My issue with handhelds has always been how limited they are in what they can play With Steam Deck I can play all of my old favourites and mod it however I want
@@minecraftotalwar - You don't understand the point they're making. The Switch doesn't support games going back to the NES, it doesn't even support the WiiU. A PC does! The Steam Deck does! In fact, the Steam Deck can play WiiU games beautiful. It can also play every PC game going back to the dawn of its time. You want to play some crazy IBM Compatible game, something on a 286 with CGA graphics? You can. It can play every game from every system. It can play every arcade machine. And due to it being a PC, it can play a wealth of interactive fiction and choose-your-own-adventure games. When you talk about supporting "old games" on a PC, you're talking about the entire history of gaming. Not just PC gaming, all gaming. Play a ZX Spectrum game. Play a VirtualBoy game. Play whatever you want. It can properly support every system you could imagine, even the really obscure ones. You buy a mid-range PC like the Steam Deck, plug it into a TV, and you now have access to every game that ever was. I mean, technically you can play Switch games on the Steam Deck too, but Nintendo still makes money off of that so I don't support that. What makes this even better is that fans are constantly modding and improving old releases too, making remasters better than any official sort. There are graphics packs for everything from Castlevania on the NES to Metroid Prime on the GameCube. You can use custom shaders for WiiU games, making them look objectively better (superior lighting and such) than they did on their original machine. I love the Switch. I own one. I'm currently playing Splatoon 3 on it. But all the Switch can do is play games released on the Switch, for the Switch, from mid-2017 and on. There are a lot of really amazing old games that you'll never see. I'm also playing Albion on the PC, which is a really incredible and utterly weird German RPG from the '90s. There's just so much that you won't see today that was of its time. I mean, try to find a non-lethal game of stealth and thievery that has a good sense of humour and brilliant community support, I still play Thief 2 for that reason. 2017 isn't old. Sorry. The Switch is a great system, but it isn't old.
@@minecraftotalwar Switch doesn’t even support you modding it meanwhile Valve is like “switch to desktop mode right there so you can do anything you want” the Switch is almost obsolete now lmao
Can we stop throwing this word around like it's not a very specific term that signifies horrible abuse of another human being? "Convincing" and "gaslighting" are not the same thing, not even close.
A steam deck is one of those machines where you kinda need a bit of prep time to tinker and get the customization to suit your preference. So it does not suit for for everyone. however i believe that the Nintendo Switch and the steam deck can coexist. And it be interesting To see how well this sells does in Korea and Japan.
I believe that both can co-exist and SD doesn’t undermine the switch but I(a non-pc gamer, trying understand the PC tinkering and what not)just hate the fact I fiddled around things. This is probably my fault as a console gamer under the impression it’s just a pick up and play thing like consoles
@@Spencerwalker21 Yeah I don't get why people think this. If you stick to Verified games like it's a console then it will pretty much work like a console. Tinkering is a BONUS, if you buy it to tinker even though you don't like to tinker then I don't even know wth you're doing
I love my Steam Deck and I haven't tinkered with it at all. Only entered desktop mode once, and that was to install a couple plug-ins to try to improve the colors since the screen is such total garbage compared to the Switch OLED's screen. God I wish Valve would have offered a model with an OLED screen for more money, would have been perfect.
I can see how the steam deck isn't great for everyone. But it seems perfect for me. It's something I can really tinker with to get really good functionality. While it might be great to be a little more accessible, I hope Valve sets a solid precedent of being more open and nerd-friendly with their products
Not everyone is going to want to or have the time to tinker with the Steam Deck for Hours. While some will be somewhat ok to making small changes so as to fit their preferences there are more people who would just like to buy a Console and a Game for it then play without any hassle or length of time trying to change something they might not even know much about.
Agreed. The sketches have their own charm and a nice reminder that the wonderful art we see online so often require way more effort than people give them credit for, but I would have liked to see the usual art, even if this video wouldn't have been uploaded right away
Thanks to all of you for the feedback, it's good to hear different people's opinions. This video actually took way longer than you'd think to put together, I sold the Deck at the beginning of the summer. The sketchy illustrations are a result of needing to draw more pictures for a longer video, but I'll bear in mind that they're not universally enjoyed. Still, hopefully it's nice to see a little of the drawing process for each video.
I agree about the weight of the deck, makes going back to the switch feel like it weighs absolutely nothing. However the chunk of the deck also makes it so much more comfortable to hold. Even though i have aftermarket pad like joycons, the deck still wins out in that department for me.
I created a custom gamepad layout that makes using the linux desktop with the controls a dream. The right touchpad is the mouse, of course, but I made it so clicking the left and right parts of the left touchpad are the left and right mouse buttons. And clicking the up and down parts are scrolling. Dragging is simple. Right clicking is easy. I also set the back left and right top paddles to be copy and paste. Literally everything needed is now full accessible.
Title should of been, "I did little to no research before buying a product in a growing niche market and now I regret it." Some people are just not pc gamers and that's OK.
