Is the Steam Deck the END of Nintendo Switch? What are your thoughts? Are you buying one, why or why not?? 😱 Go to buyraycon.com/beatemups for up to 15% off your order! Brought to you by Raycon!
Personally I’d much rather a free carrying case then fancy unnecessary packaging. I appreciate a company that’s forgo paying the extra bucks on packaging and placing it into something more functional to the consumer in the long run.
Granted, I do understand how the unboxing experience builds upon the total experience of the device, think how much engineering the iPhone box had just on the unboxing. But you're right, I'd rather the resources and labor used on that be used on something much more functional
Written through a translator. I'm just happy with the Steam Dec box. After all, don’t decorate the box in the end, it’s garbage that is usually thrown away. Moreover, in most cases, there is also harmful garbage, covered with varnishes and paints, The steam deck has the most environmentally friendly, pleasant and functional box, which is good. It was the same with the steam controller. Many criticized his ugly and boring corton box. And on the contrary, I like this strict laconic minimalism, and even functional. The box is too discreet and easy to use as a case, Therefore, for five years I have had this box on the table and store the Steam controller in it. And when I want to play, I just need to reach out my hand to open this laconic suitcase to take the controller)
I've had my Steam Deck for about a month now and your reaction to the weight was EXACTLY the same reaction I had. Everyone says it's "so big" but honestly when you hold it in your hand and feel that weight it makes everything go away. Amazing handheld.
yeah nintendo switch is actually better is more compact and also have joycons …. and have the tv adapter and everything you actually really need case you can buy whatever you like instead of ORIGINAL BY THE COMPANY….
While I really have no plans to get a Steam Deck, I'm hoping that a little healthy competition for the Switch will make Nintendo step up their game with the next Switch (or with some sort of Pro model like the fans have been crying for for years)
I really do think nintendo was originally planning to release a switch pro type of system last year but due to shortages and the pandemic everything changed and we just got the Oled.
It's not really a competition to the Switch. Like, if it were, then the Steam Deck would win every time, just because it's so much cheaper to buy games on Steam. As it is, it's kind of an apples to oranges comparison. The Switch is targeting a completely different market.
I have a Steam Deck got the 64GB version and upgraded the internal SSD to 1TB to save some cash and was surprisingly easy. Not only a great device to game on but in terms of access for upgraded and repairability, it is up there
Steam have already said you risk by swapping out the internal storage. Even if it seems fine. The power draw & charge rate might see the console lose longetivity.
"I have a Steam Deck got the 64GB version" They have a 64gb version?... What is it, 2005? Actually even in 2005 64GB was small. Some games are even larger than 64GB, so I was gonna be generous and say "that's just one game", but for some it's not even one game. And it's not like Valve doesn't have stats on how big some games are, they sell them after all.
@@Death-999 yeah I was just looking at it and I would have to go for the 256gb or 512gb version even if its 529$ and 649$ respectively and the fact that they only require a 5 dollar deposit makes it so I can easily save up by then for the larger storage. Its cool you can upgrade the storage yourself but if its a risk of breaking the console I would rather just pay a little more so they can do it for me.
@@Death-999 In my mind, the concept of a 64GB version is great because it guarantees that Valve will never exceed that amount of storage with their Firmware. And if I was getting a 64gb model, I wouldn't be installing any game with a substantial amount of data on it, and I definitely wouldn't be trying to reap a performance benefit.
@Ruben Garcia "its small to lower the cost" Ah you're probably right, I didn't even think of that. It's a marketing tactic, they can say it starts at a certain price unbeknownst to people that buy it that model is almost useless until you spend money on more storage.
The Steam Deck is an excellent friendly competitor. Nintendo's advantage is many great first Ip and tons of third parties. Not to mention name recognition, but the stream deck could make Nintendo focus on creating a Nintendo Switch Pro or Nintendo Switch 2 that has more power which I think is great because it puts more pressure on Nintendo to do better.
I like to think that nintendo already has their new version ready. Once sales for the regular switch starts to wane, they will bring out their new handheld to compete. For nintendo to really compete, they have to include a good web browser like other PC handhelds.
The thing I don’t like about Nintendo is yeah the switch is 5 years old but even at the time the specs weren’t great, and that’s fine for cost saving and for first party switch games, but ports like the Witcher 3 need to stop cause they look and run awful, and Nintendo need to start doing some sales cause they’re games from 5 years ago are still full price
Using the case to hold the system instead of extra material like styrofoam was a minor stroke of genius, apparently the only reason they put it in a plastic bag was they were afraid of water damage during transportation
I'm so interested in getting one because I do not have the money nor time to get myself a PC or build one for that matter so I'm hoping it lives up to the hype.
I was going to get the Steam deck but i think a pc build is much bettrr for me, you shoukd count yourself lucky the deck is a beast you have access to all games on the go.
From what I can tell from everyone who’s already got their Deck, it definitely lives up to the hype. The biggest concern is battery life when playing AAA titles though
@@hydroquakev And there's really nothing they can do about it. Battery life is always going to be a limitation on handheld devices. A bigger battery means a bulkier and heavier console which isn't ideal to carry with you everywhere. That's a shame to be honest, hopefully companies in the future will consider releasing Deck exclusives akin to Nintendo games but not as graphically bad with lower battery demand.
The cheapest Steam Deck you can get is like 64 GB, question is, is that going to be enough for games? And it's not even cheap if you go and check on the website. You may as well get a proper PC or build one. If you want to spend less get a PS5 or an Xbox
While the Steam Deck's performance handling these AAA games is impressive I'd really like to see more content creators focus on other aspects. The Steam Deck is a fantastic way for first timers to try PC gaming and it really has so much more to offer. Where I feel it really shines is the extensive catalog of lesser known, smaller, and past titles. (Basically pick any random, old, game and it will likely allow settings comparable to the rerelease/remaster releases that you have to wait for and pay extra on console. Older games often look much better on smaller screens too. So many should be fantastic on that little thing.)
Finally a steam deck review that focuses on the game experience. This was a fantastic review. The others all seem to just talk about the bugs and barely focus on how the games compare to consoles. Great review!
The packaging feels really nice and Valve-like. They made it simple and homey (if you get me) and it feels like a homemade dinner in comparison to the Switches package which would be compared to a fancy restaurant. The outside doesn’t matter, it’s the inside that matters; this couldn’t be more true with the Steam Deck!
@@jamonbrown29 my pc runs steam games 1000x better than your steam deck :\ switch is not about POWEEEERR, its about first party nintendo games, we got PCs for the rest. In my opinion steam deck its just worthless unless you are an hardcore traveller (wich i'm sure you arent).
@@lokibauthe comfort of being at an entire desktop setup and laying in your bed is completely different, but sure lol. It’s for a specific type of consumer and you dont match it, it’s fine. People playing on the deck arent expecting 10/10 performance 💀
I’m excited to see how this thing progresses because I play my switch exclusively in handheld but have never had access to PC games before because that’s just not typically a gaming eco system I’ve used in the past but between the switch, my ps4 and this I think I’d be covered on all fronts
Same, I'm pretty much covered with everything except PC games when it comes to handhelds, and ps2+. With the deck I could have everything indeed, but I dunno, the battery life on this device feels like it's not worth it. The Deck wouldn't even survive my 2h commute everyday (1h going 1h coming back) unless I play pre 2005 games, but for that I already have those mentioned devices. Not worth it for me.
@@TheDorianTube Well you never now, a lot of the PC ecosystem consists of light indie games (shadow knight, jump king, vampire survivors, undertale, etc,.) stuff you may never get ported to the consoles you usually play. Those types of games would give you more than enough battery life
if you play the switch only in handheld mode then you should deff get this.. im pretty sure you could even play botw on this if you know how to use cemu. i use my swith pretty much only in docked mode and i have a really high powered gaming pc so i would never buy this but you deff should
@@VictorRodriguez-zp2do Dunno man. Shadow knight which one? the 1991 one or Idle RPG? The first one I can play it on my hacked Ps Vita, the second one on my hacked Switch, Undertale same on PS Vita while Vampire Survivors is too recent, but I bet it will be emulated too or be available for Switch next year. Too popular of a game for the dev to not capitalize on it.
Getting mine mid July and I can't tell you how excited I am. I have a lot of games I've gotten in humble bundles that I've wanted to play, but I lean towards my bigger titles when I'm sitting at my PC. I'm also a support tech ,and it's hard to explain, but getting off work to stay seated at my desk to play more on my PC robs so much of my enthusiasm for gaming. Now I can walk away from my work and switch gears. I can't wait and your review has made me more excited!
oh absolutely 40fps sounds like a small change but it's actually a 50% improvement. That's because of how input lag is calculated 1/30 is 33.33ms while 1/40 is 25ms for reference 1/60 is 16.66ms so 40fps is halfway between 30 and 60
@@ThereisNOpandemicWAKEUP not really atleast in terms of input delay. See it's frames per second a game running at 30 frames per second has 30 frames in a second so each frame has 1/30 or 33.33ms. Continuing this logic 60fps is 1/60 or 16.66ms, finally 45fps would be 1/45 or 22.22ms. 22.22ms would be 66% better than 30fps not 50%. Think about it this way, you've either experienced or heard about people saying high frame rates like 240 or 120 don't make sense and that the difference isn't as noticeable. That's all due to the input lag calculation: going 30fps from 60fps shaves off a whopping 16.66ms, going from 60fps to 120fps shaves off a respectable 8.33ms which I think is pretty noticeable, going to 120fps to 240 shaves of 4.17ms which not everyone would notice. Basically the higher you go the less input lag is shaved off, for example going from 20fps to 30fps is a reduction of 16.66ms so the same jump as going from 30 to 60, going from 30 to 40 is an 8.33ms difference the same as going from 60 to 120
The steam deck is pretty cool, i would love to get one if i had dollas. I dont think it's really competing with the switch though. It's basically a portable PC, and PC gamers and nintendo gamers are 2 vastly different markets.
Ehhh, I wouldn’t say PC and Nintendo gamers are that different. PC+Nintendo just fits so well together. With PS/XBox you get a ton of crossover games, and especially Xbox now putting even their exclusives on PC. Even some PS exclusives are making their way to PC. So you generally don’t even need a PS4/5, or Xbox, if you already have a PC. But if you want those Nintendo exclusives? Thus PC+Nintendo is the perfect match. Yeah emulation, I know, I do it too. Just in general, if you want the latest Nintendo games, you need the latest Nintendo systems.
@@8BitCerberus while this is deffinitely true, most people can't afford/dont have time to invest in 2 seperate gaming ecosystems. Most people have to choose 1, which is where competition is made. Choosing between xbox, playstation and PC is a competition because of hoe similar they are. Nintendo and PC are the two poles and dont have virtually any overlap therefore there's not really much competition because the choice is usually obvious depending on your prefered games.
You mentioned that steam has a record of releasing things and then dropping them not much later, however even with things such as the steam link and steam controller, they are still updating them and supporting them so I don't think you will need to worry about that
at 17:10 or you mentioned weird dips in framerate every once in a while when you reach a new area. This is a pretty common thing to happen when playing windows games on linux. What's going on is Proton has encountered a directx shader or function or something that it's not quite familiar with yet and it couldn't convert it in the background to a Linux equivelent version in time for the frame to be rendered. Since it's pretty good at using a cache for these api translations it will keep the converted linux code in memory for the next time you encounter that area. This is why it paused for a few frames and then never did it again in that area. It basically learns how to best run the game as you play it (probably an oversimplification but w/e). Several mordern emulators (PCS3, Yuzu, CEMU, etc...) have a simular system and also lagg when entering new areas or when new effects are being used. While Proton/WINE is not an emulator, it does act a lot like one so it's a good idea to keep that in mind. This is also why you can't directly run a EXE as you need to setup an emulated windows enviroment for it to run inside first. Steam handles this automatically for it's own games, but it's a little tricky to do with 3rd party games. One thing you can try is to have steam handle the windows eniroment stuff. When in desktop mode in the bottom left of the steam desktop ui, you can click on add a game, then choose add a non-steam game. From here you can choose the installer for the game you want. Then you right click on the game you just added, go to properties, then compatibility. There should be a option to force steam to use a specific version of proton. I usually use experimental, but you can try different versions if the game doesn't run. After this you should be able to launch the installer. Just let it install in it's default path and your game will install it's self. After that is the tricky part, now you have to find the main exe for the game/launcher. Right click on the game again and go into the properties. Now, change the executable to the main exe for the game. It'll probably be somewhere in your steam profile datalocation. ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compdata/RANDOMNUMBER/pfx/drive_c/ It will assign a random id to the game you added and it won't really tell you what it is. you can try sorting by date, but that doesn't always work. Once you have selected this it should launch just fine. Even in console mode. I love what Valve has done for gaming on linux, and I can't wait for my Steamdeck to arrive. I've been using linux for about 20 years now, but only in the last few years have I been able to use it for gaming. This is all changing super fast and I'm very glad to see it.
I love seeing Wood use the steam deck, and talk about his experience with it, he is possibly the best candidate for it. He is quite literally the audience that Valve is trying to target. Seeing him experience new games or old games in a different way just really brings out what Valve is trying to do.
