You are a perfect example why I hate people saying that valve should drop the 64gb model. It's price is great and the storage size and type is exactly the same as the oled switch.
64gb is perfect, even as a tech guy myself i only have the 64 and a 512 sd card and its perfect. Play mostly indie games and have one or two big games installed, plus I have a gaming pc and it makes it so easy to stream
Why would someone advocate for less storage options? Even if 64GB isn't enough for someone, it still gives people a cheaper option which can be upgraded for less money than what Valve is asking for the higher priced default storage.
I'm glad you as a casual speaks about the deck as us tech nerds tend to be the loudest in this topic. It makes us happy when something we love attracts new members.
I bought a SD about two months ago. Paid 300$. Ended up selling my switch. Made most of the money back as well. I love it! No regrets. The only game I’ll miss is AC.
Assuming you aren't afraid of tinkering, you can set up very high quality Switch emulation on the Steam Deck, including AC:NH! There are plenty of tutorials online if you'd need assistance figuring it out.
Tech guy here. Sorry, I know I'm not allowed, but I just wanted to share an experience on behalf of my cozy-gamer wife. I got myself a Steam Deck, as a tech guy of course. My wife is more of a Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing kind of gamer, though she does have a PC and a Steam account. She uses that mostly for watching Twitch streams and for playing the occasional round of Apex Legends. She expressed curiosity about the Deck, so I logged her account into it and handed it to her to try out. She started playing her own games, picking up from her own cloud saves on the Steam Deck, and then she just kept playing. A few days later of not having access to my Steam Deck, I realized it wasn't my Steam Deck anymore. I bought her a cute skin and some panda thumbstick covers and presented it to her as HER Steam Deck, then I ordered another one for myself. Since then, her Switch Lite has been collecting dust. She's been sinking tons of time into Stardew Valley, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Bear and Breakfast, Cult of the Lamb, Cozy Grove, Story of Seasons, and more. I had to order her a 1 TB SSD and swap it out for her so she has room for all her cozy games. She does stick to her desktop for Apex and for more demanding games that, while they play fine on the Deck, are probably better off on the desktop. The cool thing about the Deck is you can treat it like a console and just pick it up and play, but unlike a console you CAN rip in to the technical nitty-gritty aspects of it if you want to.
Awesome review. It's the same for me, the Switch is collecting dust right now. The main reason is that Steam has finally become the only platform I am willing to invest my money into. video game consoles have died in intervals of 5-7 years. Putting you in a cycle of constantly buying new peripherals, re-buying favorite games. I am tired of it. Steam has existed for me since 2004 and every game I have ever purchased is still on my account (and yes, I am old. I'm in my 40's now)... What I love about the Steam Deck is that I can play on my PC and then continue that progress traveling, visit family or just lay in bed either playing locally on the device or even streaming games from a PC. Being able to commit to a singular platform that has held its own in 20 years is something I truly cherish. And emulation of course... The Steam Deck single-handedly is able to play EVERY game I have ever played since I started playing computer-/video games in 1986. That's AMAZING.
I think you hit the nail on the head-the Steam Deck is pure perfection for couch gaming and cozy gaming around the house. While the Steam Deck is fine portably, the smaller, lighter Switch is also my go-to for trips without outlets. Something that has kept my Switch more relevant for me is that it’s an original model which is easily hacked, so I have installed RetroArch and my retro ROM collection, which is pretty great. I do prefer the Steam Deck experience overall, though, and because my Switch is hacked I have ripped my games to play on Deck. The larger screen is the chef’s kiss, as well as little tweaks to controls I can make like on Link’s Awakening where I can use the D-Pad instead of the joystick to control Link. And you’re totally right-the Steam Store means your games are always yours, across PC generations and hardware. That’s the greatest limiting factor to consoles, in my opinion. Great video!
Thank you for a down to earth take on this. It's nice to have a practical perspective rather than spec talk. Only recently got a gaming PC, mainly for VR using Quest 2, my preferred console is Series X, but sometimes I'd like to just game with TV on in the background, both seem worthy
I love my Steam Deck a lot too, and I have taken it out quite a lot more than I thought I would. I had my Deck fall from the roof of a car onto concrete while it was going like 30-40kmh (left it on there and forgot it) and the case it comes with tanked it no problem. One of the side clipped out, but that happens to me ever so often and you can just clip it back in. Ever since then, I've attached my Deck's case to my bag with a carabiner and I've not been worried. It is big, and it certainly doesn't fit inside my bag, but I've found that workaround and it's been wonderful. Highly recommend people give it a try, especially if you use a messenger/shoulder bag. It would probably fit inside most backpacks anyway.
Not the tech bros coming for you 😂 great vid, love that you express your perspective as a casual, cozy gamer. Very happy you’re loving the deck, mine is my baby 🥺 using it in bed and on plane rides have my favorite ways to enjoy it
Really like seeing this point of view, glad just pure gamers are enjoying this device, I was worried the device wouldn't catch on to the less tech savvy community but glad to be proven wrong. I have owned my Steam Deck as well for a year and would like to address some of the cons and maybe offer some input into making your and others experience. -The battery life at the end of the day is not great, but there is some easy to do things to really get some added game time from the deck. The easiest thing to do is just to Cap your FPS to 30, what I personally do is the deck will remember the settings profile you choose for each game. So when I am in hand held mode I usually turn the profile on where I have limited the FPS to 30 and maybe some additional settings like a cap on TDP. But honestly capping to 30 in most games is a huge battery life gain. Obviously this wont do much in games where the best it can do is maintain 30fps but for other games that you get 60fps on lowing it really brings up the battery life so you may see some decent games in the Disney game. -I also had internet connectivity issues with my Steam Deck. When I connected it to my router for the first time I was not getting fast speeds what so ever. I found restarting the Router will get it going better. Some light research suggest the deck struggles with the different bands that a router tries to put the deck on.
