Steam Deck after 5 MONTHS: one major concern...

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Download Safing's Portmaster, or subscribe to the SPN, and take control of your network traffic: safing.io/portmaster

[@scooterareyouready3535]

@The Linux Experiment It is pronounced Month(s) - Plural. Not Month.

[@SuperMario.]

I would argue that "optimised for Steam Deck" in the future wouldn't mean "developed for the 1% of people who brought the Steam Deck" but "developed for a low end PC gaming standard popularised by the Steam Deck". A wide majority of PC gaming users are still using a 10' series GPU and a 4 to 6 core CPU targeting 1080p, games made with the Steam Deck in mind will cover those systems in the wild today with the Steam Deck itself just being the worst case scenario. And while hardly anyone has a PC worse then the Steam Deck nowadays, any PC manufacturer can use the Steam Deck specs as a template for thier own low end hardware. It's something the PC scene needed. A standardised low bar to test for minimum requirements.

[@theviniso]

I just hope the Steam Deck's success means more Linux-friendly games in the future.

[@wedge_one]

For AAA titles such as Call of Duty, Halo Infinity, so on and so forth, that's a no go because they are also used to boost new hardware sales and use the latest and greatest technologies. So at some point in a not so distant future, like any console, the Deck will become obsolete for newer games.

[@AndersHass]

Well given the Steam Deck is a PC then makes it generally transferable to general low end PC gaming. The architecture of the Steam Deck is fairly new so a low end PC currently uses older architecture. It might perform comparible to the Steam Deck but there might still be reasons as to the performance is better on this newer architecture than older one. The Steam Deck is still specific hardware so a game might specifically take advantage of the buttons, track pads etc the Steam Deck has where might not be made with something else in mind to same degree.

[@AnEagle]

@@theviniso if it makes you happy, the steam deck has started discussions inside ubisoft

[@theviniso]

@@AnEagle It sure does.

[@Evilatem]

I would say at $400 to have the ability to to play nearly EVERY game from 1977-2022, the SteamDeck is punching well above it's class. Just because it's a PC doesn't mean it's users want ultra high end graphics. The first thing nearly everyone does with it is load up emulators to have 100s to 1000s of games ready to play.

[@Riley_MDS]

Potato spec user here, Steam Deck is basically one of the dream I never thought I would've wished to grant it for real... Half the price of the laptop gaming that I wanted, spec is pretty decent to play almost every game and can do emulation of old game, yeah I want Steam Deck so much... Unfortunately it's not available in my region, so I can only pray to God that steam deck 2 will be released and can be reserved on most region... I want this pocket PC so much 😫

[@telldo8016]

I agree. While I don't use emulators as much as years ago, I do find myself mostly playing on low to average graphics: Sonic Mania, Shantae, graphical adventures and Monster Hunter Rise to name a few. And I can play them in my garden after a long day of work, which is healthier than staying closed up in my room. Edit: typo

[@Evilatem]

@@Riley_MDS Valve just updated that the SteamDeck can be pre-ordered in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong now so there maybe hope for you yet as they supposedly REALLY ramped up on production of the deck. Some guesses are they have to make over 2 million Decks to meet the orders placed already which Valve says it can do before the end of the year.

[@Riley_MDS]

@@Evilatem good news then, but still, I live in Indonesia so I'm pretty sure it won't come until Steam Deck 2 came...

[@emanuelarriaza3710]

I have a high end pc and the steam deck is amazing with just the facted I can take it with me

[@missedgnomer636]

Something that was not obvious to me with the Deck is that you can use the touchpads to interact with the on screen keyboard in a split keyboard layout. This is now my preferred method of interacting with the virtual keyboard.

[@Kiaulen]

Yeah, that's how I typed with my steam controller whenever I needed a keyboard on the living room TV. It's awesome.

[@cloudd6535]

Well probably it wasn't obvious to almost anyone including me, but i mean you use one trackpad it's like ok what the hell i can't reach the other side of the keyboard and then you realize oh i can use the other trackpad for other half of on screen keyboard.

[@seeibe]

One thing that confuses me about it is that the shoulder buttons get disabled for actions like shift. Would be nice to be able to use shoulder button shift instead of having to move my thumb for it.

[@Doc4]

​@@seeibe disable using the triggers to type in settings, will fix that

[@seeibe]

@@Doc4 Wait there's a setting for that? Valve!! Yes it fixed it, thanks!

[@StrikerTVFang]

You concerns about the future games running on the Steam deck aren't taking into consideration that devs are now AWARE of the steam deck and now have a machine to build versions of their games towards. For example Square Enix announced that they will be keeping the Steam Deck in mind for their newer games. A lot of the older games having performance issues is because they are being fed through a compatibility layer they weren't even built for in the first place. And these games haven't had updates specific to the Steam Deck at all. I'm not worried about Steam Deck's longevity. EDIT: After getting further into your video I see you brought up this point! So good! 🙂

[@TheLinuxEXP]

That's a good point! I guess we'll see in a few years!

[@NatsumeKonno]

I notice some games do run better when im in my Windows partition. While some games will run better on my SteamOS. So its good to have duel boot just incase one may run better.

[@jamescunningham8092]

I could see this going both ways. It’s true that the install base of the Steam Deck is tiny compared to the overall community of PC gamers, so the incentive to allocate resources to testing on the Deck might be minimal. But the Deck is popular enough with the cutting-edge, disposable-income crowd that it might hold outsized influence. It wouldn’t surprise me if some studios do start testing on the Deck, though I’m not sure how widespread it will be.

[@telldo8016]

Steam Deck's userbase is tiny but porting new games is almost painless if the project already had multiplatform compatibility in mind: having a specific hardware actually makes it easier to test on. People just need to use OpenGL/Vulkan and multiplatform libraries instead of relying on platform-specific function calls (for example for spawning and managing threads).

[@telldo8016]

On the other hand, already released games or new ones who relied heavily on stuff like DirectX or anti-cheat tools will probably be either borked or a bit buggy until a fix is found.

