EVERYTHING You Need To Know About Buying A Steam Deck In 2023!

[@cryobyte33]

Correction: It's been brought to my attention that a few parts still aren't available on iFixIt, like the audio module. The points in the video still stand, but I wanted to make it clear!

[@ScullyBrewing]

Which is exactly the part i think i need. I have an issue where my audio down gets stuck. Ive reset my deck, tried different software versions, physically checked to see if the button is actually stuck (it wasnt) and im not sure if there’s anything else i can do. Im hesitant to start an RMA as I have “modified” my deck with a clear front and back shell a while back. Afraid they’ll just say it was due to the mod and decline. Im not opposed to paying for the replacement board, i just cant find anywhere to get one.

[@cryobyte33]

@@ScullyBrewing As far as I know, at worst they'll charge you "at cost" to replace the necessary parts and won't complain about the shell. It would be a bit antithetical to complain about modifications when they encouraged self-repair and upgradability in the first place 🙂 FWIW, I've even heard of a few cases of boards bricked by an undervolt being replaced free of charge.

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

It's an outdated design, avoid steam deck old tech. Steam doesn't have any good content.

[@cryobyte33]

@@SeaJay_Oceans I'm not sure if you're trolling or not 😅

[@X862go]

Bro, what is asus doing not sending you an ROG ALLY ? You're in the States now, right ? We gotta figure out how to get you one 💯

[@psyduck9475]

This is exactly the kind of informational video I was looking for that lays down what this new piece of innovation is for someone very far behind in tech. Thank you. The side-by-side comparison at the end that cleanly compares this with the Ally in a simple and digestible table format is highly appreciated. No extra flair. No unnecessary spiels. Kudos to you man!

[@charlestwoo]

I bought a steam deck for my little cousins for their fist console in march, ran ur script and got them a bunch of games. I finally decided to get one myself and it arrived yesterday. your videos have been gospel and I learnt so much in this one. Thank you.

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching, and I'm glad that I was able to help out! I hope your cousin likes it as well 😁

[@charlestwoo]

@@cryobyte33 can I ask your thoughts on Heroic games launcher? im trying to get access to my epic games library.

[@cryobyte33]

@@charlestwoo I haven't used it much personally, but it's always worked well. There is one caveat, though: Games downloaded through Heroic (GOG, Epic, etc), will NOT get a shadercache download like Steam games. This means that they'll initially stutter much more than Steam games and will take much longer to reach "optimal" performance for each patch of the game.

[@charlestwoo]

@@cryobyte33 that is invaluable info, can't thank you enough.

[@MrGandymanjr]

@@cryobyte33I was hesitant about downloading it too because how it may affect the performance of the deck might think about downloading it.

[@Chris-gc9rf]

Just stumbled on this, and buddy...you crushed this whole video. I appreciate the info and look towards purchasing one very soon.

[@Lo-Fi-_-Gaming]

I don't regret getting the steam deck this year. Really awesome. I usually play on gaming consoles especially portables and so I missed a lot of good pc games. And now it's surreal I'm playing cheap but great pc games on a handheld device. Currently indulging myself on kingdom come deliverance - damn really surreal I'm playing this great game on handheld.

[@cryobyte33]

I have yet to play KC:D, but I'll need to try it out! Thanks for watching and for the comment, I'm glad that you're enjoying the Deck so much 😁

[@imsi107]

As a console player who can't afford a high profile desktop, I really want a steam deck just so I can play Guild Wars 2 handheld lol

[@resmarted]

How does it run? What kind of battery life are you getting playing it?

[@toxicturkeyy]

Still no regret?

[@evanbelisle8464]

What about now?

[@cflann2011]

My Steam Deck battery crapped out the other day (it wouldn't hold a charge), and Valve RMA'd it, even though it's technically out of warranty. So +1 for Valve and the Deck from me. A marginal performance bump is not worth the trade-off in reliability and customer support for me.

[@cryobyte33]

100% agreed from me, I love knowing that I have a good support team behind me, especially for a handheld device 😁 Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!

