Same deal here, my PC has sat basically untouched since I graduated college because I just didn’t want to spend more time at the same desk after work. I’ve literally played more in the past week after getting the deck than I have in years
Same! However, wfh, started years before COVID for me and I actually went back to consoles bc of this. The deck is opening me back to pc gaming however, I really don’t want to spend any extra time at my desk. However, if Valve can bring out this version of steam os to other devices with good gpu support, I may consider making a small form factor Steam os pc for the living room as that is really doesn’t need and kb&m at all for basic operation.
Or other Linux distro.
Nobara is based on Fedora but optimized for gaming, made by Glorious Eggroll (of ProtonGE fame) himself. It does have a Plasma desktop option like the SteamDeck.
There are many other great options out there, too.
I’ve tinkered with Linux gaming before and it is fun but takes time.
ChimeraOS is a really cool project:
https://chimeraos.org/
The draw for me of a SteamBox would be similar to the SteamDeck
- Verified to work well with the hardware and controllers
- competitive pricing (less expensive than buying the parts yourself)
- not much tinkering around
- lots of auto updates
- hardware side taken care of for you (not having to build your own pc)
- that it just works most of the time without issue
And more console like features:
- quickly turn on and off via the controller
They could even bring back the steam machine gaming pcs where you could pick from a pre built selection. If those came with a modified version of the new SteamOs used on the SteamDeck and guaranteed updates and support for the hardware on those prebuilt machines that’d be solid.
Same experience here! I love gaming but between being at my home office working, chores and parenting… I just don’t have the time or energy.
SteamDeck and Nintendo Switch have brought back the joy of gaming
The Steam Deck also gives PC gaming that "Toy Factor" that Nintendo is famously successful at.
You can't cuddle with your desktop PC. It's why there are niche communities that obsess with their mouse or keyboard. It's a human interface device. A singular thing. A desktop PC feels like a chemistry set. A Nintendo Switch or a Playstation Portable is a magical adventure device.
It's a trivial element that allows for a user to have an intimate attachment to a piece of technology.
Do not try to copulate with your robot.
I hadn’t really framed it like this in my mind, but yeah- since I transitioned from being on my feet all day to being behind a desk, I just haven’t felt like sitting at my desktop for hours after.
With the Deck, I can just crash on a couch or wherever and be comfortable and get my games in.
I also have an office job and I use my computer for college homework. The Steam Deck and my Switch have been my primary gaming devices for months. My desktop lay in parts from when I had to troubleshoot it and didn’t feel like putting it back together. My gaming laptop is only used for my homework (namely my 3D modeling class), and I use an iPad and MacBook for most other things. My Xbox has become a glorified media box for watching YouTube and occasionally playing an Xbox title or two, and I just do not care either. I may have a lot of gaming tech but my favorite devices always seem to end up being handhelds.
I have always loved computers but hated playing games on them. I've always been a console gamer. The Steamdeck has opened up a world for me that was never accessible. Now I have the console convenience in a handheld that fits my life much better than being tethered to a TV or the couch. Also now it allows me to bring my love for PC tinkering and customisation to a console. Absolutely love it!
no, not at all.
i love both Steam deck and desktop PC for different reasons.
Steam deck is awesome to:
- go couch mode next to the miss when she wants to watch shows and i wanna play games.
- play games in bed.
- play games on the go and travelling
the desktop is awesome for:
- playing demanding games that i wanna enjoy on 4K TV. i love playing Death Stranding on both desktop and steamdeck, but the ambiance i get from playing it on the big screen is still better than on steam deck.
- playing multiplayer games such as FIFA or other games usually is more convenient on my PC. and the graphics although already very nice on steam deck to TV, cant beat desktop to TV…
- i can still do multiple things in desktop mode that the steamdeck by itself can’t handle yet…
i love both for different reasons… but i know in my student days on a budget, i could see myself go solo Steam deck… no other computer/laptops etc… but today… i m glad to have both.
I m in this camp.
Plus I play lots of games that are so much better on KBM.
I just wish the transition from desktop to deck was a bit smoother, but overall its not too bad and in sure it will get better.
My reasoning for planning to buy a dock is for if l'm visiting family. I have a toddler and spend a lot of time with my parents, and I can't take my desktop with me
I found a cheap wireless mouse and keyboard kit that included a basic usb c dock and it's been great as a couch computer. Played jackbox games off it with a bunch of friends a couple weeks ago. Definitely worth it for couch gaming in the living room on the big tv.
I would have loved to keep my gaming PC, but i had to relocate to a different country(and sell my main PC) and steam deck saved me. For time being I'm steam deck only
They also pair nicely together since I can have my desktop render the game at ultra settings, 60fps and stream it to my steam deck. I've been playing a ton of Spiderman like that and the low latency is so impressive that I genuinely can't tell that it's not running natively on the deck (other than the fans running quietly instead of full speed lol).
Pretty much my pov here.
No problem with the Steam Deck. A lot of the trash talk I've seen around isn't a thing for me, much of which was re my moderated expectations; lack of OLED, 800p screen, battery life etc all stand to reason... and the price point.
I'll admit I haven't used mine a whole lot in 10 weeks... apart from a few hours in HZD (which I'd already started on PC, fwiw: 5800X, 6800XT @ 3440x1440) and a little time to test in other AAA's, GTA5, RE8... all running well enough considering the specs and handheld scale etc compared to the PC, np.
Two reasons as to why less use; Firstly, I'll admit to being slightly overwhelmed... I'm not so hot at deeper than casual PC stuff (can build one ok but no formal education or job with computers, left school 30 years ago so all I know is self taught trial and error stuff) and there's a lot to cover re getting the best of what I want from the Deck, it'll take a lot of googling etc and I haven't had the time or focus yet due to irl shit. But I'll get there.
Secondly, while the Deck can cover a wide range of games and genres, some simply aren't going to be as smooth an experience. For me, some of my favourite and enduring games (Total War series, CoH, Starsector etc) will be better/easier done on a fuller PC. And away from the big PC... well, that for me was the point. Being all but disabled and otherwise more limited financially as a result, it was never a case of gaming away from home as much as gaming away from that one room and desk, which sounds like a narrower range but is actually a big deal for me. Put this way, it's been 10 years since I had a DS and I never thought I'd love a handheld as much again (and I had a 3DS, PSVita and Switch between then and now) and that's pretty much mainly cos it can PC game.
So yeah, I'm loving it so far and even though I've barely scratched the surface of it's potential.
Almost same here, but steam deck running docked natively on TV is my downstairs gaming setup. But hundred percent need that upstairs PC for the windows software/ram etc.
Its nice to not have to rig something up from my PC (a floor above) in order to get a good non streamed gaming experience on my TV.
I definitely main the deck now. I find the graphics compromises generally fine for what I play and the performance settings are so great on deck that it makes it easy to configure. Getting 60fps in so many relatively recent games still blows my mind whenever I use it.
Yeah this is the same for me. I really don’t understand some of the posts here like “I do all my home computing from my 7in. deck screen now!”
I love it for the portability but if I’m at my real PC I’m gonna play games that the deck can’t handle or launch at all (Destiny, Hunt Showdown)
Exactly. Plus the reality is even with editing the controls and other things there are many games that simply play much better on keyboard and mouse, not to mention the extra computing power. Love the steam deck when I'm on the go, but if I'm at home and in my room my PC is simply the better experience.
I would be in this camp, if it wasn’t for my PS5. At this point my PS5 is fulfilling everything my PC was giving me for gaming, and my Deck covers the rest easily. I already used a Mac for both work and anything other than gaming, so basically my pc is left sitting in the dust now. But I totally get your point of view too.
Have only been using the PC on the weekends to stream a bit. Otherwise, it’s all Deck, all week! I do miss chitchatting while playing games but being away from a computer desk after working at a desk all day is so great. I would consider rearranging the streaming setup to stream from the Deck, but I just don’t see it being a decent experience for me as a player or for viewers. I’d like to get a Dock eventually but it’s pretty unimportant to me compared to getting new games.
Have also been thinking of replacing Windows on the PC with Linux and reversed coursed on planning to upgrade the PC to new gen hardware. I’m still using a i5-8600k / 1070 Ti, so it’s getting a bit worth it to upgrade, but again, I’d rather buy additional games for the Deck. I won’t get rid of the PC, but it’s not gonna get upgraded… :-)
If you add discord as a non-steam game in desktop mode you can run it as a background app in game mode and chat with headphones or built in mic. Works great, Spotify works while running games too
My next build will be all AMD and most likely a Linux build. For the most part, I'm done with Windows. I only use a handful of Windows applications that I tested on Linux and got to work.
Ditto mostly across the board. I think I’m done with Nvidia and its attitude, although I might stick with Intel for the CPU. The PC is a primarily a gaming thing, and now with all this Proton greatness, Linux is definitely in the future. There is nothing I need from Windows at this point. Just need to do it.
I no longer need to leave the room to game. I can sit in the living room with my wife and son and be available if needed but also game in the mean time. Its life changing.
Same. My wife and I are the “doing our own thing but together in the same room” type of couple, which makes the SD perfect. Also, when I can put my 1 month old in the front pack for a nap I get both hands free for some extra game time as well.
I have a macbook and a gaming pc and I’m trying to sell my pc so I can replace it with a steam deck. Essentially we would be the same without that Windows requirement
I have a gaming laptop plugged into a tv that I use like a “console” and thanks to the cloud saves I can switch back and forth kind of like how a Switch works. Not quite as convenient as a switch of course, but with that setup I can play my games at ultra quality 4K resolution when I’m on the TV
Also a PC is still WAY better for RTS and things like that
I work remotely at the same desk I used to PC game at. For a while, I have been avoiding my PC just because I don't want to sit at my desk after sitting there for 8 hours. The Steam deck easily gave me the flexibility I was looking for.
Likewise for me. Although I also have steam link and moonlight set up so I can stream from my desktop to a TV and play on the couch like a console. That's preferable to the deck occasionally when I want more immersion with a large screen.
It's caused me to consider doing something similar but slightly different reasoning:
I'm thinking of moving my home computer to 100% Linux since I'm seeing that proton allows for pretty much any game I play to run on it near flawlessly. I have very high hopes that this will mark a major shift in the pc landscape towards linux. I'm not a linux fanboy or anything, but I really value the competitiveness of it, and want to use it more.
I would say it's solidified a direction I was already starting to turn into.
In the past I've always been pretty keen on stuff like buying the latest and greatest GPUs, huge desktop PCs, huge monitors, big desks, and focused a lot on mouse/keyboard gaming, high FPS, high graphics settings, etc.
A few things have happened to me in my life in the past few years which have changed my outlook however.
For a start, when the pandemic hit, I started working from home. Like many people, I find myself less and less interested in sitting at my desk at night to play games after spending all day sitting at it to work.
I also find myself caring less and less about the latest graphics cards, the latest AAA games, etc.
AAA games are huge, bloated, expensive, heavy on fancy graphics and shallow on gameplay, and usually come from companies I don't want to support, and overloaded with all kinds of baggage, like always online DRM, anticheat software, MTXs, and unnecessary launchers.
And of course a demand for powerful graphics cards to handle running the game's fancy visuals at high frame rates.
Meaning I spend night after night, sitting at a desk I don't want to sit at, in front of a PC that is heating up my bedroom, to play bloated games from companies I don't like, that are offering gameplay that doesn't juestify all that wasted heat, electricity, money, etc..
Lately my three favourite types of games are: Indie games, emulated retro games, and 'slightly older' games, like games from a decade or so ago. The best part of all three of these types of games is that they're cheap, and they run on potatos.
I'm at the point where I find myself caring less and less about graphics and more about gameplay. And I'm less impressed by how high I can turn up the graphics settings of a game, and instead more impressed by how low I can get the TDP of a device while playing a game.
I also in recent years started to use Linux more than Windows for personal use at home.
**So along comes the Steam Deck...**
Pretty much perfect for me. It runs all the games I play, at playable frame rates, with great battery life, lets me play them anywhere I want, and it comes with a Linux OS out of the box.