[@DavidHelloWorld]

I thought I had lost my interest in video games for a while, at least the past few years, but something about the Steam deck has me playing games like I used to as a kid again, spending hours in a game, and just really enjoying the experience of it. I haven’t spent more than an hour gaming on my desktop PC for years.

[@Schlumpsha]

What I would personally like to see is downwards compatibility with Steam Deck 2 hardware components. That way people could buy, say, a brand new motherboard on IFixIt, drop it into their Steam Deck 1, and be prepared for years to come.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I doubt this will happen, but I would love it!

[@dcknature]

@@TheLinuxEXP yep, the chances of seeing that are pretty slim, considering the usage of custom parts. Still the idea is good and it raises the question on Valve's right to repair position.

[@amansetia8655]

bruh

[@TechTino]

Never gonna happen unfortunately with a product this tiny, if they did then the end user would probably end up having to replace basically all the components and at that point may as well buy a new one. Valve 100% are gonna keep fiddling and improving upon the joysticks, buttons etc

[@ioneocla6577]

Kinda like what framwork does for laptops

[@HasanBabasi]

I got my steam deck just a few days ago and the emulators enough are worth it for me. Playing crash bandicoot 2 brought such a smile on my face, felt like my inner child was smiling too. I know I can get emulators on other devices but something about having the deck feels special.

[@Mediumpimpin69]

The fact that a handheld, let alone one that costs $400 can play any AAA titles at all is an absolute miracle.

[@MinecraftEpicPlayer]

Glossing over the fact that it's amazing the Deck could run AAA in the first place, I think these driver-related stuttering issues you mentioned will actually likely be less of a problem in newer Vulkan and even DX12-utilizing titles. And furthermore the AMD driver will improve as time goes on. So I think the Deck might be able to play the latest 2027 AAA game at 600p/30FPS. Not the greatest, but by all means acceptable. I might imagine that Valve might not ever release a SD2 or it might be 5+ years from now. I don't think waiting because you're worried about future AAA compatibility is all that smart.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I hope so!

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

Agreed, and as even on high end Intel/AMD/Nvidia desktops you can run into stutters and the like its not a uniquely Steamdeck experience in waiting for the patch that makes it work properly, particularly when you insist (as I do exclusively these days) in running games on Linux through an extra compatibility layer - one more potential point of failure. Though it likely will feel way worse when you hit a stutter on the deck, as it wasn't ever going to be running at twice the refresh rate of your monitor...

[@anon_y_mousse]

I think for the type of game I like to play, it'll probably be good to go for decades. Most of what I play are RPG's, but they're also old. Of course, it would be overkill for just emulation, but being able to play all of my old games plus the possibility of playing a new one would be awesome. I haven't played any games released in the past 10 or 15 years, but that may change if I get a Steam Deck.

[@perfidious333]

This is my EXACT use case scenario. This is why I reserved the 64gb model, and also have a 512gb card waiting on the sidelines. I can't describe how excited I am to get one of these.

[@lepatenteux592]

The parts you shown where Rise of the Tomb Raider stuggles, they also struggle on my PC... I run an RX580 and I had huge FPS drops at 1080p in the same areas. I think it is an issue with the Linux port. I have to try it on the Windows version to confirm...

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Might be! I don't see them on my desktop, but you never know!

[@nohero178]

@@TheLinuxEXP "You don't see them" because you are likely not running an old ass RX580, am I right?

[@pessoaanonima6345]

Were you able to run the windows version through wine?

[@lepatenteux592]

@@nohero178 The RX580 is still sold brand new to this day... Sure, it is not current gen, but for 1080p, hell even 1440p, it runs everything I throw at it at 60 to 120 fps depending on the title. I would not ask the same from an AMD HD7970 from 2012... but an RX580 OC from 2017 is a good benchmark for lower resolutions.

[@lepatenteux592]

​@@pessoaanonima6345 Not yet, I was away on vacations... I will give it a try this week... Now I have to remember the names of the fast travel areas to compare them side to side. Someone remembers the name of the area at 11:00 ? I clearly remember having huge framerate drops there!

[@Dr-CthulhuOfRlyeh]

Strange, I thought the point of using ARCH linux was for valve to be able to update the system as needed and without restriction, yet they've completely ignored the desktop? Plasma 5.24 was a buggy mess and your video showing Discovering crashing is proof of that. You'd think they at least update that.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Yeah I think they just don't care about the desktop mode

[@FlamingChickenG]

@@TheLinuxEXP I also feel that once they have a "finish" version on the game mode we will see more regular updates for other things.

[@ChristianWS.]

Sometimes I feel like they should've used Fedora Kinoite as the basis rather than Arch

[@8BitCerberus]

@@TheLinuxEXP Yep, this is the answer. Well, maybe not "don't care about" but it's absolutely a back burner priority. Game mode and making sure that experience is polished is their top priority right now. And as such there are still some missing things from Big Picture Mode that I'd love to see brought to game mode sooner rather than later. Like being able to add icons to radial menus, being able to browse other games I've created a control layout for to apply to a different game with similar controls/play style, being able to edit the base control layouts (desktop, big picture/game mode, and chords), and definitely a way to either adjust the on screen keyboard position (toggle top/bottom), or even better both a toggle for top/bottom and a way to adjust the opacity of the keyboard so you can see the game behind it and see what you're typing (opacity isn't in BPM but it would be a great qol feature all the same.) Would also love to see a way to do some things entirely from game mode, like access the Discover store and add some of those apps, so you could set up Lutris and Heroic, BoilR, etc. all without needing to drop to desktop. And run the EmuDeck setup script from any of the browsers you've added to Steam, which would also need a game mode and gamepad friendly file browser that could come in handy for lots of things in itself. An official plug-in API for the QAM would be pretty great, as well. I'd love to use some of the qol plugins already available, but being hacky by nature I know it often can be the source of issues with the experience, so I'm avoiding them.

