I Finally Got a Steam Deck After 7 Months - It’s Amazing!

After 7 months of trying, I finally have a Steam Deck. In this first-look video on the Steam Deck, I cover some of the challenges I faced to get a Deck, along with my initial impressions of the controls, performance, and software of the device after two weeks of testing.
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[@TakiUdon]

I am so glad the nightmare is over. 😅

[@danielwilliams3161]

Gh msn

[@deoxal7947]

I just got an order confirmation yesterday

[@hextechmagikarp4610]

The real nightmare was that backlog growing bigger

[@wendywatch3386]

Im still in the nightmare: shipping soon (Fed Ex)

[@DisgorgeX]

So glad you finally got one, I figured you were waiting for a good opportunity with scalpers, and import/quarantine standards being extra high right now. Had mine since April, and it's amazing. My only issue was the fan, had a whiner. Grabbed a replacement fan from iFixit and replaced it, and she's super quiet now. My biggest tips are ProtonDB is your best friend now, and 40hz refresh rate/40fps lock is AMAZING for AAA games that can't quite hit 60. Elden Ring, Spider-Man, Fallout 76, Horizon, all feel smooth as silk at 40hz/40fps. Take care, Taki!

[@FireDragon3D]

The steam deck has changed my gaming habits. I haven’t touched a traditional console in months!! Great job Valve. I like the idea of owning your game and it stays with you regardless of the hardware. Thats how it should be. Buy a game once.

[@hardyjoe4278]

Haha, tales of Arise on a handheld. I was getting tired of only owning these on a console. Also MGSV looks great on the deck.

[@ryantwomey3463]

Bro same I have a nice gaming rig that i am typing this comment on since i got my steam deck I play everything on it and my poor rig is used just for youtube and content consumption its much more powerful then the steam deck but its not portable lol if i played more fps i'd probably be using them 50/50

[@changzooka]

Haha i installed chiaki on my steam deck so I can use it for remote play. It's so convenient accessing my PS5 on a handheld. And when i don't feel like playing that backlog I can switch back to my steam library. Love my steam deck!

[@grant5864]

I mean if you want to get technical, you don't own the game. It is nice that you aren't locked into a specific hardware like a console is though.

[@blastu2fool]

How many times "Once, just once" 😆

[@fivestarboy1]

Im glad people still are making videos even after so many reviews are out leaving positive feedback ! Hyped for future generations of the deck which got confirmed in the new deck book

[@artofwar420]

The Steam Deck planted a big flag and set the standard for handheld PCs. Although we had other options, they were quite expensive and the performance often left a lot to be desired. The Steam Deck is that porridge that is not too hot or cold. The race has begun and we're already seeing competitors try and out-do Valve. This competition will yield the best handhelds we've ever seen. I can't wait to see what the future holds. I won't be surprised if Sony or Microsoft toys with the idea of having their games officially supported in handhelds be it by either making PC ports like Sony has been doing, or releasing a platform-locked device like the PSVita but that seems much less likely as exclusivity in games is not as important as selling the games themselves.

[@manjindersinghsaini911]

Exclusivity helps if they game franchise like Zelda, fire emblem, xenoblade and make you just buy their console like I bought switch. But sony doesn't have that, at least not for me. God for war is great! But it doesn't make me itch even if I miss it's latest installment

[@artofwar420]

@@manjindersinghsaini911 I believe Sony and Microsoft went away from exclusives on purpose. Nintendo still holds strong by having console exclusive games, which has given good results. I think only Nintendo can get away with this because of how strong their main games are; another interesting thing is how Nintendo tries to innovate controls every console iteration which has paid off immensely. Sony and Microsoft noticed competing against Nintendo directly was an expensive and often losing battle. So they chose to start making their games available everywhere.

[@lordxmugen]

Only thing that scares me is if the opposite happens. Where the only handhelds that can survive the Steam Decks Price Black Hole is to either be MUCH MORE powerful (and expensive) or much smaller and underpowered (but also cheaper). What I feel like the Steam Deck signals at $400 is a price-to-power ratio that is just impossible to for 3rd parties to match for a good several years so they'll think it better to attack the other 2 pricing demographics that the deck isn't made for.

[@Aurumfae]

@@lordxmugen interesting. How far will the price go up, is what makes me curious. Because at a certain point, just build a PC. Any further into and past 1k makes it ridiculous as far as gaming is concerned 🤔 I wouldn’t dare pay 2k for a handheld when I could just build or buy a PC. Especially in this market…

[@FireDragon3D]

@@artofwar420 if Nintendo didn’t have exclusives, they wouldn’t be selling as many switch’s. Its a part of their brand strategy, you see it with Apple. Similar in my eyes.

[@chickenpasta7359]

I’m glad to finally see a review from you on this. I got mine a month ago and I love it. It’s such an awesome machine for both PC games and emulation. With that said, I honestly do feel bad that you had to get one from a scalper and Valve should’ve been more communicative since they started the initial conversation on the review unit.

