Valve giving away tons of Steam Decks during The Game Awards 2022

Quoting: BotonoskiI already bought one, but it would make a fantastic Christmas gift, I hope I ain't filtered from the drawing for already having used a Deck on my account.

You know, I think if Valve put actual marketing dollars behind the Deck, get flashy ads on TV and whatnot, it could absolutely be a smash hit. At first I was fairly certain it was going to be a niche thing like my RPi handheld, but with how cleanly it fits into my lifestyle this thing really got potential mass appeal, its versatility gives it potential appeal to everyone, even a coworker of mine who barely games is considering buying it instead of a new laptop. This could be the next step for console gaming, not the portability but the versatility, it's not enough for a console to just play games anymore, much like how at one point, it wasn't enough for phones to just make call.

So far I heard comparisons between Switch and Steam Deck, and most of the people who bought both said: The Switch is more worth for its money.
Also Steam Deck seems to be bit heavy for weak nerd arms and mobile gaming?


Last edited by samurro on 7 December 2022 at 8:00 pm UTC

Quoting: samurro

Quoting: BotonoskiI already bought one, but it would make a fantastic Christmas gift, I hope I ain't filtered from the drawing for already having used a Deck on my account.

You know, I think if Valve put actual marketing dollars behind the Deck, get flashy ads on TV and whatnot, it could absolutely be a smash hit. At first I was fairly certain it was going to be a niche thing like my RPi handheld, but with how cleanly it fits into my lifestyle this thing really got potential mass appeal, its versatility gives it potential appeal to everyone, even a coworker of mine who barely games is considering buying it instead of a new laptop. This could be the next step for console gaming, not the portability but the versatility, it's not enough for a console to just play games anymore, much like how at one point, it wasn't enough for phones to just make call.

So far I heard comparisons between Switch and Steam Deck, and most of the people who bought both said: The Switch is more worth for its money.
Also Steam Deck seems to be bit heavy for weak nerd arms and mobile gaming?

Yeah, Steam Deck bad, it only play Super Tux Kart and weigh like two house brick, very very bad. Switch much more gooder, Games much good price! only $60 for 5 y/o game! What steal?! Weak nerd arms can almost lift Switch!

Its double the weight of the switch, at least to the quick google search I did. So I am not sure where your arguments are. I even said "mobile gaming".

But I get the feeling this forum is not accustomed to different opinions on anything...

Quoting: samurroIts double the weight of the switch, at least to the quick google search I did. So I am not sure where your arguments are. I even said "mobile gaming".

But I get the feeling this forum is not accustomed to different opinions on anything...

Well, I've got weak nerd arms and I'm playing with it. I'm sure this is true for some others here. This does not change with a different opinion, because I tried. Of course this might feel different for you, but this is not a matter of opinions either - you'll know when/if you try it. (Maybe if you get hands on a switch you could make it heavier?)

I wonder what kind of (constructive) answer you're expecting?

*edit* How nice it feels for you might depend on what you imagine under "mobile gaming". Playing on bus, train, backseat of car, ...? Sure. Playing while walking around? Well, I wouldn't do that. But I wouldn't do that with any other device either.


Last edited by Eike on 8 December 2022 at 9:55 am UTC

Quoting: samurroIts double the weight of the switch, at least to the quick google search I did. So I am not sure where your arguments are. I even said "mobile gaming".

But I get the feeling this forum is not accustomed to different opinions on anything...

Oh, I honestly thought you were joking so I thought to play along and respond with a joke. Whoops. I haven't seen any negative reviews of the Deck myself, any criticisms are typically followed up by reasons why that doesn't really take away from the overall experience or value of the Deck.

This forum is really tolerant of fractured opinions honestly, like Linux is a very fractured yet still unified community. No one here is going to seriously criticize anyone for putting Windows on their system, we're all just trying to have fun the best we can.

To answer your question seriously the Deck is insanely good value. It's not for mobile gaming, its more for console-grade gaming, but on the go. Think of the PSP for example, its goal was to essentially bring the PS2 to your pocket during the PS3 era, the Deck essentially has the power of an original Xbox One, and that's enough power to even play Switch games decently, which is just crazy, like you need a lot of overhead to emulate a whole different system with any semblance of playability. And since its part of the PC ecosystem, you'll save a lot on buying games as Steam store prices are cutthroat and Epic just gives the darn things away every other week. If your the type to fiddle, you can even buy a PC game from goodwill and load it up on there, with emulators and a crazy lineage of PC games you have access to almost the entirely of gaming history, all in the most powerful and affordable PC handheld to date. And at the end of the day it's a PC, my sister plans to buy one because it not only can play her favorite games but also since it works with her drawing tablet and can run Windows 10 when needed. You could buy this thing and use it entirely for productivity tasks if you so chose. Even If you were to look at this thing as a laptop alternative... $400 is a good price for such a capable laptop.


Last edited by Botonoski on 8 December 2022 at 9:53 am UTC

Quoting: Eike

Quoting: samurroIts double the weight of the switch, at least to the quick google search I did. So I am not sure where your arguments are. I even said "mobile gaming".

But I get the feeling this forum is not accustomed to different opinions on anything...

Well, I've got weak nerd arms and I'm playing with it. I'm sure this is true for some others here.

What I've seen a number of times is people saying that while the weight is greater than the Switch, it's actually easier to game with for extended periods because the ergonomics of the grip are so much better--it fits naturally into the hands, where the Switch is thinner and requires a more active hold that is less comfortable to maintain.
Mileage may vary, no doubt.

Quoting: samurro

Quoting: BotonoskiI already bought one, but it would make a fantastic Christmas gift, I hope I ain't filtered from the drawing for already having used a Deck on my account.

You know, I think if Valve put actual marketing dollars behind the Deck, get flashy ads on TV and whatnot, it could absolutely be a smash hit. At first I was fairly certain it was going to be a niche thing like my RPi handheld, but with how cleanly it fits into my lifestyle this thing really got potential mass appeal, its versatility gives it potential appeal to everyone, even a coworker of mine who barely games is considering buying it instead of a new laptop. This could be the next step for console gaming, not the portability but the versatility, it's not enough for a console to just play games anymore, much like how at one point, it wasn't enough for phones to just make call.

So far I heard comparisons between Switch and Steam Deck, and most of the people who bought both said: The Switch is more worth for its money.
Also Steam Deck seems to be bit heavy for weak nerd arms and mobile gaming?

Owning both, I really wanted to like the Switch (the concept is awesome) but the controllers it comes with are very cheap feeling and tiny in my hands, so I inevitably have to either buy a third party attachment for it, which most have questionable quality, or I have to play it docked with a controller (I will say the Switch Pro controller is very nice).

On the Steam Deck, the controls are just right, and have more options / configuration possibilities.

Now does this only apply to my Adult sized hands? Maybe, but it is what it is. I've never been able to properly play with the JoyCons. The Steam Deck, as a just 'pick up and play' device is just better.

I would never play with the joycons outside of split screen fun with friends. Also I dont own either of the two devices, although I play to buy a "pro/2.0" switch at some point, just for Breath of the Wild.