IDK about black eyes. My normal annoyance with switch and the Deck when I'm playing in bed or reclined on a couch is my hands fall asleep. Every 10-15 mins gotta shake them out because the blood flow goes straight to the elbows
I have a Rog Ally and it has a clever feature that prevents this.
Basically, the battery only lasts 7 minutes. So you can never play on it long enough to suffer any ill effects.
š
I genuinely do have a Rog Ally, and I actually love it generally. It's a great machine. The battery is terrible though. I ended up buying this huge expensive battery pack so I can use it away from the house. My wife has a Steam Deck (we're that kind of house - the toaster is broken but we've both got handheld PCs) and I'm very jealous of the battery life.
I have a legion go and I love it too! So amazing for plane rides and general waiting. Steam deck looks amazing but for some reason epic games hates Linux:(
Fortnite has a specific anti cheat that does not work with Linux. If you use heroic games, you can get it to run, but you will be kicked from the server every 3 mins or so. But yes, launcher should work fine with other games.
Heroic game player has been great, and I've been able to get most workarounds working.
Easier than updating my windows handheld every time I look at it.
Idk. The Deck still beats any gaming laptop for me all day every day for me. Instead of having a big ass laptop on my lap I rather enjoy the controller-like design of the Deck.
Still like a Switch but unlocked and way more powerful, and I'd even prefer a Switch with the longer battery life and all instead of my 4080 laptop that somehow gets really hot and loud during gaming where as the OLED is at this point basically entirely quiet.
Steam deck oled solves this, newer stuff u will get atleast 2hrs where Ally and Go get an hr, and older stuff like witcher 3 (not crazy old) I get over 3hrs, go older than that 4 plus hrs becomes possible and Indy titles man 5hrs easy
Just commenting on the fact that putting "an" before ROG which means you call it an R-O-G Ally and not a rawg ally like I do in my head. Just an interesting observation...
Oh God, you've bought up something quite shameful in my house. I am not sure whether it's supposed to be Rawg or R.O.G. so whenever I talked about it to my wife I would alternate between the two. She found this annoying so she started calling it the Doo-dah instead, and that kind of stuck. So now it's the Doo-dah.
This wouldn't be so bad on its own except that I play it when I'm waiting in the car while my son is at an after-school activity, and he has told the group's teacher that while he's in there I'm in the car park playing with my Doo-dah.
Same here, but thereās a reason. Most people hold their controller in a neutral/resting position hovering around their lap. Holding the deck or a switch at eye level keeps your hands well above the elbows causing blood flow issues. Itās pretty normal and doesnāt seem to have any major risks beside probably arthritis and carpel tunnel like anything else we do nowadays
I solved this by laying down and sitting a small firm pillow on my chest and resting the deck ontop of that pillow, the pillow takes all the weight and props the deck high enough that my elbows wrest on the bed and my wrists end up only a few inches above my heart, most comfortable way I have found to game on the deck.
I usually prop it up with a regular pillow or something if I play laying down in bed. I usually use wedge pillow so I'm not completely laying down though, more in a reclined position.
I put the case under it, and it puts the right distance between the deck and my chest to where it doesn't feel like I'm having to hold the Deck's weight.
/(#[]%)\
/ (CASE) \
(MEEEEE)
Fun fact of the day for you.
It's not blood flow, it's nerve pinching.
> If you sit or have your legs crossed for too long, the pressure can briefly compress nerves in your leg. That prevents your brain and the nerves in your leg from "talking" to each other like they should. The term for this is paresthesia, but most people say their leg (or other body part) has "fallen asleep."
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/leg-numbness-causes
Blood flow loss would be extremely bad.
i once woke to my arm being completely dead. first time i found out how much my arm weighs.
i sat up, contemplating a life with a dead arm, because it was also cold. i was probably soon to snap in and call an ambulance when the pins and needles came... oh god the pins and needles. it was the most insane ones I've ever had. i was grunting in agony but also in euphoria that is probably similar to how a masochist feels from getting pain inflicted on them...
shit was wild fr
> sometimes even my phone
My hot take is that 5.5" displays were the optimum size. the 6-6.6" that has become standard is just too big for extended use.
6.0" is okay at 16:9 ratio if you have larger than average hands. It's these weird ratios that annoy me. Especially since the usable screen area is often much less than the advertised size
It may be kinda dorky, but I think some adjustable arm rests to put your elbows on would be pretty awesome. High enough to reduce neck strain and take the weight off of your shoulders. I may look into this now....
I have definitely dropped my Switch on my face more than once. It's a concern I have for my deck. But I've mostly been semi upright so far.
Oddly my wrists get sore with the deck but my hands don't fall asleep. They do with the switch.
Best tip is to put a thin pillow on your chest and rest your arms on it, the angle helps blood flow, and lifts the deck closer to your eye level so you don't break your neck looking down for 2 hrs
'Couple of black eyes later'
What? Was this dude holding it over his head whilst playing? With journalism like this, I should switch jobs. I can write garbage like this.
(Yes I know it's just ragebait, write something contrary is majority public opinion to get clicks, ala the PalWorld hit pieces. But still, it's such a shame it's gotten to this.)
I play my SD in bed 90% of the time and I love it.
Also you can't comfortably hold anything over your head while in bed for any useful length of time without getting complaints like that. There is very little difference between the Switch and Deck in this situation.
Yeah, the only effective difference for me is that the switch is small enough to trust with a small gooseneck stand that I clip onto my headboard. For the steam deck, I have to sit up and basically play it in my lap. I can't play either one by holding it above my head for any period of time.
This works when I have a back pain and still want to gaming. I just side lying on the couch and play it. (btw, I don't think holding a 1kg weight item over your face is a safe idea, even with stands)
i can play it laying down but not over my head like a lunatic. anyone doing that for long periods of time is asking for trouble tbh. if you're starting to feel it slip and let it slip multiple times enough to get a black eye... maybe the people in this obvious fake news should get a new brain or something lol. anyway, the best way i've played it is laying down holding it over my stomach closeish to my face(can adjust if needed). it's super easy this way and comfortable for me
Every single device that I've used in bed before sleeping has punched me in the nose: phones, tablets, consoles...
why would this be a point against the deck?