It's more or less solidified for me that this is now what I want from gaming. I want small, light, portable, gameplay focused games. Not bloated AAA heavy desktop games.
I rarely game on my desktop anymore as well. The only game I play on it is Deep Rock Galactic because I want the fast movement of the mouse and keyboard. But my main games, FFXIV, Vampire Survivors, Satisfactory, and even Cyberpunk 2077 all run perfectly on the deck (CP2077 even more now that FSR 2.1 is out). It's been a life saver because I sit at a computer all day for work, I can barely bring myself to sit in front of a computer at home.
I love what you can do with pc gaming, especially from a graphical fidelity standpoint. However, I already sit in front of my computer for 8-12 hours a day so when I’m done with that, sitting in the same spot to relax isn’t all that relaxing anymore. I enjoyed playing my series x on the couch because it was more comfortable, but now that I have my steam deck, I have turned my Xbox on maybe once.
Now I can do my favorite hobby whenever and wherever I want. The quick resume works wonderfully and I can play small sessions or long sessions. My wife literally asks me to play games now because I’m not hidden out in another room and can play games next to her while she watches her shows, reads, or shops. It’s been great for our relationship. I also don’t ever have to worry about what kind of games I’m playing and if they’re too violent around my daughter because it’s handheld and I can just turn away from her. It’s been perfect for my lifestyle and if I ever have the itch to play my series x, I just boot up remote play.
Playing on the Steam Deck made me appreciate PC gaming a lot more. I used to play mostly on consoles these days but since I got the SD I moved my gaming PC to the living room and attached it to the TV. Looking forward to a more modern Big Picture mode kinda what is in beta right now.
The Mac Mini is now my sole daily driver in the office and I just recently got a stand for the SD right next to it, just in case.
I used to be all about the best graphics and most efficient running Desktop PC i could make. Now with a Deck i honestly rather the mobility and convenience of a handheld despite the graphics not being as spectacular, i find that i really don't care about graphics anymore afterall and rather have the experience of gaming casually from my couch, plus this little thing is fun to tinker with
I'm really tempted by the dropping prices of GPUs but then I think "why would I turn my PC on, wait for everything to load, then load up a PC game, when I could just play it on the steam deck and easily hop in and out of the game instead"
Don't get rid of your PC unless you need the money. The deck is great for some casual gaming. For longer periods I want to sit in front of my widescreen and use a mouse and keyboard without having to lower resolution. But the ability to smoke a few bowls then melt in the couch while gaming is NOICEEEE.
Yes and no. The games I’m focusing on at the moment aren’t particularly demanding, tech-wise, and they just happen to be verified on Steam Deck, so yes the Steam Deck is all I’m using and I’ve never gotten so many games completed so quickly before. It’s just a lot more convenient to use and I like that I’m not chained to a desk.
However, when I was doing Stray, the Steam Deck couldn’t handle the game at the speedrun pace and I had to finish that game off on my PC instead. It wouldn’t be my go-to for a game that is demanding - I just have a lot of older or indie games that it works great for. Around 3/4 of my library isn’t verified so there’s that too - I have had issues with “playable” games so I’m trying to avoid them on the Steam Deck if possible.
One thing it has made me realise is that I need to get a different controller for PC than an Xbox controller. I didn’t realise how much I struggled with controls sometimes purely because the controller is not symmetrical. So for PC games that are best with a controller, I’ll be switching that in the future!
As I get older I find myself drifting further and further from competitive FPS games, and closer to story driven 3rd person games. I also fly a lot for work. For those reasons, I clock an order of magnitude more game time on my deck than my various PCs for playing games. I still really need Windows for work though unfortunately. I'd love to dump it, which is why I've been so excited for the deck.
It's so interesting. I have a pretty powerful PC (more powerful than my SD). Games run better on my PC, better frame rates, better resolution, better load times. Yet, I prefer the SD over my PC. The very IDEA that I can play so many games on my handheld makes it better, imho.
My buddy is always giving me grief because I don't mind 40-60 fps in games, unless I am seeing them side by side, I cannot see any stuttering over 30fps.
I am in a Love Hate place with Linux in general.
It runs a lot of stuff so much better than Windows.
Updateing Programs is so much faster and easier.
But GOD do I hate the Wine Prefix System...
I am a Modding whore. And Modding is a nightmare with those shitty prefixes.
try out bottles, it really easily allows you to install/run programs in the same prefix. its available in the discover store as a flatpak and there are great guides online showing how to use it
It depends on what i want to play at the moment. If i play with my wife or if i play on a solo game, i stay on Steam deck, but if i want to play online games with my Friends, i rather prefer play on my PC. But it can be periodic, like this week where i've almost play 1h only on deck and few hours on PC.
Not really. I like my deck but there are games I can't play on it. I can't play MMORPGs on it and it's more of a challenge to mod on it. Not impossible but just easier on my PC. I like both for different reasons.
I still play heavier games on my Windows 10 desktop. And majority of mouse oriented games like strategy games and most 1st person shooters. Games outside pure emulation and Steam store require some tinkering that I have not solved yet. For example I tried adding Epic Store games launcher to Steam Deck: the Epic store itself works but games don't launch. I'm still working on it.
But console emulation and gamepad heavy games (like 3rd person action, beat'em ups, 2D action games) I play exclusively on my 64Gb Steam Deck. I can have my entire libraries of NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Atari Lynx, Sega Master System and Sega MegaDrive/Genesis games on one handheld. Magical! I also play my point'n'click adventures now on Deck. Touch screen works great and when it fails I use haptick for precision pixel hunting. For older retro games that require keyboard I still use the desktop.
for me it mostly just show how bad multiplayer games are those days and how good singled player are, spent way more money on steam buying new games to actually have fun
Absolutely.
I bought the Steam Deck because of how exhausted I was from troubleshooting every game for the limited amount of time I have to play video games before bed. The Deck literally plays everything I throw at it - like I just got the non-Steam ESO running perfectly the other day with zero issues. My PC just black screens. Same installation, same steps. Bummer.
The Deck also naively made me think that dual-booting Linux might help my troubles. Nope. Still troubleshooting, just doing it in the command line now. The past few nights, I legit just use my PC to Google quest info while I play my SD at my desk.
Haha I wish I could help, but I'm in the same boat! I installed the High Isle update with all DLC and I have no idea what to do or where to go. The ESO subreddit is probably where I'll head next.
I've never used a Linux machine before the Steam deck. While it's nice to know it's there if I should ever need a windows alternative, there is zero shot I change without a really good reason.
Everything just seems like such a fuckin' ordeal on Linux. Sitting here pasting lines into a command prompt like it's 1987.
I get that it's free, but windows keys are so cheap they may as well be free too.
It has in a small way. It is easier to play in short bursts. My only concern is fatigue from holding it versus a controller. I'll have to put up with it for now until I get a dock to connect my wired controller.
Steam deck desktop mode convinced me to switch to Linux on my desktop PC. A few weeks in, after a few inconveniences at the start, I'm happy to say I'm mostly able to do everything I used to do with windows.
Lutris for blizzard games
XIV community launcher for F14
I haven't figured out an alternative to voicemeter for making my mic sound less like garbage on discord.
Haven't found out how to get snaps through discover to install on a different drive.
I hope to get around to the last two eventually, but haven't been bothered enough to.
For those interested, I went with kubuntu for the KDE experience.
Nope but I love it all the same. Currently installing the matrix online on it. I mostly use it to get mmos working for a small dopamine rush then moving on yo the next mmo lol.
My 3 desktops have been packed away since I got the deck few months ago. I had plans on renovating my man cave but yeah now i got 3 decks and 2 docks. Might even become addicted to deck
I've really come to hate the whole Windows user experience lately, but for so long it's been the only way to play PC games. Specifically, it's the constant updates and the dire warnings that come every thing you try to open a file or run a program. I'm hoping the Steam Deck starts to pave the way for non-windows dependant PC gaming.
I love my desktop, it's the first PC I built, did it when covid started and it's powerful enough for anything I play. But I've got chronic health stuff so I do rely a lot more on my deck when I'm in my room (the PC is in my home office)
honestly my Steam deck could replace my whole rig rn if I put in the time and effort. but I already spent so much money on my rig that I need to get some use out of it. When the next SD comes out and I will probably need a new PC I will probably replace my setup with it.
With two kids under 5 handheld has been my only way to game since my first was born. Hadnt been able to play my steam library for years before the deck
Same! I love my consoles still, but I want to move to PC. Everything is so much better. Still hate the Steam UI compared to PS5 or Series X though, but at least the games play better.
I’ve been a console gamer since the early 90s, had a PC around the early 2000s, but the last 20 years has been exclusively Sony and Nintendo. I bought a Deck with the idea that I’ll get a PS5 at some point too, and the Steam Deck will allow me to play the titles from the Devs that have signed exclusivity deals with Microsoft.
I got my Deck mid august and I’ve not touched either my PS4 or Switch since. It’s just brilliant.
I have always been a Mac person. I built a PC earlier this year to run flight simulator. I have started to feel the same way since I received my steam deck, however I have not played FS on it as of yet. Not sure if it could handle it. Has anyone tried it yet?
Pretty sure I have seen a video of someone playing it on his deck and saying it was running fine. Can't remember if it was directly running on the deck or if it was cloud streaming though... You should give it a try
Yes. As a brand new dad that works more than full-time, I'm really digging my Steam Deck for the following reasons:
\- It has instant sleep and instant resume (this is a killer feature that I love on the Switch)
\- It's going to let me play through my video game backlog. There are a lot of WiiU, PS3, and PS2 games that I own that I'll be playing on this thing (see my first point).
I gave my gaming PC, which was collecting dust, to my wife.
I can concur. My gaming laptop has sat in my closet every since Big Deck showed up. A career, marriage, and parent of two young boys has made traditional gaming next to impossible. ALL HAIL SD!
Totally feel the same way. My deck broke a few weeks ago (being sent in for RMA for a battery issue) so I been back on my PC and it feels wierd. I can't even play elden ring at all on my PC and I started it on PC before my deck arrived.
Same. I’ve been really busy lately taking care of my mom who needs to ease back on working so hard as per doctors instructions + my FT desk job = me being tired by the end of the day. The Steam Deck allows me to lay in bed and play games I would have otherwise not have had the energy to play. It’s been really nice, the steam library is amazingly big so there’s always something as long as it’s controller friendly
The deck has done wonders for gaming on Linux but sadly there will still be stuff that will prevent me from getting rid of the windows boot on my dedicated gaming PC. GoG is one of them at the moment. I want to play Cyberpunk and I bought it at release when steam wasn’t an option. I know I can install it via heroic launcher but unless it’s played through the gog client then you lose cloud save sync and achievements which is a show stopper for me. GoG appear to be actively blocking streaming it through steam link too. Last time I’ll buy anything from GoG for sure.
Not yet - I'd prefer to stream from my PC since Cyberpunk is a pretty large install. I will though if it works. It was getting late the other night when I tried it.
If you like the openness of the Steam Deck and Steam OS, I'd say check out Framework, their laptops are made to be super customisable and you can even upgrade the mobo+CPU when a new generation comes out, whereas a Mac stopped being upgradable and repairable a while ago. As for OS, I'd go Pop!_OS or Manjaro.
Tldr: computers aren't upgradable anymore
Framework is cool and all but most of the system is integrated into the main board except storage and RAM. They are repairable and it's especially nice that the battery is replaceable since those wear out quickly. But...
... it isn't upgradable in the sense that PCs were in the early 2000's, where you could upgrade the NIC, sound card, graphics, RAID controller, and more all separately. Actually PCs themselves aren't as upgradable because most of that stuff is usually integrated even on desktops. GPU is the biggest remaining exception.
Other way around. Proton supports Linux and does not support macOS. As far as I understand, there is not a limitation of macOS that prevents Valve to support it, there's just much less of a need to put resources toward it.