[@DerSpeggn]

If you want desktop mode on the go its enough... if you use it as a desktop replacement on the, well desk, with a monitor and keyboard, then you can simply put a 2.5" SSD in your dock an install any linux version you want on it or Windows to go or whatever you fancy and simply boot from there. If you use it in handheld, you can always put your desired system onto a SD card, and boot from there.

[@Hhhhhh-sz9ud]

I’d argue the desktop version has improved a lot just by the fact that now you can use steam+X to pull up the keyboard

[@tobeyakhtar1577]

Just a bit of a note. The newer models have fixed a lot hardware wise. The steam and option buttons are raised so they are less mushy and the fans have been replaced with a much quieter model

[@TheLinuxEXP]

That's nice! I don't have fan issues, my Deck is not that noisy, but it's good to see they fixed the buttons

[@Queldonus]

Just got mine and I can confirm this.

[@Shadow__133]

As I age, I also notice more creaking when I pickup my "deck".

[@iodreamify]

I guess like any console with static hardware, the more time it exists the harder it'll be to run newer titles if devs don't jump on board and don't optimize their games. Traditional consoles have strict guidelines exactly for this and devs themselves are eager to squeeze the last drop of performance for that hardware. So i'd say it's Valve's goal now to sell enough of these quickly enough so that devs finally get the message on their end. We're not talking just compatibility anymore that's forever plagued gaming on linux but performance on a handheld where battery life is a concern too. Huge props to Valve for doing all of this but i still wonder if it'll be enough.

[@merthyr1831]

With the impact that SteamDeck is having, there's a real chance that larger teams will make games optimised for the Steamdeck well into the future (2-5yrs at least). Many games will be out of reach, sure, but the deck and similar-spec handhelds that are launching this year will make a real and measurable impact to developer incomes if they're ignored.

[@kevinbreen4510]

We can always hope that either FSR 2.0 will improve or there will be a 3.0 that will work for the deck. Still, though, to have so many playable titles on a mobile platform is incredibly insane and awesome. The deck is also repairable, which is a massive plus for me. Can't wait for mine to arrive and get to game in comfort again. Thanks for the honest review and update Nick! Steam Deck 2.0 will likely fix quite a few issues but will also likely cost a bit more. Worth it? Definitely.

[@mrxmgs3768]

I am excited to see what a 2nd gen deck can do. Considering Ryzen 7000 will come with RDNA Graphics 🤤

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Yeah, that would probably be an amazing device!

[@kuhluhOG]

it's still integrated graphics tho to be fair, you can't put a proper gpu into such a small device, but AAA titles don't get made for integrated graphics and you can see that by the fact that the developers don't even mention integrated graphics under their minimum system requirements

[@missedgnomer636]

The Steam Deck has RDNA 2 graphics with 8 CU's.

[@Herr.Mitternacht]

The Steam Deck already has RDNA graphics 🤦‍♂️

[@MorrisseyMuse]

12 minutes battery is what it will do lol

[@TechJolt3d]

I think AAA titles should focus on lower end hardware because if they keep trying to push the hardware, the hardware is just gonna become more power hungry. its gone to a point of where its uncomfortable looking at the power draw leaks for next gen gpus. They'll also leave a huge portion of gamers who won't upgrade because they can't or upgraded too recently to justify it again.

[@ProvAlex]

Man it really is a shame the desktop mode is so out of date. Software like Plasma and Discover have come so far since 5.23.5. The steam deck has significantly better specs than my work laptop. Lots of underutilized potential.

[@krisyannuruha5147]

Typical linux user. You understand steam deck is for gaming and that where all valve team development focussed at right? With how limited steam deck hardware and what they can achieve on gaming, there's no shame on it. What shame is your act to belittle other people work just to make yourself feel superior.

[@redscorpion9325]

Did you update the Apps in Desktop Mode?

[@ty_teynium]

The whole desktop mode feature was the legit reason I went for one. However, gaming seems to be it's most optimal function. Still I'm gonna enjoy it. Hopefully the OS gets more refined later on.

[@ProvAlex]

@@krisyannuruha5147 Steam deck hardware is not that limited and is actually much better than what a lot of people have to work with already. Most people don't have the latest hardware anyway Valve actually does do a good amount of contributing to KDE plasma and the and graphics drivers which are not just used for gaming. I am not putting down anyone's work. Just saying that if they pushed the updates for KDE Plasma they could have an even better experience on current hardware. I am sure they will at some point like they did with FF

[@Tantive]

I bet you'll see more and swifter advancements by the time they want to release Steam OS for the general public with their own non Steam Deck iso.

[@trailblazercombi]

14:05 The gaming industry is evolving so rapidly even 5-year-old desktops struggle to run AAA games It's a tough time being a portable games console in those trying years of constant evolution

[@buddybleeyes]

They have actually changed the steam and quick access menu buttons in the q3 version atleast anyway, gardiner briant (I believe that's how you spell his name) got a q3 deck and compared vs the q1 you've got :) edit: just a reminder, unsupported or unverified games doesn't mean it can't run. From what I've seen, there's been quite a few of unsupported games run just fine :) I would highly suggest either looking up a specific game on KZbin or Google playing on the deck, or try them yourself :) it's not guaranteed they will work though- Anti cheat is still a major issue :) can't wait to get my deck and get some game time in 😊

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Oh very nice! I have to watch that!

[@buddybleeyes]

@@TheLinuxEXP it was very interesting, definitely worth a watch 😊 main things were like slight build quality refinements and those two buttons were changed to be not quite as mushy

[@upsidedownpeon9984]

yea I've been playing Elder scrolls online, mortal Kombat 11 and a few other unsupported games flawlessly with proton ge or proton experimental

[@NawidN]

If they can run just fine / flawlessly, why do they say they are unsupported? What does the label mean in this context?

[@buddybleeyes]

@@NawidN its just where it was reported wrong by mistake, or the game has had an update since the rating was given :) there's too many games on steam for them to go back and retest. But also, there could be some non official work arounds to get the games working if you feel like tinkering a lil bit or proton/ proton experimental/ proton GE may have been updated and fixed a bug :) I've seen it quite alot, where just changing proton version may get a game to start working :)

[@longdashes]

5 months already? holy crap, time flies.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Oh yeah!

