A place to discuss and support all things Steam Deck.
Replacement for r/steamdeck_linux.
As Lemmy doesn't have flairs yet, you can use these prefixes to indicate what type of post you have made, eg:
[Flair] My post title
The following is a list of suggested flairs:
[Discussion] - General discussion.
[Help] - A request for help or support.
[News] - News about the deck.
[PSA] - Sharing important information.
[Game] - News / info about a game on the deck.
[Update] - An update to a previous post.
[Meta] - Discussion about this community.
Some more Steam Deck specific flairs:
[Boot Screen] - Custom boot screens/videos.
[Selling] - If you are selling your deck.
These are not enforced, but they are encouraged.
Rules:
It's great for playing slower paced games, not so great for shooters etc, anything that really relies on the fast accuracy of a mouse (at least in handheld which is all I use mine for). A good way to start working through the backlog of cozy indie freebies we've all been pointlessly gathering from Epic.
Big downside for me is the size and weight, I'm a woman with stereotypically slender hands and this thing was definitely designed for someone with a slightly longer reach.
My girlfriend has a similar complaint. Hours upon hours poured into Civilization VI, but after long sessions her arms get tired from holding it up due to the weight. Haven't heard any complaints about reach though, but maybe that's not as big of a deal as the weight.
For shooters it definitely depends on the game and your preferred play style. Case in point, Halo (both MCC and Infinite) plays well for me since I’ve been playing since OG Xbox days; the Deck makes for a really good handheld experience.
That's fair, I don't play a whole lot of them so some probably work better than others. But I'm also shite at them and need all the help I can get, which usually means a mouse 😄
Shooters are wonderful with Gyro. Like Roboquest or Gunfire Reborn with just the right settings can feel amazing. But online shooters like Battlebit Remastered I definitely recommend using a bigger screen for such smaller details in the distance that could kill you.
Also the d-pad, although I have a very early release version, is atrocious. Only useful for inventory and not for actual older games or fighters because the diagonals require ridiculous squeezing to input. I might need to do a tape modification of something.
Other than that, the Deck is absolutely amazing!
It was honestly a life saver for me. I got Long Covid and became increasingly bed bound. The Deck enabled me to somewhat keep me sanity by playing in bed.
And that way I don't have to fight with my kids over the desktop PC. Although they sometimes want the Deck for those games that play better with a gamepad.
Simultaneous play also showed the dark side of Steam. Unless one of the devices is offline you cannot play two games from one Steam library at the same time. Luckily I also have many games on Battle.net, GOG and on my old discs, so I can easily move to another game in case of a clash.
I'm currently playing Spider-Man Miles Morales and having a blast.
We had issues with simultaneous play as well. So we ended up with 2 steam libraries and 2 gaming PCs.
Honestly, I love it for what it is. It nails almost everything I want. Yeah it can get a little hot. Yeah the battery should be improved at some point. But I am 100% happy with what I got.
Only thing I don't like is certain devs screaming their eyes out about refusing to support Linux, implementing DRM, and that Linux users are 'cheaters' (we are not).
Its a new market. Embrace it or be left behind, because I am starting to avoid games that don't play nicely with Proton
Favorite things:
Least favorite:
All in all, I had the available cash and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve definitely wasted more money on less, but I’d get one all over again if I had to.
Looking forward to experiencing 'the smell'
For me:
Positives:
Negatives:
It's my favourite gaming handheld device I have ever had. I'd absolutely recommend one.
I have an early Q3 deck, and I've never had any issues with a sticking b-button. So maybe you got unlucky and ended up with one shortly before the change or something.
I gotta admit, two of my friends who pre-ordered on a whim and ended selling theirs had perfect units, and I was looking forward to mine so much and would never sell it, I was the one to get a "faulty" unit I was pretty angry lol.
With that said, after I fixed the button, it's now been the perfect device for me. I heard the ROG Ally has similar stuck buttons but even worse than the Deck had so that would have made me way more angry lol
The ROG Ally had buttons that would press flat with the faceplate, and had sharp edges. So if you pushed it down unevenly at all it would dip beneath the faceplate and get stuck. Multiple reviewers reported it as a frequent issue, but supposedly Asus was going to fix it before shipping pre-orders.
Best is the sleep function. Combined with it being a dedicated gaming device (I'm not using it for work etc) I can leave a game open on it for weeks. No boot up times, no loading into game times, just press the power button, play as long as I'm able, and back to sleep.
Controls are great too. The addition of the highly versatile trackpads, 4 back buttons, gyro, and steam input settings has ruined other controllers for me. I have a dock but rarely use it because I miss the extra buttons and controls when using a different controller.
It's more than a gaming device, has a linux desktop (I used it as multitrack recorder with a Behringer X32), you can use it docked as a console. Good look and feel, (almost) your whole steam library otg and you support Valve in improving proton which helps linux gamers.
edit: you can install heroic launcher too and access the epic games store
What I love about the steam deck:
It can play most of my library flawlessly.