[@danielolaru1419]

Babe wake up there’s a new cryo video

[@cryobyte33]

Welcome back, thank you for watching! 😁

[@X862go]

Ah, thanks. Almost didn't hear ya

[@thisisntthewholesomefuture649]

Go back to bed, Nerd 🤓😴

[@laurensmol669]

I heard about this device a couple of days ago. You explained everything I wanted to know in a easy to understand way. Excellent video and keep up the good work!

[@Ram_Su]

Was debating getting a deck for a while but couldn’t come to a decision due to confusion and lack of research. This video gave me all the information I needed and I have now purchased one. So helpful!

[@macymiller3417]

Do you love it?

[@Ram_Su]

@@macymiller3417 Completely changed the way I play my games. Absolutely worth all the money

[@bb_lou]

One little problem with the iFixit partnership: a few simple parts still arent available, like the audio module. If you break it or your volume boutons, youre SOL unless you send it in to Valve for repairs. Same applies to a few different modules/ribbon cables that arent available on their own unfortunately.

[@cryobyte33]

I actually didn't realize that, thank you for telling me! I'll pin a comment clarifying that 🙏

[@deckverse]

Just a heads-up: You can easily get one of these new shell replacement mods, popping up everywhere lately - like from ExtremeRate. They usually come with exactly these buttons among other stuff.

[@nocdudeguy]

I'm not going to lie, I already knew all of this about the Steam Deck, but your videos are always pretty great in instruction and presentation, that I like learning from your channel. Thanks for the information and actually good comparison against the ROG Ally. Keep pumping out vids, man. :)

[@delvysdominguez7953]

For anyone interested Steam Deck will be on sale from September 14 to 21 a 20%, a Deck for the price of a Nintendo Switch is a banger, just grabbed one for $350 even tho I’m planning to grab a Lenovo Legion GO, that 8” screen at 144hz and detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch looks interesting. Great video, very informative.

[@macymiller3417]

It’s the way I missed the sale😓

[@chamamemestre]

I STRONGLY recommend all JSAUX accessories. I got the initial backplate, but also the revamped RGB backplate with the pre-cut thermal paste and aluminium plate, with the fan opening. It easily reduces the temps at a minimum of 10-12ºC and the fan speeds from 5000- 3000/3500 rpm. It is THAT good! Their RGB dock is also amazing. I just got it yesterday and works great. One cable (short cable from hub to deck) was faulty and they just sent me a new one, no extra charge. I applaud their team.

[@YuUkOsnxd]

Thank you, I'm completely out of the loop on gaming in general but I want to try hand held devices and was looking for a video that made it make sense. You got me interested in the community and the way it can be customized, I'm checking your other videos now

[@daltonlolley4403]

Bro! By far the best video on steam deck I’ve watched! I wish I would have found your video weeks ago!

[@diotb77]

I already have 2 Decks and have seen all your technical more detailed videos, but I still loved this video. Thank you!

[@franciscobutte]

I'm rocking a Deck and no other handheld PC no matter how powerful or smaller is compared to the Deck will make me change it. This device is a dream come true.

[@chrissyo29]

Good morning. Just came up on my KZbin channel and I had never heard of you. I have recently just bought a steam deck. I’ve had it a week maybe and even though this is for brand new if you want to buy a steam deck it was very helpful. I have subscribe to your channel and will continue to enjoy your videos. You are very thorough and you’re slow in your speaking which helps me. Thank you.❤

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching, I'm happy that I can help and I'll be sure to keep the pace of speaking 😁

[@HitokiriKinchou]

I appreciate you confirming that those microSD cards have the highest speed that the steamdeck can handle. I was on the fence about which one to buy and I just ordered one. Cheers!

[@mase8705]

A friend of mine just showed me his Steam Deck yesterday and was in love with it. I wanna thank you for this video cuz you’re details. Thank you for that.

[@zexus3948]

I got one for myself in this week, and its awesome! Thank you for your videos. Cant wait to see FSR3)

[@sonicpelaaja]

I always learn something new when watching your videos. I had no idea about the current ROG Ally problems. This is a very good video for people who are interested in the Steam Deck.

