, while the Switch most certainly is not.

I probably wouldn't take either of them anywhere, though. They're both home consoles for me.

I’m comparing to the Switch OLED. Significantly better screen on that, plus the build quality and construction is the best any portable has had except maybe the Vita 1000. I agree Deck outclasses the launch Switch in those regards though, yeah.

 

[Knightime_X]

How free are you to install apps like zdoom, emulators of your choice etc. ?
Or do you have to select from a curated selection?

Will likely wait for Steam Deck 2 a few years from now.

 

[angelgs90]

I had to return it due to screen quality. Lots of backlight bleed.

Will probably buy it again when the OLED model comes out.

 

[LQX]

I don't use it much as I thought I would, but I think it it is beyond a great deal if you don't have a gaming or everyday PC. I love it for fighting games, and is an amazing indie and emulation device, but what makes it godly is that still plays a ton or graphic intensive games just fine and they look great on the small screen. For me; I can see myself always keeping a deck around as I like having a secondary PC in case my main gaming PC goes down for upgrades or what have you.

 

[Mistake]

I heard it can emulate saturn games pretty good, that true? Last I checked it was still a pain on pc and was better to get a hardmod console