I'm really okay with it being incomplete. This isn't a locked-down PS5 or the like, where we're at the mercy of the manufacturer, this is essentially a PC. Valve has done the hard part of squeezing a performant PC into this small form factor. If Valve were to ship it as-is and never touch it again, The community can pick up where Valve left off. Thanks to that, The SteamDeck is a product that _could_ outlive Valve if they were to disappear the day after all the units ship. That's the mark of a great product. Their promise to keep improving upon the SteamDeck, is really just a Cherry on top of it all, for me.
true, but to compete against the consoles and win over normal non tech savvy users this isn't enough. Things need to just work, and as long as it requires tinkering, it will only be for enthusiasts.
I understand where you are coming from, but it will need to be pretty plug and play for the average person. For instance the steam controller is an amazing concept. It almost works well but I barely use mine. It takes so much tweaking to make it work well in a lot of games, and I just don't usually feel like putting in the effort.
@@snowzZzZz It really isn't for average users though. Most users will probably get a Windows gaming laptop from a big OEM brand (Alienware, Omen, Legion, ROG, Predator, etc.). The Steam Deck is for a specific market, and I think they knocked it out of the park.
@@cameronbosch1213 why would they make a console that's not targeted at the average user? linux tinkerers are a small market, makes no sense to just target them
It seems Valve made a right move. It applied the java's strategy: "buy once, play everywhere". Now you don't have to wonder whether to buy PC version or console version of the game you like. Valve finally created an ecosystem that filled the gap between PC and console.
@@amateurprogrammer25 Actually no, It is very successful from server to mobile. It was hyped, and now there is better technologies for GUI (thanks electron). I use Python for data science, but I am not oblivious to the fact that java is still big in big data. (Typo edit)
@@tychoides electron is JavaScript, not Java? also have you ever tried to run a Java app on anything other than the exact platform it was designed to work on? Do you have any idea how many hoops you have to jump through to get Minecraft Java Edition working on anything other than Windows/Linux x86? Also Minecraft versions before 1.17 refuse to work with anything other than Java 8, whereas versions after that refuse to work with anything other than Java 17. Also there's the whole business of JavaCard (for SIM cards), BD-J (for Blu-Ray players), whatever that Java applet thing they used on phones was, and the now obsolete Java web standard all being mutually incompatible with each other. Java is a fine programming language, and that's as may be, but "write once run anywhere" is just as much of a lie in Java as it is in C.
@@amateurprogrammer25 I know Electron is is a local webserver coded in JavaScript , and if you read my comment I said it was a better technology. I have used and still using Java GUIs and they sure are dated and slower than using GTK or QT, but as a Linux user they allow for a version that could run in linux that actually had support. Java for 3D games is nonsense, and I don't understant why Minecraft devs thought was a good idea. I think that java was and is overhyped and I personally don't like(I use Python, C and C++, but in terms of success you cannot argue that has been hugely successful and people has hyped and misused for more than 2 decades. Sometimes neither the good or the bad guy win, but the mediocre one who does it just well enough.
Faults aside, I’m super impressed with this thing and Valve as a company. The level of transparency is exactly what I want and what I feel consumers deserve.
I'm excited for his. I love that it already has MangoHud integrated. Flightlessmango (the founding developer) is a cool dude and worked with him a bit a while back on some testing. I love to see more FOSS in gaming. There may be some shortcomings at launch but there will be a lot of people developing for the platform, including myself.
@UnjustifiedRecs not to mention the biggest problem seems to be compatibility issues which seem like the most hardest to fix. Which could be needed to talk to many game developer companies to sort it out. But hey lots of games seem compatible/playable and more to come. So it seems to already be heading in the right direction.
@@snapshotandbisti the problem with the steam machine is it wasn’t a specific product. It was a platform which manufacturers could use, which caused there to be too many steam machines and confuse customers. If they decided to make a single steam machine it would have sold better
For a “software company” it’s kinda funny they made such polished hardware with a fairly buggy software front end. That being said, projects like Proton are straight up magical.
Gaben said it himself. They're taking a big risk with this and are selling them at a relatively cheap price. They need this to work. And it looks very promising.
apple embraced total opposite by making the choices for the user and fixing them, and they are a trillion dollar company, but i also like more options path, but not everybody bothers to tinker with options and freedom, considering its risk of breaking things
It's even sadder that gamers continue to purchase the products, even going as far as pre-ordering incomplete merchandise. You would never buy a car missing one or two wheels...
For a video about how it's incomplete, I think you've sold me on it! I had the intention of maybe picking one up in a year, when it's a bit more mature. But I genuinely believe in voting with my wallet and this kind of industry disruption and customer-freedom-focused design approach is something I want to see more of.
While it may be "incomplete" its literally all just software issues, which can be patched out. I would love a return to the device a few months or even a year from now to see it its improved
I was actually convinced by the in-depth hardware reviews. Considering the Steam Deck specifications, there is nothing as reasonably priced these days! 😁 I'm still a bit worried that Steam OS 3 could be discontinued like it's predecessors and the semi-custom components may not get drivers to run Windows reliably, but the risk of becoming e-waste shortly after the pandemic shortages are over seems less than overpriced video cards.
Valve is one of the last companies that actually works with their community, that’s why I will always support them. I can trust that they will get these things fixed.
Valve didn't go public with their shareholdings. Best decision they ever made. Companies that go public always seem to be the ones that force themselves into political bullcrap these days.
@@shapeshiftingpedro Well once a company goes public, they become beholden to their shareholders before anyone else. Maybe it's the extremely out of touch shareholders who make these decisions to inject politics into every single product lol
caleb peter Do people need PC titles on Phone level gaming gear? If people buy this it will get updates! Did they ever sold hardware that gamers needed? Since it's steam?
