*** The Official Steam Deck Thread ***

[mountaincow]

I've decided I want a handheld in any case.

Steam Deck Oled appears the way to go, for me battery life is more important than anything else.
I don't midn running 800p, higher res is only worse imho for such a low performance device.

Do we expect this to be on offer on the summer sale or winter sales?

I'm basically deciding between buying a 1tb OLED model of 2nd hand to save 100, a 512gb model new now (but fear 512 gb is too little, thats just 3-5 games these days), or wait for summer or winter sales. And am I missing an abvious competitor with better battery life? I've already decided I also want at least wifi 6.

I don't need it now but I am tempted to game in the garden, because I'm a lazy **** who doesn't like carrying around my notebook +controller outside.
I do want it before I go off to Asia for 1-2 months early next year. Especially on the plance. And a handheld like this makes the difference between an annoying long flight and ''where did the last 12 hours go?''.

There original decks were discounted in previous sales so I'm betting it's likely to be on sale this summer.
I'm not aware of a competitor with better battery life, but if you're willing to wait until summer sales then who knows what will be around or announced.

 

[snowdog]

Fine, summer sales it is, unless I come across a really good 2nd hand deal.

Last week I was still contemplating and a 1tb OLED + dock came on or 500 euros only a 20 min drive from me, it was sold the same day . With receipt/warranty from jan 2024.

 

[mountaincow]

Fine, summer sales it is, unless I come across a really good 2nd hand deal.

Last week I was still contemplating and a 1tb OLED + dock came on or 500 euros only a 20 min drive from me, it was sold the same day . With receipt/warranty from jan 2024.

Sounds like a decent deal! Yeah best bet keep your ears to the ground for news and eyes out for a decent second hand price.
Knowing what I know now I'd just buy one right away, but I've got good use out of it. If it's mainly for your trip next year I'd wait it out unless you happen to know you can't be tied to the desk.

 

[snowdog]

Sounds like a decent deal! Yeah best bet keep your ears to the ground for news and eyes out for a decent second hand price.
Knowing what I know now I'd just buy one right away, but I've got good use out of it. If it's mainly for your trip next year I'd wait it out unless you happen to know you can't be tied to the desk.

The only places are holidays, outside (e.g. garden, park, etc) or planes/moving vehicles. Places where data usage and reliability is insufficient for streaming or no internet.

Everywhere else: my couch, my bed, my dad's place, my mums place, I have streaming capability:

In living room I have an Nv Shield Pro with a 75'' TV and a decent AV receiver.
In bed I have a 49'' (4k HDR) TV + 2.1 soundbar. I usually stream 1080p as the CC4kwggtv isn't ideal for 4k, but on 1080p my experience is not bad, bar small exceptions (somehow some games like Horizon Zero Dawn have some issues (sometimes flashes black) while other demanding games like Cyberpunk or god of war work fine).
At mums she has a cheap android box, but 1080p streaming works fine. Somehow that crappy android box works better than cromecast w google tv, probably because it has a physical LAN port instead of using wifi).
At dads I don't have a hifi/tv setup, but an older 17'' gaming laptop with good wifi that receives streams perfectly.

Source PC's are my home haming pc and office gaming pc's (yes office as well, has a more dated x5700xt but fine for older games), both locations have 100 mbit upload and fiber... And 1+ gbps lan and/or wifi...

I already play 60-70% of the time on controller (I have dualsense, 2x Stadia, xbox360 and some lesser known controllers) from big picture mode, usually streaming to my TV's in bed or living room... Which is why a handheld will not add too much, I live alone so nobody is hogging my hardware .


What is also a plus, I am curious about SteamOS and proton. I am unhappy with Windows 11 and the direction Microsoft is going with Windows in general (spammy addy always online malware), and feel like the Steam Deck is a good way to see if I can drop Windows now or later for good.

I have over 700 games in my steam account, well over 1000 games if I include GOG, Epic, Ubi, Origin, etc... But I keep Steam my primary library, which is why I am biased to Steam over any other console or pc platform.

 

[Noxia]

What SSDs have people swapped with? I've seen WD/Samsung/Sabrent/etc used but no idea which to go for. Never thought I would reach the limits of my 256GB + 512GB microSD, doesn't help that I've been using it as a desktop/laptop replacement.

2TB SN740 I think I was. So I can really fill up my deck with games I'm never going to play

 

[snowdog]

2Tb is very little imho these days when a single game can take up 120 gb.

My primary home gaming and multimedia pc has 20 tb of storage. Of which 5 TB across 4 SSD's... Which have less than 400 gb free in total, all applications and games...

