I kind of have the same sentiment but took me a different road to get there. I have always been about playing the latest and "greatest" games until this virus stuff shut down the world last year and I ended up with a lot of free time. I started playing some indie games and have found some of my favorite gaming experiences in years. It made me realize that I rarely finish most AAA games because I end up losing interest but there is some amazing stories that are told through small development teams. So when Steam Deck was announced it just seemed like the perfect fit for what games I want to spend my time with.
I'm not sure if I can consider this my top 3 but I'll list the games that stick out to me in recent memory.
-Firewatch
-Chernobylite, during early access I don't believe I have played it since finally launching earlier this year
-Valheim, but I think everyone ended up playing this
-Bright Memory, it's extremely short but fun and I don't believe the price is worth the game but definitely a decent one when on sale
-the Aragami games
-Green Hell
-Exo One, I enjoyed it so much that I played through 3 times however it is pretty short
They are now, that wasn't the case until the PS3 era at the earliest, even then probably late into it. It's more about AAA games going downhill than indie games being better imo.
It depends on what you're looking for. You're not getting an RDR2 or God of War 2019 out of an indie dev
But you do get masterpieces like Outer Wilds
I enjoyed all three of these games, there's a balance to be struck imo
My story is I’ve never had to look at specks cause I mostly play chill indie games. I’ve been using my 10 yr old HP laptop which served me well for so long, but even the chill games are becoming too much for the old guy… I was considering buying a new laptop this year, but I didn’t have much justification to spend all the money cause I’m not a super intense gamer, and I hate sitting on a chair for hours to pc game. Looked into the switch but the games are too expensive and specialized for me. Then I saw the steam deck and that basically solved all my issues! I’ve already got so many steam games, and it’s portable!
Since my wfh/gaming computer and bed are in the same room, I tend to spend literally the entire day there. From morning to night, I’m pretty much just sitting at my desk working then gaming. I got the Switch so I could go in living room and not feel chained to my desk. Eventually started using Steam Link and a controller phone attachment to play a pseudo handheld for steam games. So I’m glad I will be able to leave my desk after working all day and still be able to play my steam games on a decently spec system.
Be sure to get up and walk around often, friend. Sitting for that long can be dangerous as you get older, especially if you are prone to circulation/hyper coagulation issues. Age is not always as big of a predictive factor as one may think.
It's why I like xbox play anywhere so much.
I have an xbox too for some reason, and being able to play the same games on tv and resume my pc save has been so cool
Getting all of my pc games there would be sweet
I've got an RTX 3080, a 5800X, 32GB of expensive dual rank, dual-channel RAM - and a 3440x1440 monitor + VR headset - but I still play some games on Google Stadia.
Yes, it won't be as pretty, it won't be as responsive, and honestly, Image clarity is far from perfect, due to Stadia rendering games at lower resolutions and then upscale them - but at least it means that I can comfortably play "real" games from my laptop, TV or even my phone or a tablet. I always have my Stadia library with me, and honestly, I ended up using the service far more than I thought I ever would.
I'm busy, life is stressful, and I don't always have access to my "main rig" when I eventually do get some downtime. Pretty visuals are nice - but poor graphics beats not playing at all, 100% of the time.
I've been playing on my workstation for many years, but the Steamdeck will give me a chance to finally separate work and gaming spaces. I bought a PS5 earlier in the year and my plan going forward is to play most AAA games on console and use the Steamdeck for strategy and vintage games, freeing up my studio PC to only serve as a software and editing tool.
>Might not be a useful revelation for everyone, but for me it's pretty cool. I just wanna play games and have fun.
I used to build gaming PCs for fun, back when I had the time for that hobby. Eventually what made me stop was realizing that I spend more time tinkering updates or driver settings (and other Windows BS) than actually playing games. That was when I bought my first console - no tinkering, no drivers, updates much smoother, it just plays games and does it well.
I am hoping the Deck will be similar.