The entire 16 minute video can be summarized as “eww Linux is icky.” If you don’t like Linux and you don’t want to tinker with it, why would you buy a Linux machine geared towards tinkering?
Got my steam deck on ebay with a 1 tb internal ssd all ready installed and i have not been disappointed downloaded over 100 games and its fantastic .one of best purchases ive made .
As a PC gamer of 15+ years, I love my steam deck, and have accumulated a massive library over the years with games I can replay on it. However the steam deck for me is a strictly Indoor console. It won’t leave my house, not for the park, or trips on the train, or trips to the grandparents. It’s something I’ll use in the living room on the couch, or the bedroom on the bed. Or in the office at my desk. When it comes to traveling the switch lite is my go to. But I still really enjoy the steam deck. Some games I just can’t be bothered to play on my desk, like JRPGS mainly.
Lifelong Nintendo fan, Switch early adopter, but Steam Deck has been transformative for my playing habits, getting through my backlog etc. The most 'faff' I've had was getting Epic, Itch games etc. on it. It took half an hour.
While non-Steam games does not work out of the box. I agree that it is not super complex to get them running. Anyone with some PC basic knowledge of how to use it and a tutorial should be able to do it.
I understand all the points made in the this video but if a person was starting from zero like i mean no investment in Nintendo products or anything then the Steam Deck would be a much better value overall. Nintendo is very similar to apple in that you have to pay for everything and while the Steam Deck is on the borderline of affordability it does give you a lot to play with for only a starting price of 399.99$. I’m saying this as a Nintendo Fan and Switch lover too.
While value is important it isn’t the only factor. A person starting from scratch may not like or even be familiar with having to adjust settings and run scripts etc to get games running. And then it natively doesn’t support some of the most popular online games people are familiar with. Also portability is a huge factor in a handheld. People literally want to take their games wherever and it’s just simply not as easy on a steam deck as it is a switch and especially a switch lite. The steam deck’s size definitely influences where I take it. I wish I could bring it more places but it’s just not convenient. I also love the couch co op built into the switch for spontaneous on the go moments. I’ve enjoyed that numerous times and had some fun Mario kart experiences. Something the steam deck will never provide for me.
I've tried to get into mobile games many times on my phone . . . I just can't. Between touch screens being terrible game inputs and the whole monetization making gameplay unenjoyable - I just can't.
I was on the fence about getting one also. I cancelled the 512gb and got the 64gb, and recommend going that route as a start to see if it works for you. Large micro sd card may be good enough for most people, or you can upgrade to nvme yourself later if you think you want it, or even windows if you want more compatibility and fastest response. But windows native would have driven the cost up even more. Yes you may have to do some tweaking though so it's not for everyone, most console gamers more or less expect to not have to do that so if that's your expectation it's not for you
My pick up and play with the steam deck has been amazing. I’ve been playing god of war and all sorts of games on the go, then pick up on my pc right where I left off. I went from 10 steam games to 40 in 2 weeks. I absolutely love this thing. I have a switch oled, but the steam deck feels like a true console experience on the go with less sacrifice. I used hanging strips to attach a 10k milliamp battery to my case, I can play god of war for 5 hours without a charge at original settings 30 fps fsr set to performance. I do still like my switch as it’s a little more portable, nice oled screen, and great for my kids. I would pick the steam deck over it tho, it’s just too awesome.
I enjoyed the storytelling of this video complimented beautifully with all the sketches. It wasn't what I came here for, but it really made my day! I own a Switch OLED and I'm in love with it. But I'm also planning on getting a Steam Deck around a year from now. I'm hoping all the kinks will be worked out and it'll be fantastic out of the box.
My only issue with your decision is that you did not try to search for fixes for issues like navigation, gamepad binding and launching games with other proton versions. I got Sonic Adventure DX running in the first 24 hours i got the deck and was really surprised you could not play it. I respect your decision and your view of the Steam deck in general since everyone has preferences and no one should tell you what to do with your cash, i just think that you should also recognize how some of your issues are easily fixable.
I think that was part of his point though addressing the "faff". It's not something a consumer should have to do to make a product work,and when your time is super limited as is one doesn't one to mess "faffing" about to use his own words. I highly prefer the switch OLED but I still also like the deck and see his points. When I travel the switch definitely sees more usage, especially due to battery.
He knows his issues are fixable. His point is he shouldn’t have to spend time fixing them. That’s what has always been a strong point of consoles. The fact that every game playable on them works without you needing to do anything.
@@mrbubbles6468 i don't have a lot of free time to set up stuff, to launch sa1 i literally pushed three buttons to change the proton version. Btw, you don't need desktop mode to play Steam games, if you want to play non steam games you should have to tweak as with Windows. His issues are real issues and i think it's a good video to decide if you want to buy, i just think he overstated some issues for some people
Exactly. I have 3 young kids myself and the bit of "faffing" required is almost always minimal with some light research or just running games with either Proton Experimental or GE. Most games will work well with very little effort. I get his points in comparing the two, but I have also found that the initial effort (especially how small it usually is) is worthwhile to be able to play SO MANY games handheld and in a far better state than the Switch. And even then, you can modify settings in games to make them play in whatever way you like best, whether focusing on performance, visuals, or some balance you find acceptable in between.