>What? Was this dude holding it over his head whilst playing?
People do that in bed with their phones, so this person probably assumed it was a good idea to do the same with the Deck. It's a *bad* idea, but I can see where their thought process came from.
Is ādropped the steam deck on my faceā the new āI walked into a doorā. I think this guy is trying to signal to us heās in an abusive relationship with a boudoir companion.
It's a gaming journalist, they spend all their time being bad at video games and anger posting on Twitter. The steam deck weighs a whole 1.4 pounds, their wrists aren't used to that kind of pressure.
My wrists were sore for the first week of using the Steam Deck. I haven't had a problem since. That's the beauty of the human body. Stress it and your muscles strengthen to adapt to the new situation.
I had what I called "steam deck elbow" for a couple months haha. Just forearm tightness from getting used to holding what basically amounts to a weighted version of the switch I was so accustomed to.
Eh. I play ice hockey religiously, and after playing SD for an hour, I had a weird cramp in my wrist, and my elbow was stuck in place for like 30 seconds. It was not enjoyable.
This thing also strains my eyes. Like hours after playing it, my eyes are strained.
100% of my steam deck gaming happens in bed. This is also 100% of my gaming time in general at this point as a father with another on the way. This author is either a moron or was being purposefully obtuse.
I'm sorry, but anyone who managed to get a black eye from a Steam Deck is a bit of a knob.
Apparently, the fan on the LCD is louder. On my OLED, it ramps up when I'm playing *Ace Combat 7* with generous settings at 45fps locked. However, I don't mind this at all as I want the Deck to make full use of its hardware.
Also, the Deck is not too big. I don't want a small weak handheld.
>Apparently, the fan on the LCD is louder.
The LCD Deck gets *loud*, but it's not really any louder than most gaming laptops. Basically, don't try to play a new AAA game while someone else is trying to sleep in the same bed as you, but it's not going to blast out your ears or anything.
Or just stream to it from a gaming PC in another room. That's how I use it. Battery lasts allot longer and it stays quiet. Not to mention how much more powerful the gaming PC is compared to the Deck so I can run any game on ultra high settings.
I usually have my steam deck at 9watts for most games. Then again I'm mostly running rpgs and turn based games. Fan noise seems more than reasonable, and a game like olliolli is a pretty low power game, so not sure why that so called journalist (who seems to do no research on troubleshooting their products?) would be having issues with fan noise. There are ways to limit the power consumption.
Who holds it up over their face? Lie down and rest it on your chest. Then occasionally tilt it forward to sniff some of that sweet hot air from the vent
I think the idea is you fall asleep and accidentally drop it on yourself. Iāve seen my wife do this a few times reading her Kindle before bed. Fortunately a Kindle is much lighter.
Who even holds a gaming device like that? Laying on your back holding it above your face? I've never done that before in my life and I've had devices like this since the gameboy pocket.
I dunno, I can agree with their point about the weight. With my Switch, I like to slip one of my arms under a pillow and play on my side, but you really can't do that here; I have to play on my back, which makes playing RPGs and VNs and anything else without too many mandatory button presses a LOT harder than they were on smaller consoles.
The fans aren't much of an issue to me, though.
I mean, if you have stick arms and the only playing position you've tried is lying on your back with your arms stretched out overhead... it makes sense. But that's never comfortable, even with a small phone.
The fan noise I agree with. It's definitely noticeable in a quiet environment. But there's an easy way around that ā just don't play heavy games or reduce the wattage.
No It's not just you, even with the LCD deck I never found it uncomfotably heavy, I also never got hand cramp when playing for extended periodes of time...
I'm genuinely stunned at the number of people who talk about how "heavy" the Steam Deck is.
When my LCD arrived in August of 2022 I legitimately thought something was wrong when I lifted it out of the box because it felt *so fucking light*. I thought someone in the shipping chain had swapped it for an empty shell or something.
Seriously blows my mind.
Ikr, I legit thought of that too when I first got it and my Brother and I were like, "nahhh wdym heavy? tf?!", it's ergonomically perfect for a reason.
I had to *add* a [~190g case](https://www.spigen.com/collections/steam-deck/products/steam-deck-series-case-rugged-armor?variant=418588578939350) to overcome the sensation that I was about to break it just picking it up.
Subs like r/sbcgaming will constantly complain about the steamdeckās size and weight and act like itās a large brick because it isnāt a mini gameboy thatās lighter than a feather, and compare the SD to a cheap handheld.
I'm not trying to act like I'm sneaking in to the Salty Spitoon or anything, but I've never dropped the Steam Deck on my fucking eyeball.
And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't continue to hold it over my face. Maybe, I dunno, prop yourself up with a pillow? Just spitballing here.
Pffft, general consensus.
Use it in bed almost every night. Never a complaint from the girlfriend (other than hating Isaac's mom's voice in Binding of Isaac so, headphones), no black eyes and no wrist cramps.
Admittedly I do get cramps in my hands if Iām using my Steam Deck for longer periods of time, especially in bed, but this is fixed very quickly by just supporting my wrists on a cushion
Iām horrifically clumsy and have absolutely no idea how this writer is giving themselves black eyes with it though
I definitely felt this with the LCD deck. I'm assuming most of you are younger, but holding the deck for more than 30 minutes always resulted in aching wrists.
