Valve has made a few attempts at hardware in the past. Some were more successful than others. Although there was some initial excitement about Steam Machines back when they were first announced eight years ago, they didn’t pan out. The Steam Controller also had a mixed reception, with most users not interested in the track pad controls and single analog stick. The Valve Index appears to be Valve’s first piece of hardware that has received near universal acclaim despite its high cost.
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| Steam Deck logo as seen on its case. |
At the least, Valve appears to treat failures as lessons. The Steam Deck seems to be the culmination of all of those lessons transformed into a video game console.
What’s good: the whole console feels good in the hands. The analog sticks are far better than the ones on the Nintendo Switch. Perhaps that comparison is unfair since the Switch is substantially smaller. Nevertheless, one of the biggest issues with the Switch is the unreliability of the joysticks.
The Steam store includes details for hundreds of titles regarding their Steam Deck compatibility. The compatibility score ranges from “verified” to “playable” and down to “unsupported” and finally “unknown” for titles that have not officially been tested yet. Titles that are only considered “playable” include notes explaining what issues that users may face. It’s usually easy to understand.
One idea that Valve may want to consider: include an option for users to share their experiences getting some titles running on the Deck. This user-generated compatibility score doesn’t have to supersede Valve’s rating; instead the two could be shown side-by-side. This system would be helpful for titles that do work on the Deck but may not receive verification status for some time. Readers who are concerned about a particular game that hasn’t been officially verified yet should search online to see if other users have had luck running them.
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| The interface in SteamOS is generally solid. |
Of course, players are not limited to games in the Steam store since the Deck can be used to install and run games from any number of sources.
The system is shipped inside of a sturdy case. It makes the three different price points seem even more reasonable.
What’s bad: Linux is a great system. There are many distributions that are released for anyone to use at no financial cost and they can satisfy almost all basic computer needs. But Linux has its share of problems. Valve’s decision to use Linux makes sense for a number of reasons, yet Linux’s issues then become the Steam Deck’s. It wouldn’t be prudent to recommend the Steam Deck to people who are not interested in trouble-shooting. If players want a console that simply works, they would be ill-advised to choose the Deck.
The battery life is generally short when playing more demanding titles, with most publications predicting about two hours of life for these games. Older games and emulation appear to use far less resources and result in longer battery life.
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| A game like Disco Elysium works well on Steam Deck. |
Valve has never released a home console like this one before, meaning
that their willingness to continue supporting such a device is unknown. Official replacement parts can be bought from iFixit, but what Valve’s long-term support will look like is anyone’s guess.
Below are some miscellaneous observations and experiences.
- At first the Steam Deck built-in microphone was not functional when trying to do voice chat with friends. I logged into the desktop version of Steam on a laptop and checked the audio settings there. Although I didn’t make any changes, after returning to the Deck the microphone worked fine. Perhaps a ghost in the machine?
- A game messed up the Deck’s default audio settings and made the Deck really quiet. Rebooting the Deck resolved the issue.
- While trying out an emulator in desktop mode, I entered fullscreen mode and could not exit the program. Again, rebooting the Deck resolved the issue. The lesson here is to ensure that a keyboard is plugged in for access to the escape key.
- The SteamOS interface is generally solid and intuitive. While it’s not free from glitches, it works well.
- Using desktop mode without a keyboard and mouse is fine for short bursts, but for longer, more complicated trips into the desktop it’s far better to use those accessories.
- It’s unclear how long it’ll be until the official Valve dock is available for purchase. The last announcement was made June 1 and indicates that the dock has been delayed due to production issues.
Final thoughts for now: the Steam Deck is more than what I hoped it would be. Hopefully it will continue to entertain for many years to come. My wish list is certainly growing almost daily as I find games to try.