I mean come on, 1 tb Steam Deck would be full with only half these games, and all of these I have played in the past 2 years (I've played most of them in teh last 2-3 months actually) :

 

[Noxia]

2Tb is very little imho these days when a single game can take up 120 gb.

My primary home gaming and multimedia pc has 20 tb of storage. Of which 5 TB across 4 SSD's... Which have less than 400 gb free in total, all applications and games...

I mean come on, 1 tb Steam Deck is full with these games, al all of these I have played in the past 2 years:

Yes, but I limit my steam deck to the kind of games it can actually play well which is generally little pixel indie games. I don't play games at 30 FPS.
Secondly, I can only play one game at a time so 2 TB does me just fine.

 

[TNA]

Yes, but I limit my steam deck to the kind of games it can actually play well which is generally little pixel indie games. I don't play games at 30 FPS.
Secondly, I can only play one game at a time so 2 TB does me just fine.

This. I got loads of games installed on my Steamdeck. All I have is the 64GB plus 512GB memory card. Any game that is huge I would not be playing on the steam deck but my pc.

Steam deck is great for indie games as you say. At one point I was hooked for ages on vampire survivors and those type games and did not even game on my pc for almost a month

 

[snowdog]

I wouldn't mind 30 fps on controller tbh, it's a matter of getting used to. I played RDR2 initially on a 980Ti, and I did have framedrops into the high 20's...

On mouse + kb yeah 30 fps is sluggish. But on gamepad singleplayer, meh, it's acceptable...
If you play on a real PS2 or PS3/Xbox360 you will notice the framerate is even worse there.

And yes, obviously, Vampire surviros or Hades are great examples of games that would be awesome on the Deck imho. But I would also like some Cyberpunk or RDR2 goodness on the plane (now that I think of it I haven't checked if they work offline). Or single player gta 5.

But mainly, civilization 6 or optehr 4x games like Humankind or Old world, I can lose my sense of time on turn based strategy. If I want to waste 4-5 hours I fire up civ 6 and bam, 5 hours gone.

Vampire survivors is more something you fire up for a quick 30 min session from bed or the couch. Not something to do on your flight to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta etc...


Stardew valley I also grabbed on android and already played in the past on my phone, works fine on the plane. Civ 6 for android requires always online for DRM . But also limited as I only got the base game on android and I think base game is boring, I want all DLC, expansions and game modeS (e.g. heroes, monopolies, etc). The base civ6 game is not complex enough for me.
I have a slight problem with buying games for more than 1 platform as well. feels silly to buy the same game 4x: PC, console, android and IOS (I have an Ipad). I have already invested to much with buying pretty much my whole retail game library on steam as well for convinience.

OK, I feel like a spoiled brat now haha, but I guess Steam deck is logical for me for travel seeing my huge game library and still significant game time.

 

[TNA]

Vampire survivors is more something you fire up for a quick 30 min session from bed or the couch. Not something to do on your flight to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta etc...

There are loads of those games in the genre and I got hooked on it and unlocking more stuff in the game. Each to their own though.

 

[snowdog]

I Understand, I've played vamprie survivors or hades for multiple games and/or hours in a go. I have 70 hrs in Hades and 20 ish in Vampire Survivors.

But not like civ6, strategy games are in their own league. If I fire up civ 6 it's a 50% chance I'm still playing it 5 or 6 hrs later . Or recently old world. Humandkind another exmaple, only got 14 hrs in that game, but spread over 2 games each about 7 hrs in one sitting .

Well unless on the phone, it was a big battery drain, and like I said the idiot devs made it not work without internet on android . But on a pc, I start a game and I tend to want to finish it in one sitting, so at least 4 sometimes over 8 hrs.
I have thousands of hours in Tranport Tycoon Deluxe and later OpenTTD.


Strategy games and simulation/tycoon games have a certain addicting features that makes you don't want to stop to play, it's easier with Roguelikes imho.

 

[Noxia]

I Understand, I've played vamprie survivors or hades for multiple games and/or hours in a go. I have 70 hrs in Hades and 20 ish in Vampire Survivors.

But not like civ6, strategy games are in their own league. If I fire up civ 6 it's a 50% chance I'm still playing it 5 or 6 hrs later . Or recently old world. Humandkind another exmaple, only got 14 hrs in that game, but spread over 2 games each about 7 hrs in one sitting .

Well unless on the phone, it was a big battery drain, and like I said the idiot devs made it not work without internet on android . But on a pc, I start a game and I tend to want to finish it in one sitting, so at least 4 sometimes over 8 hrs.

I personally don't see how any strategy game is enjoyable on the deck. Stellaris is playable early game but it kills my desktop, let alone the Steamdeck CPU. Plus tiny screen.
The deck in general is only for small bursts, I generally don't want to play games worse than what I can play them on my desktop PC.