[@cryobyte33]

As someone who wants to see competition flourish, it's been sad to see the problems that the Ally has had. Hopefully they make good on their word and fix the launch issues like Valve did, since neither device released in a flawless state. Regardless, I'm just happy to help bring it to light, thank you for watching the video!

[@seanbrent4245]

I’m a quarter 3 deck adopter and I’ve never been happier to have it. You’ve done amazing things to make it more enjoyable. This handheld Pc is the way to go in my opinion. It may not shine as bright in some areas like the others but I think it’s the best all in one package.

[@voidvoidvoid7274]

Hey Deck Bro ! Thank you so much for your videos, tutorials and programs/tweaks ! They made my Deck SOOO much better ! I already own a Deck, heavilly customized and I know this video isn't for me but I'm still gonna watch it because the way you deliver content is amazing, and I also might learn a thing or two !

[@cryobyte33]

Heya! Thank you for watching the videos, I'm just happy that I can help you guys play your games a bit better 😁❤️

[@voidvoidvoid7274]

@@cryobyte33 a bit ? Man it's a huge change ! I'm recommending your challenge to everyone including my non-English speaking friends 🥰

[@voidvoidvoid7274]

Sorry, no idea why "challenge" ended up in this sentence... Probably autocorrect 😅 I meant "channel" 🤦🏻

[@Sadtiric]

I absolutely love your work! Yet again, you've produced gold. ❤ This is an awesome video to explain to people why the Deck is so nice and worth it.

[@cryobyte33]

That's exactly why I made it, thank you for watching this one too ❤️ The friend that inspired the video said that it was really helpful as well, so double-success!

[@Sadtiric]

@@cryobyte33 Love to hear all the positivity! I sent this one off to all my friends who are curious and at least one of them is getting a Deck now. One of us! One of us!

[@CoachPercyEady]

Full in-depth review please! Your content is 2nd to none! Thank you!!!

[@blakekaram3372]

honestly I’ve never just commented this on a video, but the way you structured this review was great, each part fluently went into the next and I got all the information I wanted to know about the steam deck, good fuckin shit my guy🙌🏼

[@thatzaliasguy]

Gonna be game-changer when FSR3 drops for both games, and the Linux kernel in SteamOS!

[@cryobyte33]

I can't wait for FSR3 or SteamOS 3.5 either, it'll be amazing across the board 😁

[@MrGandymanjr]

@@cryobyte33definitely make videos and include your great explanations like the swap file one it helps tremendously for noobs like myself. Please explain if it will make any improvements in the emulation front too. I want to play Xenoblade 2 and 3 but unsure whether they run well..

[@cryobyte33]

@@MrGandymanjr I'll make sure to cover as much as I can, thank you for watching all the videos!

[@BlobBlobkins]

Imagine all that you mentioned and a new CPU in 2025 for example. Oh man....

[@cryobyte33]

@@BlobBlobkins The Steam Deck 2 is looking like it'll be absolutely stacked, and I cannot wait.

[@joshlond5362]

I cannot be the only one who noticed those sweet subtle runescape tunes being piped in. Instant subscribe

[@cryobyte33]

Thanks for noticing, I just started playing OSRS again this year after being gone for about 14 years, it's been a blast 😁

[@joshlond5362]

@@cryobyte33 its funniyl enough one of the reasons ill be getting this steam deck lol, you may leave it but it never leaves you! see you at the willows!

[@LeBearr]

Didn’t notice but good listening 👍

[@HiTechLoLife]

Hey man, glad to see you back to making content, even during your move!

[@cryobyte33]

Heya, thanks for watching! My output is pretty limited right now, considering the move, but I'm doing what I can 🙂

[@GriffinReeder]

The repairability, price and community are the reason I own 2 steam decks. I got the first one before the ally came out and then ended up buying another one for my gf instead of getting myself an ally and giving her my deck. I don’t regret it but would love to check out an ally. I’ve heard it has it’s perks even tho they were not the right perks for me

[@zakeenaqvi2440]

As a casual console gamer this was incredibly helpful! Youd make a great teacher

[@Hannonymous]

So hyped for over 2 weeks now. Yesterday a new oled version was announced. Instant buy on nov. 16th.

