Valve introduces Steam Deck

[Mega Black]

Tempting as it is I'm pretty content with the current deck and don't feel a trade in for a nice screen is necessary. Think I'm just finally gonna splurge on a dock so I can more comfortably play older games on the TV.

 

[BananaSplit²]

I never got the Steam Deck. Should I wait for the next generation or buy the OLED now so they can announce it coming next year?

I don't exactly know what are your tastes in vidya, but the Steam Deck OLED should be convenient to you assuming you primarily stick to Steam and aren't picky about graphic fidelity and framerate. I made some benchmark clips (through my capture card) to give you an idea what the overall performance is like on demanding Japanese games.

On the base PS4, this mission in particular runs at a constant 5~15fps.

Some specific zones that contain a large amount of foliage and background details, such as the eastern gate of Raya Lucaria, will cause the framerate to go a bit below 30fps (which was put as a limiter for this game from the Deck settings).

Bear in mind this is the base Deck model, so the OLED should give a small bump of performance as Digital Foundry pointed out in their own tests.
On retro emulation like PCSX2 or PPSSPP, the battery life of the base model can already stand up 5~6 hours from a full charge, an extra hour or two with the wifi disabled.

 

[Gravemind]

I don't exactly know what are your tastes in vidya, but the Steam Deck OLED should be convenient to you assuming you primarily stick to Steam and aren't picky about graphic fidelity and framerate. I made some benchmark clips (through my capture card) to give you an idea what the overall performance is like on demanding Japanese games.

View attachment 5483604
On the base PS4, this mission in particular runs at a constant 5~15fps.

View attachment 5483509View attachment 5483611
Some specific zones that contain a large amount of foliage and background details, such as the eastern gate of Raya Lucaria, will cause the framerate to go a bit below 30fps (which was put as a limiter for this game from the Deck settings).
View attachment 5483691


View attachment 5483507View attachment 5483688

Bear in mind this is the base Deck model, so the OLED should give a small bump of performance as Digital Foundry pointed out in their own tests.
On retro emulation like PCSX2 or PPSSPP, the battery life of the base model can already stand up 5~6 hours from a full charge, an extra hour or two with the wifi disabled.

AC6 actually running tolerably on the Deck is something I'm very surprised by.

 

[Slav Power]

Gamers Nexus did a teardown of the Deck OLED. Turns out Valve's engineers changed absolutely everything inside.

 

[Product Placement]

Very good update, but happy to wait the 2 to 3 years for the Deck 2 and use my current Deck til then

 

[BananaSplit²]

AC6 actually running tolerably on the Deck is something I'm very surprised by.

It's possible to tone down further the graphic settings (can't exactly tell the differences on a first glance besides AA) and get a smoother experience.
Same settings on the second clip except I just switched to Antialiasing - High.

Besides primarily From Software titles, Yakuza/Judgment and Earth Defense Force, I don't have many demanding games that could challenge the Steam Deck's hardware.
But in terms of performance, it's safe to say the Deck is pretty much sitting in-between the PS4 and PS5

 

[Gravemind]

Only thing I've played so far on the Deck that really brought it to its knees was RE4make, and even then, it's weird that it was, considering how robust the game's graphics settings are.

 

[Waifu Denier]

To be honest, I am more excited about the larger battery and more efficient SoC than the OLED screen. The screen never bothered me as much as the battery life could be at times, which to me was the largest weakness of the Deck.

 

[Dr. Geronimo]

The OLED really does appeal to me since I do play in the sun more often than most people here.

I would suck a dick for a better dpad though.

 

[Epoch]

Gamers Nexus did a teardown of the Deck OLED. Turns out Valve's engineers changed absolutely everything inside.

It really is just the same as the Switch OLED, optimized revision with slightly better performance and better battery life and OLED screen.

I wonder if those updated input parts could be swapped into an LCD Deck or if they need the updated motherboard or something.

 

[DeadwastePrime]

original 512gb steam deck going for 450? damn thats a decent deal

 

[Gatdam Animal Person]

I'm really curious about why they're still selling the old 256GB LCD model, since the newer OLED model looks to be cheaper to manufacture. I have a feeling they're just repurposing their overstocked older boards, after a while they'll release the 256GB OLED model with hopefully no price hike.

 

[Dr. Geronimo]

I'm really curious about why they're still selling the old 256GB LCD model, since the newer OLED model looks to be cheaper to manufacture. I have a feeling they're just repurposing their overstocked older boards, after a while they'll release the 256GB OLED model with hopefully no price hike.

I have a feeling that the 256 version was the one they have the most stock of. 64 GB was the cheapest and 512 was their best selling. Surprising to me but I'm a poor fag so I'll be waiting for the OLEDs to hit the 400 or less mark.

 

[Nguyen Van Phuoc]

The game industry is unhealthier now than ever, but I'm a fucking idiot and have to drop half a grand on yet another gaming machine because it's translucent, JUST LIKE MY CHILDHOOD GAME BOY COLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
View attachment 5481439

Hot take: translucent plastics are fucking gay and I’ve never liked them, neither go fully transparent or just go with opaque colors

 

[ShitLurker]

Yeah, I'm good, I never take it outside so plugin it in while playing isn't an issue, never had issues with the screen and I mostly play emulated stuff and not too demanding games on it. Biggest thing I've played in it is AC6 and it got the job done after some adjusting.

Now a SteamDeck 2 I'll definitely be interested in when it's a thing.

 

[11 Herbs and Spices]

I would suck a dick for a better dpad though.

Do you meant mechanically or location? Its closeness to the edge is more of what made it kind of meh to use heavily in emulators.

 

[Dr. Geronimo]

Do you meant mechanically or location? Its closeness to the edge is more of what made it kind of meh to use heavily in emulators.

All I'm gonna say is that I own a Vita.

 

[斯尼 德之王]

Hot take: translucent plastics are fucking gay and I’ve never liked them, neither go fully transparent or just go with opaque colors

They're cool when they're done right. The N64 funtastic ones were pretty.

Do you meant mechanically or location? Its closeness to the edge is more of what made it kind of meh to use heavily in emulators.

I've grown to like the dish-style d pads. You'll get the best of both worlds.

I just wish the limited-translucent edition were orange instead of smoke black. I feel that it would have been a better color.

 

[11 Herbs and Spices]

All I'm gonna say is that I own a Vita.

The original or the shitty plastic LCD one? The dpad felt weird on the revision.

I've grown to like the dish-style d pads. You'll get the best of both worlds.

I just wish the limited-translucent edition were orange instead of smoke black. I feel that it would have been a better color.

I like dish pads on games that don't use them for primary controls because they're pretty responsive and easy menu navigation. I don't like actively using them though.

I wish it would've just been full on HEV themed.

 

[Dr. Geronimo]

The original or the shitty plastic LCD one? The dpad felt weird on the revision.

OG. I'm a big shill for mechanical dpads.