Valve introduces Steam Deck
- Thread starter The Marauder
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- Joined
- Sep 5, 2019
Better than the people selling their reservations, which didn't even include the deck.I don't even have my email yet and they're already showing up in second hand shops (at ridiculous prices) reeeeee
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- Joined
- Jul 8, 2019
As mentioned earlier in the thread, I've had mine since week 2 deliveries got out. I have played my Deck almost every day since I got it. My S.O. asked if I was going to hold onto it that early or resell- I did have to think about it. But several months down the line, I have no regrets on keeping it (and playing it). The thing has some flaws (notably battery life and screen resolution), but it is still a joy to use. It feels like one of those iconic pieces of hardware, like the original iPod, fruity iMac, C64, NES/Famicom, or 2600. I hope it will be usurped by a v2 with a better screen, faster AMD stack, maybe proper haptics, etc., in a few years, but that's fine. And given the reaction of some devs, this might be the major selling point to end the stupid Epic store exclusivity junk.
Sure now, call me a fanboi or load me up with the fun-time stickers, whatever. I'm playing stuff I haven't touched in my Steam library, in some cases ever; and the emulation is great (up to PS3 era; and of course Nintendo is really not even to that in terms of CPU power).
My only concern is Valve drops the ball on it- either ending support or not supporting it down the line, no v2, etc. But the Index gives hope they won't EOL this early as they did with Steambox, Steam Controller, Steam Link.... Time will tell on that.
Sure now, call me a fanboi or load me up with the fun-time stickers, whatever. I'm playing stuff I haven't touched in my Steam library, in some cases ever; and the emulation is great (up to PS3 era; and of course Nintendo is really not even to that in terms of CPU power).
My only concern is Valve drops the ball on it- either ending support or not supporting it down the line, no v2, etc. But the Index gives hope they won't EOL this early as they did with Steambox, Steam Controller, Steam Link.... Time will tell on that.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2021
Didn't they drop those partly because of lack of interest? From the backlog for the SteamDeck I'd guess that isn't as much of an issue. They sold over 100,000 units the first day or two (according to someone who figured out they could get stats, once Valve realized that was open they fixed the leak). Portable game decks have been popular since the 80s/90s whenever the Game Boy came out.
This is arguably better than any of them out there just because of how flexible the device is. I know part of the draw for my husband and I was that's a real computer. I don't know if I'll use it for that, but I know my husband will. He recommended my brother-in-law look into these for his kids - they like games and you can't really get a gaming computer any cheaper. Especially if you go with a gaming laptop.
I understand the concern that they'll drop support and obviously we can't see the future, but as far as innovation goes this reminds me of the iPod or the iPhone. A device that's a well, duh once someone has made it.
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2015
In addition, Valve likes to drop projects that don't make them money as well. Valve gave up on both Artifact and Underlords, despite being very well-polished games, compared to the broken, rushed, buggy messes that are some modern games, because those games didn't retain players, which means less people to make money from microtransactions in those games.
At least when it comes to TF2, Valve has motivation to keep the game running, despite doing the bare minimum to support it, because of the microtransaction sales, and Valve tax collected on each market transaction. The same applies for DOTA 2 and CSGO, and they also have the massive E-Sports scenes to them, which is another motivation for Valve to focus on those games, despite doing the bare minimum with those as well.
Stasi
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2019
Even if they end support from their end, its basically a computer like you say so people are free to keep updating things and keep using it (hell the OS is a linux reskin), enthusiasts are still making homebrew for things like the original PSP to this day. That is a niche hobbyist thing but I also think the deck has already opened the floodgates in terms of the wider market. These handheld PCs have been around for a couple of years now but I've seen a big uptick in interest and the other producers have a bunch of models in the works, including more budget oriented models.
I think you are right with the iPod/iPhone comparisons and we might just see these types of devices being sold mainstream right next to laptops and desktops, it just needed a big company like a Valve to take a gamble and make the first big step.
Anyway, I am very impatiently waiting for my email. I just want to play PS2 games on a handheld in bed dammit.