@@nddugas I guess if you are already hard invested in the switch ecosystem, it doesn't make sense to mess with the deck when you can just pick up your switch and hit play. Just no one tell them that if they wanted to they could have a full switch emulator and all games for free (and free online multiplayer that actually works)
That why I decided not to buy Steam Deck. After hearing friends complain about how they had to fiddle with settings, etc... I was like nope, forget it! Then a friend came over with steam deck and I found it very uncomfortable to hold and couldn't adjust to analog stick placement. After few tries of trying my friends Steam Deck I found my thumbs and hands started aching really badly. Glad I had a chance to test it in advance, thanks to my friend. Not saying Steam Deck is bad, it just didn't suit my needs in what I was looking for and being very uncomfortable to hold didn't help either.
I got a Steam Deck, and wouldn't think about selling it for an OLED Switch myself, though it's perfectly fine if you do that, since your circumstances are going to be different from mine. The most interesting difference I found from your video, IMO, was your attitude towards cross-platform games. Around 5:19 you talked about approaching the Steam Deck in terms of "what games can I play on this that I can't play on the Switch," when I kind of take the opposite approach. I've had a gaming PC for years, so I've built up quite a catalog of games I've already bought, but just couldn't play portable. While many of them are AVAILABLE on the Switch, it would require buying them again, often at a higher price than I bought on sale for on PC, to play them on it. The Steam Deck, by comparison, lets me play many of those games portable without having to spend any more money on the games themselves. In that way, my Switch acts as the console that I only use for exclusives, and games with multi-platform releases I generally get for the PC / Steam Deck.
About the SD card: using a MS filesystem wouldn't work for running Windows games through Proton off of the SD card, which is why it formats the SD card using ext4 filesystem that is standard on Linux. It was a choice between being compatible with Windows or being able to run games off of the SD card. If the card is formatted with a Windows filesystem (FAT or NTFS) it will work for file storage and transfer, but not for playing games. You could store games on it, but they won't run.
The Deck has been a gaming renaissance for me. Right now I've been playing Deathloop and with the Deck I can play it on the go and when I'm home cloud saves allow me to seamlessly continue on my gaming PC. I've been using it constantly ever since I got it.
Whoopty Doo you're one of the rare few PC gamers that end up liking steam deck because most of the PC gamers that I come across trash the steam deck and talk very negatively about it and how valve can never or for matter of fact a gaming company or a company in of itself can never come close to emulating a PC in a handhold gaming system it just can't happen because of how small it is which will make it very underpowered. Don't get me wrong I do have a gaming system and it's the Nintendo Switch OLED but I got it because it's the closest gaming system that has graphics that look like they are almost like your playing on a PC besides all the Nintendo exclusives.
@@frankrodriguez6998 Also I never said that this guys feelings about the Steam Deck are wrong for him, I was just sharing my experience with it. No need to come at my hard as if I am being combatively contrary.
It makes me happy hearing people talk about playing the WiiU together as a family. Sometimes me and some friends, and/or our parents will play on my modded WiiU together, usually Wii Sports Resort or New Super Mario Bros U for the essentially troll mode (boost mode is easier to mess with the other players than help them.). Since my copy of NSMBU has the Luigi U DLC with the disc, I should playthrough that with someone sometime.
I think you put it very well for your use case scenario and made the right decision; the social and parental aspects are often left out as a factor. I have my switch collecting dust when I'm not doing my semi-weekly ringfit session and maybe the occasional warioware, whereas 99.9% of everything else I do is on or _only_ on the PC and whenever I need multiplayer, that's also pretty much exclusively PC games where I had to go out my way to hack my switch to even play with the ps4 controllers I wanted to use. So the deck is really the only one that makes sense for me between the two.
10:52 Actually you can do file transfers with a microsd card. The deck only needs to format cards for things that steam will automatically use the storage for (such as putting steam games on it, photos/videos taken through steam automatically). You could instead have recorded it without the sd card in it, go to desktop mode, and transfer the recording from the steam deck's memory to the sd card. I got my deck late july and that was how I transfered a bunch of roms to my deck for emulation. The steam deck can still read/write to window's file format and transfer files into that format, its just that windows cant read the steam deck's normal format. So make sure the sd card was formatted on a windows computer first. Though honestly I know nothing about linux, I've been just playing around testing how things work on the deck.
Couldn’t he have also used Warpinator for file transfers as well? It’s an excellent way to transfer files between PC and steam deck. Easy and simple to use.
@@APRBaller warpinator constant connection issues and really slow to transfer big games over wifi. love my steam deck but file transfer is a nightmare lol
I love retro gaming, and the Steam Deck checks off a lot of boxes for me. Why be limited to a handful of Nintendo 64 games on Nintendo Online when I can play the whole library on my Steam Deck flawlessly?
Battery. That's why. Although I have both systems I'd say for simpler games like let's say the new teenage mutant ninja turtle games I'd probably just buy it for my switch rather than on the deck as they both run just fine on either system but I'd have more time playing it on the switch.
