Summary
TheSteam Deckis a magnificent machine. I’m in constant awe of how much impressive technology is crammed into its plastic case, and how good so many games look on its vibrant screen. I don’t even have theupdated OLED model, but if my jump from OG Switch to the upgraded OLED is anything to go by, I imagine the Steam Deck OLED is an even more impressive piece of kit.
Players are always doing incredible stuff with the Steam Deck. Some people dive deep into the settings and code to do things that I can’t comprehend to run games that seem far too complicated for this tiny machine. I just about got my head around making the Epic Games Store work on the device so I could play Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (great experience, by the way), butit took a whole day of tinkeringand following instructions I didn’t understand.
I thought I was fairly tech-savvy before owning a Steam Deck. I built my desktop PC, I troubleshoot my parents’ issues, I fiddle with BIOS a little to eke out an extra smidge of performance. However, put me on a Steam Deck and I’m lost. I’ve never used Linux, for starters, and the in-depth changes you have to make are a step too far for my donkey brain.
So I use the Steam Deck in ways that I can manage. While some players are gettingFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeworking with ray tracing or whatever wizardry they’re doing now, I play little indies. I play games that could run on a Samsung fridge or the vegetables inside it.
DredgeandDave the Diverare my favourite games to play on the Steam Deck. You know, gamey games. This year I’ve been neglecting the Deck in favour of big RPGs on my Xbox, but the likes of Steam Next Fest andLudoNarraConare changing that.
Despite the small screen, text-heavy adventure1000xResistworks well on the Deck, bringing cultish science-fiction religions and great time travel mechanics to the console. It’s not a game I’d think about buying on the Switch, for instance, but I own it on Steam and the system requirements are low, so I thought I’d try it on the Deck. Lo and behold, the little machine has more than enough power to keep this Nierish spectacle at a stable framerate.
I’m going to try some demos next: Nirvana Noir, Pine: A Story of Loss, Cryptmaster, and Afterlove EP are all downloaded and ready to go. I’ve got a long flight coming up, and these are the perfect tidbits to keep me entertained.
Why not play a big game? Why not finally get into Death Stranding or continue yourLike A Dragon marathon? There’s a couple of reasons. First and foremost isthe battery life. The Steam Deck’s fatal flaw is that it can do too much. I’ve found the battery is worse than my Switch’s when playing big games, but it’s worth noting that it’s playingHelldivers 2at a stable framerate that the Switch could never handle. On planes, trains, and in cars (on the rare occasion when I’m not the driver), there’s nowhere to plug the Deck in. I can’t charge and play on public transport (thanks, privatised rail networks in the UK), and I’m not going to deplete the car battery and risk needing a jump start at the side of the motorway.
I acknowledge that it’s impressive to play a sprawling triple-A RPG on the Steam Deck, but you can’t do it portably. Plug it into a dock with an HDMI output to your telly, and you’ve got a great mini-PC. On the move? Unless your journey is in the sub-hour mark, you’ve got no chance.
Playing less demanding games alleviates this problem, and I can coax nearly ten hours out of the Steam machine on a good day. I’m probably missing out on some great experiences this way, but I’m happy. I’ve been told countless times online that this isn’t the right use of such a powerful machine, but I love it. The Steam Deck is my little indie machine, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