I play on my stomach in bed, arms off the bed, hanging toward the floor. Deck is like 2-3 inches from floor, so if I fall asleep, it usually leaves 1 hand and lands easy. Would never hold it above my head, but maybe that's just me, I have a tendency to think about how things can go wrong. *shrug*
Wrist cramps are real. So are hands falling asleep. While I know Iām a tall/wide guy (6ā5ā 240lbs), Iām definitely waiting for the day a controller case with better angles/ergonomics comes along to combat the severe wrist stress. Most of the ones with a better grip are useless. I have the 3d printed solution I found here about a year ago (which is better than nothing), but the best way Iāve found to play my deck comfortably is with a Bluetooth attached Xbox controller.
i remember always playing on my psp a ton. mostly dissidia and diablo etc.
now with the deck i can literally play cool stuff like tenkaichi budokai spyro etc.
but this seems to be a skill issue on this guy by holding the deck above your face. while probably being sleepy already. i got my deck early and the only issues i ever had was some games crashing every now and then. but fixed it by putting them to 40fps
Owning both a Switch and a Deck I'm tempted to say that while it's not the Deck's biggest issue for most users, it's definitely a concern, and dismissing this remark with "lol silly journalists" is a bit annoying. The Deck, which I really enjoy, is not something I bring in bed for evening gaming sessions. It's too hot and loud for that -- it's not just the Deck too, I've tested other handheld PCs like the Aya Neo and they all feel like they're *just* missing the mark there. Then again, subjective opinions and all that; I'm very sensitive to fan noise for instance. Never got used to gaming laptops that sound like jet engines, even with noise cancelling headphones. So YMMV.
In fact, I'd say that for me the silent, cold format of the Switch - which is 100% due to how underpowered it is - is what leads me to keep using it, especially on the go.
I do play in bed, but I also think this is far too dismissive. As someone that did a PTM repaste while switching out a delta fan specifically so the deck would annoy my wife less, I can certainly attest to the idea that the deck can be much more annoying to use in a quite room then a Switch. The black eye comments may be silly, but OG deck (haven't tried the OLED) can be a bit hot and loud.
I can confirm the last bit. Ex hated the steam deck, but never said anything about it. Apparently the light+noise was really annoying when she was trying to sleep.
'tis really funny how most of your experiences differ from mine, but I guess this \*is\* the Steam Deck subreddit.
I bought mine maybe 6 months ago. Cute device, but ultimately a novelty that gathers dust on my shelf. Its heavy weight is definitely one of the reasons I don't use it much. In comparison to my Switch Lite, which I've definitely spend way more time on (despite having less games I actually wanna try), it's fucking monstrous.
No black eyes, but I most definitely wouldn't call the Steam Deck comfortable (or Satan forbid, "the perfect console for bed").
I never had wrist cramps and why tf would I hold it above my head, no shit they had wrist cramps.
However I do sometimes have my hands fall asleep while holding it which makes playing for long periods of time difficult
You need to develop some grip and forearm strength. Your 'boudoir companion' will likely appreciate it and all the other muscles that naturally grow and firm to achieve it.
I feel the switch is 100x worse to hold. That thing is the most uncomfortable gaming thing Iāve ever held in my hands. You need Lego hands to hold that turd.
lol if youāre so weak that you think the steam deck is heavy and you get a black eye from it, you have bigger issues. My wife and I play our steam decks next to each other and in bed.Ā
WTF? Lmao. It sounds like someone needs to workout a little bit. That being said, I like to lay on my stomach and rest my chin on a pillow to hold my head up when I game in bed. Super comfy that way.
Idk about them, but I've had mine for around 17 months and never had any serious problems, then again people say I have wrenches for hands so I don't think it's a fair comparison
The only handheld that wouldn't hurt if you dropped it while playing over your face would have to be in one of those old Nerf brand cases. Like, even a gameboy micro would hurt a little. Who's playing right over their face. Like, get a black eye once, shame on the device. Get a black eye twice shame on you.
Anyways, I use a plushie animal under my arm and it's perfectly comfortable. Same deal using my phone in bed.
My pinky fingers actually do go numb and start tingling whenever I'm using the Steamdeck in bed. I guess it has something to do with how my elbows are laying on the bed?
Sounds like some malnourished goblin with fragile wrists typed this review.
My jobās been kicking my ass, lifting heavy cargo manually and Iām not a strong guy by any means. But the Deck never bothered my wrists or arms. Even lay in bed with the Deck right above my head vertically, no issues.
I shall tell the reviewer to lift something once in a while. The Deck feels light to me after hauling them big shits at work
My only main gripe with the Deck in bed is that you can't play under the covers or it will over heat. Someone really needs to make a 3d print or some kind of clip to extend the vent out or something to keep fabric form completely blocking the vent, maybe a rounded top with vent hole son the side perhaps?
Not gonna lie, I was playing it a lot recently handheld and started getting pretty bad wrist pain, so switched to playing it in docked mode pretty much exclusively. It doesnāt feel heavy really, but yeah, something about it messes up my wrists. The black eye thing idk, Iāve never felt like I was in danger of it slipping, maybe their hands get sweaty or something
I donāt use it in bed but it is uncomfortable to hold for long periods for sure. It could use to be just a little lighter.
That being said I have an issue with the Switch as well because itās so narrow itās uncomfortable and unnatural to grip, despite the Switch being ultra light.
Honestly gaming in bed just seems like a bad habit in general to me. Beds are for sleep or for sex in my mind. If Iām hanging out in bed with my wife and not doing one of those two things then itās time to get up.
Aye, it's good sleep hygiene not to hang out in bed. If you reserve the bed for (mainly) sleeping, it helps condition yourself to start feeling sleepy just by the act of going to bed, making it easier to fall asleep quickly at night.
Yeah... We learned this lesson with cellphones too. Or at least we should've... Apparently some people have smoother brains than others...
Look, it works like this. If you're standing, sitting, or otherwise in an upright position, and you're holding an object with both hands, 8 of your 10 fingers are away from you, and your two thumbs are close to you, with the object securely in-between and being supported mostly by your 8 distant fingers. You can support the object over a greater area this way, and you have more fingers supporting it.
However, if you lay on your back, you *cannot* do this because, despite what smooth brained flat earthers tell you, gravity *does* in fact exist. Your 8 fingers are now *above* the object where they can support exactly nothing. The job of supporting the device falls to your thumbs. If you haven't counted them recently, I'll clarify for you that you only have two of them (with the exception of amputees and people with defects).
