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The problem I have with the steam deck is it’s big and quite frankly ugly. They need to make a steam deck Lite. Something much smaller. They will never sell nearly as many units as the Nintendo switch, unless they gear this thing towards kids.
The problem I have with fast Chargers is that they degrade your battery far faster than just charging them normally, I like my steam deck or my cell phone to last as many years as possible, I don't like retroactively using fast Chargers to destroy that battery life, especially since most nowadays our batteries are built in and they're not exactly easy to take out unless you're a tech surgeon which most of us aren't and it can be quite a bit of money to replace that phone with a new one. Funny enough that's also the reason why a lot of EV vehicles happen to catch fire, well I mean it's part of the equation. The other parts are lithium ion being very unstable inside of a vehicle so those things get very hot and the battery does not like that and the end result could be a fire.
Lifelong console gamer here. I have had my OLED Steam Deck for few weeks and I tink it might be my all time favorite gaming device. I've been able to get so many great games from $3-$15.
On the flip side if you’ve had a Steam account for a very long time like me you get a console with more games than I ever hade with any individual console combined.
Yea, see, it's comments like this that are so misleading. Unless one is looking for an indie machine that's portable, every console out there will outperform the Deck. Even the Switch arguably is more user-friendly than the deck, albeit much weaker of a system. The Deck is significantly underpowered compared to competition from the window systems and adding the OLED is like putting a custom muffler on a go-kart; it looks neat but it doesn't do anything else for the system. Coming from over 30 years of gaming experience, owning 3x Decks, an Ally, a Go, 3x different variants of the Switch and so many other consoles, a PC, etc.
@@InitialFailure Interesting take, I have also owned (x3 switch variants, pc, Ally, and two steam decks) the steamdeck oled is the best for me. It’s not the best in any one category but it’s the most well rounded device. The switch to me was the worst device, while I had fun with it playing couch coop games with joycons, trying to play the Witcher 3 in 720p at 20-30fps after paying $60 for it years after it’s release was the worst rip off I’ve experience in a while. I think the switch should be an indie machine, that’s all it’s really capable of.
I have two gaming PCs, a PS5 and Nintendo Switch but my OLED Steam Deck gets about 70% of the playtime these days. The suspend and resume function is amazing. Being able to pick up my deck, play for 10 or 15 mins between work calls and then put it back into suspend mode is so useful and makes me use it way more than anything else. The OLED Switch comes in second place, which also benefits from fantastic suspend and resume. The screen on the original Steam Deck game me a headache for some reason, so I used it very little. I'm so happy the OLED model came along. I absolutely love it!
I hated the OG Steam Deck so much that I sold it, but I LOVE the Steam Deck OLED. All of the problems I had with the buttons, the thumbsticks, the screen, the battery life, all fixed with the hardware update. Valve went above and beyond fixing the numerous problems the original hardware had, massive kudos to them.
Isn’t the LCD and OLED model the same despite a few little differences here and there? They both support the same games and both don’t play the same games ( mw3 on the store is an example) so both have the same performances. I know the OLED version have slightly better screen, better battery, better fps blah blah blah but nothing too big of a difference
I purchased a Steam Deck in the summer and I’ve rarely played on my main PC since. Granted most of the games I have play of late have been older ones and not taxing on the hardware. But still been extremely impressed with the hand held. Comfortable to hold, Great echo system and more importantly a very fun experience.
The Steam Deck's biggest achievement of 2023 is two fold, firstly it is to remain the dominant handheld PC in the market, secondly it is to influence a whole new form factor. With every new year more and more handheld PCs come to market trying to succeed like the Steam Deck has. I don't think that handheld PCs will remain niche for too long.
3. Finally converted a bunch of console gamers to the Steam ecosystem and delivering on the wish of having a Ps4pro/Xbox and AAA games in the light and mobile form factor.
@@InitialFailuremy guy why do you hate the deck? I’m sorry for saying this but from my perspective your hating on the steamdeck just to hate. Don’t try to be different when something good happens. Also laptops like the guy said is not a handheld nor is portable like a deck.
Valve clearly got some magic from Nintendo for handheld gaming because no matter what other brands come out with their Windows versions of handhelds the deck just works despite it being underpowered.
Well said. I have had my Steam Deck for almost a year now and I love it. I already had a huge Steam library so the prospect of being able to play those games on the go was a huge thing for me. Also, there is cost. As a dad supporting my family in this economy I just do not have the disposable income I had when I was single or even just a couple of year ago when our economy was better. I got the 64 GB Steam Deck when it was on sale and it has to be one of the best values in gaming especially since many of the PS4 and PS5 games came to Steam and play great on the Steam Deck. Since I do not have a PS4 or PS4 the Steam Deck opened those games up to me. Also that savings in my gaming budget allowed me to justify getting a Switch OLED, which my family loves, and an Analogue Pocket which has actually allowed me to replay all my Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Sega Game Gear games in a way I just did not think was possible. With all that said I truly believe Valve deserves all the praise they are getting for the hard work they put into the Steam Deck as well as their continued support of it. I also did not mention how consumer friendly the Steam Deck is which allowed me to easily open it up and replace my 64 GB SSD to a 1 TB SSD. Finally I have to add, the Steam Winter Sale just rocks. Although it is not listed a supported, Batman Arkham Origins, a grossly underrated game IMO, plays perfectly on the Deck. I did not try the online features but the campaign plays great and looks amazing on the Deck and right now (as of 12/22/23) it is on sale for only $4.99 and is a perfect game to play for the Christmas holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
I’m so glad I bought an OLED for Christmas this year. It’s so cute! The touchpads are very fun, and it’s doing pretty alright at emulation. I also got Baldur’s Gate 3 with it! Wow! I understand the hype, I love the characters!
Got the Steam Deck late last year and for an entire year, running, it is still my favorite console. Probably will be in 2024, too unless Nintendo does something EPIC with their next console. Even then… The Deck is just amazing! Happy Holidays, Bill! ❤
I'm already a Linux user to I'm partial to getting a deck. But what actually pushes it over the edge, is all the community support for control profiles in games. If I get a deck, I can play PC games that normally really want a mouse to control, and use the trackpads and gyro to get an excellent experience. If I wanna play Age of Empires 2, I don't wanna try and make the Asus or Lenovo's gamepad work. And I don't wanna just map the Lenovo's trackpad to the mouse. I want a community curated control setting that will just work well. And the deck has the most support there.
Excellent video. Subbed! I love my LCD Deck but picked up a Ally for games that are not playable on Steam Deck. Within 4 days it fried my Micro SD Card. I am bringing it back and sticking with Valve.
I bought a steam deck (LCD version) on february 2023, and I have to say that it brought me back to gaming, what I mean is that I used to play a lot on my PC when I was younger and I actually had a gaming laptop before buying the deck, but I used it mostly for work, but once I got the deck it just made me want to play more, now I use the deck every single day for at least 1 hour and it is so coveninent that I only use my deck to play now, there is something about the steam deck that just makes me want to play, and I don't even care about fps around 40, for certain games (previously if the hardware couldn't reach 60 fps I wouldn't even consider it). Honestly, it is amazing for me how the deck has changed my gaming habits, it also makes me want to play diferent genres that I didn't even considered before, like metroidvanias, it is simply the best gaming system I ever had.
I just don't think a windows system could ever keep up in the handheld market. MS has a skeleton crew that works on windows. During the last few years, valve created a gaming compositor, fossilize, the handy side panel, sleep etc. They can add anything they imagine would be a good choice. Something impossible with windows
Newer SOC/APU with customization inside the Legion Go, Rog Ally & Steam Deck can give this level of handheld gameplay ❤. Meanwhile Switch used old 2015 SOC without customization (still got amazing games). Imagine what kind of experience a newer SOC with customization can do to a Switch 2 ❤❤❤
Valve is basically trolling at this point. The LCD deck had negatives to the Ally. The screen was a really big one. With SteamOS 3.5 performance at 15w was neck and neck. Ally usually had upper hand but within same ballpark. With the OLED... Unless you need a windows device or want a kind of lightweight desktop/laptop replacement so it will be plugged in all the time, there is no reason to choose an Ally over the deck. If you just want to play games the deck is just better. The battery life is next level. The OLED screen is just better, the user interface... Everything... This thing is just that good.
