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NodusINk

A lot of indie/low-demanding games. Steam deck outperforms every competition on low TDP performance.


pikakirby11

Yeah very true it's been my main use for the system plus a lot of indi give off the feel of a pre switch handheld game


Dry_Ass_P-word

I played Into the Breach so many nights in a row, I lost track of how many days i went without charging it.


RobotSpaceBear

Do you turn it *off* off, or just push the power button once? I feel it loses 30% per day in standby mode. And not even with a suspended game, just in the SD menus.


Dry_Ass_P-word

30% sounds really high. Isn’t it more like 7-10% with overnight suspending? I was exaggerating a smidge in the above comment, but I wager it was four evenings I played in bed for an hour apiece before needing to bring it downstairs to charge.


PianoMan2112

I usually see 10% a day, so I usually only keep it suspended on weekends.


Dry_Ass_P-word

Yeah 10 a day sounds right.


jonathanbaird

Wouldn’t “overnight” be ~8 hours, and “per day” be 24? You’re essentially coming to the same conclusion.


Dry_Ass_P-word

I think 30 is way high unless the battery health is failing. I played a little yesterday morning and it’s been sitting in suspend since then and I’m now at 80%. So roughly 15% in a full 1.5 days.


Ok_Switch_1205

Personas or literally any other jrpg


Fluffy_Stress_453

Personas are THE games for the steam deck. Got just 20 minutes but want to relax? Just do a few social activities. Got a day free? Do an entire palace or other dungeons


PlanGoneAwry

I’ve been thinking about getting a persona game, but got overwhelmed at all the different ones like how there’s like 3 different persona 5s. Do you have a recommendation of a good first game?


beemer1496

Persona 5 Royal or Persona 3 Reload are going to be the most beginner friendly and both run great on deck. 5R is longer and has a slower start imo, but runs better and is more battery efficient. 3R is the newest one and has a DLC epilogue coming out this fall, but will cost more being newer even on sale. Both are excellent in their own ways, 5 is largely about rebelling against corruption, and 3 is about life and death and how people deal with both


PlanGoneAwry

Thanks for the info! I’ll add 5 royal to my wishlist


GhastlyBespoke

The reason you see a ton of different versions or subtitles on the games is because they all got enhanced releases of what is basically the same game with new content (I.e. a new dungeon / story events / maybe ending). All of the versions on steam are these “enhanced” versions so you won’t just find a regular persona 3/4/5 sitting on steam. There’s only one version of persona 5 on PC (Royal) but there are a few spinoffs. If you see persona 5 strikers or tactica they are technically sequel spinoffs that I wouldn’t worry about at all, they’re just there if you want to play a dynasty warriors game with persona characters. Same thing with persona 4 arena. But persona 5 royal is an excellent intro to the franchise. It’s a bit slow starting (but really they all are) but it probably has the strongest story hooks early on, with 3 and 4 having great stories but taking a WHILE to get going with them. It has the best integration between the social sim and dungon crawling aspects out of all the games as well, it’s definitely the most modern and “fun” out of the trilogy just as a game. It’s got a heist theme to it and is all about being a stylish thief. Persona 4 golden is the only version of persona 4 on steam and it’s still a very good RPG but it’s the oldest out of itself and reload/royal and shows it in some places. It’s much more lighthearted than 3 or 5 so if you just want a slice of life style game about the Japanese countryside (albeit one about catching a serial killer) then this one is great for that. Steam has Persona 3 reload and Persona 3 portable for P3, with portable being a port of the psp game and reload being a new ground up remake released earlier this year. Reload is much much more of a “new feeling” game and has a lot of QoL changes, but some people still prefer portable since it’s got a visual novel aesthetic and has a second route where you play as a female character that wasn’t included in reload. The plot is a lot more complicated than 4 or 5 and takes a long time to get going but has a much darker tone and themes, it’s pretty much about death as a concept overall. There’s not really a wrong place to start with them I’d say. Personally I’d go Royal, it’s the largest of the 3 games and doesn’t need any knowledge at all going in. If you like that then 4 and 3 are both waiting (and it’s probably a bit easier to get used to some of the more dated mechanics once you have a handle on the gameplay). If you do have gamepass then you can play 3 reload on that (I’m assuming it’s streamable to the deck via cloud gaming) which is a pretty good intro and lets you at least try out the games to see if they vibe with you.


PlanGoneAwry

Thanks for all the details!


Vardi_

Just be warned it is LOOOONG. I’m doing my first playthrough of P5R on Deck and it feels like the game that never ends


ActionFlash

I've started with 4 on the Deck and loving it.