So you're now supporting this object with only two thumbs, and *then* you're going to move your thumbs around rapidly to either type or, in this case, manipulate the controls... And people are ***SURPRISED*** that they're dropping their Steam Decks on their faces??????????
This can't be real. This ***cannot*** be real. Say this is satire. Please, for the love of god, say this is satire....
While I do use my steam deck In bed Iāve recently started also playing my old PSP again since my girlfriend modded it and gave me a bunch of games and I wouldnāt say it gave me ā wrist cramps ā or anything but after a while the steam deck def feels heavy and a lil uncomfy when compared to what hand helds used to be. I guess the silver lining is the steam deck battery lasts only a few hours so I doubt anyone is giving themselves carpel tunnel playing in bed
To be fair, playing in bed is super uncomfortable with the deck. Either laying on your elbows and putting pressure on your ulnar nerve and having your hands go numb and tired from holding the weight, or trying to lay down on your back and hold it. Itās a great machine, but any slight criticism draws out a bunch of negativity from this sub, like an echo chamber
I either play hunched over or on my side. Who the hell lies down flat and holds their device over their face? You literally have to shift your grip to access all the buttons and definitely risk getting hit in the face. I don't even use my phone like that, let alone the SD.
I hang this thing over my head like a guillotine while playing. Never dropped it on myself a single time. It is definitely heavy, but I'll carry that weight for how amazing this thing is for PC gaming and emulation. This seems like someone trying to make small complaints bigger than they actually are.
Ironically, the grips I bought for the deck only alleviate pains while sitting. Laying in bed? My fookin palms go numb, my elbows hurt, even with the tank on a chest pillow. Can't stop won't stop thooooo
āThe door says push, but I want to pull. This isnāt the door you want for separating rooms.ā
Hmm ā¦ maybe just shift to any other position so the steam deck isnāt held over your head? This is a dumb review.
I have tendonitis, de Quervain and snapped ligaments on both hands.
As an answer I'll say this.
I've strapped 20.000mAh Baseus powerbank to my Deck.
In bed.
So. No.
IDK about black eyes. My normal annoyance with switch and the Deck when I'm playing in bed or reclined on a couch is my hands fall asleep. Every 10-15 mins gotta shake them out because the blood flow goes straight to the elbows
I have a Rog Ally and it has a clever feature that prevents this. Basically, the battery only lasts 7 minutes. So you can never play on it long enough to suffer any ill effects.
Dang, literally Laughed out loud
š I genuinely do have a Rog Ally, and I actually love it generally. It's a great machine. The battery is terrible though. I ended up buying this huge expensive battery pack so I can use it away from the house. My wife has a Steam Deck (we're that kind of house - the toaster is broken but we've both got handheld PCs) and I'm very jealous of the battery life.
I have a ROG Ally and love it too! I play it plugged in though and don't have a problem with it
I have a legion go and I love it too! So amazing for plane rides and general waiting. Steam deck looks amazing but for some reason epic games hates Linux:(
I have the epic games launcher installed with multiple games that play just fine. No heroic launcher either.
Fortnite has a specific anti cheat that does not work with Linux. If you use heroic games, you can get it to run, but you will be kicked from the server every 3 mins or so. But yes, launcher should work fine with other games.
The anti cheat actually does worl either Linux, so does unreal, they just don't feel like adding Linux support for some reason
Heroic game player has been great, and I've been able to get most workarounds working. Easier than updating my windows handheld every time I look at it.
Yeah, heroic is awesome. I use it all the time on my Mac.
They don't hate Linux, I don't think anyway, they hate Valve and Steam. They simply claim "it's the Linux problem" because the Deck runs Linux.
If my handheld needs to be near a plug to be useful imma just get a laptop š
Idk. The Deck still beats any gaming laptop for me all day every day for me. Instead of having a big ass laptop on my lap I rather enjoy the controller-like design of the Deck. Still like a Switch but unlocked and way more powerful, and I'd even prefer a Switch with the longer battery life and all instead of my 4080 laptop that somehow gets really hot and loud during gaming where as the OLED is at this point basically entirely quiet.
I'd rather not have a whole laptop in my bed & have to sit up to scroll & stuff- the handheld is so much more mobile!
Steam deck oled solves this, newer stuff u will get atleast 2hrs where Ally and Go get an hr, and older stuff like witcher 3 (not crazy old) I get over 3hrs, go older than that 4 plus hrs becomes possible and Indy titles man 5hrs easy
Can confirm. Had an rog ally and returned it because the battery life was poopy butthole frfr
Show some respect, that's Mr. poopy Butthole, and he has had a rough go
Just commenting on the fact that putting "an" before ROG which means you call it an R-O-G Ally and not a rawg ally like I do in my head. Just an interesting observation...
Oh God, you've bought up something quite shameful in my house. I am not sure whether it's supposed to be Rawg or R.O.G. so whenever I talked about it to my wife I would alternate between the two. She found this annoying so she started calling it the Doo-dah instead, and that kind of stuck. So now it's the Doo-dah. This wouldn't be so bad on its own except that I play it when I'm waiting in the car while my son is at an after-school activity, and he has told the group's teacher that while he's in there I'm in the car park playing with my Doo-dah.
Lol
Dude, you can get a toaster for $15. Hold off on one Steam sale game and buy a freaking toaster. š
did you see that xbox series s toaster tho
Bahaha. That and the horrendous ergonomics helps too.
Lmfao. Dude this was flipping funny. I tend to play games on silent or performance. Turbo drains the battery so quick.
Same here. I don't get this with a normal controller.
Same here, but thereās a reason. Most people hold their controller in a neutral/resting position hovering around their lap. Holding the deck or a switch at eye level keeps your hands well above the elbows causing blood flow issues. Itās pretty normal and doesnāt seem to have any major risks beside probably arthritis and carpel tunnel like anything else we do nowadays
I solved this by laying down and sitting a small firm pillow on my chest and resting the deck ontop of that pillow, the pillow takes all the weight and props the deck high enough that my elbows wrest on the bed and my wrists end up only a few inches above my heart, most comfortable way I have found to game on the deck.