I just bought a steamdeck on Monday. I’m so excited! I have been waiting and waiting to play coral island and now I can finally play it plus all those indie games that will never come to the switch or will end up running terribly. 100% agree with your reasons for purchasing one. Thanks for the video❤
I have had my steam deck over a year my switch sits in its case . I like the deck more coz it has the games I want to play cloud saves between my pc and deck Cheaper games And most importantly it's far more comfortable for my big old man hands
Thank you for sharing your experience. After having my deck for a year, I can echo a lot of the same sentiment, and I feel the deck has been the greatest purchase in the entertainment space that I've ever made. I take it absolutely everywhere! And hey... tech guys aren't so bad sometimes. Not everyone gets upset at cozy gamers and casual gamers for having opinions. I totally understand why the description reads "tech guys begone!!!" though. Some people in the steam deck community like to run their mouth and try to tell people what to do with their hardware. Glad you're not allowing that to happen to you.
If you already have a decent steam library the price difference really needs to be emphasised. Yeah, a switch is cheaper. But only if you buy like 1 game. Even 2 of the AAA games and you're at the price point of a steam deck. Also you can relatively cheaply get external batteries that can you can keep in your bag and plug the deck into a port on your bag and boom, much longer play time. But yeah it sucks at connecting to hotspots. If you play a lot of mandatory online games that will make things difficult.
I'd love to get the Steam Deck for all the things you mentioned; but the portability aspect and the bulk of the console itself, mixed in with my iffy home internet and in Australia at least it isn't, as far as I remember easy to get a hold of for a bunch of reasons that relate to shipping the thing and hoops to ordering it.
I've always been a handheld fan, since I was a kid. They're just cozy. Curling on the couch with my Game boy as a kid, then my GBC, and GBA, DS, 3DS, PSP, Switch, Steam deck. So nice. I think the real winner here is the consumer. Switch rejuvenated the handheld market at a time when smartphones was killing it. Now we have Switch and Steam Deck making sure handheld fans eat good. Switch for exclusives, Steam Deck for everything else. I wish it had OLED, and if they drop an OLED Steam deck it's on site with my wallet.
Yup me to see handheld gaming come this far since the ds and gameboy advance is fucking amazing the fact I can play all console games in the go is just mind blowing to me
The OLED version fixes the battery life issue. I get more than twice the battery than my LCD SD. Some smaller games give me almost 10 hours. The device itself is also lighter. So you should upgrade!
The deck is decent as a portable. You need a DBrand killswitch case or similar and you need to learn how per game power profiles work. I can get several hours out of Balders Gate before needing a charger or battery pack. A battery pack is the other accessory you want.
I have the lenovo legion go, a switch and a desktop pc with an rtx 3070 and honestly there are days where its pretty cold and i just wanna lay in bed all day and use the legion go instead of sitting at my desk.
great video totally agree with everything you said. I've had my deck for awhile now and it's my go to handheld always in my bag and I recently went back to my switch cause a VN came out on it that wasn't on steam and it was hard to go back to it. I also love the level of customization that the steam deck allows. Custom plugins let me have a ui unique to me and the fact that If I had bought the 64 gig model I could always upgrage to a bigger ssd down the line. Plus just being able to play pc games on the couch while still hanging out with my family is sweet.
Note on poor battery in commute: You can play less demanding games with lower graphics settings and make it last 4+ hours. Some recommendations: Vampire survivors and games inspired by it, Nova Drift (roguelike with good player control over the run) Puzzle games (Hexcells, Baba is You), Horizon Chase Turbo (Retro arcade-like Racing)
Love the video! Great informational video, I definitely agree with you. You hit everything on the nail of comparison! I definitely find myself grabbing my steam deck way more, plus you can dock it for that console experience! Thanks for the review! 👾
You can make the battery last longer by going into the settings and changing the wattage of the CPU. I changed the wattage of my CPU for games that aren't that demanding like The Shape of Things to 4-5 watts from the default 15 watts and it adds 3-4 more hours. You can also change the refresh rate to 40 Hrtz and that will add more battery life as well. I don't mind the 40 Hrtz refresh rate because at 40 Hrtz most of the games are buttery smooth and they look better than if I was playing at 30 Hrtz for the refresh rate.
The amount of dust my switch is sadly collecting right now is all thanks to my steam deck and ROG Ally. Zelda brought it out of retirement for a bit but that was it 😂. It’s great to see the handheld scene expanding 🥲 Hi everybody 👋🏽
8:23 THIS!!! Before Steam Deck came out I used to port beg for games on Switch and man… it was tiring. When Steam Deck was announced I was so excited not to port beg anymore.
Look into moonlight, stream your pc to steam deck, better battery life and graphics this way, and to fix the wifi issue, disable wifi power management in developer settings
That’s crazy u made this video. I returned my Nintendo switch oled to Best Buy and rolled the dice and got the steam deck. I don’t know anyone with the steam deck and I’m relying on TH-cam. My deck arrives today and I’m excited.
Oh I also forgot to mention. I got the 64gb version and a 1TB storage upgrade. It was harder than I thought to do it but I managed! Saved me some cash and I have twice the storage of the 512gb version. Been running through my Steam backlog and completing games ♥️
Two of the Steam Decks greatest features are the ultra cheap games, as the most I've paid for any AAA title was $20 and that was for RDR2. All my other games have cost a few dollars or $10 at most for some AAA titles, it's really bonkers how cheap the games can be. Then there is the free online, while everyone else charges with varying degrees of quality(looking at your Nintendo), PC gaming online is free as it should be.
