Verdict
The Steam Deck is a hand-held gambling personal computer , adequate to of play nearly any PC secret plan on the go . execution is excellent for a portable , with SteamOS propose a console - same experience , while still retaining all of the versatility of a PC . Battery life is n’t groovy when playing demanding games , but the Steam Deck remains the absolute good choice for portable personal computer gaming .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC , cancel the itching for those who want to enjoy their Steam library on the go .
By adopting a standardised – albeit bulkier – pattern to theNintendo Switch , the Steam Deck allows user to secret plan on the go , whether it ’s on a plane , train or on your sofa . It ’s also get under one’s skin enough power to playAAA game , even offering a specific manner for the notoriously demandingCyberpunk 2077 .
But the Steam Deck has been such a roaring success that it ’s encouraged rival caller to jump on the handheld gaming PC bandwagon . As a final result , the likes of the Asus ROG Ally have since launched , leave add competition for the Steam Deck in 2023 .
So is the Steam Deck still deserving a steal a year after launch ? Here are my thoughts .
Design
It ’s unimaginable not to make equivalence to the Nintendo Switch when ogle the Deck ’s design . It has a projection screen sandwich by two controllers ( albeit not detachable ) with analogue sticks on the front and bumper clit up top .
But the biggest departure is the size , as the Steam Deck is significantly larger , both in terminus of width and depth , despite remarkably featuring the same 7 - column inch cover sizing as theSwitch OLED . I find this slightly knotty , as I ’d often have to stretch my thumbs to strive the analogue control stick and do some fingerbreadth gymnastics to strike the many onboard buttons .
That said , the ability to remap release , mate with the ‘ travelling bag buttons ’ on the hindquarters allowed me to fiddle with the options to receive the most comfortable fit . Even simple alteration , such as swapping the remaining - click occasion inFootball Manager 2022from proper trigger to unexpended - grip button , made a world of difference to my ease .
And despite weighing more than the Switch , hit the scales at 669 one thousand , the Steam Deck does n’t feel very big at all . When pass it to any one of my colleagues , they always comment that it was significantly light than what they expected . I ’ve managed to play game on the Deck for multiple hours without my arms languish , with Valve doing an splendid join at disperse the exercising weight .
The Steam Deck ’s outer shell is completely made up of plastic rather than metallic element , but I think that was a wise decision . The material feel squeamish in my hands , with the unruffled rounded border prevent it from stab into my palm .
Valve has also made certain that the Deck ’s handles never get hot , with the system only ever getting toasty on the backside where all of the components are gormandize . There ’s a wide vent flop at the top , which blasts out spicy air while diddle a biz . There have been occasions where the fan have kicked up a gear and become really gaudy , although never to the extent of say a mellow - final stage gaming laptop or the infamous PS4 .
The launch of the Asus ROG Ally has put the invention of the Steam Deck into perspective . The former looks a little more stylish and streamline , with a superior balance of weight unit . I ’d much rather carry the ROG Ally for farsighted stretches of time , although Asus ’ portable does be twice as much as the base Steam Deck .
Controls
Valve has adopted the same controller layout as the Xbox pad , albeit with the parallel stick in a parallel position . You also get a D - Pad in the top - leave recess , which is easy to get to . All of the front - face buttons have satisfying locomotion , and work just as well as you could hope .
You also get a Steam button , which can load up the Deck ’s system preferences , as well as a ‘ Quick Access ’ button which flashes up the most authoritative preferences in a diminished menu without forcing you to result your biz . I find this really utilitarian for touch base Bluetooth peripherals or adjust the performance preferences on the fly . You also get ‘ screenshot ’ and in - game ‘ menu ’ buttons , both of which are humdrum on modern - day controller .
You ’ll also mark a straightforward - shaped pad of paper on either side of the Deck ’s screen ; these are the trackpads , which allow you to control a mouse pointer with soft swipes . I found the right - sided trackpad incredibly utile for Football Manager 2022 , where I only needed to select emails and switch musician around in formations .
