Steam Deck kind of weak

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Like it's better than the Switch, Xbox One, and PS4. But the CPU is weaker than what's in Xbox Series S and the GPU can't even march the PS4 Pro's. I mean my gaming laptop isn't anything special either but at least its not as weak as the Deck and I knew what I was getting into buying this. Good on Valve for having 256GB and 512GB as storage options though. I still don't see how you can play the newest games on the Deck without lag unless the screen is in 720 HD or 900 HD+ lol

Well looking at the prices, it's definitely never gonna compete against the Switch since it's expensive. And for the same price of the 512GB model, I can buy a budget gaming laptop with Ryzen 5 5600H and RTX 3050-Ti which would destroy even the Xbox Series S. Or build a budget desktop PC that can also destroy the Xbox Series S (once scalping ends ofc). Sorry Valve but you already lost against Nintendo before even releasing the Deck.

[tyl0413]

The screen is 720p

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Ewwww that's disgusting, my gaming laptop is in FHD. At least have the Deck be in HD+ smh.

[Gwarsbane]

The screen is 720p and seeing as how its less then half the size of a laptop, its not meant to replace them.

Its meant to keep your kids occupied while driving somewhere. Or let you sit back and play a game.

This isn't for serious gaming, its just for relaxing. If you want serious gaming use a desktop with 3000 dollars worth of parts. If you want better gaming get a laptop thats more expensive but also takes up a lot more space.

Depending on how well this does, expect new versions in the future. Maybe they might be more powerful, maybe they won't be. You are paying for the convenience of mobile gaming on something that is technically as powerful as a small desktop.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Considering that it's more expensive than the Switch Lite and regular Switch they should've added a HD+ screen especially since it's other specs are superior to Switch.

Sorry but the Steam Deck will never properly compete with the Switch nor any iOS/Android devices. Casual normies don't care about powerful specs for a mobile device they just want fun games and affordability.

[Gwarsbane]

Originally posted by Smiling.JPG:

Considering that it's more expensive than the Switch Lite and regular Switch they should've added a HD+ screen especially since it's other specs are superior to Switch.

Sorry but the Steam Deck will never properly compete with the Switch nor any iOS/Android devices. Casual normies don't care about powerful specs for a mobile device they just want fun games and affordability.

The switch is 720p also, but will push 1080p when connected to a TV in the dock, I don't know what the Deck will do when connected to the TV.

They could have put better parts in, but then it would be bigger AND more expensive, all to play on a 7 inch, 720p screen....

You don't need more powerful than 720p for a screen that small.

As for comparing it to the Switch, the games were designed specifically with the switch hardware in mind. The games on Steam are designed to work on all different kinds of hardware not specifically the deck. The switch is designed specifically to just play games. The deck is designed to allow you to do what ever you want on it.

The Android/iOS devices are the same way, they were designed with the Android/iOS programs in mind which are not the same as games/programs designed for PC



We don't even know what it can fully do right now because its not even released. How about we wait till some decent 3rd party groups that test hardware get their hands on it and see what they say. I'd trust hearing from Linus Tech Tips, Hardware Canucks, Hardware Unboxed, Jayz2cents and many others before just going off what the makers say about it. And while I will be linking IGN videos about it, I don't fully trust them cause it sure seems more like paid advertising than any in depth hardware testing, they just keep repeating the same stuff over and over again.

Steam Deck: First Hands-On With Valve’s Handheld Gaming PC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLtiRGTZvGM

Steam Deck FAQ: 31 Big Questions Answered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9eihvhM_KE

Gabe Newell: Hitting Steam Deck Price Was 'Painful' but ‘Critical’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FXgDAF6QpM


If I traveled on the bus to work, I'd consider getting a Deck. If I had a kid that was old enough, I would consider getting a Deck for when traveling.

If you are just going to sit at a deck/on the couch/be in the house and play, desktop/laptop is better for you. If you are just going to sit on the deck outside, a laptop is better for you.

I don't travel much, don't take the bus/train/plane often and don't have kids, the deck is not aimed at me. I have very little interest in it other than its a neat hardware platform that can be treated just like any other computer out there.

They tried to keep the price down, but you can only do so much when trying to miniaturize stuff even more than a laptop. Something has to give, specs or price.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

The Steam Deck is confirmed to output up to 4K @ 120HZ or 8K @ 60HZ. And yeah I dont trust IGN, like who in their right mind would? They give COD high scores but actually good games not made by big Devs crappy scores like that SpongeBob remaster.