Omg where did you get that Steam Deck decal from? I want it for my future Steam deck! I use my Switch sometimes but I keep trying to justify it but my heart is leaning way more to buying a Steam Deck. I may give it to someone in my family or sell it because I want the Steam Deck way more. It has more games and backwards compatibility
love your content so much Aipommy :) i love steam on my PC so much but wish i had the option to play in bed as well. Im looking into purchasing a steam deck so i can play my cozy games! its also great because steam runes so many sales on the games we love ! switch is great, but definitely more expensive with less cozy options :P thanks so much for this honest review, now i cant wait to get one ! :)
I have sold my Switch recently but I miss Mariokart already :') Tried to get it working in emulator but it get stuck on "Pick a Mii" screen and I cannot play it
Hi, i have issue connecting to hotspot too, then i realized i need to restart it only it can connect nicely to hotspot (cant do it waking up from standby. Not sure why
You can emulate all your Switch games on the Deck so it kinda makes the argument about exclusive titles a moot point. The same goes for other console exclusives. And if the Deck can't render the game locally, there's always cloud streaming services like PS Now.
Awesome review, but I have to give it credit where it’s due to Nintendo, most indie titles run amazing on the switch and look way better with the switch oleds display. I cannot wait for the switch 2. Also love SD but the display is very lackluster compared to my switch Oled and rog ally and soon legion go. I really hope in the next version of the steam deck that the display is improved. I still like having without side loading , SIM card booting windows to play my other launchers as well like gamepass, epic, gog. I know I can sorta get it going on steam deck but it’s not as smooth. I know you can use emu deck but I still like nintendos 1st party titles so I can’t get rid of my switch alongside it’s fun for when people are over and lots of multiplayer games. If you’re not into Nintendos IP then steam deck is an amazing value and way to play your steam library, but if you have a lot of other launchers with a massive library then the ally or legion go esp the legion go will be amazing as well. What a good time for handheld gaming. Also Palia is sooo fun although I haven’t tried it with controller.
Do you have a video that lists games you’d recommend for new Steam Deck users? Specifically people like me, who have been in the Nintendo camp my whole life
Sorry for being late to the conversation. I'm not a Nintendo gamer. But I can say for sure absolutely hands down, Nintendo is basically it's own market. They have done such a good job with their first party titles. I own and love the Deck. Basically it's made gaming possible for me and I have been actually finishing games now that I own it. I would tell anybody to get the deck, their gaming library will only get bigger over time unlike traditional console gaming. And I would tell those same people, if you love the Nintendo first party titles then you need to get the Switch. The new OLED Deck is I think a great example of Valves commitment. Buying into the Deck eco system is a win for anybody. I think in three-ish years when a Deck 2 comes out, that will be when you get mass adoption of the Deck eco system. That's how it has been with all the consoles in the past. I say, if you are a Nintendo gamer or a PC gamer, you just can't go wrong with either. Nintendo has done such a good job with their titles and Valve is hitting a home run themselves. If you can swing both systems, you will have access to practically every great title.
Me and bro love our switch oled and switch lite but we are thinking getting the steamdeck. Mainly cause has a large assortment of games we want thats on it but also from what i heard steam os is easier to work with than those more expensive handheld pc that use windows
Imagine being a South Park fanboy and really were wanting to play those 2 South Park games, Stick of Truth and Fractured Butt Hole; but felt like the best way to play them would be in bed after dinner. Laptop wasn't going to cut it. Steamdeck allowed me to finally buy those games.
My Steam Deck has fully replaced my Nintendo Switch and Gaming Laptop. I love my boy. I have a Power Bank I also use for my Phone and I can get 10+ Hours at Minimum.
Casual gamer here too. If a game I want is on switch and steam deck, I buy it on steam. The only reason I still play switch is cause those certain games are not on steam. Steam game prices are also better, and go often on sale. I also like how it is more comfortable to hold than the switch. I remember buying Disney Dreamlight valley on switch and got so frustrated with the constant crashing that I gave up on the game. My husband bought me the steam one and now I only play it on steam. Also, if you don't like a game on steam, and played for less than 2h gameplay (up to 14 days past the purchase) you can get a refund,
I could be wrong but if I had to guess by your accident, I would say your Brazilian and learned English in Canada. Am I right? My wife is from Rio so I'm used to the accident. I'm from the US
If you're just using it because you don't want to sit at a desk, there are ways to output to a living room TV. But besides your other reasons, for me, it's for traveling only and I like to continue the game I already was playing. And I don't have to double dip to get a poorly running Switch version. For some reason, the Switch even struggles with 2D indie games.
For good battery life, if you don't want to just play indie games, it's worth trying older AAA titles. There's loads of stuff that's maybe ten years old that most people don't know and still looks and plays great (especially on a smaller screen), and doesn't have all that stupid launcher stuff. You can maybe play the older stuff when you're travelling and save new AAA titles for home.
I have Steam Deck Oled and I have Switch Oled but I love my Nintendo Switch Oled more than my Steam deck Oled because I love my games that I played like Zelda games, Metroid Prime, all Bayonetta games, Kirby, Animal Crossing, Mario and Paper Mario, Mario Rabbids, Fire Emblem games, and Pokémons, Luigi’s Mansion 2 & 3, and etc Steam deck Oled don’t have my favorite Nintendo games I know Steam Deck runs well on games but I get bored easily on triple AAA games 😂😂😂😂 and soon we have Zelda echoes of wisdom coming and new Mario and Luigi’s games and Capcom Fighting Collections on switch I’m so excited and Metroid Prime 4 as well next year
I don't own a Steamdeck or anything like it, and I also don't touch my Switch much anymore. It's just not for me anymore. I'd like a Steamdeck. Also I'd like to finish some Switch games I own, like Pikmin 4 I was enjoying a lot.
