Discussion Steam Deck

[Muadib]

Just got mine and have been mostly playing around with emulators, surprised at how easy it is to setup and works very well

I haven't gotten into emulators yet, mainly due to my steam library. However I will get to them eventually. I agree with you though, it seems really easy to set up.

 

[Zor Prime]

Steamdecks are zero day available now, order and have it shipped.

Plus, they finally unveiled their dock which is available to order too.

 

[Aikouka]

I ordered one of the docks and it should be here on Thursday (according to the tracking). I don't necessarily expect it to be technically better than my existing Anker dock, but I do likely expect it to be functionally better as being able to stand up will be a nice change of pace.

I also received a 64GB Steam Deck that I plan to use for a gift. I ended up getting a 256GB drive to put in it as they're pretty cheap (around $30), but I also want to tinker with an M.2 extension that I bought to see how viable it is repositioning the M.2 to allow for a larger drive. The biggest downside that I see is that the current setup allows for the SSD to be in the direct path of the fan's airflow whereas any other spot will likely lose that benefit and suffer from extra insulation due to the casing being plastic.

 

[Aikouka]

My dock came in today, and overall, it seems to be a decent add-on. I don't have that other popular third-party one to compare it to, but I'm sure either would be fine. Valve wasn't kidding when they mentioned being able to update the firmware on the dock. As soon as I turned on the screen for the Deck, I got a notification about there being an update for the Dock. You just hit the button to update, and it updates it right there for you. The only thing is that I don't recall there being any information on what the update does, which would be nice to see. I'm also not sure if there's a section in the settings for the Dock information as I didn't see anything. I'm also using the power adapter that I was using with my Anker hub and not the one that came with the Dock.

All in all, if you've already got an Anker USB hub or something like that, you don't really need the upgrade, but I do prefer it leaning up rather than constantly laying down like I had it with the previous hub.

 

[PingSpike]

I was thinking of getting the dock since I'd like to add a KB/mouse to play at the kitchen table. There are simple docks that just have a charger and a couple USB ports that would get the job done here but they have a lot of reviews saying "the USB ports do not work". I might just buy the valve one for Christmas.

 

[Aikouka]

I was thinking of getting the dock since I'd like to add a KB/mouse to play at the kitchen table. There are simple docks that just have a charger and a couple USB ports that would get the job done here but they have a lot of reviews saying "the USB ports do not work". I might just buy the valve one for Christmas.

If you'd like me to try anything out with it, I can give it a shot if I have the hardware lying around. I did see some remarks on Twitter that FreeSync isn't working correctly right now, but they're working to fix it.

One thing about the Valve Dock that might work well for you is that they said it can be powered via the Deck itself, but the ports won't have as much power. I could give that a go with a mouse and keyboard to see if it works.

 

[PingSpike]

One thing about the Valve Dock that might work well for you is that they said it can be powered via the Deck itself, but the ports won't have as much power. I could give that a go with a mouse and keyboard to see if it works.

Actually, I'm sort of curious about that question since getting a plug to the center of the kitchen table will leave wires dangling about.

 

[Aikouka]

Actually, I'm sort of curious about that question since getting a plug to the center of the kitchen table will leave wires dangling about.

Alright, it took me a while, but I finally got the Dock tested with a keyboard and mouse. Now, I didn’t go super crazy with testing as I didn’t feel like stealing a crazy RGB keyboard from my desktop. I used two different keyboards: a standard looking wired Microsoft keyboard and a wireless Logitech G613. For mice, I only tried one, which was a wired Logitech G502.

Overall, I think I’d say that it worked fairly well. My only complaint is that the mouse was moving around rather fast likely due to needing some sensitivity adjustment. (I’m not sure if the Deck has any.) Although, even with that, it was still usable. I had no issue with the keyboard, but I do wish that they’d do things like map the Windows key to the Steam button.

 

[Modeps]

I got a Steam Deck in the second wave. Came in, got addicted to playing Skyrim on it. Grabbed the Steam Deck Dock and soon afterwards for some reason the software battery indicator said that the thing was draining while doing nothing in about 2 minutes. Valve support was great and RMA'd it rather quickly (after receiving it). No problems so far with the new one. Even with having to RMA it, I love this device and being able to play from bed.

 

[gorobei]

asus ally has a release date

Asus ROG Ally launches May 11 with pricing 'for sure... below $1,000'

Asus' Steam Deck rival is promising to redefine handheld gaming.

www.pcgamer.com

linus got a preview a few weeks ago

the amd apu (7840u) inside is way more powerful than the steamdeck. there are other pc handhelds coming out using the same one as the asus.

the frore solidstate cooler seems like the ideal choice for these things.