Battery. That's why. Although I have both systems I'd say for simpler games like let's say the new teenage mutant ninja turtle games I'd probably just buy it for my switch rather than on the deck as they both run just fine on either system but I'd have more time playing it on the switch.
@@jponz85 You are not wrong about that. Good point. I played Spider-Man Remastered on my Steam Deck the other day, on default settings, and got about an hour and 20 minutes before the battery was "in red" with about 17% charge left. I know I can drop frames here, and lower things there to get a little more, but I shouldn't have to do all that. I just want to play my game. However, when the battery does go low, it gives me the incentive to go do other things.... WHILE IT CHARGES!
I have owned a Switch OLED for about two weeks now and I think I will order a Steam Deck soon. I like the Switch but I think I will like the Steam Deck more as I got a fat library of games on Steam already
I was like that for 3 weeks. Then the novelty wore off and I just wanted to be able to buy games and play them without spending half the day configuring them. Deck gathers dust now; such promise, but so flawed.
@@MorrisseyMuse it's been 5 months and Steam deck is still my favorite handheld device. And there's no tinkering whatsoever , just installing all kinds of games and playing them
The switch is a low power mobile device with a very great but TINY library, and said library is only good if you enjoy Nintendo games. Steam Deck all the way man, by far.
A lot of games that are "unsupported" or "unknown" run perfectly with little more than changing compatibility mode (usually running in Proton Experimental or GE) or having to start up a launcher with only having to do some light graphical setting setup (usually takes a few seconds).
Especially games with a history of linux compatibility When those arent verified you know its a false neg or theres a minor issue you can fix in a second
I've had a Switch since it's initial release but got a Steam Deck a little over 3 weeks ago and I have to say, that since getting it, I've not played a single game on my Switch and I'm even thinking of selling it as the steam deck is so much more enjoyable for gaming but that's just my opinion. Each to their own, as the saying goes. :)
I can see your concerns honestly. Im not in a point in my life where I need to share the games I play in a sit down setting but finding the convenience to play the games i love more was exactly what I was looking for in the Steam Deck. Im glad someone can be honest about their concerns with it. It feels like everyones been stroking its ego and not really saying anything negative about it when its definitely not perfect
I own both the OLED switch and the Steam Deck and I can say the switch has been gathering dust since I got the steam deck. for me it I buy mainly physical switch games and been able to load a few of the games that I play the most on the switch is what has made me no pick up the switch, I will keep the OLED for switch games that need the switch otherwise I am good with the steam deck. it is a tinkers dream machine.
@@Hightower2804TP You’re the one being defensive about the Deck. Do you really expect everyone on the whole wide world should own one and just use it as-is?
@@christopher32074 You're clearly the Nintendo fanboy here so why would I be the one who's defensive or anybody else on a video that was made to provoke reactions? Lol.
@@Hightower2804TP First of all, it’s his property, he can do whatever he wants to it and you can shame him all you want but that doesn’t change anything. Unsarcastically if I were given one of those decks, I would open it up, remove all its internals and discard them while keeping the shell and turn it into a diorama.
I have two Nintendo Switches at home. I'm tempted to buy Steamdeck however I'm sure I won't be using it after a week or so. Rather just buy Retro handhelds and justify the purchase as I'm getting old as well
Good video. I got the Steam Deck during the Q3 wave of shipments, and have loved it ever since. Admittedly, I’ve probably done more tinkering than playing on the thing 😅 However, I haven’t been playing much of it as of the past month. And you wanna know why? Yep, Splatoon 3. I’ve found myself obsessing over that game all over again, and obviously you can’t play that on a Steam Deck. However, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t the right console for me - if anything, it proved my theory on how I can utilize both consoles within my own lifestyle. I have the two systems for their specific purposes, and for almost every new game I consider buying, I determine the pros and cons between buying it on either system first. Another point about this as well - finishing up Ace Attorney Trilogy. I already owned it on the Switch, so I was considering buying it again on Steam just because of my shiny new console. But ultimately, I decided not to, and instead erased the old save on my Switch to give myself that fresh start I wanted. And why was that? Well, of course I already had it on Switch, but another reason was that it’s a better console in an offline environment. The Steam Deck is not very great at offline gaming, I’ll oftentimes worry too much about missing out on achievements or whatever. Not on Switch! At the end of the day, I love both consoles. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, which is why I value having them both in my lifestyle. I would have bought that Splatoon 3 OLED Switch since it looked so freaking cool, but I ultimately skipped out on it because I already emptied a chunk of my wallet on a used 3DS - which, by the way, no regrets on that purchase. Been playing on that a TON lately. Anyways, pardon my rambling, and if you’re reading this, I hope you’re having a great time with your fancy new OLED Switch. Maybe I’ll get one of my own later down the line!