But the trackpads did n’t offer precise enough remark for games such as Total War : Warhammer 2 , as I struggled to choose my troop and assemble them into a fuddled formation . For games such as that , you ’re really start to demand a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse rather , which arguably defeats the full stop of the Steam Deck .
expect to the top , and you ’ll find a power clitoris , a USB - C port for charging , a headphone jack and loudness buttons . You also get two bumpers and triggers ; travel is all right here and while there is haptic feedback , it pal up in comparison to what the Xbox and PlayStation pads offer . Firing arrows in Horizon Zero Dawn lacked that satisfying ‘ Ping River ’ that other controllers are so apt at creating – it especially felt jarring after recently playingHorizon Forbidden Westwith the superb adaptive triggers on theDualSense .
Thanks to the Deck ’s Bluetooth connectivity , you may hook up external controllers if you opt . Although since the portable does n’t have a built - in stand , I would only really recommend this if you ’re outputting to an external exhibit , such as your TV or varan .
Display
The Steam Deck features a 7 - inch 60Hz touchscreen with a 1280 x 800 solution – that ’s shy of hitting the standard Full HD , which most gaming laptops have at an sheer minimum .
Just like with the Switch , I personally do n’t imagine it ’s an issue when used as a portable . The screen is so pocket-sized that the pixels are compact enough to result in a sharp image , with no noticeable pixelation when play AAA game . And the 800p result also allow the Deck to hit a smooth public presentation for the huge majority of secret plan .
However , the quarry 800p becomes baffling when you connect the Steam Deck to an external show via the USB - C interface . It still looks absolutely fine , but stretching the figure of speech to fit out a large projection screen wo n’t look half as skilful compare to aPS5,Xbox Series Xor a more powerful gaming PC rather .
I ’m still a big buff of the power to link it to your telecasting , although I care the process was a smidgen easier . plug a USB - vitamin C toUSB - Ccable did n’t always work , forcing me to utilise an arranger or else .
Valve has since launch theSteam Deck Docking Station . There are multitude of ports on this dock , including DisplayPort 1.4 , HDMI 2.0 , Gigabit Ethernet and 3x USB - A. However , this add-on is n’t roll up in with the Steam Deck and will set you back a hefty £ 79 .
Portable mode is undoubtedly the optimum way to play , so it ’s a succor that the Deck has a great screen . The display is nice and shining ( 575 - nits allot to our colorimeter ) with a solid 1213:1 contrast . Its performance in sinister scenes could be better however , as I struggled to see much detail when guiding Aloy through a cave in Horizon Zero Dawn .
switch from the SwitchOLEDto the Steam Deck reminded me how outstanding the former looking at . By stick with an LCD screen , the Deck does n’t look quite as vibrant as the latest Nintendo portable , with color appearing subdued in comparison . But given the cost of the spec inside the Steam Deck , I can understand why Valve was reluctant to contribute an OLED dialog box and drive up the price even further .
The Steam Deck ’s screen is confine to a standard 60Hzrefresh pace . PC gamers that bask online shooters may be trouble not to see a loyal dialog box here , with the likes of the ROG Ally subject of refreshing the picture doubly as many times per second via its120Hz refresh rate . But I ’m not convert there ’s much point in adding such a fast screen on a portable when it ’s difficult to achieve a high skeletal frame rate to reap the benefits .
The Steam Deck has on - dining table speakers , and I ’m genuinely surprised by how good they are . I ’m sure most mass will want to colligate up Bluetooth or wired headphones , but the speakers here are both brassy and detail enough to go without .
Performance
The Steam Deck pack an AMD APU , with a Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU , as well as 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM . It ’s a big performance start on the Nintendo Switch , which entail it ’s equal to of running a wider selection of game .
load up Horizon Zero Dawn was a jaw - dropping experience , as I was effectively playing aPS4game on a handheld equipment . The visuals looked stunning too , as the Deck was able to treat the game run with ultra nontextual matter preferences at an norm of 31fps .
And since the Steam Deck is a personal computer , I was able to take down the art options to ‘ medium ’ caliber to accomplish an even fluent 40fps . Sometimes this is a necessity to achieve a playable functioning , as the Steam Deck only handle to hit a 20fps operation for Dying Light when set to ‘ eminent ’ graphics configurations , resulting in an unplayable , juddering experience . But scaling the graphics quality down to ‘ Low ’ enabled me to drive the execution up to a far smooth 32fps average . I was even able to getElden Ringrunning on the portable .