[@alexcallender]

Yeah that definitely sucks, and it's weird that Valve wouldn't send him one, since I've seen reviewers far smaller than Taki receive review units, even outside the US/EU.

[@blubullie4850]

Considering this is Valve we are talking about, I am surprised they even bothered to try to communicate at all. Valve is known for poor communication, especially when potential customers are involved. This is why TF2 players had the game trending on twitter and forced the company to say something 3 months ago.

[@chanty2192]

It blows my mind that we allow politicians to limit purchasing things like this.

[@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310]

@@chanty2192 It's a quad core with 16GB memory, a full scale PC. But it actually has more to do with chinese economic policy. This goes all the way back to when they were making transistor radios and cassette tape players. Couple this with Valve being a little butthurt that China has blocked Steam. Taki shouldn't really even be admitting that he is inside the chinese mainland, posting to KZbin which is a blocked site, and using Steam which is a blocked web service. Prices aside, running this channel is a risk for him. Appreciate it.

[@manuelsputnik]

​@@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310 Oh wow... no wonder he couldn't get one.

[@lordhashimoto4035]

You're dedication to yours craft is something to be admired. Good stuff my man!

[@davidmcmanus7179]

Your hardware issues are odd and point to someone opening it or dropping it. The shells being off centre, the gaps between front and back are not normal

[@Akihito007]

I bet the scalper sold him a dev unit instead of a better, regular one.

[@Argonisgema]

@@Akihito007 I think it really shows to the quality that despite it being a dev unit its still leagues fun to play with and runs games smoothly.

[@RadioZonde]

Yea its really sounding like the scaper opened the case up. Full stock unopened steam decks dont have that issue

[@davidmcmanus7179]

I’m not sure that it’s a dev unit, would be more inclined to believe someone has either dropped it or opened it and not put it back together properly. You can by replacement front and back shells anyway from ifixit

[@nyjay]

Just commented about this also. The misaligned shells is a tell that the back panel was already reopened. It can be adjusted by opening the back panel again tho.

[@FlergerBergitydersh]

A couple of points: -You may have gotten an earlier model. Those would tend to have quieter fans but worse build quality. This also affects the stiffness and tactility of virtually every button on the device, which have been universally improved over time. -Dual trackpad typing works way better than touch screen typing (It may seem awkward at first but you can get decent speeds with practice). -SD card use is amazing on this device. All you need is a decent one (over 100mb/s won't matter) and to set it as the default install location, and you can basically forget it. No issues with high loading times or anything, and it leaves plenty of space open for flatpaks and other software to be installed on the internal SSD, which is important for the 256gb and lower models. I look forward to your future videos. You are pretty much my favorite content creator for this type of stuff.

[@Evercade_Effect]

That's an epic journey! Happy that you finally got your deck.

[@Sevent77]

I've reserved mine a bit over a year ago and it's finally in shipment from the Netherlands to Poland, now every day of waiting is torture but I also dread the delivery hoping it will come un damaged.

[@OneMindNoLimit]

Taki: "I might just buy a second one." Internet: "You what???"

[@KristoferNathan]

Grats on the Steam Deck Taki! Thanks for this review!

[@vitto7922]

being able to teach something new to someone who has spent the last 6 months following news and watching videos about this device is remarkable. Great video.

[@liothesilverwing3016]

Some of the build quality issues you're mentioning, like the uneven sides, the difference in trackpad rumble strength, and the screen rattling are not things I've seen with any other Deck, including my own. I have a sinking feeling the scalper might have banged up the unit you have there a bit before selling it.

[@GangityBirdity]

That's what I was thinking too

[@GangityBirdity]

It just sucks that this was his only choice to even get one

[@liothesilverwing3016]

@@GangityBirdity One possibility is that the scalper was selling a developer unit, which would explain the build quality issues--many of those were not finalized units/didn't meet end-user quality standards, but were fine to ship early to game devs. This is what sucks so much about scalpers--you really have no idea what you're getting, and they're always going to rake you over the coals on the price.

[@GangityBirdity]

@@liothesilverwing3016 Honestly. But at least he still seems happy about the device

[@JJSaturday]

Same here. We have 2 units at my house, one 64gb and one 256gb, and neither have any of these issues.

[@mrburns366]

Taki has so many handhelds that it never occurred to me that he didn't have a Steam Deck already. lol

[@SeanWilsonMusic]

Finally! I've been waiting for your review specifically. I'll get mine delivered tomorrow but so glad your predicament is finay over.

[@IllIIllIllIllII]

Man I am a huge fan! If anything like this comes out again, I will definitely reach out to you and sent you a unit at cost.

[@songoku9348]

Steam deck is an emulation dream. Being able to play the Tekken games, GameCube, PS2 on this thing with 4+ hours battery life is the dream.

