Topic: Valve's Steam Deck console Thread

Lots of new hands on impressions dropped today.

I like this one in particular

And this one. They also said you won't have to deal with downloading different drivers- because they designed SteamOS for the hardware, you can update all your drivers from a single settings screen in one package.

Fantastic.

Interesting. Got to say my biggest concern is with the 512 version I put my name down for, that screen does look like it dulls the colours more than I was expecting…

EDIT: found this video from Linus Tech Tips. Nice and in-depth look at it. My mind put at rest somewhat as the screens don’t look so massively different in his comparison.

I think you'll appreciate the etched screen when you're out and about and attempting to use the thing in daylight. While it might dull the picture a little bit, it'll help it cope far better with reflections and glare than anything else on the handheld games market.

@Needeep
I had the same concerns until I saw better comparisons, and it looks fine. It really does diminish the glare also

In truth, I rarely if ever play handhelds outside. But even indoors, like at work, the lighting can reflect off the screen. I think this will be a nice QoL feature and, the 512GB NVMe storage is simply non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned. I need every GB I can get.

I should have reserved earlier, but I was skeptical of it from the beginning. I just reserved it today and it says Q2 2022. It wasn't until today that I realized I could have reserved immediately and just backed out if I didn't like it and lose just $5. Oh well.

Edit: Also I'm excited for my first ever foray into the demanding games on Steam. I only ever have light Steam games, such as Jackbox, because I don't want to buy a PC or gaming laptop because I'm intimidated by the do-it-yourself builds and the price respectively.

New update concerning Proton and Anti-Cheat! Seems like progress is being made and some games with Easy Anti-Cheat are now running well!

https://www.pcgamer.com/garrys-mods-garry-is-helping-get-anti...

@deafdood
You don't even lose $5. They refund it if you opt not to purchase.

It's literally a zero-risk proposition. No reason not to reserve.

That said, don't feel bad. I got my order in 2.5 hrs after initial reservations opened (that was as fast as I could do it with the system crashing and locking me out of my account) and even I have a Q2 2022 ETA for my 512GB order.

As if Nintendo will “only” release an updated switch. That wouldn’t be nintendo, they’re more likely to do something totally different.

A good comparison among handheld gaming devices today. Though strangely, it seems to omit the GPD Win 3

@Clammy
Disagree.

Nintendo only radically changed forms over the years because nothing was sticking.

Now that they've once and for all abandoned separate console and handheld hardware in favor of a combined hybrid model, there's no going back. Until the end of time or Nintendo decides to stop making video games, the hybrid model is what we will continue to see.

No doubt they'll innovate in other ways- ways we haven't even thought of yet. But the hybrid model is here to stay. Their console business had been in decline since the early 1990's, and even their handheld business had been in decline since the advent of mobile gaming. They knew they had to combine and go hybrid, and now Switch is on track to outsell the PS2 as the best selling console of all time.

They're not gonna throw that away to go back to their declining console business or declining handheld business.

@JaxonH it appears the demand is not as big in europe as I ordered one two weeks later and have a date of Q1 2022

@Balta666
Probably. But it also depends on which model you ordered.

The 512GB sold out fastest and showed Q2 2022 before any other model. Then after several weeks, they all said Q2 2022, then the 64GB model surpassed all of them and now says “After Q2 2022”.

In fact, I just checked and now they all say “After Q2 2022” (except the 512GB model, which I can’t see an ETA for since it only estimates when my 512GB will arrive).

@JaxonH I am going for the 512gb too

@Balta666
Huh. I guess they do have different allotments by region then.

At this rate, Australia and the other regions not included with the initial launch will never get their hands on one of these things.

@Snaplocket
???

Who said anything about "hurting Nintendo Switch sales"?

Unless there's somebody here I've blocked and can't read their comments.

@Snaplocket
Ok...

I've also seen a ton of comments dismissing the Deck with all kinds of silly excuses like, "nobody cares about handheld" or "just buy a laptop".

At the end of the day it's just children being insecure console warriors, either using Deck as a weapon to club Switch fans with, or using Switch success as a weapon to club Deck fans with.

I don't see what it matters either way. What's it to you or me if it does or doesn't affect Switch sales? It feels like an utterly pointless line of debate.

All that matters is Deck is amazing and I hope it succeeds as much as possible. Do I think it's going to affect Switch? No, probably not. At most it takes away some 3rd party game sales as enthusiast PC gamers move toward the Deck to play their heavy 3rd party games. But either way I don't see how any of that is relevant to us, the gamer.

