Steam Deck 1 TB OLED review: Minimalist performance, maximum gaming fun

[Redaktion]

For tech enthusiasts who are constantly on the hunt for the most powerful hardware and the highest scores in all benchmarks, the Steam Deck OLED is likely to be a disappointment. On the other hand, those who simply want to play games will be rewarded with a device that is intended precisely for gaming.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Steam-Deck-1-TB-OLED-review-Minimalist-performance-maximum-gaming-fun.802764.0.html

[Dg]

Zen 2 cores and an old graphics architecture in a $700 device in 2024 is pathetic.

If this had a Zen 4 APU it would be significantly better.

Otherwise enjoy 30-60 FPS gaming at 720p.

There's phones with power comparable to this.

[Neenyah]

There's phones with power comparable to this.

But there are no games to play so the comparison is weird af. Good luck playing basically any game from Steam (get it - STEAM Deck?) on your phone. Or using your phone as a true PC, Steam Deck has no issues with that, and you can also install Windows 11 on it (drivers are always up to date and provided directly from Valve) if you don't like Linux (SteamOS) for some reason.
Steam Deck can but can a phone run Cyberpunk at 40-55 fps 1080p medium details? Can it run the game at all? Rhetorical questions, of course.

[mkljczk]

Unfortunately, in our case, the Steam Deck refused to install Mango Hub or other FPS logging tools in Linux

MangoHud (not Mango Hub) is part of SteamOS and it can be enabled with various presets. It is also available as a Flatpak

[Lee Nuvo]

Or using your phone as a true PC

you can install linux
www.reddit.com/r/SamsungDex/comments/1ahbfg1/linux_on_tab_s9_ultra_blender_vscode_webgl_demos/
it's shown on tablet, but it'll work on any snapdragon samsung starting with s21, just need an external screen

but can a phone run Cyberpunk at 40-55 fps 1080p medium details

idiot logic
every platform has its games, switch also can't run cyberpunk, but is a better handheld that steam deck

[Pix]

Or using your phone as a true PC

you can install linux
www.reddit.com/r/SamsungDex/comments/1ahbfg1/linux_on_tab_s9_ultra_blender_vscode_webgl_demos/
it's shown on tablet, but it'll work on any snapdragon samsung starting with s21, just need an external screen

but can a phone run Cyberpunk at 40-55 fps 1080p medium details

idiot logic
every platform has its games, switch also can't run cyberpunk, but is a better handheld that steam deck

No, you've got the idiot logic here, pal. Ask nearly any PC or console player about the gaming experience on mobile and they'll laugh at you. Likewise, basically no comparable games would run on Linux on an Android phone when compared to EITHER the Deck or Switch. Using a phone as a PC and adding "requiring an external display" literally highlights the disadvantage and clunkiness. Finally, a comparison between the Deck and Switch is irrelevant. The Switch is an extremely closed platform that will only ever run what Nintendo chooses to put on it, and my Switch library is a fraction of the size of my Steam library and STILL cost me more money. The Deck will run nearly every game in said library AND some of the ones in my Switch library that I liked enough to get on sale through Steam, and do it better in the process. That's to say nothing of Emulation and non Steam PC games that I have gotten running on it with minimal effort.

[Neenyah]

Or using your phone as a true PC

you can install linux
www.reddit.com/r/SamsungDex/comments/1ahbfg1/linux_on_tab_s9_ultra_blender_vscode_webgl_demos/
it's shown on tablet, but it'll work on any snapdragon samsung starting with s21, just need an external screen

Android is literally Linux. Good luck running games (from Steam) on it (on an Android phone, no matter of Linux distro installed on it).

but can a phone run Cyberpunk at 40-55 fps 1080p medium details

idiot logic
every platform has its games, switch also can't run cyberpunk, but is a better handheld that steam deck

Idiot logic is to compare "phones with power comparable to this". Same as comparing Switch with Deck; what's next, PS5 is better than iPhone in making phone calls? Try to find as different devices as possible, please. Watermelons are better than peanuts?