Great thing for was was I had access to over 300 games right out the box from all my gaming on my PC. Its great if you work split shifts which is when I use it the most, just sit and chill on the deck for a couple of hours and go back to work. Soon as you connect it to the Internet when you get back home it automatically updates your saves to the cloud so you can continue your main gaming on your pc, though I do tend to chill on the couch and just play the steam deck rather than play on my very capable rig.
I got the original steam deck on its first wave release and was so disappointed by the battery life and screen quality that I sold it on Ebay for double the price. Up until recently, I did most of my handheld gaming on Switch OLED, which was mediocre on all accounts due to overpriced Eshop first party games never going on sale and underwhelming hardware with lackluster 3rd party ports. I got the base 512GGB Steam Deck OLED in the mail the day before thanksgiving and immediately installed a 1TB SSD, 1TB SD card, and turned the old SSD into an external storage device to mass transfer my rom/emulator library. For the last month, I've been playing Switch, Wii U, OG Xbox and PS3 emulation for hours on end and to great success. My personal favorite experience so far is playing the PS3 version of Vanilla Elder Scrolls Oblivion at 900p 60fps patched and a modified ini for object draw distance. Its not only the best vanilla oblivion experience, but it performs amazingly well on steam deck and looks just as amazing on the OLED screen at 1000 nits peak brightness. This is the ultimate gaming machine for me. I started tinkering with Linux distros as a result of of Steam OS and currently run Nobara on an old AM3+ FX 8350 / RX 580 rig.
Deck can run older games 4K 60fps on External display without external gpu. And you can run up to 4K resolution (Internal rendered) on Deck`s own Display.
I'd like 2 things for steam deck, 1. remote play through apps just like android does with phones making extremely easy to play away from home. 2. It's a cheap game pass that competes with xbox and EAsport.
I used to be a hardcore pony boy…I still own my 3 vita’s, but around the time ps5 released I just purchased 2 gaming laptops and then a steam deck lcd then a 1tb deck..it also helps that I got 4 kids and my Steam account is from 2009…and the titles will age better than purchasing off the psn store….
@@TheL1arL1arPS5 has it's good exclusives... But the performance of PC and the dirt cheap prices on steam just can't be beat. You can also use game pass too. Now that PlayStation exclusives are releasing on PC it's hard to want to get a PS5. Obviously they don't release until a year or 2 later but I don't care about getting games day 1 like I did when I was young and in school where everyone was talking about the new game
@@randybobandy9828 I get what you mean I want to play spiderman 1 eventually which I have on my kids ps4, but imma imma get to it eventually on steam deck…I have days gone as well for my Steam account.
VALVE’s business model is all about their customers. From game prices , support , return policy, game library, they care about their customers. I sold off my sorry XBOX X and used the money to get SD OLED, First time dipping my toe into P.C. Gaming world , it’s AWSOME.
I got my steam deck about three weeks ago and I love it. Only thing I hate is not being able to play Destiny 2 on it because I want to for when I travel and wanna get a few strikes in before bed or something but, other than that, and call of duty which I wouldn't download on it just because of how much space that game would take up on the deck, I love this thing. Being able to play Fall Guys better than I can on my Switch or being able to run amazing games on the go is incredible. My wife has been on Hogwarts Legacy trying to complete all of the houses to 100% and she gets to do it in bed instead of on her gaming PC and she loves it too.
I loved the ROG Ally, smaller size and more performance, but had to return 2 in a row to best buy because the SD card reader died , and it doesn't have a year to see if there are long term problems, going back to the Steam Deck with OLED this time, arriving next week, and i will just play Steam deck unplayable games on my laptop
I have been using windows 11 on the steam deck for about a year, and I’ve not experienced many issues at all. I only experienced 1, which was Final Fantasy 12 only loading if I temporarily put the display in portrait mode. Other than that no issues. I mostly play visual novels and unfortunately Linux and most visual novels, especially patched Japanese ones, just don’t work well with Linux… currently my steam deck is the ultimate portable visual novel machine with windows installed. Everything just works (except school days)
always wanted to have a steamdeck.. and now that the oled version came out, i crave for it more.. unfortunately, still quite priced out of my league.. well, i can always wish for one.. until a new iteration comes out and i wish for it even more.. he he he.. anyway, i like how you explain things.. clear all throughout.. keeps me hooked.. keep it up.. more power to you and your channel..
I am a proud owner of Steam Deck and I have fallen in love with the OS and it's my main console with a good library of games, and i don't see myself needing gamepass when I can simply own a game forever through bundles and discounts
I'm really enjoying my time with the deck. It's great for games from classics to modern games. Thanks for touching on the colours options as well, I'm glad they included it in the OS now too
Great video! Minor suggestion: your backdrop would look so much better if you covered up the LED light strips. I would just put a strip of wood in front of them, mounted to the top of the shelf. Or use a light strip diffuser channel but those are hit and miss.
My only regret is that I bought my deck 3 weeks before the oled version dropped. I love the device, gaming feels great, having a pocket PC is just great
Hey Bill, mel here. I heard one of your colleagues say during your podcast say the honeymoon phase is over for him with Steam Deck. And was having a good time with the Lenovo GO. He even downplayed the OLED screen a little and said oh that's right Steam Deck is now OLED. Well, I say the wife just brought out another bottle of champagne for me and I'm in honeymoon phase 2. I love the Steam Deck OLED and until Microsoft does some kind of portable Windows OS made for handheld PC, Linux is ok with me. I don't know if many know with proton 8.5 some games that didn't work now does. NBA Playgrounds 2 would just crash before now it just works. It's only a matter of time before anti-cheat software gets patched or a fix from Valve. I know I'm long winded, but I have to bet money on Valve here. Valve is like the big 3 its games first hardware later. Lenovo and Asus I feel is just the opposite. And trying to cash in on the growing market after the success of the Switch and Steam Deck. Ayaneo does so many devices at high prices it just hard to keep up. Just my 2 cents.
I really enjoy my OLED Steam Deck. One of the most impactful changes for me is the reduced input latency. 30 fps games on the OG Deck feel quite sluggish. Meanwhile 30 fps games on the OLED steam deck feel much closer to what I'd expect 30 fps to feel like on a console, and the frame pacing is great too
At this point I feel so big brain to buy macbook air for my masters and steam deck to play games. I bought an Alienware for my undergrad(2016 with GTX 1060) and carrying it was a chore. Now that I moved halfway around the world this is so much easier on my back and I can play and work/study anywhere I go.I also have a decent 1440p 32" monitor in my home that I use to play games or study or work on
After Microsoft dropping support for W7, their only decent OS after XP, I’m finally done with Windows and Microsoft as a whole, for ever! Been with Microsoft since W95, then got a PS2 and when it broke got an Xbox and then moved to PC gaming forever but I’m done with Windows. I have a Surface hybrid device and it’s a POS mainly due to its bloated, intrusive and buggy OS. Next machines for me portable or not will be Apple and if I get into gaming again it’ll be a Deck(or a competitor) and/or Switch(or whatever Nintendo comes up with next).
@16:55 yeah, that is exactly what the Valve reps said across multiple articles and ultimately why I pulled that buying trigger on a my Steam Deck 3 weeks before the news of a re-release was launched. I still love my Steam Deck but I honestly feel shafted by the company as well....
Ive been trying to decide between Steam Deck OLED or Legion GO. I'm a longtime console gamer... In Canada, the 512 OLED comes to a bit over $700 and Legion Go comes to $1,000. Some MP games that I would like to play are only able to on LeGO, but still drawn to SteamDeck for indies, form factor, and community support. Very indecisive at the moment and both seem pretty awesome.
Steam deck can handle AAA games at 30fps for the most part. I don’t have a go but I have an ally. If you’re a console gamer and the deck is going to be a much more smoother transition for you.
When I first bought the steam deck, I wasn't so sure I'd use it as much because of performance compared to my gaming pc. Boy was I wrong. The portability DOES matter, even though I don't take it out of my house. When I work a whole day on the computer, the last thing I want to do is end my night playing games at the PC desk. The deck allows me to take it to the couch a lot easier... but what's even more important is that I can take it to my lower split to play stepmania. ON A DANCE PAD! It's not only my entertainment, but it's my workout equipment.
choosing the steam deck was a rather easy pick for me, despite not being is performant, or compatible with games than others, i just needed a portable gaming device that didnt feel like i was gonna do work, i use windows for work, and the idea of navigating a device thats meant to get away from work for a while feels so wrong, its like going to a therapist but your therapist is the person thats causing you the problems
I think the Steam Deck is by far the best all around gaming device. I have played more games on it then my desktop in years. I look forward to getting a OLED steam deck or whatever Valve comes out with next.
