I feel like a lot of these comments are missing the point. Many of these reviewers have handheld pcs that are comparable or better than the steamdeck on a hardware level but cost 2-3x as much (although they got them for free). They’re excited for what this means for the industry. An affordable, usable linux device by Valve pushes publishers and developers to make their game work on linux (whether natively or via proton). Higher linux adoption means better linux drivers and more use of opensource and free software, which would be huge in an industry plagued with proprietary work.
At this point, I'm not really interested in buying one, but I'm pretty excited for the Steam Deck from the perspective of mobile computing and repairability.<p>Nintendo has made repairing the Switch a pain and is very anti-consumer in giving you access to your save data without forking over more money.<p>In a similar vein, I think it's cool to see Sony take a more repair friendly approach with the PS5. Taking the sides off for cleaning or replacement is super easy and as a bonus creates an extra revenue stream for new accessories.<p>The amount of really cool stuff hacker types are going to get out of the Deck is one area to look forward to. Heck, this could be the mobile workstation tons on this site have been asking for since the iPad debuted.<p>When demand for the Deck dies down, I think I'll buy one if only to show Valve that I support the product and their respect for consumers.
I'm considering using a SteamDeck as a portable workstation. It's no powerhouse but you'd be able to get a lot of stuff done on something like that. I'd connect it to a keyboard, mouse and external monitor. I've been thinking about not using Windows as my primary platform and Valve has put together something I think I could really get behind.
Getting one, but just because it is essentially free as I can't withdraw wallet funds on Steam...<p>At worst I get a PC for something... Maybe for TV-box... At best something relatively portable.
I'm excited to see the Linux graphic stack improve and suck less, but I'm also not holding my breath as I've seen this entire thing not happen for decades now. I thought maybe Stadia and the other cloud operators would improve the Linux gaming stack, but it didn't really happen.
I'm looking for a small, hassle-free machine for my SO to play Cities: Skylines on. The screen would be wasted since it would only ever run docked, but if it turns out to be powerful enough, I'd be very tempted to get one.
I didn't pre-order one, because I don't have the money, but I'm very much hoping SteamOS 3 provides a large amount of momentum for the Linux gaming ecosystem :)
I’ve watched these reviews and their overall conclusion of the product seems completely divorced from all the details leading up to the conclusion. It runs hot, barely manages acceptable frame rates at 1280x800 on older games, and has pretty abysmal battery life. The performance, poor as it is, requires the most expensive model at $630.<p>But then at the end it’s the most innovative gaming PC in 20 years. Really? It’s an expensive handheld with poor performance and poor battery life for a niche use case of PC gaming on the go and a relatively small subset of the Steam library.