Edit:

No, you've got the idiot logic here, pal. Ask nearly any PC or console player about the gaming experience on mobile and they'll laugh at you. Likewise, basically no comparable games would run on Linux on an Android phone when compared to EITHER the Deck or Switch.

This 👍 And the rest of the comment, of course.

[HS2]

Good luck playing basically any game from Steam

I don't really like when this is said because it's not entirely truthful. I mean, technically it is true, but it's one of those things that would you want to really? Most of the legacy games on PC platform just aren't playable when using joysticks/gamepad, even with its touchpads. You really need keyboard and mouse for them and while you can connect those to a deck at that point, it isn't a portable system anymore and you'd just get a better experience on a laptop. The games that do have good controller support are mostly modern cross platform ones that already ported to the switch.

Zen 2 cores and an old graphics architecture in a $700 device in 2024 is pathetic.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones are like $1300+ tho with previous gen 8 Gen 2 phones barely being discounted much if at all.

[Neenyah]

Good luck playing basically any game from Steam

I don't really like when this is said because it's not entirely truthful. I mean, technically it is true, but it's one of those things that would you want to really? Most of the legacy games on PC platform just aren't playable when using joysticks/gamepad, even with its touchpads. You really need keyboard and mouse for them and while you can connect those to a deck at that point, it isn't a portable system anymore and you'd just get a better experience on a laptop. The games that do have good controller support are mostly modern cross platform ones that already ported to the switch.

You are 50% right about that, I'd say; there is plenty of older (not sure how far you meant with "legacy" though) and new(er) games that play very well with controller, there are some that are playable but realistically useless without keyboard + mouse (RTS and FPS games mainly). Check the whole Tomb Raider series for example, driving games (not pure sims where you need wheel and pedals, just games like those from the F1 series, Forza Horizon 5 and such), platformers, RPG games, FIFA/NBA and other sport games, survivals like The Forest and so on, they are all extremely nice to play on the Deck. Two examples, I don't want to spam:

• Tomb Raider Franchise on Steam Deck Is INCREDIBLE - 1996 to 2018 - Rise Shadow 1 2 3 4 5 and More!
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Steam Deck handheld gameplay

But, in general, I would mostly agree with you 🤔

Zen 2 cores and an old graphics architecture in a $700 device in 2024 is pathetic.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones are like $1300+ tho with previous gen 8 Gen 2 phones barely being discounted much if at all.

Very true. And the Deck OLED 512 GB is more than enough I believe, for just 569,00€ here in the EU.

[SgtLone]

I love my Steam Deck OLED and I thought this article provides a good insight on what you're getting with it.
A device that may not be the most powerful for gaming (and computing) but the experience of SteamOS is rock solid (and quite user friendly) compared to Windows handhelds and the battery life is top-notch (also that OLED screen is GORGEOUS).

I noticed one small mistake in the article and that is the Steam Deck OLED actually has Bluetooth 5.3 not 5.2 (like the article states).

[gmghm]

Tomb Raider Franchise on Steam Deck Is INCREDIBLE - 1996 to 2018 - Rise Shadow 1 2 3 4 5 and More!

TR ports started rolling on switch in feb 2024 with 1-3 remasters (for now), more to come

Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Steam Deck handheld gameplay

both ori games available on switch for ages

not sure what you are trying to say here, guy is right, controller support is good only in games that initially were incepted as cross-platform and usually are ported to switch already

steam deck is just a bad pc disguised as a handheld (too bulky to actually carry around, 2hr battery life, seen zero of them outside, but have seen quite a bunch of switches)

[Laurent]

steam deck is just a bad pc disguised as a handheld (too bulky to actually carry around, 2hr battery life, seen zero of them outside, but have seen quite a bunch of switches)

A "bad PC" that allows any random schmuck to both game and do light non-interactive work like email reading or video watching in virtually any place, while also becoming a full-fledged working computer to do text collaboration, code writing, video editing or competitive gaming with just a few external peripherals...

Is a PC good enough for a good 70% of the whole market of "people mixing use-cases on the same hardware for practical or financial reason". xd