The steam deck is amazing to me. Yes there are more powerful handhelds, but none of them check all the boxes that the steam deck does. I have been using my steam deck as my primary rig since my old alienware laptop died (and it is almost as powerful as the alienware was). I can play almost every game. As for windows games, I can boot my steam deck off a nvme usbc drive with windows on it. And when it is docked, with windows, it works great! I only really would use windows docked as a desktop anyway. And then I got a oled steam deck and now my og lcd steam deck is exclusively my desktop now. The oled is just as amazing, I can easily get over 10 hours of battery on lighter games. I think the power and efficiency that valve packed into this package is the ideal balance.
Im still cant choose which one to get. I just want a handheld gaming device that allows me to play triple A games at anytime i want. I like the deck with OLED screen but im afraid that the game i want may not be supported by the deck
I’m still sporting, and enjoying, an og steam deck. I am not made of money so this will do until I can get the oled one sometime in the next twenty years, heh
Had my oled deck for a few weeks now and loving it, mostly been using it for emulation and as a portable pc to stream plex at the girl friends. Been putting a lot of hours in the new dragon quest monsters game, yuzu emulators been doin a bang up job.
I love the ROG Ally but the SD card slowing down the system is a no go so I upgraded to a 2 TB sad once I took out the card it started working fine but the steam deck is the way to go if you don’t like dealing with windows it would be amazing if valve could find the exact windows layer that makes all windows games work and put that layer into proton so it’s not getting a patch per game basis
It would’ve been nice to see egpu support on the oled, that’s the only reason I’m looking at the legion go as a steam deck owner plus I can’t live without the trackpad on windows
I think my deck died tried booting into recovery and hard reset and nothing. I was moving games to a external drive i unmount then went to install injustice 2 and it powered off / black screened any ideas ?
I already had the LCD but man if I could justify or afford upgrade to the OLED I would love to have that version. For me the limited use I use it for I can't justify another purchase as the original still works for me. I will day one buy the Steam Deck 2 when it comes out though. No matter what. If I have to scrape pennies I'll get it day one.
@@HardlyaDavidson well at the point they make a second it will be everything they did with the refresh. It will probably have a slightly updated form with probably better feeling buttons, etc. Not that I have a problem with this one. It would obvious have a better APU. So the thing is I like the Steam Deck. Like I said whenever they make the second one it will be when I get another one. Especially the jump from OG deck it will an large improvement at that point. The point is I'm really not dying for it at this point hence why I am fine with what I got. In a year or so when the next one comes out I will have got my money worth and be ready to get another .... My preference is I prefer the Steam OS. As I hardly enter desktop mode only did really once to get decky loader. I literally turn it on and click on a game and that's that. I enjoy the ease of use and it works for me. I have a PC if I want to do anything else. I use it at work and when I'm travelling and have downtime. I.pretty confindent in Valve at this point that they will deliver a good 2.
3:30 in a public company that 180° 360° from Steam Machines to Steam Deck would've never happened. not within the 7-10 years between them. the argument would be: "we've already tried that. we won't go back. let's double-down on the microtransactions/our bestseller we have."
I’m having issues with my OG 512 steam deck. Playing games I’ll get a black screen then verifying installation. Super frustrating since there are no solutions. I think I might switch to the ROG Ally.
If you only use ONE. Then Legion Go because every game works. Since I got two. HDR + low res/pixel art games on Deck; high load game/emu and streaming on the Go.
I bought limited oled version and I love it. I even bought my brother one for Christmas 🎄. However I did have to return the first one I got because like the rog ally has sd card burn problem...steam decks have a sticky button problem. The b button would get stuck while pressing and some people have been sanding the shell. Possibly design flaw because even my replacement had the same issue at first. It went away thankfully but something to be mindful of.
What valve is doing is amazing. Regardless of what the other hardware companies can do I still think they'll reign Supreme just off the strength of steam alone. Not even Xbox has the level of report with the consumer so I don't thing gamepass is a saving grace there. Looking forward to what Valve will do in the future.
I just dived in because my gaming laptop is falling apart, and I'm not ready to dump thousands into a new one. Got the OLED 1tb, and I couldn't be happier. It requires more patience than a switch or other console. I've had some issues. But given how worthless my laptop is on battery power, I never imagined I would be playing Horizon Zero Dawn in beautiful HDR, on battery, on a plane for three hours straight.
The steam deck LCD was amazing for me. But the steam deck OLED shocked me in the positive perspective. Thank God I always bought my games on steam as a young kid and that I always sticked to PC gaming. So my steam deck had a big game line up for free from the beginning. ;) Thank you for the video! :)
its the bee's Knee's. i got my Original 512gb model in september. then they Released the OLED. All in all tho i am Happy as a clam with my Steam Deck! i play it daily , be it gaming, browsing the net and just doing the usual things id do with a pc but on the go :>
I think these handheld/console hybrids are the future of gaming. I suspect PlayStation and Xbox will tap into this market in the next generation with native hardware.
Happy Holidays !!! Love my steam deck, have Windows 11 on an external ssd for dual boot purposes. Getting an Odin2, looking forward to that. Also have GPD Win4 which is a great device.
i recently installed Windows 10 on my ROG Ally and notice a significant performance boost on my games, sometimes almost 20 fps higher with the same game running on Windows 11, also games compatibility seem a lot better, i notice that games that previously would crash now run really smooth, some games wont even open on Windows 11 but on windows 10 no issues at all. There is a downside tho, after installing all the drivers the only thing that seem to not work are the speakers, granted you can still get audio with the aux cable, or Bluetooth headset and also docked works fine but the stand alone speakers of the ally seem to have an issue installing the driver for the speakers on windows 10. For me the performance boost outweighs the fail speakers. Was wondering if anybody in here has tried out and notice the same or it could just be a placebo.
Ima be honest and say the entire reason I plan on getting a steam deck oled instead of any of these other portables is because it’s made by valve (and the *chefs kiss* trackpads)
I have big hands. The only handheld with the right thumbstick in a good position for bigger hands is the Steam Deck. I don't understand why no one talks about this.
Great video Bill. I personally own and love my steam deck but my best friend is a huge Xbox person so I advised the ally or legion to him still. I feel like I can send this video to him and it's pretty objective.
@@chrisMoutkastragtop it's more compatible with Xbox game pass and the types of multiplayer games he plays will run better on those two (or run at all). Between the two I told him to go with the ally. They're both great but I feel the variable refresh rate would be worth it for the many games you know will drop below 60 fps. I just told him not to use the SD card haha.
@@chrisMoutkastragtop oh one other thing. Your progress should sync up too so when he's at home he'll play his Xbox but when he's at work he can bring his ally. (yes he's lucky enough to be able to play at work)
@@brianfairchild4665 yes I am also lucky enough to play at work so I got a Steam Deck but it seems that may not have been the best idea since I play Cod, Titanfall 2, etc
Keeping my deck because i hv tons of backlog games However would love to buy my nxt windows handheld but Asus must fix their stupid sdslot just by giving us 2280 option and people would forget that for Ally 2 Same design and 8040u will make the deal even sweeter
I just got a steam deck I got a second hand 512gb LCD version for £300 I wanted the legion go but just couldn't justify spending £700 I put windows on the deck and love it don't be put off putting windows on it. It runs fine if you know what you are doing
I love my Steam Deck, even though it hasn't been getting much play lately because I've been playing the Tekken 8 demo on my PS5 😅 I got mine during the first sale they had on them in March, and I've never regretted it. I even convinced my friend to get one for himself, and he got one for his brother too!
