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[DenchDeckard]

Ok, so I just got the pop up that my Steam Deck is available for purchase. It's the 512GB NVME model so its going to cost £569.

Money is not really the issue, I mean...I could save the cash but I do have the money available to purchase as I could use paypal credit.

Really, all im asking from anyone who owns one. How easy is it to set up and play things like emulators etc. If it is easy to set up and do then it will probs be worth it. Will I get a great performing 30 FPS on games like god of war. If so I guess its worth it?

Is there any specific videos that will help sell me or rightfully put me off?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lmimmfn]

I'm expecting my order email on Thursday or next Monday.

I originally ordered it to have a system I can bring on holiday but the way electricity prices are going I think I might reduce my gaming PC usage with it. Emulation is of course a bonus.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I'd like to join OP's spoon feeding request and ask up until what point the Deck is able to keep steady 60fps.

 

[coffinbirth]

DO IT!

 

[BennyBlanco]

Ok, so I just got the pop up that my Steam Deck is available for purchase. It's the 512GB NVME model so its going to cost £569.

Money is not really the issue, I mean...I could save the cash but I do have the money available to purchase as I could use paypal credit.

Really, all im asking from anyone who owns one. How easy is it to set up and play things like emulators etc. If it is easy to set up and do then it will probs be worth it. Will I get a great performing 30 FPS on games like god of war. If so I guess its worth it?

Is there any specific videos that will help sell me or rightfully put me off?

Thanks in advance!

It's the best device I've bought in a long time. Personally I love it. Setting up emulators is literally a 5 min job with EmuDeck and it runs them like an absolute beast. If you already have a large Steam library I would say it's a no brainer. And yes God of War runs nice at 30 fps. You can also do system level 40 fps with VRR that runs great.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Fuck it, i ordered it. 512GB one. I have a steam library from day one of half life 2 with over 600 games. Is emu deck just installed on it without having to dual boot or anything? that would be awesome.

Play some apex in bed!

 

[BennyBlanco]

Fuck it, i ordered it. 512GB one. I have a steam library from day one of half life 2 with over 600 games. Is emu deck just installed on it without having to dual boot or anything? that would be awesome.

Play some apex in bed!

Yea, you have to use the desk top to install it but then you can run everything from the Steam OS. You can also just individually add games to the Steam library and they will show up alongside your other Steam games. It's fucking awesome.

 

[GametimeUK]

In my honest opinion the device is easy to set up for emulation. Super easy with emudeck which does all the work for you. However, Gamecube performance sucks at the moment unless anyone else here has a fix. I have not been able to find a fix for what I think is poor frame pacing on gamecube titles.

Also, I was able to get a consistent 30fps with Spider-Man from what I've played. I don't know about God of War. The thing is the device will chew through your battery in around an hour and a half for these graphic intensive games. Honestly I find the Steam Deck a good place to do side missions etc on these sort of games, but you certainly can not sit down on the sofa and dedicate an evening of play on games like Spider-Man or God of War.

Emulation gives you some great battery life and I've played through Tomb Raider 2013 and Batman Arkham Asylum with good enough battery life at 60fps. I'd say PS3 generation games are where it shines for the mix of battery, performance and visuals.

That's just my take on it though. I do love and recommend the device.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Yea, you have to use the desk top to install it but then you can run everything from the Steam OS. You can also just individually add games to the Steam library and they will show up alongside your other Steam games. It's fucking awesome.

OMG looks amazing, so do i need a desktop out from the steamdeck to set this up. Like i need a monitor etc?

Thanks for the help

 

[BennyBlanco]

OMG looks amazing, so do i need a desktop out from the steamdeck to set this up. Like i need a monitor etc?

Thanks for the help

No, you just hold the power button and go to desktop mode.

 

[PhaseJump]

Fuck it, i ordered it. 512GB one. I have a steam library from day one of half life 2 with over 600 games. Is emu deck just installed on it without having to dual boot or anything? that would be awesome.

Play some apex in bed!

EmuDeck needs desktop mode to configure in the beginning, it's a shell script that installs all the shit you need.

After that, there's an app installed that lets you scrape your games for box arts and all that bullshit, if you want to pull the emulated stuff out individually into your Steam library.

It adds them to Steam for you, and it's relatively painless. Emulation Station shows up as a singular "Non steam game" that launches into it's own front end on retroarch, when in the Deck's normal game mode. From there you have everything that you put into the folders yourself.

 

[DenchDeckard]

No, you just hold the power button and go to desktop mode.

saweeeet! I better order a micro sd card lol

 

[rofif]

I am getting one and I will probably not use it lol. but I WANT one
At the very least you can sell it

 

[Low Moral Fibre]

I had to set up a profile to better control the virtual mouse on the desktop so I could click with the triggers etc (maybe this is set already now) but after that installing the emulator took a few minutes after watching a YouTube video. I love that it then works seamlessly in the Steam OS.

