Our enthusiasm for Steam Deck is starting to wane a bit. Right now, therefore, is the right time for a few observations that will even embarrass any enthusiasm in the country. However, I don’t want to be a pessimist and I admit at the outset that I have the Steam Deck pre-ordered myself. At the same time, I’m still wondering if I’ll really take Valve’s handheld in the end.
At the same time, Valve tries not to let the attention of those interested completely disappear. A few days ago, it may have been touched by several other world media and influencers. Although we can probably get a taste for this honor in the Czech Republic, at least we praise others for giving us a clearer idea. For example, the well-known influencer Linus Sebastian Steam Deck really thoroughly explored in his video and thanks to him, I already have a slightly clearer picture.
Even so, I can think of many reasons to cough up Steam Deck. And I believe I’m not alone in that. However, it is difficult to predict the future and we simply do not know how it will all turn out in the end. However, we can bounce back from a few more general findings that can at least guide us in our decision-making.
1.Valve and hardware – more of a misery
Steam Controller
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The year before, Valve scored in the world of virtual reality with his spoiled model of glasses Valve Index. It was a hit that threw out even established brands such as HTC or Oclulus, and so far the Index is still considered one of the best choices if you really want to enjoy home VR. Of course, it would be a revolution in the world of gaming that cannot really be said.
Indexes are still just “decent VR glasses”, which are far from being the cheapest, and although the owners often praise it, it is not a matter for the masses and nothing at all that would give you a unique feeling in the games compared to models from competitors . So, although this is exactly what Valve did, it is just “just fine” over time.
But then we have the really bad pieces of hardware. First of all, there is an attempt at a “PC console” in the form of a Steam Machine, which was basically just a series of ordinary gaming PCs with their own operating system adapted for playing games. However, there was simply no reason to prefer them over a regular PC, and the Steam Machine concept disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
To him then belonged other quite unsuccessful pieces of hardware. For example, the Steam Link box was used to transfer images from a PC to a television or other monitor via a home network. In the end, however, it turned out that such a thing could be designed purely software, and the physical Steam Link eventually went on sale with a virtually symbolic price of two dollars.
Finally, there is the Steam Controller, the (in) success of which many of us will probably never agree. I know people who still can’t allow this gamepad, but also a lot of those who didn’t get their hands on the controller at all. And that includes me, because I say for myself that the Steam Controller has absolutely terrible ergonomics, from which I get cramped after a while. Whether you belong to one camp or another, the Steam Controller was also no bestseller, and in the end Valve stopped production and sold out the rest of the stock for a token amount.
2.Next gen? No way
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In today’s game world, modern game fads such as ray tracing, 4K resolution, artificial intelligence and the like are pouring in on us. The games look more and more bombastic, but at the same time we still want more, one next gene replaces the other and there is still a place to move. The Steam Deck is definitely not a step forward in this regard, but rather a side.
Yes, there is still great progress when we get a device with performance roughly equivalent to the PlayStation 4, but the performance is still saved by the 720p screen. Well, that’s what it’s all about: performance saving. Steam Deck can handle modern games, but at the cost of lower details, low resolution of the integrated screen and also the occasional drop of frames per second. After all, Valve himself declares that the goal for current games is at least 30 FPS, which really is no “next gen” terno.
And if you think that the Steam Deck will work just like the Nintendo Switch in the dock mode connected to the big screen, then go straight to modern games and try to buy an Xbox or PlayStation. Performance in the dock will be identical. Sure, older games from Valve will probably run smoothly in higher resolutions, but you can achieve the same result with a second-hand computer or laptop and even cheaper.
3.Handheld that rips our hands off
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Last year, I bought a Switch Lite home for the household. We also have a “big” Switch at home, but somehow I had the feeling that playing in handheld mode on a console that weighs 400 grams is simply not it anymore. Until then, I was used to the Nintendo 2DS XL with 260 grams, and the Lite version of the Switch with practically the same weight fitted me much better.
According to the above-mentioned video by Linus Sebastian, the Steam Deck not only fills the entire large Switch between its two rear handles, so it is noticeably larger, but it also weighs as much as 270 grams more. So like so much, if I held Switch and Switch Lite in my hand at the same time. Uf. I really don’t believe that the device will seem pleasant in my hands even after an hour or more of playing. On the contrary, I would rather guess that I will constantly lean my Steam Deck on my legs or place it, alternating my hands while holding it during cutscenes and the like.
Weight and dimensions are not the only things that can bother us as a handheld player. How will Valve make sure that the same trouble does not occur as with Nintendo, where the levers drift on the joy-cones? This is exactly the problem they had right after the release of the Valve Index driver, and the company had to repair them en masse. Won’t the battery get angry? What about overheating during long-term play? There are really a lot of questions that the buyers in the first wave will probably answer.
4.Emulation and its obstacles
Today, it is possible to emulate even on flexible smartphones
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When we talked in the newsroom about the potential use of the Steam Deck, it was said many times: I will buy it to emulate older games. I’ll stuff a selection of the best of the older consoles from Nintendo into it, I’ll intersperse it with a piece from PlayStation 2 or PSP and it will be enough for me. Yes, but we must think of all the obstacles that are associated with such a situation.
First of all, we still don’t know how easy it will be to install an emulation program. The device works on Linux, where emulation works well, but someone prefers programs for Windows. It can also be installed on the device. But this again means that it will no longer be such a completely user-friendly process that everyone will want to do it. But of course, it is possible that emulators will take care of everything needed directly in native Linux.
The second thing is the very nature of the emulation, which is of course legal only if you have purchased the original game data. Sharing data on older copyrighted games is still considered piracy. We will leave it up to you to decide how much or every user cheers or does not cheer. However, it is possible that Nintendo, for example, will notice how this form of entertainment is doing on the Steam Deck and will start to suppress the sharing of data from old games even more harshly. The same applies to all other forms that hold the copyright to old games.
5.The traffickers are already shaking hands with me
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Will the situation with PlayStations 5 recur?
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Finally, let us recall the reality we have been living in for about a year: there are few chips, the demand for gaming devices is huge and the money changers are reaping. I did more he addressed this topic shortly after the performance, when a pile of offers for Steam Deck reservations with completely exorbitant prices was already attacking the eBay internet marketplace.
Although Valve managed pre-orders very well: it let people stand in line without restriction, rather than repeating the scenario with graphics cards or consoles, where it depended on the number of available pieces and often available supplies disappeared in the order of tenths of a second. In this case, however, the Steam Deck can be ordered by anyone at any time. Then just wait.
But in this case, the waiting time will be the subject of whether to give the normal price to Valve or to the dealer, for example, double. Some memory variants already have an estimated delivery time in the second quarter of next year, and this is still only an estimate: the reality may be completely different. Especially if the chip situation doesn’t improve by then.
At a time when Steam Decks, as well as the current next gen console, would not be available for more than half a year after the release, again, mainly dealers will rejoice. As a result, a lot of late or simply just waiting candidates will just be disgusted. In that case, perhaps it would be better to forget about Steam Deck for a while and think about it only when all this madness with a lack of chips and exorbitant prices is over.
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