[@FatalCorleone07]

I play all that on my phone

[@TheDorianTube]

I literally play all that on a 100 bucks emulation machine lol. Call me when the Steam Deck can play old pc games for 4h

[@rony_rst]

@@TheDorianTube I mean, playing PS3 and Switch emulation is possible on the Deck as well

[@alexcallender]

@@TheDorianTube Uhhh, how old are you talking here? The Deck can do that already.

[@svrvegasblackops]

@@TheDorianTube it...can do that?

[@DurantePT]

Nice review, I particularly enjoyed the very well done like-for-like power consumption comparison with other handheld devices. One thing I'd note regarding that is that in my experience, the Deck is better at scaling total power *way* down than any Windows handhelds I've seen. There are games which I can play which have a total power draw of 5.5 W at moderate brightness. Also, regarding the build quality, I have a dev unit (from 2021) and it doesn't seem to have the screen issue. However, just as you pointed out on your unit, the seams on the side are a bit larger than I'd like. For me, the most unexpected thing when I got it was actually the audio quality of the built-in speakers.

[@ChaseTheVerb]

can't believe I've had a steam deck longer than my favorite mini PC reviewer! love it so much, glad you were finally able to get your hands on it

[@meohmy8870]

I appreciate your story and the video and truly what you were willing to pay for it show supply in the demand and the value of this system so I'm glad you can get one for regular price go steam deck.

[@arijeanz]

the steam deck will mark a clear before and after in the handheld market and the gaming industry as a whole. it is just very very competitive and no other handheld can touch it

[@minisculex3]

Totally. Steam made Steam deck with no profit in their mind at all. That totally made other handheld competitors harder as that would mean a total disaster to the company

[@TheMahayanist]

Happy to see it. It's only better for us consumers.

[@waffle911]

I get the impression that, for all of the screen's drawbacks, it was very carefully chosen for best mobile user experience on the basis of total system power consumption and usability in wide range of ambient lighting conditions.

[@rubenloza1920]

Just got my order notification today. Looking forward to the deck.

[@devin3865]

I was in the same boat as you. Hopefully you got yours without any issues. Enjoy! 😁

[@djayjp]

Those prices are absolutely insane.

[@Cub__]

That's exactly what I'm saying lol

[@mchief3463]

better than aya neo prices lol

[@steam557]

AYANEO　高すぎ　盛りすぎ steamdeck　予約済👍

[@obidahasdia4095]

mean while i got 2 steam decks brand news ps5 + series x

[@alistairblaire6001]

Great review. You added a lot of points and observations that haven't really been talked about much in other reviews. A feat in itself considering that every tech channel has a SD review.

[@amilyester]

Excellent write-up, Taki!

[@CrystallineLore]

Wow, I didn't realize you didn't have one yet. I've fallen in love with mine and it's just so hard to be excited by anything other than news of Steam Deck 2 already, haha. It's not perfect, but the bang for buck, overal build quality, and the raw potential backed by Valve themselves, is just impossible to beat, even by Aya Neo. On top of that, for those of us already used to chinese emulation handhelds, the quirks of Steam OS are basically nothing lmao.

[@bipbop3121]

Except when it costs twice what Aya Neo does in your region for a scalped one.

[@CrystallineLore]

@@bipbop3121 Yeah, well, that's a different problem entirely. People were paying 5k for 3090s and I saw a PS5 go for 3k. Not sure why you're bringing this up, blame scalpers, shortages, poor bot protection, and the dumbasses willing to pay those amounts. The Aya Neos are easy to get because they're already "overpriced' for what people are comfortable spending and the demand for them are very low. That, and they outdate their own hardware like every six months to a year, lol.

[@DrumsBah]

@@CrystallineLore lol availability is obviously completely relevant to the value proposition of a product. You can't even reserve a Steam Deck in Australia. Valve don't ship here. Scalped units are the only choice. This is not the case for its competitors. My eyes are on the Loki Max

[@CrystallineLore]

@@DrumsBah To a personal individual, yes. If you want to talk about the value of the devices itself, no. Consider: If a reviewer reviews a video game that isn't coming up for a month (or gets delayed), is any game that he compares it to objectively better value? Of course not. That's silly. If you can't get the device, then you can't get the device. That doesn't suddenly warp time and space and make a $500 device worse than a 1k+ device with slightly worse performance (and worse everything else arguably). You're just being salty about it. Scalped units are not the only way for you to get one. Not being a dunce and waiting is also a good plan, but hey, what do I know. Just remember that you made a choice and weren't forced into it, and that you wasted money on an overall less value device. Long as you're fine with that, good for you.

[@schmecklin377]

Only thing more that I'd really want is an OLED screen

[@chestercastillo2703]

I really admire your passion in retrogaming.

[@rajgill7576]

Mine just shipped yesterday I'm so excited!!

[@bladderpains]

Had to wait nearly a year to get mine, it arrived about 2 weeks ago and it is a saucy wee beast!

