Factorio Steamdeck Appreciation

[Neltera]

It is pure joy to play Factorio on Steamdeck.

Since i focused much of my gaming on my Steamdeck, i learned to appreciate many things about game optimization and user interface design in games.
So naturally, with all the immense work that our beloved Factorio received, i got to a new level of appreciation for the game.

I believe Wube Software wrote unrecognized gaming history as the first developer, who fully utilized the controller of the Steamdeck.

If you have a Steamdeck and love factorio, it is so worth it to get used to playing on it.
Many of us know the feeling, when during the day you play a bit of Factorio in your head and think about solutions, it is a new level to also be able to just bring your factory with you wherever you go.

[MissWheems]

FACTS!!!! I love playing on my steam deck so much.

[brian_va]

using a controller for something even as basic as an RPG like skyrim or something infuriates me (driving games i can somewhat manage), i couldn't imagine trying to play this game with one. to each their own though; glad it works for those who enjoy it.

[Daviana]

factorio works on the steam deck?! i gotta download it on mine then... now the factory can grow even when i'm travelling!

[Nisk Philadelphia]

Originally posted by Neltera:

It is pure joy to play Factorio on Steamdeck.

Since i focused much of my gaming on my Steamdeck, i learned to appreciate many things about game optimization and user interface design in games.
So naturally, with all the immense work that our beloved Factorio received, i got to a new level of appreciation for the game.

I believe Wube Software wrote unrecognized gaming history as the first developer, who fully utilized the controller of the Steamdeck.

If you have a Steamdeck and love factorio, it is so worth it to get used to playing on it.
Many of us know the feeling, when during the day you play a bit of Factorio in your head and think about solutions, it is a new level to also be able to just bring your factory with you wherever you go.

Originally posted by !MsWheems:

FACTS!!!! I love playing on my steam deck so much.

Originally posted by Daviana:

factorio works on the steam deck?! i gotta download it on mine then... now the factory can grow even when i'm travelling!

Doesn't the steam deck have atrocious cooling, battery performance, and in general just poor graphics/cpu performance?

I think even my ultralight laptop outperforms the stupid thing while having more battery power and utility.

Seems like a dumb gimmick to have something that's oversized (bigger than a phone) but still underpowered compared to a iPad or laptop.

[Neltera]

Originally posted by Nisk Philadelphia:

Originally posted by Neltera:

It is pure joy to play Factorio on Steamdeck.

Since i focused much of my gaming on my Steamdeck, i learned to appreciate many things about game optimization and user interface design in games.
So naturally, with all the immense work that our beloved Factorio received, i got to a new level of appreciation for the game.

I believe Wube Software wrote unrecognized gaming history as the first developer, who fully utilized the controller of the Steamdeck.

If you have a Steamdeck and love factorio, it is so worth it to get used to playing on it.
Many of us know the feeling, when during the day you play a bit of Factorio in your head and think about solutions, it is a new level to also be able to just bring your factory with you wherever you go.

Originally posted by !MsWheems:

FACTS!!!! I love playing on my steam deck so much.

Originally posted by Daviana:

factorio works on the steam deck?! i gotta download it on mine then... now the factory can grow even when i'm travelling!

Doesn't the steam deck have atrocious cooling, battery performance, and in general just poor graphics/cpu performance?

I think even my ultralight laptop outperforms the stupid thing while having more battery power and utility.

Seems like a dumb gimmick to have something that's oversized (bigger than a phone) but still underpowered compared to a iPad or laptop.

playing extremely well optimized games like factorio keeps the deck super cool.
i do not go for that, but nonextreme megabasing is not out of the picture on the deck.

since i got deeper into the steamdeck i recognize how much difference real game optimization makes and for factorio so far just an overall smooth experience.

Wube recognised its not a real controller what you have on the deck, its setup practically gives the same input versatility as a mouse and keyboard, the differences are shockingly neglectable. most of the time i just ignore controller support for other games, but in factorio they put in a lot of effort and it shows

takes just a bit to get used to, but we factorians are usually comfy with new solutions.

just to clarify, in factorio on the steamdeck you get the benefit of an adapted user interface, not just what other devs do and shallowly implement nonefficient controller support.
they made gaming history with the steamdeck and adapting the game to its input options and nobody talks about it.

[That Fish Guy]

Musk seems to be a fount of lies and negativity.

Factorio works great on my deck, battery lasts 5 hours and temp never goes high.... I wouldn't do a mega base on it, but I've never done a mega base at all.

[NGMZeroX]

Thank you for supporting the handhelds <3 !

Factorio run great on steam deck , I love it. the only sitting I had to change was the color filter to make the game more vivid (and keybinding to my preference).

though the king in my vacations was the Nintendo switch ... the game is even more crisp in the switch for some reason, sadly it don't support mods (it support custom scenarios) so I have few game mods in it. but IF it make it to 2.0 then most of the QoL mods I tend to use will be part of it.

[Chindraba]

Doesn't the steam deck have ...?

I think ....

Seems like ...

You know, I don't know how the deck compares to a laptop, a phone, a tablet, or a god-box. Somehow I don't really care. What I do know is that, since I don't know, I'm not going to be offering opinions about the deck or the game when played on the deck.

---

Doesn't the steam deck have ...?
If you knew you wouldn't have to ask, or guess.

I think ....
No you don't.

Seems like ...
Seems like you don't think about what you don't know and still like to share that lack of knowledge.

[Vyndicu]

Originally posted by Nisk Philadelphia:

Doesn't the steam deck have atrocious cooling, battery performance, and in general just poor graphics/cpu performance?

Huh? It may be true relative to a laptop or dedicated desktop (minus battery).

I own a Steam Deck. The Steam Deck works wonderfully, given the physical dimension where everything has to fit inside (battery, CPU, GPU, etc).