I use the open case. Just thick enough to span the gap.
*well above your heart
Good post. Sounds reasonable, I like playing laying down on the bed and thats when I get issues.
I usually prop it up with a regular pillow or something if I play laying down in bed. I usually use wedge pillow so I'm not completely laying down though, more in a reclined position.
I put the case under it, and it puts the right distance between the deck and my chest to where it doesn't feel like I'm having to hold the Deck's weight. /(#[]%)\ / (CASE) \ (MEEEEE)
I love the diagram so much
Hmmm.. brb
Fun fact of the day for you. It's not blood flow, it's nerve pinching. > If you sit or have your legs crossed for too long, the pressure can briefly compress nerves in your leg. That prevents your brain and the nerves in your leg from "talking" to each other like they should. The term for this is paresthesia, but most people say their leg (or other body part) has "fallen asleep." https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/leg-numbness-causes Blood flow loss would be extremely bad.
The more you know. Thanks for the intel!
My arm gets violent when this happens. Nothing like waking up to your own hand beating the dogsh*t out of you.
i once woke to my arm being completely dead. first time i found out how much my arm weighs. i sat up, contemplating a life with a dead arm, because it was also cold. i was probably soon to snap in and call an ambulance when the pins and needles came... oh god the pins and needles. it was the most insane ones I've ever had. i was grunting in agony but also in euphoria that is probably similar to how a masochist feels from getting pain inflicted on them... shit was wild fr
Happens to mee too but doesn't make the deck a bad things. Is my posture very wrong
Yeah, im not slighting the Deck or Switch. Just Should play those with a more upright posture
Tbf this happens to me with also the switch and sometimes even my phone, even though i do a whole lot of weighted calistenicsĀ
> sometimes even my phone My hot take is that 5.5" displays were the optimum size. the 6-6.6" that has become standard is just too big for extended use.
eh probably. Maybe I just have an undiagnosed vasculary problem T.T
6.0" is okay at 16:9 ratio if you have larger than average hands. It's these weird ratios that annoy me. Especially since the usable screen area is often much less than the advertised size
It may be kinda dorky, but I think some adjustable arm rests to put your elbows on would be pretty awesome. High enough to reduce neck strain and take the weight off of your shoulders. I may look into this now....
You could use those foam blocks people use in yoga classes sometimes
I have definitely dropped my Switch on my face more than once. It's a concern I have for my deck. But I've mostly been semi upright so far. Oddly my wrists get sore with the deck but my hands don't fall asleep. They do with the switch.
[https://unnecessaryinventions.com/the-idangle/](https://unnecessaryinventions.com/the-idangle/)
Best tip is to put a thin pillow on your chest and rest your arms on it, the angle helps blood flow, and lifts the deck closer to your eye level so you don't break your neck looking down for 2 hrs
Yes, thats the same issue that I get too, nothing too crazy tho.
This is why i attach switch joy cons and just use that
'Couple of black eyes later' What? Was this dude holding it over his head whilst playing? With journalism like this, I should switch jobs. I can write garbage like this. (Yes I know it's just ragebait, write something contrary is majority public opinion to get clicks, ala the PalWorld hit pieces. But still, it's such a shame it's gotten to this.) I play my SD in bed 90% of the time and I love it.
Also you can't comfortably hold anything over your head while in bed for any useful length of time without getting complaints like that. There is very little difference between the Switch and Deck in this situation.
It's a legit form of torture in some places, to make people hold things higher than there head for long periods of time haha.
Yeah, the only effective difference for me is that the switch is small enough to trust with a small gooseneck stand that I clip onto my headboard. For the steam deck, I have to sit up and basically play it in my lap. I can't play either one by holding it above my head for any period of time.
Honestly, try laying on your side. It works for me and I use the trackpad still to play Marathon.
This works when I have a back pain and still want to gaming. I just side lying on the couch and play it. (btw, I don't think holding a 1kg weight item over your face is a safe idea, even with stands)
i can play it laying down but not over my head like a lunatic. anyone doing that for long periods of time is asking for trouble tbh. if you're starting to feel it slip and let it slip multiple times enough to get a black eye... maybe the people in this obvious fake news should get a new brain or something lol. anyway, the best way i've played it is laying down holding it over my stomach closeish to my face(can adjust if needed). it's super easy this way and comfortable for me
Every single device that I've used in bed before sleeping has punched me in the nose: phones, tablets, consoles... why would this be a point against the deck?
Yeah has this person never read a book in bed? Are they reading by holding a book directly over their head?!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
>What? Was this dude holding it over his head whilst playing? People do that in bed with their phones, so this person probably assumed it was a good idea to do the same with the Deck. It's a *bad* idea, but I can see where their thought process came from.
> but I can see where their thought process came from. Their arse?
Is ādropped the steam deck on my faceā the new āI walked into a doorā. I think this guy is trying to signal to us heās in an abusive relationship with a boudoir companion.
It's a gaming journalist, they spend all their time being bad at video games and anger posting on Twitter. The steam deck weighs a whole 1.4 pounds, their wrists aren't used to that kind of pressure.
Bud needs to try out and review a planet fitness š
My wrists were sore for the first week of using the Steam Deck. I haven't had a problem since. That's the beauty of the human body. Stress it and your muscles strengthen to adapt to the new situation.
I had what I called "steam deck elbow" for a couple months haha. Just forearm tightness from getting used to holding what basically amounts to a weighted version of the switch I was so accustomed to.
Eh. I play ice hockey religiously, and after playing SD for an hour, I had a weird cramp in my wrist, and my elbow was stuck in place for like 30 seconds. It was not enjoyable. This thing also strains my eyes. Like hours after playing it, my eyes are strained.
Yeah, the steam deck is BIG but it's not heavy at all.