@@lucasrem1870 I mean, it's not just a phone, its literally a PC with an AMD ZEN chip, comparable to around a 1050, and those can run pretty much everything, you could install windows but you'd have to find drivers first. Also, yeah, the Steam Controller, i have one and it's the most versatile controller ive ever seen, only downsides are non-rechargable double A batteries
@@lucasrem1870 People don't need PC titles on portable systems, they want it. No other reason is needed, there's a huge demand for something like this and Valve is catering to that demand. Also I think the deck will have a positive impact in the gaming industry overall. Putting pressure on other companies to give more control over their consoles, and bringing competition to the handheld gaming market.
@@lucasrem1870 Its not a phone where do you see a phone here lmao. It's about being able to play games from my PC anywhere with a device that could actually play them well. There's really no reason to question why they're doing this. They're a company that makes products for money and this is one of them. A lot of people want this, so they made it.
ehh, he was probably already awake. If he was asleep i am sure he would be at least somewhat angry. Being woken up by one of your employees in the middle of the night for a non emergency reason isn't pleasant.
@@toxicturkeyy dude I mean, from my perspective , I am a horrible person and if even my friends call me middle of the night out of mistake , I will rage on that person let alone my employee doing a terrible mistake
I really think you should revisit the steam deck now that it's officially out with no queue. Apparently, many of the kinks, but not all, have been ironed out, it would be interesting to see how it fares nowadays.
Considering most issues are software, rather than hardware, I'm really impressed from what I've seen. It's also a brand new product, this can only get better as time goes on. Valve once again killing it with new hardware releases!
To be fair, it's still a hardware issue; only reviewers have the product & consumers now have a new "launch" date of "April" according to Valve (subject to change, I suppose).
@@bcp6524 I suppose I mean this is a proper console product that had expected shipping dates for a traditional launch including pushing back the date to meet supply needs, but those needs weren't met in time for the latest launch date to coincide with an actual consumer market (vs the 100 or so reviewers who have had the final hardware for about a month). We're still trying to find a consumer with the product for our story (we were initially looking for several interviews but now we're just looking for the first person to get one).
Good job valve. They're really trying to innovate on many fronts. The Deck is very ambitious, and I'm willing to put up with some hitches because of this. Also, it's clear that they believe in it, and they are continually working on the Deck. I will definitely buy one!
You can tell Valve believe in the Steam Deck, they've put more effort into it's hype alone than Sony and others have done for years. Honestly, the people who say the Steam Deck will fail because they didn't support their last hardware make me laugh because Sony didn'r support the PS Vita and Nintendo supported the Wii U even less, yet they still believe in them. Plus the Steam Deck can't fail because it supports PC software, meaning that there'll always be a use for it, unlike an Playstation, Nintendo something and to a lesser extent, an Xbox, since those are eventually phased out for newer models and can't be used beyond their development cycles. (Case in point, run Xbox One titles on a 360, or a PS2 game on a PS5, now run a Windows 98 RPGMaker title on a 2020 PC and see the difference in compatibility) It's a sure fire move to success.
@@knox7945 They're two different audiences and use cases, they can coexist, not compete. The Deck for AAA gaming, emulation etc. The Switch for Nintendo exclusives and casual gaming. (We all know no one buys a Switch for the multiplatform games). Fact is, Nintendo offers a very different experience than Xbox, Playstation and PC.
What excites me about this is that any work Valve puts into game compatibility on Steam Deck will translate into game compatibility on Linux in general.
It will not. Technically speaking they strictly do not encourage games to offer native Linux binaries. Instead, everything goes through their Proton compatibility layer. It isn't terrible, but it isn't what I would call "Linux compatibility" - rather "Proton compatibility".
@@snail8720 I think it's a reasonable compromise You can install proton outside SteamOS and then you only have to make your game proton compatible and the distro only has to do proton it's less work for everyone Sure it might be less performance and not native but a small indie dev either does proton or maybe does Ubuntu and other distros get the shaft
@@TheQwerty256 linux native is better in the long run for a game than windows or proton. some older games don't work on windows anymore, but linux native no problem, even the windows games that dosnt work on windows anymore, on linux with wine, no problem, just set wine to be the right system setup for the game to work and it works. atm i'm having more issues with windows 11 than my linux boot, so i'm actually expecting linux to be even more on the front end with pc gaming and also seeing windows maybe merging gaming on pc with microsoft completely with xbox, so basicly xbox will be the OS or software if you wanna game on your pc, which they'll try and lock away from a linux system. so the more linux native games we see, the better it's gonna be for the compatibility, besides, if a game is linux only and is popular, mircosoft will pay the developers to make a windows port, which is the way it should be.
@@snail8720 Valve had started pushing for Linux native games around 2012/2013 when they started working on SteamOS and Steam Boxes. They were also funding projects that would help improve the gaming experience on Linux. It was also around that time more games were being released natively on Linux and game engine developers started offering better support for Linux builds. I think that the move to Proton was the result of many big game devs still not wanting to also produce and support Linux builds, so Proton is a way to provide accessibility to games that would otherwise not be playable. While not the best solution, I am able to play a lot of games that I would not normally be able to and Valve does report the percentage of Linux sales to the developers, so the higher the % rises, the more likely the devs would provide native Linux builds.
From everything I'm seeing, this thing is actually insanely good. But just needs some software work. And for this to be a first gen unit with first gen software work, I won't hate on it's software issues. Ask they can be ironed out with over the air updates. Just makes me glad to see how far this segment has came. And as someone who has completely abandoned Nintendo due to their current anti consumerism, this is a great buy for 400$
No joke! Every gamer on the planet should be CHEERING this thing on just for the pressure it will put on Sony/MS/Nintendo. Even if you HATE Valve, Steam, and PC gaming in general, if you love videogames of any kind then this product is a win for you.