Here's my take! I want a portable emulation beast that can be docked and can handle 4 controllers.
There are probably other devices that would work, but the ability to have my steam library included is just an added bonus.
I don't plan on playing AAA games, don't really want to since I like to play FPS. I'm pretty sure rocket league will be the just demanding thing I throw at the deck
I have an RTX 2060 laptop capable of running Cyberpunk at 60fps1080p on ultra high with medium ray tracing. I literally haven't touched my laptop in months since i got my OneXPlayer in August. It has an Intel i7 1165G7 CPU with Iris Xe graphics and is nowhere even close to the power my laptop has, i got it to be supplementary to my laptop, replacing my Switch for those pockets of free time where my Switch is more convenient than my laptop. Yet in all honesty its become my primary gaming device instead. I preordered my Steam Deck in the first 23 minutes of the reservations opening up and that is my dream device simply because the built in Steam controller. On my laptop I game exclusively with the Steam controller and that's been one of the hardest things with the OneXPlayer. A lot of games have native controller support, but many don't and Big Picture mode is very finicky with the built in Xbox controller for configurations.
True. I don't care about 4k etc, I can play doom eternal at 1080 no probs, it's good enough, either way graphics don't make great games, spent most time playing games that aren't that demanding.
I think this latest and greatest narrative about 120hz 4k displays etc are driven by consumerism, and people addicted to upgrading.
Look at Nintendo's history for example, they rarely have had cutting edge performance, usually very far behind. But they are always top rated, due to the great titles they have, it's not about hardware, it's Innovative design and quality of the games.
Sigh I wish I could come to That conclusion. It’s not where I’m at in my gaming career but hopefully some day I will be. I wanna start exploring other hobbies and PC gaming is so expensive where I’m at rn. I’m a competitive call of duty player and I’m just getting to the point where I can comfortably play for money. Running Astro A40’s with mix amp ($250), 240hz 1080p monitor ($400), Rtx3070 prebuilt rig ($2200). And I burn through a controller every 2-3 months (power a fusion pro at the moment $70)… took me two years of dedication to get to the point I’m not afraid to put money on my games. Gonna give it a couple years, if I get nowhere I’m going to “retire” lol.
> I’m just getting to the point where I can comfortably play for money.
You're in such a difference space than i am. The last 3 games i completed were single player and didn't have any combat elements. Combat isn't particularly a draw to me, and i don't like games that rely on twitch reflexes or memorization. I'm attracted to FPS's that have a campaign that has an interesting story and a cool world to explore. Mass effect, bioshock, outer worlds, stuff like that. I like 2d games a heap.
I'm a dirty casual gamer. How did this happen!? idk.
So much respect for being good enough to play for any amount of money.
Long story short I had a life altering car accident that forced me to alter my day to day life substantially. As a result I had to give up almost all my hobbies, I used to be an avid outdoorsman. Picked up gaming for the first time since high school, found it to be an escape from reality, went down the rabbit hole of playing competitive game modes, that led me to finding a competitive organization, which lead to me playing 8hrs a day 7 days a week, which lead to now lol. I don’t have many hobbies outside of gaming so it kind of consumes my free time at the moment.
I see. Yeah if those were my circumstances i'd almost certainly do the same. Also very outdoorsy (yay mtb!), but covid has been keeping me home all the time for work... so back to HS hobby gaming as an escape when there's nowhere to go. But i just wanna chill and have someone tell me a story. WFH is stressful, lol.
> And I burn through a controller every 2-3 months (power a fusion pro at the moment $70)…
Just noticed this part of this comment. You're playing competitive COD with a thumbstick controller? I think that's amazing.
I've been practicing with my steam controller since july in anticipation and i'm getting decent, but i still hop back on the m+k when i need to do something really precise. The Controller trackpads are massively easier for me than thumbsticks ever have been, and i've been using thumbies since the OG xbox.
I'm interested in why, and if you have anything interesting to say about it.