Product Placement
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2020
Got my Steam Deck few days ago, haven't used it much yet but did play the Aperture Desk Job and was shocked how good the track pad was for aiming.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2019
Yeah if the projected numbers are at all accurate, there is a definite financial reason to maintain Deck support. And it is a surprisingly open piece of hardware, at least in regards to what software you can put on it. The thing that should kill most of them first is the battery. Hopefully the Deck 2 or whatever is coming out by the time a lot of the batteries start end of lifing.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2019
the steamos on the deck started with steam machines, the controller got superseded by software solutions (with broader hardware support via steam input), same for the steam link which was pretty much always software:
and if you really want a link you can put it on your raspberry: https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/6424-467A-31D9-C6CB
but yeah, they're all dead, valve really should support them more...
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2021
Got the notification that my deck is ready to ship. Currently in a race to see if my skin or my deck gets here first.
Not going to put my skin on until I know if I'm going to have to rma my deck. A bunch of the most recent 512gb models have problems where the screen adhesives aren't cured properly. I hope I don't need to rma it, but if I do I don't want to be out the cost of the skin.
This is the skin I got. I'd love to skin my phone too but I don't know if I could get my case over it. Even if I just do the back. Anyone used a skin and a case on a phone?
Not going to put my skin on until I know if I'm going to have to rma my deck. A bunch of the most recent 512gb models have problems where the screen adhesives aren't cured properly. I hope I don't need to rma it, but if I do I don't want to be out the cost of the skin.
This is the skin I got. I'd love to skin my phone too but I don't know if I could get my case over it. Even if I just do the back. Anyone used a skin and a case on a phone?
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2016
Not to bump a month-old post but the Edge case is even worse than that. It's not an IE rebrand, it's a Chrome reskin. So whatever under-the-hood advantages/differences IE did have are fucking gone, gone, gone. Fuck Edge, it's worse than worthless.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2019
Fair point on the software side, but good luck right now if a button on your Steam Controller stops working.
Edit: a word to English properly.
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- Joined
- Dec 17, 2019
Easy explanation. You're running the game through the Proton compatibility layer, and it gets wrapped from DirectX 9 to Vulkan using DXVK. A common trick to improve GTA IV's performance on Windows is to use DXVK as it has it's own optimizations meant for IV in addition to the base benefit of using Vulkan. And yes, even though DXVK is designed with Linux in mind, it can be used on Windows without a problem as it is still a .dll binary, though DXVK developers do not support using it on Windows.
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2020
Completely forgot about my preorder since I did so around July of 2021. Got the email today to purchase and about 50/50 on if I want to actually use it or just sell it since the aftermarket is uhhh, good for sellers at the moment.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2019
that was always obvious, and is exactly the same for a dualshock 3 (or any other product out of production). after warranty you're either stuck with fixing it yourself or get a replacement in whatever form.
there's an "IE mode" they've been shilling recently where I assume they just load the old .dlls in a sandbox. I suspect that's mostly for businesses that have custom-built shit that only works properly in IE.
over 20 years since ie6 came out and that shit is still a blight on the landscape, only to be replaced by google chrome...
kokokrunch123
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2022
Since you Actually have one. How does it perform? Do you sincerely like it?
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2021
I got mine finally. I really like it. It boots fast, the feel in the hands is perfect, the playable games work really well with the controls (this is my first experience playing with a controller since the Nintendo was first released).
Getting games that aren't verified to run can be a challenge. I wanted to play Elder Scrolls Online on it and it took me two days to figure out what I needed to do. I had to hook it up to a mobile hotspot to download some files during installation, saw some reports later that eso specifically doesn't always like using 5gHz wifi. Once I figured it out though it runs just as nice as it does on my Windows box.
The screen is a nice size. It's not too small to see anything on, it's not too big to make the console not feel like a portable. The console is larger than I expected it to be, but I can still put it in my purse (I have a huge purse for the record).