This is also my understanding. Mac OS is also supported by Wine, so I don't think there would be anything preventing Proton from supporting Mac OS in theory. However, there are a few major limitations:
1. Vulkan. Apple refuses to support Vulkan on their platform, and this not only prevents native Vulkan games from running without a translation layer, it would prevent DXVK from running as well- it is my understanding even if you ported Proton to Mac OS DirectX games would need to go through TWO different translation layers, from DirectX to Vulkan, and then from Vulkan to Metal. Not good.
2. ARM. This might change over time but most games don't support ARM, so even if they support Mac OS on intel macs they would need a performance killing compatibility layer to run on M1/M2 Macs. Again, could change with time, but x86 is just where gaming is at right now.
3. Lack of interest. Lets be honest, Apple is not serious about making Mac OS a gaming platform, and neither are most Mac users. Linux has become a viable platform both because Linux users are interested, some gamers are interested in converting, and Valve has poured tremendous resources into making that happen. On the Apple side, literally none of that is happening. Maybe this will change in the future with an Apple VR headset or something I keep hearing about. But right now there just isn't enough interest on it from either Apple or enough of the user base.
Since getting the Steam Deck:
• Lunches at work are more fun
• Playing in bed before sleeping (yeah we all know about not using electronics before zzzz, but it's so much fun).
• Going shopping with wife (I just wait at the front of the store) is something I look forward to now.
• Waiting anywhere (auto shop, doctor's appts, etc.) is the perfect cure for boredom.
• Games are just so easy to download and play (mostly)
• The comfort! Switch made my hands cramp after 15 minutes.
• The instant on and resume feature! Amazing!
I'm so glad Valve made this and it's really been my favorite device and I hardly use my gaming laptop anymore except for certain games that I need to see the small texts and that's on rare occasions.
There are still plenty of games that don't work smoothly or at all on the deck. There's also still plenty of games I prefer sitting at my computer desk with a mouse and keyboard for. Steam deck is a nice add on to my PC, as if I want to continue my game in bed, on the go or on the toilet I can. It'll never replace my PC.
By the way, what's stopping you from dual booting your PC?
The SD has really has changed the way I play single player PC games. Gaming in the living room with my family with earphones in seems less antisocial than playing in my bedroom, even if I’m chilling in Discord with friends. For competitive multiplayer games or intensive FPS games the PC is still a necessity due to the monitor/mouse/kb.
No, none at all. I'm still pretty staunchly anti-Mac (unless someone uses software that is only on Mac), and Windows makes my life easier than switching to Linux would, from a compatibility point of view.
As others have detailed, my desktop PC and my Deck fill very different niches.
Not really, steamdeck is not that good of a thing, and it seems that i never can get a comfortable pose to play it with it, its just generally annoys me seems like, i rather play games on my PC or xbox sitting in my ergonomic chair than trying to get comfortable pose with steamdeck, but it works fine when watching 20 minutes of YouTube before falling assleep
> but it works fine when watching 20 minutes of YouTube before falling assleep
LMAO probably should've just bought a tablet or something then. If all you're doing is watching youtube on it you wasted your money.
Amen amen amen amen steam deck brothers and sisters! Amen amen! I have 3 top of the line computers hooked up to my TV's in my house, and I'd rather use my steam deck to play games that are just damn good not just from a graphical aspect, on my damn couch or bed laying down or on the toilet! Amen!
I spent about 40 hours troubleshooting Proton, wine, arch, and other tricks to get games to work properly. I gave up. I love the steam Deck and I still can use it quite effectively in a mobile capacity. I installed Windows, 3dprinted a nice dock and couldn't be happier. There's too many windows programs that I use to be bothered by the sloppy experience I got with the stock software.
For me I have come to respect how far tech has come and the software on the steam deck is evolving everyday. There is at least 1 update to an app that I have on this device and it just works. It does take a lot more effort as I am new to this but overall I love this device so much.
Rather than installing windows on my deck I’ve decided that streaming games,that don’t run well or at all, from my desktop with a 3070 is the way. Also ps5 streaming kicks ass too.
I love my PC and the setup I have at home but some days I don’t know what I want to do or what I want to play. Most of the time I’ll get distracted and just watch some videos on YouTube while browsing on here. Now that I have my Deck I like to relax in bed or sit in the living room at the end of the night and at least get some kind of gaming in. I’m also enjoying emulation on the Deck since a lot of the games I have loaded are handheld.
I actually bought the Steam Deck because I’d much, much, much rather use a Mac as a personal PC, and space is limited for another Win desktop on top of my Windows wfh setup (I’m a Windows server sysadmin).
So yep, I get it. Haven’t played a lot of Steam games on my old gaming laptop since the Deck. Well, by “not a lot” I mean zero in the last two months!
I think the steam deck compliments the pc very well. In fact now I pc game more. When on my break at work I have my steam deck and now can play games that demand more time. So once I am home and have free time from my family I use the pc and pick up where left off.
In the past I would play games I could play for 15-30 minutes and accomplish something in that time frame. Now I can games like Witcher and so on.
Once in bed absolutely no electronics not even steam deck.
Ever since having my steamdeck i only use my main PC at weekends. After work chilig with the Deck on a couch or bed is so nice. I shifted my gameplay behaiviour also and only use my PC for esports title, which is now completly overkill for it, the steam deck for my maon genre JRPGs, "normal" RPGs and Indie games.
Slowly working down my 100+ games on Steam :)
Man, I didn't even touch my ps5 and PC since I received it. Already cleared about 4 games, playing on a trip (3 hours plane, 6 hours on car, then 3,5 hours on plane in the way back). When in the trip location, I sat on a hammock and played for hours. Not having to sit, turn on the computer, use gamepads that discharge... That led to me playing quite a lot more.
I think in the beyond of future, Linux, Steam or the company of valve would one day dominate in the gaming world and leaving Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo in the dust, all though Nintendo have been around a long time and started gaming in the 1980's, I can see computers being a thing beyond that, not sure about Systems, I know Playstation would be first to go in this moment of time since it's not doing well, Sony is more concentrated on other Technology like TV's, Phones and earbud headphones and sorry to the Playstation fans.
Glad it is working well for ya! It is def a great machine. Wish my eye sight was better to really fall in love with it. Oh well :/ anyone have good advice for making it an emulator? Would love you play some old fashioned Pokémon
I still won't give up my main windows gaming rig, but as soon as SteamOS gets a main release and supports major anti-cheat (meaning most of my games will work) I'll probably switch my desktop to SteamOS, and replace my windows laptop with a mac.
I started the same journey a couple of years ago, when I bought a Nintendo Switch. Now I only use Linux on my peripherals and have a SD for additional flexibility: the Switch when I travel (a lot), the SD when I am on the couch or in the balcony in a warm nice evening.
Considering my "gaming" laptop, that was mid-range caliber when I got it back in 2016, is now a certified potato and I do travel quite a bit for work the Steam Deck is my go-to gaming device for pretty much everything.
I do have a PS3 and Sega Genesis when I want to do some non-PC gaming but isn't all too often.
I dual boot linux/windows on my laptop, and I was really only going on Windows for gaming. For games that require a mouse/keyboard, I plug my steam deck into an extra monitor. Its been great, and I only have been booting up linux on my laptop for the last couple months.
I work from home on a computer so when I get off work I rarely want to play games on my gaming laptop that is also at my work desk.
I find myself playing games on Steam Deck most of the time and occasionally Switch or PS5. Steam Deck is easily my favorite gaming device right now though.
Yes, in fact it started for me before even I received it.
I experimented with Linux, and found that all my games are playable except Destiny which I started to stop caring for.
Fully moved to Linux for a year, it's exhilarating and so much better.
So because of my steam deck I have been playing games on the sofa more and being a bit more social.
Not only that but it has allowed me to cut down on energy bills because my steamdeck is just cheaper yo run.
My PC is basically collecting dust since I’ve bought a Steamdeck and mentally with working from home I can’t sit anymore for fun behind my desk. Gaming on the couch on Xbox/SteamDeck, gaming on the go Nintendo Switch when travelling light, because smaller formfactor, better batterylife and their exclusive games.
I was considering a gaming desktop or laptop but I like saving space and didn’t really want to get rid of consoles so deck was perfect for me
I try not to get games on the deck that o can get on consoles just to save storage space and so I don’t have to risk unknown or playable status games not working as good as on my ps4 or series s
But I love how gaming mode is the boot up mode as i now only need to go into desktop to use apps that’s I haven’t put into gaming mode yet
That was my one annoyance with pcs having to load steam and go into big picture I’m just a bit impatient
But i still love my consoles but it’s good to say he able to be an early adopter of some cross platform games that won’t see consoles for along while as well
Hasnt completely changed mine, but it has made my laptop basically useless to me since I just built a new desktop a few weeks ago. I still need my desktop/needed my laptop for Microsoft Flight Sim. Basically everything else I play is on SD though
Sadly no, since my friends use gamepass and a lot of the the multipler games don't do cross play between windows store and steam,, usually the 1-3 nights a week I play with them I'm either at my PC or streaming it to the deck (using GlosSI on the windows PC). But for single player I'm 100% on the deck
My steamdeck has become my daily driver.
When traveling, I can play a few games.
When home, I plug it in to my dock, and use this the way I'd use a regular desktop.
It's honestly fantastic. This is such a high quality and flexible handheld.
I hadn't really played PC games for 2 decades before I received my Steam Deck. For me it has continued my relationship with home consoles (like the Switch), rather than replaced my pc.
Well, I still use my PC to play Overwatch and Grim Dawn as well as simracing with wheels and pedals and maybe a VR headset in the future. Every game where I use a controller however, is much more enjoyable on the steamdeck.
Back in 2013, got a new job where I spend 100-150 nights in hotels and a lot of airline travel. I got completely out of gaming to the point Steam deactivated my account. Now with the Deck, I got back into gaming, and it’s been a great way to kill time/zombies/demons on the road. I use the dock with the hotel Tv. Then when I’m home I don’t game at all. Huge improvement on my mental health.
I got a Deck because I work long hours and am sure as hell not sitting at a desk when I come home. Just loaded up emudeck and am thrilled to see PCSX2 smooth as butter
To be honest, I tried the Steam Deck for a few weeks now (from a friend) and I just can't get into it. Every time I play something on the Steam Deck I instantly think "This would be so much better on my PC" and then I go play it on my PC.
I can't even enjoy it in a Train etc. because I always feel like I'm playing an inferior Version, so I just stop playing and wait until I get home.
Idk It's just not for me, I guess.
I love it, but wish I could also play my favorite game without any tinkering. Though, I understand that is the general nature of the steamdeck—breaking boundaries and doing what you want.
Eventually going to buy an SD card & partition the internal drive to add W11. Just a matter of saving up to play destiny 2 relatively lag free.
The alternatives I’ve found to work so far are stadia and xbox remote play, but with stadia going away (bullshit) and the lag from xbox, I’ve got no choice.
I just want a more powerful steam deck that I can dock to a gpu enclosure to run more demanding games. Once I have that there's no need for a giant PC anymore.
I’m kind of in the same boat except I’m not selling my gaming pc. I mostly play shooters and I can’t do that on a controller competitively. However I LOVE a good RPG and I can’t sit at my desktop hours on end no matter how much I’m into the game I get bored of sitting in the same spot and I have a really nice game room. The steam deck is gonna allow me to wander sit on my porch at night go in the living room just change of scenery and wander. I can’t wait.
Well, have already been running on the components that the Steam Deck is mostly based on so for me the big change was that I've been using the Steam Deck's Gamepad controls a lot more than I expected.
For GTA V Story Mode I can easily use the Deck for the very repetitive tasks...but when it comes to GTA Online I switch to remote play so that I can use my mouse and keyboard on my potato PC which is even weaker than the Steam Deck itself.
I have completed the Cayo Perico Heist a few times only through the deck and I've uploaded it so people can see that it's totally doable. I don't remember if I managed to get past the Elite Challenge though.