Well technically you can play Nintendo exclusives on your Steamdeck. Legally if you dump the Roms from your hacked console yourself. I‘m playing Pokemon Luminescent Platinum on the Steamdeck for example. A mod that turns Brilliant Diamond into the Platinum remake we deserved and so much more. I could also play it on my hacked Switch itself but it just looks and runs so much better at 60fps on the Steamdeck. If I have the choice I‘ll just always prefer to play my games on Steamdeck which doesn‘t try to stop me from improving my gaming experience. Edit: Oh and also battery life is less of an issue with the OLED model. Even with the most graphically intensive games you can squeeze almost 3 hours out of this thing. Still not perfect but much better than the LCD model which struggles to hit 2 hours on the same games. If you‘re playing less graphically intensive games like retro games then you can easily squeeze out 6 or 7 hours or even more out of this thing. Enough for a daily commute at least.
I've been thinking about this too, but given Nintendo's aggression recently taking down Ryujinx/Yuzu, it might stop being so easy to play them due to infrequent updates, etc. Echoes of Wisdom runs great but still has problems on emulators. Otherwise I'd be on board with getting rid of my OLED Switch for a OLED Deck too, lol.
To be honest, there aren't really many issues with having both a Switch and a Steam Deck. It's a wonderful thing - I must tell you this, coming from owning an Xbox One and a gaming PC! At least Nintendo has a ton of games that aren't available on computers (such as Mario Odyssey and others). Xbox has virtually none. So, if u are unsure as to which console you want, just use the Steam Deck for your everyday gaming needs (handheld-wise) and the Switch for your casual Nintendo-gaming needs (if u are in the mood to play Mario). Now, having said that, there are ways to also emulate Nintendo games on Steam Deck! If you can afford to have both consoles, I'd say, pay for the main line Nintendo stuff with Switch and have your Steam library on the go with the Deck. If you are poor, consider to spend those precious dimes on a Deck. If necessary, you can emulate a sh** ton of games, while having cheaper options when buying game titles as well - via key resellers or on the original Steam website (sales).
Well, I’ll be honest. After the last two weeks I’ve been looking for a gaming console either a new Xbox x or something portable. I only recently got my analog game boy mini and it’s amazing! This made me think about steam deck but over the reviews even though not as powerful as ally. Most people said it was well optimized and some games played better from wat I saw on videos. Well, ur video was the last one that made me buy it right now! I thought about it and I was like, “I have resident evil st 60fps!” And so many others… on handheld. Plus, I can just buy the legion go later or my Xbox which I want. Wat made me wait is I love ori so much. It’s a beautiful game and I wanted to play it portable but u can’t on steam deck it least not easy. That’s why I wanted to wait for legion go or just get an Xbox right now. Well the deck is on sale and it ends tomorrow 10am. I’m happy with my purchase and I’ll upgrade to a gig of ram when I get it. Btw my cat is name ori so yea, hard decision and I know switch has ori, I got one but I want to play it on its highest settings and graphics and switch can’t do it. Well, can’t wait so excited!!! All I hear is good things about steam deck. Also my comment earlier is my awful joking 🙃
In future = steam os + andriod So that people can enjoy games on mobile phones. Hope steam proton supports arm architecture. Android is linux, and Steam Os is also linux ❤
I even went as far as emulating some of the Switch games I just wouldn't bring myself to finish on the Switch because of the poor performance and ugly visuals. SD even makes it super easy to do so, no hacks or whatever. And my conscience is clear since I've paid for all the shit and both Nintendo eshop and their cartridges are known to expire in a few years.
You are a perfect example why I hate people saying that valve should drop the 64gb model. It's price is great and the storage size and type is exactly the same as the oled switch.
64gb is perfect, even as a tech guy myself i only have the 64 and a 512 sd card and its perfect. Play mostly indie games and have one or two big games installed, plus I have a gaming pc and it makes it so easy to stream
Why would someone advocate for less storage options? Even if 64GB isn't enough for someone, it still gives people a cheaper option which can be upgraded for less money than what Valve is asking for the higher priced default storage.
I'm glad you as a casual speaks about the deck as us tech nerds tend to be the loudest in this topic. It makes us happy when something we love attracts new members.
I bought a SD about two months ago. Paid 300$. Ended up selling my switch. Made most of the money back as well. I love it! No regrets. The only game I’ll miss is AC.
Assuming you aren't afraid of tinkering, you can set up very high quality Switch emulation on the Steam Deck, including AC:NH! There are plenty of tutorials online if you'd need assistance figuring it out.
Assassin's Creed is playable on steam deck though??
@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716I think they mean Animal Crossing
@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716 Animal Crossing 👍
@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716 haha I was so confused as well, AC in pc gaming pretty much always means assassins creed lol
Honestly thinking of selling my switch, steam deck has taken over completely 🥰
Imagine what the next gen Steam deck will be when it comes out🤔
I actually did that last year and it was the best move I ever made! :D
Just keep both? I wanna get a Sega Nomad as well.
Tech guy here. Sorry, I know I'm not allowed, but I just wanted to share an experience on behalf of my cozy-gamer wife.
I got myself a Steam Deck, as a tech guy of course. My wife is more of a Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing kind of gamer, though she does have a PC and a Steam account. She uses that mostly for watching Twitch streams and for playing the occasional round of Apex Legends. She expressed curiosity about the Deck, so I logged her account into it and handed it to her to try out.
She started playing her own games, picking up from her own cloud saves on the Steam Deck, and then she just kept playing. A few days later of not having access to my Steam Deck, I realized it wasn't my Steam Deck anymore. I bought her a cute skin and some panda thumbstick covers and presented it to her as HER Steam Deck, then I ordered another one for myself.
Since then, her Switch Lite has been collecting dust. She's been sinking tons of time into Stardew Valley, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Bear and Breakfast, Cult of the Lamb, Cozy Grove, Story of Seasons, and more. I had to order her a 1 TB SSD and swap it out for her so she has room for all her cozy games. She does stick to her desktop for Apex and for more demanding games that, while they play fine on the Deck, are probably better off on the desktop.
The cool thing about the Deck is you can treat it like a console and just pick it up and play, but unlike a console you CAN rip in to the technical nitty-gritty aspects of it if you want to.
