I’ve now had my Steam Deck for four years.
When I first got it, I thought, “If this thing only plays a tiny fraction of my PC game library, it will be so worth it!”
Little did I realize it would play nearly all of my library. Sometimes better. As in, some games that no longer work on Windows still work on my Steam Deck.
Now the stereotype with PC gaming is that it’s all about specs. As in, chasing pixel counts and framerates. And for some people, that is the appeal of PC gaming.
But let me tell you, my Steam Deck has been locked at 800p and 60fps – except on the very rare occasions I docked it to a TV. And the experience has been nothing short of magical.
You know how amazing it is to play Commander Keen on a handheld? Or Serious Sam? Or Septerra Core?
And it’s not just about old games. There are indies like The Binding of Isaac that really come alive with a handheld.
Admittedly, I don’t play a whole lot of recent AAA titles. But Battlefield 4 on the Steam Deck? Amazing.
“Amazing” pretty much the word to sum up everything. I’ve got far more out of my Steam Deck than I ever dreamed.
Comparing my Steam Deck to newer handhelds like my wife’s Legion Go, it’s clearly showing its age. But I ain’t letting it go. Not for any time soon.
There’s too many memories wrapped up there. I spent days on my porch, enjoying the sunset. Nights spent on a park bench. Visits to the beach.
But also, keeping my old friend around gives me an opportunity I never had previously: the ability to go multiplayer with my wife.
That’s right, while on vacation, I’m looking forward to PvP sessions. Perhaps while sipping lattes in a hotel lounge. Or right by a pool.
It’s been worth it.
I guess it probably says something about my own age that I don’t consider the Steam Deck to be anywhere near an old system.
I didn’t realize they’d been out for 4 years already. I could have sworn it was just hitting like 2
I agree. After all, they are still selling it, and people are still happily buying it. A friend got one about 3 months ago and he’s been very pleased.
The Steam Deck is still under four years old, let’s remember. The Nintendo Switch is over eight! Of course that’s not an apples-to-oranges comparison as the Steam Deck aims to run any game, not just specifically optomised titles. But it’s an indicator.
On the subject of being old, we get way more life out of PC hardware right now than we did back in the early 2000s. Nowadays if you buy a high end GPU you might get a decade of gaming out of it. Back then you’d get 2-3 years and it would be obsolete, because graphics tech was just evolving so fast. (Of course, cards now cost ten times what they did back then, but that’s another story…)
Point is, there’s plenty of life left in the steam deck yet :)
it’s only 3 years old so I wouldn’t consider it an old system. I think atleast 5 years is old for a console
I would consider it underpowered compared to competitors but not outdated (and imo I don’t think better hardware is needed)
I wouldn’t worry about it, the guy is very obviously just here to sell whatever a Legiongo is
Nope, the Legion Go is for my wife.
I’m personally holding out for the Steam Deck 2.
Whatever happened to reading comprehension?