Users are likely to accept lower-performance versions of new games for the convenience of playing on the go, but they’ll be relying on developers actually providing the option. Valve chief Gabe Newell told IGN that getting this right was “painful” but “crucial”, and it feels as though they’ve got the correct balance of power and cost – although it’s doubtful the specs will be up to those needed to handle the very latest PC titles. The base edition is £349/$399 with 64GB storage, £459/$529 with 250GB SSD and £569/$649 with a 512GB SSD, so the cheapest model is comparable to the new OLED Switch, which is retailing at around £310. Valve has been aggressive on the price point. Naturally, scalpers have reacted quickly, offering confirmed preorder purchases on eBay for up to $4,000, although Valve has prevented the block buying of pre-order machines by only allowing orders from long-term Steam user accounts, and limiting customers to one preorder each. The preorder system completely imploded over the weekend, as interested purchasers were hit with error messages for hours. Already, the Deck has caused something of a stir. Is that something PC gamers actually want to do? And haven’t we already had our fingers burned by Valve’s other experiment with small form factor PCs – the ill-fated Steam Machines? The answers seem to be yes to the first question and a loud no to the second. It’s something PC gamers are going to be able to take on holiday (which they might not do with a gaming laptop), and they’ll be able to play in conjunction with their main PC – making progress on, say, Into the Breach while sitting in a cafe or on a train, then picking up on the big screen at home. It’s not the first handheld PC – there are plenty available from smaller, specialist manufacturers – but it’s the first by a company with the heft, hardware design skills and digital games platform of Valve. It is, in effect, a Nintendo Switch for nerds: a handheld console that provides access to thousands of Steam games, but also anything else the user wants. Valve says to expect six to eight hours of battery life, but let’s see how it holds up with some of the more visually demanding titles.įull featured? … the forthcoming handheld is positioned as a capable productivity machine, as well as a games console. The two touchpads on the front are there to mimic mouse controls, but you can also plug a mouse in if you like, and the dock will allow an ethernet internet connection. It’ll even let you access rival digital stores, so you’re not locked into the Steam library. Valve is pushing Steam Deck as a fully capable handheld PC, with web browsing, streaming video and access to all your favourite productivity programs as well as games. Through titles such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Monster Hunter, it has sold us all on the idea of playing epic console games on the small screen.īut the Switch is a tightly controlled walled garden, with limited online functionality – and it would never run Microsoft Office. The Switch has effectively cornered the handheld gaming market, with its clever combination of portable and home gaming possibilities, its library of excellent first-party games and its own digital store. (A proper Steam Deck dock may also be worth considering, official or otherwise.But the real competitor Valve must be eyeing up is Nintendo’s Switch. Plug it into the Deck’s USB-C port, and you can add an external mouse and keyboard while outputting video to a monitor or TV. Consider a USB hubįor serious Steam Deck desktop users, a cheap USB hub with HDMI output can be an invaluable addition. Install this free app on both your computer and the Steam Deck (in desktop mode), and you can transfer files over your Wi-Fi network just by dragging and dropping. Need to move some files to your Steam Deck from another computer? Instead of swapping thumb drives back and forth, check out Payload. Check out this Reddit thread for the best way to play Itch.io games on the Steam Deck.Emudeck makes it easy to play classic game emulators through the Steam Deck’s Game mode, assuming you have the necessary game files.Lutris provides access to the above stores and more, and is also available through the Discover store.A separate utility called HeroicBashLauncher can automatically add these games to your Steam library, complete with artwork. Heroic Games Launcher provides access to your Epic Games Store and GOG libraries and is available through the Discover store.
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