I also test Dirt Rally to see how the Steam Deck would get along with less vivid game . It accomplish a 48fps functioning when set to radical art configurations , and then jumped up to 60fps when dialling it down to a ‘ medium ’ preset .
What ’s more , AMD ’s FSRtechnology is baked intoSteamOS , and so can be used to advance the performance of any game via spacial upscaling . This will compromise the quality of the visuals to some extent , although it was difficult to notice when looking at the 7 - inch projection screen .
trigger off FSR ( with a balanced setting ) hike up the execution for Horizon Zero Dawn from 31fps to 40fps , providing additional headroom for the portable when dealing with necessitate games .
But the Steam Deck for certain is n’t the most powerful hand-held gaming microcomputer you could buy . The Asus ROG Ally has leapfrog it , offer around a 10fps to 15fps improvement bet on the secret plan . The ROG Ally is a band more expensive too though , so I in person believe the Steam Deck still put up the proficient value – it just does n’t feel as cutting edge as it did at launching .
After using the Steam Decks for several months , I have noticed several times where the fans have initiate to utter a loud humming randomness in an effort to keep the Steam Deck assuredness . It ’s never as gimcrack as the like of a high - terminal play PC or Steam Deck , but can still examine a little distracting .
When leave on for too long , the Steam Deck can also be prostrate to overheat . The Steam Deck has even falter with Football Manager 2022 when leave on too long , especially when I ’ve been using the standby option in - between academic term rather than a proper shut down . But only the rear compartment behind the sieve seems to get toasty , with the wooden-headed plastic handle always remaining cool .
The Steam Deck is usable in three storehouse capacity configuration : 64 GB , 256 GB and 512 GB . Valve sent me the 256 GB model , and even this amount of space sense deficient . About 11 GB of memory is presently taken up by necessary Steam software package , and when games such as Horizon Zero Dawn take up a whopping 73 GB of space , it wo n’t take long for you to meet up the SSD .
This makes a microSD bill of fare an essential purchase , which can be easily pushed into the expansion slot at the bottom . I bought a 512 GB poster from Amazon for about £ 70 , which makes the Steam Deck an even more pricy investment . But I was surprised to see how well the microSD perform when loading up games , as it was only a few second dense than the loading times of games stored on the on - instrument panel SSD .
That said , the loading time with the Steam Deck ’s build - in SSD are n’t exactly peachy . Games will take perceptibly longer to load compared to a received gaming cabinet , particularly the current - genPS5andXbox Series X. The ROG Ally feels far faster in this regard .
Battery life
Valve claim the Steam Deck can last between 2 and 8 hour of gameplay depending on which game you ’re trifle . My own examination support these figure , although you ’ll have to make some compromise so as to reach 2 time of day for modern AAA game .
When act Horizon Zero Dawn with ultra graphics setting and maximum brightness , I could only keep on playing for an hour before take to plug in the courser . This made me concerned , as a play portable is n’t much for prospicient journeying if it can only last an time of day .
Fortunately , I was able to increase the portable ’s stamina to the quoted 2 - time of day mark by reducing the brightness to 50 % , lowering the graphics setting , throttle the functioning to 30fps and aerate the Thermal Power Limit . This did admittedly make framerate drib more frequent , however .
fortuitously , it was able to get a lot more performing time out of the like of Football Manager and Stardew Valley , easily lasting around 4 to 5 hours with maximum brightness and graphics configurations . But present the mediocre assault and battery life and the heavy size of the portable , I do think the Steam Deck is best used when sitting on your sofa or lying down in seam , rather than during your daily commute to body of work .
Games and software
The Steam Deck is an open - political platform microcomputer , allowing you to use it as a Linux computer via Desktop modality , or even wipe the hard drive and reboot up Windows instead . But I in person wo n’t recommend that , as the default SteamOS software is so good at offering a seamless cabinet - comparable experience .
The Steam Deck ’s interface is n’t too dissimilar to the Nintendo Switch , with your plot library lined - up horizontally for easy access . I love being able to turn on the Deck and boot up a game in a matter of seconds , cutting out the wordy time it takes to reboot up both Windows and Steam on a regular gambling PC .