And while Steam Deck is supposed to function like a mini PC, it runs off SteamOS aka Linux. Sadly it doesn't have the same third party support Windows and Mac have. I doubt kids would want a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Switch since PC doesn't really have any exclusive games appealing to younger/casual audiences (aside from shovelware).

Don't be naive to thinking that the Deck can run the newest games well even at HD aside from indies. The GPU is even weaker than the GTX 1050 or RX 560 and while I'm not sure how strong the CPU is it doesn't seem to match against modern budget CPUs like i5 10400 or Ryzen 5 3600.

[Parli9]

Originally posted by Smiling.JPG:

Considering that it's more expensive than the Switch Lite and regular Switch they should've added a HD+ screen especially since it's other specs are superior to Switch.

Sorry but the Steam Deck will never properly compete with the Switch nor any iOS/Android devices. Casual normies don't care about powerful specs for a mobile device they just want fun games and affordability.

But one thing i want to point out is while it may be a bit more expensive then the basic switch, its strength, its storage, its ability to have usb ports, and most importantly the fact you can have computer games on it instead of paying 60$ for games, the last thing i want to point out is it does cross computer streaming, if you have strong internet and need that extra boost you can stream off your computer.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

You still need to buy games off of Steam and other clients to play them. It's not like the Steam Deck has games built in. And streaming games still is in its infancy and isn't reliable. People cry about Steam Link not working all the time in the forums.

[Gwarsbane]

Originally posted by Smiling.JPG:

The Steam Deck is confirmed to output up to 4K @ 120HZ or 8K @ 60HZ. And yeah I dont trust IGN, like who in their right mind would? They give COD high scores but actually good games not made by big Devs crappy scores like that SpongeBob remaster.

And while Steam Deck is supposed to function like a mini PC, it runs off SteamOS aka Linux. Sadly it doesn't have the same third party support Windows and Mac have. I doubt kids would want a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Switch since PC doesn't really have any exclusive games appealing to younger/casual audiences (aside from shovelware).

Don't be naive to thinking that the Deck can run the newest games well even at HD aside from indies. The GPU is even weaker than the GTX 1050 or RX 560 and while I'm not sure how strong the CPU is it doesn't seem to match against modern budget CPUs like i5 10400 or Ryzen 5 3600.

No where have I said it can run the latest games at 4k 120fps. I haven't even seen any that said it could do 4k 60fps, just that is their target, and you will most likely have to turn down the games settings. With AMDs new software they might be able to hit this, but time will tell. I personally would not expect anything better than 1080p 60fps when it outputs to a TV and it would require to be plugged in to do that.

And just how do you know the GPU is not as powerful as a 1050 or 560? I've only seen it referenced as it being RDNA 2... which is whats out right now for desktops.

The CPU is Zen2 based, which again is all I have heard it referenced as, we have no idea how strong or weak it is till 3rd party hardware testers are able to get their hands on it and you know test it. Valve is being tight lipped about it right now. Going by what I can find if the ghz is right, this thing might be a 5300U, though they have Vega 6 and not RDNA 2. But again going by what I am reading, its a custom chip.

I personally can't wait for the tear downs to happen, I want to see inside this thing, thats what interests me about it. They say the internal drive is not replaceable, that could mean its soldered in, hope its not but I can't wait to see channels replace it with something bigger. :D


Again you seem to be expecting too much for a HAND HELD PC. You have very high expectations for something that isn't even out yet and very few people have actually got their hands on. We also have VERY limited information from people who were not able to do any testing other than play some games on it. More then half of them don't even sound like they know much about computers.


We will know more once 3rd parties actually get their hands on it and test it, till then its all speculation going off the info that Valve has given and you never trust the info given by the company.


As for what kids like, well if they have a Steam account because the parents set one up or they did it themselves, then they will like being able to take their games, what ever ones they play with them. I know when I was a kid, I would have loved something like this. Heck when I was a bit older and traveling an hour on the bus every day a little hand held to play games during that time would have been nice, lap top was just too big.


Oh and because this is a PC, it can play games from anywhere your PC can play games. with the proper OS it can load up Steam, Galaxy, Uplay, Origin, heck even epic or any other game platforms. Thats more than the switch can do. Heck if you play old school games and have gotten your kids into it will be able to play them too.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

The specs in the Steam Deck website stated it has TFLOPS (F32) of 1.6 and the GTX 1050 has 1.8 TFLOPS (F32). Also because it's an APU and not exactly a GPU, that's probably gonna make it weaker in practice. I know it has ultra fast LP-DDR5 RAM that'll be used as SRAM and VRAM, but it also has to share resources with the CPU. Unlike consoles it won't be utilized as well because most PC games that aren't potato are optimized to rely on dedicated graphics memory. AMD would most likely have to release custom drivers for the Deck so that it could potentially match with the GTX 1050 and RX 560, and for games that are optimised for dedicated graphics to run better.