It's played everything that I've tried and I love that capping games to say 40fps takes about 2 seconds.

I wouldn't have it as my main way of playing games but it's crazy how powerful it is for how small it is.

 

[Fredrik]

It’s one of my best PC related purchases, I can now do lazy comfy gaming with PC games.

I’ve easily played 50 hours of Elden Ring this way, works great, paddles can mess things up but it’s no biggie and the framerate is good enough for that size of screen, looks great.

Battery life is bad but since I play in bed it has saved my malfuntional sleeping habbits, I play until it warm me the battery is down at 10%, then I put it away and sleep.

 

[Certinty]

I got one this week.

I’m in two minds. I like it for slower and more indie like games but for the bigger releases I’m not feeling it too much. Mind you, I have a PS5 and XSX so maybe that’s why.

Whether I can get enough use out of it without the big titles is what will determine if I keep it or not. Some nice members on here have told me Steam often have great sales though which intrigues me.

 

[Shifty1897]

You can play most current gen games at 720p on a mixture of low and medium settings (mostly low) at 30fps. If you already have a decently sized Steam library and want something to play in bed or while traveling, go for it.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

Enjoy it, you only live once.

 

[Rex_DX]

Got mine last week!

I don't play games in public but the thing is already becoming my go-to for indies, emulation and lightweight titles. It's funny how having access to my Steam library on a handheld changes my mindset. I'm suddenly playing games I bought in 2012 and never played in bed or in my hammock. This thing is going to be key as a backlog buster.

The AAA stuff I've tried have run reasonably well at 30fps and because I don't game on the go battery is never an issue for me - I'm always near an outlet and even in bed I have a couple power banks laying around I could use.

Another neat feature is that because I'm always near my gaming PC I can stream from that to the Deck without having to install anything.

I've barely scratched the surface of the potential of this thing, need to poke around in desktop mode for a bit, but I already love it.

Tl;dr - it's a really nice little machine and one of the best buys I've made in a while. I hesitated and didn't settle on buying it until the last 30 minutes of my reservation window but I'm very happy I pulled the trigger. It's like a GBA on steroids.

 

[PonyStation4]

OMG looks amazing, so do i need a desktop out from the steamdeck to set this up. Like i need a monitor etc?

Thanks for the help

The SteamDeck is a computer running Linux, in the shape of a handheld instead of a laptop

 

[Paasei]

The emulation alone is worth it. I use it it more for that than any actual PC/Steam game.

 

[Filben]

If money is not an issue, go for it.

Emulation setup is super easy and it's getting easier by the month. Just use EmuDeck and it's super easy with seamless integration in your Steam Library/UI!

You get in many if not most AAA titles 30fps. Set everything on low (don't turn off settings), so you get the graphics features but at lower settings, but you're not missing out, and with the small screen and lower res it's not THAT noticeable as on a 55 inch screen when sitting a meter in front of it.

Also, Steam Deck has a desktop mode, can be used with mouse/keyboard (Bluetooth, Dockingstation/usb c, etc) so everything can be setup from the Deck.

 

[rofif]

It plays Dark vanilla Souls 2 at 60fps. There is no better device on earth

 

[OverHeat]

Honest opinion awesome device but you got to accept your going to play at 30fps.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Honest opinion awesome device but you got to accept your going to play at 30fps.

Hopefully the small screen makes it OK...because it doesn't sound nice lol

 

[FingerBang]

I just got my email and ffs I'm on holidays and won't be back in the UK for 2 more weeks. I'd rather not having them deliver in advance, even though it'd go to the concierge who'd keep it for me...

I tried to buy it and get it shipped where I am but they changed the store to the one tied to my cards lol

 

[GametimeUK]

I just got my email and ffs I'm on holidays and won't be back in the UK for 2 more weeks. I'd rather not having them deliver in advance, even though it'd go to the concierge who'd keep it for me...

I tried to buy it and get it shipped where I am but they changed the store to the one tied to my cards lol

I've heard of people extending their dates by contacting customer service. Hope this helps.

 

[anthony2690]

I cancelled mine as I worry it will end up a dust collector.

But if I had disposable income I'd definitely one and wouldn't mind as much if it did indeed become a dust collector.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

The Steam Deck performs spectacularly at 720p 40FPS. It's super easy to just get everything working at 40FPS since you can just press a button on the console and set the maximum refresh rate at system level.
All those backlogged PC games I had that that thought "I'd play this if it was on a more accessible mobile form" work pretty great on the deck.