I love this story 🥺 you have official approval to be here as a tech guy!!
@@CrayonConoisseur Just asked her. That's one she apparently plays on her desktop, actually. Got that one wrong.
Another plus of the deck is you get cloud saves for free vs paying for Nintendo's membership to have your saves properly backed up.
My biggest regret is I took so long to upgrade to the oled only to be lucky enough to also afford a steam deck and now the oled gets totally ignored 😅
Now you just need to get an OLED Steam Deck so you can ignore your original Steal Deck lol
Now who needs an OLED Steam Deck XD
Why I'm using my Steam Deck more than my Switch - piracy 😂
real
its okay to pirate EA games because fuck EA 😂😂
@@CrayonConoisseurSame here, fuck the publishers with their $70 amateur-like indie titles
It is not about piracy. Steam Deck has way more titles than nintendo switch poor library, plus the fact the cost much cheaper and perform better.
@@Steam_Amancio and more fps then windows🤣🤣
I finally broke down and bought one, and I have no regrets!!! I’ve been so excited to play all of the games that I can’t play on my switch!🥰💖
Yay!!!! I’m so happy to hear that enjoy! 🥰
Awesome review. It's the same for me, the Switch is collecting dust right now. The main reason is that Steam has finally become the only platform I am willing to invest my money into. video game consoles have died in intervals of 5-7 years. Putting you in a cycle of constantly buying new peripherals, re-buying favorite games. I am tired of it. Steam has existed for me since 2004 and every game I have ever purchased is still on my account (and yes, I am old. I'm in my 40's now)... What I love about the Steam Deck is that I can play on my PC and then continue that progress traveling, visit family or just lay in bed either playing locally on the device or even streaming games from a PC. Being able to commit to a singular platform that has held its own in 20 years is something I truly cherish. And emulation of course... The Steam Deck single-handedly is able to play EVERY game I have ever played since I started playing computer-/video games in 1986. That's AMAZING.
I think you hit the nail on the head-the Steam Deck is pure perfection for couch gaming and cozy gaming around the house. While the Steam Deck is fine portably, the smaller, lighter Switch is also my go-to for trips without outlets. Something that has kept my Switch more relevant for me is that it’s an original model which is easily hacked, so I have installed RetroArch and my retro ROM collection, which is pretty great. I do prefer the Steam Deck experience overall, though, and because my Switch is hacked I have ripped my games to play on Deck. The larger screen is the chef’s kiss, as well as little tweaks to controls I can make like on Link’s Awakening where I can use the D-Pad instead of the joystick to control Link. And you’re totally right-the Steam Store means your games are always yours, across PC generations and hardware. That’s the greatest limiting factor to consoles, in my opinion. Great video!
I know right? My hand don't hurt after an hour of playing.
Thank you for a down to earth take on this. It's nice to have a practical perspective rather than spec talk. Only recently got a gaming PC, mainly for VR using Quest 2, my preferred console is Series X, but sometimes I'd like to just game with TV on in the background, both seem worthy
yuzu on the steam deck FTW, my switch is a dust collector
I love my Steam Deck a lot too, and I have taken it out quite a lot more than I thought I would.
I had my Deck fall from the roof of a car onto concrete while it was going like 30-40kmh (left it on there and forgot it) and the case it comes with tanked it no problem. One of the side clipped out, but that happens to me ever so often and you can just clip it back in. Ever since then, I've attached my Deck's case to my bag with a carabiner and I've not been worried.
It is big, and it certainly doesn't fit inside my bag, but I've found that workaround and it's been wonderful. Highly recommend people give it a try, especially if you use a messenger/shoulder bag. It would probably fit inside most backpacks anyway.
Now she's probably thinking, "Do I now buy the Steam Deck OLED or wait for the Nintendo Super Switch 2?"
Not the tech bros coming for you 😂 great vid, love that you express your perspective as a casual, cozy gamer. Very happy you’re loving the deck, mine is my baby 🥺 using it in bed and on plane rides have my favorite ways to enjoy it
Really like seeing this point of view, glad just pure gamers are enjoying this device, I was worried the device wouldn't catch on to the less tech savvy community but glad to be proven wrong. I have owned my Steam Deck as well for a year and would like to address some of the cons and maybe offer some input into making your and others experience.
-The battery life at the end of the day is not great, but there is some easy to do things to really get some added game time from the deck. The easiest thing to do is just to Cap your FPS to 30, what I personally do is the deck will remember the settings profile you choose for each game. So when I am in hand held mode I usually turn the profile on where I have limited the FPS to 30 and maybe some additional settings like a cap on TDP. But honestly capping to 30 in most games is a huge battery life gain. Obviously this wont do much in games where the best it can do is maintain 30fps but for other games that you get 60fps on lowing it really brings up the battery life so you may see some decent games in the Disney game.
-I also had internet connectivity issues with my Steam Deck. When I connected it to my router for the first time I was not getting fast speeds what so ever. I found restarting the Router will get it going better. Some light research suggest the deck struggles with the different bands that a router tries to put the deck on.
I just bought a steamdeck on Monday. I’m so excited! I have been waiting and waiting to play coral island and now I can finally play it plus all those indie games that will never come to the switch or will end up running terribly. 100% agree with your reasons for purchasing one. Thanks for the video❤
It’s amazing that valve refreshed the design recently, because now they added a slightly better battery and wifi won’t be an issue anymore
I have had my steam deck over a year my switch sits in its case
. I like the deck more coz it has the games I want to play cloud saves between my pc and deck
Cheaper games
And most importantly it's far more comfortable for my big old man hands
Thank you for sharing your experience. After having my deck for a year, I can echo a lot of the same sentiment, and I feel the deck has been the greatest purchase in the entertainment space that I've ever made. I take it absolutely everywhere!