[@BjornsTIR]

Game performance on low end hardware can often be wonky. It often isn't really related to graphical fidelity, but ports and engine limitation, at least in my experience. Some AAA titles releasing in 2 years might run just fine, and others might be running horribly.

[@PhDBiology]

My only reason to buy a steam deck is to play my current steam library on the go. Good Long term review, thanks for doing it, answered a lot of my questions!

[@PiiskaJesusFreak]

Expecting a 5 year old 500€ device to run new AAA titles that target 2000€ computers is just not realistic. I think your analysis is correct here. I think I'll have to get my own steamdeck at some point though. It seems like it would run my favorite games beautifully.

[@raresmacovei8382]

The irony in this statement when that's exactly what consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series Z, are.

[@PiiskaJesusFreak]

@@raresmacovei8382 it's not. Developers target the specific console they are developing for. If a game is developed for ps5, it's going to be optimized for exactly those specs. But steam deck is not its own ecosystem. It uses the pc ecosystem. And pc is not a fixed target like a console is. There isn't new hardware every 5 years or so, there is significant new hardware every year. As an analogy, it's like the difference between point release and rolling release distros. Consoles are point release hardware, pc is rolling release hardware. Now, if you do point release based on rolling release, you will inevitably run into some limitations. Still, you can do great things within those limitations, and that's what steam deck seems to be doing.

[@raresmacovei8382]

@@PiiskaJesusFreak I didn't make a point for the Steam Deck being its own ecosystem. I was just amused by your statement taken at face value.

[@PiiskaJesusFreak]

@@raresmacovei8382 the point you were making was fair, that's why I tried to elaborate why it's not the same thing, though at the face value it's exactly the same. Thanks for adding a valuable view point to the conversation!

[@Lestibournes]

My guess is they'll come out with a new model every 2.5-3.5 years, about twice as frequently as new console generations.

[@JauStudioFR]

This device uses the same kind of architecture as all consoles. We develop for a generation, trying to not waste too much memory and CPU/GPU budget. Ok "AAA" go fast, add more and... yeah it's not always tightly optimized. Anyway on desktop, devs leave maps resolution settings or ray tracing etc... We don't optimize "for PC". PC doesn't exist. We can't aim precisely, test on the target machine. On top of that, most "gaming" PC are weak things barely as able as a Switch. Not everyone is wealthy or a famous streamer lol. Look at Steam survey. The techs are here and since I/O is fast, next UE5 games will run nicely. But yes, now we need blazing fast I/O but also strong CPU / GPU and a LOT of fast RAM / VRAM. Especially for open worlds. I think things should improve for Steam Deck if Epic don't try to create new bumps on the road and if other big ones do the same. Epic, when will we be able to use UE5 on Linux other than in UE4 rendering mode ? When will you stop fighting against things just because Valve had the idea ?

[@fabledredeyes]

I seriously hope developers start developing for hardware around these benchmarks. It's absolutely shameful they don't optimize anymore.

[@mikeafter5]

Long term reviews are great, thanks! If they nail the software, the hardware will follow. Besides, do you know any 3 plus year old pc that is waiting for a triple A title to "push" it?

[@drawfull]

You're playing the Linux version of RotTR, which runs like crap on deck. Force a Proton layer and play the Windows version. I completed it on deck locked at 40fps, medium/high settings with no performance issues at all. It runs at 60 most of the time.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Yeah, Valve should force the windows version over the Linux one

[@drawfull]

@@TheLinuxEXP I wish they'd just be consistent, but I was told it's up to the developer which Steam chooses to have downloaded as default - I've had Windows versions of Linux stuff download without having to do anything as well.

[@RU-qv3jl]

It would be better if they made it modular so that you could improve the Internals. I wouldn’t upgrade the deck regularly, because I don’t with my computers. As such they need to think of a way to keep it more regular to me.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I don't think this would be easy with such a small form factor

[@AyaWetts]

Like Steam Deck Framework edition...

[@florianfelix8295]

@@TheLinuxEXP intel seems to have a concept for business laptop called intel NUC 11 which DerBauer made a video on which basically puts the essential hardware on a module that can be exchanged, it seems like a good idea for consoles, too I think?

[@BooleanDev]

that would probably increase cost a lot

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

Valve should've used KDE Plasma Mobile instead of KDE Plasma 5.23 imo since it's much better on touch screens (and yes there is a x86-64 version) or just used GNOME 42.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I also think GNOME would have been a better choice

[@Beryesa.]

I think they choosed it just because windowsy look, I don't think they thought much about it. (Yes they've sponsored some KDE developers on kwin side but that's another story)

[@PiiskaJesusFreak]

@@TheLinuxEXP as a gnome user and fan, I'm not sure if that would have been the best idea. Gnome is very keyboard oriented system, using it without one basically eschews most of the benefits of using gnome. And it takes quite a bit of customization to make it light enough for this hardware. I'm not convinced either kde or gnome is the optimal choice here. A custom desktop could result in the best user experience for these controls. Then again, kde and gnome are the only "real" Linux desktop environments, so it is kinda understandable that they went with one of those. And it is much easier to make a light plasma desktop than a light gnome desktop. You would have to use some other package manager than gnome-software. Like pamac or something...

[@theviniso]

It'll get better.

[@dramaticnormanbates2605]

@@TheLinuxEXP And I think Fedora IoT would've been a better base system. So with only one click/command, anyone could rebase to an official or community built SteamOS GNOME Spin, Pantheon Spin, or a more up-to-date KDE Spin, just like how anyone can easily rebase Silverblue to Kinoite or to any community image.

[@shariarrahman7562]

I have sunk about 40 hours into Shadow of the tomb raider which came out two years after rise of the tomb raider. Obviously I don't know the details of how you set up the game, but I've easily gotten a 30 FPS constant gameplay. You just need to play with the right settings. Of course we are not talking about the same game, so maybe there are certain optimizations in shadow which are missing in rise. But a later game should be more intense in general

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I think Shadow is much better optimized for Linux!