[@MarcsMinis]

Thanks mate, I bought one with the knowledge I gained from your vid.

[@lao-ce8982]

Which model you went for? I am still hesitating between the 64 and 512.

[@MarcsMinis]

@lao-ce8982 I went for the middle tier. As it was 15 percent off and just in my price range that i willing to spend as this is my first portable and PC. So start off not too deep

[@lao-ce8982]

@@MarcsMinis gotcha!! Great choice, with the 10-15-20 perfect off, there are only good choices!! I pulled the trigger as well, yesterday. I’m excited! Haha

[@Maelo_R]

Fantastic video. My knowledge of the steam deck/gaming handhelds is limited to only knowing that you can play games on them. My last gaming handhelds were Nintendo gameboy Color and the gameboy advanced. Your video was very insightful, well thought out, concise and structured nicely. I also appreciatedo hearing a bit about the companies, the support of their product. Love that valve will create and sell parts to repair the hardware. Reliability, optimization and sustainability are important to me. I come from console gaming. I understand that steam deck has been out for awhile there are speculations of a possible refresh or upgrade to the device especially with its compition pushing performance and fidelity. In addition, I heard rumors of possible valve console; given the age of the handheld and that im not in rush to get a valve product as I primarily game on my console. Is it worth waiting through 1st or 2nd quarter of 2024 to purchase a steam deck or wait for announcements of possible new hardware. My main desire for pursuing valve hardware is that it works, no fuss it can be played without much tinkering and opens up library of games i dont have access to currently. Also the cost to game on valve is relatively manageable considering the cost of traditional gaming pc or laptop, with the added benefit of mobile gaming.

[@resmarted]

I would expect some kind of sale on the steam deck in the lead up to Christmas, but wouldn't expect more than 10 or 20 percent off. If you're thrifty though that's one of the best parts about steam; they have a lot of sales. They have big seasonal ones where almost everything on the store is marked down and smaller ones throughout the year that focus on specific genres or publishers. Refurbished models are an option as well and come with a 1 year warranty.

[@TheDethsight]

it's criminal that you don't have at least 100K subs. excellent info in an excellent format. no flashy stuff. no over or under hype of either device. earned my sub today, sir!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, and subscribing. I'm glad you enjoy the content 🙂

[@ELWicker]

I was interested in purchasing a Deck but wasn't sure what it could do. This video was really helpful and informative. Thank you!

[@james-fx1fq]

I just bought my steam deck. And have been using videos from you and eta prime to optimize it. Love the content. I can’t wait for your monoblock video!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching, I'm happy to help! The monoblock video is in progress, look forward to it in the next few videos 😉

[@maireadhudson8995]

Just bought a steam deck and this video is so helpful and has made me more excited for it to arrive!

[@VRsculpts]

Just ordered my steam deck, looking forward to getting through my huge backlog of steam games!

[@cryobyte33]

I'm excited for you to try it out, it's been a game changer for me 😁 Thanks for watching!

[@pepishvepi]

Love your videos Cryo, my favourite Steam Deck related youtuber by a mile!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching the videos, and being subscribed! Hopefully this one satisfies as well 😉

[@YokiBrewster]

Programmer too!

[@DeckWizard]

Amazing content as always my friend!! 💪 Thank you for including & showing my Dual Boot Guide! ❤

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, and for providing the footage 😉 Your videos are great and it was just what I needed to show off WinDeck 🫶

[@DeckWizard]

@@cryobyte33 Thank you so much for the kind words ❤️ 💖 right back at you! Have a great weekend! 🥰

[@likestech1873]

Great detailed review, thank you. Thinking of getting one along with the Viture XR Pro glasses, and your video really helped clear some things up.