Thankfully I don't have to travel much so none of the portability is a bonus really.

 

[snowdog]

Stellaris is more real time isn't it ? Never got into it though. I must give it another go but somehow the UI and game is not intuitive for me. Unlike Sins of a solar empire for example which I was insta-hooked on.

I know turn based is fine, Like I said, I've had ten of hours of Civ 6 on the phone as well, but it simply does not work on a plane because it needs always online (unlike the pc version).
Simply needs a UI that is properly deigned to work on small screens and touch or gamepad... That is not the problem with Civ 6 on android in any case, and afaik it was updated t owork with the steam controller well in the past as well, the DRM and lack of all DLC (wtihout spending extra) is the problem (on Android).

Performance wise my old Huawei Mate 20 (kirin apu iirc) struggled late game with civ 6 but my current snapdragon 8 gen 2 is fine even late game.

 

[mountaincow]

Vampire survivors is more something you fire up for a quick 30 min session from bed or the couch. Not something to do on your flight to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta etc...

I've not played it, but come on. People like different things in varying quantities! You're very much speaking for yourself.
Anyway, unless you have three or more battery packs you're not going to be playing rdr2 or cyberpunk for 10 or 12 hours on a plane.
Last flight to India I took the deck and basically just used my kindle with a short burst of gaming in between reading.

 

[snowdog]

I've not played it, but come on. People like different things in varying quantities! You're very much speaking for yourself.
Anyway, unless you have three or more battery packs you're not going to be playing rdr2 or cyberpunk for 10 or 12 hours on a plane.
Last flight to India I took the deck and basically just used my kindle with a short burst of gaming in between reading.

Obivioously I am speaking for myself as I am contemplating buying it.

Like I said, civ 6 is the main reason where I want to play for hours in one go.
I have a powerbank with 45w PD underway as mate was in Shenzen and picked one up for me cheaply... (Xiaomi 3 Pro)

I want to drown in games for hours at a time to make the time pass quickly...

 

[mountaincow]

Obivioously I am speaking for myself as I am contemplating buying it.

Like I said, civ 6 is the main reason where I want to play for hours in one go.
I have a powerbank with 45w PD underway as mate was in Shenzen and picked one up for me cheaply... (Xiaomi 3 Pro)

I want to drown in games for hours at a time to make the time pass quickly...

Better off picking some less demanding games then or it's going to be a struggle.

 

[snowdog]

Civ 6 appears fine if you set fps to 30 and TDP limit to 8, whatever that may mean, according to reddit post: 4-5 hrs of battery life.
I expect that to be 12 hrs easily with power bank.
I can recharge the powerbank in between sessions as well (albeit slow but still).

Not sure how the Deck works, can you recharge it with 5v1A or 2A slowly or does it not charge at all on non PD usb connections?

Less demanding games the UI issue pops up, I'd be fine with Civ 5 or even 4, but the UI has been updated for Steam controller and steam deck for Civ 6, it hasn't for civ 5 or older, so might be UI/scaling issues and clunky controls.

I guess Factorio is also a game where you can drown in the time. That should be easy enough as well.

 

[Nate75]

Civ 6 appears fine if you set fps to 30 and TDP limit to 8, whatever that may mean, according to reddit post: 4-5 hrs of battery life.
I expect that to be 12 hrs easily with power bank.
I can recharge the powerbank in between sessions as well (albeit slow but still).

Not sure how the Deck works, can you recharge it with 5v1A or 2A slowly or does it not charge at all on non PD usb connections?

Less demanding games the UI issue pops up, I'd be fine with Civ 5 or even 4, but the UI has been updated for Steam controller and steam deck for Civ 6, it hasn't for civ 5 or older, so might be UI/scaling issues and clunky controls.

I guess Factorio is also a game where you can drown in the time. That should be easy enough as well.

Might be of interest

11+ Great Steam Deck Games That Won’t Drain Your Battery

The Steam Deck is impressive, but its battery can evaporate if you push it too hard

kotaku.com

 

[Faded]

If anyone is playing Balatro on their Deck and struggling with the font size, this mod has been a lifesaver for me.

Readabletro

 

[Orcvader]

Nvidia finally released an installer for GFN for the Steam Deck: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/geforce-now-thursday-may-games-list/

… except it's just a script that installs Chrome for you and creates a GFN web app:

Members can use a new beta installation method to automatically configure GeForce NOW’s browser in Steam Deck’s Gaming Mode. The installation script automatically installs Google Chrome to the device, then adds all the settings needed to help members log into GeForce NOW and stream their favorite games.