I've been playing PC games since I was a kid—I remember trying SkiFree on my mom’s desktop when I was too sick to go to school. Since then, I've amassed a vast library of games on Steam, the platform created by Valve; it's how most people play games on their computers. (Valve is also the creator of hits like Half-Life and Portal.) I was intrigued when Valve announced the Steam Deck last year, a handheld portable gaming console that lets you play your PC games anywhere. It's the potential kick I needed to get through my ever expanding Steam backlog.
Well, I've been using the Steam Deck for several weeks, playing AAA and indie games on my couch, in bed, while sitting on an office chair, in my car, at a café, and on a plane. Some of my fears when I first heard about the gadget were validated—it's bulky, and the layout of the controls isn't very ergonomic, attributes you don't really want in a handheld console.
It also feels like Valve could've used a few more weeks (months?) to polish the software experience. (The Deck was supposed to launch back in December, so it's already been delayed once.) This console has been in development for four years, through a pandemic, so it's not surprising to see last-minute issues to correct. But since I received it, Valve has pushed system updates every single day—meaning I've had to retest certain functions over and over again. Valve says it will continue pushing out frequent updates to squash bugs after launch.
That's both good and bad. It means the software needs more work, but it also shows how committed Valve is to the Steam Deck. I'm glad to see it, because this thing has a ton of potential.
Bulky Machine
Photograph: ValveI received the top-end Steam Deck that retails for $649, which includes a 512-gigabyte solid-state drive. You can pay as little as $399 for the Deck, but you'll only get a paltry 64 GB of storage. Considering that AAA games are 50 to 70 GB these days, if not more, you'll probably want to pay up for the 256-GB version ($529) at the very least.
