With Black Friday/Cyber Monday rolling around I’ve been kicking the idea of a steamdeck back and forth. I love my PC and it’s 3070 is way more powerful than a Steam Deck would be, but there’s definitely a subset of games I’m interested in playing (JRPGs, certain single player games, etc.) that just don’t “feel” right to be playing in front of a PC. It would also be nice for travel purposes.
Anyone got any experience with steamdecks or recommendations regarding them? Any reasons to avoid them?
My roommate bought one and basically never uses it, he just plays on his desktop. I think it makes a lot of sense as a travel companion, but if you aren't doing travel it might not be the best? I do think it could be fun to sit on a beanbag and play some platformers though.
I keep almost buying one and talking myself out of it lol, it's like every other month or something. If I get a traveling job at some point i'll probably pick one up as my main computing device.
A lot of my friends have been deciding to get either a Steam Deck or a ROG Ally. Kinda split down the middle on which everyone prefers. My only recommendation against a Steam Deck is if you aren't too computer savvy Linux can be a bitch to operate, of course you can just do the Windows install. If you're just wanting to play some JRPGs available on Steam on the go--or if you just want to lay down and game--then you'll be happy with the purchase.
Be warned, if you try multiplayer games, you might be in for a surprise. Two of my friends were trying to play Sparking Zero and they couldn't play against each other cause one was using his Steam Deck and the game only pairs Linux users with other Linux users. Not sure if this would affect other games though, just something to be wary of.
Absolutely love the Steam Deck. I don't play it as often as I should, but planning to have a dock set up once I get a TV in the house. I love it for road trips or staying over at friends/parents places.
love mine, probably the thing I use the most for games. it's technically also my desktop PC now - I just bought a dock when my Windows machine died
be sure to check on protondb to make sure all the important games you'd want to play will work though - valve's actual steam deck compatibility ratings are less reliable than you'd like
sometimes you'll have to hop into desktop mode to fix some stuff, but if you've already been gaming on PC you're probably already used to that lol. the desktop mode is actually way more usable than you'd expect thanks to the trackpads
finding help has also been pretty easy, especially compared to how trying to find any help with windows will get you endless ai slop articles now
generally though if you just want to chill on a couch or in bed and play JRPGs then I would definitely recommend it
I've actively tried to stop playing any game I can on my computer, and instead on my Steam Deck, in order to compartmentalize my life a bit more (computer for work, Steam Deck for fun). It's super easy to pick up and play, and being able to lounge anywhere in the house and play is wayy better than it sounds. Highly recommend
I use it a lot for travel & I have a dock set up on my living room TV. It's nice being able to buy games & know I can play them on desktop, tv or portable if I want. Love the lil thing.