[@LanceRWheeler]

Very efficient and helpful video. I knew nothing about the steam deck and wanted to watch a video that would teach me all the things. This is that video. Thank you!

[@jiriknajbl3135]

Thank you for your content Cryo, We all love u

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching the video, I hope you like this one as well 😁

[@bruhwhirl]

we literally don't deserve you, thank you for all you do

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching this one too, I'm just happy to help!

[@gobartosan5768]

Just started a job where I’m always on the road. Thanks for the info

[@itsmemichelle6411]

This was super helpful for someone like me considering getting a Steam deck at some point. Thanks for making it.

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad it was helpful for ya!

[@JYMBO]

Welp, better remake this video xD OLED Version just released

[@dantesantoyo3460]

Then you for being so precise and clear on the points you hit! You answered all my questions and then some that were relevant

[@frankudero4209]

Really great video so thanks. I've been on the fence about whether to get this or a traditional console (PS5 or XBox) and this is the type of info that I was looking for. I think my decision got quite a bit easier with this so I think I'm probably gonna be picking up a Deck. Maybe I can start to whittle down my backlog of games...yeah right!

[@alexguitar841]

Are you planning on making a video about the deck HD screen? I'm really curious about how viable it can be, especially with things like FSR...

[@cryobyte33]

I hope so, but they haven't responded to my emails so we'll see 😅

[@Leopardeye]

The Deck is my favorite console. I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon. 😋😁 Hope to see you on the NerdNest Podcast again soon, bro!

[@MehmetAliAYDIN]

Best video about Steam Deck on KZbin!

[@kasedyan540]

damn you make exactly the kind of videos i look for when looking for product reviews, thanks for the good work keep it up!!!

[@WEBJR1977]

I just recently bought a steam deck so I decided to watch this video and I have to say it helped me alot I appreciate all of the info and I made sure to subscribe

[@Thatlandydefenderdriver]

I haven’t even finished the video, you already got a like because of that awesome OSRS music. 💙🧡💕

[@EntropyGuardian]

I love my sprigen case. Mainly for the rubbery feel and strap. Without a case I felt like I was going to drop or bump the deck and crack it. Honestly for its size it feels a bit cheap and light to me. The pause/sleep function is insane and excellent for having some single player game by the bed you can play for like 20 minutes at a time or during a dump.

[@almpertis]

Thank you for the video, it's really great! I would really appreciate a more in depth review as well but also a video on the experience on software development on the deck if you think there's an audience for it and feel like doing so :)

[@Vyt4s1993]

Very useful information Its second video so far I seen that shows full retrospect of device and brings up to date information including reports of competition in the market. Thank you very much 10/10 for down to earth review. 🎉

[@colincarey6561]

Damn, what a thorough video! Been looking into the deck again with the OLED. Even though this was out before it’s released, this was really helpful.

[@joelvandeleur]

The Runescape tune in the background brought back some good memories haha

[@J2J-vm3iw]

Brilliant video as usual! Would you consider doing a "Steamdeck for work" video at some point? I wonder if I could you use the Deck for Zoom/Skype Calls and if the Microphone is decent enough or if there are any external peripheral devices for a great experience. Maybe even video calls as well.

[@cryobyte33]

That's a great idea! I already planned on doing an "as a desktop" video, but I never considered video calls or anything. Thank you for watching and for the idea!

[@joseurena7116]

I don’t even have a SteamDeck (I will buy one) and I’m subscribing, amazing detailed and well explained content. Thank you sir

[@ssjaken]

I loved this video! I apprecaite how approachable you made it for people that are absolutely new

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching, I put a lot of care into not making it too technical for those who don't know a lot about computers ❤️

[@KevinRollman]

Great review of the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck definitely needs a better screen with more color accuracy and vibrancy. For me, the community, battery life, upgradability, and extremely customizable OS are the strenghts for Steam Deck. Are you aware of the custom keyboard bug in SteamDeck? When customizing the keyboard or using a custom layout, the button mapping will suddenly blank out and not show the mapping until you restart. Very annoying.