[@Mediumpimpin69]

It doesn't have to be the majority of gaming computers, just enough that devs will not want to leave that money on the table. I think a lot will add lower res textures if needed to make it deck viable.

[@GlenMerlin]

That intro was slick. Awesome to see you improving your production quality ❤️

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Thanks 😁

[@Killaidenn]

Use BOILR with hero launcher to automatically add each individual epic game you downloaded to your steam library so you can customize each game with the steam optimization options individually. It even adds thumbnails and stuff to make it look native in your library.

[@jerryferreira8960]

As always, love your videos. I got a big kick at the beginning when you jumped on the couch like a kid and when you talked with your stuffed tiger! It makes your videos so nice to watch.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Hahah thanks 😁 I never really grew up!

[@tatertot64]

Came back to this video to refresh myself on how your bumper buttons held up. I've used the right bumper in Burnout 3 on PCSX2 held for extended periods of time, and it's already started to lose its click. The button still actuates, but I've read some horror stories online of the button beginning to totally fail after a while. I'm really sad, because my unit was a gift, and I live in a country not supported by RMA. I have literally 8 hours logged on Burnout 3, so to see the bumper failing that quickly is pretty sad.

[@erikreider]

Great video! What I did with my unit was to add a few of my flatpak applications to Steam like discover, Firefox, Chrome so that I don't have to logout to the desktop. Have you also tried using the dual trackpads to type instead of using your fingers? I found it tricky in the beginning but I got used to it after a while :)

[@toxiccan175]

I’m waiting for Valve to apply the same technology and their new know-how to building a stand-alone VR headset! (It’s in the works and it’s codename is Deckard.) Their engineers now have experience developing AMD APU-based hardware and they now have an OS built around it. Like Kronk from the Emperor’s New Groove once said, “Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”

[@koffinkat666]

This is a pure programming issue, I am POSOTIVE that if love was put into these games working on Steam Deck it could work. Just look at PS Vita, Games looked incredible! (Steam Deck is way more powerful) This is possible on all these games but the love needs to be put in on EACH individual game.

[@lordadz1615]

The HZD stick lock issue was addressed during linus streams and seems to still be persistent. 5 months down the line.

[@LegionIscariot]

Zero Dawn and Sinking City issues are from the games themselves. Both those games have performance issues. Rise of the Tomb Raider has two versions: Linux and Windows. With the native Linux version being 10fps slower than the Windows version.

[@telldo8016]

I can run Monster Hunter for 3+ hours at stable 40fps (to save battery) and I love it. That's the only kind of AAA I need on the Deck, not gonna put render-heavy stuff because I don't really feel the need to see photorealism on a 800p display.

[@ZaberfangX]

I disagree and agree. Harder part steam deck need to overcome, is how many they can put a deck in people hands. About people want get a pc for eye candy ends up dev really cuts out them self out the market when the top video card still a 1060.

[@ty_teynium]

I actually got the email notification to purchase; gonna get mine in a couple days! Can't wait to try Blender, and would Love to see a custom colors schemes.

[@dany08011]

I would love to see a gnome distro optimized for the deck. My main PC is a X86 tablet and I run fedora, gnome is very good on touch screens and with the improved osk extension you really don't need a mouse and keyboard at all

[@bluephreakr]

I wanna see what Minisfirum had managed to pull off on the Deck. It's custom hardware already, _why not_ add a built-in card edge interface for it to slot into a dock and permit use of a GPU using the x16 lane? Then the dock would be just like one of those Thunderbolt docks but laying parallel to a table in a plastic case with extra storage, extra USB slots for MP and the capability to use a real, honest-to-goodness GPU with the iGPU acting as coprocessor for the CPU.

[@RYLTVINKIE]

Not sure if someone mentioned this already but they keyboard works the same way as it did on the steam controller where you can use both touchpads simultaneously and use left and right triggers to click for their respective trackpads. It makes typing WAY faster and for enjoyable. Definitely not as good as a keyboard but good enough where I can type quick enough to respond in text conversations during online games

[@Watchandlearn91]

Most of my favorite games are older titles or Indie ones - I don't really care for most of the newer AAA eye candy games. I think the performance will be fine for most of those games for a long time like you said. I finally got my confirmation email to order the deck a couple of days ago and I am looking forward to seeing it for myself. I do fear that the size will be an issue since I spend so much time playing my switch lite that I wonder how much thicker and heavier this will seem.

[@hksduhksdu]

Nice video!!! Thank you so much, you helped me made my decision. What's the game there at 12:05 that you played?

[@somethingelse401]

My gaming rig is no slouch but it's been almost replaced by the steam deck. (3800x + Vega 64.) 908 Games 185 Verified 432 verified and playable. I'm also playing unsupported and untested games on the deck such as mortal online 2, and monster Hunter rise. My average battery life is around 3 hours, but I also tweaked the hell out of the settings to make it that way

[@TheLinuxEXP]

My desktop has a ryzen 7 5800H and an RTX 3070, and I only play on the Deck 😅

[@baninabrar98]

Love how you keep making your humour more creative. Makes your videos more fun

[@Mockedarche_old]

My main play style I expect will be streaming games from my main pc to the deck. 720p 60fps will be easy with a rtx 3080. Probably will keep a decent library on the deck but IMO the deck shines as a game streaming machine. Think how often you use the deck outside of the house. Another thing the deck shines as is emulation. Don't have my deck yet but man im I excited to get it lol.