[@SirMo]

I bought a Steam Deck only because I have a large Steam library. Didn't really think I was going to like it, since I'm not really a console gamer, for instance I only finished one game on my ps4 pro. Wow. This thing is a game changer. I am gaming every day on this thing. I bring it with me in my car when I go places too. It really has plenty of performance to run all the games I play. I tweak settings too to make it less battery hungry and I get more battery life I used to get on my old 3ds. Well done Valve and AMD!

[@XxViciousxX]

I have been loving my Steam Deck. As long as you understand its limitations and shortcomings going into the purchase you're in for a good treat. I added it to my nightly gaming wrap-up where I'll just chill out on the couch or in bed, play some Elden Ring, Spiderman, or Ni no Kuni then head to bed when the Steam Deck hit's20% battery.

[@_Ashler]

Welcome to the club man! Amazing handheld.

[@dannknee7070]

This was so informative. Thank you.

[@Yup712]

The PS5 announces a price increase and all I can think is: “So? I’d rather have a Steam Deck anyway!!!”.

[@Auchaser643]

Valve really did a mic drop moment on handheld PCs and emulation market.

[@aone7640]

Valve did a mic drop on Nintendo Switch as an indirect competitor now they must respond as the success is not to be ignored

[@DhrubajyotiRaja01]

*Still none is buying them*

[@Auchaser643]

@@DhrubajyotiRaja01 none is buying the steam deck? I hope that's not what you meant as that is easily disproven.

[@DhrubajyotiRaja01]

@@Auchaser643 *So How many units they have really sold* ?? *They probably didn't even sold 1M units where Nintendo sells 18-20M Switch units every year* .....

[@Auchaser643]

@@DhrubajyotiRaja01 1. The deck is literally just getting started. 2. They haven't even finished getting through everyone who preordered. 3. It's not even available to be bought in a lot of places yet unlike the switch that had a wider launch. 5. I don't care about the switch sales yearly, you said nobody is buying the deck which is easily disproven, by the many people who have preordered, the KZbinrs who have it, the scalpers that are actively selling and the steam deck reddit showing many people still waiting for theirs so please stay on topic.

[@eelobrian6727]

I really appreciate the direct nature of this review.

[@apoolofwomen]

That's actually pretty cool they reached out to you for review even the issues.

[@taliefer16]

it almost looks like your deck was opened up by its previous owner or something. That screen issue of being able to press the screen from the casing is weird, and the seams seem uneven compared to mine. there is a gap between them on mine, but not as bad as the one in your video.

[@Aurumfae]

Same. And there’s no squeaking on the seam between the device and the screen with mine. Taki definitely got a shitty device from a scalper.

[@LuccaRPG]

I really, REALLY enjoy my steam deck. Especially on the emulation side. It took about a year to get one after I reserved it (on the first day of pre-release were it took me OVER AN HOUR to reserve one). There's so much to do with it. Haven't tried other things like Chiaki but I will. It's also a great platform to finally learn Lunix. So awesome.

[@Cub__]

I'm interested in getting one but I have some questions because I've never games on anything PC related before. #1.) Can it play games online and offline? #2.) What price did you buy yours? I'm looking at the $400 64GB version and just getting an SD card with it for the storage problem do you think that's viable? #3.) Can you put Mods in games such as Skyrim? #4.) Can you download Emulators to the device and play let's say Pokemon? It does look really awesome, I'd really appreciate if you could help answer my questions. Thank you, take care.

[@LuccaRPG]

@@Cub__ 1. Yes, it can. 2. I bought the 512 gig version, but I also wanted the better screen. I think I paid 600 for it? Not quite sure. 3. Yes you can. 4. Yes, and it's AMAZING at emulators. Look up Emudeck.

[@_dom_97]

@@Cub__ to answer the 2nd question because your other ones were already answered, you can totally do that and many people do. Should be fine

[@WebbyMcWebberson]

Preordered April 16th and I’m still waiting brother , happy to hear you got one

[@mitlanderson]

Heard that people who ordered back in March all the way back to people who ordered back in October last year (me) are all getting their Steam Decks this week, seems a combination of increased production and lower order numbers after the initial rush of reservations in July of last year being finally finished. Wouldn't be surprised if you could order a Deck without a reservation by the end of September in the US market.

[@orlandocalder1645]

I'm getting my steam deck today. Can't wait

[@degeneratepervert6255]

Steam Deck is a fantastic device. I use mine for PS2 emulation mostly, with the rest of my time being split between FFXIV and Elite: Dangerous. Good times.

[@bipbop3121]

I PS2 on my phone. I concede telescopic controllers are inferior & my particular phone launch cost twice the top tier Deck. I've also been enjoying my phone for a year already. You're having fun that's what counts.

