One Month with the Steam Deck
Let’s get all the stuff you’ve likely heard about the Valve Steam Deck out of the way: yes, it’s powerful – so far the device has handled games as disparate as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Vampire Survivors without so much as a hiccup.
Yes, it’s comfortable – the grips are about as thick as a standard Xbox or PlayStation 5’s controller and so far I’ve had less carpal tunnel issues with it than something like the Nintendo Switch.
And yes, it’s a solidly-constructed device – the screen is both bright and clear at a reasonable 1200×800 resolution, the speakers are powerful for a handheld, the buttons aren’t mushy, the analog sticks don’t seem to be experiencing drift yet, and the whole enclosure is made from this really durable textured plastic that both feels nice to hold and doesn’t seem like it’ll bend or break that easily. It is, in short, exactly what Valve said it was going to be, and it’s exactly what other reviewers have acclaimed about it.
So here’s what I wanted to know in this review: is the Steam Deck something regular people would want? Is it non-disposable or durable for the long haul? Can it be used in other, possibly non-gaming-related contexts?
The first question can’t really be answered with a description of how the product feels to use or an analysis of how it operates. We do, however, probably need to at least pin down what it is. When I first got the device in hand, I couldn’t help but place it into a category of novelty or luxury item, a kind of technological curiosity. It isn’t really a game console, for instance, and calling it a “handheld” feels like it’s selling short this device’s power, heft or size. It’s not a tablet or mobile phone either. But as I’ve been playing with it both in the context of work and personal use, I realize that this is far closer to what I’ve been looking for all these years: a portable computer that is dedicated primarily to gaming and is powerful and reliable enough for that purpose. The fact that its physical user interface is controller-based and not inherently mouse-and-keyboard based hasn’t hindered my use of it; if needed, you can connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to the Steam Deck just like you could connect an external controller to it.
But even though it fits my specialized purposes, does that mean it’s going to inherently fit into regular consumers’ lives just as well? Honestly, I don’t think so.
The Steam Deck, for most people, is first and foremost a gaming device, booting natively into the SteamOS interface and hiding Desktop Mode in the power settings. Additionally, it’s a Linux machine, and you have to potentially buy a host of bespoke accessories just to use it with a separate display and have more I/O port options than a single USB-C port on top.
Valve just started selling the Steam Deck Docking Station for $90. It has three USB 3.1 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports, respectively. While the array of options definitely are nice, this is adding extra cost on an already pretty expensive piece of equipment – which you already might be dropping extra cash on.
I got the 256GB Steam Deck model for $529. At this storage capacity, it is capable of playing and running quite a few games off a pretty quick NVMe solid state drive while still having some space to breathe. However, you do feel the pinch almost immediately if you’re trying to pack a bunch of recent AAA games onto the device, and it’s recommended for this particular size especially that you get a MicroSD card… which also go for anywhere between $50 and $100. That recommendation becomes a requirement with the cheaper, slower and smaller 64GB Steam Deck with an eMMC drive, which comes in at a hefty $399.
What about the Switch, I hear people say. Well, I’m not reviewing the Switch right now, but if I was, I would probably mention the super-quiet speakers, joycon drift and flagging ability to handle games with more than 15 polygons on-screen at any time, but also I have a Switch Lite, not a Switch OLED, so maybe folks with newer devices are still having an alright time. No matter what I say, though, the harsh facts are that the Switch is cheaper than the Steam Deck by far.
Okay, fine. So maybe this isn’t every consumer’s cup of tea. What about the thing it’s reportedly made for; how does it run as a device that primarily plays games? It’s complicated. As I said at the beginning, it’s powerful, comfortable and solidly-constructed. That all is true. But folks going in need to realize that potentially not every game in your library is compatible. Currently, just 30 games out of my 115-game library are fully Deck Verified; another 33 are listed as “playable,” and another 40 are “untested.” Twelve games are just straight-up unsupported. And those games’ statuses might never change. One game, Destiny 2 (I know y’all have heard me talking about it), is unplayable on the Steam Deck because of the anti-cheat software it uses; Bungie has threatened to ban anyone who is caught circumventing the block. Other games, like Audiosurf, are simply too old and likely won’t ever get Deck support because of that. This isn’t really a problem for me as much, but for regular folks, it can add an unnecessary headache.
The second question seems to be far easier to answer on the surface. From the get-go, Valve has promoted the Steam Deck as a device you can take apart, put back together, and replace certain components of yourself. On the Steam Deck FAQ page, Valve states in plain language: “We’ve collaborated with the folks at iFixit, and replacement parts and repair guides for Steam Deck can be found on their website.” And iFixit has an extensive repair guide covering everything from the ABXY buttons to the motherboard itself.