@@mrnade333 It's not a Switch competitor. And Valve's main audience for the Deck are PC players with Steam accounts. If you wanted to play emulators, you have a very wide gamut of devices to play those already, though this is the most powerful one currently for that. But up to Dreamcast you should be covered for buying one of those Chinese handhelds under 200 or 150(buying the right ones of course). Any half decent PC can emulate anything up to PS360, and those emulators are still kinda iffy, but getting better.
@@ruekurei88 It is and it isn't. The form factor is capitalizing on individuals who love the portable form factor akin to the switch. By the same token the games and demographic of Nintendo's primary target audience. They are unlikely or at least in abundance to be pc players. It's a mixture and yes, there will be some competition from the steam deck for the switch. It's only a positive all round for the consumer.
I personally appreciate the fact that the package is a cheap box that can be easily recycled after unboxing. Valve is losing money selling the hardware, - I’d probably make similar business decisions to cut cost. If I can pay 2 dollars for the packaging and still get it done, I won’t pay 20 dollars to make a box. Then again, I don’t keep gadget boxes, from MBP, iPhone, to Switch. I feel I’m held hostage when the packaging looks fancy and expensive.
This is the best Steam Deck I've watched - even out of all the tech youtubers and video game channels! Love the up in the video production quality as well, Wood! Keep levelling up!! Awesome content!!!!!!
I’ve been waiting for Wood to talk about the Steam Deck for as long as he was waiting for it to be delivered!😂❤️ A huge thank you for the crazy attention to detail - you talked about so many things I haven’t heard any other youtuber mention!🙏🏻
I knew Wood would give an amazingly fantastic review actually mentioning the capabilities of the device. This is without a doubt my FAVORITE Steam Deck Review. Because the Pros dwarf the Cons and why isn't this something that reflects most of the Steam Deck Reviews? I never cared much for the Switch VS Steam Deck unless people start throwing shade unprovoked I feel the need to respond factually but Steam Deck is something unheard of, something that we've dreamed of. Even if I feel a lot of the games you have don't work right now I can only see that being a major complaint if you limit yourselves to minimal games. Honestly loved the video Wood and I wish it was longer. Could we get an Emulation video next? Cause I really loved this one.
My Nintendo Switch and it's library will always be close to my heart. The Steam Deck just happens to be bridging a handheld-console-portable PC gap in a way that's never really been done before. I love being able to play my PC games, BIG ONES, on the go, but I also love playing Mario and Zelda on the go as well 🙂 I've only had my SD for a few days, and it was a complete surprise when it arrived at my door. The form factors between worlds of gaming are converging and it's really made lots of people (myself included) really excited about the potential directions that any of the big names could possibly go afterwards! Who knows!
Hey mate, I just wanted to say that the camera work, lighting, B-roll, editing and especially the music in this video is absolutely incredible! I don't know if you edit these yourself or have a team or what but just a big well done! Also, this video has moved me from "meh looks kinda cool" on the Steamdeck to "oh okay... okay... yeah I could see myself with this!". I think I wasn't particularly interested before because while I'd seen a few videos, none of them really gave me any sort of relatable information that felt useful. It was just teardowns and FPS comparisons. I particularly find this video (and all your videos) useful because your opinions always feel like they are from the point of view of a genuinely enthusiastic everyday gamer. It's down to earth and focuses on the everyday things that make or break using devices like this rather than the first 1-hour sparkly impression. That's what I value about you and your videos. Sending my love from Downunder!
I agree! The effort he puts in, the time he takes to write his thoughts/steps out, takes time to film his own b-roll, set up his lights, and use his set to the best of his ability is just awesome. I love Wood and really appreciate his work, as it brings such a joy to my day when he uploads.
It's refreshing to have a handheld console with no restrictions. No big brother Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft checking in to control all your games and whether or not you get to play them 🙂
@@dep7up If you don't know, the PS3 (which is now extinct in the gaming world) and most likely the PS5 (the playstation 4 got a patch for this a while back that mostly fixed the issue), have CMOS or CBOMB batteries that, if the life expectancy, or certificate/license in technical terms, ran out (like if the license in the CBOMB was to die in a year from now, for instance) all the games that'd bought are effectively gone. As in there is no legal way (there probably is a way, but it would take a lot effort because right now, RPCS3, a PS3 emulator is the only way to preserve games from playstation 7th gen and even then you'll need a lot of computing power just to do so, such as a high end gaming pc) to play the games whether or not you downloaded them. My PS4 died, not like this, but it powered off completely and wouldn't turn back on. Despite that, I've been looking for a chance of a replacement and I've read that it is possible to replace a expired CBOMB/CMOS battery with a new one and that there are some videos on youtube and whatnot to help if don't know how to replace it. The CMOS problem is in most PCs/laptops these days, probably in the xbox console family, and (I wouldn't know because I didn't have a xbox console for most of my life, with the exception the xbox one, but then sent it back for refund) also probably in the nintendo switch. btw if this sounds like I have a specialty for tech in any way, I don't, I just happen to know this from youtube vids, namely from someordinarygamers aka mutahar because he has a lot videos that go in depth about this sort of thing. Anyway, I should've used the word "probably" less in this comment. :/
@@rurio3723 To be clear RPCS3 doesn't actually take that much power to play these days yes of course some games still do like God of War 3 and Red Dead but I'm able to play Skate 3 on my laptop (legally of course) and a lot of people have reported being able to play the majority of PS3 games on RPCS3 with the Steam Deck and on top of that performance for a lot of games just improved recently with a new update so it's not nearly as much of an issue also you can literally emulate Switch games on your phone now with the Skyline emulator so that console has become trivial to emulate as every console will be one day. One thing though don't mean to throw a wrench into the whole Steam Deck not stopping you from playing games Steam still requires an online connection to play games bought on their store cause there's an always online DRM there is is an offline mode but some games will still have DRM by default anyway such as Ubisoft games unless you buy them on GOG then it's not an issue but just thought I'd mention that.
I'm sorry... @29:08... I SOLD MY SWITCH FOR IT... XDD... I found out that I can play switch games on the deck, not only that but it plays & looks even better.. Not to mention I can download the other 80% of emus out there... NOT TO MENTION... The realistic game graphics of the steam library... Yeah it kind of looks like a fancy potato and the screen size/ battery are not up to par but Switch or Apple needs to come up their ''PRO'' or ''ULTRA'' portable gaming console already.... Or I might just become a permanent fan of the steam deck... eeehh : l ...
As someone with large hands, the steam deck is a breathe of fresh air! It's nice to have something that is so light but also so large for me to game on the go!
I use my Switch to play Nintendo games and my Steam Deck to play everything else. I love both and can't see myself without either of them. Sometimes I want to play Pokemon Legends Arceus and sometimes I want to farm on Elden Ring while I watch Netflix.
Same, honestly this is the take I agree with the most. Of course I would like a switch 2 eventually so nintendo can make even bigger and better games but the SD is for everything else
I have been collecting games on steam for 17 years. Ever since Half Life 2 launched with steam. Being able to take this library of games on the go is a no-brainer. Bought!
I’m happy about the Tales of Arise featuring and how the steam deck got you to try out a new game like that!! Makes me want some of my other favourite RPGs on steam. And this video was worth the length and wait :)
The Cyberpunk "Steam deck" setting is interesting - I believe they enabled ray tracing accidentally, which is why it ran so poorly? Either way, they fixed it along the way somewhere, because by the time I got my deck last month, it ran perfectly fine on those settings. I DID lower some of the settings (was a mix of medium/high) so I could change the FSR setting from performance to quality, which sharpened the game up immensely. It's also possible using the beta steamOS to cap the game and display refresh rate to 40FPS, which feels A LOT smoother. I ended up going back to 30 to get a little more battery though. Also, this video is probably the closest to how I feel about the steam deck (minus the not knowing anything about linux part ;) )
Extremely well done video, clearly a lot of work went into this one. I can tell you distilled the summary of a longer conversation on this and it was done quite well. You earned another subscriber.
I love the Nintendo Switch for exclusives and indie games, however I think Steam Deck will be perfect for big budget games and indies still in Steam library. I didn't like the muddy textures of AAA games on Switch so I'm happy it will run great on Steam Deck. Thank you for making this review, I plan on picking it up in the future.
i wanna order a steam deck and i'd probably use it to do more triple a gaming, but i still like having my indies on switch along with the nintendo first parties. , plus getting a deck would allow me to play the rest of my current favorite rpg series, ys, since only 3 games are on the switch currently. the rest are available on pc , minus the 5th game (but i found that on sfc a while back), plus i could emulate it.
@@lightning13clair29 yes they are, plus ps4 also has memories of celceta while switch doesn't. But if i wanted to take the series on the go, without having to search for and drop hundreds of dollars on physical psp games, then the deck and switch are the better choices.
This is actually super exciting for me. I'm handheld alllll the way tbh, so despite having all the best games - elden ring, red dead 2, etc... - I have never played them. I just only ever use handhelds like my switch (and still even my 3DS). I might finally actually play them if I can get my hands on one of those. So excited!
The thing about the steam deck is that you actually own the device. With the switch, you’re limited to what the software offers. With Arch linux (steam os based on it) you have full control over what you want it to do.
This is what I hate about modern consoles. I didn’t have to pay a fee every month back in the day. I don’t pay a fee to have a Steam account. After Sega stopped making consoles I lost complete interest in consoles. Nintendo hasn’t impressed me much since Super Nintendo. They try and sell retro but make you pay for limited features and give you a product with so many missed opportunities.
I remember when handheld consoles meant portable. I love the Switch, Steam Deck etc but they are not exactly portable unless you have a bag now. Would love to see more pocket sized consoles again like the PSP & DS.
I used to shove my Gameboy in my pocket all the time. I agree that was great, but the level of games these days would never be able to exist on such a small console again
I’m interested in getting one because games from Steam are cheaper as compared to the eShop. My only issue was that, during my research, tech youtubers said that the Valve hardwares easily get phased out - which is what I’m worried about if I do buy a Steam Deck. :(
The thing with them phasing out hardware prematurely is true for their Steam Machines (home consoles running SteamOS) and Steam Controllers (controllers with touchpads and stuff). They've been good about supporting their VR products, at least as far as I'm aware. Personally, I think they will support the Steam Deck for a reasonable amount of time. Each Steam Deck they sell is another customer for their storefront. You'll have to judge for yourself what you think though. I just wanted to give you a little more info.
Problem with past products Mitchell listed above is that each hardware was not a commercial success and became a test in feature functionality (contributing to haptics in VR) Valve has already achieved unexpected immense success with the Steam Deck and they have a devoted team working on it every day. Even newer models as they ship out to reservations are getting newer features or better hardware
A lot of that is a bit exaggerated. The steam machines were dropped but they were a failure, and also not a Valve product. They were a 3rd party product and valve wasn't really responsible for supporting it, the manufacturers like Dell were. Steam OS which they ran on, and is a Direct Valve product has been constantly iterated on. Their other first party products continue to get software updates, even the steam link has gotten updates all the way to 2020. The steam controller has to be discontinued because of lawsuits over patent disputes. Valve is a weird company and suffers from ADHD, but I don't think a lot of criticism about their hardware support is really fair
I wouldn't worry about that. Valve supports their products way better than nintendo ever did. Nintendo phased out their leagues better shop on the wii, the balance board, the labo, the lack of use for haptics in controllers, the ring fit having one game support and so on. Nintendo is just as bad if not worse in the lack of supporting old tech on top of not supporting current.
Some youtubers don't know what they are talking about... I have a Steam Controller and it works great on every recent version of Steam, they still activelly support it. In fact it even works connected to the deck itself. You might not be able to buy steam controllers anymore but that has nothing to do with the support they are offering. Even Steam machines have been activelly receiving software updates up until last year when they started talking about Steam OS v3.0 that the deck uses (which should be possible to install on a Steam Machine too, since they are just PCs). Valve has been one of the most pro-consumer in the industry... they even partnered with iFixit for offering replacement parts, which is something you don't see Sony, Nintendo or MS do. I'd be more worried about Nintendo stopping support for the Switch eShop in the future (like they recently did with the 3DS) than I would be about Valve support for the deck.
I finally got my steam deck, the 500gb one. Also bought a 500gb micro sd card. I just hate running out of space, and love having my favorite games installed. So far my only gripe is getting used to Linux. But I have found very easy ways to open exe files and run windows programs. Also just got Minecraft running tonight lol.
I’m surprised Wood hasn’t talked about how near perfect the steam deck is for emulation. I didn’t get a lot of chances at ALOT of popular games from the past and now I have Dreamcast ps1 ps2 Saturn GB GBA GBC Sega Genesis PSP games. Games I could never afford, games I’ve always wanted to play….. on my Steam Deck
I‘d rather say that the steamdeck is more attractive for hardcore gamers (which in this case I‘d rather have a PS5), not really for casual, cozy & party „gamers“ like myself. To me, the handheld/docking/motiontracking functionality is too unique to be replaced. Nintendo simply has a different core audience.