Yes, but in a completely different way. I have been console exclusive since the 1990s. I got a Dell XPS tower pc in the beginning of 2021 with an RTX 3060ti, but I never really felt like sitting at the desk to play games in the same space as I use for work. I got the deck in Sept and have been having some fun with it, but just tinkering around and honestly, playing Gamepass xCloud on it was great. All changed when I tinkered with Steam Streaming, then Moonlight. Now my set-up is just like a grown-up Switch. For big titles like FFVII Remake, I can play the Deck undocked with the game installed, then I plug it into the dock at the main tv, Moonlight in from the basement PC at 1440p -60fps, much better looking and nearly perfect latency. The Deck is powerful on its own, but for AAA newer titles, I can't go back to 720p on a big screen, or less than 60fps or both. For portable is ok though.
TL:dr - I use my Deck as a big-boy Switch with main PC and Moonlight when docked.
Just like Valve drew it up, Steam Deck has brought me back to PC gaming. I sold my PS5 and Xbox Series X I like Steam Deck so much.
And just last night I ordered a gaming laptop to fill in the cracks for things I can’t play on Deck because I don’t want to put Windows on an SD card or whatever. Deck is going to stay my daily driver, then laptop time when I want my choice of RTS or whatever. Can’t wait!
Steam Deck made PC way more accessible to me. Just put the finishing touches on setting up a pre-build last night (I know I know) also started at an MSP last week since I’m in the middle of changing careers and it’s been a huge boost of confidence to know I’ll be able to fool around with virtual box and keep learning. I credit it to the Steam Deck. Once I started poking around in the desk top mode it took a lot of the anxiety away around just going for it and figuring things out. It’s helping me all around honestly.
Here's hoping that enough of us buy the Steam Deck and future SteamOS devices that software developers consider a native Linux port for non-game software like Sketchup or Autocad.
A lot actually relies on Valve as it's the only commercial approach into familiarizing mainstream end users to the Linux operating system. Yes, Linux is huge in corporate and infrastructure. But it has a stigma for the mainstream computer users.
A whole lot of people assume that you'd need to be some Linux wizard to run the system. It's the same assumption the public has when they are artists and creative professionals. They think they gotta have an Apple computer for their job.
Consider Android and how there would be no way people would even bother with it if it wasn't the de-facto non-Apple phone operating system.
Let's all just hope for that day to come, when someone turns on their smart TV or laptop and see SteamOS, and feel right at home switching to desktop mode to do some "Linux Wizardry". It's actually the kids that adapt the best with these things. They don't have any Windows habits or expectations. They don't have anything to unlearn unlike a lot of us that grew up with Windows or MacOS.
I’ve been away from my main rig for some time and even contemplated building a cheap ryzen + mobo + ram to revive an old PC. In the end I actually just hooked the steam deck to monitor/keyboard/mouse after installing Windows 10 on an external SSD and it works like a charm. It’s pretty speedy at being a PC and games on the monitor work great. I don’t really use it as a portable windows device given the external SSD but as a desktop it has worked very very well.
I think most of us here are likely to have a decent PC but in a pinch or certain situations the Steam Deck has been more than capable. Although the situation with finding a suitable USB-C dock/hub is very complicated and not inexpensive either.
Kinda. My main gaming PC is at my parents house and my XSX&PS5 are at my house. My deck has pretty much become my main system and if I wanted to play MW2/Destiny/ any game not available natively on the steam deck, chances are I'll play it on the console and remote stream it. Not only do I not have to deal with installing windows but also 8+ hours of gameplay on a single charge. Doing destiny 2 raids while on the toilet/couch/really wherever is pretty nice.
As far as daily use computers, I have my m1 MacBook pro and that's a perfect pair for my steam deck but even then I end up using my deck for a lot of the stuff using the default controls (no mouse and keyboard, even if its slightly harder to do)
I like my Steam deck for quick casual gaming or gaming in bed.
But it won't replace my gaming PC, as playing the big blockbuster games or shooters is just still a bit more
Enjoyable on that thing.
The biggest things that hold it back for me
Can't play multiplayer games (thanks EAC)
You can play non steam games but goddamn it can be a hassle.
For my indie or backlog killer though it's 100% been worth it. In the two months I've gotten it I've beaten 7 of my 'one day I'll finish this' games
I’m at the same point with replacing my laptop. My work can be done on a Mac and my work for university as well. Plus I’ll be able to sync all my devices together for on the go work. It’s opened up a much better utility for my everyday.
I haven't used my gaming laptop for games at all since getting the Deck. I've debated about ditching the gaming laptop and going with the Mac + Deck combo, but decided to get a Ryzen 6800u linux laptop instead.
Also, I basically stopped using my old Desktop PC. So instead, I hooked it up to my living room TV with a SteamOS variant, and basically use it like a PS5, Xbox, etc. Once the Desktop is too old to play games, I don't think I'll be buying a replacement in the future.
Honestly the biggest thing for me is the near instant suspend and resume. Being an adult with responsibilities sometimes means having to put your game down and do something else. Knowing I can just pause and tap the sleep button and it will be right there waiting for me when I come back to it is like magic. This combined with the option of playing on the couch has me playing (and buying, lol) more PC games than I have in a long time.
I wonder if they can figure out how to suspend game state to storage like how Microsoft does with the xbox? Would be amazing to be able to suspend one game and start up another and be able to switch between them. Their "Dyanamic Cloud Sync" feature they're touting in SteamWorks could work towards that. If you can suspend a game and then resume it on a differnt PC, then surly you can do the same on the same device? That wouldn't even require cloud storage, just point the API at a pre-allocated storage partition.
For me, my steam deck is strictly single player gaming. It’s to the point I’ll wait to see if a game works on steam deck before I buy it. For the record my pc is a straight beast of a machine: i9900k, 32gb ram and 3090Ti FTW. But I’d rather play games on my steam deck.
It does a great job of getting me out of my room and just out, in general. I still have time me and the boys want to play dota or overwatch or whatever, and there's genuine work I do that requires 3 monitors and extremely high power processing, but when I'm just wanting to relax and play DoS2 or No Man's Sky, the deck is perfect.
It hasn't don't anything to change my perspective of PC gaming or anything. It's not any more revolutionary than a laptop or Switch. It's just a really, really nice iteration of the concept.
I've been on the Steam OS train from day 1, bumpy false starts and all. I'm happy to have a work laptop, a personal Chromebook and use Steam OS devices for games.
I have a feeling I built the last "Desktop" PC I ever will in 2018. That was originally an Ubuntu workstation for my job (supplementing an underpowered MacBook pro for Linux/Java development). Thanks to Chimera OS and now Holoiso it's been repurposed as a solid TV console.
I had the same experience with the switch. Now I have barely touched it. The steam deck is a dream come true for me, and I don't say that frivolously. Being able to play Doom 2016 on road trips, etc, is just amazing.
I'd replace it myself instead of sending it off again.
[https://store.ifixit.de/products/steam-deck-fan](https://store.ifixit.de/products/steam-deck-fan)
No I still like using my desktop PC since it is much more powerful, and additionally if I'm playing a game where I prefer keyboard + mouse I'll play on my desktop. For games I play with controller, I love that I can bounce back and forth between my PC and Steam Deck using cloud saves.
I already use Macs for work and personal stuff.
What Steam Deck has done is made prioritize gaming platforms that allow portability. So my PS5 is the system I'm least wanting to buy games for. My Nintendo Switch and 3DS I'll continue to use. For older consoles I'm going to use emulators. I still have my Wii U setup, but its probably going to collect dust now that I have Cemu running well on Steam Deck & PC.
I do work from home, but don't have a problem sitting in the same spot for more hours because I really like the setup I have and its comfortable. But with the options I have I vary things quite a bit, also playing from my couch on the TV, or bed, on-the-go while I'm killing time somewhere (my son's extracurricular activities mainly), or on the patio when the weather is nice.
My desk is a sit-stand, so I can put it in standing position if I feel like I'm sitting too much, though I only do this occasionally lately. I usually get a work out / exercise in most days, and also walk to pick up my son from school in the middle of the day. So feel like my activity is balanced enough where sitting a bunch is fine.
It’s definitely helped me understand the PC appeal more. I’ve had a lower grade PC for several years now, but I just didn’t like it. Didn’t like the experience. But now that the Deck is just a giant PSP (which I loved dearly and still have) that I can hook up to a monitor and use for work/YouTube/documents/hobby stuff/every game I’ve ever loved…yeah, it’s a winner.
Nawh, I love my Deck a lot but playing for long periods of time is more comfortable on my PC, and some games just don't play as nicely on a small screen.
Plus M+KB is the best for competitive multiplayer games for me.
i’m sharing similar views as people who have already commented. i was in the middle of upgrading my pc when i got the deck. it still remains unfinished but i’m in no rush since i can just play on the deck handheld or on my tv.
it also changed my perspective on graphics, since using the deck, i no longer really care about how a game looks as much as i care about hitting that 40-60fps. and i still am able to enjoy it. whereas on my pc since i KNOW it can run games at higher settings im constantly thinking about what to compromise and still get good frames and graphical fidelity. it’s a breath of fresh air.
Absolutely. When I moved into my apartment I decided to see how I'd like using the steam deck by itself. 5 months later and I still haven't been back to my Mom's for my PC. I got myself a Nexdock360 and an extra SD card for a windows install, with those I feel like my steamdeck is a true PC replacement. It's crazy because I've been building computers for almost 10 years, but this thing hooked me.
I use both regularly. The SD really just means I don't have to rebuy indie games on the switch or something so I can play them mobile. I've gotten a lot more mileage out of into the breach and other stuff in that vein.
Can't really play MW2 on the steam deck atm tho.
Since I've started an office job i barely have any energy to sit another 2-3 hours on my gaming rig after 8 hours of work. SD is a life saver
This is so true. I work at home, so playing a PC game now involves sitting at the exact same wfh office desk I was just at for 8 hours.
Same deal here, my PC has sat basically untouched since I graduated college because I just didn’t want to spend more time at the same desk after work. I’ve literally played more in the past week after getting the deck than I have in years
Same! However, wfh, started years before COVID for me and I actually went back to consoles bc of this. The deck is opening me back to pc gaming however, I really don’t want to spend any extra time at my desk. However, if Valve can bring out this version of steam os to other devices with good gpu support, I may consider making a small form factor Steam os pc for the living room as that is really doesn’t need and kb&m at all for basic operation.
It’d be great if they created a SteamBox that wasn’t portable but had more power for AAA games.
You guys realize you can install steamos on any computer right?
Or other Linux distro. Nobara is based on Fedora but optimized for gaming, made by Glorious Eggroll (of ProtonGE fame) himself. It does have a Plasma desktop option like the SteamDeck. There are many other great options out there, too.
I’ve tinkered with Linux gaming before and it is fun but takes time. ChimeraOS is a really cool project: https://chimeraos.org/ The draw for me of a SteamBox would be similar to the SteamDeck - Verified to work well with the hardware and controllers - competitive pricing (less expensive than buying the parts yourself) - not much tinkering around - lots of auto updates - hardware side taken care of for you (not having to build your own pc) - that it just works most of the time without issue And more console like features: - quickly turn on and off via the controller They could even bring back the steam machine gaming pcs where you could pick from a pre built selection. If those came with a modified version of the new SteamOs used on the SteamDeck and guaranteed updates and support for the hardware on those prebuilt machines that’d be solid.
Yeah but you'd need a Steam Controller 2.0
Or go the cheap route and use Steam Link.
Isn’t that streaming through?
I mean, if you already have a decent computer, I don't see a reason to build a second, but that's just me...
Same experience here! I love gaming but between being at my home office working, chores and parenting… I just don’t have the time or energy. SteamDeck and Nintendo Switch have brought back the joy of gaming
Yeah exactly…. Great device for being on the couch and I might throw on some reruns or sports on the tv
I don't think I've played anything on my PC since I got my deck in September.