@@drunkenmessiah This offers exa what Nintendo promised the switch would do and failed at. It brings console quality gaming on the go. Over the next few months, it will only get better as software updates drop, drivers get worked on, and games become compatible. And you can get it for just 50$ more then the switch.
@@elibeeblebrox1084 but there are more options with better performance and visual quality compared to their ports on ns, and most newer ones seem to be compatible really well, proton is also owned by valve as well, so i am excited to play through those verified games as i owm most of them actually
11:47 You know what would be really cool, if there was a steam deck optimized setting for the games that run on it, similar to the NVidia optimized setting in GeForce experience, and you could apply it through the setting in steam.
@@rohithkumarsp Thing is that the nVidia drivers for systems like the Deck are not very good. They work, but that's about it. They just recently got support for DLSS (and raytracing IIRC). Instead, we now have an AMD GPU with fantastic drivers that also support raytracing.
I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this happening considering that there are controller presets you can use made by either valve or the community for a xbox or a steam controller.
The Heroic Game Launcher is AWESOME. It started for Epic Games Store, but recently added GoG support. You can sign into your accounts for each store and it'll download games and run them through various versions of WINE and even Proton. They also added the ability to navigate with controller a couple updates ago, specifically for the SteamDeck. Definitely check that out.
Good to know. Most of my games are in Steam, but I like buying from GOG for the DRM free aspect. I've been slightly concerned about not having access to them on the Steam Deck, but it sounds like this should be possible.
This, along with everything Valve does, continues to be the reason I support Steam/Valve platforms, over Epic. Everything feels seamless and there's unmatched transparency
I was slowly switching to GoG since Steam had drm and you couldn't play most of your games offline or without logging in your account, but as of recently, they've been being really anti consumer lately, censoring games, refusing to make a Linux launcher and getting into politics just for virtue signaling, so I'm seriously thinking on going back to steam, especially after steam deck.
@@GuitarHeroKing500000 I play Steam games almost exclusively offline. I normally only connect in order to download new game or to get an update I want. I have shitty satellite internet that does horrible teying to play online. I even figured out how to get around a game blocking me from playing because it wants to update.
Valve absolutely was right to totally nail the hardware, and ship with unfinished software. You can't push out better hardware as a free OTA update... Software on the other hand... Can be easily updated later. Software projects are hard. Progress in software development is sometimes intangible. Valve will almost certainly continually improve the steam deck's software for years and years to come. I can't wait for my 512gb steam deck!
"Sony absolutely was right to totally nail the hardware, and ship with lacking library. You can't push out better hardware as a free OTA update..." - optimistic PSVita owners circa 2011 Yeah, no. Sorry. Software is ALSO important. Software is the second part of the customer experience and it needs to at least be usable on release. The PSVita is an example of a game console which had incredible hardware but lacking software and continued to have lacking software unto it's end of life. Stop preordering unfinished products, stop excusing lazy developers.
@@lightly-red-huedmaleindivi6266 Software issues, you can easily fix. Hardware side, not so much. Valve is one of the more consumer friendly companies out there, I'm sure you can trust them that they'll refine their software based from community feedback. There would be much bigger issues if a lot of the device itself is locked down like PS5 or as you mentioned, the PS Vita for example, but it isn't.
@@lightly-red-huedmaleindivi6266 lol i agree, preordering for unfinished product is stupid, but I don't think its "lazy" developers. Its the company for pushing it out, developers probably work their butt off
im super excited for this, a large tech company with an actually decent amount of transparency is for some reason only now coming along but im hyped for it, big W's all around edit: I said "decent" because I'm aware steam/valve has their fair share of problems. That being said, they are miles better than most modern tech companies (especially in regards to open sourcing their software) and hope they continue to improve
"for some reason only now" There were a lot of challenges for sure. SteamOS from what now 5-10 years ago being a first building block, getting feedback on a steam controller, getting people in the company involved into this project sourcing more development internally for the software and externally to make the hardware happen for millions of units. The Steam Deck is a console - and that should make it easy to develop for it and that should make it neccessary for studios to develop _for it_ But it also isn't - which doesn't make it neccessary for studios to develop for it, it just runs a windows compatibility layer on linux, which makes it possible to eventually run everything created for windows while having the advantage for Valve to tweak anything they want and not to have to pay license fees to microsoft.
@@reconciliation86 what I'm saying is that open source should be the standard, the fact people trust and support technology that is spying on them and has insane arbitrary restrictions is beyond me
"decent amount of transparency"??? Yeah... i don't know about that, man. Their reputation of being like a black box for the past 10 years is pretty infamous. And you don't even need to search deep. LMG is singing praises but I'm skeptical. Not including Alyx, Steams' last 2 major products felt more like a fuck and dump kind of thing too.
You mean a large company which is privately held and does not report taxes, profits and does not allow nerds like you to own shares of it. God knows what tax evasion Gabe is doing.
The main reason why I got my 3DS is simple: it's easy to jailbreak. I can now run homebrew software that makes all the difference on the console for me, like save managers, backups, game randomizers, unofficial patches and translations, all of that fun stuff. The Steam Deck seems like dream machine for the ones like me who enjoy to take full advantage on what the hardware can do and I am for sure looking forward to getting one in the future.
The Steam Deck practically comes jailbroken out of the box. Every other manufacturer has gone to enormous lengths to prevent you from running any software on their system that isn't 100% controlled by them, and people have to spend years looking for a way in, but on the Deck, the only thing standing between you and a full-blown Arch Linux installation is a checkbox that says "Yes, I know what I'm doing" and. I'm honestly trying to decide whether I'm dreaming
yeah, i was going to buy a PSvita to emulate the games that my 3ds cant, but honestly, i will buy one next year, this year i will def get a steam deck, the possibilities are just far and beyond everything ever
13:40 That's not a glitch/bug. It is how it is. The game has no idea that the system has gone to sleep. The solution that you've mentioned (wake up the deck and close the game) is indeed the right solution for this. The fact that a warning is shown on Desktop is really nice.