I've always said to myself, if the ROG or Legion Go doesn't have SteamOS and it's integrated really well with the hardware, then I'm not interested. The real advantage the Steam Deck has is the entire package, from hardware to software, it's the closes we've got to a hybrid PC/console with much of that ease of use, whereas the ROG and the Legion Go, they are a generic PC with all the problems that comes with that, that might be fine for elite PC gamers, but most PC gamers and even more so with console gamers, they don't want to worry about maintaining the OS, updating the drivers, the bios, setting it all up and all that, the Steam Deck blows these others away for the mainstream gamers that just want to pick up and go. With that said, would I love to have more performance from the Deck like the rivals offer? Yes, but not at the expense of battery life, the original Deck was pushing the limits on battery life, the Deck OLED is in a good place now, historically speaking when it comes to portable gaming, battery life seems far more important than performance, Nintendo understands that and have beaten countless other rivals over the decades that had better hardware specs, I would like to have better spec but battery is king, after all, it's a portable device and we tend to use them differently then a PC/console at home. If Valve can have much better spec, good battery life, a dock where you can connect a dgpu to it for the Deck 2, whiles also having an attractive price point, that will be a day 1 buy for me, assuming Valve doesn't mess up in other areas, heck, with a dgpu connected to the dock, I might even get rid of my gaming rig, I would be getting most of the performance of it whiles just having one device that can be used in portable and home mode.
I ordered the Steam Deck a day before the OLED version dropped on Steam I was like "damn". Probably could have still gotten it swapped but whatever, it's not like it's my daily driver or anything, I just sometimes play something at work or in bed. Otherwise I am mostly on my very capable PC so I don't care much. Still... Just about my luck lmao.
So I have had a Steam Deck for about a year and a half, pretty close to launch model. Love tinkering on it. Feels so fulfilling when I figure out some little trick and get something cool (like Switch games) running on it. Anyways, When the OLED Steam Deck came out, and I saw that the special edition steam deck available ike 2 hours after the launch... I figured I better buy it and then just flip it for a few extra hundred bills real quick. But then it came in... And I was like shit man, I have to keep it, it was love at first sight haha! But I still haven't sold my OG Steam Deck.. Mostly because I figured that used Steam Decks were going to go way down once the OLED came out. Plus I spent the time to get my OG Steam Deck to dual boot Windows among other things... So it is funny that I find myself not wanting to let go of my OG Steam Deck, when really I have not played it since getting the OLED. And as a single guy in his 30's, there really is no point for me to have two Steam Decks... It honestly goes to show that the Steam Deck is such a cool and well made device, I don't want to get rid of it even when I have a newer one. Also... Valve were kinda b*tches for calling it a limited edition OLED Steam Deck when it really is not limited at all haha. I checked it out like 2 weeks later and they still had it available no problem haha. I think I heard they are going to have it available until the end of the year, then make a different cool colored one for the next "Limited Edition". Much more like the dope colored Steam Deck for the season or quarter then switch up, as much as that kinda screwed me out of making some quick money, I do love my OLED, and I could see Valve making some really cool Steam Decks going forward.
The thing that annoys me about the Windows handhelds is Windows itself. I don't game that much, so I'm not sure how common my opinion is, but I absolutely hate how corporate-ized computing as become. Yes, computers have almost always been made by big companies. But it seems more and more these companies have been willing and able to throw their weight around and say "ok, we'll do it for you" and lock you out of the ability to make your own decisions. Proprietary software for fundamental things such as computer graphics is just so weird to me. This is why I love Linux, and seeing how easy gaming can be on Linux is so fun to watch. And, here's the thing, Proton, the compatibility layer, is open source. Most, if not all, of any of the modding tools you will use on the Deck are open source. Heck, the SteamOS Linux kernel is open source (honestly, likely, because of the license, but still). The Steam Deck let's you tinker with the software (and even the hardware too). This should be applauded and encouraged, not seen as a negative. I understand some people don't want to tinker, and that's ok. The number of games that work well out of the box on the Steam Deck show you can have good gaming experiences without sacrificing the ability to tinker. It's something we need more of.
Yeah, I agree with your take. Overall the Steam deck is also best for me too. I’m loving my Oled steam deck and l’m looking forward to the next generation that will appear in a couple of years.
ROG Ally for me, just because of the chip and being able to run at 1080 + Windows. Though it seems like my micro SD reader in the thing has died now a 2nd time, literary a few days ago, so I'm pretty bummed out about the thing.. well.. not working. If it wasn't for the micro SD slot, I'd say that I really like the thing. I mean.. it's awesome and I've had plenty of fun getting through games on it, but the micro SD reader just ruins it for me :/
@@thepirateswirled the first time it was just malfunctioning. As in - If you boot up the Ally and insert a SD card, it appears to be working at first (reads the card), but once you started gaming the reader would stop working. I'm guessing due to the heat. I sent it in for RMA then and it took 2 weeks to get it back. Afterwards it seemed to work fine, though I have 0 idea what or if they did anything. The SD card I used back then worked still fine (both in Ally and other devices) The reader worked for a few months after the RMA, but then started acting up again. I basically lost all data on my original SD card I used to use. Tried using it more, but the SD card seemed to be completely dead / unreadable in the Ally and any other devices. I tried another SD card which survived a while 1 day before dying as well. The day after that the SD card reader in the Ally was completely dead and didn't even recognize SD cards when inserted (that work in other devices) I have yet to send in my Ally for RMA the 2nd time (just being lazy with it 😅) Part of me wants to send it in for RMA as long as I have warranty, but at the same time 2 (or more) weeks without it seem super annoying.. (in case the reader dies again)
I understand and I'm sorry to hear. Sounds like the heat is really an issue, I don't think it's something that could be fixed permanently, as the sd card slot remains near the hear source, but it's also good to know, to hear it from first hand, as some people said they don't have any issues. I hope you don't lose any more data. I guess all the handhelds have their drawbacks and ups in comparision, for example: today it took me like 12 hours just to get one game running, I love my Steam Deck Oled, but I was almost giving up, and I got moody: "Tou - tunnels of the underworld", but it finally runs well on my steam deck. @@takashy87
@@InitialFailureI think he’s saying how being able to play with both your hands without a keyboard and mouse on such a small device ( compared to your so called laptop ) all while having a good experience with a good battery life. You don’t need to be gaming for your entire life to see a great invention in the gaming industry.
Glad they lowered the price of the 64g model. I can actually afford one, the oled is out of my price point. For $550, I'd rather get an air suspension for my bike or a gpu. I believe second hand i could get a fox fork, which would be amazing.
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The problem I have with the steam deck is it’s big and quite frankly ugly. They need to make a steam deck Lite. Something much smaller. They will never sell nearly as many units as the Nintendo switch, unless they gear this thing towards kids.
The problem I have with fast Chargers is that they degrade your battery far faster than just charging them normally, I like my steam deck or my cell phone to last as many years as possible, I don't like retroactively using fast Chargers to destroy that battery life, especially since most nowadays our batteries are built in and they're not exactly easy to take out unless you're a tech surgeon which most of us aren't and it can be quite a bit of money to replace that phone with a new one.
Funny enough that's also the reason why a lot of EV vehicles happen to catch fire, well I mean it's part of the equation. The other parts are lithium ion being very unstable inside of a vehicle so those things get very hot and the battery does not like that and the end result could be a fire.
Lifelong console gamer here. I have had my OLED Steam Deck for few weeks and I tink it might be my all time favorite gaming device. I've been able to get so many great games from $3-$15.
On the flip side if you’ve had a Steam account for a very long time like me you get a console with more games than I ever hade with any individual console combined.
If said games work on the deck@@evanbelisle8464
Yea, see, it's comments like this that are so misleading.
Unless one is looking for an indie machine that's portable, every console out there will outperform the Deck. Even the Switch arguably is more user-friendly than the deck, albeit much weaker of a system. The Deck is significantly underpowered compared to competition from the window systems and adding the OLED is like putting a custom muffler on a go-kart; it looks neat but it doesn't do anything else for the system.
Coming from over 30 years of gaming experience, owning 3x Decks, an Ally, a Go, 3x different variants of the Switch and so many other consoles, a PC, etc.
@InitialFailure I love playing indy games like Hellblade, God of War, Miles Morales, GTA5 on my steam deck.
@@InitialFailure Interesting take, I have also owned (x3 switch variants, pc, Ally, and two steam decks) the steamdeck oled is the best for me. It’s not the best in any one category but it’s the most well rounded device. The switch to me was the worst device, while I had fun with it playing couch coop games with joycons, trying to play the Witcher 3 in 720p at 20-30fps after paying $60 for it years after it’s release was the worst rip off I’ve experience in a while. I think the switch should be an indie machine, that’s all it’s really capable of.