I got mine back in April and have probably put over 200h on it. Need to watch for the kids so I can't lock myself immersed in the office's desktop? No problem, I'll just go to the kids' room and play there. Have a 2+ hour train trip or flight? Just pop it up and I'm playing. Go on vacation but can't bring the console or gaming laptop? The Deck just goes in the backpack.
Here's some of the stuff I played on it:

- Cyberpunk 2077
- Doom Eternal
- Civilization VI online with friends during a weekend out
- Sniper Elite 4 online coop with a friend on vacation
- Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen (one of those backlogged..)
- Middle Earth: Shadow of War
- COD WW2 single player (another backlogged)
- Hellblade

The only thing I don't like about the Deck is the fact that Valve still hasn't launched a firmware that allows for dual-boot, so installing windows in it is tricky. Without Windows, gamepass is locked out so I can't use that.

Even my wife who's not a huge gamer was impressed by it, so we ordered another one for her and it's coming this week.

 

[bender]

I like it but backlog compatibility can be pretty wonky. A lot of older games weren't built with a controller in mind and using an analog stick to approximate the mouse feels about as awkward as most first person shooters on consoles before developers got the hang of a controller layout, acceleration and auto-aim.

 

[lovetalkgames]

If the cost isn’t an issue and you have room for what could possibly be a novelty gaming system, go for it.

 

[Ogbert]

Yes.

It’s incredible.

You’ll get 60 fps on a lot of titles and, if not, you can use 40 fps.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I guess I can't imagine a handheld playing demanding games. Like can I rock vermintide 2 co op with my buds and it will run well? It sounds like it will blow my mind if it can.

 

[Ogbert]

Honest opinion awesome device but you got to accept your going to play at 30fps.

Huh?

I haven’t played a single title at 30fps.

What games are you referring to?

 

[Gone]

I never tried it but judging by the videos I see on YouTube of games running on it, it's not worth it.
Maybe it is a good emulation system but I don't know about the newer games, it feels lacking.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I never tried it but judging by the videos I see on YouTube of games running on it, it's not worth it.
Maybe it is a good emulation system but I don't know about the newer games, it feels lacking.

But you don't own one? What's lacking in it. Is it not running games well?

 

[OverHeat]

Huh?

I haven’t played a single title at 30fps.

What games are you referring to?

Spider-Man god of war cyberpunk Halo infinite etc

 

[Ogbert]

Spider-Man god of war cyberpunk Halo infinite etc

God of War and Cyberpunk run at a perfectly solid 40 fps.

Haven’t tried Spider-Man.

 

[SmokedMeat]

The real beauty for me is no added bullshit. You buy a Deck and it’s playing your PC library. You buy a new PC game and it likely runs well on the Deck.

No starting over with proprietary games, or wondering if your digital purchases will be backwards compatible with future versions.

Best of all when I go away on vacation, my PC game progress isn’t left behind. It continues.

 

[Mercador]

If the money isn't an issue for you, why not?

 

[Ogbert]

But you don't own one? What's lacking in it. Is it not running games well?

It’s an absolute powerhouse.

Seriously, there are things you can nitpick; the screen, triggers and d-pad. But it’s a technical marvel. When it arrives, you’ll spend the first few weeks simply installing games and gawping at how well they run.

 

[OverHeat]

God of War and Cyberpunk run at a perfectly solid 40 fps.

Haven’t tried Spider-Man.

30-40 still is low fps.

 

[Midn1ght]

Honest opinion awesome device but you got to accept your going to play at 30fps.

40fps is fine. New big AAA releases will definitely have a hard time hitting 60 but with Vulkan drivers (opt in for beta firmware on your deck) some beautiful games are running at 60.










It's an amazing device.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I bought one but I mainly did it just for collection.

 

[Ogbert]

30-40 still is low fps.

Er, yeah.

Ok.

 

[Ogbert]

40fps is fine. New big AAA releases will definitely have a hard time hitting 60 but with Vulkan drivers (opt in for beta firmware on your deck) some beautiful games are running at 60.










It's an amazing device.

The one I couldn’t get over was Doom Eternal.

The performance is just ridiculous.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

If I was going to spend that much on a handheld iwould just go for a decent gaming laptop for a few hundred more. At least then you have something that can play games and serve multiple purposes.

 

[lmimmfn]

It’s a toy. If you’re not a handheld enthusiast and you’re already set on platforms...you’re buying a toy. Now, there’s nothing wrong with buying toys, but consider what a 500euro toy means to you.

So you had one and you were disappointed or?

 

[lovetalkgames]

So you had one and you were disappointed or?

The first question out the gate was about the value of 600 euros to him and I spoke to that point.

 

[EekTheKat]

Something that may or may not be an issue for certain people is that the built in global framerate limiter has fairly significant input lag - something that has yet to be addressed from what I've seen. Perfect frame pacing though so that may be the trade-off for it.

A surprising amount of games work fairly well on the Deck just out of the box with minimal to no tweaking, and mine has revived a bunch of older games in the backlog.