That's what I also thought. I cannot think of any way that valve could implement this kind of seamless transition without editing the game itself. If the game hasn't saved then there isn't a save file to transfer over. Maybe they could try to get a snapshot of the games current state and try to transfer that but imo that sounds like a lot of work that would probably result in a buggy mess
@@Someone-ci8wf they need background processes to be running at super low power when the device sleeps. That would upload your save data but right now the sleep mode turns everything off.
Since the Steam Deck is enforcing the sleep status, and since it's responsible for cloud saves, it seems reasonable that Steam could push the latest auto save point before sleeping. However, you are right insofar as some games are designed to be saved only at certain points.
@@Someone-ci8wf That's a good idea, but the game's current state would only be relevant on a Steam Deck, without some kind of translation. It _might_ work on a Linux PC, but then it might only be possible on the very same Steam Deck, since other Steam Decks might not have their hardware / drivers in exactly the correct state. Like, you might loose audio or have glitchy video after moving from one device to another.
what i enjoy more then anything, is that this is clearly a much more consumer friendly approach, using more open a software and protocols, that doesn't prevent the user from from doing what they want, and even if it's 1/2 baked, i prefer it leagues more then a locked down "flawless" system
If in like 5 years it's not powerful enough anymore/Steam Deck 2 comes out, you could use it as a game server for friends, play movies off of it instead of a laptop if you don't own a smart tv, maybe even a console for your doors or something.
@@kiloneie honestly, that's a HUGE thing for me, for even 5 years but now. like, what if I'm at home and want to run a Minecraft server that isn't in my desktop? what if I'm on the go, and wanna do something quick like jot down a melody in bitwig? maybe some (very rough) blocking in blender? record or edit something light? maybe bring a pen display and tape this to the back? it's such a good piece of hardware
I think those manufacturers lock their device down just so that users can't find any flaw in their device. Having open source software and protocols just give their users more headroom to explore and in turn they will find more exploits and flaws in their device.
I’ve been using my steam deck for about a week now, and I honestly love it so much. All the hype is justified in my opinion. I found I haven’t touched my switch since booting up my deck, and I have only been using my desktop for super demanding games like cyberpunk, or competitive shooters like cs. Platformers are a dream to play on the deck and I was blown away at how well it handled forza horizon 5. Being able to keep this in my bag during my day, take it out between classes (college student) and play pc games is just incredibly convenient. Thanks valve for making something truly amazing, that also doesn’t break the bank. I sprung for the midrange version, and am satisfied with that decision.
How do you find it continued to hold up with new titles? I am interested in buying one (I travel a lot for work and want a gaming option). Does it keep up with the demand of new titles?
@@chrisgrol5829 I played through Elden Ring on it at medium settings. It definitely isn't a performance king and will not win any drag races, however the performance it provides is more than enough for me to run new AAA games at low, and run older AAA games at medium to high. I recently played through the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe on mine and had a near perfect experience. I would say its definitely worth it.
Strange that finding games on the device seems so difficult. There's a page in the store that lets you check the verified status of your library. Why would they not have that on the deck itself?
but the great for deck tab is the default for the store on the steam deck? I guess a FULL list sorted alphabetically would be nice - but I personally wouldn't care that much.
@@ThunderDraws maybe i misunderstood the issue. Was this just about purchasing new games? They didn't really talk about the experience of using a deck to play games that you already own.
They might have that feature when it launches for consumers, though. Right now it's only reviewers who have Steam Decks but Valve's new target is April, plenty of time to add a feature like this.
As a member of the Linux community and seeing how far proton has come, i have full trust in valve fixing 99% of the issues. They have put in massive amounts of effort with proton even without the steam deck, this will just embolden their ambition.
See, those of us running Linux distros already (#iusearchbtw), we're already used to occasional troubleshooting. If comparing the Deck to a muggle-compatible console experience, sure, a lot needs to be ironed out. But for any Linux user, this is essentially the Holy Grail.
holy cow, growing pains aside this is seriously, seriously groundbreaking. 400 bucks for this insane quality product that's also hackable while promoting Linux game compatibility??? I think I'm in love--the fact that the only real issues are minor software annoyances that can be patched quickly over the next few months makes me incredibly hopeful.
And the battery life. And the storage space. And that most games won’t work. Multiplayer anti cheat doesn’t work. Other launchers don’t work. Also 400 bucks? For 200 more I could get a decent gaming. I think it’s a cool piece of tech but I don’t get the overhype. Steam deck 2 might be what i was expecting.
@@Squintis There's no literally no competition at 400 bucks, 200 more won't get you something similar (handheld, with build in controller, battery etc). Its nearest comparison would be the Ayaneo or GPD which sells for at least 3 times the price.
If this steam deck took off, i am very hopeful that companies would focus on optimizations instead of just cramming unnecessary amount of pixels, shadows, lightings and details.
@@leonmuller8475 Only USA, Canada and maybe Mexico, outside of that is not oficial worldwide (No, buying it from amazon or other stores is not oficial worldwide like a normal console)
I wish they were more transparent about this third "launch" date. I suppose it still counts, except that nobody outside of reviewers actually have one or even have been able to pay for one. Valve's new date is now listed as "April," which I guess is just as transparent as every other date they've released, FWIW.