And hey... tech guys aren't so bad sometimes. Not everyone gets upset at cozy gamers and casual gamers for having opinions. I totally understand why the description reads "tech guys begone!!!" though. Some people in the steam deck community like to run their mouth and try to tell people what to do with their hardware. Glad you're not allowing that to happen to you.
If you already have a decent steam library the price difference really needs to be emphasised. Yeah, a switch is cheaper. But only if you buy like 1 game. Even 2 of the AAA games and you're at the price point of a steam deck.
Also you can relatively cheaply get external batteries that can you can keep in your bag and plug the deck into a port on your bag and boom, much longer play time. But yeah it sucks at connecting to hotspots. If you play a lot of mandatory online games that will make things difficult.
I'd love to get the Steam Deck for all the things you mentioned; but the portability aspect and the bulk of the console itself, mixed in with my iffy home internet and in Australia at least it isn't, as far as I remember easy to get a hold of for a bunch of reasons that relate to shipping the thing and hoops to ordering it.
I've always been a handheld fan, since I was a kid. They're just cozy. Curling on the couch with my Game boy as a kid, then my GBC, and GBA, DS, 3DS, PSP, Switch, Steam deck. So nice. I think the real winner here is the consumer. Switch rejuvenated the handheld market at a time when smartphones was killing it. Now we have Switch and Steam Deck making sure handheld fans eat good. Switch for exclusives, Steam Deck for everything else. I wish it had OLED, and if they drop an OLED Steam deck it's on site with my wallet.
Lucky you! Are you getting the OLED Deck?
Yup me to see handheld gaming come this far since the ds and gameboy advance is fucking amazing the fact I can play all console games in the go is just mind blowing to me
The OLED version fixes the battery life issue. I get more than twice the battery than my LCD SD. Some smaller games give me almost 10 hours. The device itself is also lighter. So you should upgrade!
The deck is decent as a portable. You need a DBrand killswitch case or similar and you need to learn how per game power profiles work. I can get several hours out of Balders Gate before needing a charger or battery pack. A battery pack is the other accessory you want.
I bought the steam deck after seeing your first review and you totally sold me on it, now I have the rog ally since I prefer windows.
I have the lenovo legion go, a switch and a desktop pc with an rtx 3070 and honestly there are days where its pretty cold and i just wanna lay in bed all day and use the legion go instead of sitting at my desk.
great video totally agree with everything you said. I've had my deck for awhile now and it's my go to handheld always in my bag and I recently went back to my switch cause a VN came out on it that wasn't on steam and it was hard to go back to it. I also love the level of customization that the steam deck allows. Custom plugins let me have a ui unique to me and the fact that If I had bought the 64 gig model I could always upgrage to a bigger ssd down the line. Plus just being able to play pc games on the couch while still hanging out with my family is sweet.
Note on poor battery in commute: You can play less demanding games with lower graphics settings and make it last 4+ hours.
Some recommendations:
Vampire survivors and games inspired by it,
Nova Drift (roguelike with good player control over the run)
Puzzle games (Hexcells, Baba is You),
Horizon Chase Turbo (Retro arcade-like Racing)
Usually I limit the heavier games to 30fps with reduced TDP and resolution with FSR on.
Love the video! Great informational video, I definitely agree with you. You hit everything on the nail of comparison! I definitely find myself grabbing my steam deck way more, plus you can dock it for that console experience! Thanks for the review! 👾
You can make the battery last longer by going into the settings and changing the wattage of the CPU. I changed the wattage of my CPU for games that aren't that demanding like The Shape of Things to 4-5 watts from the default 15 watts and it adds 3-4 more hours. You can also change the refresh rate to 40 Hrtz and that will add more battery life as well. I don't mind the 40 Hrtz refresh rate because at 40 Hrtz most of the games are buttery smooth and they look better than if I was playing at 30 Hrtz for the refresh rate.
The amount of dust my switch is sadly collecting right now is all thanks to my steam deck and ROG Ally. Zelda brought it out of retirement for a bit but that was it 😂. It’s great to see the handheld scene expanding 🥲
Hi everybody 👋🏽
Switch exclusive: Yuzu Emulator
I can play most switch games on my steam deck
8:23 THIS!!! Before Steam Deck came out I used to port beg for games on Switch and man… it was tiring. When Steam Deck was announced I was so excited not to port beg anymore.
Best gaming purchase ive ever made. Hands down! Valves back on top
Look into moonlight, stream your pc to steam deck, better battery life and graphics this way, and to fix the wifi issue, disable wifi power management in developer settings
You should go for the Oled version, it’s really night and day difference!
That’s crazy u made this video. I returned my Nintendo switch oled to Best Buy and rolled the dice and got the steam deck. I don’t know anyone with the steam deck and I’m relying on TH-cam. My deck arrives today and I’m excited.
Oh I also forgot to mention. I got the 64gb version and a 1TB storage upgrade. It was harder than I thought to do it but I managed! Saved me some cash and I have twice the storage of the 512gb version. Been running through my Steam backlog and completing games ♥️
Hi! Can you give us some info regarding the skin you're using for the deck?
thank you for this. you've earned a new subscriber
I just got the steam deck and I LOVE it. My only complaint is sometimes it gets a bit heavy when playing for hours, but that's barely a problem.
I got the 64GB model and upgraded the ssd. It now holds a good amount of games and it runs wonderfully.
Two of the Steam Decks greatest features are the ultra cheap games, as the most I've paid for any AAA title was $20 and that was for RDR2. All my other games have cost a few dollars or $10 at most for some AAA titles, it's really bonkers how cheap the games can be. Then there is the free online, while everyone else charges with varying degrees of quality(looking at your Nintendo), PC gaming online is free as it should be.
Omg where did you get that Steam Deck decal from? I want it for my future Steam deck!
