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I recently got a Steam Deck, because I was looking at my gaming habits and I figured I'd get a lot more comfy gaming time if I had a portable Switch-like system but I could put whatever the hell I want on there.
I got the cheapest current model, the 256GB/LCD one. I figure I can always upgrade the storage via microSD or even opening the thing up (this is apparenly quite easy), and I never got the hype about OLED. I dunno, maybe my eyes just can't see the RICH DEEP BLACK everyone goes on about.
setting this thing up is fucky
Setup was a bit of a clusterfuck, because apparently there has been a bug since launch where while trying to download updates, which it forces you to do first thing, half the time it will just fail and you have to start over, possibly even force-rebooting the console to try and make it connect properly last time. It took me well over an hour before it was finally done, which is fucking insane and pretty unacceptable.
Basic usage is pretty easy, you get your whole Steam library and most things Just Work(tm), even beyond the limits of what it tells you works with the Deck. A lot of the time you'll get a game that's listed as "playable" but the issue is just "it might display the wrong button prompts". Well hey, everything already displays the wrong button prompts because you're using the fucking Xbox layout! yes i know sega started that shit but it made sense when they did it, and nintendo wasn't using the normal layout at the time so it was okay
Once you go off the beaten path, things get a little screwy, if not just because this thing runs on Linux. You have to exit to desktop mode, and of course using a virtual mouse and keyboard is kinda clunky, but that's the least of our concerns. For emulation I found EmuDeck to work best for integrating all this stuff into Steam so I don't have to deal with the desktop. Sure, it tries to recommend RetroArch, but you can just disable it. You might have to download your favourite emulator for a particular platform separately, but once EmuDeck is installed, it will totally autodetect it! I used ares for my libretro needs, and it actually works better through EmuDeck than trying to add it to Steam on its own. The only gripe I've got is that the configurations for hotkeys can be a little strange, and I did have to run an emulator through desktop once just to figure those out, since I couldn't even figure out how to access the top menu from a full-screen state. Whoops!
Modding games can also get a little crazy, especially if the mod installer you're trying to use doesn't run natively on Windows. Getting Sonic Adventure to work with the absolutely essential mods was quite a bit of work. I would link you to the instructions I used, but I straight up cannot find them now. It did work in the end though, and it even replaces the config with a custom one so you can run the mod manager through Steam.
was it worth it?
I've mostly been using this for emulation so far, to get through my backlog more easily without having to hook up a bunch of consoles and trying to figure out how to get comfy for extended play. I'm old. Anyway, I finally beat Evolution Worlds which I have had since 2003, and right now I'm plugging away at Phantasy Star II, so I'd say things are going swimmingly! Non-emulated games are going well too. After the aforementioned mod setup, I blew through Sonic's story in SA1, and I've also been playing the original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing since buying this thing means I can't immediately go out and buy the $70 new one.
The absolutely gargantuan Super Robot Wars 30 is also a big recommendation for portable play, since you can just do a mission or two whenever the mood strikes instead of losing heart in the face of the endless horde of side missions.
Any of you have one of these? Pretty cool right
I got the cheapest current model, the 256GB/LCD one. I figure I can always upgrade the storage via microSD or even opening the thing up (this is apparenly quite easy), and I never got the hype about OLED. I dunno, maybe my eyes just can't see the RICH DEEP BLACK everyone goes on about.
setting this thing up is fucky
Setup was a bit of a clusterfuck, because apparently there has been a bug since launch where while trying to download updates, which it forces you to do first thing, half the time it will just fail and you have to start over, possibly even force-rebooting the console to try and make it connect properly last time. It took me well over an hour before it was finally done, which is fucking insane and pretty unacceptable.
Basic usage is pretty easy, you get your whole Steam library and most things Just Work(tm), even beyond the limits of what it tells you works with the Deck. A lot of the time you'll get a game that's listed as "playable" but the issue is just "it might display the wrong button prompts". Well hey, everything already displays the wrong button prompts because you're using the fucking Xbox layout! yes i know sega started that shit but it made sense when they did it, and nintendo wasn't using the normal layout at the time so it was okay
Once you go off the beaten path, things get a little screwy, if not just because this thing runs on Linux. You have to exit to desktop mode, and of course using a virtual mouse and keyboard is kinda clunky, but that's the least of our concerns. For emulation I found EmuDeck to work best for integrating all this stuff into Steam so I don't have to deal with the desktop. Sure, it tries to recommend RetroArch, but you can just disable it. You might have to download your favourite emulator for a particular platform separately, but once EmuDeck is installed, it will totally autodetect it! I used ares for my libretro needs, and it actually works better through EmuDeck than trying to add it to Steam on its own. The only gripe I've got is that the configurations for hotkeys can be a little strange, and I did have to run an emulator through desktop once just to figure those out, since I couldn't even figure out how to access the top menu from a full-screen state. Whoops!
Modding games can also get a little crazy, especially if the mod installer you're trying to use doesn't run natively on Windows. Getting Sonic Adventure to work with the absolutely essential mods was quite a bit of work. I would link you to the instructions I used, but I straight up cannot find them now. It did work in the end though, and it even replaces the config with a custom one so you can run the mod manager through Steam.
was it worth it?
I've mostly been using this for emulation so far, to get through my backlog more easily without having to hook up a bunch of consoles and trying to figure out how to get comfy for extended play. I'm old. Anyway, I finally beat Evolution Worlds which I have had since 2003, and right now I'm plugging away at Phantasy Star II, so I'd say things are going swimmingly! Non-emulated games are going well too. After the aforementioned mod setup, I blew through Sonic's story in SA1, and I've also been playing the original Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing since buying this thing means I can't immediately go out and buy the $70 new one.
The absolutely gargantuan Super Robot Wars 30 is also a big recommendation for portable play, since you can just do a mission or two whenever the mood strikes instead of losing heart in the face of the endless horde of side missions.Any of you have one of these? Pretty cool right