[@SRC267]

@@bipbop3121 one thing good about emulation on phone is there's no fan noise

[@FaerieDust]

The Steam Deck is one of the best tech purchases I've ever made - but I wouldn't have gotten it at scalping prices. Mine doesn't have the misaligned shell, and I'd never noticed the display clicking until I specifically checked just now. There's no movement during normal touch usage, I had to I'm so, so happy with the Deck as it is, but there are some design things I'd change. The biggest one: a proper lanyard attachment point. A little wrist strap would add a lot of peace of mind when gaming on the go, at least for me, and it would be a minor enough alteration. Ideally I'd see the display bezels reduced, too - I don't actually mind that the device itself is so large, but I'd like to utilize that surface area a bit more efficiently. But I do hope they'll let it go a good couple of years before they launch a next gen Deck. Part of the beauty of it is that it's not a disposable piece of tech - intentionally press to notice anything. And it's definitely less than on your device. It's not a flawless device, I certainly have some design feedback for gen 2, but it's such a great start - I've got a couple of hundred hours on it by now, all handheld, and I can see myself happily using this for many years to come. And once the time comes to retire it, I really hope there'll be a gen 2 to replace it with.

[@Cub__]

I'm interested in getting one but I have some questions because I've never games on anything PC related before. #1.) Can it play games online and offline? #2.) What price did you buy yours? I'm looking at the $400 64GB version and just getting an SD card with it for the storage problem do you think that's viable? #3.) Can you put Mods in games such as Skyrim? #4.) Can you download Emulators to the device and play let's say Pokemon? It does look really awesome, I'd really appreciate if you could help answer my questions. Thank you, take care.

[@Cerberex666]

@@Cub__ hello! I'm no OP but I can very happily answer you. 1) yes! Steam deck has full online and offline capabilities. If the game is multiplayer and you're connected to wifi, you're good to go! 2) this is a completely reasonable option, and in fact the steam deck is heavily optimized to make installation onto an SD card as smooth and quick loading as it is off of the internal SSD. 3) Yes! You can mod to your heart's content. 4) Steam deck is a fully capable PC and can very happily run all sorts of emulators. There's even an app called emudeck you can download (its free!) that will organize all of your various emulators in one place. Hope that helped!

[@Zensei79050]

Thank You for this Vid, Taki! I've been dying to know what you think of the steam deck before I completed my order because I really value your opinion. Now all my worries can be laid to rest and I can feel confident in completing my order or canceling it. Gonna watch the vid now. Hope it's all good news!

[@GriotDNB]

Mine is on it's way. And I was waaaaaaaay late with my pre order. Hope I love it, if not, I'll make someone else happy with it. Nice review.

[@ElainaLycan]

The fact that these people kept selling the device AFTER you paid really upsets me as this situation has happened to me numerous other times in the past as well, I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. Absolutely despicable.

[@alessiocai5573]

Money is everything i would have done the same

[@ElainaLycan]

@@alessiocai5573 Then you're an awful human being. I get money is money, don't get me wrong, I'd definitely want the best offer but if you've already made the deal, you already got paid, then you can't just do that to someone.

[@alessiocai5573]

@@ElainaLycan if it's not within a marketplace policy or illegal i would just do it, you don't even know me, I've not hurt anyone, he or she can just get someone else if i cancelled the transaction, the world is unfair so you gotta make your life better without expecting or depending too much of others, with that money i would just order another steam deck and over sell it ebay worldwide, i making easy money and this money is gonna help my family and my life better

[@ElainaLycan]

@@alessiocai5573 I mean yeah, no I'm not judging you so long as you pay the original buyer back, that's not the issue, I'm personally talking about people who take the money and run. I've been baited and switched in the past by a landlord, paid deposit for a house, he sold the place from under us and tried to run with our deposit, I had to fight several months of grueling legal battles to get my money back. I mean, if you cancel the transaction and go for a better deal, okay fine, but don't take the original buyer's money and run only to sell it to someone else, pay the original person back. You do you, so long as it's not inherently harmful, yeah sure if you end up canceling the original transaction it's kinda shitty imho, but at least you didn't take the money and run.

[@alessiocai5573]

@@ElainaLycan you are talking entire different stuff

[@Aurumfae]

Your deck has been tampered with, I’m sure, because I just got mine this week and it has none of those quality hardware issues you spoke of. It’s a great handheld even at the cheapest price point. I just bought a nice SD card, just a 256G, and that’ll be enough for me I’m sure 😂

[@12pandemon]

I sincerely doubt it, if his case came intact it has a tamper tag from valve that you can't take off without cutting it. There's variance in the plastic and tolerance with the screen sealment. Mine has the seams on the left and right, no squeaky screen, but my right stick grinds when pushed south.

[@juiciness]

Finally! Some great footage on the Deck. Everyone else loves showing their faces! Thank you for making the effort to upload in 4k! Sadly, by the time this gets to Australia, the Steam Deck 2 will probably be out.

[@GamingOnDeck2077]

you could use a forwarding service

[@polrusstomakriss9001]

I'm proud of you man, like seriously

[@Argonisgema]

Wow the nerve of some of those people. Even the guy that sold it to you reversing it AFTER SELLING IT TO YOU just cause he later found someone wanting to buy it for more money. Just no ethics.

[@amilyester]

Ever meet an ethical scalper? Lol. They're bottom feeders.