I have two gaming PCs, a PS5 and Nintendo Switch but my OLED Steam Deck gets about 70% of the playtime these days. The suspend and resume function is amazing. Being able to pick up my deck, play for 10 or 15 mins between work calls and then put it back into suspend mode is so useful and makes me use it way more than anything else. The OLED Switch comes in second place, which also benefits from fantastic suspend and resume. The screen on the original Steam Deck game me a headache for some reason, so I used it very little. I'm so happy the OLED model came along. I absolutely love it!
Seems like Valve really liked the quick resume feature on the Xbox Series X
I hated the OG Steam Deck so much that I sold it, but I LOVE the Steam Deck OLED. All of the problems I had with the buttons, the thumbsticks, the screen, the battery life, all fixed with the hardware update. Valve went above and beyond fixing the numerous problems the original hardware had, massive kudos to them.
And they earned a lot of good will with keeping the prices the same too
What did you hate on it? I am pretty satisfied with mine, would like to hear opinions though
Isn’t the LCD and OLED model the same despite a few little differences here and there? They both support the same games and both don’t play the same games ( mw3 on the store is an example) so both have the same performances. I know the OLED version have slightly better screen, better battery, better fps blah blah blah but nothing too big of a difference
why did u hate it though
@@josephbailey6548 there's more differences like ventilation, buttons
I'm just glad open platform handheld gaming is a thing now and I appreciate all of them
I purchased a Steam Deck in the summer and I’ve rarely played on my main PC since.
Granted most of the games I have play of late have been older ones and not taxing on the hardware. But still been extremely impressed with the hand held.
Comfortable to hold, Great echo system and more importantly a very fun experience.
Echo system. Reminds me of that FTC lawyer
The Steam Deck's biggest achievement of 2023 is two fold, firstly it is to remain the dominant handheld PC in the market, secondly it is to influence a whole new form factor. With every new year more and more handheld PCs come to market trying to succeed like the Steam Deck has.
I don't think that handheld PCs will remain niche for too long.
Wait till you hear about laptops.
@@InitialFailure Wait till you find out that laptops aren't handhelds...
3. Finally converted a bunch of console gamers to the Steam ecosystem and delivering on the wish of having a Ps4pro/Xbox and AAA games in the light and mobile form factor.
@@Gramini thanks. I didn't know how to respond to that. 🤷♂️
@@InitialFailuremy guy why do you hate the deck? I’m sorry for saying this but from my perspective your hating on the steamdeck just to hate. Don’t try to be different when something good happens. Also laptops like the guy said is not a handheld nor is portable like a deck.
Valve clearly got some magic from Nintendo for handheld gaming because no matter what other brands come out with their Windows versions of handhelds the deck just works despite it being underpowered.
Well said. I have had my Steam Deck for almost a year now and I love it. I already had a huge Steam library so the prospect of being able to play those games on the go was a huge thing for me. Also, there is cost. As a dad supporting my family in this economy I just do not have the disposable income I had when I was single or even just a couple of year ago when our economy was better. I got the 64 GB Steam Deck when it was on sale and it has to be one of the best values in gaming especially since many of the PS4 and PS5 games came to Steam and play great on the Steam Deck. Since I do not have a PS4 or PS4 the Steam Deck opened those games up to me.
Also that savings in my gaming budget allowed me to justify getting a Switch OLED, which my family loves, and an Analogue Pocket which has actually allowed me to replay all my Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Sega Game Gear games in a way I just did not think was possible.
With all that said I truly believe Valve deserves all the praise they are getting for the hard work they put into the Steam Deck as well as their continued support of it. I also did not mention how consumer friendly the Steam Deck is which allowed me to easily open it up and replace my 64 GB SSD to a 1 TB SSD.
Finally I have to add, the Steam Winter Sale just rocks. Although it is not listed a supported, Batman Arkham Origins, a grossly underrated game IMO, plays perfectly on the Deck. I did not try the online features but the campaign plays great and looks amazing on the Deck and right now (as of 12/22/23) it is on sale for only $4.99 and is a perfect game to play for the Christmas holiday.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
I’m so glad I bought an OLED for Christmas this year. It’s so cute! The touchpads are very fun, and it’s doing pretty alright at emulation.
I also got Baldur’s Gate 3 with it! Wow! I understand the hype, I love the characters!
Got the Steam Deck late last year and for an entire year, running, it is still my favorite console. Probably will be in 2024, too unless Nintendo does something EPIC with their next console. Even then… The Deck is just amazing!
Happy Holidays, Bill! ❤
Nintendo hasn't done anything epic in awhile.
Won also in 2022 in my eyes but thats just my opinion
I'm already a Linux user to I'm partial to getting a deck. But what actually pushes it over the edge, is all the community support for control profiles in games. If I get a deck, I can play PC games that normally really want a mouse to control, and use the trackpads and gyro to get an excellent experience. If I wanna play Age of Empires 2, I don't wanna try and make the Asus or Lenovo's gamepad work. And I don't wanna just map the Lenovo's trackpad to the mouse. I want a community curated control setting that will just work well. And the deck has the most support there.
Excellent video. Subbed! I love my LCD Deck but picked up a Ally for games that are not playable on Steam Deck. Within 4 days it fried my Micro SD Card. I am bringing it back and sticking with Valve.
I bought a steam deck (LCD version) on february 2023, and I have to say that it brought me back to gaming, what I mean is that I used to play a lot on my PC when I was younger and I actually had a gaming laptop before buying the deck, but I used it mostly for work, but once I got the deck it just made me want to play more, now I use the deck every single day for at least 1 hour and it is so coveninent that I only use my deck to play now, there is something about the steam deck that just makes me want to play, and I don't even care about fps around 40, for certain games (previously if the hardware couldn't reach 60 fps I wouldn't even consider it). Honestly, it is amazing for me how the deck has changed my gaming habits, it also makes me want to play diferent genres that I didn't even considered before, like metroidvanias, it is simply the best gaming system I ever had.
I just don't think a windows system could ever keep up in the handheld market.
MS has a skeleton crew that works on windows. During the last few years, valve created a gaming compositor, fossilize, the handy side panel, sleep etc.
They can add anything they imagine would be a good choice. Something impossible with windows
Newer SOC/APU with customization inside the Legion Go, Rog Ally & Steam Deck can give this level of handheld gameplay ❤. Meanwhile Switch used old 2015 SOC without customization (still got amazing games). Imagine what kind of experience a newer SOC with customization can do to a Switch 2 ❤❤❤
Valve is basically trolling at this point. The LCD deck had negatives to the Ally. The screen was a really big one. With SteamOS 3.5 performance at 15w was neck and neck. Ally usually had upper hand but within same ballpark. With the OLED... Unless you need a windows device or want a kind of lightweight desktop/laptop replacement so it will be plugged in all the time, there is no reason to choose an Ally over the deck. If you just want to play games the deck is just better. The battery life is next level. The OLED screen is just better, the user interface... Everything... This thing is just that good.
Great thing for was was I had access to over 300 games right out the box from all my gaming on my PC. Its great if you work split shifts which is when I use it the most, just sit and chill on the deck for a couple of hours and go back to work. Soon as you connect it to the Internet when you get back home it automatically updates your saves to the cloud so you can continue your main gaming on your pc, though I do tend to chill on the couch and just play the steam deck rather than play on my very capable rig.
Good video man definitely informative glad to see ur perspective in the the handheld space
I got the original steam deck on its first wave release and was so disappointed by the battery life and screen quality that I sold it on Ebay for double the price.
Up until recently, I did most of my handheld gaming on Switch OLED, which was mediocre on all accounts due to overpriced Eshop first party games never going on sale and underwhelming hardware with lackluster 3rd party ports.
I got the base 512GGB Steam Deck OLED in the mail the day before thanksgiving and immediately installed a 1TB SSD, 1TB SD card, and turned the old SSD into an external storage device to mass transfer my rom/emulator library.
For the last month, I've been playing Switch, Wii U, OG Xbox and PS3 emulation for hours on end and to great success.
My personal favorite experience so far is playing the PS3 version of Vanilla Elder Scrolls Oblivion at 900p 60fps patched and a modified ini for object draw distance. Its not only the best vanilla oblivion experience, but it performs amazingly well on steam deck and looks just as amazing on the OLED screen at 1000 nits peak brightness.