I currently have a Switch and a borrowed PS5, and I gotta agree. It's definitely a sweet device for avid Steam users, but I'm good with the first- and third-party titles on the Switch Now, I *am* curious to see how well the Deck does over time, and whether in the long run the Switch successor can keep the great third-party offerings, or whether many people move to Steam/the Steam Deck. But all that depends on how much the Deck will appeal to the casual crowd
At first I bought the deck because I figured the way the market was, if I didn't like it I could easily just sell it and get my money back without being a terrible scalper, however that was not the case. The Deck, even with how dumb the name is personally, is frickin awesome. I brought it with on my 3 month vacation in Italy and it has been a blast playing stuff like Stray and soon Spider-Man when that drops on Steam. Honestly a phenomenal handheld that I'm so happy I bought.
After watching you really sold me on ordering one. It will be exciting to play all the games I love on the go when I move to university. Going on trains and busses playing all the pc games I have sounds unbelievable. Good review, shows both the downsides and the greats of the device
@@Sniped137 completely worth it. I've been using it on the bus and trains. I bring it when I'm put visiting someone to show them games or to show off the device. Super nice to game while in bed 👍
I have a Steamdeck preordered and my number one worry was framerates for it. This video put that worry asside for the most part as it looks like it can run many games at a very reasonable level. Above 30 for a handheld like this is shocking to hear. Cannot wait until I'm able to get my Steamdeck now
My switch has been my primary and only console for the past 2 years. I love it to death but it's pretty easy to tell that it's nearing the end of it's life cycle. And although I'm very content with my switch library, there's also just so much more out there to play. I really wanted more third party/AAA games that the switch just can't provide. But I just couldn't sacrifice the portability; stationary gaming just never been my thing, ever since I was a kid. I just got a Steam Deck 3 days ago and it's literally everything I've ever wanted from a portable device! Yes, some tinkering and trail/error is required, but it's sooooo worth it. Now I'm playing MW2 (Oh how I've missed Call of Duty lol), Destiny 2, Elden Ring, and Hogswart Legacy to my own level of comfort; ANYWHERE & ANYTIME I want!!! If you have a switch but want to venture into a bigger variety of titles without losing the luxury of portability; 100% the Steam Deck is for you. Just be prepared to do a lil bit of learning!
I own a steam deck. Within 24hrs I had the SSD swapped out for a 1TB, Windows AND SteamOS installed, Doom Eternal, Fable, and some WiiU games installed. Now about 2-3 weeks in and I have several more retro consoles, and I bought Tunic specifically for the Deck and it is GREAT. This device is basically a dream come true. The only thing that would make this console even better is, if just a few companies like Bungie and Microsoft loosen the grip or help out just a little for things like Destiny 2, and the Halo MC collection to play natively instead of requiring streaming or windows to be installed... that would be nice. But at least we have support for Xbox gamepass streaming. I believe you could probably also get stadia and Geforce now. The moment we have things like Halo, God of War, And Breath of the Wild (unofficially) all on a handheld device... that is pretty sweet.
Halo MCC runs like a charm, natively over SteamOS (Proton Experimental), but afaik, just singleplayer (because the anticheat stuff don´t work on SteamOS). You just have to choose Proton Experimental, and choose the version with anticheat disabled, and it runs smooth and fine, with very low battery usage after a little tinkering (for me, below 10watts total @30fps).
Two different markets. Despite people claiming they can do roms for Nintendo games a lot of people won't go through with it. And for those that have never played a rom the level of glitches and input delay vary. Nintendo Switch isn't going anywhere if anything its on the Steam Deck to see if after a year it will hold up.
Hey woody, in the beta branch theres a refresh rate control for the screen which will also improve battery life and also help with making games look smooth with fps lock. in beta branch you can actually lock games like elden ring to 40~fps and set the refresh rate to 40hz and it looks quite smooth!
Both have their pros and cons, both are worthwile options. I personally prefer the Switch due to exclusives. And don't bring up emulation, because with that logic video game consoles in general should be considered useless since you can emulate most games on PC
dont think that makes sense given that you can play all switch games at 60fps and they even run better on the steam deck, i have a v1 and oled switch, and even i say people to buy the deck, you are wasting money getting a switch when the steam deck exists
Congratulations to you and wulf den on the new awesome podcast I love your content so much it's best part of my week everytime a new video pops up keep it up bro much love to you and kim
When it came down to choosing which hand held. I went with the switch due to the games exclusive to Nintendo, and the fact that the switch is obtaining more and more ports lightens the blow of not playing most of the big triple A titles. I have a $3500-$4000 Pc. If I truly want the experience I can play on the Pc or the PlayStation 5. For handheld it was pretty much set in stone that the switch was the best option for me. I still love most of nintendos market and enjoy certain titles.
This is one of the best reviews I have watched so far. This made me hyped for a steam deck. And now, my steam deck is on the way! Excited to play all of my steam games. the backlog killer, Steam deck!!
@@smartlearning6390 go for nvme, 256GB. 512 is unnecessary unless you expect to play games such as ARK which with all dlcs and certain mods can reach 400GB+.
@@smartlearning6390 I suggest going for the 64gb one if you're on a tight budget. 64gb is really good considering you can expand your storage with 1tb micro sd card. And I have a 1tb sd card and I have a ton of games installed in it (not even full). Very slight difference in loading time. And after months or so, I'll prolly upgrade my ssd which is very easy and much cheaper than buying the next tier 256gb.
Well, I definitely want to get one. I'm just struggling with which version to get. I've heard the SSD isn't night and day difference to loading off SD cards like most SSDs usually are. Which is great news bec micro SDs are super cheap these days. I don't play outside very much, so the 512gb version with the anti glare seems like it isn't for me. So I've boiled it down to either the 64gb or the 256gb. So my question to everyone...should I just go with 64gb? Do you think the SSD makes THAT big of difference that it warrants the extra cost? Or should I spend less than that extra cost and just get a 512gb micro SD card for a 64gb?
The one thing I’ve been wondering about this thing is how it does with Grand Strategy games like from Paradox. First person, open world adventure, and other games available on consoles were obviously going to do well. But what about games traditionally PC only? Edit: ok, he mentioned Sims 4 and how the mouse replacement is good. That said, Grand Strategy games tend use a lot of keyboard shortcuts.
I know Crusaders 3 runs very well on the Steam Deck. Though you have to use the zoom feature since the interface is small. But other than that, games like Crusaders and Civilization run very well. The trackpads are really made for them. There’s a video of it that you can watch in TH-cam.
If you are a tweaker you can get creative on the control customization with Steam Input. You can get each button to send a command or set up layers and crazy button combinations to make it suitable to what you want, but honestly it's a pain to do that... I wouldn't personally recommend that. If the game has good mouse support and it's possible to set it to low resolution so the buttons aren't tiny then you could even use the touchscreen. But I wouldn't say the deck is, in general, ideal for games with a high focus on the mouse... doable, sure, but not ideal. Compared to the Steam controller, the touchpads are less comfortable to use as primary input.
With keyboard shortcuts couldn't you assign them to the 4 back buttons, I've never played the game but I think you might find a really good controller layout for the game made by the community that's optimized for the steamdeck
Keyboard shortcuts theres a lot you can do especially with the back paddles. let's say you map the 1st back button to change the face buttons, dpad and the left track pad input. let's say when held the Dpad goes from a Dpad to the F1-4 keys in an order you like. The face buttons can also be mapped to keys like number keys, combined keys (like Ctrl+E) and the left trackpad could just be shortcuts for actions like voice chat, or to activate keyboard. You would slide your finger on the pad and a wheel would pop up, drag your finger across the pad to the desire action and click. And there you go bam. You have 1 action set *for o n e* back button. This doesn't include things like double taps for inputs, holds, chorded presses and way more. A keyboard is better for a general strategy game, thats no debate. But the Steam Deck (plus the steam controller) can get the job done to your personal liking with a bit of pateince. And if the control scheme you made works so well, you can transfer it to game to game to take less time setting it up. It seems complicated but honestly its way less than you think it is. Depending on how well you know the game, at most it would take 20 minutes to set up a controller scheme that works close to a mouse and keyboard as you'd like. How close it gets, is honestly dependent on your skill and ability to quickly build muscle memory.
It MAY be the end of the Switch but it certainly means that Nintendo can’t just mail it in anymore, particularly with their next portable (presumably) console’s specs. I’m glad someone checked them finally.
Yeah sorta feels like nintendo knows no one could have competition seeing as how their the king of handhelds but I guess now they really need to start thinking
@Nhat Anh Hoang but that still didn't push nintendo to their limit yeah it was a success but it didn't threatenen nintendo not to mention the ps vita was still a failure showing even more how they know how to make a handheld but the steamdeck is going good so far and is getting a lot more popular Oh yeah did I mention that it can play steam games which is one of the biggest libraries of games and the psp was just as strong as the ds the steam deck is stronger than the switch and it's games are better unlike vita and psp not trying to be disregard what you said or anything
Awesome review and finally someone shows a good deal of actual gameplay. I pre-ordered mine a day after you and wont get mine until at least July though 😭.
Doubt you’ll ever see this comment but fun fact about the steam deck, there’s this youtuber called CryoByte33, he’s not only managed to show us how to get better performance in the steamdeck with his swapfix, he managed to get over 60fps in red dead 2, absolute legend both of you, great video
Wood, no, I can't be buying more stuff, stop selling things to me with your great, honest and heartfelt reviews! Great video as always! Now, to say the truth I bough a laptop last year because I wanted to not have my pc gaming stuck to my home office and even though I have the laptop the steam deck just looks so much more convenient!
Nice! I might have to get one. My laptop broke a while back and I have been without access to my Steam games for a while. This looks really nice. I don't think this is the end of the Switch. Even if this is better than the Switch, there are several games that are only on Switch and more will come out in the future.
I said this once and I will say the again the steam deck will never be the end or the death of Nintendo switch for one reason and one reason only Nintendo exclusive games
I love both of them, my Switch and my Deck. Together with my PS Vita, my Nintendo 3DS, my GBA, my PSP Go, my OG Nintendo Gameboy. All for it´s games, all fantastic for what they have delivered in time. But the Deck is more than all of them - versatile and able to play more or less all, what we have played on this good old systems, together with the modern PC stuff.
So, on the compat warnings, Valve *is* being harsh with it. Like one they nail games for is having a launcher that you can't used a controller for or having text input, but not using either their own on-screen keyboard, or the Steam API to ask for the Steam one (which was probably added back with the Big Picture Mode ages ago). Valve wants the devs to fix these small, technical UX problems, even if it takes shaming them a bit on the store page. Like the text input/keyboard one, the API example is like a dozen linesof code, but the dev fixing that not only fixes if for the Deck, but also the people who play on Windows with a controller too. Valve wants devs to make games that respect how a gamer wants to game, even if they benefit on other platforms.
I think of the Steam Deck as a good start. I'm sure one day I'll pick up my own PC-meets-handheld-gaming device, but I'll probably wait until there are more options and the price goes down, the capability goes up, and any lingering bugs/user-friendliness issues get worked out.
I don't think the price will go below this, simply put I don't see any other manufacturer competing with the steam deck in this price point. The switch isn't competition for the steam deck, even if the switch 2 comes out and it's stronger and cheaper than the steam deck it won't affect the steam deck too much. What I do think will happen is they will iron out the bugs and improve the ui, increase availability and provide more revisions. The price aspect I don't agree with you
Not sure if the price will go down tho, its already really low and valve lose money on every base Steam deck sold, 300 is probably what future base models will sell for to.
I'm not entirely sure what other 'options' you're referring to here, since the steam deck has been continually updated and improved to make it pretty much the perfect gaming device. And as for a price cut, you're in for a long wait. It's already very aggressively priced to the point where literally nothing can compete with it, so start saving your brass if you're serious about getting one because even if you ordered now, you won't see it until well into the middle of next year. Demand is unbelievably high.
@@blazingsaddle166 Actually look up the ayn loki, I was of the same mind but that handheld sounds really cool. Zen 3+ and RDNA 2 (possibly stronger than steam deck's) $499 for 64GB (599$ for 256gb) and possibly with an oled screen like their other handheld. 299$ for a cheaper alderlake model. It comes with full windows support out of the box, and you could probably dual boot steamos 3.0 if you want to. It seems like the market won't simply concede to the steamdeck
Great video, I feel the FOMO for a Deck on daily basis lmao. The fact I own a Switch Oled, a powerful gaming Laptop with a 3070 and a badass desktop with a 2080 is stopping me. But I will probably fall for the deck at a certain point
My steam Deck journey has been one of the greatest video game experiences I have had in ages. Your video really is on point with my experiences over the last month or so. Not to mention all the updates Valve keeps making every other week it seems. I am downloading Red Dead 2 now...totally thought that wouldn't be worth gambling my internet cap on!
I have watched about 30 of your videos. Always appreciate your input. Read about your love of Stardew Valley on the Switch and thought you were crazy and now i'm in 3rd year running "Tegridy Farm". Very proud to state it is my first run and doing fairly well. Anyways, I wanted to comment today and say thank you for providing the bit about what exactly a non-verified game could mean. It could literally be a deal-breaker for some, so to know we can see a breakdown of why it is not verified while exploring and maybe realizing it is absolutely playable is very reassuring. I saw Fallout 3 (one of my faves) in the non-verified (but not non-tested) category and it had me concerned. Have since read comments it should absolutely be moved to verified. I'm excited to sit down with it handheld!