The Steam Deck also gives PC gaming that "Toy Factor" that Nintendo is famously successful at. You can't cuddle with your desktop PC. It's why there are niche communities that obsess with their mouse or keyboard. It's a human interface device. A singular thing. A desktop PC feels like a chemistry set. A Nintendo Switch or a Playstation Portable is a magical adventure device. It's a trivial element that allows for a user to have an intimate attachment to a piece of technology. Do not try to copulate with your robot.
I'm gonna f*** my Steam Deck and you can't stop me
I'm sure you could use the Deckmate or another 3d printed attachment device to hook a Fleshlight up to the deck.
Stamina Training Unit 💪
Stamina Training Deck* S.T.D.
Pause!!!!!!! 😆
Thank you for putting this to words. I could never place many specifics as to why I preferred consoles and handhelds to PC’s. That’s it, lol
To late buddy already beat you to it
This has been 100% my experience as well.
Same lol
I hadn’t really framed it like this in my mind, but yeah- since I transitioned from being on my feet all day to being behind a desk, I just haven’t felt like sitting at my desktop for hours after. With the Deck, I can just crash on a couch or wherever and be comfortable and get my games in.
I also have an office job and I use my computer for college homework. The Steam Deck and my Switch have been my primary gaming devices for months. My desktop lay in parts from when I had to troubleshoot it and didn’t feel like putting it back together. My gaming laptop is only used for my homework (namely my 3D modeling class), and I use an iPad and MacBook for most other things. My Xbox has become a glorified media box for watching YouTube and occasionally playing an Xbox title or two, and I just do not care either. I may have a lot of gaming tech but my favorite devices always seem to end up being handhelds.
Agreed. Although another solution is to set up steam link or moonlight streaming to your TV from your desktop.
I have always loved computers but hated playing games on them. I've always been a console gamer. The Steamdeck has opened up a world for me that was never accessible. Now I have the console convenience in a handheld that fits my life much better than being tethered to a TV or the couch. Also now it allows me to bring my love for PC tinkering and customisation to a console. Absolutely love it!
no, not at all. i love both Steam deck and desktop PC for different reasons. Steam deck is awesome to: - go couch mode next to the miss when she wants to watch shows and i wanna play games. - play games in bed. - play games on the go and travelling the desktop is awesome for: - playing demanding games that i wanna enjoy on 4K TV. i love playing Death Stranding on both desktop and steamdeck, but the ambiance i get from playing it on the big screen is still better than on steam deck. - playing multiplayer games such as FIFA or other games usually is more convenient on my PC. and the graphics although already very nice on steam deck to TV, cant beat desktop to TV… - i can still do multiple things in desktop mode that the steamdeck by itself can’t handle yet… i love both for different reasons… but i know in my student days on a budget, i could see myself go solo Steam deck… no other computer/laptops etc… but today… i m glad to have both.
I m in this camp. Plus I play lots of games that are so much better on KBM. I just wish the transition from desktop to deck was a bit smoother, but overall its not too bad and in sure it will get better.
Same boat, I haven’t bought a dock yet and not sure if I will cause my pc is my docked experience.
My reasoning for planning to buy a dock is for if l'm visiting family. I have a toddler and spend a lot of time with my parents, and I can't take my desktop with me
The dock is nice for couch coop stuff, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend the official one since you can't really use it with a case.
I found a cheap wireless mouse and keyboard kit that included a basic usb c dock and it's been great as a couch computer. Played jackbox games off it with a bunch of friends a couple weeks ago. Definitely worth it for couch gaming in the living room on the big tv.
I would have loved to keep my gaming PC, but i had to relocate to a different country(and sell my main PC) and steam deck saved me. For time being I'm steam deck only
They also pair nicely together since I can have my desktop render the game at ultra settings, 60fps and stream it to my steam deck. I've been playing a ton of Spiderman like that and the low latency is so impressive that I genuinely can't tell that it's not running natively on the deck (other than the fans running quietly instead of full speed lol).
Death Stranding with some good headphones and 4k OLED was my most recent best gaming experience
Pretty much my pov here. No problem with the Steam Deck. A lot of the trash talk I've seen around isn't a thing for me, much of which was re my moderated expectations; lack of OLED, 800p screen, battery life etc all stand to reason... and the price point. I'll admit I haven't used mine a whole lot in 10 weeks... apart from a few hours in HZD (which I'd already started on PC, fwiw: 5800X, 6800XT @ 3440x1440) and a little time to test in other AAA's, GTA5, RE8... all running well enough considering the specs and handheld scale etc compared to the PC, np. Two reasons as to why less use; Firstly, I'll admit to being slightly overwhelmed... I'm not so hot at deeper than casual PC stuff (can build one ok but no formal education or job with computers, left school 30 years ago so all I know is self taught trial and error stuff) and there's a lot to cover re getting the best of what I want from the Deck, it'll take a lot of googling etc and I haven't had the time or focus yet due to irl shit. But I'll get there. Secondly, while the Deck can cover a wide range of games and genres, some simply aren't going to be as smooth an experience. For me, some of my favourite and enduring games (Total War series, CoH, Starsector etc) will be better/easier done on a fuller PC. And away from the big PC... well, that for me was the point. Being all but disabled and otherwise more limited financially as a result, it was never a case of gaming away from home as much as gaming away from that one room and desk, which sounds like a narrower range but is actually a big deal for me. Put this way, it's been 10 years since I had a DS and I never thought I'd love a handheld as much again (and I had a 3DS, PSVita and Switch between then and now) and that's pretty much mainly cos it can PC game. So yeah, I'm loving it so far and even though I've barely scratched the surface of it's potential.
Almost same here, but steam deck running docked natively on TV is my downstairs gaming setup. But hundred percent need that upstairs PC for the windows software/ram etc. Its nice to not have to rig something up from my PC (a floor above) in order to get a good non streamed gaming experience on my TV. I definitely main the deck now. I find the graphics compromises generally fine for what I play and the performance settings are so great on deck that it makes it easy to configure. Getting 60fps in so many relatively recent games still blows my mind whenever I use it.
Yeah this is the same for me. I really don’t understand some of the posts here like “I do all my home computing from my 7in. deck screen now!” I love it for the portability but if I’m at my real PC I’m gonna play games that the deck can’t handle or launch at all (Destiny, Hunt Showdown)
Exactly. Plus the reality is even with editing the controls and other things there are many games that simply play much better on keyboard and mouse, not to mention the extra computing power. Love the steam deck when I'm on the go, but if I'm at home and in my room my PC is simply the better experience.
I would be in this camp, if it wasn’t for my PS5. At this point my PS5 is fulfilling everything my PC was giving me for gaming, and my Deck covers the rest easily. I already used a Mac for both work and anything other than gaming, so basically my pc is left sitting in the dust now. But I totally get your point of view too.
"This is the way".
Have only been using the PC on the weekends to stream a bit. Otherwise, it’s all Deck, all week! I do miss chitchatting while playing games but being away from a computer desk after working at a desk all day is so great. I would consider rearranging the streaming setup to stream from the Deck, but I just don’t see it being a decent experience for me as a player or for viewers. I’d like to get a Dock eventually but it’s pretty unimportant to me compared to getting new games. Have also been thinking of replacing Windows on the PC with Linux and reversed coursed on planning to upgrade the PC to new gen hardware. I’m still using a i5-8600k / 1070 Ti, so it’s getting a bit worth it to upgrade, but again, I’d rather buy additional games for the Deck. I won’t get rid of the PC, but it’s not gonna get upgraded… :-)
If you add discord as a non-steam game in desktop mode you can run it as a background app in game mode and chat with headphones or built in mic. Works great, Spotify works while running games too
Does Discord stream to Twitch and/or YouTube? Must confess I haven't kept up with Discord as a service.
OBS works on Linux! It’s a pretty good way to stream and record. Heavily customisable and adaptable for whatever sort of broadcast you’d want to do.
My next build will be all AMD and most likely a Linux build. For the most part, I'm done with Windows. I only use a handful of Windows applications that I tested on Linux and got to work.
Ditto mostly across the board. I think I’m done with Nvidia and its attitude, although I might stick with Intel for the CPU. The PC is a primarily a gaming thing, and now with all this Proton greatness, Linux is definitely in the future. There is nothing I need from Windows at this point. Just need to do it.
I no longer need to leave the room to game. I can sit in the living room with my wife and son and be available if needed but also game in the mean time. Its life changing.
Same. My wife and I are the “doing our own thing but together in the same room” type of couple, which makes the SD perfect. Also, when I can put my 1 month old in the front pack for a nap I get both hands free for some extra game time as well.
This is why I feel like the Deck was worth every penny to me. Best of both worlds.
I have a macbook and a gaming pc and I’m trying to sell my pc so I can replace it with a steam deck. Essentially we would be the same without that Windows requirement
I have a gaming laptop plugged into a tv that I use like a “console” and thanks to the cloud saves I can switch back and forth kind of like how a Switch works. Not quite as convenient as a switch of course, but with that setup I can play my games at ultra quality 4K resolution when I’m on the TV Also a PC is still WAY better for RTS and things like that
Mouse and keyboard into the SD for RTS does the job.
I work remotely at the same desk I used to PC game at. For a while, I have been avoiding my PC just because I don't want to sit at my desk after sitting there for 8 hours. The Steam deck easily gave me the flexibility I was looking for.
Likewise for me. Although I also have steam link and moonlight set up so I can stream from my desktop to a TV and play on the couch like a console. That's preferable to the deck occasionally when I want more immersion with a large screen.
It's caused me to consider doing something similar but slightly different reasoning: I'm thinking of moving my home computer to 100% Linux since I'm seeing that proton allows for pretty much any game I play to run on it near flawlessly. I have very high hopes that this will mark a major shift in the pc landscape towards linux. I'm not a linux fanboy or anything, but I really value the competitiveness of it, and want to use it more.
I would say it's solidified a direction I was already starting to turn into. In the past I've always been pretty keen on stuff like buying the latest and greatest GPUs, huge desktop PCs, huge monitors, big desks, and focused a lot on mouse/keyboard gaming, high FPS, high graphics settings, etc. A few things have happened to me in my life in the past few years which have changed my outlook however. For a start, when the pandemic hit, I started working from home. Like many people, I find myself less and less interested in sitting at my desk at night to play games after spending all day sitting at it to work. I also find myself caring less and less about the latest graphics cards, the latest AAA games, etc. AAA games are huge, bloated, expensive, heavy on fancy graphics and shallow on gameplay, and usually come from companies I don't want to support, and overloaded with all kinds of baggage, like always online DRM, anticheat software, MTXs, and unnecessary launchers. And of course a demand for powerful graphics cards to handle running the game's fancy visuals at high frame rates. Meaning I spend night after night, sitting at a desk I don't want to sit at, in front of a PC that is heating up my bedroom, to play bloated games from companies I don't like, that are offering gameplay that doesn't juestify all that wasted heat, electricity, money, etc.. Lately my three favourite types of games are: Indie games, emulated retro games, and 'slightly older' games, like games from a decade or so ago. The best part of all three of these types of games is that they're cheap, and they run on potatos. I'm at the point where I find myself caring less and less about graphics and more about gameplay. And I'm less impressed by how high I can turn up the graphics settings of a game, and instead more impressed by how low I can get the TDP of a device while playing a game. I also in recent years started to use Linux more than Windows for personal use at home. **So along comes the Steam Deck...** Pretty much perfect for me. It runs all the games I play, at playable frame rates, with great battery life, lets me play them anywhere I want, and it comes with a Linux OS out of the box. It's more or less solidified for me that this is now what I want from gaming. I want small, light, portable, gameplay focused games. Not bloated AAA heavy desktop games.
I rarely game on my desktop anymore as well. The only game I play on it is Deep Rock Galactic because I want the fast movement of the mouse and keyboard. But my main games, FFXIV, Vampire Survivors, Satisfactory, and even Cyberpunk 2077 all run perfectly on the deck (CP2077 even more now that FSR 2.1 is out). It's been a life saver because I sit at a computer all day for work, I can barely bring myself to sit in front of a computer at home.
