Overview:
There are plenty of people who don’t even realize that there’s an alternative to PlayStation and Xbox when it comes to gaming consoles. It’s called the Steam Deck and it’s a gaming system that can provide you with lots of power in one tiny package that can go anywhere you do. Although it’s not a VR system, we felt it had enough benefits to do a review on it. It’s a mix of both power and portability that you can’t get on any of the other options out there. There’s no real competitor for it on the market and it fully supports the Steam library. That’s going to give you full access to PC gaming without spending several thousands of dollars on a computer.
It was released back in 2022 and it’s been getting updated ever since then. You’re getting a fully formed console with all the bugs worked out, so it’s ready to use right out of the box. Its closest competitor isn’t even close to the power that this console offers so it’s going to impress you as soon as you start using it. Once you consider the price, it’s something that you really have to consider when you want a console that you can use whenever you feel like gaming for a while.
Pros:
- More Power than the Switch
- Fully Portable
- 800p LCD Touchscreen
Cons:
- Short Battery Life for High Settings
- Less Power than Gaming PCs
- Cloud Gaming
Intro:
The Steam Deck comes in at a cost of just $399. That makes it one of the least expensive console options that you can find. It’s fully portable but you can also hook it up to your TV. That’s going to give you the option of getting your PC games up on a large screen and there are few better ways to do that. It also comes in at half the price of a comparably powered gaming PC. You get all the gaming of the desktop set up without the price and you can’t get any better than that. It’s more than worth a shot and you’re going to love it as soon as you see everything that it can do for you and your gaming.
Steam Deck Specs
The specs on the Steam Deck are nothing to sneeze at. You’re getting a full AMD APU processor in a handheld console. It gives you up to 1.6 teraflops of graphics power so you’re never going to feel like it’s under powered. It also has 16 GB of RAM and plenty of storage. You get 64 GB inside the console as well as a MicroSD slot to expand it. You also get a 7 inch 1280×800 LCD display and a port to hook it up to a TV. It weighs in at just over a pound so you can hold it for a long time. The battery lasts anywhere from 2 hours to 8 hours, depending on your settings.
Save Money over a Laptop
Most people are going to look at a gaming laptop when they want a portable console, but the Steam Deck should be one of your first options. The main reason is that it’s going to come in at a fraction of the cost of a gaming laptop. You get plenty of processing and graphics power and you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars. That makes it more than worth it and that’s before you consider the massive gaming library you’re getting with it. Steam has everything from AAA games to independent ones so you’re always going to be able to find something that you want to play. It’s perfect for almost every scenario but it does comes with one downside.
Cloud Gaming
The biggest problem anyone is going to run into with the Steam Deck is the fact that it always needs an internet connection. Most of the gaming is done through Steam’s cloud system, so you have to be online to access your games. That can be a big problem when you’re traveling but they have a work around built into it. As long as you have cell reception, you’ll be able to game. Just keep in mind that any internet connection is also going to come with a power drain. it’s a good idea to always know where you can plug in when you want to spend a lot of time playing your library of games.
Suspending Games
There’s one nice feature that can really change the way you think about portable gaming and that’s the ability to suspend the console that Steam gives you. This is a lot like putting your laptop to sleep and it makes it possible to play, no matter what you’re doing. Rather than having to shut the console down and lose your place in the game, you can simply suspend it and save your battery life while you’re doing something. Then, when it’s time to get back to it, just hit a button and it will turn right back on. You’ll be at the same place in your game, so you don’t have to waste any time. It’s a feature that you’ll use on a near daily basis.
Final Thoughts
The Steam Deck is a great option for anyone looking for a portable gaming solution. It’s been around for enough time that all the kinks have been worked out, so you don’t have to deal with problems. You can simply start using it as soon as you take it out of the box, and it will be easy to load it with games. You get access to the Steam library as well as any games that you’ve already purchased. It has plenty of power and a screen with lots of resolution. It can also be hooked up to a TV to give you the full gaming experience. It weighs just over one pound so you can hold it for hours on end. It’s much more powerful than the Switch so you can play AAA games at full resolution. Try it out and it will quickly become one of your most used consoles.