Looking forward to hopefully getting mine this week! I'm waiting for shipping confirmation after having already paid in full for mine last Thursday, Valve seems a bit slow on shipping them unfortunately 😅 Looking forward to it, and I'm going to be using this video for fuel for my unrealistic hype train :)
@@jmediaa9226 if you missed your window to order it, give valves customer service a call and tell them you had missed it and you would still like to order one. I've heard of them being pretty generous with extensions for missed order opportunities
Steam is working on allowing the Steam deck to dual boot. It is a PC after all. Basically, that means you can load Windows on it without removing Steam OS. You'll need quite a bit of storage for it though
Technically the Switch always had the Bluetooth capability, but Nintendo took forever to be like, “sure, let’s let the players uses this feature the way the want” and added the option. The option was added far later than desired for players, so I get that frustration, but it was always part of the system and capable
It also happened suspiciously immediately after press day with the steam deck where there were multiple articles talking about how the Steam Deck would have Bluetooth and making fun of Nintendo for still not having it Which. Was probably a coincidence, but a hilarious one at that. It's nice to have some competition regardless
The joy cons always used bluetooth. Nintendo just had the bluetooth on lockdown. Even when on airplane mode, the joycons were just put into a shorter range mode to meet the fcc requirements. The reason for the lockdown? Nintendo didn't want to pay the licensing fees associated with bluetooth audio. Nintendo isn't apart of the bluetooth special interest group aka bluetooth sig. Thus they would of needed to pay the licensing fees. Nintendo will do anything they can to avoid such fees as long as they can!
Ps4 was in the same boat, maybe the ps5 but I dont have one to confirm. You could literally pair any BT headset to the ps4 at release, but the moment you tried to talk or play sound it would just disconnect the device. They program the BT to be worse on purpose to eliminate competition and sell proprietary accessories at an upcharge.
@@UnitingHispanics Thanks for the advice. I def planed on getting an SD card too, but i want the largest internal storage. Especially since the nvme would be faster. But after I posted i was thinking, i could just get the cheaper one and swap out the nvme for a larger one. That would be the best route to go.
@@JoeBuk724 i have one. 64gb honestly sd card and ssd storage compared there’s not really a difference when it comes to loading times that you’ll notice unless you run a timer. I did try out my friends 500gb model and the loading times where pretty similar!
@@emiliolaurenti5199 Thank you for the reply. In all honesty I figured that was the case lol. How do you like it? Are your experiences the same as the video?
Awesome review, thank you! Can anyone attest to its function with older games though? Like say, the original star wars battlefronts or like Jedi Knight or Outcast? Would be fun to have old games on the go too!
The original star wars battlefront works and runs great. Any older games I've tried work good. Dishonored, one of my favorites, runs great. Even fallout 4 works very well. My friend and I have been playing through borderlands 2, both on steam decks, and it runs so smooth at 55-60 fps. Also the first borderlands just got verified for the steam deck. Oh and with a little work I got my favorite Mario games working good. Literally a childhood dream. I can now leave this earth in peace.
Yes it is. Haven’t touched my switch in weeks. The joystick layout is so much better. I would suggest changing the resolution to 40fps/40hz……you will save battery and it will look just as good.
They are different worlds in a sense to me I'm still trying to learn all I can about the steam deck before pushing for one, love my switch models having a ton of fun with them rn summer is the handheld season!!!!! But the steam deck is definitely probably a stronger machine
Last year i bought razer blade with rtx 3070 and was super excited about this machine (though still love it). But a month ago i got my preordered deck. This thing is just awesome. I have the switch as well, but the deck is just another dimension. Before having it i was not even realizing that it will bring that much enjoyment from portable gaming for me. Now it became my the only active pc gaming device. My blade is just having long vacation (not considering daily work). It is not perfect of course, for example rdr 2 requires forcing proton 6.3 to have the best continuous experiense but it definitely worth it. And just as mentioned - the majority of games runs perfect with defaults. Btw replaced 256gb ssd with 1tb and it is also really easy.
Dude you can get a full blown gaming pc for the same price. I also suspect you were cheated by Razer, looking at the size of a graphics card and it's cooling I just don't believe they could fit all that into a gaming laptop. Obviously my friend who works for Apple would know, but I believe you were cheated. You were robbed. Powerful portable gaming yes, but powerful gaming I don't think so. I play 2022 games with the graphics maxed out and ray tracing if I feel like it with no problems, can your laptop do that? I game for hours too with no overheating.
I reserved the Steam Deck on July 16th 2021 as soon as I could. Got my 256GB Steam Deck a few days ago. I love it so much, the best handheld I have ever held and used. I have large hands so the I can only use my switch when I have a grip. Playing my pc games on the go was something i could only dream of; and now I can do it for £459. I see major potential with this.
I agree with you on the "Playable" caution marker. Most of the issues that earn it that mark are pretty negligible, especially if it's a game that's already been ported to Switch!
I will never understand how you can hawk Raycon earbuds in good conscience - tried them…not good, but I guess I’m just pickier than most about sound - but otherwise I still love you to death Wood and this was a KILLER Steam Deck review! I want one now!!!! You’re truly one of the best of the best at making *relatable* content!
Great review! I own both a Switch OELD and a Steam Deck and having the insanely large Steam library on the go is pure insanity. The Switch is great and all, but waiting for months or years for a port of a great triple A or indie game was a huge bummer. I had reached a point where I was wondering what to play, coz I had finished the games I wanted to play, but with the Steam Deck I'm just wondering what to play first and in what order to play all those games.
@@RayCoryJackson I also have a standard Switch v2, but I wouldn't call it luck lol, I'm just spending my hard-earned cash. Also eating a lot of ramen lately coz I had unexpected dental bills this month and the notification that I had 48 hours to finish my Steam Deck purchase came at the worst possible time
It'll be interesting to see what your opinion will be one year from now. Hopefully Valve will continue to improve on their design and software. I'd like to see this become a new line of products and not another abandoned idea.
The only thing they "abandoned" was the Steam Machines, and those weren't theirs. The Steam Controller had a lawsuit that they lost and the Steam Link is on everyone's phones/tv's now as an app.
Their software feels pretty abandoned to me. If they didn't get into VR I don't think we'd ever see another half life game and I still think we'll never get half life 3. Same for portal and Left 4 Dead. I hope they prove me wrong though.
@@DaxanDaxter I understand your perspective, I just disagree in this case. When you have Amazing IPs and more money than God like Valve does and you still choose to do nothing with them I consider that to be abandoned. Look, I know Valve doesn't "owe" us any new games. It's just really disappointing.
Great video! Finally got myself to buy one (lcd on sale) and now more excited to receive it. Tried to sell my switch to recoup some funds but not worth much now so guess I will keep that with me lol.
Finally someone who reviews it for what it is and what it offers. I agree 100%! I've had the Steam deck since the first batches that were sent to Europe 2 months ago and I'm loving it. It's making me revisit my backlog of Steam games and spicing up my commute and my trips.
quick question, is it possible to switch between pc and deck and have the same save on the game. like you play on the pc, then go out and play on the deck and can just resume your game ( with internet ofc ) or is this not the case?
@@Neo_VIn0 if the game supports Steam Cloud then yes, it works the same way as how Steam syncs the saves between different PCs. The save gets uploaded to the cloud when you close the game. However, if you are playing on the deck and press the button to put it to sleep without closing the game (which is very nice since then you can quickly resume playing later without restarting the game), then it might not sync up... however, Steam will warn you from the PC if you try to start that game and tell you to turn on your Deck and close the game properly. Also, you need to have an internet connection to sync it up... so if you are out and about you might need to turn it on momentarily once you are home to get into online mode and upload the saves.
It's gonna be pretty difficult to kill the Nintendo Switch while Nintendo keeps pumping out their games exclusively on their system. But still... it might just be a PC killer with how useful this thing seems to be. It would definitly kill me buying third party games on the Switch, simply because the prices on Steam are just that much lower, but... if only the Steam Deck was actually sold here in my country. That's what I get for living in South America, huh...
it will never be a pc killer, not while people do like me and run duel massive monitors, it's always just much easier to play a keyboard mouse game at a desk
Can’t wait to get mine! This will definitely emulate some switch games. Unfortunately the switch just can’t stack up against the Steam Deck because it’s a portable computer vs. a handheld console.
Is the Steam Deck the END of Nintendo Switch? What are your thoughts? Are you buying one, why or why not?? 😱
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I probably would it looks pretty fun but who knows
I don't know. We'll see in the future!
Great for single player, lacking in terms of ease of use for multiplayer
@@pixelpatch yeah definitely good for single player not so much multiplayer
Preordering now.
Personally I’d much rather a free carrying case then fancy unnecessary packaging. I appreciate a company that’s forgo paying the extra bucks on packaging and placing it into something more functional to the consumer in the long run.
It's probably part of the total price and they just don't tell us. Regular packaging is much cheaper than a case.
@@Milo19970 you’re missing the point. What I’m saying is I’m glad they saved the money from packaging and instead went back into the product itself.
Granted, I do understand how the unboxing experience builds upon the total experience of the device, think how much engineering the iPhone box had just on the unboxing. But you're right, I'd rather the resources and labor used on that be used on something much more functional
Right he sounded nuts for complaining about the box
Written through a translator.
I'm just happy with the Steam Dec box. After all, don’t decorate the box in the end, it’s garbage that is usually thrown away. Moreover, in most cases, there is also harmful garbage, covered with varnishes and paints,
The steam deck has the most environmentally friendly, pleasant and functional box, which is good.
It was the same with the steam controller. Many criticized his ugly and boring corton box. And on the contrary, I like this strict laconic minimalism, and even functional. The box is too discreet and easy to use as a case,
Therefore, for five years I have had this box on the table and store the Steam controller in it. And when I want to play, I just need to reach out my hand to open this laconic suitcase to take the controller)
I've had my Steam Deck for about a month now and your reaction to the weight was EXACTLY the same reaction I had. Everyone says it's "so big" but honestly when you hold it in your hand and feel that weight it makes everything go away. Amazing handheld.
Ergonomics ftw
My switch doesn't fit in any of my pockets
@@Noobscodee Vita sure you can put in a pocket but never a switch and ofc never a steam deck but handheld just means a portable console
@@Noobscodee can't put a game gear in my pockets either but it's still a handheld
@@Noobscodee Handheld means the whole thing fits in your hands. I have no clue where pockets come in to play here ;).
I think fancy premium packaging would be cool, but I like the fact that they are trying to be less wasteful in comparison to other businesses.
I agree. I throw the box away in 2 seconds. just give me the product !
and you get a free case for the deck which is more useful than a premium cardboardbox you throw away anyways😁
yeah nintendo switch is actually better is more compact and also have joycons …. and have the tv adapter and everything you actually really need case you can buy whatever you like instead of ORIGINAL BY THE COMPANY….
@@arisgrandeurie3606I got brain damage, reading your comment. Way to butcher the English language.
While I really have no plans to get a Steam Deck, I'm hoping that a little healthy competition for the Switch will make Nintendo step up their game with the next Switch (or with some sort of Pro model like the fans have been crying for for years)
yep, nintendo has been really lazy and not listening to the consumers.
@@sofiacorales57 They fixed the absolutely horrible screen of the Switch and build quality with the OLED version...
Anything is possible.
I really do think nintendo was originally planning to release a switch pro type of system last year but due to shortages and the pandemic everything changed and we just got the Oled.
It's not really a competition to the Switch. Like, if it were, then the Steam Deck would win every time, just because it's so much cheaper to buy games on Steam. As it is, it's kind of an apples to oranges comparison. The Switch is targeting a completely different market.
Ill keep my switch oled, loving it!
But i never thought of it in this context, so i hope it steps nintendos game plan up 😃
I have a Steam Deck got the 64GB version and upgraded the internal SSD to 1TB to save some cash and was surprisingly easy. Not only a great device to game on but in terms of access for upgraded and repairability, it is up there
Steam have already said you risk by swapping out the internal storage. Even if it seems fine. The power draw & charge rate might see the console lose longetivity.
"I have a Steam Deck got the 64GB version"
They have a 64gb version?... What is it, 2005? Actually even in 2005 64GB was small. Some games are even larger than 64GB, so I was gonna be generous and say "that's just one game", but for some it's not even one game. And it's not like Valve doesn't have stats on how big some games are, they sell them after all.
@@Death-999 yeah I was just looking at it and I would have to go for the 256gb or 512gb version even if its 529$ and 649$ respectively and the fact that they only require a 5 dollar deposit makes it so I can easily save up by then for the larger storage. Its cool you can upgrade the storage yourself but if its a risk of breaking the console I would rather just pay a little more so they can do it for me.
@@Death-999 In my mind, the concept of a 64GB version is great because it guarantees that Valve will never exceed that amount of storage with their Firmware.
And if I was getting a 64gb model, I wouldn't be installing any game with a substantial amount of data on it, and I definitely wouldn't be trying to reap a performance benefit.
@Ruben Garcia "its small to lower the cost"
Ah you're probably right, I didn't even think of that. It's a marketing tactic, they can say it starts at a certain price unbeknownst to people that buy it that model is almost useless until you spend money on more storage.
The Steam Deck is an excellent friendly competitor. Nintendo's advantage is many great first Ip and tons of third parties. Not to mention name recognition, but the stream deck could make Nintendo focus on creating a Nintendo Switch Pro or Nintendo Switch 2 that has more power which I think is great because it puts more pressure on Nintendo to do better.