This is the ultimate gaming machine for me. I started tinkering with Linux distros as a result of of Steam OS and currently run Nobara on an old AM3+ FX 8350 / RX 580 rig.
Deck can run older games 4K 60fps on External display without external gpu.
And you can run up to 4K resolution (Internal rendered) on Deck`s own Display.
I'd like 2 things for steam deck, 1. remote play through apps just like android does with phones making extremely easy to play away from home. 2. It's a cheap game pass that competes with xbox and EAsport.
I am a dedicated PlayStation user, and recently purchased SD Oled. The deck is surprisingly good that makes PlayStation portal like a joke.😅
I used to be a hardcore pony boy…I still own my 3 vita’s, but around the time ps5 released I just purchased 2 gaming laptops and then a steam deck lcd then a 1tb deck..it also helps that I got 4 kids and my Steam account is from 2009…and the titles will age better than purchasing off the psn store….
@@TheL1arL1arPS5 has it's good exclusives... But the performance of PC and the dirt cheap prices on steam just can't be beat. You can also use game pass too. Now that PlayStation exclusives are releasing on PC it's hard to want to get a PS5. Obviously they don't release until a year or 2 later but I don't care about getting games day 1 like I did when I was young and in school where everyone was talking about the new game
@@randybobandy9828 I get what you mean I want to play spiderman 1 eventually which I have on my kids ps4, but imma imma get to it eventually on steam deck…I have days gone as well for my Steam account.
VALVE’s business model is all about their customers. From game prices , support , return policy, game library, they care about their customers. I sold off my sorry XBOX X and used the money to get SD OLED, First time dipping my toe into P.C. Gaming world , it’s AWSOME.
I got my steam deck about three weeks ago and I love it. Only thing I hate is not being able to play Destiny 2 on it because I want to for when I travel and wanna get a few strikes in before bed or something but, other than that, and call of duty which I wouldn't download on it just because of how much space that game would take up on the deck, I love this thing. Being able to play Fall Guys better than I can on my Switch or being able to run amazing games on the go is incredible. My wife has been on Hogwarts Legacy trying to complete all of the houses to 100% and she gets to do it in bed instead of on her gaming PC and she loves it too.
Happy Christmas Bill. You’re a star. Thank you for all the Deck coverage this year. It’s been entertaining and enlightening.
I loved the ROG Ally, smaller size and more performance, but had to return 2 in a row to best buy because the SD card reader died , and it doesn't have a year to see if there are long term problems, going back to the Steam Deck with OLED this time, arriving next week, and i will just play Steam deck unplayable games on my laptop
I have been using windows 11 on the steam deck for about a year, and I’ve not experienced many issues at all. I only experienced 1, which was Final Fantasy 12 only loading if I temporarily put the display in portrait mode.
Other than that no issues. I mostly play visual novels and unfortunately Linux and most visual novels, especially patched Japanese ones, just don’t work well with Linux… currently my steam deck is the ultimate portable visual novel machine with windows installed. Everything just works (except school days)
always wanted to have a steamdeck.. and now that the oled version came out, i crave for it more.. unfortunately, still quite priced out of my league.. well, i can always wish for one.. until a new iteration comes out and i wish for it even more.. he he he.. anyway, i like how you explain things.. clear all throughout.. keeps me hooked.. keep it up.. more power to you and your channel..
I am a proud owner of Steam Deck and I have fallen in love with the OS and it's my main console with a good library of games, and i don't see myself needing gamepass when I can simply own a game forever through bundles and discounts
Love my Steamdeck. I used to be a huge Linux guy and when I realized the deck is also a sweet Linux PC I felt stupid for waiting so long to grab one.
I'm really enjoying my time with the deck. It's great for games from classics to modern games. Thanks for touching on the colours options as well, I'm glad they included it in the OS now too
Great video! Minor suggestion: your backdrop would look so much better if you covered up the LED light strips. I would just put a strip of wood in front of them, mounted to the top of the shelf. Or use a light strip diffuser channel but those are hit and miss.
My only regret is that I bought my deck 3 weeks before the oled version dropped. I love the device, gaming feels great, having a pocket PC is just great
pretty sure you can return it no question asked
Hey Bill, mel here. I heard one of your colleagues say during your podcast say the honeymoon phase is over for him with Steam Deck. And was having a good time with the Lenovo GO. He even downplayed the OLED screen a little and said oh that's right Steam Deck is now OLED. Well, I say the wife just brought out another bottle of champagne for me and I'm in honeymoon phase 2. I love the Steam Deck OLED and until Microsoft does some kind of portable Windows OS made for handheld PC, Linux is ok with me. I don't know if many know with proton 8.5 some games that didn't work now does. NBA Playgrounds 2 would just crash before now it just works. It's only a matter of time before anti-cheat software gets patched or a fix from Valve. I know I'm long winded, but I have to bet money on Valve here. Valve is like the big 3 its games first hardware later. Lenovo and Asus I feel is just the opposite. And trying to cash in on the growing market after the success of the Switch and Steam Deck. Ayaneo does so many devices at high prices it just hard to keep up. Just my 2 cents.
I really enjoy my OLED Steam Deck. One of the most impactful changes for me is the reduced input latency. 30 fps games on the OG Deck feel quite sluggish. Meanwhile 30 fps games on the OLED steam deck feel much closer to what I'd expect 30 fps to feel like on a console, and the frame pacing is great too
At this point I feel so big brain to buy macbook air for my masters and steam deck to play games. I bought an Alienware for my undergrad(2016 with GTX 1060) and carrying it was a chore. Now that I moved halfway around the world this is so much easier on my back and I can play and work/study anywhere I go.I also have a decent 1440p 32" monitor in my home that I use to play games or study or work on
After Microsoft dropping support for W7, their only decent OS after XP, I’m finally done with Windows and Microsoft as a whole, for ever! Been with Microsoft since W95, then got a PS2 and when it broke got an Xbox and then moved to PC gaming forever but I’m done with Windows. I have a Surface hybrid device and it’s a POS mainly due to its bloated, intrusive and buggy OS. Next machines for me portable or not will be Apple and if I get into gaming again it’ll be a Deck(or a competitor) and/or Switch(or whatever Nintendo comes up with next).
@16:55 yeah, that is exactly what the Valve reps said across multiple articles and ultimately why I pulled that buying trigger on a my Steam Deck 3 weeks before the news of a re-release was launched. I still love my Steam Deck but I honestly feel shafted by the company as well....
I think you’re absolutely right !🙏☝🏻
Ive been trying to decide between Steam Deck OLED or Legion GO. I'm a longtime console gamer... In Canada, the 512 OLED comes to a bit over $700 and Legion Go comes to $1,000. Some MP games that I would like to play are only able to on LeGO, but still drawn to SteamDeck for indies, form factor, and community support. Very indecisive at the moment and both seem pretty awesome.
You can put windows on deck although not as plug and play as legion go you can accomplish the same thing. Play games on windows.
Steam deck can handle AAA games at 30fps for the most part. I don’t have a go but I have an ally. If you’re a console gamer and the deck is going to be a much more smoother transition for you.
you can play a good chunk of aaa on steam deck
Ratchet & Clanck rift apart is great on it !
@@stvnoahc7249 totally fine gaming at 30fps. I’ll order one. Thank you!
Gave my fiance my previous steam deck, and got the OLED. Whenever Valve drops hardware, I hop on it. The damn thing is amazing.
When I first bought the steam deck, I wasn't so sure I'd use it as much because of performance compared to my gaming pc. Boy was I wrong. The portability DOES matter, even though I don't take it out of my house. When I work a whole day on the computer, the last thing I want to do is end my night playing games at the PC desk. The deck allows me to take it to the couch a lot easier... but what's even more important is that I can take it to my lower split to play stepmania. ON A DANCE PAD! It's not only my entertainment, but it's my workout equipment.
choosing the steam deck was a rather easy pick for me, despite not being is performant, or compatible with games than others, i just needed a portable gaming device that didnt feel like i was gonna do work, i use windows for work, and the idea of navigating a device thats meant to get away from work for a while feels so wrong, its like going to a therapist but your therapist is the person thats causing you the problems
I think the Steam Deck is by far the best all around gaming device. I have played more games on it then my desktop in years. I look forward to getting a OLED steam deck or whatever Valve comes out with next.