[@TakiUdon]

I didn't even know you could do something like that until it happened. It was hours from my house at that point. :[

[@nate6862]

I had a Chinese seller on ebay direct msg me about requiring an additional $40 before they would ship on an auction I "bought now" for an item that was quickly gaining popularity online. Told him to gtfo and reported the contact to ebay - they don't play those games.

[@Argonisgema]

@@TakiUdon I only now realize after watching the video again that you actually did bought the deck multiple times just that one time the guy reversed it after it shipped . Just wow that's even worse. I thought you were offering it then they found a better offer, i didn't realize you actually bought it all those times but they all said "naw we found a beter offer" then the shipping one happened.

[@minhha8981]

They are scalpers, what do you expect?

[@KCerros123]

The A,B,X,Y has a perfect feel. I love that they’re soft. I play at work when I’m in my desk. My Xbox control while playing on Xcloud would stress me out and I had to only play racing games so I wouldn’t get caught. Now I’m play anything because the buttons are soft.

[@captainthruster9484]

Or, you could work while you're at work lol

[@Amado1101]

@@captainthruster9484 I‘ll never understand how people can play video games at work. Go have a conversation with your co-workers, have a coffee, go get some fresh air ..

[@KCerros123]

@@captainthruster9484 I do but I have a lot of free time as I get my work done quick. So I spend it wisely.

[@KCerros123]

@@Amado1101 that’s what breaks, and regular smoke breaks are for.

[@TechSuperPosition]

I just got mine a few days ago. What an incredible device, truly marvelous!

[@SirRobinson510]

First off… I love your content Taki, keep up all the great work, you’re amazing my friend. Just got my 512gb Steam Deck this past Thursday, just now using it because of my work schedule. It feels very comfortable to me, I’m super impressed with the performance, a great buy! I’m very happy to have it!

[@LachM2011]

I've been wanting to nab one of these since it was announced, but the fact they don't ship to Australia made me really nervous importing one just in case it broke. The secondhand market here hits 2000+ as well.

[@bipbop3121]

I don't understand why someone would pay $2k for a Deck over getting a $1-1.5k Aya Neo. At that price point, it's well worth dealing with gaming laptop bulk even.

[@muntdouken9841]

Also Aussie, havnt seen one for under 3k. Literally all other devices are cheaper for us.

[@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310]

@@bipbop3121 In similar fashion I had seen before (years ago) that an AU gaming PC builder could sell you a laptop with an x80-series GPU for about the same price as an imported HP or Asus laptop with an x60-series GPU. Something about tax differences between PC parts vs complete systems. Meanwhile everything ordered from CN/HK is a Gift to Family Member on the customs form. Someone in another country wanted a gaming desktop built and their big concern was if it would be stolen by someone in Customs. They had it assembled in a beige cream tower with a floppy drive and no logos or stickers, must have looked like a foreign aid donation.

[@Sevapcici]

Kinda sounds like you got a Unit that didn't pass QA. Mine has none of these issues.

[@linguisticgamer]

bro, there is some magic in your reviews/ videos. you do not compromise with quality.

[@dabutler44]

Glad u got it mang

[@c_span]

Just got my deck this past week and man its incredible

[@markdavenportjr5129]

Steam needs to release it fully to local Bestbuy shelves! I would totally grab one hate having to deal with shipping. ;(

[@reekhavoc2932]

Fed ex shipping too 😈 you never know what is going to show up at your door

[@wesleygaitan]

Same here my fear is the theives in nyc

[@DeanParkAudios]

thank you for the in depth review and sorry for harrowing ordering experience xD

[@vesder819]

Enjoyed the backstory how much effort went into getting a steam deck imported. Interesting to hear.

[@rancid_]

Worst thing about the deck is the touchscreen, outside of that it is amazing, especially the speakers compared to my OneX and GPD Win3.

[@christianr.5868]

What makes it bad?

[@Argonisgema]

The problem he had with the touch screen may have been wear and tear from the scalper as i have not heard of that being an issue for anybody else even on reddit.

[@CrystallineLore]

Yeah it's still pretty shitty but one of the patches drastically improved how it works.

[@CrystallineLore]

@@christianr.5868 It used to have a lot of delay and didn't register touch or unputs very well.

[@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310]

The touchscreen makes me wonder if it came from a line of automotive parts, it serves just fine but it's not some amazing tablet screen with a really nice input kernel module.

[@jdl2327]

The only build quality issue I have with the deck’s quality is also the thumb stick grinding issue and it’s infuriating. I hope there’s some fix that might eventually be available

[@tjoerum-1738]

literally just got my steam deck reservation ordered, so excited, finally gonna sell the rest of my other consoles. so hyped to receive this little beast

[@elitemedium]

Excellent reviews bro keep it up, 🤗🤗🤗👍😃👍😃👍

[@MyurrDurr]

Valve have this uncanny ability to make hardware look both ugly AF and elegant AF at the same time.... The Index, Steam Link and Steam Controller all look very odd but also pretty nice I call it the Valve Effect LOL

[@roflBeck]

Yeah, I see what you mean with the Steam Deck and Steam Controller lol. Gotta disagree about the Index and Steam Link though, those just look good imo.