I was actually waiting for some bugs like that in the store. But i'm not worried. The device/OS still looks great. The whole store should be an easy fix. Steam desktop client has been receiving a lot of updates this week also some older valve games. Not to mention 400 games on release? That's huge! including God of war, elden ring, horizon zero dawn, a lot of older classics etc etc.. that's crazy!
Actually, it's far many more than 400 games, those are just the ones on the compatibility list, but there are many more as native ports, several thousands.
I wish they had brought up the "Gaming on Linux" series. As they saw, lots of games on linux will be stable on one distro but broken on another, or break update-to-update. What makes the value proposition of the Steam Deck so powerful, is that just like Apple or Consoles, it's very specific _known_ hardware. Meaning that it's substantially more trivial to fix issues when you only have to fix them on a specific device. Granted, over time when you have a Steam Deck 2, Steam Deck 3... Steam Deck 7 and so forth, you'll likely see older Steam Decks fall out of support in time. But this really is revolutionary... they've not only created a gaming "pc" handheld with set hardware, they're doing it with linux at the same time. Even if this doesn't mean massive linux compatibility on other devices, bringing this many titles to even a single distro of linux will be huge.
I want to add that as a linux user, the inconsistency of game stability across different distros usually only apply to native linux versions of those games. I find that playing the windows versions on linux with the proton compatibility layer is more consistent and often times have better performance than most native linux versions. I'm all for native linux games, but proton is good enough imo and it requires less work from the devs to implement, if at all. Also with the Steam deck and SteamOS, we would finally have a specific linux distro that can be targeted for future linux game devs and that is a very exciting thing to have for the linux gaming community.
don't kid yourself, the open source and Linux community will never let an older device become unsupported. people are supporting phones from the early 2000's with entirely custom operating systems years after the manufacturer entirely dropped support lol.
Distro compatibility inconsistency is often due to the companies screwing up the packaging. For example, to explain it in Windows terms, a game I recently bought didn't work because the company forgot to tell the executable where to find its DLL files. It's an easy fix, but it's not something most non-programmers/sysadmins would figure out by themselves. If a company did the same thing on a Windows game, the gaming community would rightly say that the company screwed up, but when it happens to a Linux game, somehow it's Linux's fault.
after 6 years of struggling to use NVIDIA with GNU/Linux I finally threw out all the NVIDIA and bought all AMD in 2019. the difference is insane it's unbelievable how much better it is, the AMD graphics driver for GNU/Linux is objectively the best graphics driver ever created, better than anything on Windows. it's extremely obvious why RDNA 2 is the perfect GPU for steam deck, this might sound bizarre but I absolutely swear if Valve had released steam deck as a kit only with no software and never made SteamOS, games would still run perfectly fine on it without you even noticing the point at which the driver was installed, I am sure Valve has helped with the driver but they didn't even need to do anything if they didn't want. for proof of this, watch what will happen when people install other distros on steam deck, it will behave as I described
Not necessarily, Steam just understands that providing a good service is crucial for keeping a customer base Unlike other consoles that rely on people that don't know any better and exclusive games
An i mportant note is that almost everything mentioned here is about the software, which can be fixed through an update. Considering it just got relaesed for the market, they'll eventially collect enough feedbacks to refine the software. Given how consumer friendly, hell even consumer sided Valve has been, I trust that they'll heed our calls.
If they can push the essential software updates to the final product then all it's good. Just because something can be updated with patches later doesn't mean we should lower our standards when buying products, especially for incomplete ones like this.
I can't wait to get my hands on this! I WANT this to be a new era for Linux gaming It's cool to see someone new to the market and hopefully Valve can actually genuinely compete as a console for consumers Edit: I personally am willing to deal with the incompleteness of the deck, though it infuriates me that it is so. When you sell a console, you really have to make good first impressions. Let's hope they can maybe stick the landing
Absolutely the same for me. I've been primarily gaming on Linux for the past couple of years, and I am amazed how far we've come even in that short time! Not getting mine until Q2, but I really can't wait. Even if only half my library works, that'll make it more than worth it for me.
um valve is not someone new to the market they have been around for years and yes im talking about the console space i mean have you never herd of the steam machines or the steam OS that was steams first attempt at entering the console market and the last time they tried to enter the console market they failed hard because of Linux
@@calyssiaxaudin4516 I just started using Linux pretty recently and I honestly can't wait till I can eventually rarely have to use my windows boot to play a game.
@@rayzimmermin For one, that's not the entire reason why steam machines failed. For two, valve is putting in more and more effort for Linux gaming. Deck compatibility is already a huge start to easier Linux compatibility. The more the Steam Deck succeeds the more Linux benefits. Edit: by new I mean that the Steam Deck looks like it'll truly be a disrupter rather than the failure that was the steam machine.
I'm an Linux user and a tinkerer so I'm heavily biased, regardless as long as the steam deck is able to play emulated games and visual novels (which I know it can because I'm already doing it on linux) while I'm on the throne I'll be happy.
As a professional in product development- this feels like a massive validation for the AGILE process. They’ve managed to create a tightly designed hardware piece, cram in. Million use cases, and put out what actually is a minimum viable product that sounds like it will improve. This just sings of a well managed company and I really hope to see it be a massive financial success. As Linus pointed out, Microsoft should be able to do this. The fact that they haven’t speaks poorly of their culture. It will be interesting to see if this eventually drives a larger transformation in the tech industry.
I agree 👍🏻. But I think the main issue is, it's hard as an ordinary consumer to trust Valve's agile process when they're used to companies which rarely, or very slowly fix issues. In the video, they highlighted the part where Valve "looks at the launch date as the starting point, not end finish line," _as if that were a bad thing!_ I looked at the same thing and thought, good, they're not letting this one go!