Ive got all three handhelds ROG /SD OLED/LEGION GO and loving them all ❤
Do you have a favorite?
UI on the ROG Ally isn't bad at all, actually. You should also mentionat that updates on the Ally have been pretty good.
The steam deck is amazing to me. Yes there are more powerful handhelds, but none of them check all the boxes that the steam deck does. I have been using my steam deck as my primary rig since my old alienware laptop died (and it is almost as powerful as the alienware was). I can play almost every game. As for windows games, I can boot my steam deck off a nvme usbc drive with windows on it. And when it is docked, with windows, it works great! I only really would use windows docked as a desktop anyway.
And then I got a oled steam deck and now my og lcd steam deck is exclusively my desktop now. The oled is just as amazing, I can easily get over 10 hours of battery on lighter games. I think the power and efficiency that valve packed into this package is the ideal balance.
Im still cant choose which one to get. I just want a handheld gaming device that allows me to play triple A games at anytime i want. I like the deck with OLED screen but im afraid that the game i want may not be supported by the deck
I’m still sporting, and enjoying, an og steam deck. I am not made of money so this will do until I can get the oled one sometime in the next twenty years, heh
Does Onion Os work on it?
Best Buy Employee here: at my nearest Best Buy Outlet store (basically open box only store) we had over 40 open box ROG Ally’s at one point
Had my oled deck for a few weeks now and loving it, mostly been using it for emulation and as a portable pc to stream plex at the girl friends. Been putting a lot of hours in the new dragon quest monsters game, yuzu emulators been doin a bang up job.
My steam deck is currently my telltale machine. Going through the catalog. ✊
"Gabe will remember that"
I love the ROG Ally but the SD card slowing down the system is a no go so I upgraded to a 2 TB sad once I took out the card it started working fine but the steam deck is the way to go if you don’t like dealing with windows it would be amazing if valve could find the exact windows layer that makes all windows games work and put that layer into proton so it’s not getting a patch per game basis
It would’ve been nice to see egpu support on the oled, that’s the only reason I’m looking at the legion go as a steam deck owner plus I can’t live without the trackpad on windows
I think my deck died tried booting into recovery and hard reset and nothing. I was moving games to a external drive i unmount then went to install injustice 2 and it powered off / black screened any ideas ?
I already had the LCD but man if I could justify or afford upgrade to the OLED I would love to have that version. For me the limited use I use it for I can't justify another purchase as the original still works for me.
I will day one buy the Steam Deck 2 when it comes out though. No matter what. If I have to scrape pennies I'll get it day one.
What improvements are you looking for?
@@HardlyaDavidson well at the point they make a second it will be everything they did with the refresh. It will probably have a slightly updated form with probably better feeling buttons, etc. Not that I have a problem with this one. It would obvious have a better APU.
So the thing is I like the Steam Deck. Like I said whenever they make the second one it will be when I get another one. Especially the jump from OG deck it will an large improvement at that point. The point is I'm really not dying for it at this point hence why I am fine with what I got. In a year or so when the next one comes out I will have got my money worth and be ready to get another ....
My preference is I prefer the Steam OS. As I hardly enter desktop mode only did really once to get decky loader. I literally turn it on and click on a game and that's that. I enjoy the ease of use and it works for me. I have a PC if I want to do anything else. I use it at work and when I'm travelling and have downtime.
I.pretty confindent in Valve at this point that they will deliver a good 2.
3:30 in a public company that 180° 360° from Steam Machines to Steam Deck would've never happened. not within the 7-10 years between them.
the argument would be: "we've already tried that. we won't go back. let's double-down on the microtransactions/our bestseller we have."
I’m having issues with my OG 512 steam deck. Playing games I’ll get a black screen then verifying installation. Super frustrating since there are no solutions. I think I might switch to the ROG Ally.
Did you checked in protonDB if the game was at least playable?
If you only use ONE. Then Legion Go because every game works. Since I got two. HDR + low res/pixel art games on Deck; high load game/emu and streaming on the Go.
I bought limited oled version and I love it. I even bought my brother one for Christmas 🎄. However I did have to return the first one I got because like the rog ally has sd card burn problem...steam decks have a sticky button problem. The b button would get stuck while pressing and some people have been sanding the shell. Possibly design flaw because even my replacement had the same issue at first. It went away thankfully but something to be mindful of.
What valve is doing is amazing. Regardless of what the other hardware companies can do I still think they'll reign Supreme just off the strength of steam alone. Not even Xbox has the level of report with the consumer so I don't thing gamepass is a saving grace there. Looking forward to what Valve will do in the future.
I just dived in because my gaming laptop is falling apart, and I'm not ready to dump thousands into a new one. Got the OLED 1tb, and I couldn't be happier. It requires more patience than a switch or other console. I've had some issues. But given how worthless my laptop is on battery power, I never imagined I would be playing Horizon Zero Dawn in beautiful HDR, on battery, on a plane for three hours straight.
The steam deck LCD was amazing for me. But the steam deck OLED shocked me in the positive perspective.
Thank God I always bought my games on steam as a young kid and that I always sticked to PC gaming. So my steam deck had a big game line up for free from the beginning. ;)
Thank you for the video! :)
its the bee's Knee's. i got my Original 512gb model in september. then they Released the OLED. All in all tho i am Happy as a clam with my Steam Deck! i play it daily , be it gaming, browsing the net and just doing the usual things id do with a pc but on the go :>
I think these handheld/console hybrids are the future of gaming. I suspect PlayStation and Xbox will tap into this market in the next generation with native hardware.
Happy Holidays !!! Love my steam deck, have Windows 11 on an external ssd for dual boot purposes. Getting an Odin2, looking forward to that. Also have GPD Win4 which is a great device.
i recently installed Windows 10 on my ROG Ally and notice a significant performance boost on my games, sometimes almost 20 fps higher with the same game running on Windows 11, also games compatibility seem a lot better, i notice that games that previously would crash now run really smooth, some games wont even open on Windows 11 but on windows 10 no issues at all. There is a downside tho, after installing all the drivers the only thing that seem to not work are the speakers, granted you can still get audio with the aux cable, or Bluetooth headset and also docked works fine but the stand alone speakers of the ally seem to have an issue installing the driver for the speakers on windows 10. For me the performance boost outweighs the fail speakers. Was wondering if anybody in here has tried out and notice the same or it could just be a placebo.
Now there's the MSI claw
I was one of the people who returned the ROG Ally back to Bestbuy, the Ally is horrible.
Ima be honest and say the entire reason I plan on getting a steam deck oled instead of any of these other portables is because it’s made by valve (and the *chefs kiss* trackpads)
All hail Gabe for making the deck and focusing on it .
You need to try RE6 on steam deck. I never played it before but tried it on the oled deck. Amazing!
I have big hands. The only handheld with the right thumbstick in a good position for bigger hands is the Steam Deck. I don't understand why no one talks about this.
SteamOS is the best part for me. Yes the hardware is very nice, but the interface and ease of use is the reason I will go with the deck.
Great video Bill. I personally own and love my steam deck but my best friend is a huge Xbox person so I advised the ally or legion to him still. I feel like I can send this video to him and it's pretty objective.
I’m just curious, why the suggestion of the ally or legion to your xbox friend? I myself ask as an xbox guy.
@@chrisMoutkastragtop it's more compatible with Xbox game pass and the types of multiplayer games he plays will run better on those two (or run at all).
Between the two I told him to go with the ally. They're both great but I feel the variable refresh rate would be worth it for the many games you know will drop below 60 fps. I just told him not to use the SD card haha.
@@chrisMoutkastragtop oh one other thing. Your progress should sync up too so when he's at home he'll play his Xbox but when he's at work he can bring his ally. (yes he's lucky enough to be able to play at work)
@@brianfairchild4665 yes I am also lucky enough to play at work so I got a Steam Deck but it seems that may not have been the best idea since I play Cod, Titanfall 2, etc
Does anyone know what game is shown at 1:19 or so?
Risk of Rain 2
@@NerdNest thank you for taking the time to answer this!