I use my Switch sometimes but I keep trying to justify it but my heart is leaning way more to buying a Steam Deck. I may give it to someone in my family or sell it because I want the Steam Deck way more. It has more games and backwards compatibility
I feel like I should sell off my switch cause I don’t really use it at all. I’ll probably keep my physical games but the SD feels better to me 😂
Oh question with the mig switch being a thing now. Can’t you also use that to play on the steam deck?
love your content so much Aipommy :) i love steam on my PC so much but wish i had the option to play in bed as well. Im looking into purchasing a steam deck so i can play my cozy games! its also great because steam runes so many sales on the games we love ! switch is great, but definitely more expensive with less cozy options :P thanks so much for this honest review, now i cant wait to get one ! :)
Yess it’s so great exactly for that!! 🥰
I have sold my Switch recently but I miss Mariokart already :')
Tried to get it working in emulator but it get stuck on "Pick a Mii" screen and I cannot play it
Hi, i have issue connecting to hotspot too, then i realized i need to restart it only it can connect nicely to hotspot (cant do it waking up from standby. Not sure why
The steam deck gets the same or near the same amount of battery time the switch dose you have to learn the power management and set accordingly.
@Aipommy yeah other options are anker 737 and Shargeek storm 2
just bought my deck last week,was playing teardown 2 hours today, great relaxing game in sandbox mode.
I just missed the end of the sale today ffs lol
You can emulate all your Switch games on the Deck so it kinda makes the argument about exclusive titles a moot point. The same goes for other console exclusives. And if the Deck can't render the game locally, there's always cloud streaming services like PS Now.
Awesome review, but I have to give it credit where it’s due to Nintendo, most indie titles run amazing on the switch and look way better with the switch oleds display. I cannot wait for the switch 2. Also love SD but the display is very lackluster compared to my switch Oled and rog ally and soon legion go. I really hope in the next version of the steam deck that the display is improved. I still like having without side loading , SIM card booting windows to play my other launchers as well like gamepass, epic, gog. I know I can sorta get it going on steam deck but it’s not as smooth. I know you can use emu deck but I still like nintendos 1st party titles so I can’t get rid of my switch alongside it’s fun for when people are over and lots of multiplayer games. If you’re not into Nintendos IP then steam deck is an amazing value and way to play your steam library, but if you have a lot of other launchers with a massive library then the ally or legion go esp the legion go will be amazing as well. What a good time for handheld gaming. Also Palia is sooo fun although I haven’t tried it with controller.
Do you have a video that lists games you’d recommend for new Steam Deck users? Specifically people like me, who have been in the Nintendo camp my whole life
I can’t wait to save up for mine!
Sorry for being late to the conversation. I'm not a Nintendo gamer. But I can say for sure absolutely hands down, Nintendo is basically it's own market. They have done such a good job with their first party titles. I own and love the Deck. Basically it's made gaming possible for me and I have been actually finishing games now that I own it. I would tell anybody to get the deck, their gaming library will only get bigger over time unlike traditional console gaming. And I would tell those same people, if you love the Nintendo first party titles then you need to get the Switch. The new OLED Deck is I think a great example of Valves commitment. Buying into the Deck eco system is a win for anybody. I think in three-ish years when a Deck 2 comes out, that will be when you get mass adoption of the Deck eco system. That's how it has been with all the consoles in the past. I say, if you are a Nintendo gamer or a PC gamer, you just can't go wrong with either. Nintendo has done such a good job with their titles and Valve is hitting a home run themselves. If you can swing both systems, you will have access to practically every great title.
They are not competing at all wtf are you talking about
@@BossUpNikka Maybe this is a misplaced reply. I never referred to either company competing.
I had my 64gd steam deck for a year love the thing I upgrade to a 512gb. Another reason I love my deck is how comfortable it is.
I got my deck a few days ago. My switch hasn't been touched since 😊
Me and bro love our switch oled and switch lite but we are thinking getting the steamdeck. Mainly cause has a large assortment of games we want thats on it but also from what i heard steam os is easier to work with than those more expensive handheld pc that use windows
how many hours does it last when just browsing internet on desktop mode?
NICE REVIEW GIRL GAMER 😊
Imagine being a South Park fanboy and really were wanting to play those 2 South Park games, Stick of Truth and Fractured Butt Hole; but felt like the best way to play them would be in bed after dinner. Laptop wasn't going to cut it. Steamdeck allowed me to finally buy those games.
Man should truly should try emudeck adds so much value
My Steam Deck has fully replaced my Nintendo Switch and Gaming Laptop. I love my boy.
I have a Power Bank I also use for my Phone and I can get 10+ Hours at Minimum.
Casual gamer here too. If a game I want is on switch and steam deck, I buy it on steam. The only reason I still play switch is cause those certain games are not on steam. Steam game prices are also better, and go often on sale. I also like how it is more comfortable to hold than the switch.
I remember buying Disney Dreamlight valley on switch and got so frustrated with the constant crashing that I gave up on the game. My husband bought me the steam one and now I only play it on steam.
Also, if you don't like a game on steam, and played for less than 2h gameplay (up to 14 days past the purchase) you can get a refund,
Similar setup for me. Switch for the exclusives, SD for everything else. I have a gaming rig but don't actually use it for games much these days.
I could be wrong but if I had to guess by your accident, I would say your Brazilian and learned English in Canada. Am I right? My wife is from Rio so I'm used to the accident. I'm from the US
If you're just using it because you don't want to sit at a desk, there are ways to output to a living room TV. But besides your other reasons, for me, it's for traveling only and I like to continue the game I already was playing. And I don't have to double dip to get a poorly running Switch version. For some reason, the Switch even struggles with 2D indie games.
You can emulate pretty much all Nintendo Games on the Deck.
If you don't use your Nintendo switch can I have it
2:09-2:13 You mean Steam Deck?
For good battery life, if you don't want to just play indie games, it's worth trying older AAA titles. There's loads of stuff that's maybe ten years old that most people don't know and still looks and plays great (especially on a smaller screen), and doesn't have all that stupid launcher stuff. You can maybe play the older stuff when you're travelling and save new AAA titles for home.