@@AbeNXC My guy, I’m loving my Steam Deck for playing small non-AAA games, and a lot of people do too. Ace Attorney is known as a Nintendo game cuz that’s where it released on originally, but since it was developed by Capcom it also got a release on Steam. The reason I got the Steam Deck was cuz I was amassing a large library of games that I couldn’t play on my Mac, holding out hope that I’d get a PC later on. And when the Steam Deck was revealed, it seemed like the answer I was looking for - and it was! Not only was it great for playing those games I’ve always wanted to try on PC, but it’s also an emulation powerhouse. Believe me, Mario Kart Wii on the Deck is beyond glorious. The console also helped me find new games that I never would have even considered playing otherwise - and not to mention that the abundance of Steam sales are amazing! So no, I didn’t buy into fomo. I did a whole lot of research to figure out if I really did want it before pulling the trigger. Believe it or not, I have interests beyond _only_ Nintendo games - and the Steam Deck helped me to expand my horizons!
@@Wesmoen Oh yeah, I feel ya there - I’ve been amassing a large library on Steam in the hopes that I’d be able to play those games someday, mayyybe if I got a good enough PC or something. The Steam Deck helped to alleviate this for good!
Really interesting look at your gaming habits. I bought an OLED Switch recently as my weak eyes aren't great with anything lesser quality and smaller than the OLED screen. Having that bright screen in front of my eyes is great, and me, my wife and my brother in law play soo much Stardew Valley together in our living room. My wife uses the TV as she finds it awkward to control Switch in handheld mode... So we're all covered for the best experience we can have. Its tremendous fun. We also recently got my wife's nephew into Stardew, so in Canada we skype him in the UK regularly and play even more Stardew. :D
That's really interesting, I hadn't thought of OLED screens from an accessibility perspective! I'm glad you're enjoying it and that the handheld/TV modes are both working well for your family!
@@VideoGameStoryTime Yeah its an odd accessibility thing as I had damage in one of my eyes 8 years ago that means my eyes don't adjust quickly enough when transitioning between light and dark, and dark and light extremes can be hard to see subtle colour differences. Yellow markers on a bright map in game (Assassin's Creed Odyssey for example) was tough seeing where I needed to next. It annoys me the Switch eShop doesn't have a dark mode because its blindingly bright with awful grey text, but thankfully there re a lot of games that do very good jobs with contrast and colour options these days.
@@neonswift It's good that things are getting better for this, I think the industry has been realising recently that if you don't make the games accessible, it completely ruins the experience for some players. Little things like colour blind testing assets and including text size options can make such a huge difference to the gameplay experience for a lot of people.
Why would anyone buy a pc to play Nintendo games??? The steam deck is made to be medium to high performance gaming pc aimed at playing modern aaa pc steam games at good performance… but literally every game you mentioned was a Nintendo game… it sounds like you had fomo and got the deck on a whim
Lots of PC gamers don't admit how much time is wasted tinkering with PC gaming. If the hours were tracked I bet they would see they tinker more than actually playing games. I love gaming on PC but I would rather play on the switch or on a console then on my gaming laptop. Way less time tinkering.
Impressive specs for a handheld, can be used like a computer and a switch, much more convenient in every portable aspect, allows you to play anything like a console, has insane range of customization and possibilities, all within the same amount of space a Switch would take up for up to just $600, that’s a lot of value
Because pc gaming is depressing and everything is plagued with drm, that's my take on it anyway (as someone who has spent way to much money on steam and quit PC gaming for those reasons i listed)
Bruh, if you bought a switch instead of a steam deck, and just didn't have the know how or the patience to deal with figuring it out, fine. Enjoy only sometimes getting the latest releases and often only getting older titles for full price. I'm gonna play all the half life games that I bought years ago on my handheld with fun and interesting mods
Its not, steam deck is ugly, terrible LCD screen, gross design, disgusting fangame-ridden store, no exclusives like Nintendo, low battery, rather play the games on PC
@@Starfield_NPC “terrible LCD screen”. You mean like the one on the original Nintendo Switch that’s even worse than on the Steam Deck? The model most Switch owners have? Hypocrite.
I understand where you are coming from, so far I love my steam deck but I have the time to tinker and I cant wait to see when everything is more simplified a year down the line.
For new viewers: -Desktop mode has onscreen keyboard and standardized controls for a long time now. -if the game is labeled as "unsupported" with steam's label. You can still make it work, but need to tinker. External exes, can be run with Lutris, heroic, wine or Valve's own Proton. -GloriousEggroll's proton will start many games that some won't start yet. ProtonDB will help if you're not sure about the support. Media foundation videos are to this date still broken. When this is fixed will open up a lot of unsupported windows games.
I ended up selling my Steam deck as well. Honestly, part of me does regret it but I don't really miss it too much. It is a great handheld and a great first attempt by Valve, but I just never use it. I have a Switch, Analogue Pocket, and a few DS/3DS systems including one that I hacked. All of them are much more portable than the steam deck, I found that I only played it at home... Which felt redundant because at that point I could just play on my computer at home. I love taking a handheld to work and just playing during lunch or my break, I felt like I couldn't do that with the Steam Deck.