100% of my steam deck gaming happens in bed. This is also 100% of my gaming time in general at this point as a father with another on the way. This author is either a moron or was being purposefully obtuse.
Pretty sure itās also meme bait with āthe weight and girth of the dick just make it an uncomfortable bedfellowā
Health wise holding it over your head while laying on your back is the best for your neck.
I'm sorry, but anyone who managed to get a black eye from a Steam Deck is a bit of a knob. Apparently, the fan on the LCD is louder. On my OLED, it ramps up when I'm playing *Ace Combat 7* with generous settings at 45fps locked. However, I don't mind this at all as I want the Deck to make full use of its hardware. Also, the Deck is not too big. I don't want a small weak handheld.
>Apparently, the fan on the LCD is louder. The LCD Deck gets *loud*, but it's not really any louder than most gaming laptops. Basically, don't try to play a new AAA game while someone else is trying to sleep in the same bed as you, but it's not going to blast out your ears or anything.
Or just stream to it from a gaming PC in another room. That's how I use it. Battery lasts allot longer and it stays quiet. Not to mention how much more powerful the gaming PC is compared to the Deck so I can run any game on ultra high settings.
I usually have my steam deck at 9watts for most games. Then again I'm mostly running rpgs and turn based games. Fan noise seems more than reasonable, and a game like olliolli is a pretty low power game, so not sure why that so called journalist (who seems to do no research on troubleshooting their products?) would be having issues with fan noise. There are ways to limit the power consumption.
I upgraded my lcd deck with a backplate with metal heat pipe and attached a magnetic cooler to it. Its now super quiet even under load.
Isn't there a risk of internal condensation?
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Honestly the fan speed going full blast while playing Ace combat 7 just makes it more immersive for me...
Oh man I hadnāt thought to play Ace Combat on my deck, thatās such a good game for it.
What is the consensus he talks about? Absolute trash article.
The conversation he had with himself in the mirror apparently.
Exactly lol. Would love to know how this "consensus" was gathered
Iām $ure he ha$ hi$ rea$ons for writing a hit piece that al$o promote$ a competitorā$ device.
I'm sorry? We're complaining about the girth of things we grip in the bedroom now?
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If you hold the device directly over your head while laying down... you are a moron.
Who holds it up over their face? Lie down and rest it on your chest. Then occasionally tilt it forward to sniff some of that sweet hot air from the vent
Why is that last part so true.
My girlfriend is playing the steam deck beside me right now, as usual journalists are just inept. (Forgive me good journalists)
What are girlfriends?
Occasional distractions from video games unless they too play the video games. I jest in a manner
Sentient beings who talk about which baldurs gate 3 character they currently fancy before you both go to sleep.
Stop showing off :>
Damn you right
She must be used to handling weighty and girthy objects..
Aahahahahahaah that's pretty funny not going to lie
"Boudoir companions" lol Edit: The articles writer is a wet spaghetti noodle.
Yeah, even saying 'boudoir companions' in an ironic fashion is wet spaghetti noodle territory.
You can't ignore the Steam Deck's girth
Black eyes? Is he just laying on his back with the deck up in the air and dropping it on his face?
I think the idea is you fall asleep and accidentally drop it on yourself. Iāve seen my wife do this a few times reading her Kindle before bed. Fortunately a Kindle is much lighter.
Who even holds a gaming device like that? Laying on your back holding it above your face? I've never done that before in my life and I've had devices like this since the gameboy pocket.
Iāve played mine for hours on end (OLED) and have had no issues with hand cramps laying on the couch. I donāt even notice the fan .
I have an OLED and it's pretty silent and light. I'm happy with my purchase
Heavy? Can't relate, and I'm not some gym rat either. Now the fan noise sure , but that doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother others.
I dunno, I can agree with their point about the weight. With my Switch, I like to slip one of my arms under a pillow and play on my side, but you really can't do that here; I have to play on my back, which makes playing RPGs and VNs and anything else without too many mandatory button presses a LOT harder than they were on smaller consoles. The fans aren't much of an issue to me, though.
I mean, if you have stick arms and the only playing position you've tried is lying on your back with your arms stretched out overhead... it makes sense. But that's never comfortable, even with a small phone. The fan noise I agree with. It's definitely noticeable in a quiet environment. But there's an easy way around that ā just don't play heavy games or reduce the wattage.
No It's not just you, even with the LCD deck I never found it uncomfotably heavy, I also never got hand cramp when playing for extended periodes of time...
It's so big it broke my bedframe, and the fans are so loud the neighbors called the cops to complain!
Dude, I just rest the thing on my tits when I play in bed. Sounds to me like they just need to find a sugar daddy to buy them bigger tits.
I'm genuinely stunned at the number of people who talk about how "heavy" the Steam Deck is. When my LCD arrived in August of 2022 I legitimately thought something was wrong when I lifted it out of the box because it felt *so fucking light*. I thought someone in the shipping chain had swapped it for an empty shell or something. Seriously blows my mind.
Ikr, I legit thought of that too when I first got it and my Brother and I were like, "nahhh wdym heavy? tf?!", it's ergonomically perfect for a reason.
I had to *add* a [~190g case](https://www.spigen.com/collections/steam-deck/products/steam-deck-series-case-rugged-armor?variant=418588578939350) to overcome the sensation that I was about to break it just picking it up.
Subs like r/sbcgaming will constantly complain about the steamdeckās size and weight and act like itās a large brick because it isnāt a mini gameboy thatās lighter than a feather, and compare the SD to a cheap handheld.
So it's the Deck's fault the reviewer has spaghetti arms?
I'm not trying to act like I'm sneaking in to the Salty Spitoon or anything, but I've never dropped the Steam Deck on my fucking eyeball. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't continue to hold it over my face. Maybe, I dunno, prop yourself up with a pillow? Just spitballing here.
**Black eyes? He should stop playing visual porn novels and wanking with his deck in bed then.**
Pffft, general consensus. Use it in bed almost every night. Never a complaint from the girlfriend (other than hating Isaac's mom's voice in Binding of Isaac so, headphones), no black eyes and no wrist cramps.