[@World_Theory]

If Valve ever ships a stand alone VR headset based on the Steamdeck's hardware, I could see certain games targeting the steamdeck for their games. The Valve Index is starting to show it's age. But I'm starting to wonder if a newer, better APU will be will be available by the time Valve ever releases a new headset, which would mean that game devs would have two possibly closely related, but not identical hardware platforms to target. I still think Valve would make an x86 based Standalone headset, rather than an ARM based one, simply because their catalog of games are mostly, if not all, x86.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

Not sure the deck really has the hardware to run an Index - my old now sadly dead rig struggled a bit on many things with the VIVE, and on paper the deck isn't even as powerful as that - though I suspect it would actually just squeak into outperforming it in many cases, its the modern faster memory and faster single threads vs older but much more of em both type situation. (oneday I'll have to try VR on the deck - but that means pulling my desk out to unplug the vive, so I keep hoping to find folks reporting it works/doesn't so I don't have to bother)

[@World_Theory]

@@foldionepapyrus3441 Think of it this way. How does the Deck's performance compare to what is basically a powerful smart phone (The Meta Quest 2, or the Pico Neo 3 and soon 4, or the Lynx R1)? I know at least one VR app on both Standalone and PC VR, with crossplay between them, with some limitations on Graphics on the Standalone build. And I know of another app that had a Standalone VR app version in the works, though not actually ready for release yet due to alpha stage bugs. Point is: I think we're close. Close enough to investigate the comparable performance of the Steamdeck to the performance of existing current gen and near future standalone VR headsets. I can't deny that VR performance on the deck will be very sensitive to the particular app played, and and user's sensitivity to VR sickness.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

@@World_Theory Yeah PC VR experiences have rapidly grown to meet the compute capacity of available hardware and so give really good results - doesn't mean VR can't be done on weaker stuff, but it won't be the same VR content. Not sure where the Deck will max out till you really try it, but my bet is its going to struggle with more modern detailed VR badly, but handle something like flight simulators pretty well (when the settings are turned down enough)

[@joogotv]

3:25 thank you for clarifying that

[@reeboothemad5514]

You chose a good selection of games for testing! I really need to replay Spacemarine - the Bolter is so incredibly satisfying in that game. :D

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Spacemarine is so much fun!

[@9a3eedi]

I love how nick says "a lot" Eurlot

[@Tom-vg5nb]

Awesome video. I finally got my steam deck. I am currently playing Gotham Knights and the new star ocean. The games run fine. Personally for me I am not worried about the steam deck running AAA games. Games aren't optimized for p.c. They are generally made for PS4 or Xbox and ported to PC. The next gen of games are years out. PS4 and Xbox will have games made for them a long time. So if the game can run on a toaster like the PS4, the steam deck should run it. Yeah PC games can push 4k visuals and gamers have high end gpus at times. But lower resolutions like the native steam deck will be viable. I also see proton being optimized for years and years. There have been instances where I forced compatability with proton ge and the game runs a lot better.

[@bugs181]

The games you mentioned were launched before the Steam Deck. I think that detail matters. Game designers had no incentive to spend time optimizing. Moving forward, especially seeing how well the Steam Decks are selling, publishing companies have much more incentive to optimize games for where the market is. Otherwise, sales drop because customers that own decks simply won't be buying those games. Back in 2021, a gamer by the name of T0st was able to optimize GTA Online loading times by 70%. The backstory is simply that the game data loading function was spending an inordinate amount of time using a custom JSON parser and the developers never cared about it (apparently for several years). So a gamer took it upon himself to optimize the game himself. It became such a large sensation that Rockstar themselves implemented a fix and awarded a bounty. Game load times went from 6 minutes or more down to a minute and a half. This is more specific proof of a triple A title that just didn't care (even though 80% of their userbase DID care). Game publishers moving forward know what will happen to their game sales with this type of mindset, and the outcome won't be good.

[@JoaoPedro-ki7ct]

0:02 The angle Chad Nick 😂

[@provis83]

It’s a pc and the whole point is you can use it your own way. But I do feel like you are doing some things that make your life harder and some things are very specific to your scenario. First off the keyboard is best used from your touchpads. Lutris is easily installed via a copy/paste command that is documented on their website and honestly it is a more advanced app and if that isn’t something you are comfortable with then making it more accessible with a flat pack in the discover store might just give it a bad wrap. And I never had any problem with shortcuts to games directly in the heroic launcher. I haven’t had any problems with discover updating either. I feel like the desktop mode has improved since I’ve had it for just a few months especially while docked. I also think it’s not ideal but I’ve done a ton with it on desktop mode in handheld mode. My biggest complaint doing this is the lack of alt/ctrl type keys on the keyboard. If something hangs it’s incredible frustrating to get out and almost always involves hitting power button to reboot the device.

[@Gormit]

Très très bonne video. Tout comme toi je suis tombé amoureux de cette nouvelle façon de jouer et j’enchaine les heures de jeu. Ce qui me plaît également avec le deck c’est la disponibilité des différentes pièces et l’accessibilité relativement aisée proposée par Valve en partenariat avec IFixit. J’ai pu changer mon ventilateur sans avoir trop d’expérience mais tout de même en sueur ;)

[@realtimestatic]

I personally played mostly emulators, Tunic, Yakuza: Like a dragon and all those games have been completely amazing experience on the deck

[@hammer86_]

Thanks for clearing up the shirt thing. We were all wondering.

[@Jkauppa]

try meta quest 2 instead through usb-c cable as the vr display. you just need windows with the quest 2 app on the steam deck. meta quest 2 is 2k x 2k pixels per eye, 4K in total pixels

[@xellaz]

Glad to hear you're a gamer too aside from being a Linux enthusiast. I have the Steam Deck too and it's awesome! 😁 I still game more on my beast PC though that has a 5950X & 3090. 😅

[@little_forest]

I do not think that it is useful or fair to wonder about the Steam Deck being able to run AAA games now and especially in the future. No handheld ever will be able to be comparable to and thus does not compete with a stationary console or PC, but that are the platforms those games are made for. In the end, it seems to me, valve having started to talk about AAA games on the steam deck was more of a marketing thing. More like „hey, it (almost) runs AAA games, so the hardware and how linux runs on it is fine for a handheld!“

[@TheLinuxEXP]

I'm bot expecting it to run AAA titles like a PC with a 3080 would, but 30FPS at low details, with a stable framerate is a minimum

[@little_forest]

@@TheLinuxEXP Well, I do not expect even that necessarily, cause the deck does not have any dedicated graphics card at all, despite having awesome integrated graphics. But what you expect is definitely what the marketing was suggesting the deck would be capable of. So, it was Valve itself who raised those high expectations in people. So I definitely see, where you are coming from. I think technically the deck delivers what it can. And maybe there is still some headroom left on the driver/software side. (And concerning desktop experience there definitely is, just as you said in the video!) But my rule of thumb here is: mobile device + integrated graphic = AAA meh. And that is totally fine with me, cause it is a mobile device.

