The Steam Deck: Worlds collide
Originally published at https://tech-bytes.net on March 14, 2022.
The great advantage of console gaming is the simplicity. Yes, thanks to the Internet, console games often require day-one patches to perform properly. (This wasn’t a problem in the old days). Or, a download is required because physical discs cannot hold all the content. Yes, it’s true that consoles have ‘base’ and ‘pro’ versions that deliver different levels of performance. Despite all this, the promise of consoles is that they ‘just work.’ You insert the disc or cartridge and the game runs. There’s are no graphics settings to tweak. Developers have one piece (or limited pieces) of hardware to work with. Contrast this with the PC gaming space which offers better game fidelity and performance, but at the cost of complexity and compatibility. Game developers must support a range of graphics cards, CPUs, and memory configurations, and those parts aren’t getting any cheaper thanks to today’s global chip shortages.
Mobile consoles by Nintendo have, historically, held an advantage because they provide that seamless console experience, offer a host of exclusive games (Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, etc.), and they are portable. Anyone who has ever lived between the portable console and PC market has asked “why can’t there be a mobile gaming PC?” This is why the Nintendo Switch is so popular. It’s powerful enough to offer a solid gaming experience and it allows for both TV and mobile play.
Ok, enough preamble. Why does all this matter? Earlier this month, Valve opened pre-orders for its new Steam Deck, a handheld gaming PC built on AMD’s Zen 2 APU. This handheld PC runs a Linux-based operating system called Steam OS (v. 3.0). The Steam Deck allows users to play ‘many’ of their Steam game library portably. Tech Radar described the Steam Deck as “one of the most eagerly anticipated product launches in recent times, with Valve trying its hand at making a handheld console.”
The Steam Deck is an impressive, if not slightly incomplete, package. This first generation product punches above its weight and offers some insight into PC gaming’s future and how far mobile PC hardware has advanced.
Hardware
The hardware is impressive. Engadget provides a good breakdown of what the system has to offer.
“All versions of the Steam Deck have the same AMD APU, which shares a lot of DNA with the chips inside the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, along with 16GB of fast RAM, a 40Whr battery and a 7-inch 800p 60Hz display”
— Jess Conditt, Engadget
Though the system is much larger than the Nintendo Switch, the majority of reviews I’ve read praise the device’s ergonomics and build-quality. Tech pundits consistently point out that the Steam Deck does not feel like a first generation product. Reviews report that buttons, sticks, and triggers are responsive and solid. For a full breakdown of the ergonomics, I’d recommend checking out the Verge’s review of the hardware.
Software
The system runs version 3.0 of Steam OS — a Linux-based OS build for browsing your game catalogue. I’d recommend the Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel for a breakdown of the Steam Deck OS and its performance. It’s a simple OS that makes it easy for gamers to access titles in their library. But, the Steam Deck also supports Windows, though the gaming experience (particularly the driver support and controls) are lacklustre.
The software includes several built-in optimizations. Jess Conditt from Engadget says “There are four optimization levels [for software] — Verified, Playable, Unsupported and Untested — and so far, roughly 10 percent of my library fall in the Verified category.” That means that the majority of games on Steam aren’t officially supported by the Deck. There are many software tweaks one can make to games, giving users a lot of control over higher graphical fidelity or lower fidelity at a higher frame rate. The sheer level of customizability makes the Deck function more like a PC. To Valve’s credit, they have streamlined and unified, the tweaks that users can make to their games. Typically, each game has its own unique interface to adjusting graphics settings. Valve’s solution — a simple side menu — creates a consistent settings interface across the software.
However, determining which games will likely run on the Steam Deck isn’t so straight forward. Chris Plante from Polygon describes the game compatability experience as the following.
“Yes, for a moment, the Steam Deck appeared to be everything I’d dreamt of. But as you’ve probably guessed, the more I test the Steam Deck, the more games I find that don’t quite work. How and why a game doesn’t work can be unpredictable and unclear. Some games are completely unplayable, like 2009’s Arkanoid-inspired Shatter, failing to load or getting stuck on a title screen. Other games (most notably Persona 4 Golden) are playable but have occasional audiovisual problems.”
— Chris Plante, Polygon
I suspect that users with large Steam libraries will encounter the most trouble. Until more games are updated to be compatible with the Steam Deck there’s going to be a lot of trial and error. For users who are new to PC gaming, this will be less of an issue. For these folks, they can stick to the list of ‘verified’ titles to start building their game library. It’s for this reason that I think the Steam Deck is positioned as an entry point for PC gaming.
Games also appear to require the remapping of controls. Again, unlike a console, games require individual configurations by the user.
Best or worst of both worlds?