I like to think that nintendo already has their new version ready. Once sales for the regular switch starts to wane, they will bring out their new handheld to compete. For nintendo to really compete, they have to include a good web browser like other PC handhelds.
@@Victory-in-YAHUSHA I don’t think it’ll sell much.
The thing I don’t like about Nintendo is yeah the switch is 5 years old but even at the time the specs weren’t great, and that’s fine for cost saving and for first party switch games, but ports like the Witcher 3 need to stop cause they look and run awful, and Nintendo need to start doing some sales cause they’re games from 5 years ago are still full price
Steam has more titles plus you can play retro Nintendo games free of cost through emulators 😍😍
@@sarthaksingh5480 exactly
I know it’s strange to have packaging like that, but it’s actually so eco-friendly!
Using the case to hold the system instead of extra material like styrofoam was a minor stroke of genius, apparently the only reason they put it in a plastic bag was they were afraid of water damage during transportation
For real
ok😂😂😂
@@helghanmerc2765 i was just surprised because to my knowledge he didn’t even mention that
My thoughts, I like it. Sadly delivery services are often not gentle on the packages...
I'm so interested in getting one because I do not have the money nor time to get myself a PC or build one for that matter so I'm hoping it lives up to the hype.
I was going to get the Steam deck but i think a pc build is much bettrr for me, you shoukd count yourself lucky the deck is a beast you have access to all games on the go.
they soon will sell a dock so that you can use it as a pc too like office work and more
From what I can tell from everyone who’s already got their Deck, it definitely lives up to the hype. The biggest concern is battery life when playing AAA titles though
@@hydroquakev And there's really nothing they can do about it. Battery life is always going to be a limitation on handheld devices. A bigger battery means a bulkier and heavier console which isn't ideal to carry with you everywhere. That's a shame to be honest, hopefully companies in the future will consider releasing Deck exclusives akin to Nintendo games but not as graphically bad with lower battery demand.
The cheapest Steam Deck you can get is like 64 GB, question is, is that going to be enough for games? And it's not even cheap if you go and check on the website. You may as well get a proper PC or build one. If you want to spend less get a PS5 or an Xbox
While the Steam Deck's performance handling these AAA games is impressive I'd really like to see more content creators focus on other aspects. The Steam Deck is a fantastic way for first timers to try PC gaming and it really has so much more to offer.
Where I feel it really shines is the extensive catalog of lesser known, smaller, and past titles.
(Basically pick any random, old, game and it will likely allow settings comparable to the rerelease/remaster releases that you have to wait for and pay extra on console. Older games often look much better on smaller screens too. So many should be fantastic on that little thing.)
babys first linux distro kek
I've had one for weeks and I absolutely love it! That being said, it will never replace my Switch.
Finally a steam deck review that focuses on the game experience. This was a fantastic review. The others all seem to just talk about the bugs and barely focus on how the games compare to consoles. Great review!
finally a steam deck review that focuses on how garbage the system really is
What are you talking about? He loves the system and has high praise for it
@@lightning13clair29 wtf are talking about??? lol
@@lightning13clair29 haha you are so mad chill. Nobody here is hating on Nintendo, competition is always healthy
@@lightning13clair29 whats your deal?
The packaging feels really nice and Valve-like. They made it simple and homey (if you get me) and it feels like a homemade dinner in comparison to the Switches package which would be compared to a fancy restaurant. The outside doesn’t matter, it’s the inside that matters; this couldn’t be more true with the Steam Deck!
One of my favorite uses for my Steam Deck was loading emudeck and having the virtual console I've always wished the Switch would be!
Switch is outdated hardware my steam deck runs switch games 10x better
@@jamonbrown29 my pc runs steam games 1000x better than your steam deck :\ switch is not about POWEEEERR, its about first party nintendo games, we got PCs for the rest. In my opinion steam deck its just worthless unless you are an hardcore traveller (wich i'm sure you arent).
@@lokibauthe comfort of being at an entire desktop setup and laying in your bed is completely different, but sure lol. It’s for a specific type of consumer and you dont match it, it’s fine. People playing on the deck arent expecting 10/10 performance 💀
@@lokibau Still power wise Steam Deck is better than Nintendo Switch, and Switch is still outdated and should be upgraded
I’m excited to see how this thing progresses because I play my switch exclusively in handheld but have never had access to PC games before because that’s just not typically a gaming eco system I’ve used in the past but between the switch, my ps4 and this I think I’d be covered on all fronts
Same, I'm pretty much covered with everything except PC games when it comes to handhelds, and ps2+. With the deck I could have everything indeed, but I dunno, the battery life on this device feels like it's not worth it. The Deck wouldn't even survive my 2h commute everyday (1h going 1h coming back) unless I play pre 2005 games, but for that I already have those mentioned devices. Not worth it for me.
@@TheDorianTube Well you never now, a lot of the PC ecosystem consists of light indie games (shadow knight, jump king, vampire survivors, undertale, etc,.) stuff you may never get ported to the consoles you usually play. Those types of games would give you more than enough battery life
if you play the switch only in handheld mode then you should deff get this.. im pretty sure you could even play botw on this if you know how to use cemu. i use my swith pretty much only in docked mode and i have a really high powered gaming pc so i would never buy this but you deff should
Yeah all Microsoft games come to xbox and pc so with steamdeck you’ll basically have an xbox games plus the pc only games lol
@@VictorRodriguez-zp2do Dunno man. Shadow knight which one? the 1991 one or Idle RPG? The first one I can play it on my hacked Ps Vita, the second one on my hacked Switch, Undertale same on PS Vita while Vampire Survivors is too recent, but I bet it will be emulated too or be available for Switch next year. Too popular of a game for the dev to not capitalize on it.
Getting mine mid July and I can't tell you how excited I am. I have a lot of games I've gotten in humble bundles that I've wanted to play, but I lean towards my bigger titles when I'm sitting at my PC. I'm also a support tech ,and it's hard to explain, but getting off work to stay seated at my desk to play more on my PC robs so much of my enthusiasm for gaming. Now I can walk away from my work and switch gears. I can't wait and your review has made me more excited!
one of the coolest things of the steamdeck is the 40 hz mode they introduced in the last update. It's a gamechanger compared to 30.
oh absolutely 40fps sounds like a small change but it's actually a 50% improvement. That's because of how input lag is calculated 1/30 is 33.33ms while 1/40 is 25ms for reference 1/60 is 16.66ms so 40fps is halfway between 30 and 60
the best thing about steam deck is that its garbage
@@lightning13clair29 lmao you mad
@@khaledm.1476 45 is halfway between 30 and 60
@@ThereisNOpandemicWAKEUP not really atleast in terms of input delay. See it's frames per second a game running at 30 frames per second has 30 frames in a second so each frame has 1/30 or 33.33ms.
Continuing this logic 60fps is 1/60 or 16.66ms, finally 45fps would be 1/45 or 22.22ms. 22.22ms would be 66% better than 30fps not 50%.
Think about it this way, you've either experienced or heard about people saying high frame rates like 240 or 120 don't make sense and that the difference isn't as noticeable. That's all due to the input lag calculation: going 30fps from 60fps shaves off a whopping 16.66ms, going from 60fps to 120fps shaves off a respectable 8.33ms which I think is pretty noticeable, going to 120fps to 240 shaves of 4.17ms which not everyone would notice.
Basically the higher you go the less input lag is shaved off, for example going from 20fps to 30fps is a reduction of 16.66ms so the same jump as going from 30 to 60, going from 30 to 40 is an 8.33ms difference the same as going from 60 to 120
The steam deck is pretty cool, i would love to get one if i had dollas. I dont think it's really competing with the switch though. It's basically a portable PC, and PC gamers and nintendo gamers are 2 vastly different markets.
I completely agree, a lot of people have been comparing them solely based off of the fact that they look the same.
But you can emulate switch games on it
@@lavaburritos3767 and so can you with non handhled PCs. The only different thing with the Steam Deck is that it's portable
Ehhh, I wouldn’t say PC and Nintendo gamers are that different. PC+Nintendo just fits so well together. With PS/XBox you get a ton of crossover games, and especially Xbox now putting even their exclusives on PC. Even some PS exclusives are making their way to PC. So you generally don’t even need a PS4/5, or Xbox, if you already have a PC. But if you want those Nintendo exclusives? Thus PC+Nintendo is the perfect match.
Yeah emulation, I know, I do it too. Just in general, if you want the latest Nintendo games, you need the latest Nintendo systems.
@@8BitCerberus while this is deffinitely true, most people can't afford/dont have time to invest in 2 seperate gaming ecosystems. Most people have to choose 1, which is where competition is made. Choosing between xbox, playstation and PC is a competition because of hoe similar they are. Nintendo and PC are the two poles and dont have virtually any overlap therefore there's not really much competition because the choice is usually obvious depending on your prefered games.
You mentioned that steam has a record of releasing things and then dropping them not much later, however even with things such as the steam link and steam controller, they are still updating them and supporting them so I don't think you will need to worry about that
at 17:10 or you mentioned weird dips in framerate every once in a while when you reach a new area. This is a pretty common thing to happen when playing windows games on linux.
What's going on is Proton has encountered a directx shader or function or something that it's not quite familiar with yet and it couldn't convert it in the background to a Linux equivelent version in time for the frame to be rendered.
Since it's pretty good at using a cache for these api translations it will keep the converted linux code in memory for the next time you encounter that area. This is why it paused for a few frames and then never did it again in that area. It basically learns how to best run the game as you play it (probably an oversimplification but w/e).
Several mordern emulators (PCS3, Yuzu, CEMU, etc...) have a simular system and also lagg when entering new areas or when new effects are being used.
While Proton/WINE is not an emulator, it does act a lot like one so it's a good idea to keep that in mind. This is also why you can't directly run a EXE as you need to setup an emulated windows enviroment for it to run inside first. Steam handles this automatically for it's own games, but it's a little tricky to do with 3rd party games.
One thing you can try is to have steam handle the windows eniroment stuff. When in desktop mode in the bottom left of the steam desktop ui, you can click on add a game, then choose add a non-steam game. From here you can choose the installer for the game you want. Then you right click on the game you just added, go to properties, then compatibility. There should be a option to force steam to use a specific version of proton. I usually use experimental, but you can try different versions if the game doesn't run. After this you should be able to launch the installer. Just let it install in it's default path and your game will install it's self. After that is the tricky part, now you have to find the main exe for the game/launcher. Right click on the game again and go into the properties. Now, change the executable to the main exe for the game. It'll probably be somewhere in your steam profile datalocation. ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compdata/RANDOMNUMBER/pfx/drive_c/ It will assign a random id to the game you added and it won't really tell you what it is. you can try sorting by date, but that doesn't always work. Once you have selected this it should launch just fine. Even in console mode.
I love what Valve has done for gaming on linux, and I can't wait for my Steamdeck to arrive. I've been using linux for about 20 years now, but only in the last few years have I been able to use it for gaming. This is all changing super fast and I'm very glad to see it.
TLDR too long to read
@@miikart then just read the first bit. The rest is just extra flavor text for those that are curious...
@@ClintTheriault TLDR too long to read
@@miikart then I guess you could just read the first two sentences...
I'm not the boss of you.
I love seeing Wood use the steam deck, and talk about his experience with it, he is possibly the best candidate for it. He is quite literally the audience that Valve is trying to target. Seeing him experience new games or old games in a different way just really brings out what Valve is trying to do.
Glad to see portable Nintendo get some comp! Hope for a stronger GPU in the Switch's predecessor!
@@mrnade333 It's not a Switch competitor. And Valve's main audience for the Deck are PC players with Steam accounts. If you wanted to play emulators, you have a very wide gamut of devices to play those already, though this is the most powerful one currently for that. But up to Dreamcast you should be covered for buying one of those Chinese handhelds under 200 or 150(buying the right ones of course). Any half decent PC can emulate anything up to PS360, and those emulators are still kinda iffy, but getting better.
@@ruekurei88 or a $20 dream cast unless dreamcast consoles are inflated too 😄
@@ruekurei88 It is and it isn't. The form factor is capitalizing on individuals who love the portable form factor akin to the switch. By the same token the games and demographic of Nintendo's primary target audience. They are unlikely or at least in abundance to be pc players. It's a mixture and yes, there will be some competition from the steam deck for the switch. It's only a positive all round for the consumer.
Yeah I was like wait you haven't played Hollow Knight yet?? I thought that was on every console already, I know it's on Xbox and PS multiple times.
The fact you could play Red Dead Redemption 2 at an almost consistent 40 frames on a handheld sounds kinda out of this world!
It will never replace the switch, because it two different products with different focus and targets different players
That's only because the deck isn't a streamlined experience yet. Another few revisions and we might see more crossover.
No because you can emulate the switch on the steam deck
My man’s said “fokus”.
Yeah, switch is still King. Everybody who I knows that has a deck still likes the switch more lmao. Still waiting on mine.