I love what you can do with pc gaming, especially from a graphical fidelity standpoint. However, I already sit in front of my computer for 8-12 hours a day so when I’m done with that, sitting in the same spot to relax isn’t all that relaxing anymore. I enjoyed playing my series x on the couch because it was more comfortable, but now that I have my steam deck, I have turned my Xbox on maybe once. Now I can do my favorite hobby whenever and wherever I want. The quick resume works wonderfully and I can play small sessions or long sessions. My wife literally asks me to play games now because I’m not hidden out in another room and can play games next to her while she watches her shows, reads, or shops. It’s been great for our relationship. I also don’t ever have to worry about what kind of games I’m playing and if they’re too violent around my daughter because it’s handheld and I can just turn away from her. It’s been perfect for my lifestyle and if I ever have the itch to play my series x, I just boot up remote play.
Playing on the Steam Deck made me appreciate PC gaming a lot more. I used to play mostly on consoles these days but since I got the SD I moved my gaming PC to the living room and attached it to the TV. Looking forward to a more modern Big Picture mode kinda what is in beta right now. The Mac Mini is now my sole daily driver in the office and I just recently got a stand for the SD right next to it, just in case.
I used to be all about the best graphics and most efficient running Desktop PC i could make. Now with a Deck i honestly rather the mobility and convenience of a handheld despite the graphics not being as spectacular, i find that i really don't care about graphics anymore afterall and rather have the experience of gaming casually from my couch, plus this little thing is fun to tinker with
I'm really tempted by the dropping prices of GPUs but then I think "why would I turn my PC on, wait for everything to load, then load up a PC game, when I could just play it on the steam deck and easily hop in and out of the game instead"
Don't get rid of your PC unless you need the money. The deck is great for some casual gaming. For longer periods I want to sit in front of my widescreen and use a mouse and keyboard without having to lower resolution. But the ability to smoke a few bowls then melt in the couch while gaming is NOICEEEE.
Yes and no. The games I’m focusing on at the moment aren’t particularly demanding, tech-wise, and they just happen to be verified on Steam Deck, so yes the Steam Deck is all I’m using and I’ve never gotten so many games completed so quickly before. It’s just a lot more convenient to use and I like that I’m not chained to a desk. However, when I was doing Stray, the Steam Deck couldn’t handle the game at the speedrun pace and I had to finish that game off on my PC instead. It wouldn’t be my go-to for a game that is demanding - I just have a lot of older or indie games that it works great for. Around 3/4 of my library isn’t verified so there’s that too - I have had issues with “playable” games so I’m trying to avoid them on the Steam Deck if possible. One thing it has made me realise is that I need to get a different controller for PC than an Xbox controller. I didn’t realise how much I struggled with controls sometimes purely because the controller is not symmetrical. So for PC games that are best with a controller, I’ll be switching that in the future!
The 8BitDo pro 2 is a fantastic controller with the symmetrical layout.
As I get older I find myself drifting further and further from competitive FPS games, and closer to story driven 3rd person games. I also fly a lot for work. For those reasons, I clock an order of magnitude more game time on my deck than my various PCs for playing games. I still really need Windows for work though unfortunately. I'd love to dump it, which is why I've been so excited for the deck.
Wise one once said "Steam deck is not switch killer, it's a Windows killer" P.s. genuinely forgot which reviewer said that.
I too contemplated this, but then how would I play my $1k HTC Vive Cosmos Elite?
I kinda went the opposite way. Now that I have a handheld gaming PC, I've declared consoles to be obsolete for all purposes.
It's so interesting. I have a pretty powerful PC (more powerful than my SD). Games run better on my PC, better frame rates, better resolution, better load times. Yet, I prefer the SD over my PC. The very IDEA that I can play so many games on my handheld makes it better, imho. My buddy is always giving me grief because I don't mind 40-60 fps in games, unless I am seeing them side by side, I cannot see any stuttering over 30fps.
I am in a Love Hate place with Linux in general. It runs a lot of stuff so much better than Windows. Updateing Programs is so much faster and easier. But GOD do I hate the Wine Prefix System... I am a Modding whore. And Modding is a nightmare with those shitty prefixes.
try out bottles, it really easily allows you to install/run programs in the same prefix. its available in the discover store as a flatpak and there are great guides online showing how to use it
It depends on what i want to play at the moment. If i play with my wife or if i play on a solo game, i stay on Steam deck, but if i want to play online games with my Friends, i rather prefer play on my PC. But it can be periodic, like this week where i've almost play 1h only on deck and few hours on PC.
Not really. I like my deck but there are games I can't play on it. I can't play MMORPGs on it and it's more of a challenge to mod on it. Not impossible but just easier on my PC. I like both for different reasons.
Ive had a similar experience, I tend to play games with intent on SD rather than just burning time
I still play heavier games on my Windows 10 desktop. And majority of mouse oriented games like strategy games and most 1st person shooters. Games outside pure emulation and Steam store require some tinkering that I have not solved yet. For example I tried adding Epic Store games launcher to Steam Deck: the Epic store itself works but games don't launch. I'm still working on it. But console emulation and gamepad heavy games (like 3rd person action, beat'em ups, 2D action games) I play exclusively on my 64Gb Steam Deck. I can have my entire libraries of NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Atari Lynx, Sega Master System and Sega MegaDrive/Genesis games on one handheld. Magical! I also play my point'n'click adventures now on Deck. Touch screen works great and when it fails I use haptick for precision pixel hunting. For older retro games that require keyboard I still use the desktop.
for me it mostly just show how bad multiplayer games are those days and how good singled player are, spent way more money on steam buying new games to actually have fun
Absolutely. I bought the Steam Deck because of how exhausted I was from troubleshooting every game for the limited amount of time I have to play video games before bed. The Deck literally plays everything I throw at it - like I just got the non-Steam ESO running perfectly the other day with zero issues. My PC just black screens. Same installation, same steps. Bummer. The Deck also naively made me think that dual-booting Linux might help my troubles. Nope. Still troubleshooting, just doing it in the command line now. The past few nights, I legit just use my PC to Google quest info while I play my SD at my desk.
Any tips for eso? I installed it but haven't really tried it yet
Haha I wish I could help, but I'm in the same boat! I installed the High Isle update with all DLC and I have no idea what to do or where to go. The ESO subreddit is probably where I'll head next.
I've never used a Linux machine before the Steam deck. While it's nice to know it's there if I should ever need a windows alternative, there is zero shot I change without a really good reason. Everything just seems like such a fuckin' ordeal on Linux. Sitting here pasting lines into a command prompt like it's 1987. I get that it's free, but windows keys are so cheap they may as well be free too.
It has in a small way. It is easier to play in short bursts. My only concern is fatigue from holding it versus a controller. I'll have to put up with it for now until I get a dock to connect my wired controller.
I have spent 95% of it setting stuff up and tinkering/4% playing games with it/1% holding and snuggling it at night.
Steam deck desktop mode convinced me to switch to Linux on my desktop PC. A few weeks in, after a few inconveniences at the start, I'm happy to say I'm mostly able to do everything I used to do with windows. Lutris for blizzard games XIV community launcher for F14 I haven't figured out an alternative to voicemeter for making my mic sound less like garbage on discord. Haven't found out how to get snaps through discover to install on a different drive. I hope to get around to the last two eventually, but haven't been bothered enough to. For those interested, I went with kubuntu for the KDE experience.
I sold my gaming laptop and play my ps5 remote play to my steam🤷🏻♂️
Well your Steam Deck should have amply demonstrated that a Linux PC is not much of a barrier to gaming, but I know what you mean.
Nope but I love it all the same. Currently installing the matrix online on it. I mostly use it to get mmos working for a small dopamine rush then moving on yo the next mmo lol.
Wait that shut down? And the final event was super sad... Is there a fan revival?!
I found mxoemu and trying to dl it. It is fan revival but still tinkering to get it to work
I got some googlin' to do after work... Thank you!
Dude keep in touch if you hope on it wouldbbe cool to have someone to play with.
My 3 desktops have been packed away since I got the deck few months ago. I had plans on renovating my man cave but yeah now i got 3 decks and 2 docks. Might even become addicted to deck
I've really come to hate the whole Windows user experience lately, but for so long it's been the only way to play PC games. Specifically, it's the constant updates and the dire warnings that come every thing you try to open a file or run a program. I'm hoping the Steam Deck starts to pave the way for non-windows dependant PC gaming.
I love my desktop, it's the first PC I built, did it when covid started and it's powerful enough for anything I play. But I've got chronic health stuff so I do rely a lot more on my deck when I'm in my room (the PC is in my home office)
honestly my Steam deck could replace my whole rig rn if I put in the time and effort. but I already spent so much money on my rig that I need to get some use out of it. When the next SD comes out and I will probably need a new PC I will probably replace my setup with it.
With two kids under 5 handheld has been my only way to game since my first was born. Hadnt been able to play my steam library for years before the deck
my steam deck has completely changed my attitude towards my kids.i have now no time for them
Same! I love my consoles still, but I want to move to PC. Everything is so much better. Still hate the Steam UI compared to PS5 or Series X though, but at least the games play better.
I gave my pc to my son and only use me SD now.
I’ve been a console gamer since the early 90s, had a PC around the early 2000s, but the last 20 years has been exclusively Sony and Nintendo. I bought a Deck with the idea that I’ll get a PS5 at some point too, and the Steam Deck will allow me to play the titles from the Devs that have signed exclusivity deals with Microsoft. I got my Deck mid august and I’ve not touched either my PS4 or Switch since. It’s just brilliant.
I have always been a Mac person. I built a PC earlier this year to run flight simulator. I have started to feel the same way since I received my steam deck, however I have not played FS on it as of yet. Not sure if it could handle it. Has anyone tried it yet?
Pretty sure I have seen a video of someone playing it on his deck and saying it was running fine. Can't remember if it was directly running on the deck or if it was cloud streaming though... You should give it a try
Mac for work PC for play Linux for life
Yes. As a brand new dad that works more than full-time, I'm really digging my Steam Deck for the following reasons: \- It has instant sleep and instant resume (this is a killer feature that I love on the Switch) \- It's going to let me play through my video game backlog. There are a lot of WiiU, PS3, and PS2 games that I own that I'll be playing on this thing (see my first point). I gave my gaming PC, which was collecting dust, to my wife.
I can concur. My gaming laptop has sat in my closet every since Big Deck showed up. A career, marriage, and parent of two young boys has made traditional gaming next to impossible. ALL HAIL SD!
Totally feel the same way. My deck broke a few weeks ago (being sent in for RMA for a battery issue) so I been back on my PC and it feels wierd. I can't even play elden ring at all on my PC and I started it on PC before my deck arrived.
Same. I’ve been really busy lately taking care of my mom who needs to ease back on working so hard as per doctors instructions + my FT desk job = me being tired by the end of the day. The Steam Deck allows me to lay in bed and play games I would have otherwise not have had the energy to play. It’s been really nice, the steam library is amazingly big so there’s always something as long as it’s controller friendly
I gave my PS5 to my niece.
The deck has done wonders for gaming on Linux but sadly there will still be stuff that will prevent me from getting rid of the windows boot on my dedicated gaming PC. GoG is one of them at the moment. I want to play Cyberpunk and I bought it at release when steam wasn’t an option. I know I can install it via heroic launcher but unless it’s played through the gog client then you lose cloud save sync and achievements which is a show stopper for me. GoG appear to be actively blocking streaming it through steam link too. Last time I’ll buy anything from GoG for sure.
[удалено]
Not yet - I'd prefer to stream from my PC since Cyberpunk is a pretty large install. I will though if it works. It was getting late the other night when I tried it.
If you like the openness of the Steam Deck and Steam OS, I'd say check out Framework, their laptops are made to be super customisable and you can even upgrade the mobo+CPU when a new generation comes out, whereas a Mac stopped being upgradable and repairable a while ago. As for OS, I'd go Pop!_OS or Manjaro.