I... Admit this does not make sense to me. I have a switch and steam deck. My gf played the switch exclusively then I got her a deck and she hasn't played her switch since. The deck can do anything and everything the switch can do and do them better. and so so so so so much more.
Honestly, no. It can't play switch games online. And for me, the switch is a machine for 3 games. Splatoon 3, Animal Crossing, and Monster Hunter Rise. A steam deck can do Animal Crossing offline, and Rise if I got the steam version (which is no good because the friends I play it with are on the switch), but it cannot do Splatoon at all. When I use my switch, I'm looking for a switch. If I wanted to play on a PC I'd just use my actual PC with far better specs. The steam deck just feels like an awkward middle ground
@@elk3407 it can play switch games online in a sense. It can't do online with other switch owners this is true. But it can play online switch games with any other players using ryujinx. But I get your point, personally as a mostly single player or solo player the switch has little to offer me that the deck can't do better.
Welcome to the club! I just obtained a switch a few months ago, it's wonderfu! We should be friends on Nintendo so when Golden Eye comes out , we can try it out together!
The steam deck has become my go to device since I got it in July, proton GE should be everyone’s first download which is easy to set up. My only issue is developers don’t seem to be interested in optimising the controls of the steam deck, even some of the indies that boast about their games working on it don’t want to do the extra work to ensure they have full controller support.
Yeah it depends what games you have, for instance I’ve been on steam for over a decade and have more than 400 games on there, less than a quarter are listed as fully compatible, and many are listed as not compatible, among them big titles like the batman arkham series, if you try to run them they just won’t boot, change the compatibility to GE 7.xx and suddenly they work Flawlessly. Other games you can get running, but it is also very much about controller support, some genres are just not good on steam deck.
This was a great video! You had some really great points about pros and cons that I don’t see mentioned much. I finally got my deck about a month ago and I absolutely love it. To me it’s my dream handheld in almost every way but I am so glad that I got a Q3 deck as I feel like a lot of things have been ironed out since the first round. I have also had more time to tinker with Linux in preparation for my deck (I actually like PopOS so much I moved my main computer to it permanently). For my family I will definitely be the deck user but my hubby on the other hand isn’t really into tinkering and stuff so he he really loves playing his switch, phone, and Xbox/PlayStation. While the deck definitely isn’t for everyone I really love that there are now more options than ever for handheld gaming 😊 I hope you and your family enjoy your OLED switch and enjoy Splatoon 3! I am personally excited for the new Pokémon games to release later this year 😅
@@angelazuniga-jones9539 Given the surprise success of the Steam Deck and how energy efficient x86 has become I think it’s possible. Your good taste in operating systems has probably made you stumble upon the mobile Linux initiative, I’m sure you realize its importance in a world controlled by anti consumer iOS and Android. With Valve’s assistance and/or funding mobile Linux could quickly become a serious option for enthusiasts like us at minimum.
Similarly, I did buy an Analogue Pocket, which hasn't arrived yet... but when it does, I may just sell it. I am aware of how cool it is, but I am probably actually fine with my original GBs/GBAs.
**TAKES ONE LOOK AT VIDEO UPLOAD HISTORY** VIDEO quickly loses all credibility when all your uploads are Nintendo based.....the steam deck is not for you, that's obvious.
I got it for emulations and it's cool playing Spider-Man 2 (2004) on the go also it's nice I'm not really into big AAA games but nice video neither the less
I bought it becouse Emulators, PC Games and Xbox Game Pass make it the ALL IN ONE Console for me. And i can use every Controller I want. And much much more :D
Or, in the case of smaller amounts of files, simply open the browser and upload to Google Drive and download on Windows? (Or better yet, set up Drive sync on your PC so it downloads immediately.) It really does not _have_ to be a puzzle. Personally, I have a NAS which my Steam Deck can also connect to, so I can easily send/receive files to and from my network drives.
I got both the steam deck and Nintendo switch, and I think this is the best way to describe them Nintendo switch = plug , download and play ( ideal for people with kids ) like apple product simple steam deck = for tinkering (ideal for people who love emulation, modding, adding stuff and bricking their machine :D ) like Samsung product
I love my Steam Deck since I play a lot of Steam games. And it can also stream Epic and Gamepass games makes it even better. Having a dual boot with Batocera makes this the best system to have at the moment.
I've had my Steam Deck a little over a month, and it's honestly served as a "gaming laptop" replacement for the most part. I love the system, I really do, but it's flaws become more obvious the more you fiddle around with it. It doesn't quite outweigh the pros, but it does come close to being just about even for me. As someone who owns the switch, the vita and stuff. The best thing about a handheld is it's ability to be pocketable. I legit can still stick my switch in the inside of my jacket pocket without it's joycons and it is amazing lol. The steam deck is so clean, and big that I am afraid to leave the house with it in my bag.
What can you do about drifting? Fix it with a piece of cardboard! And I have another question: Do you expect that everyone in the whole wide world should get a Steam Deck?