I can relax on the couch and watch TV while I play games.
The buttons and controls are excellent and I can game for several hours.
What I dislike about the steam deck:
Sometimes it gets really hot after an intense gaming session.
The battery life isn't the greatest. (Although I usually have a charger close by.)
WiFi kinda sucks on it. I use a cheap Ethernet dongle when I need to install games.
Sometimes my eyes hurt and get blurry if I use the deck too long. My advice is to take a break from time to time once I realized that the culprit was the steam deck.
my favorite thing is how open it is. the usb-c port is the latest at the time of finalizing the specs with nothing added or taken away. its a linux desktop you can do damn near anything on. my least favorite is the fact it onl has one usb-c port. literally all they need is a second one.
Comfort is my #1. I gave away my gaming PC because being able to play games on the couch, or in my bed, or outside on the hammock is fantastic.
Next is portability. Not only for the above, but the ability to travel and everything without compromising my gaming ability is huge. It's helped my homebody self get out and visit more interesting places, since I have the comfort blanket of my games with me.
Controls are third. The medley of buttons handles so much, and the dual track pads are both versatile and make typing at reasonable speeds possible. Plus the ability to remap anything and to make virtual menus has made features that wouldn't be accessible on normal controllers very easy.
Couch gaming is key for me too. There are a lot of PC-only titles that interest me but don't compel me to sit at a computer to play. Being able to just tinker around in these games while watching TV is amazing. A great example of one of these types of games is Beam.ng Drive.
I live in a co-op, so for me it's nice that I can enjoy my games while still hanging in the common space and getting social interaction as opposed to be squirreled away into my room. And I've even got to revive the LAN party, as I just bring my deck to wherever the other person's setup is!
Another hammock gamer! Being able to work on my steam backlog while in the hammock is literally a game changer.
Gone is the decision between gaming and getting sun - I'm doing both, on my balcony. I love it.
Right? I have the curse where I love being outdoors, but all my hobbies (games, tabletop) only really work indoors. Feeling some sun and a breeze while still playing games I love has been a game changer
My absolute favorite thing is that it runs Linux. I love being able to ssh into my Steam Deck so I can back up save files, tweak game configs, and just generally do whatever the hell I want with it. I've been running Linux exclusively for 6-7 years now, and anything that doesn't let me easily get a shell via ssh just feels suffocating. I do all of my file management in a shell (absolutely no graphical file managers, I can't stand them), so the Deck feels like a natural extension of my desktop and laptop with Linux and ssh.
My least favorite thing? Probably the screen. I wish it was brighter. I'd love if SteamOS implemented some burn-in mitigation, because I feel like that would greatly increase the chances of an aftermarket OLED panel being a thing. I know there'd still be some major hurdles (do OLEDs even work with LVDS/whatever protocol is used to push pixels to the Steam Deck's screen?), but a bright, clear, punchy, replaceable OLED sounds great.
I have to preface this with the fact when I read the announcement for the deck, as a primary linux gamer, I could not believe my eyes and felt as if whoever came up with the specifications had me specifically as the target audience, so I might be a little bit biased. With that said:
Positives:
There are relatively very few things you can't do if you are dedicated enough, meaning games/software you can install or devices you can plug in, etc. That comes with the domain of being a pc based on foss software, but it has almost no competition on the cheap, powerful, affordable and well supported handheld space.
Trackpads. The fact that there are multiple pc-handhelds that have come out and continue to do so, with almost none of them including them is mind-boggling to me. They can provide tons of input types, and I'd consider most games developed for mouse/keyboard to be nearly unplayable without them.
It's perfect for many types of games that you may own on steam/gog/itch that you might not want to play on a desktop. For example, I would never sit on my desk to play Celelste or Ori and other platformers, but they were a delight on the deck. In effect it opened up new genres for me, given that I'd never get, for example, a switch.
Emulation powerhouse. Given the potential to play almost everything that can be emulated, combined with the ease of installation and the possibility of cloud saves, on a handheld, makes it a one stop shop for you emulation needs.
Negatives:
On the hardware side:
I got the noisy delta fan (which I hear may not necessarily be an issue on currently shipped devices), and it can get a bit grating if you play in a silent room.
The device, being on the bulky side, can get tiring on my wrists in certain positions, mostly when I hold it up on the same level or above my head.
The battery can be short for demanding games, but that's physics for you.
On the software:
A few annoyances left and right, with minor bugs, and things misbehaving. I've had it for over a year now and most of my original issues have been fixed. Now we're waiting for the long-awaited version 3.5 to fix some stuff, and to add proper language support for non-english on the desktop environment side, which I consider a pretty glaring omission.