Agree. So many people treat agile, continuous development, and minimum viable product as buzzwords. I think everyone in the space is familiar with agile meaning no plan whatsoever, continuous development meaning everything is always broken, and minimum viable product meaning garbage that technically meets the contract requirements if you squint really hard and have good lawyers. Meanwhile, Valve actually did it right. I'm reminded of other things like Just In Time manufacturing. Toyota is the king because it's not just a buzzword and they're always evaluating where it does and does not work. Meanwhile everyone tries to copy them by setting max inventory policies that can't be violated and look what happens...
"I spent my whole life as a gamer asking for somene to[...]" - That's exactly my feeling about the Steam Deck. Actually, in my case, it's basically "the console" I wanted for a long while that someone would make real. So, yeah, I really hope that it evolves enough so it can get its space in the market, and as a "fixed space", you know? Just like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have right now for their consoles
@Bizzle Made Even though it's a hand held PC, it's a hand held PC adapted and focused on console features - coming much closer to a console. It's built-in input components, it's base interface and etc are focused on gaming and gaming in a "console-like" manner - simple, easy, direct to the point. So yeah, it's a hand held PC, but(as I see it) it is also a game console, it kind of is the both at same time.
End of the day, viewing this as more of a console than a PC. It's a great device. You don't buy a ps5 and expect a ton of titles at launch or even a year from launch but rather you buy it knowing it will continue to get support. The steam deck has probably the biggest launch library of any console ever and that's amazing. I'm willing to stick with it. Worse case I'll throw W10/11 on it as a dual boot and call it good.
What a terrible analogy lol. Playstation/Microsoft consoles move the industry. This product is simply a niche way to have limited availability to a steam library you already own. The $400 variant is next to useless and $650 is so close to a gaming laptop. It's not a console. It's a PC. No laptop released is ever compared to consoles. This is a less useful laptop that won't even play your entire steam library (depending on how old/big it is). Steam already tried this with the steam box (actually comparable to a console) and failed.
@@pwd1134 This product is not a niche, literally everyone is getting hyped and just by looking at the Switch sale numbers you can know that this will sell as much as a regular console. Second off, "PS and MS consoles move the industry" ? You wouldn't be too wrong since they've been the two main competitors in the home console industry but honestly, calling it "moving the industry" might be too strong, they've just been doing the same things but more powerful and with more games. Also, it's definitely a console AND a PC, stop trying to name it as whatever arranges you to make it look bad, you can do as much from a PC in a handheld factor, it's like the best of both worlds. And a certainty is that the community will make it as good and as moddable as ever possible, one thing both PS and MS consoles lack of ;) The $400 version isn't useless, you can buy a SD card and play games just as expected, and $650 is still pretty cheap for what gaming performance it gives you off compared to its handheld competitors. Idk in what world you live, mostly in recent days, to expect a $650 PC to be a gaming PC but certainly not in the same as most struggling gamers lol. Also the Steam Box was indeed bad, but it has literally nothing to see with this product and its downsides are definitely not the same as the ones of this product, so this have no relevance in this conversation.
Oh, forgot to say how this product also is literally the biggest hope of two entire communities, Linux and handheld-pc/consoles communities. This is literally the most hyped product for both of them ever. Calling it a niche and unplayable is borderline insulting.
I'll buy this just to support good business and the increasing support for Linux. Thanks Linus and the team for reviewing this. And thanks Valve for the device.
Just so you know, they might not make money selling the base model hardware unless you buy games through their store. This strategy is used by all of the other consoles and the steam deck seems too cheap to be profitable, even if a few people will circumvent the store.
Let us know if you actually buy it----right now nobody can, it's only reviewers who have them (Valve's new release date is now listed as "April" so we'll see I guess?).
@@Ralphunreal that's completely untrue. Many games work great on Linux. Also, many games right don't work great or at all on Linux. But to say none work is very untrue..... Steam deck already shows over 800 games work lol
I want to trust Valve future update promises: they did such a fantastic job on the steam controller, even adding bluetooth support after YEARS it was released and they were so open about modding it and installing custom firmwares.
I like how there was a note saying "you can't finish the setup process until you've connected to WiFi" .. I mean, that shouldn't come as a surprise. You need to log into your steam account on a brand new device, not to mention download your games. Did anyone expect to somehow put a disc into it and play completely offline from day one, like they expected with Xbox/Playstation?
@@android-user I can see them changing this to be more console-like in it's setup once it's on store shelves and people without steam accounts are able to buy it
If steam OS so far is the only problem I’m still very satisfied, of course there’s still time for other bugs to pop up, but my order is for after Q2 so I’m hoping all critical bugs will be ironed out by then ☺️
Same. While I'm annoyed I have to wait I'm at least hopeful that by them time I'm asked to cough up money the big issues are either all solved or they found something so bad I no longer want it. And I highly doubt it'll be the latter.
@@codecodderson3607 That's basically it. They will send out emails in waves (Friday evening starting from today) and people will have 72 hours to finish the purchase before the pre-order is cancelled and the spot given to the next person in line.
5:22 The list IS there but it's behind one button on the "Great on Deck" page, if you click on the "Narrow by" filter icon when browsing the games, it then tells you the total number (430 at time of writing this) and then also splits this down into game genres. On Desktop PC, this "Narrow by" area shows by default next to the list of games.
Yea, everyone here is putting a lot of faith in Valve but having been a steam user since beta... They still suck at UI in a lot of ways and the user experience of steam is still "meh" despite it being really their primary product. Ok sure XBOX doesn't give me hardware data, but I can sort their store and friends/community pages without confusion.
All in all it sounds like a generally good "console" like experience, assuming you play the games that run on it. Good enough for me, that list is only going to get bigger! ^^
@@jpaugh64 same here, but sometimes i just had some bad luck. I also run gog games on Linux, but even though it eventually worked, getting cyberpunk to run was a nightmare 😅 I don't really want to do any tinkering afterwards, it either runs with a single click, or i consider it broken :p
@@Vancha112 I doubt the Gaming on Linux community won't make something to workaround these anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if the Lutris team builds a Play on Deck layer soon.