I'm a steam deck owner and a I've vt putting a lot of time into Splatoon 3. I have mine dual booted to Windows with a 400gb micro SD and for me, this functions more as a laptop replacement than a substitute for the switch. Honestly, it truly makes me respect how polished a product Nintendo's offerings are. Though having the ability to say compile something in unity and run it on a steam deck directly is like black magic. Currently it may be more fiddly than acceptable for most users as an entertainment project. That said, I've had a great time playing Spark 3 on it for my sonic fix. As great as the steam deck is for emulation, seeing it struggle with GameCube and PS2 games did break my heart. This truly was what I was wanting to use it for
@@bloodofdepanta last I had checked the dolphin team has not yet received there's and have not been able to make tweaks specific to it. Something like Melee, Adventure 2, and Digital Devil Saga currently run better on my android phone than here. This is true for N64 as well. I'm sure this is more a software than hardware issue, but I think people might have gotten carried away when describing how good of an emulation machine this is. Running Yuzu is obviously an impressive feat however, but I wouldn't ipt for that in place of an actual switch
@@rafaelluciano5596 good to know, personally I also have a modded switch so I'm just trying to figure out what device to use as my main for long form traveling. The minute I got my Odin pro I stopped playing my switch as much. I get the feeling the same will happen once I get my steam deck. I don't expect it to run everything perfectly since no device does, but my goal is to have the games I like to casually enjoy across multiple systems in one place including PC and that's why I'm excited about my deck
@@bloodofdepanta yeah don't let me down play it's utility! The magic that proton can muster is really incredible. I do think it fills a different role than the switch, with the deck being more like a gaming laptop than a handheld console.
@@rafaelluciano5596 I really look forward to getting mine! I held out for a long time before getting any device like this, but once I won an rp2+ off RU-vid I got hooked and pre-ordered my deck and bought my odin pro. This technology is already so fantastic. In about 5 years it'll be standardized and seamless
I'm 16, and I still play on the Wii U a lot, at home we only have an Wii U with which we can also access the Wii. When I play on the Wii U I either play breath of the wild alone or play other games like mario kart 8 and go vacation with my sister. I am looking to buy a handheld console so I can play in the car during vacations etc, but I would also like a new gaming console besides the Wii U, so I can play the new upcoming legend of zelda game. I just don't know where to start with consoles, because I only play minecraft and genshin on my laptop and a few games on the Wii U and thus have no experience with consoles or tinkering with mods etc. There are rumours of a better switch coming out with the new zelda game and I am prepared to wait, because I want to pay this with my own money so the console will actually be mine and I won't find myself wanting to play only to find out my sister is playing. This doesn't mean I don't want to share. Basically I have no idea where to start.
I hope they remove it eventually from Frontiers on steam.. The game fails to launch for me everytime with an error box. Its almost like a waste of a purchase since I cant even play the game offline without issues thanks to Denuovo. One reason why I refunded it a month ago. I absolutely hate Denuovo.
I always tell my friends that are interested in Linux or steam deck (both of which I use/own) to research first if all the games they would enjoy are compatible (protondb) and if they'll actually enjoy having to fix things. If they say no to either or both I say they should hold off. While I love Linux and my steam deck as many others I think all Linux users understand how much time and effort goes into playing games or even making some Linux based applications actually run. I feel I experienced similar issues to you; however, I feel as though I had a much better desktop experience (perhaps due to when I got mine) as I used the trigger as a mouse click and everything just seemed to work. I'm glad you experienced it even if it wasn't for you and I hope all these issues do get worked out over the next few years. Overall good vidya, I went blind from the white screen though so 9/10.
I like this video. The Deck certainly deserves a lot of praise for what it does, but I don't feel like it is that portable precisely because of the bulk. The Switch simply fits better in my commuting setup. I still do use my deck, but it never leaves the house. It is how I play PC games... ok, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, but at 40fps and a higher resolution. This way, when I can have family game time, they are all PC gamers, and I can hang out with them. It is crisper and nicer, but all the fiddling is something I've grown out of.
The deck, from what I have seen from acquaintances who have it, is 'mobile' but not 'portable'. It's pretty much like a laptop: it's something you can use in any room in your house, or maybe you can take on a trip or to specific events, but it's certainly not something you take with you everywhere. In that sense, it's a great device if it fits your specific needs, but at the same time, it can be a cumbersome hassle if your expectation was to have your Steam account in your pocket. Maybe one day, if Valve releases a slim version, but the day is certainly not today and not in the near future.
Really interesting video man.👍❤ I had kind of the same experience. When I bought a GPD Handheld Gaming PC for playing all steam games. Many games I wanted to play. Didn't work. Some of the game requires a lot of PC graphic. Plus when I was playing on it. In a boss or. In my dad's car. The device made a lot of noise because of all the air. Which I never have the same problem with my Nintendo Switch OLED. Many games are more expensive on Nintendo Switch, but at least. The games works. With no problem. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has the same problem with all these portable PC. Handhelds.