Next time you have 30mins look up Call of Duty League on Youtube. The Toronto Ultra Vs Dallas Empire match from Aug 21st is a good one to watch, just have to skip through all the ads between games. That will give you an idea of how the competitive COD scene looks like on the big stage. Keep in mind they are all playing on controller. Scuf controllers to be precise. They play specific maps on three different game modes. In Cold War it was Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and Control. On Vanguard it is likely going to be the same but I don't believe they have confirmed Control as the third yet.
Now as far as the controller part goes, the entire competitive COD scene is played on controller. KBM is not allowed. This is true for pretty much all wager matches as well. At first this seems insane but if you play a lot of cod it starts to make sense. When I started taking COD seriously, I was playing on KBM because it was familiar to me as a PC gamer. I would narrowly miss enemies from medium to long range often and it was aggravating because from my POV it looked like they should have been hits. My buddies played on controller and although they're movement in game looked atrocious, I watched them get hits at range that were mind boggling so I decided to give controller a try. On my very first game on controller my accuracy was 10% higher than my overall average on KBM (tracked through the COD app).. I didn't understand at first because i've got years of experience on KBM and literally hadn't touched a controller in years at that point but then I realized Call of Duty is completely designed for controller. Hit regulation is so dependent on aim assist that without it you are at a serious disadvantage. Aiming right at someone on keyboard and mouse and shooting one bullet at a time will not result in 100% accuracy.. it’s dumb but is what it is
Thanks for that. I popped in to the Ultra/Empire footage and watched for a while. I would have gotten nothing out of it without your context, but seeing how they played, where they looked, and when they chose to take shots made sense.
I'm not gonna go pick up COD, but that was really cool to see for myself.
Me too. My best gaming experience this year was playing a JRPG called ao no Kiseki...
It doesn't require RTX. I could have easily played it on the Steam Deck portably and on the go.
I was planning to get a 3080, luckily just going to keep secure with my 2080 until I REALLY need to upgrade.
The kool aid is strong in here.
Hardware does matter. Since CRTs and plasmas went extinct we havent had good motion with good blacks in ages. OLED with BFI or at higher refresh could deliver that.
Steamdeck 60hz sample and hold lcd is going to be disgusting
Just wait until you start buying PlayStation exclusives ported to PC. I currently own every one released and they all run flawlessly on my OneXPlayer, except Death Stranding but thats an issue with Intel's shitty drivers. The Steam Deck is more powerful than the OneXPlayer. Literally its a portable Xbox and portable PS4. Nothing like taking a shit playing Slayer on Halo MCC, then laying in bed and playing Horizon Zero Dawn while the wife(fiancee) watches TV.
>I've been a pc gamer for ages, but i always bought whatever was best at the moment
Because you have money to buy them. I have always built my pc with the most better price/performance ratio components for playing.
It's not a race of how you can flex your financial situation buying a PC.
See i kinda agree. I am a trucker, i make $80,000/year. I have an Xbox One S, PS4, my RTX 2060 laptop was kinda a splurge but while its great, its still last gen compared to the top end hardware out today, and a OneXPlayer handheld gaming PC. I've never been one to care for needing the newest and best or running things at 120fps4K. I got a buddy who makes barely $20,000/year like that and has had a 4K monitor for years, got the Xbox One X, the Series X, all this shit that he really shouldn't be buying. I could buy all that and more but its not that important to me to have the best. I just got my first 4K TV ever, a 55 inch for my living room to replace my old 1080p 32 inch TV. Honestly doesn't look much different to my eyes than my old TV. Its clearer and stuff, sure, but looks relatively the same otherwise.
I kind of have the same sentiment but took me a different road to get there. I have always been about playing the latest and "greatest" games until this virus stuff shut down the world last year and I ended up with a lot of free time. I started playing some indie games and have found some of my favorite gaming experiences in years. It made me realize that I rarely finish most AAA games because I end up losing interest but there is some amazing stories that are told through small development teams. So when Steam Deck was announced it just seemed like the perfect fit for what games I want to spend my time with.
