Steam Deck Thoughts – What Can We Expect?

It’s a brand new event for gamers all around. I’m late to write about this due to focus on other articles, writing projects elsewhere, work, and other hobbies. But hey better late than never right?

It was a nice rainy morning on my day off when I logged onto Steam as usual to pick something to play and then when the store opened there was a preview for something big.

Valve is now jumping onto the handheld gaming market with the Steam Deck set to release this December at the earliest. I like this concept actually, because it’ll allow me to play all my PC games on the go, and my Steam Library is the most expansive collection of games that I own that I would hate to lose access too. Think about it, not everyone has the money to buy/build a high-end PC to run the latest AAA games, but the Steam Deck could be for those who like PC gaming but don’t have a lot of money. It would be also great for travel. I currently play my Switch on my commute which is nice, but I only use it for exclusives, so the Deck would be great for me to play my bigger library on the go!

Every week more information is being released about the Steam Deck, Valve strongly believes it will run everything but didn’t give any specifics. Of course, I’d like to know how long the battery will last. It may depend on what I’m playing on it, the larger the game, the faster it drains. It’s essentially a portable PC, I used to have an ASUS tablet, which I eventually sold because it started to run slowly and I was rarely using it once I got my first desktop before Teletraan-1 was built.

At first I didn’t think I wanted one, I was like why would I, I’ve already got a handheld device! But I started to think it through and saw some benefits that were impossible to ignore, including the ones I just mentioned. Also, I’m a sucker for playing some big games, so I wanted to go with one that has more than enough storage space!

Valve has three different versions of the Deck that you can put in a reservation for a $5 fee. Each of them have different options with storage, settings, and accessories. Since I wanted to ensure I had the best storage option handy, I chose the 512GB version. It also comes with some other exclusives, and it’s pricey no surprise. I’ve already put some money aside for it! It might just be my Christmas present to myself this year, but when I looked at the queue, it said Q2 2022, so I may not even be able to get it until next year. Had I made this decision sooner, then maybe I’d be in the Q1 instead.

This is what Valve is doing to combat scalpers (which disgust me, I know several people who are trying to get their hands on new graphics cards, PS5, or Xbox Series X and can’t because of these assholes, why the fuck isn’t this illegal?!) by ensuring that anyone wishing to get the Steam Deck must have a Steam account for a certain period of time before they can make a reservation. Seriously guys, if you’re trying to make extra cash during a pandemic, there are better ways to do it that don’t involve pissing people off, which includes genuine gamers.

Aside from that, the system itself looks promising with the screen size and preview of what the library will look like; very similar to the Switch Lite that I have. I do question the button layout a little, it’s like all the buttons I will be using are all squished in the corners. I’m sure those pads below the analog sticks are touch pads to give that mouse and keyboard feel, and I have no doubt the screen itself is a touchscreen. I’m trying to keep an open mind here because I think I will benefit a lot from having the Steam Deck as will those who want to get into PC gaming but aren’t sure they have the budget for it and many other reasons.

The Steam Deck sounds like a very convenient tool for PC gamers like myself and I look forward to what it brings. Are you planning to get one as well? I don’t believe it will replace the Switch one bit.

👽Emily