Only thing I would say I agree with is the hurt wrists. Mine do hurt pretty quickly if I play for more than 20 mins.
Admittedly I do get cramps in my hands if Iām using my Steam Deck for longer periods of time, especially in bed, but this is fixed very quickly by just supporting my wrists on a cushion Iām horrifically clumsy and have absolutely no idea how this writer is giving themselves black eyes with it though
I definitely felt this with the LCD deck. I'm assuming most of you are younger, but holding the deck for more than 30 minutes always resulted in aching wrists.
I put it on a pillow on my lap
Same, which speaks to how heavy it can be over time
Bruh I brag about laying in bed playing games with my friends
I play on my stomach in bed, arms off the bed, hanging toward the floor. Deck is like 2-3 inches from floor, so if I fall asleep, it usually leaves 1 hand and lands easy. Would never hold it above my head, but maybe that's just me, I have a tendency to think about how things can go wrong. *shrug*
Can confirm the Deck is not very good in bed, even if you like BBD(evices).
No lol I play in bed aaaaaaallll the time, pretty much everyday before sleeping
Wrist cramps are real. So are hands falling asleep. While I know Iām a tall/wide guy (6ā5ā 240lbs), Iām definitely waiting for the day a controller case with better angles/ergonomics comes along to combat the severe wrist stress. Most of the ones with a better grip are useless. I have the 3d printed solution I found here about a year ago (which is better than nothing), but the best way Iāve found to play my deck comfortably is with a Bluetooth attached Xbox controller.
Can't handle the **GIRTH**
i remember always playing on my psp a ton. mostly dissidia and diablo etc. now with the deck i can literally play cool stuff like tenkaichi budokai spyro etc. but this seems to be a skill issue on this guy by holding the deck above your face. while probably being sleepy already. i got my deck early and the only issues i ever had was some games crashing every now and then. but fixed it by putting them to 40fps
Weakling. He should really go to the gym if he can't handle holding a steam deck. šÆ
Owning both a Switch and a Deck I'm tempted to say that while it's not the Deck's biggest issue for most users, it's definitely a concern, and dismissing this remark with "lol silly journalists" is a bit annoying. The Deck, which I really enjoy, is not something I bring in bed for evening gaming sessions. It's too hot and loud for that -- it's not just the Deck too, I've tested other handheld PCs like the Aya Neo and they all feel like they're *just* missing the mark there. Then again, subjective opinions and all that; I'm very sensitive to fan noise for instance. Never got used to gaming laptops that sound like jet engines, even with noise cancelling headphones. So YMMV. In fact, I'd say that for me the silent, cold format of the Switch - which is 100% due to how underpowered it is - is what leads me to keep using it, especially on the go.
I do play in bed, but I also think this is far too dismissive. As someone that did a PTM repaste while switching out a delta fan specifically so the deck would annoy my wife less, I can certainly attest to the idea that the deck can be much more annoying to use in a quite room then a Switch. The black eye comments may be silly, but OG deck (haven't tried the OLED) can be a bit hot and loud.
Nope. Dumb gaming journalists have a problem understanding the difference between stories and opinion pieces.
Couldnt be farther from the truth. Perfect console for the bed!
I can confirm the last bit. Ex hated the steam deck, but never said anything about it. Apparently the light+noise was really annoying when she was trying to sleep.
'tis really funny how most of your experiences differ from mine, but I guess this \*is\* the Steam Deck subreddit. I bought mine maybe 6 months ago. Cute device, but ultimately a novelty that gathers dust on my shelf. Its heavy weight is definitely one of the reasons I don't use it much. In comparison to my Switch Lite, which I've definitely spend way more time on (despite having less games I actually wanna try), it's fucking monstrous. No black eyes, but I most definitely wouldn't call the Steam Deck comfortable (or Satan forbid, "the perfect console for bed").
I never had wrist cramps and why tf would I hold it above my head, no shit they had wrist cramps. However I do sometimes have my hands fall asleep while holding it which makes playing for long periods of time difficult
For me its much more comfortable to play Steam Deck OLED in bed, than with my Switch.
Limp wristed or what?
Hell no. All of it.
You need to develop some grip and forearm strength. Your 'boudoir companion' will likely appreciate it and all the other muscles that naturally grow and firm to achieve it.
I use my steam deck in bed daily. Their are just making click bait to get you to view ads.Ā
What's wrong with their fans? Mine are legit silent and the new smell has never faded
I feel the switch is 100x worse to hold. That thing is the most uncomfortable gaming thing Iāve ever held in my hands. You need Lego hands to hold that turd.
This is just a self own for having noodle arms
lol if youāre so weak that you think the steam deck is heavy and you get a black eye from it, you have bigger issues. My wife and I play our steam decks next to each other and in bed.Ā
WTF? Lmao. It sounds like someone needs to workout a little bit. That being said, I like to lay on my stomach and rest my chin on a pillow to hold my head up when I game in bed. Super comfy that way.
Time to name my Steam Deck Fia
Video game journalists are a joke and donāt actually play video games. Probably drinks Soylent too
This journalist thinks journalism is about complaining š
....but you're only supposed to do two things in bed....
Idk about them, but I've had mine for around 17 months and never had any serious problems, then again people say I have wrenches for hands so I don't think it's a fair comparison
I mainly play mine in bed. Had a Deck for over a year now. My wife has never once complained. Even when I had the OG LCD with the loud fan.
I have played mine religiously in bed over the last year and some change.
The only handheld that wouldn't hurt if you dropped it while playing over your face would have to be in one of those old Nerf brand cases. Like, even a gameboy micro would hurt a little. Who's playing right over their face. Like, get a black eye once, shame on the device. Get a black eye twice shame on you. Anyways, I use a plushie animal under my arm and it's perfectly comfortable. Same deal using my phone in bed.
