Is the Steamdeck the best handheld console ??

[Deleted member 386808]

The Steamdeck is a high-end handheld console but also quite expensive. I have been wondering for a long time whether I should buy something like this but somehow I have not done it. Does anyone have experience with something like this?

 

[ChronoCloud]

I can emulate ps2 and GameCube on it, upscaled. I also beat RE4 remake on it. It gets more support than any of those $1000 windows hand helds.

 

[sambair]

I've had mine for about a year and I love it. Lately I mostly play Balatro on it, but basically the vast majority of stuff on Steam runs perfectly on it, especially anything that isn't a modern AAA game. Emudeck is a pretty user friendly way to get a good Retroarch setup going, I got Minecraft running without too much trouble, and for the most part it's not too hard to get Windows stuff running through Proton.

 

[Blamhammer]

If you get a Steam Deck you can just use it straight away. Grab your games library or buy new games with ease.
One could just use a Deck as is and never go to desktop mode.

And when you do want to go to desktop mode to set up and run that odd game that is abandon ware or to setup emulators you have a massive community ready to help give you solutions.

Most of the times you can just type in the game name + Steam Deck followed by "reddit" in your favorite search engine and get the answers you were looking for.

 

[HyperTurboFox]

The Perfect Sega Saturn Machine

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

Yeah, the price is kinda the problem for me. I think it is probably the best handheld in the market(this is coming from someone that knows almost nothing about handhelds mind you, lol) but i think that even if i had the money to buy one, it wouldn't be quite justified since i already have a PC.
I really can't think of a use of something like that, specially spending any money in it. Will i use it when going to bed? I go to bed when i want to sleep, not play games. Will i use it when i'm outside doing other things? This makes sense yeah, but only if you are traveling/is far from your PC or console for very extended periods of time, otherwise spending money to use something just a few occasional times here and there seems like poor money management.
I think if you already have a PC and doesn't travel a lot, it isn't very justifiable to pay so much for this

 

[Deebo]

Yes.

 

[drizzes]

It finally let me emulate more than just wii games

 

[HyperTurboFox]

It finally let me emulate more than just wii games

Yep, it's beat out every Android Handhelds on the Market even powerful one like the Odin 2.

 

[gekiganwing]

My short answer: some patience is required.

My long answer: it's kind of like trying my 2000s - 2010s Windows CD-ROMs on my current computer. Some of them work perfectly. Others install but don't work well. Others won't even install.

Some Steam games are as reliable as a SNES cartridge or a PS1 disc. Press the button and they work. No free-to-play nonsense, no always-on DRM, no prompts to pay money for bonus content. Other games have let me down. Arcade Paradise seemingly crashed after the start screen. Bejeweled 3 works, but every time I try to use the touchscreen, it goes the wrong way. Dragon View starts, but the game doesn't recognize any of the action buttons.

The last time I tried to install Emudeck, I ran into an issue. I successfully reformatted the microSD card. Now it's in a Linux format. My Windows computer no longer reads it. As far as I can tell, I also need an external drive that plugs into the USB-C port in order to transfer files to the microSD card. So I bought one. I need to figure out if the external drive needs to be 1) formatted for Windows, 2) for Linux, or 3) dual-formatted.

 

[Yowane]

Yeah, the price is kinda the problem for me. I think it is probably the best handheld in the market(this is coming from someone that knows almost nothing about handhelds mind you, lol) but i think that even if i had the money to buy one, it wouldn't be quite justified since i already have a PC.
I really can't think of a use of something like that, specially spending any money in it. Will i use it when going to bed? I go to bed when i want to sleep, not play games. Will i use it when i'm outside doing other things? This makes sense yeah, but only if you are traveling/is far from your PC or console for very extended periods of time, otherwise spending money to use something just a few occasional times here and there seems like poor money management.
I think if you already have a PC and doesn't travel a lot, it isn't very justifiable to pay so much for this

I'm terminally online atm moment my only hobbies are building tiny gunpla and vidya games on a beastly pc. I love my deck with a passion. Admittedly I mainly use it docked but because of that it's like having a second pc in my bedroom, or living room. Anything it can't run I just install on the pc and stream it to the deck although that depends on your connection. Not even including the high sea's stuff.

 

[goregoregoregoregoregore]

I'm terminally online atm moment my only hobbies are building tiny gunpla and vidya games on a beastly pc. I love my deck with a passion. Admittedly I mainly use it docked but because of that it's like having a second pc in my bedroom, or living room. Anything it can't run I just install on the pc and stream it to the deck although that depends on your connection. Not even including the high sea's stuff.

I get you, but to me this kinda just doesn't justify the price. Having a second less powerful pc besides you seems like the least of money priorities lol

 

[Yowane]

I mean it's not beside you it's mobile like the switch, whether it's docked or not doesn't change performance like the switch. But I mean that's fair everyone has different level's of price/ performance. And I'm biased anyways I'm not a big nintendo fan.