@@megan_alnico If you stick to verified games and don’t try to finagle with other stores and unverified stuff, it’s pretty streamlined
I think the reason there is no fancy packaging is valve literally tried to cut as many corners as possible to make this a reasonable price
I personally appreciate the fact that the package is a cheap box that can be easily recycled after unboxing. Valve is losing money selling the hardware, - I’d probably make similar business decisions to cut cost. If I can pay 2 dollars for the packaging and still get it done, I won’t pay 20 dollars to make a box. Then again, I don’t keep gadget boxes, from MBP, iPhone, to Switch. I feel I’m held hostage when the packaging looks fancy and expensive.
This is the best Steam Deck I've watched - even out of all the tech youtubers and video game channels!
Love the up in the video production quality as well, Wood! Keep levelling up!! Awesome content!!!!!!
I’ve been waiting for Wood to talk about the Steam Deck for as long as he was waiting for it to be delivered!😂❤️ A huge thank you for the crazy attention to detail - you talked about so many things I haven’t heard any other youtuber mention!🙏🏻
I knew Wood would give an amazingly fantastic review actually mentioning the capabilities of the device. This is without a doubt my FAVORITE Steam Deck Review. Because the Pros dwarf the Cons and why isn't this something that reflects most of the Steam Deck Reviews? I never cared much for the Switch VS Steam Deck unless people start throwing shade unprovoked I feel the need to respond factually but Steam Deck is something unheard of, something that we've dreamed of.
Even if I feel a lot of the games you have don't work right now I can only see that being a major complaint if you limit yourselves to minimal games.
Honestly loved the video Wood and I wish it was longer.
Could we get an Emulation video next? Cause I really loved this one.
My Nintendo Switch and it's library will always be close to my heart. The Steam Deck just happens to be bridging a handheld-console-portable PC gap in a way that's never really been done before. I love being able to play my PC games, BIG ONES, on the go, but I also love playing Mario and Zelda on the go as well 🙂 I've only had my SD for a few days, and it was a complete surprise when it arrived at my door. The form factors between worlds of gaming are converging and it's really made lots of people (myself included) really excited about the potential directions that any of the big names could possibly go afterwards! Who knows!
Hey mate, I just wanted to say that the camera work, lighting, B-roll, editing and especially the music in this video is absolutely incredible! I don't know if you edit these yourself or have a team or what but just a big well done!
Also, this video has moved me from "meh looks kinda cool" on the Steamdeck to "oh okay... okay... yeah I could see myself with this!". I think I wasn't particularly interested before because while I'd seen a few videos, none of them really gave me any sort of relatable information that felt useful. It was just teardowns and FPS comparisons. I particularly find this video (and all your videos) useful because your opinions always feel like they are from the point of view of a genuinely enthusiastic everyday gamer. It's down to earth and focuses on the everyday things that make or break using devices like this rather than the first 1-hour sparkly impression. That's what I value about you and your videos.
Sending my love from Downunder!
He has someone do everything for him, wood essentially just records nonsense and someone else turns it into a coherent product
@@adammohrone damn man, leave some salt for the ocean you can't be hogging it all
The cinematography is absolutely awesome
I agree! The effort he puts in, the time he takes to write his thoughts/steps out, takes time to film his own b-roll, set up his lights, and use his set to the best of his ability is just awesome. I love Wood and really appreciate his work, as it brings such a joy to my day when he uploads.
@@adammohrone come on man. Be chill.
It's refreshing to have a handheld console with no restrictions. No big brother Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft checking in to control all your games and whether or not you get to play them 🙂
What do mean? Do they really stop you from playing your games?
@@dep7up If you don't know, the PS3 (which is now extinct in the gaming world) and most likely the PS5 (the playstation 4 got a patch for this a while back that mostly fixed the issue), have CMOS or CBOMB batteries that, if the life expectancy, or certificate/license in technical terms, ran out (like if the license in the CBOMB was to die in a year from now, for instance) all the games that'd bought are effectively gone. As in there is no legal way (there probably is a way, but it would take a lot effort because right now, RPCS3, a PS3 emulator is the only way to preserve games from playstation 7th gen and even then you'll need a lot of computing power just to do so, such as a high end gaming pc) to play the games whether or not you downloaded them. My PS4 died, not like this, but it powered off completely and wouldn't turn back on. Despite that, I've been looking for a chance of a replacement and I've read that it is possible to replace a expired CBOMB/CMOS battery with a new one and that there are some videos on youtube and whatnot to help if don't know how to replace it. The CMOS problem is in most PCs/laptops these days, probably in the xbox console family, and (I wouldn't know because I didn't have a xbox console for most of my life, with the exception the xbox one, but then sent it back for refund) also probably in the nintendo switch. btw if this sounds like I have a specialty for tech in any way, I don't, I just happen to know this from youtube vids, namely from someordinarygamers aka mutahar because he has a lot videos that go in depth about this sort of thing. Anyway, I should've used the word "probably" less in this comment. :/
@@rurio3723 To be clear RPCS3 doesn't actually take that much power to play these days yes of course some games still do like God of War 3 and Red Dead but I'm able to play Skate 3 on my laptop (legally of course) and a lot of people have reported being able to play the majority of PS3 games on RPCS3 with the Steam Deck and on top of that performance for a lot of games just improved recently with a new update so it's not nearly as much of an issue also you can literally emulate Switch games on your phone now with the Skyline emulator so that console has become trivial to emulate as every console will be one day.
One thing though don't mean to throw a wrench into the whole Steam Deck not stopping you from playing games Steam still requires an online connection to play games bought on their store cause there's an always online DRM there is is an offline mode but some games will still have DRM by default anyway such as Ubisoft games unless you buy them on GOG then it's not an issue but just thought I'd mention that.
Plus you can play elden ring on the terlet
what are you talking about???
I'm sorry... @29:08... I SOLD MY SWITCH FOR IT... XDD... I found out that I can play switch games on the deck, not only that but it plays & looks even better.. Not to mention I can download the other 80% of emus out there... NOT TO MENTION... The realistic game graphics of the steam library... Yeah it kind of looks like a fancy potato and the screen size/ battery are not up to par but Switch or Apple needs to come up their ''PRO'' or ''ULTRA'' portable gaming console already.... Or I might just become a permanent fan of the steam deck... eeehh : l ...
As someone with large hands, the steam deck is a breathe of fresh air! It's nice to have something that is so light but also so large for me to game on the go!
I use my Switch to play Nintendo games and my Steam Deck to play everything else. I love both and can't see myself without either of them. Sometimes I want to play Pokemon Legends Arceus and sometimes I want to farm on Elden Ring while I watch Netflix.
Same, honestly this is the take I agree with the most. Of course I would like a switch 2 eventually so nintendo can make even bigger and better games but the SD is for everything else
Ever heard of Yuzu kids?
@@Herr.Mitternacht Thats piracy, you know theres people who actually want to pay and support entertainment... Crazy right?
@@ROCKanimeloves That's not piracy. OP stated he own those games so he can legally emulate them in the Steam Deck.
@@Herr.Mitternacht If we are talking about OP then he already owns a nintendo switch, why would he need to emulate to begin with?
I have been collecting games on steam for 17 years. Ever since Half Life 2 launched with steam. Being able to take this library of games on the go is a no-brainer. Bought!
I’m happy about the Tales of Arise featuring and how the steam deck got you to try out a new game like that!! Makes me want some of my other favourite RPGs on steam.
And this video was worth the length and wait :)
Tales of Arise was one of the best games I've played in a while
The Cyberpunk "Steam deck" setting is interesting - I believe they enabled ray tracing accidentally, which is why it ran so poorly?
Either way, they fixed it along the way somewhere, because by the time I got my deck last month, it ran perfectly fine on those settings.
I DID lower some of the settings (was a mix of medium/high) so I could change the FSR setting from performance to quality, which sharpened the game up immensely. It's also possible using the beta steamOS to cap the game and display refresh rate to 40FPS, which feels A LOT smoother. I ended up going back to 30 to get a little more battery though.
Also, this video is probably the closest to how I feel about the steam deck (minus the not knowing anything about linux part ;) )
Extremely well done video, clearly a lot of work went into this one. I can tell you distilled the summary of a longer conversation on this and it was done quite well. You earned another subscriber.
I love the Nintendo Switch for exclusives and indie games, however I think Steam Deck will be perfect for big budget games and indies still in Steam library. I didn't like the muddy textures of AAA games on Switch so I'm happy it will run great on Steam Deck. Thank you for making this review, I plan on picking it up in the future.
i wanna order a steam deck and i'd probably use it to do more triple a gaming, but i still like having my indies on switch along with the nintendo first parties. , plus getting a deck would allow me to play the rest of my current favorite rpg series, ys, since only 3 games are on the switch currently. the rest are available on pc , minus the 5th game (but i found that on sfc a while back), plus i could emulate it.
its a waste of money cause its a garbage system stick with the switch
@@rudorot65 um no ys games are also on ps4 not just pc and switch
@@lightning13clair29 yes they are, plus ps4 also has memories of celceta while switch doesn't. But if i wanted to take the series on the go, without having to search for and drop hundreds of dollars on physical psp games, then the deck and switch are the better choices.
@@rudorot65 the switch is the deck isnt because its garbage
This is actually super exciting for me. I'm handheld alllll the way tbh, so despite having all the best games - elden ring, red dead 2, etc... - I have never played them. I just only ever use handhelds like my switch (and still even my 3DS). I might finally actually play them if I can get my hands on one of those. So excited!
why not buy a pc at that point? U can buy a decent gaming pc that prolly better then the steam deck for 800 which is the price for it anyways
@@rafaelcabrera3364 I have a pc.... I just never play games on it. For some reason I just don't like using for gaming, I just like handhelds
you can emulate switch and 3ds quite easily on steamdeck using emudeck so you don't have to miss good old Nintendo if you get one!
Same here man
The thing about the steam deck is that you actually own the device. With the switch, you’re limited to what the software offers. With Arch linux (steam os based on it) you have full control over what you want it to do.
This is what I hate about modern consoles. I didn’t have to pay a fee every month back in the day. I don’t pay a fee to have a Steam account. After Sega stopped making consoles I lost complete interest in consoles. Nintendo hasn’t impressed me much since Super Nintendo. They try and sell retro but make you pay for limited features and give you a product with so many missed opportunities.
I remember when handheld consoles meant portable. I love the Switch, Steam Deck etc but they are not exactly portable unless you have a bag now. Would love to see more pocket sized consoles again like the PSP & DS.
I used to shove my Gameboy in my pocket all the time. I agree that was great, but the level of games these days would never be able to exist on such a small console again
Switch Lite
@@Katzelle3 Not quite pocket sized!
@@LiamPlaysHandheld
Well it fits in my summer shorts quite well now
@@Katzelle3 Yeah I guess it all depends on the size of your pockets 😅
I’m interested in getting one because games from Steam are cheaper as compared to the eShop. My only issue was that, during my research, tech youtubers said that the Valve hardwares easily get phased out - which is what I’m worried about if I do buy a Steam Deck. :(
The thing with them phasing out hardware prematurely is true for their Steam Machines (home consoles running SteamOS) and Steam Controllers (controllers with touchpads and stuff). They've been good about supporting their VR products, at least as far as I'm aware. Personally, I think they will support the Steam Deck for a reasonable amount of time. Each Steam Deck they sell is another customer for their storefront.
You'll have to judge for yourself what you think though. I just wanted to give you a little more info.
Problem with past products Mitchell listed above is that each hardware was not a commercial success and became a test in feature functionality (contributing to haptics in VR)
Valve has already achieved unexpected immense success with the Steam Deck and they have a devoted team working on it every day. Even newer models as they ship out to reservations are getting newer features or better hardware
A lot of that is a bit exaggerated. The steam machines were dropped but they were a failure, and also not a Valve product. They were a 3rd party product and valve wasn't really responsible for supporting it, the manufacturers like Dell were.
Steam OS which they ran on, and is a Direct Valve product has been constantly iterated on. Their other first party products continue to get software updates, even the steam link has gotten updates all the way to 2020. The steam controller has to be discontinued because of lawsuits over patent disputes.
Valve is a weird company and suffers from ADHD, but I don't think a lot of criticism about their hardware support is really fair
I wouldn't worry about that. Valve supports their products way better than nintendo ever did. Nintendo phased out their leagues better shop on the wii, the balance board, the labo, the lack of use for haptics in controllers, the ring fit having one game support and so on. Nintendo is just as bad if not worse in the lack of supporting old tech on top of not supporting current.
Some youtubers don't know what they are talking about... I have a Steam Controller and it works great on every recent version of Steam, they still activelly support it. In fact it even works connected to the deck itself. You might not be able to buy steam controllers anymore but that has nothing to do with the support they are offering. Even Steam machines have been activelly receiving software updates up until last year when they started talking about Steam OS v3.0 that the deck uses (which should be possible to install on a Steam Machine too, since they are just PCs).
Valve has been one of the most pro-consumer in the industry... they even partnered with iFixit for offering replacement parts, which is something you don't see Sony, Nintendo or MS do. I'd be more worried about Nintendo stopping support for the Switch eShop in the future (like they recently did with the 3DS) than I would be about Valve support for the deck.
I finally got my steam deck, the 500gb one. Also bought a 500gb micro sd card. I just hate running out of space, and love having my favorite games installed. So far my only gripe is getting used to Linux. But I have found very easy ways to open exe files and run windows programs. Also just got Minecraft running tonight lol.
