Supposed Steam Deck killers are missing the point

[Andrew Pappas]

Handheld PC gaming is just a waste of money and time. There might be a small demographic that enjoys it but  what type of gamer would dedicate PC gaming to only on handheld where they don't have a PC already.

I can't see myself wasting the PC gaming experience by downgrading and forcing low FPS.It's an environment where nothing is better and you are just asking for compatibility issues due to the form factor.

 Whilst console handhelds are not particularly powerful, money is invested in unique games and experiences, I would accept the compromise but PC gaming doesn't offer this.

I have a fairly strong gaming setup at home. And when I'm home, I use it. But I have more free time on the road than at home, so the steam deck is the perfect stash in the car gaming option.

[t4n0n]

The Steam Deck is the safest option thus far, customer support, community mods and build quality keep it above the other options. When I refer to build quality, I have heard awful stories on people shoveling $1000+ on other hardware and having the mlst incosistant quality issues. GPD ruled the streets for a moment, but I never trusted it, I felt like people only bought it for its novelty and not quality.Matter a fact I will predict low sales will cause ALOT of these companies to no longer supporting very expensive handhelds chasing this trend. I doubt we will see AyaNeo or even ASUS supporting there hardware longterm like Valve

I'd generally agree with you there, but let's not forget Valves previous foray into SteamOS a decade ago, where they announced it, partnered with OEMs to create various Steam Machines, then the whole thing was basically dead a year later.

This is Valve we're talking about, remember - dropping projects like it's nothing isn't something they're unfamiliar with, hah hl3.

[YUKI93]

Despite Steam Deck's popularity, there's no getting away from the fact that Linux is still miles behind Windows when it comes to gaming. That is what draws me to ROG Ally and Legion Go as I can install and play any desktop games without much problem.

[Joel schlecht]

I don't think "killing" the steam deck is the point.  I had a GPD Caanoo and my latest handheld is last year's aok zoe a1 I got as a reference for a great price.
The more players in the market, the better the segment is going to become due to competition.  Some people like the "just works" thing while at the other end, others like me may appreciate a super powerful tablet that does all the stuff a midrange desktop can do... plus the game controls.
In addition to gaming, I also do portable music production and it's great to not worry about skipping audio because your laptop is trying to save power.  It's also great for bringing a PC on the go - vacations, trips, etc.  Plug that baby into the hotel tv and there is your desktop.  I could go on but, more options, more better.

[Joel schlecht]

Referb not reference
 Lol

[Sardeiuzz89]

For me, I will not exchange my deck for anything out there now. As the deck for me their controller is the best pair with 2 touchpads which can add more buttons to press and also it helps to aim in fps games. If there's controller like deck and more power specs, maybe I'll switch.

Ps. Lenovo there is from what I heard, but lets see.

[SAimNE]

Despite Steam Deck's popularity, there's no getting away from the fact that Linux is still miles behind Windows when it comes to gaming. That is what draws me to ROG Ally and Legion Go as I can install and play any desktop games without much problem.

There's also no getting around that in user experience windows tablet is miles behind steamOS

[JulianWhatThe]

I always looked at it like the Steam Deck is meant to lure console gamers into the PC space in as easy and comfortable a way as possible. While every other handheld PC is coming from more of a PC gamer standpoint. And most PC gamers have a PC and don't really need a handheld, so those will of course remain niche. Down the road though, those roped in by the Steam Deck might eventually decide to 'graduate' to more beefier rig and might be willing to buy a more expensive and powerful alternative. But the Deck will probably remain most people's entry point into PC gaming that come from a more strictly traditional console background. I play AAA games on my PS5, or Xbox if it's Starfield, but use my Deck for more BB or indie style games like Project Zomboid, which is in many ways is the perfect Steam Deck game.

[George]

Historically we have both Nintendo and Palm to thank for the handheld computer/gaming market/space. Both companies introduced very inexpensive hardware into a mostly non-existent market.
What followed is typical for technology markets. While Sony and others jumped in with their own much more costly offerings in the game space, Microsoft with most of the 'PC' type OEM's jumped into the 'personal data assistant' (PDA) space with increasingly overblown and over priced offerings.
Then the 'smart phone' market matured enough to mostly blow up BOTH the handheld gaming and PDA markets.
IMHO: here we simply have history repeating itself.
Valve opens a market with handheld 'PC like' gaming experience with 1000's of content that had never been played on a handheld before that includes a fairly low cost entry point and other hardware OEM's follow on with more powerful and much more costly devices.
While every gamer may have different priorities in my mind: cost, battery life and user experience (be it the quality of the visuals, weight of the device or how the controls feel) and exactly what games you can play all factor in to a gamers purchasing decision. (along with 'fill in the blank')
I've considered getting a SteamDeck or other handheld PC gaming rig however have to consider the dust that collects on all my Nintendo devices with the understanding that maybe I don't really enjoy 'handheld gaming' after all.

:)