Installing Windows on deck is not an error, touchpads make Steam Deck a lot better Windows handheld than other options on the market
Keeping my deck because i hv tons of backlog games
However would love to buy my nxt windows handheld but Asus must fix their stupid sdslot just by giving us 2280 option and people would forget that for Ally 2
Same design and 8040u will make the deal even sweeter
I just got a steam deck I got a second hand 512gb LCD version for £300 I wanted the legion go but just couldn't justify spending £700 I put windows on the deck and love it don't be put off putting windows on it. It runs fine if you know what you are doing
I picked up a Legion Go, but the Linux driver support was pretty bad, so I returned it and got OLED Deck. It might be acceptable in a year or two.
As a steam user there's not much to think about. Deck all day.
I love my Steam Deck, even though it hasn't been getting much play lately because I've been playing the Tekken 8 demo on my PS5 😅 I got mine during the first sale they had on them in March, and I've never regretted it. I even convinced my friend to get one for himself, and he got one for his brother too!
The oled us great but the one I got have a defective audio, I had to turn the volume on Max to hear anything so I've returned it for a refund.
Im going to buy a steam OLED and my question is , can I switch the SSD form my LCD to the OLED ?
Yes you can
I've always said to myself, if the ROG or Legion Go doesn't have SteamOS and it's integrated really well with the hardware, then I'm not interested.
The real advantage the Steam Deck has is the entire package, from hardware to software, it's the closes we've got to a hybrid PC/console with much of that ease of use, whereas the ROG and the Legion Go, they are a generic PC with all the problems that comes with that, that might be fine for elite PC gamers, but most PC gamers and even more so with console gamers, they don't want to worry about maintaining the OS, updating the drivers, the bios, setting it all up and all that, the Steam Deck blows these others away for the mainstream gamers that just want to pick up and go.
With that said, would I love to have more performance from the Deck like the rivals offer? Yes, but not at the expense of battery life, the original Deck was pushing the limits on battery life, the Deck OLED is in a good place now, historically speaking when it comes to portable gaming, battery life seems far more important than performance, Nintendo understands that and have beaten countless other rivals over the decades that had better hardware specs, I would like to have better spec but battery is king, after all, it's a portable device and we tend to use them differently then a PC/console at home.
If Valve can have much better spec, good battery life, a dock where you can connect a dgpu to it for the Deck 2, whiles also having an attractive price point, that will be a day 1 buy for me, assuming Valve doesn't mess up in other areas, heck, with a dgpu connected to the dock, I might even get rid of my gaming rig, I would be getting most of the performance of it whiles just having one device that can be used in portable and home mode.
I ordered the Steam Deck a day before the OLED version dropped on Steam I was like "damn". Probably could have still gotten it swapped but whatever, it's not like it's my daily driver or anything, I just sometimes play something at work or in bed. Otherwise I am mostly on my very capable PC so I don't care much. Still... Just about my luck lmao.
So I have had a Steam Deck for about a year and a half, pretty close to launch model.
Love tinkering on it. Feels so fulfilling when I figure out some little trick and get something cool (like Switch games) running on it.
Anyways, When the OLED Steam Deck came out, and I saw that the special edition steam deck available ike 2 hours after the launch... I figured I better buy it and then just flip it for a few extra hundred bills real quick.
But then it came in...
And I was like shit man, I have to keep it, it was love at first sight haha!
But I still haven't sold my OG Steam Deck..
Mostly because I figured that used Steam Decks were going to go way down once the OLED came out.
Plus I spent the time to get my OG Steam Deck to dual boot Windows among other things...
So it is funny that I find myself not wanting to let go of my OG Steam Deck, when really I have not played it since getting the OLED. And as a single guy in his 30's, there really is no point for me to have two Steam Decks... It honestly goes to show that the Steam Deck is such a cool and well made device, I don't want to get rid of it even when I have a newer one.
Also... Valve were kinda b*tches for calling it a limited edition OLED Steam Deck when it really is not limited at all haha. I checked it out like 2 weeks later and they still had it available no problem haha.
I think I heard they are going to have it available until the end of the year, then make a different cool colored one for the next "Limited Edition". Much more like the dope colored Steam Deck for the season or quarter then switch up, as much as that kinda screwed me out of making some quick money, I do love my OLED, and I could see Valve making some really cool Steam Decks going forward.
The thing that annoys me about the Windows handhelds is Windows itself. I don't game that much, so I'm not sure how common my opinion is, but I absolutely hate how corporate-ized computing as become. Yes, computers have almost always been made by big companies. But it seems more and more these companies have been willing and able to throw their weight around and say "ok, we'll do it for you" and lock you out of the ability to make your own decisions. Proprietary software for fundamental things such as computer graphics is just so weird to me. This is why I love Linux, and seeing how easy gaming can be on Linux is so fun to watch.
And, here's the thing, Proton, the compatibility layer, is open source. Most, if not all, of any of the modding tools you will use on the Deck are open source. Heck, the SteamOS Linux kernel is open source (honestly, likely, because of the license, but still). The Steam Deck let's you tinker with the software (and even the hardware too). This should be applauded and encouraged, not seen as a negative. I understand some people don't want to tinker, and that's ok. The number of games that work well out of the box on the Steam Deck show you can have good gaming experiences without sacrificing the ability to tinker. It's something we need more of.
I loovvveeee my steam deck! Although, when it comes to the more atmospheric games that benefit from graphical fidelity, noting beats a hig-end PC.
12:23 how can they prove that, Steam Deck runs Windows?
Gotta say my Deck has pretty much taken over from my Xbox Series X and PS5. It’s just a better fit for my life as a parent and life long gamer.
Yeah, I agree with your take. Overall the Steam deck is also best for me too.
I’m loving my Oled steam deck and l’m looking forward to the next generation that will appear in a couple of years.
Bro I’m convinced 💯💯💯
ROG Ally for me, just because of the chip and being able to run at 1080 + Windows. Though it seems like my micro SD reader in the thing has died now a 2nd time, literary a few days ago, so I'm pretty bummed out about the thing.. well.. not working. If it wasn't for the micro SD slot, I'd say that I really like the thing. I mean.. it's awesome and I've had plenty of fun getting through games on it, but the micro SD reader just ruins it for me :/
Is your microsd dead now, or is it the cardreader? Have you tried the microsd in other devices, after it happened?
@@thepirateswirled the first time it was just malfunctioning. As in - If you boot up the Ally and insert a SD card, it appears to be working at first (reads the card), but once you started gaming the reader would stop working. I'm guessing due to the heat. I sent it in for RMA then and it took 2 weeks to get it back. Afterwards it seemed to work fine, though I have 0 idea what or if they did anything. The SD card I used back then worked still fine (both in Ally and other devices)
The reader worked for a few months after the RMA, but then started acting up again. I basically lost all data on my original SD card I used to use. Tried using it more, but the SD card seemed to be completely dead / unreadable in the Ally and any other devices. I tried another SD card which survived a while 1 day before dying as well. The day after that the SD card reader in the Ally was completely dead and didn't even recognize SD cards when inserted (that work in other devices)
I have yet to send in my Ally for RMA the 2nd time (just being lazy with it 😅)
Part of me wants to send it in for RMA as long as I have warranty, but at the same time 2 (or more) weeks without it seem super annoying.. (in case the reader dies again)
I understand and I'm sorry to hear.
Sounds like the heat is really an issue, I don't think it's something that could be fixed permanently, as the sd card slot remains near the hear source, but it's also good to know, to hear it from first hand, as some people said they don't have any issues.
I hope you don't lose any more data.
I guess all the handhelds have their drawbacks and ups in comparision, for example: today it took me like 12 hours just to get one game running, I love my Steam Deck Oled, but I was almost giving up, and I got moody: "Tou - tunnels of the underworld", but it finally runs well on my steam deck. @@takashy87
It's a truly incredible bit of kit. The best thing that's happened to gaming in literally decades.
Haven't been gaming much in the past 20 years, egh?
@@InitialFailureI think he’s saying how being able to play with both your hands without a keyboard and mouse on such a small device ( compared to your so called laptop ) all while having a good experience with a good battery life. You don’t need to be gaming for your entire life to see a great invention in the gaming industry.
Console collector for years got my deck and it plays 90% of retro titles
Steam Deck is Valve's first hardware success. The question is how did they finally do it this time.
Glad they lowered the price of the 64g model. I can actually afford one, the oled is out of my price point. For $550, I'd rather get an air suspension for my bike or a gpu. I believe second hand i could get a fox fork, which would be amazing.