I’m surprised Wood hasn’t talked about how near perfect the steam deck is for emulation. I didn’t get a lot of chances at ALOT of popular games from the past and now I have Dreamcast ps1 ps2 Saturn GB GBA GBC Sega Genesis PSP games. Games I could never afford, games I’ve always wanted to play…..
on my Steam Deck
Good luck with that since Nintendo would file lawsuit for the illegal roms of their games
@@Fayte_Liengaurd There are endless websites to find Nintendo Roms
Discussing Nintendo emulation on the deck has seen a number of video take down from Nintendo. Others would be fine.
@@truemoon4545 and they all get you a lawsuit from Nintendo if caught
@@bionicgeekgrrl not really because if you get caught having a ROM of a Nintendo game then Nintendo will file lawsuit
I‘d rather say that the steamdeck is more attractive for hardcore gamers (which in this case I‘d rather have a PS5), not really for casual, cozy & party „gamers“ like myself. To me, the handheld/docking/motiontracking functionality is too unique to be replaced. Nintendo simply has a different core audience.
I share your take! Nicely put. 🙌
#Hardcore !!!
The Steam Dock is releasing at some point probably this year but the motion controls, I agree.
I currently have a Switch and a borrowed PS5, and I gotta agree. It's definitely a sweet device for avid Steam users, but I'm good with the first- and third-party titles on the Switch
Now, I *am* curious to see how well the Deck does over time, and whether in the long run the Switch successor can keep the great third-party offerings, or whether many people move to Steam/the Steam Deck. But all that depends on how much the Deck will appeal to the casual crowd
A dock is launching soon!
At first I bought the deck because I figured the way the market was, if I didn't like it I could easily just sell it and get my money back without being a terrible scalper, however that was not the case. The Deck, even with how dumb the name is personally, is frickin awesome. I brought it with on my 3 month vacation in Italy and it has been a blast playing stuff like Stray and soon Spider-Man when that drops on Steam. Honestly a phenomenal handheld that I'm so happy I bought.
After watching you really sold me on ordering one. It will be exciting to play all the games I love on the go when I move to university. Going on trains and busses playing all the pc games I have sounds unbelievable.
Good review, shows both the downsides and the greats of the device
Now it's just a long wait until it comes in
@@AvocAdo5096 how is it?
@@Sniped137 completely worth it. I've been using it on the bus and trains. I bring it when I'm put visiting someone to show them games or to show off the device. Super nice to game while in bed 👍
@@AvocAdo5096 Oh nice one, I ordered mine last Tuesday, hopefully it comes tomorrow it's been shipping from the Netherland to UK for 3 days🤞
I have a Steamdeck preordered and my number one worry was framerates for it. This video put that worry asside for the most part as it looks like it can run many games at a very reasonable level. Above 30 for a handheld like this is shocking to hear. Cannot wait until I'm able to get my Steamdeck now
My switch has been my primary and only console for the past 2 years. I love it to death but it's pretty easy to tell that it's nearing the end of it's life cycle.
And although I'm very content with my switch library, there's also just so much more out there to play.
I really wanted more third party/AAA games that the switch just can't provide.
But I just couldn't sacrifice the portability; stationary gaming just never been my thing, ever since I was a kid.
I just got a Steam Deck 3 days ago and it's literally everything I've ever wanted from a portable device!
Yes, some tinkering and trail/error is required, but it's sooooo worth it.
Now I'm playing MW2 (Oh how I've missed Call of Duty lol), Destiny 2, Elden Ring, and Hogswart Legacy to my own level of comfort; ANYWHERE & ANYTIME I want!!!
If you have a switch but want to venture into a bigger variety of titles without losing the luxury of portability; 100% the Steam Deck is for you. Just be prepared to do a lil bit of learning!
I was waiting for this video!
Were u able to get SD replaced?.
I own a steam deck. Within 24hrs I had the SSD swapped out for a 1TB, Windows AND SteamOS installed, Doom Eternal, Fable, and some WiiU games installed. Now about 2-3 weeks in and I have several more retro consoles, and I bought Tunic specifically for the Deck and it is GREAT. This device is basically a dream come true. The only thing that would make this console even better is, if just a few companies like Bungie and Microsoft loosen the grip or help out just a little for things like Destiny 2, and the Halo MC collection to play natively instead of requiring streaming or windows to be installed... that would be nice. But at least we have support for Xbox gamepass streaming. I believe you could probably also get stadia and Geforce now. The moment we have things like Halo, God of War, And Breath of the Wild (unofficially) all on a handheld device... that is pretty sweet.
Halo MCC runs like a charm, natively over SteamOS (Proton Experimental), but afaik, just singleplayer (because the anticheat stuff don´t work on SteamOS). You just have to choose Proton Experimental, and choose the version with anticheat disabled, and it runs smooth and fine, with very low battery usage after a little tinkering (for me, below 10watts total @30fps).
Two different markets. Despite people claiming they can do roms for Nintendo games a lot of people won't go through with it. And for those that have never played a rom the level of glitches and input delay vary. Nintendo Switch isn't going anywhere if anything its on the Steam Deck to see if after a year it will hold up.
Psp was great for roms. Not sure why people wouldn't download roms on an actual PC. Especially for older systems like gamecube or n64
Hey woody, in the beta branch theres a refresh rate control for the screen which will also improve battery life and also help with making games look smooth with fps lock. in beta branch you can actually lock games like elden ring to 40~fps and set the refresh rate to 40hz and it looks quite smooth!
#BeatEmUps !
Might try that out on mine (when I get it) stretching the battery life sounds handy, if I want 100+ fps I can always boot my desktop
Both have their pros and cons, both are worthwile options. I personally prefer the Switch due to exclusives. And don't bring up emulation, because with that logic video game consoles in general should be considered useless since you can emulate most games on PC
All I know is steams store is huge and I cant wait lol
Pros and 'cons' eh?
I prefer the steam deck because I can just run Yuzu on it 😂
dont think that makes sense given that you can play all switch games at 60fps and they even run better on the steam deck, i have a v1 and oled switch, and even i say people to buy the deck, you are wasting money getting a switch when the steam deck exists
Switch emulation is a thing, and not useless since PC is not portable, Switch emulation on Steam deck is a very valid point.
Less wasteful packaging and as long as it comes not damaged, you get a „free“ carrying case out of the box (literally)
Congratulations to you and wulf den on the new awesome podcast I love your content so much it's best part of my week everytime a new video pops up keep it up bro much love to you and kim
When it came down to choosing which hand held. I went with the switch due to the games exclusive to Nintendo, and the fact that the switch is obtaining more and more ports lightens the blow of not playing most of the big triple A titles. I have a $3500-$4000 Pc. If I truly want the experience I can play on the Pc or the PlayStation 5. For handheld it was pretty much set in stone that the switch was the best option for me. I still love most of nintendos market and enjoy certain titles.
This can emulate switch
@@mpforeverunlimited some games are better played online.
This is one of the best reviews I have watched so far. This made me hyped for a steam deck. And now, my steam deck is on the way! Excited to play all of my steam games. the backlog killer, Steam deck!!
which storage type should we buy ? 64 or 256 ?
@@smartlearning6390 go for nvme, 256GB. 512 is unnecessary unless you expect to play games such as ARK which with all dlcs and certain mods can reach 400GB+.
@@smartlearning6390 I did 256 and planning to get a sd card for it for more space
I'm waiting for mine has i watch this
how many days did it take to arrive
@@smartlearning6390 I suggest going for the 64gb one if you're on a tight budget. 64gb is really good considering you can expand your storage with 1tb micro sd card. And I have a 1tb sd card and I have a ton of games installed in it (not even full). Very slight difference in loading time. And after months or so, I'll prolly upgrade my ssd which is very easy and much cheaper than buying the next tier 256gb.
Well, I definitely want to get one. I'm just struggling with which version to get.
I've heard the SSD isn't night and day difference to loading off SD cards like most SSDs usually are. Which is great news bec micro SDs are super cheap these days.
I don't play outside very much, so the 512gb version with the anti glare seems like it isn't for me.
So I've boiled it down to either the 64gb or the 256gb.
So my question to everyone...should I just go with 64gb? Do you think the SSD makes THAT big of difference that it warrants the extra cost? Or should I spend less than that extra cost and just get a 512gb micro SD card for a 64gb?
I'd go with the 64gb. And put the extra money twords a larger SD card instead.
The one thing I’ve been wondering about this thing is how it does with Grand Strategy games like from Paradox.
First person, open world adventure, and other games available on consoles were obviously going to do well. But what about games traditionally PC only?
Edit: ok, he mentioned Sims 4 and how the mouse replacement is good. That said, Grand Strategy games tend use a lot of keyboard shortcuts.
I know Crusaders 3 runs very well on the Steam Deck. Though you have to use the zoom feature since the interface is small. But other than that, games like Crusaders and Civilization run very well. The trackpads are really made for them. There’s a video of it that you can watch in TH-cam.
If you want the keyboard functionality for those types of games you'll have to either hook up a keyboard to it or use a Blu tooth one.
If you are a tweaker you can get creative on the control customization with Steam Input. You can get each button to send a command or set up layers and crazy button combinations to make it suitable to what you want, but honestly it's a pain to do that... I wouldn't personally recommend that.
If the game has good mouse support and it's possible to set it to low resolution so the buttons aren't tiny then you could even use the touchscreen. But I wouldn't say the deck is, in general, ideal for games with a high focus on the mouse... doable, sure, but not ideal. Compared to the Steam controller, the touchpads are less comfortable to use as primary input.
With keyboard shortcuts couldn't you assign them to the 4 back buttons, I've never played the game but I think you might find a really good controller layout for the game made by the community that's optimized for the steamdeck
Keyboard shortcuts theres a lot you can do especially with the back paddles.
let's say you map the 1st back button to change the face buttons, dpad and the left track pad input. let's say when held the Dpad goes from a Dpad to the F1-4 keys in an order you like. The face buttons can also be mapped to keys like number keys, combined keys (like Ctrl+E) and the left trackpad could just be shortcuts for actions like voice chat, or to activate keyboard. You would slide your finger on the pad and a wheel would pop up, drag your finger across the pad to the desire action and click. And there you go bam. You have 1 action set *for o n e* back button.
This doesn't include things like double taps for inputs, holds, chorded presses and way more.
A keyboard is better for a general strategy game, thats no debate. But the Steam Deck (plus the steam controller) can get the job done to your personal liking with a bit of pateince. And if the control scheme you made works so well, you can transfer it to game to game to take less time setting it up.
It seems complicated but honestly its way less than you think it is. Depending on how well you know the game, at most it would take 20 minutes to set up a controller scheme that works close to a mouse and keyboard as you'd like. How close it gets, is honestly dependent on your skill and ability to quickly build muscle memory.
It MAY be the end of the Switch but it certainly means that Nintendo can’t just mail it in anymore, particularly with their next portable (presumably) console’s specs. I’m glad someone checked them finally.
While I have no interested in the Steam Deck, I hope the competition helps push Nintendo further graphically and performance wise.
Its will be at $500 for Switch 2 pro and $400 for Switch 2 lite
Man their isnt even a switch pro, how tf are you prophesising a “switch 2 pro” lol.
Yeah sorta feels like nintendo knows no one could have competition seeing as how their the king of handhelds but I guess now they really need to start thinking
@Nhat Anh Hoang yeah except steam looks like it will succeed unlike vita someone can finally show it to nintendo
@Nhat Anh Hoang but that still didn't push nintendo to their limit yeah it was a success but it didn't threatenen nintendo not to mention the ps vita was still a failure showing even more how they know how to make a handheld but the steamdeck is going good so far and is getting a lot more popular
Oh yeah did I mention that it can play steam games which is one of the biggest libraries of games and the psp was just as strong as the ds the steam deck is stronger than the switch and it's games are better unlike vita and psp not trying to be disregard what you said or anything
Awesome review and finally someone shows a good deal of actual gameplay. I pre-ordered mine a day after you and wont get mine until at least July though 😭.
Doubt you’ll ever see this comment but fun fact about the steam deck, there’s this youtuber called CryoByte33, he’s not only managed to show us how to get better performance in the steamdeck with his swapfix, he managed to get over 60fps in red dead 2, absolute legend both of you, great video
Wood, no, I can't be buying more stuff, stop selling things to me with your great, honest and heartfelt reviews! Great video as always! Now, to say the truth I bough a laptop last year because I wanted to not have my pc gaming stuck to my home office and even though I have the laptop the steam deck just looks so much more convenient!
Nice! I might have to get one. My laptop broke a while back and I have been without access to my Steam games for a while. This looks really nice. I don't think this is the end of the Switch. Even if this is better than the Switch, there are several games that are only on Switch and more will come out in the future.
Great video. Got my steam deck sent home and I'm deployed. Can't wait to get home and play with it. This video got me excited 💯💯
I said this once and I will say the again the steam deck will never be the end or the death of Nintendo switch for one reason and one reason only Nintendo exclusive games
I love both of them, my Switch and my Deck. Together with my PS Vita, my Nintendo 3DS, my GBA, my PSP Go, my OG Nintendo Gameboy. All for it´s games, all fantastic for what they have delivered in time. But the Deck is more than all of them - versatile and able to play more or less all, what we have played on this good old systems, together with the modern PC stuff.