[@cryobyte33]

Thanks for watching! I would definitely like a more color accurate screen as well, but at least SteamOS 3.5 has color vibrancy and temperature sliders built in now 🙂 I haven't had that issue with the keyboard since I just use the default layout, but that's super annoying. I hope they fix it in a client beta soon!

[@amyreyes2761]

Great video. So helpful to me in deciding between steam and switch. And just understanding the steam deck use and capabilities. Thanks 👊🏼😊

[@ivan.g.g]

Nice to see you again !

[@cryobyte33]

Nice to see you again as well, thank you for watching so quickly!

[@Nintendoguy-vn6tg]

I have been on the fence on getting the steam deck OLED but this helped me a lot and I'm going to get one thank you for this video I'm not very tech savvy so I'm a little intimidated but I love my switch so I excited for this again thank you

[@Animus141]

This was exactly the video i was looking for, cheers and thanks for the thorough comparison. including the rog ally was extremely helpful

[@4400jman]

You are my #1 goto for all things steam deck. Subscribed on my personal and work accounts haha. I look forward to more of your content!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for the support! I'm glad to help and have more than a few videos in the works 😁

[@djrphotography]

This is so comprehensive. Subscribed. I'm currently looking at buying a steam deck and this has really helped make my decision.

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching and subscribing, I'm glad I could help out! Hopefully you like it if you take the plunge 🙂

[@CreativityNull]

6:02 this! I work calls and tickets but I'm paid to be available for later evenings, so for several hours I will have no work but need to be available in an instant. This means when I get a call or a ticket comes in I have to quickly put down what I'm doing to pass the time. The steam deck's suspend feature has been amazing for this. Despite having better options and compatibility with windows, I cant see myself switching until Windows gets this feature.

[@XREAL_Global]

Huge video and huge points. We're very excited to see the future of handhelds. (Also shout out to the SDHQ team!) 😎

[@Vaskomyr]

Hoping to hear what you think of the FSR3 fluid motion that was announced and how it will affect the steam deck and other amd portables. Would be crazy to get a significant boost in performance on a handheld, so pretty sure we're all hoping for a jump once it's released.

[@cryobyte33]

All I know so far is that it supports all RDNA2 GPUs, so the Deck should be supported! If it is, I'll be testing the hell out of it, don't worry about that 😉 Thanks for watching!

[@XxfieryfirexX]

​@@cryobyte33This is the game changer I'm waiting for. Imagine with also yuzu .rpcs3 and xenia with the fsr3 Mods. It will be a game changer

[@shyrory]

AFAIK FSR3 requires devs to support it in the game and so it won't be a blanket steam deck feature.

[@cryobyte33]

@@shyrory Nope, near the end of the presentation they mentioned it will work for all DX11 and DX12 games early next year 🙂

[@notbobbypropes]

This video is THE BEST breakdown of what to consider when deciding on a Steam Deck or not. I got a steam deck as a gift but I think I’m going to return it. It’s really neat and I’m excited for lowering the barrier to entry for those wanting to get into PC gaming. I’m optimistic as to what it will become in future models, but I’ve already got a great gaming rig and have handhelds for emulation, so the “great for a handheld, but not a miracle machine” aspect of it just has me feeling underwhelmed after gaming on it for a few days. Thanks for a great review and helping me make my decision. I think it’s a fantastic product for a specific audience, and I, unfortunately, am just in the out-group on this one.

[@GoodLifeBricks]

Great video and very timely for me to watch. I'm in the market for a steam deck and needed this video to help me make a decision. I'll be making a purchase this week. Thank you and keep them coming.

[@MyFriendsCallMeC0ach]

thank you so much for your videos and all the work you put into them. I really appreciate it and hope it will turn out exactly as worthwhile as you wish and work hard for!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching them! My primary goal is education and helping the community, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to keep doing that 😁

[@ZodiakSL]

Awesome video and thank you for showing The Phawx as a youtube channel. He's had a rough time with youtube and showed that he does not show up at all if your not subscribed to him and look for Steam Deck content!