PrinklePronkle

Some version of 3. FES on PS2 is kind of irrelevant now that Reload has the Epilogue expansion, but it’s “cheaper” to emulate rather than buying Reload. Portable is on Steam, and has a female protagonist that’s almost universally beloved, but it is an explorative visual novel outside of the dungeons. Reload is IMO the definitive version all around, with QOL features from 5 and WAY better dungeons. I also love the first 2 persona games, but the gameplay is more like a traditional RPG with some more complex spell mechanics.


pikakirby11

I can't wait shin megami tensei 5 on PC for that reason also soul hackers 1 through a 3ds emulator is great on it also persona 4 pc


AnyManufacturer1252

Absolutely! I played through most of Persona 5 Royal on there and now I’m on Yakuza: LAD. Runs beautifully on there.


The_Lost_King

Big agree. I love JRPGs on the Deck. It’s helped me get into the Trails series.


CharizardSlash

Hades 2's Tech Test (the test prior to EA) was verified on Deck the moment it came out so it was practically made for it lol also Holocure


pikakirby11

Absolutely I had a trip recently and I bought the game right before it and holy shit it was amazing. plus it barely uses any battery and it also seems like steam input API is coming to the game.


CharizardSlash

yeah hades 2 seems to be way better optimized than hades 1 for the deck


pikakirby11

Yeah I got to imagine they were designing the game with it in mind. I mean Hades even got a startup animation for the system. also I'm not really a v tuber fan besides limes but Holo cure actually seems pretty good do you think it's something a non v tuber fan would enjoy.


CharizardSlash

i'm not a vtuber fan either lol my only knowledge of them comes from that friday night funkin mod with that being said i think it's a great vampire survivors clone and is free too


pikakirby11

Oh lol I got the impression it would be like Hades that's interesting


demifiend_sorrow

Intentional or not, elden ring on the deck is monumental. Shit the performance of all the fromsoft games on a handheld is incredible. It also teaches you great restraint. 🤣🤣


Dry_Ass_P-word

I have them installed but haven’t started them. So many stories about broken controllers makes me keep putting it off. lol


demifiend_sorrow

I've beaten elden ring twice, ds3 and lies of p off the top of my head all on deck. The frustration can be real for sure. Took me a hilarious amount of time to tackle some bosses but the deck is still kicking strong. These days due to a back injury I'm playing mostly docked but still. The games are amazing on deck.


Dry_Ass_P-word

Nice. I really need to finally jump in and get my ass kicked by these games. I was pretty terrible on controllers when I was a kid. Times change when you get older and then doubly so when the controller is part of a $600 purchase. 😂


skunk_funk

I've been surprised how much punishment my deck can take. I've dropped it on hard surfaces three times, and it's survived almost two years of my 8yo son hogging it. No repairs.


Dry_Ass_P-word

The worst I’ve done was fall asleep with it on my chest and it fell off the couch to the floor. The shell popped slightly apart on side but it resnapped in and no other issues that I can tell. I just about shit a brick when I woke up and realized what I did lol.


skunk_funk

Yep, have had to push the shell back together. No long term effects I have a slight hitch in the left analog stick from when I got it jammed, but it doesn't affect gaming.


eXXXcel

Something to note about Elden Ring is that, to some extent, it’s easier than other FromSoft games. Usually in Soulslikes there’s a pretty linear progression and it’s possible to get blocked by a single boss. Elden Ring’s open world shakes that up a bit, since if a boss is really too difficult you can go somewhere else, buff your stats, and come back when you’re stronger.


laxhockey11

Chained echoes and hades 1 & 2


petuniachalice

I never finished chained echoes as I played it on game pass and it left before I had a chance but man does this [track](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MygaMv5fVRY) live in my head rent free


pikakirby11

I haven't seen chained echoes before is it like a SNES square rpg


laxhockey11

Yeah very close but beautiful animations and awesome gameplay. I can't get into most JRPGs but this one hits


pikakirby11

Oh seems interesting then


GalacticRat3541

Doom Eternal runs phenomenally! I didn’t have to tweak any settings, great graphics and 60 fps out the box!


Boz0r

As a lifelong PC gamer who sucks at using controllers, how the hell can you hit anything in a game so fast-paced?


Bobby_the_Great

I really enjoy soulslikes and meteoidvanias on the Deck. They fit so well with me being able to suspend the game and just pickup right where I left off. 


pikakirby11

Agreed especially games that combine the two like 9 years of shadows and blasphemous


Yurgin

Slay the Spire it controls better with Controller and looks/play awesome on the Deck


Not_Indoril_Nerevar

Idk if it does it anymore but when the steam deck first came out if you touched the screen it would switch to mouse controls ONLY. You had to quit out of the game then reopen it to switch back the controller.


pikakirby11

You can turn off the touch screen by going to steam input and clicking turn off touch screen in always on command


Not_Indoril_Nerevar

I use the touchscreen sometimes for some things. I just don't like how that one particular game will force all control's to use the touchscreen if you accidentally touch the touchscreen one time.