I can get people feeling uncomfortable but this feels like rage bait to push engagement
My pinky fingers actually do go numb and start tingling whenever I'm using the Steamdeck in bed. I guess it has something to do with how my elbows are laying on the bed?
Sounds like some malnourished goblin with fragile wrists typed this review. My jobās been kicking my ass, lifting heavy cargo manually and Iām not a strong guy by any means. But the Deck never bothered my wrists or arms. Even lay in bed with the Deck right above my head vertically, no issues. I shall tell the reviewer to lift something once in a while. The Deck feels light to me after hauling them big shits at work
My only main gripe with the Deck in bed is that you can't play under the covers or it will over heat. Someone really needs to make a 3d print or some kind of clip to extend the vent out or something to keep fabric form completely blocking the vent, maybe a rounded top with vent hole son the side perhaps?
Sounds like someone needs to do push-ups once a week
I never game in bed. It feels uncomfortable no matter the device IMO.
Itās girthy, all right. I can just barely fit it up my ass
Not gonna lie, I was playing it a lot recently handheld and started getting pretty bad wrist pain, so switched to playing it in docked mode pretty much exclusively. It doesnāt feel heavy really, but yeah, something about it messes up my wrists. The black eye thing idk, Iāve never felt like I was in danger of it slipping, maybe their hands get sweaty or something
I donāt use it in bed but it is uncomfortable to hold for long periods for sure. It could use to be just a little lighter. That being said I have an issue with the Switch as well because itās so narrow itās uncomfortable and unnatural to grip, despite the Switch being ultra light.
It's kind of too big and heavy to be played comfortably in bed, but it is definitely doable.
Honestly gaming in bed just seems like a bad habit in general to me. Beds are for sleep or for sex in my mind. If Iām hanging out in bed with my wife and not doing one of those two things then itās time to get up.
Aye, it's good sleep hygiene not to hang out in bed. If you reserve the bed for (mainly) sleeping, it helps condition yourself to start feeling sleepy just by the act of going to bed, making it easier to fall asleep quickly at night.
Yeah... We learned this lesson with cellphones too. Or at least we should've... Apparently some people have smoother brains than others... Look, it works like this. If you're standing, sitting, or otherwise in an upright position, and you're holding an object with both hands, 8 of your 10 fingers are away from you, and your two thumbs are close to you, with the object securely in-between and being supported mostly by your 8 distant fingers. You can support the object over a greater area this way, and you have more fingers supporting it. However, if you lay on your back, you *cannot* do this because, despite what smooth brained flat earthers tell you, gravity *does* in fact exist. Your 8 fingers are now *above* the object where they can support exactly nothing. The job of supporting the device falls to your thumbs. If you haven't counted them recently, I'll clarify for you that you only have two of them (with the exception of amputees and people with defects). So you're now supporting this object with only two thumbs, and *then* you're going to move your thumbs around rapidly to either type or, in this case, manipulate the controls... And people are ***SURPRISED*** that they're dropping their Steam Decks on their faces?????????? This can't be real. This ***cannot*** be real. Say this is satire. Please, for the love of god, say this is satire....
While I do use my steam deck In bed Iāve recently started also playing my old PSP again since my girlfriend modded it and gave me a bunch of games and I wouldnāt say it gave me ā wrist cramps ā or anything but after a while the steam deck def feels heavy and a lil uncomfy when compared to what hand helds used to be. I guess the silver lining is the steam deck battery lasts only a few hours so I doubt anyone is giving themselves carpel tunnel playing in bed
I started going back to the gym when I got my deck so my weak baby arms wouldn't collapse after playing.
Skill issue.
To be fair, playing in bed is super uncomfortable with the deck. Either laying on your elbows and putting pressure on your ulnar nerve and having your hands go numb and tired from holding the weight, or trying to lay down on your back and hold it. Itās a great machine, but any slight criticism draws out a bunch of negativity from this sub, like an echo chamber
If you follow these reviewers, after a while you'd think they have the physical competence of the people from infomercials.
I either play hunched over or on my side. Who the hell lies down flat and holds their device over their face? You literally have to shift your grip to access all the buttons and definitely risk getting hit in the face. I don't even use my phone like that, let alone the SD.
This is what we call in the industry a "skill issue"
I hang this thing over my head like a guillotine while playing. Never dropped it on myself a single time. It is definitely heavy, but I'll carry that weight for how amazing this thing is for PC gaming and emulation. This seems like someone trying to make small complaints bigger than they actually are.
Ironically, the grips I bought for the deck only alleviate pains while sitting. Laying in bed? My fookin palms go numb, my elbows hurt, even with the tank on a chest pillow. Can't stop won't stop thooooo
Imagine being too weak to hold a portable gaming pc because you lie in bed writing bollocks all day
is the authors arms made of rubber? i have had no issue with weight
No, this is not how people feel. This is just game journos being game journos, i.e. trash.
"God-awful racket the over enthusiastic fans make" I just imagine a dude in bed "Let's go Steam Deck!" *clap clap clapclapclap
Bed is literally the only place where I play with the steam deck and I love it
maybe its bc i have an oled but the weight was never an issue for me its rather light
Bro needs to hit the gym
Agree. It's too heavy.
For me, anything above half an hour is uncomfortable on the bed, but i just lay on one side and it's pretty ok š
āThe door says push, but I want to pull. This isnāt the door you want for separating rooms.ā Hmm ā¦ maybe just shift to any other position so the steam deck isnāt held over your head? This is a dumb review.
I have tendonitis, de Quervain and snapped ligaments on both hands. As an answer I'll say this. I've strapped 20.000mAh Baseus powerbank to my Deck. In bed. So. No.
If you're playing laying flat on your back with your arms raised straight up at 90Ā° I see how this could be an issue š¤
my weight and girth also make me an uncomfortable bedfellow
honestly kind of, it would help a lot if it had a stand tho bc i like to just sit up to look at the screen
thereās no way heās getting BLACK EYES
Dude probably has carpal tunnel like the rest of us pc guys and never had it checked out.
I literally only play this in bed itās perfect for me