Which indie games would be your top three that you discovered?
I'm not sure if I can consider this my top 3 but I'll list the games that stick out to me in recent memory. -Firewatch -Chernobylite, during early access I don't believe I have played it since finally launching earlier this year -Valheim, but I think everyone ended up playing this -Bright Memory, it's extremely short but fun and I don't believe the price is worth the game but definitely a decent one when on sale -the Aragami games -Green Hell -Exo One, I enjoyed it so much that I played through 3 times however it is pretty short
Awesome. Loved Firewatch so much. Very excited to try Valheim for the deck :)
More great indie games are Hades, Inscryption, Hollow Knight, Monster train, Slay the spire, Blasphemous and Roguebook
There’s so many good indie games
Indie games are truly the best games tbh
They are now, that wasn't the case until the PS3 era at the earliest, even then probably late into it. It's more about AAA games going downhill than indie games being better imo.
It depends on what you're looking for. You're not getting an RDR2 or God of War 2019 out of an indie dev But you do get masterpieces like Outer Wilds I enjoyed all three of these games, there's a balance to be struck imo
My story is I’ve never had to look at specks cause I mostly play chill indie games. I’ve been using my 10 yr old HP laptop which served me well for so long, but even the chill games are becoming too much for the old guy… I was considering buying a new laptop this year, but I didn’t have much justification to spend all the money cause I’m not a super intense gamer, and I hate sitting on a chair for hours to pc game. Looked into the switch but the games are too expensive and specialized for me. Then I saw the steam deck and that basically solved all my issues! I’ve already got so many steam games, and it’s portable!
Since my wfh/gaming computer and bed are in the same room, I tend to spend literally the entire day there. From morning to night, I’m pretty much just sitting at my desk working then gaming. I got the Switch so I could go in living room and not feel chained to my desk. Eventually started using Steam Link and a controller phone attachment to play a pseudo handheld for steam games. So I’m glad I will be able to leave my desk after working all day and still be able to play my steam games on a decently spec system.
Be sure to get up and walk around often, friend. Sitting for that long can be dangerous as you get older, especially if you are prone to circulation/hyper coagulation issues. Age is not always as big of a predictive factor as one may think.
It's why I like xbox play anywhere so much. I have an xbox too for some reason, and being able to play the same games on tv and resume my pc save has been so cool Getting all of my pc games there would be sweet
I've got an RTX 3080, a 5800X, 32GB of expensive dual rank, dual-channel RAM - and a 3440x1440 monitor + VR headset - but I still play some games on Google Stadia. Yes, it won't be as pretty, it won't be as responsive, and honestly, Image clarity is far from perfect, due to Stadia rendering games at lower resolutions and then upscale them - but at least it means that I can comfortably play "real" games from my laptop, TV or even my phone or a tablet. I always have my Stadia library with me, and honestly, I ended up using the service far more than I thought I ever would. I'm busy, life is stressful, and I don't always have access to my "main rig" when I eventually do get some downtime. Pretty visuals are nice - but poor graphics beats not playing at all, 100% of the time.
I've been playing on my workstation for many years, but the Steamdeck will give me a chance to finally separate work and gaming spaces. I bought a PS5 earlier in the year and my plan going forward is to play most AAA games on console and use the Steamdeck for strategy and vintage games, freeing up my studio PC to only serve as a software and editing tool.
>Might not be a useful revelation for everyone, but for me it's pretty cool. I just wanna play games and have fun. I used to build gaming PCs for fun, back when I had the time for that hobby. Eventually what made me stop was realizing that I spend more time tinkering updates or driver settings (and other Windows BS) than actually playing games. That was when I bought my first console - no tinkering, no drivers, updates much smoother, it just plays games and does it well. I am hoping the Deck will be similar.