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-1050.c2875

If what you claim about the CPU is true, that means it's only on par with the i3 10100 or Ryzen 3 3300X at best, which confirms my suspicions of it being somewhat weak. Let's also not forget that most newer games will only perform the best on dedicated graphics as they have hardware and software optimisations that other kinds don't get. That's why the M1 iGP in the new MacBooks can't really run games as well as a GTX 1650-Ti despite having similar theoretical performance (and also other factors too).

The power output of the system itself is limited to 30W, split into 15W for CPU and GPU each. While gaming laptops have the CPUs output to 30-45W and GPUs output anywhere from 75-130W+, so that's also a bottleneck. And yes, I agree that a handheld PC doesn't need to run games at 4K or even QHD on an external display. The way cloud gaming has worked out, I assume other companies like EA and Epic Games might get pissed off about the Deck and demand that their launchers can't be used legally unless they pay an extra fee or install some DRM crap to "fight piracy".

[Parli9]

Originally posted by Smiling.JPG:

You still need to buy games off of Steam and other clients to play them. It's not like the Steam Deck has games built in. And streaming games still is in its infancy and isn't reliable. People cry about Steam Link not working all the time in the forums.

Sorry, I was not direct enough about my argument, the point I ment to make is that Nintendo games are generally really expensive, making it so in the end you pay a lot more to use your nintendo than if you chose this new steam device and keep your games, especially because I don't recall nintendo having cloud save+it launches a new device every couple of years or so.

[Gwarsbane]

Seeing as how its a custom chip for the Steam Deck we won't know what it can and can't do till 3rd party reviewers get their hands on it. Going by the TFlops and stuff means nothing, again because its a custom chip. And again there is also AMDs new software that will more then likely be running on the system, and if games include it in updates well that could mean they run far better on not so top of the line hardware.

Till 3rd party reviewers get their hands on it anything you claim to know for sure is just actually a guess. Even the speeds thats have been mentioned, mean nothing to us because of the fact its a custom chip.

Everything I have come up with is just a guess. I don't know for sure, mainly because I have seen no actual reviews of it, just advertising basically. I specially look forward to when Gamers Nexus can get their hands on one. Speaking of which, here is a quick video about it they put out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkolKam3kjU

Just so you know, Origin and the Epic installer are the DRM, just like Steam is a DRM. And since the Steam Deck is just a PC, there is ZERO way they could legally tell Valve to stop people from installing their stuff on the Deck. It would be like them trying to tell Alienware to not allow people to install their software on the Alienware PCs. Legally they just can't do it.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Originally posted by Parli9:

Sorry, I was not direct enough about my argument, the point I ment to make is that Nintendo games are generally really expensive, making it so in the end you pay a lot more to use your nintendo than if you chose this new steam device and keep your games, especially because I don't recall nintendo having cloud save+it launches a new device every couple of years or so.

Yeah it's ridiculous how console games especially Nintendo's are overpriced and rarely go on sale. When they do the discounts aren't even that much. And after when a Nintendo console is discontinued their first party games actually increase in price at vintage stores. You could argue that the market decides the pricing, but they're still influenced by these companies that set the original price.

[Sh1nRa358]

slightly faster than gpd win 3 but not by alot. It even has 5 more features that no other handheld has BUT...... you cant replace the ssd! This alone makes it useless and purely a streaming device. Ive seen 1 steam game that was 150gb..... Gabe failed to realize that the switch has special compression for its games while pc games are alot of gb. Ill stick with the gpd win 3 for now.

[4K_240hz_MLED]

Originally posted by Sh1nRa358:

slightly faster than gpd win 3 but not by alot. It even has 5 more features that no other handheld has BUT...... you cant replace the ssd! This alone makes it useless and purely a streaming device. Ive seen 1 steam game that was 150gb..... Gabe failed to realize that the switch has special compression for its games while pc games are alot of gb. Ill stick with the gpd win 3 for now.

And unlike the Switch which would easily allow separation of data to the SD card, I doubt the Deck would allow that unless the game itself allows it.