[@EckmanJones]

I think the Steam Deck really set a standard for what we should expect in a console and handheld. You shouldn't have to keep rebuying the same titles just because there is a new console generation/hardware revision. I think the steam deck really shows that Valve cares about the gaming community unlike any other company. The one game that was for the Steam Deck is free and an awesome game. So Tim Sweeney may be saying that he cares about the community, but Valve has really put their money where their mouth is on this one.

[@MuffHam]

Well its basically because its built around Valves store Steam. Which can be used on any PC like device. Nintendo can easily do this too with there Estore. But Nintendo chooses not too. You could play Nintendo games on a PC buying them from the Estore if Nintendo allowed it. And i think Nintendo needs to allow this option or the Steam deck will crush Nintendo's next console. Because i would have bought a steam deck over a switch had the steam deck been out at the time which was back in 2021. Having the steam deck instead would have saved me so much money in games.

[@TananBaboo]

What game was free?

[@EckmanJones]

@@TananBaboo Desk Job

[@bradleytdw2927]

I got the email and payed for mine this last thursday I'm so excited!!!

[@davidprodigy5833]

Always love your in-depth analysis

[@Hir0alt]

8:20 My 512gb model has the same issue too and I didn't pay $650 for a quality defect to show up within 2 days of owning it. I RMA'd it and currently waiting for the deck to get to their facility. It's a shame that their quality control is lacking even for their highest model.

[@desirewithinus]

wow! those scalpers there are disgusting. Scalpers are quite reasonable here in Hong Kong but I still didn't buy it from them. Finally the wait was over, I pre-ordered one from that komodo website. Not sure when we're getting it though.

[@Nightwing978]

I can't wait for mines just got bump up to Q3 batch!

[@TarisRedwing]

Glad to hear you got one. I love mine. Desktop mode is a lil weird but overall it's good.

[@jeffmofo5013]

It would be cool to see a direct comparison between the AYANEO Air Pro verse the steam deck.

[@solidust573]

I've already seen it & it's pretty brutal both in price and performance comparisons

[@TheCoolDave]

The deck is still better on specs and numbers than the AYANEO Air Pro ... I saw some other reviews from some other KZbinrs..

[@jeffmofo5013]

@@solidust573 I don't care about price. I care about pocket ability. I've seen other's discuss it as well, I just would like his detailed breakdown.

[@jeffmofo5013]

@@TheCoolDave I've seen other's discuss it as well, I just would like his detailed breakdown. But size is more important to me on a device like this.

[@jonathonearl482]

I get the feeling that overtime, the Valve Steam Deck will become the most popular and number 1 best seller premium handheld! Other gaming companies will try to somewhat mimic the Steam Deck, but won't be able to hold a candle to the Steam Deck.

[@JalapenoPrime]

Get mine Wednesday, I'm pumped!

[@SickLiq]

Wow, man. This is some shit right here. Glad you finally got one. I got a very, very slightly sticky Y button at some angles on my 512. After hearing other people's stories, I knew I could live with it.

[@taiwanisacountry]

I actually thought that you were in HK because you had access to the Steamdeck, but Shenzhen was my second guess, I just thought, who with options would choose Shenzhen over HK, Tokyo, or Taipei. I know why Shenzhen is luring, but many of those reasons stopped being luring at least for me "a long time ago".

[@slimslendy2591]

Was wondering it that myself, who on EARTH would want to live in China willingly atm?

[@taiwanisacountry]

@@slimslendy2591 I personally only know Chinese people who would do that, especially because of how extremely annoying it is getting in and out of China, no matter what Nationality you have.

[@DisgorgeX]

@@slimslendy2591 China is the same as anywhere else on Earth, people are people, dumbass governments are the same everywhere, some just have better PR than others. Anything awful you can think of happening in China you've heard online or on TV is most likely happening here too. Don't let propagandists divide you, talk to real people instead of listening to news and talking heads. We all collectively, whether Christian or not, should take a page from Jesus and love each other, and be chill with each other. Careful who you're listening to, if they are telling you to be mad at or hate people you don't know, you should instinctively turn away from that nonsense. Take care brother.

[@_GarethRossUK]

@@DisgorgeX omg lol what are you on about. China is far from the same as decent nation on Earth. Do you actually know whats happening on the ground. I trust those who I watch with whats really happening in China to deliver the facts because they show evidence and discuss it live every week.

[@SHADOW543121]

Didn't know you were in China

[@TechyRodsWire]

wow! thats crazy explaining about the sellers shipping and then reverse shipping to resale! damn thats cold, got my steamdeck lastweek and its my fave device now

[@remyretro13]

The quality of your videos are amazing it makes me sad you don't have more subscribers.

[@4theluvofmusic]

One of the best "handhelds" on the market. This thing is a monster of a device.