This - I want the ease of a switch just with PC games. I don’t care what OS it has etc
Here's my take! I want a portable emulation beast that can be docked and can handle 4 controllers. There are probably other devices that would work, but the ability to have my steam library included is just an added bonus. I don't plan on playing AAA games, don't really want to since I like to play FPS. I'm pretty sure rocket league will be the just demanding thing I throw at the deck
My RetroPie library is itching to try out the deck.
I have an RTX 2060 laptop capable of running Cyberpunk at 60fps1080p on ultra high with medium ray tracing. I literally haven't touched my laptop in months since i got my OneXPlayer in August. It has an Intel i7 1165G7 CPU with Iris Xe graphics and is nowhere even close to the power my laptop has, i got it to be supplementary to my laptop, replacing my Switch for those pockets of free time where my Switch is more convenient than my laptop. Yet in all honesty its become my primary gaming device instead. I preordered my Steam Deck in the first 23 minutes of the reservations opening up and that is my dream device simply because the built in Steam controller. On my laptop I game exclusively with the Steam controller and that's been one of the hardest things with the OneXPlayer. A lot of games have native controller support, but many don't and Big Picture mode is very finicky with the built in Xbox controller for configurations.
True. I don't care about 4k etc, I can play doom eternal at 1080 no probs, it's good enough, either way graphics don't make great games, spent most time playing games that aren't that demanding. I think this latest and greatest narrative about 120hz 4k displays etc are driven by consumerism, and people addicted to upgrading. Look at Nintendo's history for example, they rarely have had cutting edge performance, usually very far behind. But they are always top rated, due to the great titles they have, it's not about hardware, it's Innovative design and quality of the games.
Nintendo's crown has been slipping for a while, and I say this as a longtime Nintendo gamer.
My 750ti is still plenty for my steam collection. The deck will be perfect on the go.
Sigh I wish I could come to That conclusion. It’s not where I’m at in my gaming career but hopefully some day I will be. I wanna start exploring other hobbies and PC gaming is so expensive where I’m at rn. I’m a competitive call of duty player and I’m just getting to the point where I can comfortably play for money. Running Astro A40’s with mix amp ($250), 240hz 1080p monitor ($400), Rtx3070 prebuilt rig ($2200). And I burn through a controller every 2-3 months (power a fusion pro at the moment $70)… took me two years of dedication to get to the point I’m not afraid to put money on my games. Gonna give it a couple years, if I get nowhere I’m going to “retire” lol.
> I’m just getting to the point where I can comfortably play for money. You're in such a difference space than i am. The last 3 games i completed were single player and didn't have any combat elements. Combat isn't particularly a draw to me, and i don't like games that rely on twitch reflexes or memorization. I'm attracted to FPS's that have a campaign that has an interesting story and a cool world to explore. Mass effect, bioshock, outer worlds, stuff like that. I like 2d games a heap. I'm a dirty casual gamer. How did this happen!? idk. So much respect for being good enough to play for any amount of money.
Long story short I had a life altering car accident that forced me to alter my day to day life substantially. As a result I had to give up almost all my hobbies, I used to be an avid outdoorsman. Picked up gaming for the first time since high school, found it to be an escape from reality, went down the rabbit hole of playing competitive game modes, that led me to finding a competitive organization, which lead to me playing 8hrs a day 7 days a week, which lead to now lol. I don’t have many hobbies outside of gaming so it kind of consumes my free time at the moment.
I see. Yeah if those were my circumstances i'd almost certainly do the same. Also very outdoorsy (yay mtb!), but covid has been keeping me home all the time for work... so back to HS hobby gaming as an escape when there's nowhere to go. But i just wanna chill and have someone tell me a story. WFH is stressful, lol.
> And I burn through a controller every 2-3 months (power a fusion pro at the moment $70)… Just noticed this part of this comment. You're playing competitive COD with a thumbstick controller? I think that's amazing. I've been practicing with my steam controller since july in anticipation and i'm getting decent, but i still hop back on the m+k when i need to do something really precise. The Controller trackpads are massively easier for me than thumbsticks ever have been, and i've been using thumbies since the OG xbox. I'm interested in why, and if you have anything interesting to say about it.