DRM are the reason I only buy games on GOG, and I play them on my Deck :)
I wouldn't take it out anyway, too scared to get it ruined or stolen
I have Steam Deck Oled and I have Switch Oled but I love my Nintendo Switch Oled more than my Steam deck Oled because I love my games that I played like Zelda games, Metroid Prime, all Bayonetta games, Kirby, Animal Crossing, Mario and Paper Mario, Mario Rabbids, Fire Emblem games, and Pokémons, Luigi’s Mansion 2 & 3, and etc Steam deck Oled don’t have my favorite Nintendo games I know Steam Deck runs well on games but I get bored easily on triple AAA games 😂😂😂😂 and soon we have Zelda echoes of wisdom coming and new Mario and Luigi’s games and Capcom Fighting Collections on switch I’m so excited and Metroid Prime 4 as well next year
Just admit you're a Nintendo bootlicker
Wait u think it’s too hard to carry an adapter in ur bag to bring a steam deck? The switch is almost the same size… (like omg rolled eyes! Angries!)
Hotspots are pretty bad. With a 300mbit down, hotapot still get like 2mbit down.
Both are very good systems very happy i have both.
I don't own a Steamdeck or anything like it, and I also don't touch my Switch much anymore.
It's just not for me anymore.
I'd like a Steamdeck. Also I'd like to finish some Switch games I own, like Pikmin 4 I was enjoying a lot.
Well technically you can play Nintendo exclusives on your Steamdeck. Legally if you dump the Roms from your hacked console yourself. I‘m playing Pokemon Luminescent Platinum on the Steamdeck for example. A mod that turns Brilliant Diamond into the Platinum remake we deserved and so much more. I could also play it on my hacked Switch itself but it just looks and runs so much better at 60fps on the Steamdeck. If I have the choice I‘ll just always prefer to play my games on Steamdeck which doesn‘t try to stop me from improving my gaming experience.
Edit: Oh and also battery life is less of an issue with the OLED model. Even with the most graphically intensive games you can squeeze almost 3 hours out of this thing. Still not perfect but much better than the LCD model which struggles to hit 2 hours on the same games. If you‘re playing less graphically intensive games like retro games then you can easily squeeze out 6 or 7 hours or even more out of this thing. Enough for a daily commute at least.
I've been thinking about this too, but given Nintendo's aggression recently taking down Ryujinx/Yuzu, it might stop being so easy to play them due to infrequent updates, etc. Echoes of Wisdom runs great but still has problems on emulators. Otherwise I'd be on board with getting rid of my OLED Switch for a OLED Deck too, lol.
Make a video of some your absolutely favorite games to play on the Deck that you recommend to anyone else
To be honest, there aren't really many issues with having both a Switch and a Steam Deck. It's a wonderful thing - I must tell you this, coming from owning an Xbox One and a gaming PC! At least Nintendo has a ton of games that aren't available on computers (such as Mario Odyssey and others). Xbox has virtually none. So, if u are unsure as to which console you want, just use the Steam Deck for your everyday gaming needs (handheld-wise) and the Switch for your casual Nintendo-gaming needs (if u are in the mood to play Mario). Now, having said that, there are ways to also emulate Nintendo games on Steam Deck! If you can afford to have both consoles, I'd say, pay for the main line Nintendo stuff with Switch and have your Steam library on the go with the Deck. If you are poor, consider to spend those precious dimes on a Deck. If necessary, you can emulate a sh** ton of games, while having cheaper options when buying game titles as well - via key resellers or on the original Steam website (sales).
I love my Steam Deck but not the OS, even tho I have it dual boot, the best way to enjoy it it with Windows, just like having a ROG Ally! 😉
Well, I’ll be honest. After the last two weeks I’ve been looking for a gaming console either a new Xbox x or something portable. I only recently got my analog game boy mini and it’s amazing! This made me think about steam deck but over the reviews even though not as powerful as ally. Most people said it was well optimized and some games played better from wat I saw on videos. Well, ur video was the last one that made me buy it right now! I thought about it and I was like, “I have resident evil st 60fps!” And so many others… on handheld. Plus, I can just buy the legion go later or my Xbox which I want. Wat made me wait is I love ori so much. It’s a beautiful game and I wanted to play it portable but u can’t on steam deck it least not easy. That’s why I wanted to wait for legion go or just get an Xbox right now. Well the deck is on sale and it ends tomorrow 10am. I’m happy with my purchase and I’ll upgrade to a gig of ram when I get it. Btw my cat is name ori so yea, hard decision and I know switch has ori, I got one but I want to play it on its highest settings and graphics and switch can’t do it. Well, can’t wait so excited!!! All I hear is good things about steam deck. Also my comment earlier is my awful joking 🙃
Still uses my oled more, even with decky plugins, my oled still lasts much longer and has a much much better screen than my deck
i love mine just wish i could play it bed more but my cat dosent let me😂
your steam deck is super cute, like you lol
For me the Switch and the Deck is a perfect Combo. Why choosing?
relatable content
You can do so much on steam that not everybody will be able to accomplish
In future = steam os + andriod
So that people can enjoy games on mobile phones. Hope steam proton supports arm architecture. Android is linux, and Steam Os is also linux ❤
My steam deck is my switch lol and nice I love my emulation beast Oled Deck. You should learn emulation on it.
Steam Deck is so much better than the Switch. Haven’t touched my Switch since I bought the deck.
I play Switch exclusives on my Steam Deck
Unconsciously... right, and it's bigger :)
I get three or four hours on my steam deck playing Skyrim.
I even went as far as emulating some of the Switch games I just wouldn't bring myself to finish on the Switch because of the poor performance and ugly visuals. SD even makes it super easy to do so, no hacks or whatever. And my conscience is clear since I've paid for all the shit and both Nintendo eshop and their cartridges are known to expire in a few years.