[@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310]

It honestly has been less tiring than playing on a Switch, but I have not tried the Switch OLED yet. The Switch frame can make your hands start to cramp from holding it, unless you get those chonky aftermarket grips. And if you give in and buy thick, third-party joycons it will become 1) less portable, 2) more expensive. I can game on a phone for two hours. I can play on a Switch or tablet for about one hour before the thinness starts to bother me. I have played eight hours straight on the Deck.

[@izamanaick]

Any chance you'll explain why/how a $400 handheld pc is perfectly doable? I've seen you mention this multiple times on discord in the past regarding valve not selling the base model at a loss, and so gpd/aya were just selling with massive margins.

[@terribletimes902]

I don’t see how a device like this is doable for any company that is smaller than Valve. Given the amount Valve is shipping they could probably get good deals on components that Aya and GPD wouldn’t have since they ship in much smaller volumes. On top of that, most of Aya’s devices clearly use better screens and build quality, which brings up cost. Though the SteamDeck has forced them to be more competitive with their pricing as seen with the AyaNeo Air

[@izamanaick]

@@terribletimes902 well no, the air's price was a response to the Loki. The air, air plus and the geek 2 all followed prices AYN set, and did so days after its announcement. The next was 3x the decks price, and announced months after the deck. If the deck would've influenced AYANEO, it wouldve done it there but lack of availability in Asia means it was hardly competition there. The quantities and economies of scale absolutely do help the price.

[@warlordwossman5722]

Lot of other companies order their CPUs in lower quantity which costs more and also Valve can sell with less margin given they invest in their platform where people will buy games for their device.

[@majicalpandatech]

Depends on how your product stack is set up for example ayn use similar shells so they don’t have to spend as much on r&d. along with that u can use smaller batteries, lower end cpus which will require less to cool so smaller heat sinks, and less storage to lower cost. Margins will be less on lower end products but enough consumers buying the higher end can help subsidize the bottom

[@RuffianSoldier]

@abu jil there is nothing "cheap smart phone" about the steam deck. there was a TON of R&D that went into this and the fact it runs an x86 processor already massively differentiates it from a smart phone.

[@SindyxLotus]

nuts that it took this long to get to you

[@SHADOW543121]

I always love your extremely thorough reviews and impressions

[@WarpedSpaceDev]

Anyone want to send one to Cape Town LOL

[@reekhavoc2932]

I will for 1500 us dollsrs

[@mathewcruickshank3974]

the analogs look so unbelievably, shittily placed.. i wanna see someone comfortably play gungeon or ANY dual analog game competantly. i'll never buy one based on that alone. Too giant, uncomfortable looking. win 600 for life.

[@DeathByHentai]

Complaining about the analog placement while praising the win600, not going to lie you had me in the first half

[@angeiuliano7152]

Contrarily to its look, it's way more ergonomic than say the Switch (that gave thumb cramps if I play too long) . The Steam Deck is the most comfortable handheld I ever owned.

[@Eufeion]

Ahh I so can’t wait for my deck! Gotta wait for my purchase email in Q4 😩

[@DanceswithCoreans]

I'm an American living in the Middle East and I had my brother send a Steam Deck to me and it was totally worth it! Glad you got yours

[@reekhavoc2932]

Good brother!

[@keshudioo]

I'm so sorry you had to go through this nightmare to have your dream come true. 😩 But I'm glad it's finally arrived. Thanks for the first impression video. For me the best in the SD is that it works out of the box, you turn it on, install updates and games and that's all. If you don't want to get into deeper in the device, you don't have to, because you still have tons of games already on steam. And Valve's support is great. First, if you missed out on paying within 3 days, you open a ticket and they kindly send you a new invitation link to finish. Second, they release continuous update for the software fixing bugs and issues. I enjoy being a Steam Deck owner very much. 😍

[@Cynnthetic]

Great video. The touchpad grinding and bottom screw creaking is absolutely defects and not a common issue.

[@joannakleinheksel-horn3494]

I finally received mine a few weeks ago and I don't have any of the issues you seem to have. It may be that you have a very early model; hopefully, you'll receive a newer unit with fewer physical issues. Best of luck to you, and you have my subscription.

[@Tailionis]

I got mine for 4 days now. I'm ready for the steam deck 2! I'm impressed!!!

[@BleakBeek]

5 mins in the video and im liking it already just for the super effort to get a deck.

[@mangos1346]

Its unbelievable I got mine before Taki!

[@lulunula]

Super excited for my steam deck. My pre order is finally about to ship and it’s my first PC handheld. I have a high powered PC but I just find myself getting a lot of games on switch when I can cause I love playing in my bed. Im glad I’ll have the option to get them on steam so I can play them on my PC when I’m at my computer or so I can play them in bed when im too lazy to get up :) mostly final fantasy 14

[@atom_zero5413]

Can't believe you actually got a Deck months after I did. Hope you enjoy as much as I do mine. ☺️