However, the Steam Deck warranty and maintenance info does say this: “If the Hardware is damaged, contact Valve Support for service. Do not attempt repairs. Do not use the Hardware if it is damaged. Damaged electrical components can present a shock hazard. Damaged batteries can present a fire or chemical hazard. Damaged glass can present a cut hazard.” Additionally, the one-year limited warranty only covers manufacturer defects and not “normal wear and tear and damage caused by improper cleaning, accident, or abuse.”
In other words: while Valve has given customers an angle on (some) inexpensive parts and the necessary information to repair or replace those parts themselves, it’s still a typical tech product with a typical tech product’s limited warranty (and the limitations – and potential costs – inherent to that). The good news from the perspective of assuaging customer fears of “planned obsolescence:” as of this writing, it doesn’t appear like there’s any chance of a “Steam Deck 2” coming out before 2025 at the latest, meaning the Steam Deck being manufactured today is at least likely being built to last.
One area of this question that has me worried is the environmental impact the Steam Deck may or may not have. Valve has not so far published any information whatsoever on Steam Deck’s environmental impact from manufacture, and it’s not super likely that they will, if their previous devices are anything to go by.
However, I think it’s important to push Valve on this. Other companies in gaming and tech at least publish this information, even if their production processes aren’t every environmentally-friendly. Xbox has a sustainability page where their (typically annual) environmental impact report is published; so does Sony, so does Nintendo. So do non-gaming tech hardware companies like Apple and Google.
As evidenced by the global supply chain issues and chip shortages over the last few years, Valve isn’t exempt or apart from the rest of the world, and this is especially true when it comes to the effect it might have on the environment. The hope is that this device does last a while, just so a bunch of them don’t end up in landfills and creating even more e-waste than previously.
So, okay. What about the very last question? Is this device viable for use outside of just being a luxury-ish gaming rig you can take on the go? To be honest, I haven’t really seen the need to use the Steam Deck as a daily-use PC. However, ArchLinux – which is what SteamOS is based on – is a really good version of Linux, and there are all sorts of free programs available directly from the “discover” tab on your Steam Deck’s desktop toolbar, like LibreOffice, Blender, and GIMP. It comes with Firefox installed, but you can ostensibly download and use any Linux-compatible web browser.
If you’re not afraid of feeling physically kind of awkward for a little bit, you can use the Steam Deck as a PC as-is. The Steam Deck has two small trackpads on either side, under the analog sticks. When in Desktop Mode, the right-hand trackpad is tied to the mouse. You can pull up a virtual keyboard anywhere by hitting the Steam button and the X button simultaneously, and that left-hand trackpad turns on to help you swipe through the virtual keys with your right-hand thumb simultaneously. Typing this way is both weird and slow at first, and isn’t ideal for messages much longer than a tweet circa 2009. But I’ve been getting faster at it, and it doesn’t seem to cause much extra strain on my hands.
However, I think the way most folks are going to set their Steam Decks up as computers is: buy a Deck. Buy a monitor (or use an existing one). Get a docking station of some kind, either the one Valve makes and just released or one of the cheaper third-party options. Connect the docked Steam Deck to the monitor via HDMI. Set up the monitor to be the primary screen. Leave the Steam Deck in the Dock. Connect your Bluetooth mouse and keyboard of choice. This option is completely valid, but does kind of take away some of the shine of the Steam Deck’s inherent portability. It’s also much easier in the long-term lmao who am I kidding.
I do want to stress this: I don’t think most people are going to buy a Steam Deck to use as a general purpose computer, even if that functionality is there. I have definitely played more PC-specific games than I used to now that the Deck has arrived compared to my previous laptop, a Lenovo that was starting to whine and complain if I simply turned it on, but I’ve used Desktop Mode a handful of times. It’s nice to have, but not life-changing or necessary.
The Steam Deck is genuinely a remarkable piece of technology. It is exceptionally powerful and versatile for its form-factor and tech specs. It has a lot of very cool features that expand its usability past just playing games. Barring an occasional session on my Xbox, the Steam Deck has in fact been the only device I’ve played games on, even eclipsing my phone. I expect to be using this thing both for work and personally for a long time.
But there’s no denying what it is: a luxury device that will be used almost exclusively for gaming with some questions about its future as a product that may or may not enter a landfill in a few years. I am happy with my purchase, but the answers to these questions weigh heavily on my mind. I don’t think the Steam Deck is “right” for the regular consumer for the same reason I don’t think they should be spending $2500 on a rig from, like, the Republic of Gamers or whatever if all they’re going to do is play Stardew Valley. There are cheaper and less-buckwild alternatives to the Steam Deck out there, including the Switch.
However, if the price point, specialist nature of the device and existential questions about its environmental impact don’t scare you, you can now order the Steam Deck (without waiting) for $399 (64GB), $529 (256GB) and $649 (512GB) from steamdeck.com. The Docking Station is $89.99.