 

[CodeBeholder]

I got a Steam Deck in the second wave. Came in, got addicted to playing Skyrim on it. Grabbed the Steam Deck Dock and soon afterwards for some reason the software battery indicator said that the thing was draining while doing nothing in about 2 minutes. Valve support was great and RMA'd it rather quickly (after receiving it). No problems so far with the new one. Even with having to RMA it, I love this device and being able to play from bed.

I have a steamdeck and have been looking at getting a dock to play on the TV from the couch, which controller do you use and does it lose any functionality game-wise with losing access to the touchscreen?

 

[quikah]

asus ally has a release date

Asus ROG Ally launches May 11 with pricing 'for sure... below $1,000'

Asus' Steam Deck rival is promising to redefine handheld gaming.

www.pcgamer.com

linus got a preview a few weeks ago

the amd apu (7840u) inside is way more powerful than the steamdeck. there are other pc handhelds coming out using the same one as the asus.

the frore solidstate cooler seems like the ideal choice for these things.

I am very interested in this. Since it is native windows, can use gamepass on it. Will see how it shakes out price wise.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I am very interested in this. Since it is native windows, can use gamepass on it. Will see how it shakes out price wise.

- Below $1000 means $999.99.

 

[quikah]

- Below $1000 means $999.99.

$699.99 (maybe)

Leak: the Asus ROG Ally will cost $699.99 with an AMD Z1 Extreme

Which suggests the Z1 version will cost less.

www.theverge.com

 

[gorobei]

$699.99 (maybe)

Leak: the Asus ROG Ally will cost $699.99 with an AMD Z1 Extreme

Which suggests the Z1 version will cost less.

www.theverge.com

looks like bestbuy went a little early on the webpage. $700 for the z1 extreme version

Best Buy's ASUS ROG Ally Price Reveal Positions Handheld As A Steam Deck Killer

A product advertising leak, which appears to have surfaced via US tech retail giant Best Buy, has allayed our darkest ASUS ROG Ally fears today.

hothardware.com

 

[quikah]

Bestbuy preorder is live

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus/learn-about-rog-ally/pcmcat1678398541884.c

The 699 price leak was correct.
Claimed 2 hr battery life, will see how things shake out in real world tests.

 

[ElFenix]

That seems cheap. Is that cheap?

 

[gorobei]

That seems cheap. Is that cheap?

for the hardware and performance you are getting vs the top end steamdeck, yeah cheap enough. $650 top end steamdeck vs $700 top ally with way better screen refresh/color, better cooling/noise, and better audio.

the hardware is better but accordingly the battery life is worse when you use the full performance. also valve dialed in the low power tuning. the big issue with the Ally is the software isnt ironed out yet, so they need MS to hurry up with windows handheld mode as well as fixing their own asus software.

the huge advantage is that it is windows, so all your software will run (anti-cheat, discord, etc) vs having to wait for valve proton to issue the compatibility fix.

Linus full-ish review

 

[igor_kavinski]

Asus ROG Ally Review (Z1 Extreme): Lighter and Brighter

Asus' first gaming handheld is smaller than the bulky Steam Deck, and packs a newer chip. But there's so much more to handheld gaming than specs.

www.tomshardware.com

TLDR

Crazy fast CPU
Better GPU but not a huge improvement
Excellent display
Gaming battery life short enough to make you sad

 

[thilanliyan]

Yeah wish the battery life was better but hopefully with FSR and framerate locks I can get near the Steam Deck.

Speaking of Steam Deck, anyone got Jedi Fallen Order to install on a Deck? Clicking install does nothing. I did install EA app and logged in, but still cannot install Fallen Order.

 

[QueBert]

Man that looks super nice, but with what's come out about Asus over the past few weeks I think I'm done supporting them. After watching the videos Gamers Nexus & JayzTwoCents made. Asus really screwed the pooch this time and I don't see how they can fix things.

 

[sze5003]

Not a bad price but I don't really have a use case for it. It's one of those nice to have toys for the 1 or 2 10hr flights I do each summer. Other than that it would be sitting idle.

 

[Oyeve]

On my way to BB to pick mine up!

 

[CP5670]

Not a bad price but I don't really have a use case for it. It's one of those nice to have toys for the 1 or 2 10hr flights I do each summer. Other than that it would be sitting idle.

My issue too. I would rather game on my desktop setup and have the full experience instead of gaming on a tiny screen. I prefer to read ebooks on flights/trains or play ports of a few old dos games.

 

[KMFJD]

one one hand it works great....on another the screen is just so small and my eyes are getting old......plus the constant looking down hurts my bad neck...i've seen some people have a lot of luck with the nreal ar glasses, not sure if i want to drop that much money or just say f'it and go back to a gaming laptop