 

[DanCalibur]

I love the Steamdeck, but I'll never get one. It's just too small to play at home and too big to carry with me, if you are ok with that then go for it, its a solid all in one machine. I rather have a PC connected to a big screen at home and something much smaller to play outside like an anbernic or a Retroid Pocket 5 at the biggest.

 

[gekiganwing]

Since my last post, I finally got Emudeck to work. First attempt to run Gamecube software: success! First attempt to run Dreamcast software: success! First attempt to run PC-FX software: success! First two attempts to run Sega Saturn software: frustration. I know this is a frustrating console to emulate. However, neither Retroarch nor two cores are being helpful. I'll see if I can find other options later.

 

[rugal]

steamdeck is the best handheld consol only for the reason its the easiest to setup and use

reasons steamdeck are better
1 all emulator are easy to setup and rune
the only exception is the ps3 emulator some of the heavy game you need to change setting in emulator to run them
2 steam game just play
3 this is a plus you can use linux on it
4 more user friendly

in term of cpu and gpu power its not the strongest handheld consol
rank 1 legion go stronger cpu and better gpu
rank 2 rog ally cpu equal to legion but not as strong gpu as legion go
3 steamdeck weaker cpu gpu almost as strong as rog ally

the reason legion go and rog ally are not the best
1 not as user friendly as steamdeck
2 you need to do stuff before seting up emulators

 

[Yowane]

steamdeck is the best handheld consol only for the reason its the easiest to setup and use

reasons steamdeck are better
1 all emulator are easy to setup and rune
the only exception is the ps3 emulator some of the heavy game you need to change setting in emulator to run them
2 steam game just play
3 this is a plus you can use linux on it
4 more user friendly

in term of cpu and gpu power its not the strongest handheld consol
rank 1 legion go stronger cpu and better gpu
rank 2 rog ally cpu equal to legion but not as strong gpu as legion go
3 steamdeck weaker cpu gpu almost as strong as rog ally

the reason legion go and rog ally are not the best
1 not as user friendly as steamdeck
2 you need to do stuff before seting up emulators

" 3 linux:
4: more user friendly"
Something about this doesn't add up =P

I tease but there is alot of customization you can do, although I'm willing to bet a good chuck of deck owners never enter desktop mode.

 

[_oBSOLEte_]

I use Retroarch with my Android phone. Most cost effective handheld you could get there. Your phone.

 

[Elwiwi]

Is a console though ?

 

[rugal]

" 3 linux:
4: more user friendly"
Something about this doesn't add up =P

I tease but there is alot of customization you can do, although I'm willing to bet a good chuck of deck owners never enter desktop mode.

sure for some this seem like it dose not add up
its true in that you say that most deck owner never enter desktop mode

that means most people that own steamdeck. legion or a rog ally
never really use it or test it to the limit of what it can do and not do
and it also means that most user never really use all the consol have to offer

i have push steamdeck. legion go and rog ally to the maxium of what they can do in terms of game and emulator
checked many of the features they all 3 have to offer as a consol
have done alot of customization in all 3 of them
change setting alot to run certain games and emulator games

and every game i play i always change the settings in the game and in each consols to run the game better

when it came to heavy games steam deck did not work as well as rog ally and legion go

emulatotr only ps3 emulator and heavy games did not work well in steam deck but did work fine on rog ally and legion go

and i did find the stemdeck more user friendly in terms of changing settings and customization compare to rog ally and legion go
it can have linux without problem on it since i almost only use linux i find that nice

rog ally and legion go
can have linux but it did not work that well in my opinion so it need time

hope this explain a little better why in my opinion steamdeck is best

 

[ThePeon]

Steamdeck is honestly best handhelds we ever gotten. I mean if you think about it´s just handheld PC´s with Linux as OS.

Steamdeck and can do things Switch/Switch 2 could only dream of doing like modding games let me play games I already own on steam with out paying jack shit extra.
Also no need to pay for Nintendo online crap to play retro games "I wish they rater sold me the retro games instead of forcing me to pay for a dumb subscription.
Run VLC and watch movies and anime.


If you ask me steamdeck basically owned the handheld market no amount of exclusives would make me abandon the freedom of Linux and steam.

But we all know Switch 2 will sell 10s of millions consoles because fanboys and people want the newest and coolest crap even if they don´t need to.

Sorry if I sound negative or such but im just a realist and to me Switch 2 is an overpriced gadget at this point.

 

[LaserMoose]

I don't own a Steam Deck, but it and the Switch are both too large to be in contention for my favorite handheld.

The 3DS, Vita, PSP, and GBA are all more comfortable to play portably due to their much smaller form factor compared to my Switch, and given the size of the Deck I'd imagine my opinion would hold for that system as well.

 

[Lainon]

The SteamDeck is fine but it's way too big for travel, personally. If they had a smaller version I would buy it for more that the current SD price and probably replace my Retroid Pocket.

I did like really like the SteamDeck for when I owned it, I just realized that it's bulky carrying it in the case, even in a backpack for occasional gaming on the go. I just want something I can play some VNs on the go that can fit in my pocket and the retroid does that well, even when I can't play everything I want at the moment.