[@cryobyte33]

Phawx is a great guy and we talk on the Nerd Nest podcast every week. It really sucks that he's not recommended as Deck content, despite releasing rock solid content for years 😓 Hopefully his rebrand will help him stand out a bit more in the algo, and I'd love to help spread awareness for those who like the more technical style of content. Thanks for watching!

[@mattae2037]

Not sure why I began looking up steam deck seeing I have a decent PC and are home on sick leave with lower income although I must say the video is very informative. Had I not bought the PC last year I would have definitly have gone with the steam deck + docking station. So portable and still able to handle the games that I enjoy. Awesome video!

[@craigsmith3832]

Thank you, you helped me make up my mind about the Steam Deck, great presentation!

[@asideofchicken3760]

This is a fantastic video! Looking to buy an OLED steam deck and this helps me understand basic original features

[@hallogrow]

Thank you for such a masterclass of a video. I bought the deck a second time because of your passion for the deck.

[@MaxLebled]

Off the top of my head, my biggest criticisms of the device after a year and change with it: • The weight is annoying when lying down. It's a bit annoying period. The width of the device as well. (I think one of the key things they could improve is to keep the screen size the exact same, BUT completely take away the bezels. That'd make the form factor nicer) • The 400/200 MHz bug suddenly springing up after all this time, and after I struggled to get a non-defective unit with a proper fan & non-defective triggers/buttons... after 3 RMAs that is... that does sting a bit. I'm holding onto my unit for now since the issue only shows up in very intensive games and below 30 to 45% battery, and because I have 2 years warranty here in the EU, and who knows, maybe there will be a software fix before then. (I am on the 3.5 / bios 116 beta but this did not help) • The (non beta) software is still quite janky in annoying ways, and quite a few times, I've tried to pull up one of the side menus only for the Steam layer to freeze and the device deciding to reboot because of that. Poof, there goes the game. • Still no built-in way of being able to tell how much shader storage space a game is taking up (and not even being sure if it's actually being cleared up on uninstall) • Not being able to play a game on your Deck and on your desktop at the same time sucks. I get *why*, but I was hoping there would be some leniency granted to us by now. Something like "you are on the same LAN & subnet, not playing the same game on both devices, and only one device can run a multiplayer game" or something like that. • Software-wise, the UI based around community layouts and trying them SUCKS. It's barebones and tedious to try different layouts and switch between them. There should be a much better way for people to explain the features they've duct-taped together using Steam Input features. • The built-in frame limiter adds way too much input latency • The requirement to tinker with some games. Everything else is great. The controls, the trackpads, the speakers... the ability to use it as a desktop PC, and a minature gaming laptop on the go (with a bluetooth keyboard & a wireless mouse). I would not recommend it to everyone, but otherwise I think it's a great purchase still (I would probably say "refurbished 512, or 256 if you absolutely must, but 64 is a trap")

[@cryobyte33]

Thanks for the huge comment, let me go through these 1-by-1: - My wife has this issue, but myself and a few friends have no issues with it. The width is actually perfect for me, but I'm 6'4" with a wide build and shoulder so it helps my wrists a lot. I do agree that the bezels are much too large :) - I haven't had any issues with any of the 3 Decks here at home, and only 1 was affected by the 400/200 bug, but it went away after I updated to the main branch with the newer firmware. Have you tried doing that and seeing if it stops? - I haven't had any issues with the software itself, EXCEPT when the 400/200 bug is happening. I'd be willing to bet that the 2 are correlated on your end as well. - I do think that we need an official way of seeing shader space, but at least CU2 can help with that! - Yeah, this is a DRM thing that I think would drive a lot of publishers away from Steam. Knowing that Steam locks people to 1 copy is a big selling point for them, even if it's horrible for us, but it's still the second best we have, only behind GOG's DRM-free. I will say that it's even more annoying when you use family sharing and forget who owns what 😅 - I haven't had any issues with Steam Input, but I usually just apply one, try it for a few seconds, move to the next one, and then tweak the one I like to my liking. - The frame limiter only adds a ton of input latency if "Allow Tearing" is off and/or the game itself has some sort of vsync enabled in my testing, but it does need to be made much clearer to the average user. - Tinkering with games is something I do even on Windows so it's not a big deal for me, but yeah it can be a problem for newbies. That's the entire reason the "Verified" marking exists, though, so I can forgive Valve for that. They already do more than any other third party with Proton. I disagree with 64GB being a trap, since it's viable with some workarounds, but yeah it does need to have more storage management in-UI if they want it to FEEL viable. Again, thank you for the huge comment and for watching the video! 🙏

