When I think back to 2022, of course I will remember many of his great games, such as Elden Ring either God of War: Ragnarok. But there will always be a special memory for Steam Deck. I guess my circumstances are special. I really like laptops and the PC is how I started playing (too) decades ago. For this reason, I had been researching systems like GPD or Aya for a while, when Valve It made things a bit easier for a player like me.
Now that one year has passed since the launch of Steam Deck, it’s time to take stock and see how the experience has been. In my case, without a doubt, it has been very positive. perfect? Well, there is always room for improvement, and I want to talk about that too, but the truth is that Steam Deck has filled a very specific gap, yes, but what I wanted in my gaming habits.
For starters, I have saved money. Several times I have paid double for some games to be able to enjoy them in portable format. There were many titles from my library that I bought for the second time on Switch, especially before the Nintendo hybrid came out or, being small or very niche, they came out first on PC and then on consoles. Since I have the Deck, this is no longer a problem. I buy the game on Steam and I alternate between my desktop PC and my laptop.
Several times I have paid double for some games to be able to enjoy them in a portable format
Without a doubt Valve has done business with me. As my desktop PC became outdated and other stores came out, my purchases dwindled. I bought the same in GOG what in Steam and he was not disgusted if there was a good offer in epic, or any other store. Now, I prioritize Steam whenever I can, because, although thanks to apps like Heroic Game Launcher I can get some games from other clients running, the native option is always the most comfortable and durable.
And that is another of the great factors that, although I was not very convinced, Steam Deck has brought. Have everything organized with its own interface and its SteamOS makes things simple when I don’t want to complicate my life. His verification system It is useful and has been greatly expanded. And whenever I want to tinker for other features like emulators, I have Desktop mode. Come on, so far I have not felt the urge to install Windows, even if you can create a dual boot.
A hardware in constant revision
Throughout this year, there have been some shortcomings and problems, not everything has been sewing and singing. fan noise It has been perhaps what I have suffered the most, even with the option to customize it as much as possible, sometimes it has been very annoying. Little by little it has been moderated, but I hope that in future revisions better results will be achieved. The battery it’s also something that could be more efficient and maybe a few more inches could still be scratched off if the screen bezels are revised. He official steam deck dockIt is also very good, but very expensive. But luckily there are very cheap alternatives, from a single cable to this other alternative Steam Deck docks.
Many of these factors are what Valve itself is looking to the future, of which it speaks without complexes announcing that a new Steam Deck model is already underway.. His intention would be more to review the battery and other aesthetic improvements, than the performance of the machine itself. It is logical, Valve prefers to keep the price adjusted rather than opt for more advanced hardware (you’ll have time for that). All in all, I am inclined to think that he will continue to polish the technique of his FSR to be able to move more ambitious games to lower resolutions.
Steam Deck competition is fiercer than ever, and there are very good models on the market, even more powerful ones. Honestly, and for me, I don’t care for a very specific reason that I haven’t seen in them yet: the touchpad. One of the uses that I give the most to the PC game is titles focused on the mouse, such as graphic adventures or strategy games, and the ones from Valve are fantastic. In recent months, moreover, the large number of settings, presets, and ways to modify controls through SteamOS it has improved in an abysmal way. I’ve managed to play old games with very strange control issues and adapt them to modern controls in a few minutes. I even created a macro so that, in a graphic adventure, I could teleport the mouse to each verb in the interface (look, use, catch, speak…) with the press of a button and then return it to the same coordinate on the screen.
For classic and not very demanding games, you could turn it on 10 years from now and have the same experience as today
As you can guess by now, I am delighted with my Deck. I can’t stop recommending it to non-common PC gamers as well as those who prefer a more comfortable option. A year from now, what I value most about it is the feeling that it is not hardware limited by generations. It is, indeed, a computer that also (except for the useful life of the battery) I do not have to retire. For classic and not very demanding games, you could turn it on 10 years from now and have the same experience as today. We all know that Valve hasn’t been very sharp when it comes to their attempts to sell hardware over the years, but I think with Steam Deck they have been completely successful. No, it will never be a bestseller. No, it is not there to compete with anyone. Yes, I don’t care.