I really hope the steam deck does well. Valve seem to be a very consumer driven company and I appreciate that they’re not being dishonest with the user base.
Even though it has it's shortcomings, Valve really showed how nice of a corporation they are here. GG Valve. Sure, they rarely act as a game company nowadays, but still.
Both perspectives have a point. Steve sees the flexibility of the device and thinks it's a waste to treat it like a console. Linus knows about the device's flexibility but understands that majority of people are not techies and will treat it like a console.
The more I think about this thing, the more I believe that it really has meaningfully changed the game compared to other 'pc gaming handhelds' or whatever we're calling this class of products. Steam deck really does make enough meaningful changes to the experience that it really could bring the benefits of PC gaming to an entirely different audience. In time, at least. But then again, this is Valve...
Well to think its all growing pains as linus said, it’s a brand new system so it’s gonna have its issues, but considering how poorly launches of other companies have been. They did Unbelievably well.
HELL YEAH! This is huge, a step for right to repair, right to tinker, right to whatever the heck you wanna do with your products. I don't need one, but i look forward to the values pushed by steam to propogate into other markets.
@@MrGamelover23 Nah, laws don't do anything but create loopholes and increase startup costs which actually kills competition. These practices can easily become common place without the use of laws that won't work by putting you money where your mouth is. Monopolies aren't fixed by anti trust laws they are only hardened by them.
@@MrGamelover23 do you agree that one company seemingly supporting pro consumer values is better none? If another company sees people buying a product simply for this reason they are more likely to jump on the market.
@@MrGamelover23 Nah not only will that not happen but it also won't work. We see this with anti trust laws they don't work and only end up strengthening monopolies because they create larger barriers to entry which kills competition. If you actually want to fix something you vote with your wallet because companies will do whatever brings them money and if the customers don't buy their unfixable junk they won't make a penny.
@@MrGamelover23 Voting with your dollar still works, often times products made by companies with good practices cost more than unethical ones because a lot of unethical practices cut costs. Like organic pasture raised eggs, they cost double what cage eggs cost and since there's a growing demand for them they are slowly eating away at unethical egg companies market shares. This shows that these good outcomes can be done without getting the government involved. Also if you can't afford a repairable laptop you shouldn't be going to college, get a little more financially stable first so you're not totally screwed over by the debt. Or use it like a burner laptop and get a better one once you've become more financially stable.
@@MrGamelover23 Well yeah early adopters fund innovation, hopefully these companies continue to eat up unethical companies market share and we'll get a win for both consumers and ethical companies all without giving the government the opportunity to over regulate like they did with banks.
... he didn't do this by choice. Like everyone else, he was beholden to an embargo. Like everyone else, the second the embargo lifted he published this review. Like everyone else, he did the same thing with his hardware pre/view. And like everyone else, he'll be publishing 'one month later' / 'six months later' / 'one year later' type reviews. Credit given where credit is due, but this ain't it chief.
@@phosphatepod how he's going to use it as a daily driver over the next month ? My comment acknowledged that in plain English. Did you not see me acknowledge that at the end of my comment ? Only difference is Linus wants to make a big deal about it, but make no mistake - RU-vid will be awash with 'one month later' type reviews from all the outlets in LTT's same position.
I'm hyped for the Steam Deck, I reserved the 512 gig model. I would consider myself a borderline Nintendo fanboy easily but I hope the Steam Deck shakes the industry up and does well, pushing Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft for the better. Nintendo especially, since its pretty anti-community when it comes to emulating older classics which a lot of people would want to play, but havent for a variety of reasons. Also, I hope the next gen Switch or whatever their next console it has power comparable to the Deck.
100% will get a Steam Deck. It is perfect for me to use when I just wanna post up on the couch, in bed, outdoors camping chilling or just traveling. Love how it is already connected w/ steam in the sense my whole library is already there so almost all my games are ready to go after instillation. Love how it is not small but, beefy. Looks sturdy, nice screen and how it has d-pad, joystick, touch pad and touch screen. Don't need to pay for online subscription and that Valve is actually fully committed to fine tuning everything. Def. will wait till Summer to see more patches and hardware updates.
😂 It's certainly _passionate,_ but it isn't the most unbiased review he's ever done! I happen to agree largely with what he said; but he was clearly very biased in favor of the Steam Deck!
I remember my old ps vita i left it on sleep mode and havent touched it for 3 months and when I turned it on i was surprised to see the battery still almost full. Think it was 95%. That device was a legend
Unfinished or Not, I still love it Hopefully the line goes fast, I'm in after Q2. Hopefully they change the gaming industry and kick Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sonys asses in the process
Ah yes the nostalgia, it's 2012 you turned off your PSP mid-game in your bed before going to sleep, wake up the next morning, and continue where you left off
Once I put Windows on it so I can play all my games, it will be my dream device too. I wish there was a Windows edition for sale which just tacked on the extra fee for owning a powerful operating system, but I can easily do it myself.
Very nice to see someone mention, even if briefly, Steam in-home streaming. Provided latency is fine, it's the perfect solution to maximise compatability and battery life as a way to play (albeit you're then weighing it up against some other mobile device used as a Moonlight system).
The resolution issue has never worked for me. If my device is 720p and I want to stream but my desktop is 4k it's always broken shit. Have they changed something?