You ’re able-bodied to get at the Steam Store here , with Valve making a fully grown effort to categorise every major game in its depository library so you know whether it ’s well optimised for the Deck . Games that are useable on consoles such asGod of War , Horizon Zero Dawn and Disco Elysium have all managed to fasten the best - in - class ‘ verify ’ status , while PC games that are better experienced with a keyboard and mouse are generally given a ‘ Playable ’ finding of fact or else , includingCrusader power 3,Total War : Warhammer 2andCivilization VI .
And then there are the entirely unplayable secret plan that wo n’t even bring up up on the Steam Deck . These let in the the likes of ofDestiny 2and Amazon’sNew World . This is because these games feature anti - cheat software program , which do n’t presently support Linux . It ’s potential that the relevant developers will patch their games to see to it Deck compatibility in the hereafter , as seen with Apex Legends , although there ’s no guarantee that will pass off .
There ’s also a astounding identification number of options you may fiddle with on the Steam Deck , from controller remapping to execution sliders , as well as features such as Remote Play and the Google Chrome web web browser .
Valve has also promised to make it easier to dilute up other non - Steam apps through SteamOS , although I ’m disappointed that more forward motion has n’t been made on this front in 2022 .
While swarm - streaming services , such as Xbox Game Pass , are playable through workarounds via the Linux screen background , it ’s a far more complicated process than it postulate to be . I ’m hoping that Valve will eventually make apps for Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now available through SteamOS , as it would make the portable even more versatile .
There are still a number of software issues that have prove irksome elsewhere . The on - screen keyboard can be a nuisance to use , or sometimes wo n’t even work – that ’s a large job for games such as Football Manager . But to Valve ’s cite , it has been providing the Steam Deck with legion software update since launching .
you’re able to also now view achievement via the Steam overlay for easier access code and even put schedule time for when Night Mode activates . The Steam Deck ’s software is always germinate and ameliorate with update , although it can still finger a little boisterous around the edge compared to the operating system of a Nintendo Switch or PlayStation .
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Should you buy it?
The main appeal of the Steam Deck is obvious , you’re able to access your Brobdingnagian collection of Steam games on the go , whether you ’re on an aeroplane or stuck inside a hotel room .
Most of the biggest online shooters are currently incompatible with the Steam Deck , include Destiny 2 and Fortnite .
Final Thoughts
The Steam Deck is a plot - auto-changer . PC game have never before been so accessible , with SteamOS offering a console table - similar experience and the excellent portable design set aside substance abuser to play the likes of Elden Ring , God of War and enough more AAA deed of conveyance on the go .
Since this is a PC , you ’ve still have plenty of mise en scene to fiddle with to reach an optimum public presentation . And with the inclusion body of a Google Chrome internet browser and the Linux screen background mode , it ’s possible to play biz via the cloud or even stream picture on Netflix or YouTube if you fancy a break from gambling .
It does have a few shortcomings , with the stingy stamp battery spirit struggle to make out with AAA for more than a duo of hours , while there are still a number of democratic multiplayer games that are currently unsupported such as Destiny and Fortnite . But I still recall the superb proportionality between performance and price still give it a better option than rivals such as theAsus ROG Ally .
Trusted Score
How we test
We tested the Steam Deck by toy a miscellany of different games at different graphics options , while check into the average frame rate either via in - plot benchmark or an FPS overlay .
We also used a tintometer to test out the concealment , while also using our own judgement to see how well it compare to rival devices .
We also conducted various barrage fire trial by play games for long stretches of time , try out a variety of art setting to make up one’s mind whether they made an impact .
FAQs
The Steam Deck is able to get at games on Steam and other PC storefronts . While select multiplayer games are n’t endure due to their anti - cheat computer software , the vast majority of microcomputer games should run away on the Steam Deck .
Nope ! The Steam Deck can run independently and does n’t ask a personal computer . That said , it is advantageous if you ’ve already buy multiple games on the Steam digital store .
Absolutely ! you may apply a USB - C cable or adaptor to output the Deck ’s display to a TV or monitor . Valve has confirmed it will finally launch a dock like the Switch to make the physical process light , but it ’s still possible to touch base to another display at launch .
