I wanted to play docked all the time. Should I buy a 720p monitor?

[HexGramarye]

I'm Q2 and hopefully getting my Deck in the next couple months. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of people say the Deck struggles in docked mode. That power can drain while connected, that performance takes a hit when outputting to a 1080p or a 4K monitor, and that text can be too small to read. The most worrying thing was that people are saying the Deck automatically outputs to the max resolution of the monitor being used, and there's currently no way to change this in the settings.

I want to play Docked 100% of the time. I have a 1080p monitor. I'm wondering if I should buy a 720p monitor to make sure I get the same performance docked as I would in handheld mode.

I realize I'm not necessarily the target audience here, so please don't tell me not to buy the Deck. I have my reasons for buying this instead of a different gaming PC or a console.

[SockDog]

I would be hopeful that Valve has an update on the roadmap to coincide with the official Dock release which will give some better handling of external displays. I don't believe it's anything that can't be solved in software.

As such, I'd suggest holding off buying a specific display until the software matures a bit more as you may find you're paying over the odds for something unnecessary.

[retrogunner]

Given you haven't fully detailed your use-case other than "docked all the time" it's likely best to wait for it's arrival (as I am):
1. 3rd party and accessory markets are ramping up - this will include external monitors for optimally handling the deck's HDMI output.
2. You wouldn't have to wait long for your purchases depending on location to warehouses, online orders are fulfilled in under a week - delivered. The only thing I'm exclusively investing in now was an SD Card on-sale at a great price.
3. Patience will let others test the accessories first before ruining your deck with some USB port frying gadget. Better first adopters RMA and talk about it so you don't have to.

[Marlock]

The issue people are having with the Deck plugged into higher resolution monitors happens only in Gaming Mode, not on Desktop Mode

Valve developed "GameScope" (the core tech behind Gaming Mode) from scratch just a little while ago, so there are a few missing features one would usually expect (this thread is about one of the big missing things, the other big thing IMHO is lack of an easy way to alt+tab between windows to ensure the correct one is in focus).

I think they expected folks to go into Desktop Mode while using the Deck docked and paired with a kbd+mouse+monitor, plus they included FSR in GameScope to help upscale stuff from 540p to 720p and up, so I believe this particular feature flew under the radar or they where too confident that FSR would be lightweight enough even for a 4K upscaling target.

Given the amount of threads about this shortcoming, I'm confident they're already working on an update to ensure users can set the actual output resolution, not just the rendering resolution from which FSR does its upscaling magic.


If you get a FullHD monitor with built-in resolution configs, you'll be able to skip buying a new one later.

If you cope with a few missing features in Desktop Mode that only exist in Gaming Mode, you can also wait on the update with a FullHD hardware in your hands and play on the Deck anyway. Just make sure to have a general notion of what is currently missing in Desktop Mode (eg: Valve's incredibly steady framerate limiter and the superior FSR integration)... nothing I recall is prohibitive for my needs, but yours may differ.

[Prezidentas]

Marlock lähetti viestin:

Valve developed "GameScope" (the core tech behind Gaming Mode) from scratch just a little while ago, so there are a few missing features one would usually expect (this thread is about one of the big missing things, the other big thing IMHO is lack of an easy way to alt+tab between windows to ensure the correct one is in focus).

Gamescope has been around for many years in older versions of SteamOS. I don't believe window switching was ever intended to be a feature of Gamescope - games don't use multiple windows. It's mostly an issue with emulators, which might as well gain the option to not show additional windows anyways

[Robbaz]

Have valve even mentioned adding resolution options to Game Mode yet? It's annoying that it maxes out and locks the hz ect.

[♡]

Sir Gramarye lähetti viestin:

I'm Q2 and hopefully getting my Deck in the next couple months. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of people say the Deck struggles in docked mode. That power can drain while connected, that performance takes a hit when outputting to a 1080p or a 4K monitor, and that text can be too small to read. The most worrying thing was that people are saying the Deck automatically outputs to the max resolution of the monitor being used, and there's currently no way to change this in the settings.

I want to play Docked 100% of the time. I have a 1080p monitor. I'm wondering if I should buy a 720p monitor to make sure I get the same performance docked as I would in handheld mode.

I realize I'm not necessarily the target audience here, so please don't tell me not to buy the Deck. I have my reasons for buying this instead of a different gaming PC or a console.

