Steam Deck: Small space for games and you won’t be playing them for long

Steam Deck is the latest device from the American company Valve, that is, the owners of the digital Steam platform and the creators of VR glasses in the form of a Valve pointer or Steam console. I’m talking about a portable console that allows you to play well-known games from a regular PC. And without having to buy it again.

Steam Deck Controller – Brick or Putty Blow?

The first lucky ones got their hands on their consoles today, which were booked last year. This also applies to technology and/or gaming editorials. It’s time to take a look at the featured reviews and summarize their conclusions in a short form. First impressions are very mixed.

Most reviewers and users appreciate the enormity of the games available on release day. More than 433 titles are fully compatible, while 398 can be played. The next steps come at every step. Here we can find popular and appreciated indie games, but also high-profile AAA products – For example Hades, Stardew Valley, Dishonored, Valheim, Dying Light, Factorio, Rim World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and many more.

Moreover, we are not only limited to the products available on the Steam platform. You can also install games from competitors such as EPIC Games Store or GOG. However, it is a little more difficult than a regular computer – Steam Deck runs under the control of SteamOS, that is, Linux with the Proton Compatibility Layer.

Another advantage is the surprisingly high performance of the console dimensions – 298 x 117 x 49 mm and 669 grams. All thanks to the APU from AMD with 4 cores and 8 threads with a clock speed of up to 3.5GHz. Yes it is 48 FPSów w Horizon: Zero Dawn At low settings and 33 fps on the premium profile. In the case of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it’s 50fps on minimum settings and 38 fps on medium.

The next feature already has a mixed reception. On the other hand, increasing the console capacity is simple – Whether it is with a memory card or in the case of the device and by installing an SSD M.2 holder. On the other hand, the cheapest Steam Deck has only 64GB of built-in memory, which is often very little even for a single AAA game.

Now we come to the negatives – The console is portable in theory, but compared to direct competition like the Nintendo Switch, it’s much larger and heavier. We’re talking about 56mm in width, 35mm in thickness and 249g in weight at the expense of Steam Deck.

Despite the large dimensions and a 40Wh battery, unfortunately the console can discharge very quickly while gaming. It’s true that GTA V is more than four hours of fun, but already No Man’s Sky is less than 2 hours long. Which is less than a short trip or a train ride. Of course, a lot here depends not only on the specific title, but also on the screen brightness settings or background applications. Much can still be improved in updates, Both OS and BIOS.

In the end, we are left with the screen resolution that was known from the beginning – 1280 x 800 pixel at 7″. That’s quite a bit in 2022, but it was necessary to provide a meaningful FPS for newer games. Some reviewers say it’s visible but not obvious, others quite the opposite.

In short, the Valve Steam Deck, according to first opinions, is not the new messiah of mobile games. While the console is a success and a lot of fun, it also has its downsides. Personally, however, I don’t see any serious faults here, rather the classic compromises of mobile devices.

a look: Steam ends with over 90% promotions for our benefit
a look: Bethesda says goodbye to players. Valve won and Steam

Image source: valve

Text source: CNET, ed. King