I'm sort of in the same boat. I bought one, and I... regret it? I mean it's been fun to fiddle with it all the time and get emulation going on it has been a treat, but all in all I just don't think I have a need for it. I got an RG35XX which emulates all handheld stuff and 16 bit stuff... and I have a PC with a lot of horsepower... and I have a Switch... and I have a PS5... and I have a moderately powerful gaming laptop... I just can't seem to find a place to fit it into my life. I think it's an awesome and cool concept but often times it just kind of feels like a modular laptop. Sure it's "handheld" by design, but its much more cumbersome than a Switch. The larger size keeps it just out of reach for portability for me. You basically have to have a bag to carry it around in, and it has to be a decently sized one. The amount of accessories you need to carry with it such as a large power bank (the battery life of the Steam Deck is ABYSMAL) maybe a portable keyboard, or even in some cases people have bought portable monitors... and I just can't see why you'd choose all of this extra crap to carry around like some sort of cyberpunk super hacker when you could just get a messenger, controller and a laptop and have the same experience. Sure the Steam Deck lets you play games entirely within one device, but who is really going to stand around and play a AAA game in public. Games that are designed with the intention to be played for longer sessions on a TV or monitor? The steam deck solves a problem I don't have. It doubles as a PC, and a gaming device. The type of person I could see benefiting from this machine is a gamer who doesn't want to fork out a TON of money on a laptop, and maybe wants a smaller footprint. Somebody who doesn't game a ton, but likes the idea of having the insane amount of utility that the Steam Deck provides. Unfortunately the damn thing has attracted Jobsian rooted culture. Steam Deck owners treat the thing as a lifestyle. It's a device that is a huge tech toy. It's something for nerds who want to tinker and tinker to play with. I know, I've been tinkering... and I've been participating in the community. The irony is that very few people actually play games on their Steam Deck for very long at all (no thanks to the battery - zing) instead they mostly like to customize the thing with skins, accessories... extra tech toys that play with it... shell mods... emulation tinkering... installing other OS's on it etc. The type of people that play on the Steam Deck actually play WITH the Steam Deck. Yes it can play RDR2... for 45 minutes. but people don't actually want to play RDR2... they just want to run it on there and impress themselves or their friends. The Steam Deck is a REALLY cool piece of hardware. I think it's one of the coolest things to come out in a long time. It isn't a Switch Competitor though because the end user experience isn't streamlined. It takes a lot of tinkering and toying to get everything set up the way you want it. Of course there are games you can play for longer than an hour (stuff like Hades) but you can play that on Switch with a very little hit to the experience. The Switch is also more portable. The Steam Deck is a tech toy primarily rather than a game system. It's something to play with. A gaming laptop can accomplish and provide a much better experience than the Steam Deck. For now I'll hold onto mind because I'm enjoying toying with it. Making it run Gamecube games, and PS2 games... and running RE4 Remake on it to impress my friends and such has been fun. I also like the hardware customizability of it. That said I see it getting thrown in my tech bin after maybe a year of messing with it. In a big tub with all the other tech toys I've accumulated that I just don't use hardly anymore.
This comment is the only one I've seen on this video that talks sense! thanks! 99% are "B1g M1sT3@k M33ster! Da DeX c@N rUn ALL sWiTcH gAmEs @ OnCe At 120000fps Boooii!!" 😁
on my part i got the money to buy a deck but end up buying a switch and used the remaining money to buy monster hunder,botw,nba2k, etc lol. Battery is the only reason why i pick the switch, that mini device can last 5hrs it freaking amazing.
As a switch and steam deck owner, my personal preference is the deck. However, I should also state that most of my gaming in recent years has been primarily PC. I have a PS4/Xbox One/Switch/3DS/Vita, and although I used to play a fair amount of console games, that was mostly back in 2012-2016. Then I slowly migrated from them and went back to PC. Most of my consoles just collect dust these days. I even hacked my switch (it’s a V1) and I played it a bit for a month, but after getting my Deck in August, I switched entirely to that. To qualify some more, I love tinkering. I love getting everything setup perfectly, and I love my more niche/retro titles. The Deck accomplishes that in spades. I do realize that is not everyone’s cup of tea, and I respect that. Just to give a perspective of someone in their 30s with a wife, but no kids (yet).
I don't like the Steak Deck, the UI or getting games is a convoluted process. The fact that it runs on Linux makes things even worse. A PC is way more straightfoward. Good hardware doesn't matter if your software isn't good enough. Maybe Nintendo hardware sucks, but they know how to make their software.
First batch Steam Deck owner. I installed Windows on the deck a week after receiving it and I haven't looked back since. Windows on Deck is beautiful. BTW you're not the only family still playing Wii U. We have two Wii U consoles and still play Wii games online with others.
The Steam Deck is mostly tailored for PC enthusiasts who enjoy Steam Games on a handheld, tinkering with configurations, modding games / Steam Workshop, and emulating older systems with EmuDeck. I absolutely love my Deck, play it nearly every day. Since getting it I've barely played my gaming PC, as i enjoy being able to play my games on my couch / bed with my wife as she plays her Switch or watches TV. It has allowed me to enjoy my games while spending time with her, which I've really enjoyed a lot. It's not for everyone, but I've loved mine.