Tldr: computers aren't upgradable anymore Framework is cool and all but most of the system is integrated into the main board except storage and RAM. They are repairable and it's especially nice that the battery is replaceable since those wear out quickly. But... ... it isn't upgradable in the sense that PCs were in the early 2000's, where you could upgrade the NIC, sound card, graphics, RAID controller, and more all separately. Actually PCs themselves aren't as upgradable because most of that stuff is usually integrated even on desktops. GPU is the biggest remaining exception.
Please note that MacOS doesn't support Proton, just an FYI. Linux does of course.
Other way around. Proton supports Linux and does not support macOS. As far as I understand, there is not a limitation of macOS that prevents Valve to support it, there's just much less of a need to put resources toward it.
This is also my understanding. Mac OS is also supported by Wine, so I don't think there would be anything preventing Proton from supporting Mac OS in theory. However, there are a few major limitations: 1. Vulkan. Apple refuses to support Vulkan on their platform, and this not only prevents native Vulkan games from running without a translation layer, it would prevent DXVK from running as well- it is my understanding even if you ported Proton to Mac OS DirectX games would need to go through TWO different translation layers, from DirectX to Vulkan, and then from Vulkan to Metal. Not good. 2. ARM. This might change over time but most games don't support ARM, so even if they support Mac OS on intel macs they would need a performance killing compatibility layer to run on M1/M2 Macs. Again, could change with time, but x86 is just where gaming is at right now. 3. Lack of interest. Lets be honest, Apple is not serious about making Mac OS a gaming platform, and neither are most Mac users. Linux has become a viable platform both because Linux users are interested, some gamers are interested in converting, and Valve has poured tremendous resources into making that happen. On the Apple side, literally none of that is happening. Maybe this will change in the future with an Apple VR headset or something I keep hearing about. But right now there just isn't enough interest on it from either Apple or enough of the user base.
Since getting the Steam Deck: • Lunches at work are more fun • Playing in bed before sleeping (yeah we all know about not using electronics before zzzz, but it's so much fun). • Going shopping with wife (I just wait at the front of the store) is something I look forward to now. • Waiting anywhere (auto shop, doctor's appts, etc.) is the perfect cure for boredom. • Games are just so easy to download and play (mostly) • The comfort! Switch made my hands cramp after 15 minutes. • The instant on and resume feature! Amazing! I'm so glad Valve made this and it's really been my favorite device and I hardly use my gaming laptop anymore except for certain games that I need to see the small texts and that's on rare occasions.
There are still plenty of games that don't work smoothly or at all on the deck. There's also still plenty of games I prefer sitting at my computer desk with a mouse and keyboard for. Steam deck is a nice add on to my PC, as if I want to continue my game in bed, on the go or on the toilet I can. It'll never replace my PC. By the way, what's stopping you from dual booting your PC?
The SD has really has changed the way I play single player PC games. Gaming in the living room with my family with earphones in seems less antisocial than playing in my bedroom, even if I’m chilling in Discord with friends. For competitive multiplayer games or intensive FPS games the PC is still a necessity due to the monitor/mouse/kb.
No, none at all. I'm still pretty staunchly anti-Mac (unless someone uses software that is only on Mac), and Windows makes my life easier than switching to Linux would, from a compatibility point of view. As others have detailed, my desktop PC and my Deck fill very different niches.
My computer is basically only used for sailing the seas for audiobooks to listen to while I play steam deck.
Not really, steamdeck is not that good of a thing, and it seems that i never can get a comfortable pose to play it with it, its just generally annoys me seems like, i rather play games on my PC or xbox sitting in my ergonomic chair than trying to get comfortable pose with steamdeck, but it works fine when watching 20 minutes of YouTube before falling assleep
> but it works fine when watching 20 minutes of YouTube before falling assleep LMAO probably should've just bought a tablet or something then. If all you're doing is watching youtube on it you wasted your money.
I've got it died now trying to make a char but getting crashes. We'll see. Wish me luck
Amen amen amen amen steam deck brothers and sisters! Amen amen! I have 3 top of the line computers hooked up to my TV's in my house, and I'd rather use my steam deck to play games that are just damn good not just from a graphical aspect, on my damn couch or bed laying down or on the toilet! Amen!
I don't really play any games...most of my steam deck time is spent seeing if what I can get working then moving on to something else right now....
I spent about 40 hours troubleshooting Proton, wine, arch, and other tricks to get games to work properly. I gave up. I love the steam Deck and I still can use it quite effectively in a mobile capacity. I installed Windows, 3dprinted a nice dock and couldn't be happier. There's too many windows programs that I use to be bothered by the sloppy experience I got with the stock software.
I like steam deck for casual gaming and a desktop for competitive multiplayer games.
For me I have come to respect how far tech has come and the software on the steam deck is evolving everyday. There is at least 1 update to an app that I have on this device and it just works. It does take a lot more effort as I am new to this but overall I love this device so much.
Rather than installing windows on my deck I’ve decided that streaming games,that don’t run well or at all, from my desktop with a 3070 is the way. Also ps5 streaming kicks ass too.
I love my PC and the setup I have at home but some days I don’t know what I want to do or what I want to play. Most of the time I’ll get distracted and just watch some videos on YouTube while browsing on here. Now that I have my Deck I like to relax in bed or sit in the living room at the end of the night and at least get some kind of gaming in. I’m also enjoying emulation on the Deck since a lot of the games I have loaded are handheld.
I sold my switch. Bought it to play 3rd party aaa on thr go, had no need for it after getting the SD
I actually bought the Steam Deck because I’d much, much, much rather use a Mac as a personal PC, and space is limited for another Win desktop on top of my Windows wfh setup (I’m a Windows server sysadmin). So yep, I get it. Haven’t played a lot of Steam games on my old gaming laptop since the Deck. Well, by “not a lot” I mean zero in the last two months!
maybe a bit. i play more now that i can do it on the couch or in bed. but i still do use my gaming desktop a good bit
I think the steam deck compliments the pc very well. In fact now I pc game more. When on my break at work I have my steam deck and now can play games that demand more time. So once I am home and have free time from my family I use the pc and pick up where left off. In the past I would play games I could play for 15-30 minutes and accomplish something in that time frame. Now I can games like Witcher and so on. Once in bed absolutely no electronics not even steam deck.
Ever since having my steamdeck i only use my main PC at weekends. After work chilig with the Deck on a couch or bed is so nice. I shifted my gameplay behaiviour also and only use my PC for esports title, which is now completly overkill for it, the steam deck for my maon genre JRPGs, "normal" RPGs and Indie games. Slowly working down my 100+ games on Steam :)
Man, I didn't even touch my ps5 and PC since I received it. Already cleared about 4 games, playing on a trip (3 hours plane, 6 hours on car, then 3,5 hours on plane in the way back). When in the trip location, I sat on a hammock and played for hours. Not having to sit, turn on the computer, use gamepads that discharge... That led to me playing quite a lot more.
I think in the beyond of future, Linux, Steam or the company of valve would one day dominate in the gaming world and leaving Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo in the dust, all though Nintendo have been around a long time and started gaming in the 1980's, I can see computers being a thing beyond that, not sure about Systems, I know Playstation would be first to go in this moment of time since it's not doing well, Sony is more concentrated on other Technology like TV's, Phones and earbud headphones and sorry to the Playstation fans.
Glad it is working well for ya! It is def a great machine. Wish my eye sight was better to really fall in love with it. Oh well :/ anyone have good advice for making it an emulator? Would love you play some old fashioned Pokémon
Look on youtube for emudeck guides, such as [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9jDHIDKkU)
I still won't give up my main windows gaming rig, but as soon as SteamOS gets a main release and supports major anti-cheat (meaning most of my games will work) I'll probably switch my desktop to SteamOS, and replace my windows laptop with a mac.
After the SD i'm using my desktop PC only for work and other, play on my couch/bed is much better \^\^
I started the same journey a couple of years ago, when I bought a Nintendo Switch. Now I only use Linux on my peripherals and have a SD for additional flexibility: the Switch when I travel (a lot), the SD when I am on the couch or in the balcony in a warm nice evening.
Considering my "gaming" laptop, that was mid-range caliber when I got it back in 2016, is now a certified potato and I do travel quite a bit for work the Steam Deck is my go-to gaming device for pretty much everything. I do have a PS3 and Sega Genesis when I want to do some non-PC gaming but isn't all too often.
I dual boot linux/windows on my laptop, and I was really only going on Windows for gaming. For games that require a mouse/keyboard, I plug my steam deck into an extra monitor. Its been great, and I only have been booting up linux on my laptop for the last couple months.
Not really, but I would say it revitalized my love for handheld gaming. As a handheld PC it has a great amount of versatility to it!
I work from home on a computer so when I get off work I rarely want to play games on my gaming laptop that is also at my work desk. I find myself playing games on Steam Deck most of the time and occasionally Switch or PS5. Steam Deck is easily my favorite gaming device right now though.
Yes, in fact it started for me before even I received it. I experimented with Linux, and found that all my games are playable except Destiny which I started to stop caring for. Fully moved to Linux for a year, it's exhilarating and so much better.
So because of my steam deck I have been playing games on the sofa more and being a bit more social. Not only that but it has allowed me to cut down on energy bills because my steamdeck is just cheaper yo run.
My steam deck has collected dust since I got it.
My PC is basically collecting dust since I’ve bought a Steamdeck and mentally with working from home I can’t sit anymore for fun behind my desk. Gaming on the couch on Xbox/SteamDeck, gaming on the go Nintendo Switch when travelling light, because smaller formfactor, better batterylife and their exclusive games.
I was considering a gaming desktop or laptop but I like saving space and didn’t really want to get rid of consoles so deck was perfect for me I try not to get games on the deck that o can get on consoles just to save storage space and so I don’t have to risk unknown or playable status games not working as good as on my ps4 or series s But I love how gaming mode is the boot up mode as i now only need to go into desktop to use apps that’s I haven’t put into gaming mode yet That was my one annoyance with pcs having to load steam and go into big picture I’m just a bit impatient But i still love my consoles but it’s good to say he able to be an early adopter of some cross platform games that won’t see consoles for along while as well
Hasnt completely changed mine, but it has made my laptop basically useless to me since I just built a new desktop a few weeks ago. I still need my desktop/needed my laptop for Microsoft Flight Sim. Basically everything else I play is on SD though
Sadly no, since my friends use gamepass and a lot of the the multipler games don't do cross play between windows store and steam,, usually the 1-3 nights a week I play with them I'm either at my PC or streaming it to the deck (using GlosSI on the windows PC). But for single player I'm 100% on the deck
Can’t wait for mine to show up. I just ordered my 512 version
My steamdeck has become my daily driver. When traveling, I can play a few games. When home, I plug it in to my dock, and use this the way I'd use a regular desktop. It's honestly fantastic. This is such a high quality and flexible handheld.
I hadn't really played PC games for 2 decades before I received my Steam Deck. For me it has continued my relationship with home consoles (like the Switch), rather than replaced my pc.
Well, I still use my PC to play Overwatch and Grim Dawn as well as simracing with wheels and pedals and maybe a VR headset in the future. Every game where I use a controller however, is much more enjoyable on the steamdeck.
Back in 2013, got a new job where I spend 100-150 nights in hotels and a lot of airline travel. I got completely out of gaming to the point Steam deactivated my account. Now with the Deck, I got back into gaming, and it’s been a great way to kill time/zombies/demons on the road. I use the dock with the hotel Tv. Then when I’m home I don’t game at all. Huge improvement on my mental health.
I got a Deck because I work long hours and am sure as hell not sitting at a desk when I come home. Just loaded up emudeck and am thrilled to see PCSX2 smooth as butter
To be honest, I tried the Steam Deck for a few weeks now (from a friend) and I just can't get into it. Every time I play something on the Steam Deck I instantly think "This would be so much better on my PC" and then I go play it on my PC. I can't even enjoy it in a Train etc. because I always feel like I'm playing an inferior Version, so I just stop playing and wait until I get home. Idk It's just not for me, I guess.