The desktop interface is really nice. KDE has come a long, long way since I last used it. As far as looks alone go it's every bit as polished as Windows 10. Settings are easy to find and it's incredibly customizable.
Connecting to my smb/Windows shares was easy.
The mouse controls in desktop mode are kind of annoying to get used to. The onscreen keyboard is not obvious on how it opens, you hold the Steam button and press X. I had to Google that. I haven't figured out copy/paste and the touchscreen mouse for clicking on closing buttons or input places is more annoying than on the phone. It's just wierd, but I've more or less gotten it figured out now.
Installing new packages in the desktop is annoying if they don't exist in the Discover app. There's no obvious way to do an up arrow in the command console without plugging in a keyboard. Very annoying if you try to do Anything on the command line.
Overall the experience is overwhelmingly positive. I have been using it plugged in to power most of the time so I can't talk about battery life.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2019
Probably some repeat with my earlier post, but it's been a few months. I do like it, use it almost daily going on 3+ months now? (however long it's been.) It holds well in my hands, it is in terms of controls better than the steam controller and valve's VR controller (note, I have only used a friend's VR headset, didn't make that jump).
The battery life varies *a lot* depending on the game you're playing. The way I tend to look at it now is it's a nice way to play in transit, on the couch, without having to be sat in front of my desktop.
Game performance varies widely, depending on the game. You're not going to win any fps tournaments with this thing, but I have even managed to get a buggy recent mess like Cyberpunk to run on it without issue.
Compatibility is a weird thing with it; when proton works, it's great! When it doesn't, it can be a world of tweaks. Reminds me of running Debian back in the early aughts.
Haven't tried Windows on it. Every video I have seen of trying to use Windows on it felt like pain. I know there are more drivers out now, but still a hard pass.
The killer thing about it is the power modes. In gaming mode, you can be mid game, hit the power button, 2 seconds and the device is asleep. Hit power again, 2 seconds it's up again. (Or maybe slightly more with a lock screen.) It's better than any computer I've used with regards to sleep mode. It feels better than a lot of portable "consoles" / handhelds have been even.
If I could change any couple of things about it? Full HD resolution (instead of 720p (ok technically 1280x800 or whatever), better battery, or at least a way to swap out batteries. Right now, the battery is technically user changeable, but you're not going to be hot swapping it, and a swappable one would add bulk. To me, the bulk would be worth it. The steam button and option buttons suck, and I'm not 100% sold on the r/l 4/5 buttons (the underside triggers). The button feels isn't a deal breaker. Oh, and I wish the included power supply had a longer cord.
Oh, and they still haven't released the dock, and I haven't seen an obvious one to pick up.
The desktop environment is fine with keyboard/mouse, but it kinda sucks using either OSK / trackpads / joysticks. It's gotten better since launch with updates, but it's not as easy as using a modern smartphone.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2019
The resolution is my biggest bugaboo, but pretty much only because PC games tend to have even smaller text than consoles. Even if you have very good eyesight, the text can get so small it aliases, making it just crappy and uncomfortable.
Nothing yet has standardized grip buttons, and there probably won't be anything for a while, considering how they only show up on a few controllers. I really like them, though. On my Steam controller, for shooters, I got used to using LG for crouching and RG for jumping. Since those are normally mapped to A and B respectively, but your right thumb also controls the camera on the right trackpad, the grips help alleviate that. I also use L5 for my speedup button in Retroarch.
And speaking of inputs, I don't think I'm a fan of the capacitive sticks. Doom 2016 actually has a built-in Steam Deck config that uses them, in that when you're touching the right stick, the gyro activates, so you can aim easier. I turned it off.
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2021
Finally received my e-mail and completed the order. Now all that's left to do is wait for it to arrive. Here's hoping it gets here intact!
I'm very excited, the potential for everything from standard PC gaming to emulation is so great. Anyone here with a Deck want to share what they've been playing on it lately?
I'm very excited, the potential for everything from standard PC gaming to emulation is so great. Anyone here with a Deck want to share what they've been playing on it lately?