The Steam Deck is an impressive piece of kit. Nobody can argue that it’s not a marvel of engineering include desktop hardware into a handheld device. But, is the Steam Deck the best or worst of both worlds? Based on existing reviews, I’m not convinced the Steam Deck will appeal traditional console players. It doesn’t ‘just work.’ The Verge’s Sean Hollister says the following.
“Let’s get one thing out of the way: it’s easy to look at pictures of the Steam Deck, see a Nintendo Switch, and imagine yourself magically playing a gigantic library of PC games that ‘just work’ without messing with graphics settings or controls.” That’s not the Steam Deck that exists today.”
— Sean Hollister, The Verge
Matt Hanson from Teach Radar made similar comments.
“However, if you’re a console player who’s used to more polished products that keep things as simple and straightforward as possible, you may be disappointed… This versatility puts the Steam Deck above its traditional competitors, and while people looking for a Nintendo Switch-like experience may not be sold, for PC gamers thinking about getting a gaming laptop, the Steam Deck is a brilliant device with a huge amount of potential, especially for people who like to tweak.”
— Matt Hanson, Tech Radar
Who is this for?
The Steam Deck feels much more like a companion device to a desktop PC gamer, or for the individual who is attracted to the variety (and flexibility) of PC gaming but wants to get in at an affordable price range. The Deck starts at $399 USD ($499 CAD) for 64GB of storage and goes up to $649 USD ($819 CAD) for 512 GB of storage. This makes the Deck much more expensive than the Nintendo Switch, though software is likely to be much cheaper. Compared to a desktop gamin PC, however, Steam Deck is a bargain.
Wes Fenlon from PC Gamer has a unique perspective, describing the Deck as the ultimate device for back catalogue games and emulation. Fenlon says it’s simple to get console emulators running on the Deck. Not only do older console games run beautifully, battery life is considerably better with older or emulated titles than newer games. Gamecube, PlayStation 2, classic Nintendo, and more can all be emulated on the Deck. Steam also has a considerable back catalogue. There is easily a decade’s worth of older games (many of which never made it to console) one could play at Max settings on the Steam Deck with no difficulty. Capitalizing on the PC’s huge catalogue of older titles makes the most sense to me. This makes the Deck the cheapest, and most convenient, device for getting started with PC gaming.
The value of separation?
One of the appealing features of consoles is that they provide a degree of work/life separation. In an age where the majority of office work is done on a computer, I’ve always been a bit wary of gaming PCs that I also use for productivity. I stopped PC gaming around 2008 for this reason. It was too easy to not do my university homework and boot up a game instead. Consoles primarily reside in the living room, away from our workstations.
“The Steam Deck allows me to step away from my desktop, where I spend all day working, and play my games somewhere I can fully relax. Sure, this is already possible through Steam Link, but the Steam Deck makes the process more luxurious. I’ve loved having one in the house, and truly, it couldn’t have come at a better time. I just moved and I don’t have a TV yet, so I haven’t been able to escape to my living room after work as usual. The Steam Deck has filled the void left vacant by my PS5 and Xbox Series S, allowing me to play on the couch at the end of the day — at least until my neck gets sore.”
— Jess Conditt, Engadget
Beyond gaming
The Steam Deck is a gaming device, but it also is an important milestone in desktop computing. Historically, computers have been divided into portable and stationary devices. Portable devices can be plugged into monitors to function like desktops, but they include all the aspects of a desktop computer — namely a keyboard and mouse — whether you need them or not.
Given that the Steam Deck supports Windows, like a laptop, it can be docked and can become your desktop computer. Steam Deck represents a different category of computer. It’s not a laptop. It’s a handheld gaming device that only functions like a Windows computer when paired with a monitor, mouse , and keyboard. The iPad is similar. It’s a mobile device first; but, it transforms into a desktop when pared with the necessary accessories.
The ‘portable desktop’ is often portrayed in fiction as a mobile device, a ‘hub’, that can be docked at home or at the office. In the movie Her, Theodore carries a small pocket computer that pairs with this work and home workstation. In Star Wars, characters carry datapads but can transfer information by connecting these devices to terminals. Samsung attempted this concept with its DeX technology which allowed users to connect Galaxy phones to monitors to function as pseudo-desktop computers. These ‘portable desktops’ function very differently when used in mobile vs desktop mode. Unlike a laptop, there’s no hardware duplication. I only pair a keyboard and mouse to the iPad when I need it; I can’t detach the keyboard from my MacBook. The Steam Deck is like a modern-day datapad.
Conclusion
Given the generally positive reviews and impressive hardware, it’s hard to imagine we won’t be seeing a Steam Deck revision soon. Valve has come out of the gate with very solid offering — one that will only get better with updates and game compatibility. While I don’t see this as a console replacement, I bet developers will start prioritizing Steam Deck compatibility for all future projects.
Originally published at https://tech-bytes.net on March 14, 2022.
