How does the steam deck fair docked to a TV?

[Church.exe]

Some family members who have previously only really gamed on consoles are considering getting a new one, but with the rise of the steam deck I've been wondering whether it might be a valid option for them as well. Given that it can play a solid set of PC exclusive games, and with many previously exclusive titles like Halo being released on the PC, and proton support skyrocketing, it seems like it might be a good option.

With that said, one thing that concerns me is the performance. The steam deck is, of course, a handheld console first and foremost, and it's hardware matches that. So, broadly, would it be able to keep up with at least roughly the same experience as console gaming when docked to a TV, or if they wanted an experience like that, would it be better to retrofit an old PC with a newer GPU and some extra RAM and put holoISO (or an official image of SteamOS for desktop computers when/if it gets released) on it.

*also yes "fare" I only realized that after I posted this

[Haruspex]

It fares well docked, but you're right in that it's a handheld-focused device. Newer more demanding games really need that 720p/800p resolution to perform well, and that doesn't look as good on a big TV as it does the Deck's little 7" screen.

Originally posted by Church.exe:

would it be better to retrofit an old PC with a newer GPU and some extra RAM and put holoISO (or an official image of SteamOS for desktop computers when/if it gets released) on it.

Of course this would work better. You won't be so limited by the Deck's 15 watt TDP and challenging thermal situation. The strength of the Deck is it's portability, so getting one just to keep it hooked up to a TV permanently would be a bit of a waste.

While you could use holoISO or the actual SteamOS when it comes out, you might want to just put Windows on it in this case. The Steam Deck interface is now available in beta, so you could configure Steam to launch directly into that for a very SteamOS console kind of experience. Using Windows ensures maximum compatibility and on a desktop you won't miss SteamOS features like instant sleep/resume or the Steam Deck specific optimizations.

[Jâbbérwôkkï]

I dunno i play Elden Ring on it docked to my TV & it looks great to me.

[Zapix]

You are looking at 1280x720p (or below) 30hz to 60Hz with FRS enabled... You might be able to get 1920x1080 at 30Hz in older games with low to medium, but don't expect it. Though i will say it looked good docked to a 15" portable monitor at 720. Looks like blurry pixelated PS2 trash on my 86" 4K lol

[Clone303]

games looks great on TV

[GundamP_02]

It all depends on the type of TV your going to use. I'm using Nreal Air AR Glasses for a bigger screen.

[Lala Satalin Deviluke]

sadly, the deck cant handle anything above 720 safely, even if a dock upscales to 4k, its still the deck doing the work to which fan internals cant handle steady 4k (poor docks with upsaclarers and no external boosters) , if u dont switch ur deck to 720 only output and 30 fz, ur gonna ruin ur deck as steam sets its default to max so a deck dying quickly from docking is preferred for steam

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by Lala Satalin Deviluke:

sadly, the deck cant handle anything above 720 safely, even if a dock upscales to 4k, its still the deck doing the work to which fan internals cant handle steady 4k (poor docks with upsaclarers and no external boosters) , if u dont switch ur deck to 720 only output and 30 fz, ur gonna ruin ur deck as steam sets its default to max so a deck dying quickly from docking is preferred for steam

It's not going to ruin your Deck. Like most computers, the Deck is smart enough to throttle itself and/or shut itself off before it gets too hot.

But you're right in that it won't scale up to 4k very well. From what I've seen most recommend setting output to 1080p even on a 4k TV. Some games might run fine on the Deck at 1080p, but for more demanding titles you'll be better off setting the game to 720p then upscaling to 1080p using FSR.

Also limiting the FPS to 30 or 40 is only really recommended as a measure to improve battery life in certain games when running off the battery. It's not necessary in a docked situation where the Deck is getting outside power.

[MarcusC]

I use mine mostly docked connected to a 30-inch 1080P TV. And I enjoy it. But if you want a console experience I recommend getting a mini PC with good specs and having it launch directly into Steam. with either Steam OS or Windows.

Another HUGE advantage to PC games over Console games is... Games I bought WAY back for the Playstation 2 and 3 do not work on my current Playstation 4 (Can't afford a PS5 yet). But games I bought at the same time from Steam still work on my current desktop PC and most work on my Deck. So games you buy now for the current Steam Deck will still work on a Steam Deck 2+ in the future.

[WarnerCK]

Originally posted by 8bitbeard:

Also limiting the FPS to 30 or 40 is only really recommended as a measure to improve battery life in certain games when running off the battery. It's not necessary in a docked situation where the Deck is getting outside power.

It does save battery, but that's not the primary reason to lock at 30 or 40. If your game is too demanding to hit a consistent 60 fps then locking it to 40 (if you lower the refresh rate to 40 Hz) or 30 (if the screen is at 60 Hz) gives you consistent frame times (reduced jumping and stuttering).

You're perfectly correct that running uncapped won't break anything. It's just a worse experience.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by MarcusC:

Another HUGE advantage to PC games over Console games is... Games I bought WAY back for the Playstation 2 and 3 do not work on my current Playstation 4 (Can't afford a PS5 yet). But games I bought at the same time from Steam still work on my current desktop PC and most work on my Deck. So games you buy now for the current Steam Deck will still work on a Steam Deck 2+ in the future.

Abso-freaking-loutely. I still have a floppy disk containing the full version of Commander Keen that I bought long, long ago. There's nothing stopping me from plugging it into my modern PC or my Steam Deck using a USB floppy drive I keep handy, loading up the files and happily playing it (With a little help from Dosbox) same as I did all those years ago.

Console games from about the same time... Well, I bought The Legend of Zelda for NES back then. Could I play it on my SNES? No. Could I play it on my N64? Nope. Could I play it on my Gamecube? Well, I could but I would have to buy it again for the Gameboy Advance along with the Gameboy Player. Can I plug that cartridge into my Switch and play? Hell no. I have to subscribe to a monthly subscription service to have access. It doesn't matter that I've technically purchased the game... What. Four, five times now?

Consoles are temporary. PC is forever.

[MarcusC]

Originally posted by 8bitbeard:

Originally posted by MarcusC:

Another HUGE advantage to PC games over Console games is... Games I bought WAY back for the Playstation 2 and 3 do not work on my current Playstation 4 (Can't afford a PS5 yet). But games I bought at the same time from Steam still work on my current desktop PC and most work on my Deck. So games you buy now for the current Steam Deck will still work on a Steam Deck 2+ in the future.

Abso-freaking-loutely. I still have a floppy disk containing the full version of Commander Keen that I bought long, long ago. There's nothing stopping me from plugging it into my modern PC or my Steam Deck using a USB floppy drive I keep handy, loading up the files and happily playing it (With a little help from Dosbox) same as I did all those years ago.

Console games from about the same time... Well, I bought The Legend of Zelda for NES back then. Could I play it on my SNES? No. Could I play it on my N64? Nope. Could I play it on my Gamecube? Well, I could but I would have to buy it again for the Gameboy Advance along with the Gameboy Player. Can I plug that cartridge into my Switch and play? Hell no. I have to subscribe to a monthly subscription service to have access. It doesn't matter that I've technically purchased the game... What. Four, five times now?

Consoles are temporary. PC is forever.