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 tried this with my Switch, but it turns out the switch version of moonlight is super janky. It can’t wake the computer, and the controls don’t seem to map right by default, which basically means I have to remap controls every time I start a game (since I go back and forth between the PC and the handheld, and I need to switch them back when I’m at the PC). Plus it sometimes just stops accepting input for a while and makes me run down to the computer. It just has a lot more friction than I thought it would.
I’m doing all that because there’s this part of my brain that is convinced that I should get a Deck, even though my problem isn’t actually that I don’t have a handheld, it’s that I can’t motivate myself to play the games I already have. So, not actually gonna get a Deck unless the prices come down a lot. The used prices are mostly still over $300, though.
Sell the switch my gen one is lying in a drawer. I used to stream to my switch but it wasn’t moonlight I used it was another app by an independent developer but I can’t remember who. Was a long time ago. Finished fallout 4 this way and also 100% the Goldeneye Xbox 360 leak.
Unless it is a handheld console I won’t play it now.
I mostly play it lying on the bed tbh.