Valve announces the SteamDeck

Nate75 · 17 Jul 2021 at 09:41

I'm up for grabbing one of these but the left thumb stick positioning concerns me...

Trying to visualise it and I think that you would need to pull your index finger back a bit which would become uncomfortable, quickly.

Personally I will wait for reviews.

Edit: left index finger for shoulder buttons etc

random_matt · 17 Jul 2021 at 09:50

https://twitter.com/thexpaw/status/1416095435316473858

Not many.

delta0 · 17 Jul 2021 at 09:52

This is interesting. I wonder how easy it will be to get the Microsoft store and others on there. I also wonder what the performance will be with something like gtav.

A tear down will also be interesting. I wonder if there is a slot in the 64GB one for an NVME that could be filed with an aftermarket upgrade

silvagti · 17 Jul 2021 at 09:53

I have a Nintendo switch but I primarily bought it to play docked and only really for Nintendo first party titles which aren't available elsewhere. The fact it's portable is just an added bonus really.

So the idea of a handheld PC doesn't appeal that much to me personally. The steam deck looks a bit heavy, lacking ergonomically and unwieldy for carrying around IMO.

However, one thing I do like about the steam deck is the idea that it could create a minimum spec that PC game developers could aim for and potentially create a base/standard spec for PC gaming at 720p/1080p.

Hopefully it encourages laptop manufacturers to implement similar specs in their thin/light devices so they can run any game that is playable on a steam deck.

Nate75 · 17 Jul 2021 at 10:45

silvagti said:
I have a Nintendo switch but I primarily bought it to play docked and only really for Nintendo first party titles which aren't available elsewhere. The fact it's portable is just an added bonus really.

So the idea of a handheld PC doesn't appeal that much to me personally. The steam deck looks a bit heavy, lacking ergonomically and unwieldy for carrying around IMO.

However, one thing I do like about the steam deck is the idea that it could create a minimum spec that PC game developers could aim for and potentially create a base/standard spec for PC gaming at 720p/1080p.

Hopefully it encourages laptop manufacturers to implement similar specs in their thin/light devices so they can run any game that is playable on a steam deck.

With regard ergonomics...

If you use the left d-pad for say Streetfighter for instance the base of your left index finger is already on the left shoulder buttons making them pretty useless. I think there are some more buttons for this on the underside of the machine for this but that's an unnatural position.

I have a Switch that mainly gets used docked with BT pads so the Steam Deck obviously can be used in the same fashion. But I see it being a struggle to use undocked for games that need the left shoulder buttons.

I will still get one though no doubt!

Kreeeee · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:06

I'd like to see them produce a dock with a ~6TF GPU in it for this.

TNA · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:11

Kreeeee said:
I'd like to see them produce a dock with a ~6TF GPU in it for this.

That then essentially becomes a PC consoles. Basically an open Xbox

If done cheap would be good, but can’t see that happening. Rather just use my PC for that and use this for playing games on the go.

On my email it says 6:10 for my order so hopefully I get it in 6 months time. Really want to install and test old games on it.

Fubsy · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:14

Thought I'd missed this as I was practically AFK for almost a week.

Stuck a pre-order in for the 512GB this morning, Q3 2022. Lol, got plenty of time to figure out if it will be worth it.

Kreeeee · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:30

TNA said:
That then essentially becomes a PC consoles. Basically an open Xbox

If done cheap would be good, but can’t see that happening. Rather just use my PC for that and use this for playing games on the go.

On my email it says 6:10 for my order so hopefully I get it in 6 months time. Really want to install and test old games on it.

Sure, you already spent thousands on a gaming PC.

For those without one having a mid range GPU in the dock gives them 95% of the home PC experience and a great portable for under £800.

gadget73 · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:38

with new orders currently having a 2022 Q3 release so almost a year from now how many reservations do we think valve have had for the steam deck ?

Kreeeee · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:45

gadget73 said:
with new orders currently having a 2022 Q3 release so almost a year from now how many reservations do we think valve have had for the steam deck ?

The numbers are regularly updated on Twitter.

jrodga2k5 · 17 Jul 2021 at 12:46

Fubsy said:
Thought I'd missed this as I was practically AFK for almost a week.

Stuck a pre-order in for the 512GB this morning, Q3 2022. Lol, got plenty of time to figure out if it will be worth it.

I think a lot of people will pre-order and not go through with it so you'll move up the list so to speak a bit quicker.

Will be interesting when the payment requests start to filter through when available. I was quite seamless with the Index I found and you had a 2 week window from memory to make the payment.

gadget73 · 17 Jul 2021 at 13:10

Kreeeee said:
The numbers are regularly updated on Twitter.

i haven't seen any numbers on twitter care to share what numbers you've seen ?

just googled and i've seen the latest numbers i assumed with the amount of problems the site was having yesterday it would be multiple hundreds of thousands hmm

nitram100 · 17 Jul 2021 at 16:27

Oh my, so many listings on Ebay for steam deck reservations aleady. People will scalp anything these days.

Cavallino · 17 Jul 2021 at 16:29

Why should I get one of these.....

Which version are most of you folks getting?

Looks like availability of the 512GB version wont be till late 2022 compared to the standard version early 2022?

Kreeeee · 17 Jul 2021 at 16:33

Cavallino said:
Why should I get one of these.....

Which version are most of you folks getting?

Looks like availability of the 512GB version wont be till late 2022 compared to the standard version early 2022?

If you have to ask then it’s probably not for you.

I’m getting the 512GB version for portable game pass, epic free games, and my steam library. Streaming even in perfect conditions just sucks for video games.

Cavallino · 17 Jul 2021 at 16:37

Kreeeee said:
If you have to ask then it’s probably not for you.

I’m getting the 512GB version for portable game pass. Streaming even in perfect conditions just sucks for video games.

Indeed K. I would like to have one but dont need one as far as I can think really.
Only real reason I would want one is on long business flights....and... well... theyre about as scarce as the semiconductors at the moment.

Infact... why the hell am I getting the OLED switch if I am using it mostly docked :S
Consumers are really spoiled for choice today...

Kreeeee · 17 Jul 2021 at 17:13

Cavallino said:
Indeed K. I would like to have one but dont need one as far as I can think really.
Only real reason I would want one is on long business flights....and... well... theyre about as scarce as the semiconductors at the moment.

Infact... why the hell am I getting the OLED switch if I am using it mostly docked :S
Consumers are really spoiled for choice today...

I'm getting one because I have kids, which is starting to include lots of waiting around while they do various clubs and activities. I think this is why people say kids are expensive, all the purchases parents make for themselves

Needles · 17 Jul 2021 at 17:22

With the USB 3.2 port, going to look for a small USB stick and add another 256 if needed.

Not every game will need the NVME. Also SD card for running emulators.

Cavallino · 17 Jul 2021 at 17:36

Kreeeee said:
I'm getting one because I have kids, which is starting to include lots of waiting around while they do various clubs and activities. I think this is why people say kids are expensive, all the purchases parents make for themselves

Fair comment.

Needles said:
With the USB 3.2 port, going to look for a small USB stick and add another 256 if needed.

Not every game will need the NVME. Also SD card for running emulators.

.... why do I still have the itch to get this thing...