Are there better mobile gaming consoles? Sure, but they all come with trade-offs.

Steam Deck checked most, if not all, of the feature boxes I wanted in a mobile gaming console.

Originally posted by Nisk Philadelphia:

I think even my ultralight laptop outperforms the stupid thing while having more battery power and utility.

What about holding the laptop with controller handles while gaming on the go?

I have a 16-inch laptop that weighs 5.9 pounds (2.7 kilograms) and can run demanding modern video games.


Steam Deck holds its ground at 1.41 pounds (0.6 kilograms) against the 16-inch laptop in terms of performance-to-weight ratio.

Using the 16-inch laptop as a console would have given my orthopedist a headache while treating my wrist.

Originally posted by Nisk Philadelphia:

Seems like a dumb gimmick to have something that's oversized (bigger than a phone) but still underpowered compared to a iPad or laptop.

I think the iPad is overpriced by a factor of three compared to the Steam Deck ($399 vs. Apple iPad Pro $1,299).

I don't own any Apple products. So, I can't test the performance myself.


The Apple iPad price is a nontrivial barrier and doesn't check off any of my desired mobile console feature boxes.

[DaBa]

Can't play it without mouse and keyboard unfortunately, it feels crippling.

I tried it on the Switch where it actually has proper controller support, and to their credit I don't think it could've been done much better than that. And STILL it feels terrible.

[Simon]

Originally posted by DaBa:

Can't play it without mouse and keyboard unfortunately, it feels crippling.

I tried it on the Switch where it actually has proper controller support, and to their credit I don't think it could've been done much better than that. And STILL it feels terrible.

If you have a Steam Deck, did you play with gyro? That's typically what I've, as someone who's played a good +500 hours in controller mode. It's incredibly comfortable and accurate, apart from a couple very weird key combos I would say it's all you really need to change to enjoy the experience. The only time I really miss a keyboard is when typing is required, because of obvious reasons.

[Neltera]

crazy idea - why not just use the builtin trackpads as mouse? must be such a wild concept to accept their existence. Wube recognized their existence thankfully.

to compare the steamdeck to a controller is such an ignorant notion, which controller has the same amount of buttons around your hand as a keyboard while giving you mouse precision through actual trackpad mice, yes 2 of them, that you can even double or tripple bind with functions and even create your own button layout in addition by utilizing the trackpads.

people still think they are missing a mouse, when the steamdeck has 4 mice built into it, with 2 trackpads, one touchscreen and a gyro mouse and you can seamlessly use them together.

[DaBa]

Originally posted by Simon:

Originally posted by DaBa:

Can't play it without mouse and keyboard unfortunately, it feels crippling.

I tried it on the Switch where it actually has proper controller support, and to their credit I don't think it could've been done much better than that. And STILL it feels terrible.

If you have a Steam Deck, did you play with gyro? That's typically what I've, as someone who's played a good +500 hours in controller mode. It's incredibly comfortable and accurate, apart from a couple very weird key combos I would say it's all you really need to change to enjoy the experience. The only time I really miss a keyboard is when typing is required, because of obvious reasons.

Yeah I tried, but the gyro is not a replacement for the speed and precision of a mouse. If you've learned how to play the game from scratch like this then I think you'd be fine. but after hundreds of hours of using mouse and keyboard shortcuts, and getting used to doing things really fast, having to use analog sticks, gyro, or the trackpads feels like I am moving in molasses.

[Drizzt]

i would definitely like to try Factorio on the SteamDeck

but conversely, i would also be worried that Factorio would be one of the only games that i would actually enjoy playing on the device, since as the OP mentioned, Wube really did a great job of it (which does not surprise me) - but i would be surprised if too many other devs managed to make their games work so well on the deck for people who are exclusively keyboard and mouse players

but it is the only handheld device (or even console) that is anywhere near the possibility of me buying

but since i don't spend that much time in a position to play games where i don't have access to a table - a gaming laptop is possibly next in my future to replace my PC and add some portable gaming to my life

but yeah - SteamDeck with even just Factorio almost feels like it could be worth the expense if i would be finding myself using it for even just a few hours a week

but on those same occasions i could also be reading a book (which i rarely do), or listening to an audiobook (more likely, and what i do now), or watching a movie on a tablet

but still - back to the fundamental point - i would be very interested to see how well Wube did with the controls for the SteamDeck - and if it is properly playable then it might almost be worth getting one just for Factorio - preferably when prices go down and battery life goes up lol :-)

[DaBa]

Originally posted by Drizzt:

i would definitely like to try Factorio on the SteamDeck

but conversely, i would also be worried that Factorio would be one of the only games that i would actually enjoy playing on the device, since as the OP mentioned, Wube really did a great job of it (which does not surprise me) - but i would be surprised if too many other devs managed to make their games work so well on the deck for people who are exclusively keyboard and mouse players

but it is the only handheld device (or even console) that is anywhere near the possibility of me buying

but since i don't spend that much time in a position to play games where i don't have access to a table - a gaming laptop is possibly next in my future to replace my PC and add some portable gaming to my life

but yeah - SteamDeck with even just Factorio almost feels like it could be worth the expense if i would be finding myself using it for even just a few hours a week

but on those same occasions i could also be reading a book (which i rarely do), or listening to an audiobook (more likely, and what i do now), or watching a movie on a tablet

but still - back to the fundamental point - i would be very interested to see how well Wube did with the controls for the SteamDeck - and if it is properly playable then it might almost be worth getting one just for Factorio - preferably when prices go down and battery life goes up lol :-)

Steam Deck is perfect for most indie games, since they usually go for less demanding visuals and focus on gameplay instead. It's a perfect device for platformers, rogue-likes, turn based games, and also emulation of older games.