For the record it'll likely run Switch games great. And to those who wish to pursue that, you do you. The problem for me isn't performance as I'm quite sure Switch games will run fine on Deck, the issue is its a major pain in the butt to obtain Switch roms nowadays, get everything set up properly with shader caches and game specific settings. Screw all that. It was hard enough dealing with 3DS emulation when I could just dump my own roms from my purchased carts. I have no way of doing that for Switch games, as I've opted not to mod Switch due to the overwhelming hassle and need to use a v1 Switch and re-run the hack after each reboot. The number of ppl who will actually buy a Deck and pursue that will be negligible. 10,000 maybe. A drop in the bucket. Plus most Switch games look fine and run well enough, barring a few exceptions. And are pocketable with good battery life.

Lmao I'm not surprised at all the general reception on NintendoLife is "psssh Steam Deck is trash Switch is da best"

Like it was obviously never trying to gun for Switch-level success or numbers but dismissing it just because it's not Nintendo or it's some other major company providing something similar in nature is stupid. This looks promising and if it does well it could very well provide the Switch brand with some solid competition Nintendo hasn't really seen since Sony entered the handheld market

@TheFrenchiestFry
Unfortunately I don't think it'll do the numbers to actually provide viable competition. But it could help Nintendo take note of the interest in pushing the limits of hardware capabilities (though it seems they're already pursing PS4 level power for Switch 2 going by Nvidia leaker kopite's information).

But the console warring on Twitter has bugged me. And don't get me wrong, it's from both sides. There's a lot of Nintendo haters out there (nothing makes this more evident than reading Gamespot's latest tweet for Nintendo outselling PS3/360- the comment section is outrageous with salt).

But I'm also uphalled at how defensive some Nintendo fans have gotten over SteamDeck. I had a small YouTuber make a post talking about how, "it's too big and heavy for me, if I play PC I do it because I want 100 FPS, yada yada"

To which I replied, just because it's PC doesn't mean you have to artificially constrain your use case. Desktop PC are great for pushing performance, but this clearly isn't a replacement for that any more than Switch is a replacement for power consoles. It's an alternate use case for those who want to play handheld.

His response? Get this. "Nobody cares about handheld"

Wait, what?? Huh? 4.5 years of boasting about the hybrid advantage and now, all of sudden when Valve does it, suddenly nobody cares? I pointed to the poll Nintendo ran where 80% use Switch in handheld mode. His response? A biased convenience sample poll to his die hard Nintendo fan followers asking why they bought Switch, only allowing one answer. Of course most mega fans are gonna say for Nintendo games. But that's not representative of 100 million ppl. And it's not the only aspect ppl buy the system for either.

Hundreds of millions of handhelds sold over the last 35 years. I guess none of them were to ppl who actually like portable gaming. No. They just bought it for the games and suffered through the handheld format. Because nobody likes handhelds.

It's absurd. This system has really gotten under the skin of some Switch fans. I see more talk of sales vs Switch from Switch fans saying it won't happen than I actually do from ppl thinking it will. Straight up.

I think it's just human nature to latch onto what you love, and anything that might be perceived as better in some way is seen as a threat, and thus treated with animosity and resentment.

I am of the mind you don't have to choose one over the other. You can love Steam Deck while also continuing to love Switch. It doesn't have to be "pick a side". My fascination with Steam Deck in no way delegitimizes my love for Switch. They're both rad consoles and both bring something amazing to the table.

I'm not looking to "replace" my Switch. Deck can't do that. It's not small enough, lightweight enough or pocketable like the Lite is. But it can offer a hybrid experience for games too heavy for Switch to handle, and that is what makes it the perfect complement to Switch. Perfect complement. But fanboys suck the fun out of everything. It's gotta be Switch vs Deck, my console will outsell yours! No, my console will make yours irrelevant! Ugh.

@JaxonH That's mostly what I could ask for. I'm not expecting this thing to blow up because it being targeted specifically towards the Steam userbase already puts its audience at a bit of a more specific niche compared to Switch's broader and more generalized target demographic, but if it actually takes off for what it is I sincerely hope Nintendo takes notice because this seems like it's shaping up to be like the Switch with no caveats essentially

I'm personally not getting it myself since I don't feel compelled to own yet another console in addition to my Switch, PS5 and my perfectly functional gaming/uni work laptop, but I hope it experiences more success than all of Steam's previous hardware offerings. It's practically the kind of handheld I could only dream of back when I was looking at mockups for next gen consoles in like 2008/2009 with how it'll basically be able to play a crap ton of legacy games through emulation, the entire library of Steam games, as well as all Xbox exclusives and select PlayStation stuff. It's super tempting

@TheFrenchiestFry
It'd hard to justify a need for yet another console. But for me, it's never been about need. It's always been about want.

Do I "need" the SteamDeck? Well, no. I've been just fine using Switch as my primary gaming platform for the last 4.5 years. I barely even use my other consoles as it is.