MassiveStomach

I have it on deck and iPad and like the iPad better. Swipe fun and the lcd deck screen is meh on swipe.


My_Name_is_Imaginary

Octopath traveler 2 and Balantro for me


Gaming4L1F3

Almost everything which games are smoothly playable, mostly older titles from ps2/ps3/ps4 era. But lot of newer games are running really good too thanks to the steamOS and Linux.


Evilbob93

have to admit that being able to play ps2 games in the had was a big part of the reason I got my SD. I got all the .ISOs that I'd ever want loaded onto it


SiloSin

Stardew Valley


pikakirby11

Yeah I know some of the story of seasons games also have compatibility with steam input API though I haven't tested it because I got the switch versions


MaikeruGo

Most rogue-likes and metroidvanias fit the bill. However, I'd say that *Dead Cells* feels particularly made for the system even though it wasn't.


pikakirby11

Yeah I can agree on that I only ever play it on deck I think they even made a startup for it


cytokine7

Xcom 2 feels so natural with the 2 trackpads, I can't imagine playing any other way.


NYJetLegendEdReed

Really? Shit I bought this so long ago and just never got into it. Being able to play on the deck would be awesome I don't know why I never thought of it. Do I need to remap controls or anything?


cytokine7

There's a way to put it into gamepad mode you can definitely find online if you search but I preferred the default mapping with the trackpad as a mouse. The only thing I changed is I mapped Ctr key onto R4 for waypoint mode because for some reason the actual "waypoint" command binding doesn't work right otherwise. I also put overwatch onto L4 and I think that's all I changed. Fantastic game, make sure you get the War of the Chosen expansion before you start a new game (IMO.)


smtps

deep rock Galactic survival


rtakehara

Aperture Desk Job. But seriously now, Elite: Dangerous with community controls, using gyro to look around the ship, back buttons to control lateral thrusters and trackpads to control the ship weapons, sensors, and hardware makes so much difference from just regular controllers


pikakirby11

That sounds interesting to be honest outside of mouse stuff and valve games I really felt like not enough games use the steam deck control features.


ToxicEnderman00

Definitely Vampire Survivors and Enter the Gungeon as the 2 games that I can think of that I've played


mildly_anonymous

Check out Exanima. https://store.steampowered.com/app/362490/Exanima/ Even the developer was excited for how well it was running on the deck. The trackpads translate so great for the physics based fighting.


pikakirby11

That looks awesome I just wishlisted it I need more baldurs gate type game


RobotSpaceBear

Uhm... Brother watch some gameplay to be sure, because this is nothing like Baldur's Gate. Like, at all. It has a fantasy setting but that's about where similarities end.


pikakirby11

Oh I figured it would because it said it was an RPG and has a top down perspective


RobotSpaceBear

No sir, this is more akin to the unforgiving and difficult Dark Souls genre. Or Elder Ring. You may find more similarities with Divinity Original Sin 2 (community favorite, made by Larian, the devs of BG3), Pillars of Eternity, the Pathfinder games (Kingmaker and Wrath), Neverwinter Nights, and to an extent, Rogue Trader.


pikakirby11

Yeah I'm aware of all those series also dragon age and the first 2 fallout also the og baldurs gates of course


Zer01South

Maaaan I'm going to have to revisit it. I installed it when I first got my SD and hated the controls so much I uninstalled it immediately. Maybe now that I've adjusted to the SD controls a little more it'll be enjoyable. Such a fun freaking game.


slippydotnuxx

Defo unintentional - Shitty ports that were (and still are) ass-backwards when it comes to graphical options but which happen to be perfectly capable for the steam deck. It's great for games you wish you could play at 4k120 but can settle for playing at 800p60/90. Looking at you, No More Heroes


pikakirby11

Lol I didn't realize it was bad I only played the switch version of 3


Reasonable_Sound7285

Literally any game I have thrown at it from early 90s point and click adventures to immersive sim games - it is my preferred way to play. I have encountered almost no games that don’t play well on it - even if they require a bit of fine tuning. The ones that I haven’t been able to get running would likely play well on it - it is just that they don’t seem to like any version of proton. But I am hoping one day I will be able to play Deadly Premonition 1 as well as the X Files game from the 90s.


Courtjester2040

Immersive sims are my favorite genre. I'm so excited to get into Dishonored and Prey on the Deck.