[@ForcefighterX2]

I am definitely not your basic customer (IT nerd since childhood 25 years ago), but I was more than satisfied with this video! Even though I have in depth knowledge of hardware an custom PC builds, the level of detail this video provides suffices or most people's buying decision. I am already sold for the steam deck, but will check out some technical videos from Gamers Nexus on it as well. Still - this video answered all of my important questions already. Thanks!

[@trooper420wSw]

awesome video, concise and pleasant to watch as usual, nice to see you back! hope moving is going well for you :) i already have a deck myself, but i will be definitely be sending this to friends who are interested in handheld PCs, cheers!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching another one and being a member! My move is in less than 2 weeks, but preparations have been exhausting so the videos are a bit slower 🙂 I appreciate any shares and I hope that this helps any others who might be looking into it.

[@TheCoolDave]

The SteamDeck rocks.... Love mine, Picked up a 64gb model, ordered the day after preorders went live, waited 1 year and 1 day to get it. Upgraded the internal to 1tb and never looked back. Plays 99% of games I tried and I even installed Windows to a SD so I can play MW2.....

[@blue_bach]

this is a great video all around. i can't even put my finger directly on it, but it was exactly what i needed to watch. thank you!

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you so much for watching, and for the kind words! I'm glad it helped!

[@paulomateusguerra]

Man, this is the best video I’ve seen on rather or not is it worth to buy a steam deck! Amazing.

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad I was able to help 😁

[@kleineman7338]

The Runescape background music is the best thing ever

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Nothing like good ol' OSRS 😁

[@ChangedEver]

Fantastic video man! This is exactly the kind of info breakdown I was looking for! Keep up the great work!

[@Amal8752]

Love the RuneScape music in the background :D

[@matthewspracklin2204]

First time viewer here! Great video! Very informative and covered all the important information, with some great tips as well!

[@josesolorio5946]

You killed this video thank you for keeping it simple for parents like me

[@cryobyte33]

Thank you for watching, I'm happy you enjoyed the video 🙂

[@ThisisNTGW]

6:16 it’s so amazing feature on steam deck !!! I was considering ally and deck, but I’m pretty sure deck is to go device.

[@AEClimbingTV]

Thank you for this vid! I love my steam deck especially now this winter sale. really good way to spend time

[@GamingMan247]

I was looking to buying a handheld console for emulation up to the Wii U and also wanting to play some steam games like some older cod or halo. I’m debating between the steam deck, rog ally and the Lenovo legion go. Any recommendations?

[@EADF-CDF-SQ]

Hey! First time on your channel! So I have recently bought a steam deck myself after a few days of debating. So since I’ve gotten the most expensive ver. (800 US.D) And I must admit, as am excited. But there was one outlying issue with most reviews, it was too technical. Compare it to your video and this is 1 times better. In any case thank you for this information and I hope to see any other fellow steam deck users in games abroad!

[@Vreidicus]

Really appreciate the video. I've been pondering about buying the steamdeck for a while now. Considering i already have a steamlibrary it seems to be the better choice to get into handheld gaming.

[@Teslawaverunner]

I am new to steam deck and Steam/valve. Just bought a 512 because it was on a special price. I have been looking at many steam deck for beginners KZbin tutorial’s and they are not very good ! Your style of explaining is fantastic and it would be hugely appreciated if you would consider doing a complete beginners guide. Assume nothing ie no prior knowledge. Basically create the guide that Valve never did !!