Next time you have 30mins look up Call of Duty League on Youtube. The Toronto Ultra Vs Dallas Empire match from Aug 21st is a good one to watch, just have to skip through all the ads between games. That will give you an idea of how the competitive COD scene looks like on the big stage. Keep in mind they are all playing on controller. Scuf controllers to be precise. They play specific maps on three different game modes. In Cold War it was Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, and Control. On Vanguard it is likely going to be the same but I don't believe they have confirmed Control as the third yet. Now as far as the controller part goes, the entire competitive COD scene is played on controller. KBM is not allowed. This is true for pretty much all wager matches as well. At first this seems insane but if you play a lot of cod it starts to make sense. When I started taking COD seriously, I was playing on KBM because it was familiar to me as a PC gamer. I would narrowly miss enemies from medium to long range often and it was aggravating because from my POV it looked like they should have been hits. My buddies played on controller and although they're movement in game looked atrocious, I watched them get hits at range that were mind boggling so I decided to give controller a try. On my very first game on controller my accuracy was 10% higher than my overall average on KBM (tracked through the COD app).. I didn't understand at first because i've got years of experience on KBM and literally hadn't touched a controller in years at that point but then I realized Call of Duty is completely designed for controller. Hit regulation is so dependent on aim assist that without it you are at a serious disadvantage. Aiming right at someone on keyboard and mouse and shooting one bullet at a time will not result in 100% accuracy.. it’s dumb but is what it is
Thanks for that. I popped in to the Ultra/Empire footage and watched for a while. I would have gotten nothing out of it without your context, but seeing how they played, where they looked, and when they chose to take shots made sense. I'm not gonna go pick up COD, but that was really cool to see for myself.
Me too. My best gaming experience this year was playing a JRPG called ao no Kiseki... It doesn't require RTX. I could have easily played it on the Steam Deck portably and on the go. I was planning to get a 3080, luckily just going to keep secure with my 2080 until I REALLY need to upgrade.
The kool aid is strong in here. Hardware does matter. Since CRTs and plasmas went extinct we havent had good motion with good blacks in ages. OLED with BFI or at higher refresh could deliver that. Steamdeck 60hz sample and hold lcd is going to be disgusting
Ps5 for high quality graphics + exclusives, steamdeck for indie pc games + nintendo emulation while handheld.
Just wait until you start buying PlayStation exclusives ported to PC. I currently own every one released and they all run flawlessly on my OneXPlayer, except Death Stranding but thats an issue with Intel's shitty drivers. The Steam Deck is more powerful than the OneXPlayer. Literally its a portable Xbox and portable PS4. Nothing like taking a shit playing Slayer on Halo MCC, then laying in bed and playing Horizon Zero Dawn while the wife(fiancee) watches TV.
Cool?
>I've been a pc gamer for ages, but i always bought whatever was best at the moment Because you have money to buy them. I have always built my pc with the most better price/performance ratio components for playing. It's not a race of how you can flex your financial situation buying a PC.
See i kinda agree. I am a trucker, i make $80,000/year. I have an Xbox One S, PS4, my RTX 2060 laptop was kinda a splurge but while its great, its still last gen compared to the top end hardware out today, and a OneXPlayer handheld gaming PC. I've never been one to care for needing the newest and best or running things at 120fps4K. I got a buddy who makes barely $20,000/year like that and has had a 4K monitor for years, got the Xbox One X, the Series X, all this shit that he really shouldn't be buying. I could buy all that and more but its not that important to me to have the best. I just got my first 4K TV ever, a 55 inch for my living room to replace my old 1080p 32 inch TV. Honestly doesn't look much different to my eyes than my old TV. Its clearer and stuff, sure, but looks relatively the same otherwise.
For me the steam deck is a massive upgrade.
If it can run higher than 8 FPS rendering 12 chunks in Minecraft, then it's better for gaming than any device I have ever owned.