Nintendo s still running on nostalgia. It actually doesn't deserve to outsell every console. Low graphics, very costly games ..
So, on the compat warnings, Valve *is* being harsh with it. Like one they nail games for is having a launcher that you can't used a controller for or having text input, but not using either their own on-screen keyboard, or the Steam API to ask for the Steam one (which was probably added back with the Big Picture Mode ages ago). Valve wants the devs to fix these small, technical UX problems, even if it takes shaming them a bit on the store page.
Like the text input/keyboard one, the API example is like a dozen linesof code, but the dev fixing that not only fixes if for the Deck, but also the people who play on Windows with a controller too. Valve wants devs to make games that respect how a gamer wants to game, even if they benefit on other platforms.
I think of the Steam Deck as a good start. I'm sure one day I'll pick up my own PC-meets-handheld-gaming device, but I'll probably wait until there are more options and the price goes down, the capability goes up, and any lingering bugs/user-friendliness issues get worked out.
I don't think the price will go below this, simply put I don't see any other manufacturer competing with the steam deck in this price point. The switch isn't competition for the steam deck, even if the switch 2 comes out and it's stronger and cheaper than the steam deck it won't affect the steam deck too much.
What I do think will happen is they will iron out the bugs and improve the ui, increase availability and provide more revisions. The price aspect I don't agree with you
Not sure if the price will go down tho, its already really low and valve lose money on every base Steam deck sold, 300 is probably what future base models will sell for to.
@@MalteK Not if inflation and chip prices gave anything to say about that
I'm not entirely sure what other 'options' you're referring to here, since the steam deck has been continually updated and improved to make it pretty much the perfect gaming device. And as for a price cut, you're in for a long wait. It's already very aggressively priced to the point where literally nothing can compete with it, so start saving your brass if you're serious about getting one because even if you ordered now, you won't see it until well into the middle of next year. Demand is unbelievably high.
@@blazingsaddle166 Actually look up the ayn loki, I was of the same mind but that handheld sounds really cool. Zen 3+ and RDNA 2 (possibly stronger than steam deck's) $499 for 64GB (599$ for 256gb) and possibly with an oled screen like their other handheld. 299$ for a cheaper alderlake model.
It comes with full windows support out of the box, and you could probably dual boot steamos 3.0 if you want to.
It seems like the market won't simply concede to the steamdeck
Console player discovers settings for the first time - colorized
Great video, I feel the FOMO for a Deck on daily basis lmao. The fact I own a Switch Oled, a powerful gaming Laptop with a 3070 and a badass desktop with a 2080 is stopping me. But I will probably fall for the deck at a certain point
My steam Deck journey has been one of the greatest video game experiences I have had in ages. Your video really is on point with my experiences over the last month or so. Not to mention all the updates Valve keeps making every other week it seems. I am downloading Red Dead 2 now...totally thought that wouldn't be worth gambling my internet cap on!
I have watched about 30 of your videos. Always appreciate your input.
Read about your love of Stardew Valley on the Switch and thought you were crazy and now i'm in 3rd year running "Tegridy Farm". Very proud to state it is my first run and doing fairly well.
Anyways, I wanted to comment today and say thank you for providing the bit about what exactly a non-verified game could mean. It could literally be a deal-breaker for some, so to know we can see a breakdown of why it is not verified while exploring and maybe realizing it is absolutely playable is very reassuring.
I saw Fallout 3 (one of my faves) in the non-verified (but not non-tested) category and it had me concerned. Have since read comments it should absolutely be moved to verified. I'm excited to sit down with it handheld!
Looking forward to hopefully getting mine this week! I'm waiting for shipping confirmation after having already paid in full for mine last Thursday, Valve seems a bit slow on shipping them unfortunately 😅
Looking forward to it, and I'm going to be using this video for fuel for my unrealistic hype train :)
Nice, i was gonna buy it last week but i waited too long. Now its estimated to restock in october.
@@jmediaa9226 if you missed your window to order it, give valves customer service a call and tell them you had missed it and you would still like to order one. I've heard of them being pretty generous with extensions for missed order opportunities
Steam deck coming out may help the switch in the long run. Need competition to make new existing things to the software side of things.
nah the switch is doing fine it doensnt need any help from a garbage system
@@lightning13clair29 lol payed cloud saves? Steam Deck offers them for free. :)
@@ZaberfangX he's mad he cant play rdr2, assassins creed odyssey, Arkham Knight, elden ring, tales of arise, and play wii games and GameCube games
Steam is working on allowing the Steam deck to dual boot. It is a PC after all. Basically, that means you can load Windows on it without removing Steam OS. You'll need quite a bit of storage for it though
Technically the Switch always had the Bluetooth capability, but Nintendo took forever to be like, “sure, let’s let the players uses this feature the way the want” and added the option. The option was added far later than desired for players, so I get that frustration, but it was always part of the system and capable
It also happened suspiciously immediately after press day with the steam deck where there were multiple articles talking about how the Steam Deck would have Bluetooth and making fun of Nintendo for still not having it
Which. Was probably a coincidence, but a hilarious one at that. It's nice to have some competition regardless
The joy cons always used bluetooth. Nintendo just had the bluetooth on lockdown. Even when on airplane mode, the joycons were just put into a shorter range mode to meet the fcc requirements.
The reason for the lockdown? Nintendo didn't want to pay the licensing fees associated with bluetooth audio. Nintendo isn't apart of the bluetooth special interest group aka bluetooth sig. Thus they would of needed to pay the licensing fees. Nintendo will do anything they can to avoid such fees as long as they can!
@@Captain_Chaz86 that makes sense
Ps4 was in the same boat, maybe the ps5 but I dont have one to confirm. You could literally pair any BT headset to the ps4 at release, but the moment you tried to talk or play sound it would just disconnect the device. They program the BT to be worse on purpose to eliminate competition and sell proprietary accessories at an upcharge.
@@Captain_Chaz86 would have*
The funny thing is that the deck is quieter than the original PS4 while playing god of war!
So glad to hear you like the Steam Deck! I love mine, so it makes me happy to see others liking it too. ☺️
It’s not just like it’s love
Not competition. Completely different audiences
Well I definitely want one now lol. I’d have to get the one with the most space tho and i dont have $600-700 just laying around. Definitely wishlist.
You can get the cheaper one and just get a SD card. Save your money
@@UnitingHispanics Thanks for the advice. I def planed on getting an SD card too, but i want the largest internal storage. Especially since the nvme would be faster. But after I posted i was thinking, i could just get the cheaper one and swap out the nvme for a larger one. That would be the best route to go.
@@JoeBuk724 i have one. 64gb honestly sd card and ssd storage compared there’s not really a difference when it comes to loading times that you’ll notice unless you run a timer. I did try out my friends 500gb model and the loading times where pretty similar!
@@emiliolaurenti5199 Thank you for the reply. In all honesty I figured that was the case lol. How do you like it? Are your experiences the same as the video?
@@JoeBuk724 i just ordered the 64gb one and i plan on getting a micro sd card and potentially upgrading the ssd in the future
What an extensive review, great work! I'm glad you spent 3 weeks with the console and tried a variety of games.
Awesome review, thank you!
Can anyone attest to its function with older games though? Like say, the original star wars battlefronts or like Jedi Knight or Outcast? Would be fun to have old games on the go too!
The original star wars battlefront works and runs great. Any older games I've tried work good. Dishonored, one of my favorites, runs great. Even fallout 4 works very well. My friend and I have been playing through borderlands 2, both on steam decks, and it runs so smooth at 55-60 fps. Also the first borderlands just got verified for the steam deck. Oh and with a little work I got my favorite Mario games working good. Literally a childhood dream. I can now leave this earth in peace.
Yes it is. Haven’t touched my switch in weeks. The joystick layout is so much better. I would suggest changing the resolution to 40fps/40hz……you will save battery and it will look just as good.
They are different worlds in a sense to me I'm still trying to learn all I can about the steam deck before pushing for one, love my switch models having a ton of fun with them rn summer is the handheld season!!!!! But the steam deck is definitely probably a stronger machine
Last year i bought razer blade with rtx 3070 and was super excited about this machine (though still love it). But a month ago i got my preordered deck. This thing is just awesome. I have the switch as well, but the deck is just another dimension. Before having it i was not even realizing that it will bring that much enjoyment from portable gaming for me. Now it became my the only active pc gaming device. My blade is just having long vacation (not considering daily work). It is not perfect of course, for example rdr 2 requires forcing proton 6.3 to have the best continuous experiense but it definitely worth it. And just as mentioned - the majority of games runs perfect with defaults. Btw replaced 256gb ssd with 1tb and it is also really easy.
Dude you can get a full blown gaming pc for the same price. I also suspect you were cheated by Razer, looking at the size of a graphics card and it's cooling I just don't believe they could fit all that into a gaming laptop. Obviously my friend who works for Apple would know, but I believe you were cheated. You were robbed. Powerful portable gaming yes, but powerful gaming I don't think so. I play 2022 games with the graphics maxed out and ray tracing if I feel like it with no problems, can your laptop do that? I game for hours too with no overheating.
I reserved the Steam Deck on July 16th 2021 as soon as I could. Got my 256GB Steam Deck a few days ago. I love it so much, the best handheld I have ever held and used. I have large hands so the I can only use my switch when I have a grip. Playing my pc games on the go was something i could only dream of; and now I can do it for £459. I see major potential with this.
I agree with you on the "Playable" caution marker. Most of the issues that earn it that mark are pretty negligible, especially if it's a game that's already been ported to Switch!
I will never understand how you can hawk Raycon earbuds in good conscience - tried them…not good, but I guess I’m just pickier than most about sound - but otherwise I still love you to death Wood and this was a KILLER Steam Deck review! I want one now!!!! You’re truly one of the best of the best at making *relatable* content!
When Wood hits you with the Journey Across Japan music.
Great review! I own both a Switch OELD and a Steam Deck and having the insanely large Steam library on the go is pure insanity. The Switch is great and all, but waiting for months or years for a port of a great triple A or indie game was a huge bummer. I had reached a point where I was wondering what to play, coz I had finished the games I wanted to play, but with the Steam Deck I'm just wondering what to play first and in what order to play all those games.
Lucky I dont have any type of awitch
@@RayCoryJackson I also have a standard Switch v2, but I wouldn't call it luck lol, I'm just spending my hard-earned cash. Also eating a lot of ramen lately coz I had unexpected dental bills this month and the notification that I had 48 hours to finish my Steam Deck purchase came at the worst possible time
Bro @Kova4a, can you share your switch games to me 😭🙏. I only got mh gen ultimate.
It'll be interesting to see what your opinion will be one year from now. Hopefully Valve will continue to improve on their design and software. I'd like to see this become a new line of products and not another abandoned idea.
The only thing they "abandoned" was the Steam Machines, and those weren't theirs. The Steam Controller had a lawsuit that they lost and the Steam Link is on everyone's phones/tv's now as an app.
Their software feels pretty abandoned to me. If they didn't get into VR I don't think we'd ever see another half life game and I still think we'll never get half life 3. Same for portal and Left 4 Dead. I hope they prove me wrong though.
@@DaxanDaxter I understand your perspective, I just disagree in this case. When you have Amazing IPs and more money than God like Valve does and you still choose to do nothing with them I consider that to be abandoned. Look, I know Valve doesn't "owe" us any new games. It's just really disappointing.
Great video! Finally got myself to buy one (lcd on sale) and now more excited to receive it. Tried to sell my switch to recoup some funds but not worth much now so guess I will keep that with me lol.
Finally someone who reviews it for what it is and what it offers.
I agree 100%! I've had the Steam deck since the first batches that were sent to Europe 2 months ago and I'm loving it. It's making me revisit my backlog of Steam games and spicing up my commute and my trips.
quick question, is it possible to switch between pc and deck and have the same save on the game. like you play on the pc, then go out and play on the deck and can just resume your game ( with internet ofc ) or is this not the case?
@@Neo_VIn0 if the game supports Steam Cloud then yes, it works the same way as how Steam syncs the saves between different PCs.
The save gets uploaded to the cloud when you close the game. However, if you are playing on the deck and press the button to put it to sleep without closing the game (which is very nice since then you can quickly resume playing later without restarting the game), then it might not sync up... however, Steam will warn you from the PC if you try to start that game and tell you to turn on your Deck and close the game properly.
Also, you need to have an internet connection to sync it up... so if you are out and about you might need to turn it on momentarily once you are home to get into online mode and upload the saves.
It's gonna be pretty difficult to kill the Nintendo Switch while Nintendo keeps pumping out their games exclusively on their system. But still... it might just be a PC killer with how useful this thing seems to be.
It would definitly kill me buying third party games on the Switch, simply because the prices on Steam are just that much lower, but... if only the Steam Deck was actually sold here in my country. That's what I get for living in South America, huh...
Definitely
I feel sorry for you
it will never be a pc killer, not while people do like me and run duel massive monitors, it's always just much easier to play a keyboard mouse game at a desk
Waiting for my order in October. Thanks for breaking this down.
Can’t wait to get mine! This will definitely emulate some switch games. Unfortunately the switch just can’t stack up against the Steam Deck because it’s a portable computer vs. a handheld console.