They are doing something so revolutionary and people seem to look over it and kinda just blow it off.its made my linux experience way better and i keep finding myself booting into windows way less.
thats why I and a lot of other ppl are supporting the project, the software value is just not to be overlooked. My friend uses proton with his 80euro's gpu, I squeeze out all performance with linux. Its great. I definitely buy
valve needs to start considering these for commercial use, a handheld console running linux would be wayyy better than the shitty android handhelds found in every retail store for stocking
Valve will continue to improve the software, so this is a huge win. I'm very happy to hear that the remote play works really well. For the price point, this feels like its going to really change the console market. I also love that I won't have to fight to get one on Ebay with the direct sale pre-order. My steam library is huge after decades of Steam sales, so hopefully compatibility increases, but even so, the fact that remote play is so viable, there is no real downside for me with this device.
Man this is how you do a RU-vid channel, I’ve only just started watching due to steam deck but the production values and skill of the presenters beats 90% of mainstream media hands down. Great work guys, oh and I’m super hyped for the steam deck.
I'm really excited to hear that Linus will use it as his PC for a month. It sounds like he will be answering a lot of the questions I have, and as someone who used to carry an InFocus Kangaroo between work and home, I'd like to know if the Steam Deck can be the PC I carry with me to the office.
When I built my Gaming PC, I never thought I would invest in hardware that was outside of the typical components needed for the desktop experience. Then Valve showed me how I can play on my TV like a console with the Link. Then I bought the Valve Index and I love it more than any other VR I have ever tried in my life and it's 1000% worth the price. Now, the Deck comes out and I think I'll keep my preorder going and see if my wife will use it once the bugs are smushed. Great video LTT, very hopeful for the future here.
It's crazy to hear that this is what the initial user experience was like for the stream deck. I use my deck almost daily and these short comings are completely foreign for me.
Hey steam, i see your product. I can't afford one right now but i will 100% be getting one if you stay on the path( which i believe you will). Thanks Linus for addressing everything as is too.
So glad the Steamdeck exists now. I own plenty of games that will probably feel better on a handheld device. Although, I'll probably wait for a Gen 2 or 3 model.
It apparently only exists for reviewers, to be fair. Nobody can find anyone with a reservation who actually has a Steam Deck or even an order confirmation at "launch."
@@Greydawg Launch isn't even until May, at soonest, right? Last I saw, was a 2nd quarter release. So, just over 2 months until the General public start getting at LEAST new information about their orders, I'd imagine.
I would like to see what this looks like connected to external devices such as a monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers. I have an older pc and am curious to know if this would be a viable replacement as the "core" of a mid-tier gaming rig.
oh yeah it deifnetly is a good core but we dont need to use it like that there is steam link which allows you to stream games over your network to any pc or steam device you have so technically you can own basic office setup pc or laptop and have your deck stream games to this pc over your network
@@ahmed4363 you dont need a good internet connection just a fast wifi internet speed has nothing to do with how fast is your home network your internet speed is just a limit by ur provider you can transfer files between computers in same wifi with speeds exceeding 100mb/s when your internet is only 30mb/s you just need a decent router that is able to proceed such load you can stream games over your network even when your internet is cut off as long as router works
I really like this because it seems to have many of the advantages of PC gaming. I'd like to know more about it's media capabilities and maybe even the possibility of software designed specifically for the deck. It's quite exciting because this could well mean the end of exclusives. It might be a "steam" deck, but there's nothing stopping people installing windows and installing Epic store or GOG. It wouldn't surprise me if they end up making steam OS versions that can be launched from Big Picture Mode as a non-steam game (even if GOG says they wont). Even if they don't maybe the fans will. This could finally mean the separation of hardware and software in the gaming industry. You can install emulators too, so it can even play Switch games. Console manufacturers have had it good for too long and now Valve are gonna fuck em up by simply giving us what we want. It's also the beginning of consoles that give you some controls. Even though they're relying on steam sales to counter-act selling at a loss, they still aren't enforcing exclusivity. You can still play non-steam games, you could easily have an entirely pirated library and they'd just let you. But why would you? Steam solved the problem of piracy long ago by introducing massive frequent sales. I'll consider buying any game if it's a fiver. They get it. How are they the only company to realise that making quality products at affordable prices brings success and makes the customer happy? They've got all the goodwill Nintendo had 20 years ago now. I will definitely wait for some of the kinks to be sorted out but once they are (and we know it will be fixed, steam updates constantly), I want this in my life.
"How are they the only company to realise that making quality products at affordable prices brings success and makes the customer happy?" Simple: They are a private company. They do not need to appease shareholders at all, so they have complete freedom to act as gamers, giving gamers what we (and they) want. If more companies were like Valve, the gaming industry as a whole would be a lot better. Unfortunately, when shareholders and CEOs became the norm in the gaming industry, it all went downhill.
Bro so true.. I never ever pirates steam games for this very reason. The common sales and customer satisfaction from Valve is top tier. Most steam games are multiplayer too so pirating is not optimal. However for the switch… I’ve spent about 700 euros on switch games and guess what I’ll still be doing when I mod it ;) Valve is my favourite company, I buy their games, their vr headset, their steam deck. Everything. The only thing I found kinda greedy is how they take 30% from every steam sale but maybe that’s the standard. And that has nothing to do with consumers anyways.
Now would be awesome if Valve also makes a home console (non-handheld) that like the Steam Deck is a powerful gaming PC with Linux, booting directly into Steam (with a separately accessible Desktop Mode) with Steam Controller as its controller, BUT also being able to use Steam Deck as its controller, with select games being able to utilize the Steam Deck's screen as a second screen.
@@grandassassin4135 I remember the Steam Boxes but didn't they boot to regular desktop? Also we didn't have Proton at the time (i think) and there were too many models and choices and it looked like a regular PC
Thanks Linus, Your critics are always taken as a boost to improve Linux Gaming even faster. You are the bigger voice on the linux community and you are doing a great job to help another people realizing that they can use their devices in a more freedom manner.