[@wcg66]

I just ordered mine. I figured what the hell, it's worth trying. Excited to get my hands on it.

[@foxdata]

5 months you’ve had it. I’m still on the waitlist XD

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Hahaha sorry 😅

[@Thornskade]

You can add any program as many times as you want to Steam. So with several Heroic shortcuts you can have individual settings per game I don't know why you'd want the Deck as a main PC but nothing prevents you from dual-booting Windows or another Linux distro

[@aaronogden9900]

I'm fine with the Steam Deck struggling with the most demanding games as I can play them on my laptop. The Steam Deck is good for the gazillion other games available on PC.

[@bepis2679]

The problems with The Sinking City sounds like it has to compile new shaders during runtime. Have you tried DXVK_ASYNC=1 in your launch options?

[@TheLinuxEXP]

The issue reproduces even after the first stutter, so I think it might not be related to a shader, but I'll try the option!

[@bepis2679]

@@TheLinuxEXP I had stuttering problems on my desktop with Battlefield 4 and 5, but using ProtonGE with that launch option fixed it.

[@Tachi107]

If the base system doesn't get updated, why did they switch to Arch? I feel that continuing to use Debian would've been a better fit

[@magnawaves]

I can't speak for everyone, but in the past two years I poured money into setting up a very extensive environment for pc based games. In much simpler terms, I spent a shitload of money to buy some expensive ass stuff. When I want to go full blast, my PC is a monster. 6800xt / 5800x / 32gb, I cannot find something yet that will run at absolutely max settings below about 75 fps, and I am using a 1440p ultrawide monitor on top of that. I have a lenovo legion 5 for the midrange, and that has been great as a general use machine. It's still got a 3060 and runs pretty much everything at 1080p/60. I can play, work on blender, and do whatever, wherever I can find a plug. Then my deck came in, and while it cannot match either of the other two, it's in one simple case that can carry its very small power adapter and the system, hardly weighs a thing, and lets me play tons of my srpg library, and monster hunter. I have yet to put an emulator on here and yet I'm already in love with how versatile and ergonomic this little machine is. I don't need to bring a controller with me, or lug around a big ass power adapter, or be stuck sitting in one place. Personally I could care less about this machine being futureproofed, because it's doing exactly what I wanted it for. I think it's silly to buy something like this expecting it to be an all-in-one replacement for anything when it isn't trying to be that. There was a lot of attention placed on the pc market thanks to all of 2020 and 2021 happening, and once things hopefully go back to normal, I can see lots of folks reaching for those 3060s and stuff in that far more affordable range. The deck isn't too far away from there, and I'd wager developers will put a little more emphasis on that range alongside the upper extremes just because of the market that I see sprouting there. All that said, Q3 DECKCHAD HERE BAYBEE PRAISE GAB3N

[@rklrkl64]

I think my current main Deck concerns - having had one for over 3 months - are: features requiring desktop mode that should also be in gaming mode (e.g. add a non-steam game or setting a static IP for your wi-fi), very poor virtual keyboard (missing keys [escape, arrow keys, Ctrl, Alt], key presses seem to need to be very precise, doesn't auto-pop-up when there's an input field (particularly in desktop mode), no UK layout, no way to move to top or bottom to uncover input field, no transparency option), out-of-date system software (kernel, glibc, KDE Plasma) and weak internationalisation (esp. desktop mode, which only supports en-US by default). It's about time Valve looked really hard at desktop mode and improved it to reach the same standards as gaming mode has attained. This is especially important if a SteamOS 3 official ISO is released and Valve ever wants that to work well on desktops/laptops where end users are more likely to use desktop mode (and may even boot into that by default) and might not have a controller and/or touchscreen.

[@flamingscar5263]

I have to disagree on the deck not being able to run future AAA games the examples you gave are driver issues, something AMD hardware is HEAVILY known for (at least on windows, which is what im comparing to since like windows the steam deck drivers are closed source, unlike AMDs desktop hardware on linux), and because of that Valve/AMD (not sure who makes the drivers) can fix these issues hardware wise the steam deck has the power needed to last until at least 2 more years, the game to show that is cyberpunk cyberpunk is the new crisis, its a game used as a way to see if hardware is future proof, the deck can run cyberpunk no problem even without FSR at 30fps if it can run cyberpunk it will be able to handle any game to come out for the next few years, but 1 thing I do worry about is driver issues and Valve/AMD not fixing them, as you said horizon zero dawn STILL has issues on steam deck even tho it has no issues on a linux desktop, showing its not a proton problem but hardware wise the steam deck shouldn't have any issues, and some good news on the drivers part is that AMDs new CPUs all have included RDNA 2 graphics like the steam deck, so its possible that AMD may just support the steam deck as if it was one of their upcoming CPUs

[@TheLinuxEXP]

The Deck can't really run Cyberpunk at 30FPS, though. It regularly has spikes at 20 to 23 FPS, the framerate isn't smooth at all

[@flamingscar5263]

@@TheLinuxEXP I played just today for like an hour or 2 with very little noticeable frame drops, does require locking to 30 fps at low settings for 0 fps drops tho as without the 30 fps lock it jumps between 40 and 20 fps a alot, could be due to CDPR constantly improving performance

[@raresmacovei8382]

AMD is not known for "heavily driver issues, especially on Windows". That's FUD and has always been.