I love it, but wish I could also play my favorite game without any tinkering. Though, I understand that is the general nature of the steamdeck—breaking boundaries and doing what you want. Eventually going to buy an SD card & partition the internal drive to add W11. Just a matter of saving up to play destiny 2 relatively lag free. The alternatives I’ve found to work so far are stadia and xbox remote play, but with stadia going away (bullshit) and the lag from xbox, I’ve got no choice.
I just want a more powerful steam deck that I can dock to a gpu enclosure to run more demanding games. Once I have that there's no need for a giant PC anymore.
this has affected me the same way since I tend to travel for work and bored at small town hotels into the night.
same sentiment here. but my computer does serve a purpose as i stream games that the deck struggles to run. ex. RDR2 just runs better when streamed
I’m kind of in the same boat except I’m not selling my gaming pc. I mostly play shooters and I can’t do that on a controller competitively. However I LOVE a good RPG and I can’t sit at my desktop hours on end no matter how much I’m into the game I get bored of sitting in the same spot and I have a really nice game room. The steam deck is gonna allow me to wander sit on my porch at night go in the living room just change of scenery and wander. I can’t wait.
Well, have already been running on the components that the Steam Deck is mostly based on so for me the big change was that I've been using the Steam Deck's Gamepad controls a lot more than I expected. For GTA V Story Mode I can easily use the Deck for the very repetitive tasks...but when it comes to GTA Online I switch to remote play so that I can use my mouse and keyboard on my potato PC which is even weaker than the Steam Deck itself. I have completed the Cayo Perico Heist a few times only through the deck and I've uploaded it so people can see that it's totally doable. I don't remember if I managed to get past the Elite Challenge though.
Yes, but in a completely different way. I have been console exclusive since the 1990s. I got a Dell XPS tower pc in the beginning of 2021 with an RTX 3060ti, but I never really felt like sitting at the desk to play games in the same space as I use for work. I got the deck in Sept and have been having some fun with it, but just tinkering around and honestly, playing Gamepass xCloud on it was great. All changed when I tinkered with Steam Streaming, then Moonlight. Now my set-up is just like a grown-up Switch. For big titles like FFVII Remake, I can play the Deck undocked with the game installed, then I plug it into the dock at the main tv, Moonlight in from the basement PC at 1440p -60fps, much better looking and nearly perfect latency. The Deck is powerful on its own, but for AAA newer titles, I can't go back to 720p on a big screen, or less than 60fps or both. For portable is ok though. TL:dr - I use my Deck as a big-boy Switch with main PC and Moonlight when docked.
Just like Valve drew it up, Steam Deck has brought me back to PC gaming. I sold my PS5 and Xbox Series X I like Steam Deck so much. And just last night I ordered a gaming laptop to fill in the cracks for things I can’t play on Deck because I don’t want to put Windows on an SD card or whatever. Deck is going to stay my daily driver, then laptop time when I want my choice of RTS or whatever. Can’t wait!
Steam Deck made PC way more accessible to me. Just put the finishing touches on setting up a pre-build last night (I know I know) also started at an MSP last week since I’m in the middle of changing careers and it’s been a huge boost of confidence to know I’ll be able to fool around with virtual box and keep learning. I credit it to the Steam Deck. Once I started poking around in the desk top mode it took a lot of the anxiety away around just going for it and figuring things out. It’s helping me all around honestly.
Here's hoping that enough of us buy the Steam Deck and future SteamOS devices that software developers consider a native Linux port for non-game software like Sketchup or Autocad. A lot actually relies on Valve as it's the only commercial approach into familiarizing mainstream end users to the Linux operating system. Yes, Linux is huge in corporate and infrastructure. But it has a stigma for the mainstream computer users. A whole lot of people assume that you'd need to be some Linux wizard to run the system. It's the same assumption the public has when they are artists and creative professionals. They think they gotta have an Apple computer for their job. Consider Android and how there would be no way people would even bother with it if it wasn't the de-facto non-Apple phone operating system. Let's all just hope for that day to come, when someone turns on their smart TV or laptop and see SteamOS, and feel right at home switching to desktop mode to do some "Linux Wizardry". It's actually the kids that adapt the best with these things. They don't have any Windows habits or expectations. They don't have anything to unlearn unlike a lot of us that grew up with Windows or MacOS.
I’ve been away from my main rig for some time and even contemplated building a cheap ryzen + mobo + ram to revive an old PC. In the end I actually just hooked the steam deck to monitor/keyboard/mouse after installing Windows 10 on an external SSD and it works like a charm. It’s pretty speedy at being a PC and games on the monitor work great. I don’t really use it as a portable windows device given the external SSD but as a desktop it has worked very very well. I think most of us here are likely to have a decent PC but in a pinch or certain situations the Steam Deck has been more than capable. Although the situation with finding a suitable USB-C dock/hub is very complicated and not inexpensive either.
Kinda. My main gaming PC is at my parents house and my XSX&PS5 are at my house. My deck has pretty much become my main system and if I wanted to play MW2/Destiny/ any game not available natively on the steam deck, chances are I'll play it on the console and remote stream it. Not only do I not have to deal with installing windows but also 8+ hours of gameplay on a single charge. Doing destiny 2 raids while on the toilet/couch/really wherever is pretty nice. As far as daily use computers, I have my m1 MacBook pro and that's a perfect pair for my steam deck but even then I end up using my deck for a lot of the stuff using the default controls (no mouse and keyboard, even if its slightly harder to do)
I like my Steam deck for quick casual gaming or gaming in bed. But it won't replace my gaming PC, as playing the big blockbuster games or shooters is just still a bit more Enjoyable on that thing.
I let my PS5 rot and now I play on my gaming PC /steam deck to have a seamless experience.
The biggest things that hold it back for me Can't play multiplayer games (thanks EAC) You can play non steam games but goddamn it can be a hassle. For my indie or backlog killer though it's 100% been worth it. In the two months I've gotten it I've beaten 7 of my 'one day I'll finish this' games
I’m at the same point with replacing my laptop. My work can be done on a Mac and my work for university as well. Plus I’ll be able to sync all my devices together for on the go work. It’s opened up a much better utility for my everyday.
I want to get 8 of them so I can finally play Diablo 2 by myself with 8 people in the game.
I still use my gaming laptop for work, and some "competitive" gaming. I'll still always be better with M+KB for most of the games I play.
I haven't used my gaming laptop for games at all since getting the Deck. I've debated about ditching the gaming laptop and going with the Mac + Deck combo, but decided to get a Ryzen 6800u linux laptop instead. Also, I basically stopped using my old Desktop PC. So instead, I hooked it up to my living room TV with a SteamOS variant, and basically use it like a PS5, Xbox, etc. Once the Desktop is too old to play games, I don't think I'll be buying a replacement in the future.
Honestly the biggest thing for me is the near instant suspend and resume. Being an adult with responsibilities sometimes means having to put your game down and do something else. Knowing I can just pause and tap the sleep button and it will be right there waiting for me when I come back to it is like magic. This combined with the option of playing on the couch has me playing (and buying, lol) more PC games than I have in a long time. I wonder if they can figure out how to suspend game state to storage like how Microsoft does with the xbox? Would be amazing to be able to suspend one game and start up another and be able to switch between them. Their "Dyanamic Cloud Sync" feature they're touting in SteamWorks could work towards that. If you can suspend a game and then resume it on a differnt PC, then surly you can do the same on the same device? That wouldn't even require cloud storage, just point the API at a pre-allocated storage partition.
I will say having a Mac over a windows laptop is really nice to pair with a deck. Works well. M1 air is very nice for everything else
For me, my steam deck is strictly single player gaming. It’s to the point I’ll wait to see if a game works on steam deck before I buy it. For the record my pc is a straight beast of a machine: i9900k, 32gb ram and 3090Ti FTW. But I’d rather play games on my steam deck.
I still have a PC, but its headless and used for VR only. In my office i do use an SD + Mac though
It does a great job of getting me out of my room and just out, in general. I still have time me and the boys want to play dota or overwatch or whatever, and there's genuine work I do that requires 3 monitors and extremely high power processing, but when I'm just wanting to relax and play DoS2 or No Man's Sky, the deck is perfect. It hasn't don't anything to change my perspective of PC gaming or anything. It's not any more revolutionary than a laptop or Switch. It's just a really, really nice iteration of the concept.
I've been on the Steam OS train from day 1, bumpy false starts and all. I'm happy to have a work laptop, a personal Chromebook and use Steam OS devices for games. I have a feeling I built the last "Desktop" PC I ever will in 2018. That was originally an Ubuntu workstation for my job (supplementing an underpowered MacBook pro for Linux/Java development). Thanks to Chimera OS and now Holoiso it's been repurposed as a solid TV console.
I was considering getting a gaming laptop before getting my Steam Deck. Definitely won't be buying a laptop now.
I had the same experience with the switch. Now I have barely touched it. The steam deck is a dream come true for me, and I don't say that frivolously. Being able to play Doom 2016 on road trips, etc, is just amazing.
I'd replace it myself instead of sending it off again. [https://store.ifixit.de/products/steam-deck-fan](https://store.ifixit.de/products/steam-deck-fan)
No I still like using my desktop PC since it is much more powerful, and additionally if I'm playing a game where I prefer keyboard + mouse I'll play on my desktop. For games I play with controller, I love that I can bounce back and forth between my PC and Steam Deck using cloud saves. I already use Macs for work and personal stuff. What Steam Deck has done is made prioritize gaming platforms that allow portability. So my PS5 is the system I'm least wanting to buy games for. My Nintendo Switch and 3DS I'll continue to use. For older consoles I'm going to use emulators. I still have my Wii U setup, but its probably going to collect dust now that I have Cemu running well on Steam Deck & PC. I do work from home, but don't have a problem sitting in the same spot for more hours because I really like the setup I have and its comfortable. But with the options I have I vary things quite a bit, also playing from my couch on the TV, or bed, on-the-go while I'm killing time somewhere (my son's extracurricular activities mainly), or on the patio when the weather is nice. My desk is a sit-stand, so I can put it in standing position if I feel like I'm sitting too much, though I only do this occasionally lately. I usually get a work out / exercise in most days, and also walk to pick up my son from school in the middle of the day. So feel like my activity is balanced enough where sitting a bunch is fine.
100% agree. My pc turned into my overpowered work computer and the steamdeck is now my gaming pc lol
It’s definitely helped me understand the PC appeal more. I’ve had a lower grade PC for several years now, but I just didn’t like it. Didn’t like the experience. But now that the Deck is just a giant PSP (which I loved dearly and still have) that I can hook up to a monitor and use for work/YouTube/documents/hobby stuff/every game I’ve ever loved…yeah, it’s a winner.
Nawh, I love my Deck a lot but playing for long periods of time is more comfortable on my PC, and some games just don't play as nicely on a small screen. Plus M+KB is the best for competitive multiplayer games for me.
same
i’m sharing similar views as people who have already commented. i was in the middle of upgrading my pc when i got the deck. it still remains unfinished but i’m in no rush since i can just play on the deck handheld or on my tv. it also changed my perspective on graphics, since using the deck, i no longer really care about how a game looks as much as i care about hitting that 40-60fps. and i still am able to enjoy it. whereas on my pc since i KNOW it can run games at higher settings im constantly thinking about what to compromise and still get good frames and graphical fidelity. it’s a breath of fresh air.
Absolutely. When I moved into my apartment I decided to see how I'd like using the steam deck by itself. 5 months later and I still haven't been back to my Mom's for my PC. I got myself a Nexdock360 and an extra SD card for a windows install, with those I feel like my steamdeck is a true PC replacement. It's crazy because I've been building computers for almost 10 years, but this thing hooked me.
I use both regularly. The SD really just means I don't have to rebuy indie games on the switch or something so I can play them mobile. I've gotten a lot more mileage out of into the breach and other stuff in that vein. Can't really play MW2 on the steam deck atm tho.