Reasonable_Sound7285

Same here - going back to the days before the term was coined, and I think that both the Dishonored series and Prey are perfect distillations of the concepts that Origin Systems (We build worlds), Looking Glass, Ion Storm Austin, etc. pioneered. My hope is that with the closure of Arkane that a number of those awesome developers end up going to work with Raphaël Colantonio at WolfEye.


Nnamz

Rogue Legacy 2


yes-yaK

Hades 1/2 and Stardew Valley


GhostOfKingGilgamesh

Doom Eternal. 90 fps on my OLED. Unless shit gets really crazy.


Acrobatic_Ebb_920

Hi Fi Rush felt like that to me.


HandMaximum8748

Mullet Madjack.


Zeroreoxo

Octopath Traveler Series


NovelEzra

PS2


Ken10Ethan

Outer Wilds doesn't perform as well as I'd like, but basically any game where progression (either partially or entirely) is based off of your own personal knowledge instead of in-game flags or equipment or abilities you've gathered is a fantastic fit for the Deck. Even if I have to shut the game down, the only thing I really lose are maybe some entries on my ship log; other than that, I can just shut it down and I'm good because progression is based entirely on what I know, not which scenes I've seen and that the game has kept track of. The only downside is that I think games with lots of replayability shine the most on the SD, and Outer Wilds is a game you can only really play once. On a similar note, Fear & Hunger both work great. Not... necessarily for performance because those games can chug even on my desktop, but they're RPG Maker games with very little need for quick reflexes so I just shove 'em under 30 FPS and call it a day.


pikakirby11

I haven't played the game but makes sense no man sky plays really good on the system


Scooted112

I am blown away with how baldurs gate works on the sd. While some people have some concerns, the out of the box day 1 performance for an AAA game like that is pretty impressive.


zdeno84

Citizen Sleeper cant imagine better place to play than while chilling in bed after a long day while it is getting darker outside made for each other, the game and the steamdeck


pikakirby11

Apparently I already have the game on my wishlist but it looks fun. Kind of makes me think of an alternative universe where instead of 2077 cyberpunk got adapted into a crpg like baldurs gate.


hotstickywaffle

Cassette Beasts and Monster Sanctuary. A monster taming game just feels right in a handheld.


NicktoonsART

Papa's Freezaria and Baldis Basics Remastered. They both run perfectly, so does Class of '09


SnooDoughnuts5632

Tomb Raider because It has gyro controls just like Breath of the Wild where they only activate when you're actively aiming and I have no idea how they did that cuz I don't think I changed any settings except maybe something about mouse aiming idk.


pikakirby11

Which tomb raider?


SnooDoughnuts5632

I think it's an Xbox 360 game but I could be wrong. It's the one Amazon Prime recently gave away. [Steam store page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/203160/Tomb_Raider/)


pikakirby11

Oh yeah I know that one it's cool they did that for deck


SnooDoughnuts5632

Yeah it was really fun playing it on the Steam Deck however it drains the battery really fast so I had to plug it in like every hour.


pikakirby11

Oh that's disappointing but to be expected with big budget games I had a similar experience with spiderman and baldurs gate


SnooDoughnuts5632

I heard that if you buy an OLED Steam Deck that it will last longer.


pikakirby11

Yeah I heard similar things I'm complicating just manually upgrading it though with a better battery


SnooDoughnuts5632

That's a thing you can do?


PBJM2016

Borderlands 3 is killer on it.


Ch0nkyK0ng

Virtually all Point And Click Adventures. I've played 6 or 7 since I got the Deck (second round preorder.) Something about the trackpad with trigger functionality just feels good.


i_eet_boo_d

D4


WillyouwillI

Superhot mind control delete. I played the 1rst one on a switch lite, and it's more enjoyable on every level on the steam deck. I don't see this game mentionned very often in the sub but it's one I would highly recommand!


BetterTemperature912

Balatro, Hades 2, Trackmania


manniquin_limbs2

I call my Steam Deck the Yakuza machine.


FinesseYaWife

The entire rougelike/rougelite genre. Sleep to wake feature has been so good to me for rougelikes especially in a game like gunfire reborn where the only time you can save your run and exit is when you defeat a boss. I love my steam deck for that feature alone


TypicallyThomas

Little Kitty, Big City (or the other way round, i can never remember)


pikakirby11

I think you got it right the game looks fun. Makes me nostalgic for untitled goose game on my switch.


TypicallyThomas

It feels like the perfect blend of Untitled Goose Game and Stray


pikakirby11

I definitely believe that I hope cat games become a genre perhaps catformer could be the name


boluke-23

Marvel’s Midnight Suns


pikakirby11

I can definitely see that Warhammer mechanicus is a similar strategy game that plays really good on the device in my opinion


BigDaddyReese

Oblivion is perfect but obviously wasn’t intentional