[@flamingscar5263]

@@raresmacovei8382 tell that to my friend who for about 6 months could barely use his 5700 because games would black screen, card was not faulty, it was a known and common driver issue AMD has gotten better, I have an AMD GPU in my pc rn, but I've had more driver related issues with AMD then I ever had with Nvidia, especially in VR, I have to use driver version 22.4.2 for my quest 2 to function really at all, some other versions work, but its up in the air if I'll be able to update my drivers when new ones release with Nvidia I never had drivers issues with VR or really at all

[@raresmacovei8382]

@@flamingscar5263 I'm sorry to hear and you and your friend's problems. My 5700 XT has been rock solid the past 3 years. In 2016-2018 I also used a HDA 7850 and R9 280X. They both were flawless. Setting aside Crysis 3 (the original, dunno about Remastered) not working properly on RDNA1, the last time I had issues with an AMD GPU was in 2007, when I tried to run a pirated version of Portal on my ATI X600 Pro (more or less a renamed 2002 ATI 9600 XT). I don't even know if I was using the latest drivers back then.

[@MechThumbs]

Good job on the intro my dude!

[@stephanepiquemal8297]

I wonder what is the support policy of Valve regarding the base system of SteamOS. The kernel and Plasma are quite old now and they have not received any significant update yet.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Yeah, it feels like desktop mode is there as a fallback for non steam games, but they don't really see SteamOS as anything else than a "gaming distro"

[@cacodemon345]

It's probably going to be supported in a LTS (long term support) manner.

[@TheRelen222]

Since I already have a nice setup, all I really wanted it for was to play pixel art indies and classic games. This saves on energy usage and less wear on your main computer.

[@jd31068]

I'm glad you found time to clean your place in between videos 😉😜

[@HikingFeral]

I actually really want one! I have always built my own PC's and I've been doing it for 25 years, I plan on waiting a bit longer until I know I can install many different faster SSD's or DIY cooling options, I want to Frankenstein the thing and not be hemmed in and I want to be able to play my favourite games or there's no point. I'm not selfish I would be happy to pay a premium for a tonne more storage and other options.

[@francez123456789]

i thought they added the steam controller like controls for the keyboard. thats disappointing.

[@damianabregba7476]

The issue with discover for me was that beta was at first priority. Changing order fixed many issues. But further it broke again and was crashing endlessly, so i had to delete that beta and get one using Konsole (it seemed to be different one?) and now it just works(apart from wrestling with low storage issues on 64Gb version)

[@DarkWorldQ8]

I want to get one to have a good handheld emulation machine and maybe play some older PC games. $400 is a reasonable price for me for a barebone system, $600 or more is a little too much for a secondary device for me.

[@01devilsmilitia]

I think the deck is amazing, the issues you mentioned with the games, i think valve is working hard ensuring they work as flawlessly as possible so this will no doubt be ironed out

[@talkysassis]

Can you say if getting gpu encoding on OBS (aka AMF) is a mess? I know that on Arch is quite easy, but it can be different on SteamOS

[@kkrolik2106]

I bought silicon cover for my steam deck, to avoid gartering dirt in crevices.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Good idea!

[@kkrolik2106]

@@TheLinuxEXP Cost me only $1,5 after I used $4 coupon code for new accounts, on Chines Amazon Alternative ;) I usually make new accounts from time to time to when I want something cheap.

[@victoriap1561]

the market for pc gamers may be more than 1 billion but i doubt most of them can get the last triple a title to run on their pcs.

[@TheLinuxEXP]

Even if it's 1%, thats still 17 million people, I don't think Valve sold that many Decks ;)

[@WEERG2008]

the temps scare me long playing sessions and long term use will the constant rising temps eventually damage the deck is my worry. the temps on sekiro reached 95 and the screen feel very warm along with the back very scary tbh

[@jeremyrenou1953]

Bonjour et bravo pour tes vidéos, elles sont toujours intéressantes et cela donne un point de vue extérieur et surtout d'utilisateur ce qui est bien plus important qu'un avis de vendeur. Si on résume l'expérience sur le steam deck, en fait c'est une bonne plateforme si l'on ne souhaite pas faire évoluer le matériel comme sur un pc gamer, mais cela reste une bonne petite machine pour ce qu'on lui demande.

[@xt6997]

The main things that got me into pc gaming was modding, and emulators. I grew up on consoles so im not super into high end graphics, but its really hard to play multi plat games on console when you can do cool shit with em on pc.

[@phantomofnyx]

How did you get crash bandicoot working the lutris installer doesn't work. And adding it as a bottles installation results in it saying it can't connect to servers ? ^_^

[@AndersHass]

I would think desktop mode will get bigger focus once the dock is out. But ye the focus is on gaming mode and now also getting the OS to run well on other handhelds.

[@deniskreynin]

Very strange. When I play Horizon Zero Dawn I retain 30-40 fps always at the default settings. I can even get to 60fps if I decrease some settings. Not sure why yours has so much stuttering.

[@paladingeorge6098]

I think the concern for how the deck will hold up in the future is quite valid. However, I have noticed that some games just don't do well on the Deck and its more reflective of how the engine scales for lower end systems. For example, I have been playing a lot of Monster Hunter World on my Deck, and it actually runs super well at med/high settings 30fps! And MHW has very detailed and large environments. Unreal Engine games, on the other hand, don't seem to scale down so well. I play Deep Rock Galactic on the side and, while the deck is capable of running it 60fps at medium settings, its not a game I would have expected to max out the system because of its simplistic art style. Furthermore, while I haven't tried Rise of the Tomb Raider on my deck, I have played the game before, I do believe that game is just poorly optimized. Last time I played it was on an old desktop with an i5 4690k and a GTX 1060 6gb, and it struggled more than MHW for me on that system.

[@SAGERUNE]

I have to think about this. When the switch came out it was not playing modern titles. I was still very much happy with it. And I kind of am still. The future flexibility does concern me. But what I want to see is more tech like fsr and vrr to attack optimization at a software level. I watch alot of 2 minute papers and I am seeing the raytracing ai improve and other such features but the steamdeck isn't even capable of that...but maybe with software level growth we can somehow extend the life of this hardware?

[@BluplanetFriends]

Great presentation!