I love it. It's really opened the door for me as far as playing those more "comfy" games. Like I wouldn't have enjoyed Dredge as much as I did if I weren't curled up on the couch playing it. I have a long list of games that I've bought and intended to play, but sitting upright at my desk just wasn't it.
As far as games I've finally gotten to, I'd count
But if you're trying to move any more competitive games to it, I'd advise against. I haven't had much luck playing Apex or the like, it's been very cumbersome for me. That may just be the ergonomics not being ideal for me though, my hands are kinda too big for this thing.
That's exactly what I was looking for. I just wrapped up loop hero, found myself wishing I was on a handheld with it.
I can’t wait to try Mad Max, but it hasn’t been on sale since I added it to my wishlist and I don’t buy games at full price on principle.
Actually according to https://isthereanydeal.com/game/madmax/info/ it's 80% off right now at GMG! Shops like gmg are legit steam key sellers, the keys are coming from the game publisher.
I have young kids, so being able to play anywhere and still be aware of my surroundings, and being able to suspend and then pick up and play again almost immediately has meant I've been able to actually play long form singleplayer games. It's the single best gaming purchase I've ever made.
Me and the wife are planning on kids so it’s probably going to be the first thing I pick up if she ever gets pregnant.
Parent protip, the u shaped breast feeding support pillows also make perfect steam deck support pillows
My favourite thing about my Steam Deck is that I can add gyro controls to pretty much any shooter. I've always struggled with using control sticks for fine aiming but now I can just add in motion control and play very well. It really has ignited my passion for shooters. Playing 300 hours of Splatoon 2 on my switch really got me comfortable with motion based aiming and now I couldn't go back.
Least: Poor and inconsistent WiFi
Best: Finally enjoy my games without a huge PC or TV, including emulated games
Favourite thing? It's replaced my Switch for the most part. So not only do you get cheaper games on Steam, but they also run better.
I still use my PC for gaming, too. I just prefer some games on the Steamdeck and others on PC.
Favorite thing: the ability to suspend a game anytime, and pick up exactly where you left off.
Least favorite thing: a tie between the weight and the weak battery life. Never have my hands been so numb after extended sessions on the Steam Deck.
Likes:
Dislikes:
One thing that I can offer advice on to help battery life and overall enjoyment: use per game profiles.
I have my Steam Deck's TDP set to 6 for emulated games most of the time and 8 for more intense games. I run ESO at pretty high settings and get 2-3 hours.
The other being set your framerate to 40 capped unless playing an emulator.
Favourite:
Battery life. While not as good as a phone or even a NS, its still incredidle how long the battery lasts considering that the deck is a full PC playing PC games. For context the battery lasts aprox. 4 h when playing a quite demanding game and up to 6 h in less demanding games.
The emulation potential. Apart from beeing able to play PC games you can also emulate a lot of retro or even newer stuff. For example yuzu (a NS emulator) runs most games at a steady 30 fps and the simmilar controller layouts make it easy to controll.
The improvments to linux gaming. The steam deck is bringing more attention to linux as a gaming platform. Thanks to the ease of use of tools like Proton I was able to move to linux on my PC.
The touchpads. I generaly can't stand playing on a controler in first person games, the touchpads realy help with controls in games built without controler support.
The sleep mode. I can just press the power button to put my deck to sleep without loosing progres in games.
Least favourites:
The phisical feel of the device. I'm not sure how to best describe it but for some reason my hands don't realy like the matt finish of the deck.
The size. While still small for a full pc its quite large for a handheld console. Unlike something like the GB or DS the steam deck is not realy pocketable.
The noise. While i understand that a device as powerfull as the steam deck needs active cooling, the fan noise can be quite annoing espetialy in more demanding titles.
Oh man, your "least favorite" #1 makes it a total no-go for me. "My hands don't really like the matte finish of the deck." My whole body was repulsed by the feel of the touchpad surfaces of the Steam Controller. Like I got physically ill putting my fingers across them. However good Valve might make their devices, they are absolutely shit at picking surface textures.
Just to clarify: For me its nowhere near as bad. Its not that i get repulsed at the feel of the device but rather that if i play for a longer time my hands get sweaty and oily (BTW this dosen't happen with other controlers.)
You can just buy a case or skin if the feeling bothers you. There are also touchpad covers available. It is a different material than the steam controller touchpads though.
I loveimy steam deck but for your purposes, if you have literally any other device you can run steam link on it, connect it to your TV, etc. And that would probably be better performance assuming that your computer has good specs
My favorite thing is that I use mine connected to the dock, but handheld, so that it's the controller to what is on my TV. It also has an ethernet cable connected to the dock. Not sure if this would work for everyone. I sit on the floor on a tatami mat and the 40-something-inch TV is also on the floor. It is heavy, so my hands tend to rest on my folded legs while playing, or I'll put a pillow on my lap for it to be a bit higher.