Honestly man just get a last gen console and stick with it for a while. You can always get a next gen console after paying attention to alerts. I got mine that way, and irs about the same price tag than a deck

But if you still positive want just a deck night as well check a refurnished pc with similar components. You will get what you want extra stuff to do and probably cheaper.

Hope this helps

[Marlock]

Red Star Gopnik lähetti viestin:

Gamescope has been around for many years in older versions of SteamOS.

Thanks for this correction! I forgot it was used there too.

Red Star Gopnik lähetti viestin:

I don't believe window switching was ever intended to be a feature of Gamescope - games don't use multiple windows. It's mostly an issue with emulators, which might as well gain the option to not show additional windows anyways

While it would be nice if emulators could change that behaviour on their end, this is unfortunately not exclusive to them, showing up in some games as well.

It also affects multitasking, which Valve may not have seen as a use-case for Gaming Mode but it's pretty obvious now that they should have

Gaming Mode included several Quality of Life improvements not yet offered in Desktop Mode (some might even not be possible to implement there) so people want to run a game plus Discord, OBS Studio, a music player, etc in Gaming Mode with FSR and the FPS limiter and whatnot... using Desktop Mode is not a feature-complete alternative for them


In any case, that's more about the other big issue than this one... the performance issue with FullHD and especially 4K screens in gaming mode happens even if there is only a single game window

[Bel]

I play quite a games on a 4K OLED TV and I've found the experience "good enough" when using FSR from the Deck's native resolution. Been playing a lot of Skyrim SE that way. It may be a bit soft, but it's still better than normal upscaling. In my opinion, more recent games with TAA suffer less when played this way because TAA makes everything blurry anyway.

[Bee🐝]

Bel lähetti viestin:

I play quite a games on a 4K OLED TV and I've found the experience "good enough" when using FSR from the Deck's native resolution. Been playing a lot of Skyrim SE that way. It may be a bit soft, but it's still better than normal upscaling. In my opinion, more recent games with TAA suffer less when played this way because TAA makes everything blurry anyway.

OP, this is most likely the best answer you'll get for now; it's based on someone's first-hand experience using the Deck. You can also try posting on the Steam Deck Reddit for more input - quite a few people there also have theirs.

Mostly, I agree with the other posters, don't buy anything until you actually receive your Deck, then you can try it out on a monitor you currently own and decide how you feel about it.

[Mahjik]

Sir Gramarye lähetti viestin:

badboyec24 lähetti viestin:

Maybe this person doesn't want to spend big money on a powerful pc? The Steam Deck does make a good budget pc.

Exactly. Gaming PCs being too expensive, consoles being inaccessible this generation, and supporting Linux development against Windows anti-consumer policies are all great reasons to get a Deck. Getting a portable experience is far from the only reason people would want a Deck.

I just want to try and get the most possible out of my budget gaming experience lol.

You might check this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnNKrEbBkTc

[Marlock]

For OP: maybe all those people proposing non-Decks have a point... or you aren't entirely honest with yourself and your feelings and actually do want (just a tiny bit) to have the option for mobility too, or other Deck-specific features, or the flashy new thing (no judgement, those are all understandable desires, and I feel them too)

For all those people proposing non-Decks to OP: dude specifically mentioned not wanting anything else besides a Deck... I see what you folks are doing, trying to eliminate the competition, but the Deck is too good to be forgotten

[stinky [3090Ti K|NGP|N] [SLI]]

Anyone arguing against docking the deck should just not buy the docking hardware when it's released. We're laughing at you, not with you

[Mahjik]

Marlock lähetti viestin:

For all those people proposing non-Decks to OP: dude specifically mentioned not wanting anything else besides a Deck... I see what you folks are doing, trying to eliminate the competition, but the Deck is too good to be forgotten :diceyjester:

He mentioned he's on a budget and the Deck fits his budget. However, I do believe there are laptops out there in the same price realm as the Deck which can provide the same (if not better) experience. His restriction is price, not form factor since he wants to use it docked 100% of the time to a monitor.

[retrogunner]

Another reason to wait. Recently the YT "The Phawx" make a piece on a 40hz refresh with 40fps cap. Valve is now going to (or has been working on) implementing the 40hz refresh for the Deck's display (as an option). It creates a balanced (power & performance) experience.

There's been no mention the Deck will support VRR for external monitors when that feature is added. (You might be able to with `xrandr` from the command line.

So, it may be worth waiting as that could influence your external display purchase.

[Paradigm]

Are you able to pair xbox controllers for this in docked mode?