But do I "want" the SteamDeck? .... Oh heck ya I do. If it were a financial burden then the answer would be an obvious pass. But if you like the concept and can afford it, why not? Especially since this fledgling device will need all the support it can get. The better it does the better off we are as gamers. Don't you want to look forward to a future where this line of devices is a permanent fixture of our beloved industry? I know I do. I would hate to have come this close... only for it to fade away because not enough ppl stepped forward.

And, it's only $5 down now and the actual purchase invitation won't be until the middle of next year. That's plenty of time to slap $400 together for the cheaper model. With tax returns in February too, it'll be quite easy to budget for.

I think Steam Deck proves, at least for some people, that it’s really not about loyalty to one company. It’s about the experience, regardless of who offers is. I’m not a diehard Switch fan just because it’s Nintendo, I’m a fan because I genuinely love the hybrid experience and the exclusive games on offer. My disinterest in Xbox/PS isn’t because I have a chip on my shoulder against them, it’s because they genuinely don’t offer an experience suitable for my needs.

Create an experience suitable for my needs, and I’m all over it. Be it Valve or whoever else. It’s never been about loyalty or allegiance to a brand, it’s always been about the experience. It just so happens, Valve has stepped up to the plate with something that legitimately interests me and checks nearly every box on the list of what I’m personally looking for in a gaming device. If The Deck had a Nintendo or Sony or MS sticker on it I’d be just as excited, though this is a device that I think only Valve could truly make. Only through Steam can all games have gyro, and only through the smattering of PC settings can all games scale down to run on a handheld device.

@Snaplocket
Unfortunately, Xbox and PS don’t offer gyro aiming, which is something I need now having grown accustomed to it. Trying to aim in a game without gyro feels like trying to use an NES controller for Zelda BotW. It’s just… inadequate. Like experiencing the control scheme of the future, then being forced to step back in time and use something grossly inferior instead.

Hence the reason I sold my PS4 Pro and Xbox One X to help pay for a new PC. And having gyro for those games has been great. The fact I get exclusives from both Xbox and PS on one platform is also a nice bonus. Kind of like a PS-Xbox hybrid console. It was expensive, but if you combine a new PS and Xbox and online for each for a full generation, that $2,000 is basically the same cost. But… it still wasn’t able to offer hybrid play like Switch does. At least, until now anyways.

Having games hybrid has meant the difference between actually playing and finishing them. As much as I love my PC, I can’t remember the last time I played a game through to completion on it. But on Switch I complete games all the time. Or at least several each year, anyways. The hybrid advantage makes all the difference. I’m just more liable to play a game on a system where I know I’m not trapped on the TV.

So as someone who already has a high end gaming PC connected to the tv like a console, Steam Deck not only offers handheld play for games like Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Halo Infinite, Horizon Zero Dawn, etc, it actually makes the full jump to the hybrid advantage. I suppose it technically offers the hybrid advantage by itself, which is good for anyone without a gaming PC and doesn’t want to buy one, but with a full desktop PC that tops PS5/XSX in performance it’s the ultimate gaming experience. The best graphics and performance with Gyro aiming on the TV, and the best graphics and performance with gyro aiming on handheld, and cloud saves syncing between the two.

The three distinct advantages Switch retains is 1) exclusives, which even if they can be emulated is a major hassle when most look and run fine on Switch already, 2) Pocketability. Which cannot be overstated as someone who brings my Lite to work every day, and 3) Tabletop mode with removable controllers, which creates a portable console style experience. You could also add 4) OLED screen, which will provide a better image display

But it’s not gonna be for everyone. I suspect it will mainly sell to gaming enthusiasts, especially since it’s exclusively being sold through Steam. Maybe the day will come where will see them on store shelves at Walmart, but I doubt it. It’s still an incredibly cool device, which, if you are a fan of video games in general is very intriguing.

I'm still not sure if I'll be springing for one, but I've left my deposit in place. It's hard to justify when I spend 90% of my gaming time on Switch as is and already am up to my ears in stuff I need to play on that system alone. It's a cool device but... when am I even going to be able to use it?

Also hard to justify insofar as it won't be providing me access to a new library of games, and even with it being technically portable, the size and weight would keep me from dragging it too far away from my gaming space as is (whereas my Switch Lite, Vita, and 3DS go everywhere with me when I'm playing a game on them).

On the other hand... portable Monster Hunter World. And SO MANY visual novels will be portable for the very first time.

It's... tempting. We'll see how it goes. I'm curious to see impressions from early adopters around the start of 2022.

Even if I don't get one right away, it might be my go-to instead of a PS5 or XSX this gen when it comes to a premium new device.