It turns out that not having a gaming PC makes it difficult to make the most of a platform like Steam, even if you were there for the platform’s bitter beginning. In this respect, the Steam Deck represents an opportunity.
It’s Just Been Released Locally
To be fully transparent, the main reason I’m buying a Steam Deck right now is because it’s just been released in Australia. Valve really dragged its heels in making the portable available down under, and the vastly inflated price and lack of warranty put me off opting for a gray import instead.
This will be relatable to those outside of the US, Canada, and select parts of Europe and Asia, but it doesn’t make a difference to the overall point I’m making. The Steam Deck would have always been a catalyst to get back on the Steam train, even if it had launched locally on day one.
I Want to Play Steam Games Again
I remember when Steam first launched, shortly before I bought the silver Half-Life 2 package. Downloading the game over a dial-up connection and weathering a storm of connectivity and stability issues was the norm for 2004.
My Steam usage peaked in the halcyon days of Counter-Strike: Source, long before the service started logging playtime. Moving out and switching to a laptop on which to complete assignments made it more difficult to play games, and ditching Windows for Linux (and ultimately macOS) made things significantly harder.
Eventually, the Xbox 360 and subsequent consoles absorbed my gaming time. Halo 3 taught me how to play shooters with two analog sticks, and games like Fallout 3 and the success of Microsoft’s digitally downloadable Xbox Live Arcade lineup further steered me away from a keyboard and mouse.
Since then, I’ve had a few short-lived stints with Steam. I bought Sim City 4 Deluxe after realizing there’s a perfectly serviceable Mac version. I dabbled with Euro and American Truck Simulator after picking them up in a sale. I played through Return to Monkey Island and Vampire Survivors on my MacBook Pro, because there was no way I was going to miss out.
But I feel like I’ve not spent enough time with PC games in the past two decades. Steam is the biggest storefront for video games, but it’s by far my smallest library of all the services I use. Worst of all, I have a small library of games and I can’t play most of them.
Steam famously has the best sales and frequent events where developers show off unreleased wares. Breakout hits make it big on Steam first, but I simply cannot play on a console because they never grace the storefront. Sometimes they arrive so late that the world has moved on by the time they do.
For me, it’s time to play Steam games again. That includes everything from another run-through of Half-Life 2 (which literally won’t run on a modern Mac) to whatever indie darling is making the headlines this week.
It’s a Low-Commitment Gaming PC
Despite the portable form factor, dual analog sticks, and lack of Windows, the Steam Deck is still a gaming PC. It uses a 64-bit AMD x86 processor, just like other gaming PCs. It has an AMD RDNA2-based GPU, just like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 (which are also essentially closed-ecosystem PCs at this stage).
Committing to building, maintaining, and eventually upgrading a gaming PC isn’t for everyone. Dealing with Windows more than I absolutely need to for work purposes doesn’t fill me with joy. The Steam Deck has neither of those problems.
The Deck is cheaper, easier to use, and more accessible than a purpose-built gaming PC. It doesn’t take up a corner of the room, and it doesn’t need an external monitor either. I can play it on the sofa or pack it for a weekend trip. These are things I’ve come to depend on as a console gamer.
It hasn’t got the power of a desktop or even an enthusiast laptop, but that’s a trade-off that I (and many others) are happy to make. A huge number of Steam games just work at this stage, and the purpose-built UI is the envy of Windows portables like the (admittedly much more powerful) ROG Ally X.
Wondering about Steam Deck compatibility? Look for “Deck Verified” status or hit up ProtonDB and make sure the game works before you buy.
Valve’s decision to arm the platform with touchpads for cursor control, gyros for tilt-based aiming, a touchscreen just in case, and a full set of regular face and back buttons makes it great for a whole variety of games. That includes many that are traditionally best suited to mouse and keyboard play.
And of course, there’s always the ability to dock, add your own peripherals, connect to a TV and monitor, switch to the Linux desktop, or go the whole hog and install Windows. It’s a PC, after all.
I Miss Out on Early Access Titles
I’ve bought a few early access games over the years, many of which I’ve not actually played. Steam’s early access program gives gamers a chance to support upcoming projects, snag games at a discounted rate, and follow a game’s development first-hand.
Though both Microsoft and Sony have limited early access programs, nothing quite compares to Steam. As someone who listens to too many gaming podcasts, following the gaming conversation is a bit of a hobby. Not having a PC to play the latest games can make it feel like you’re missing out.
Fortunately, the Steam Deck has kicked up such a storm—particularly among indie developers—that many games launch with decent Deck support and quickly become must-play titles. Games like Vampire Survivors became perfect Steam Deck fodder long before they hit the 1.0 mark.
Long-awaited titles like Hades II come to Steam first. And then there are other games, like soft-body physics simulator BeamNG.drive, that feel like they’ll never leave early access.
I Want a Portable Emulator
I’ve come close to buying a Retroid or Anbernic portable emulator a few times now (but I’ve always been careful to avoid the cheapest retro handhelds). With the aid of Emudeck, the Steam Deck can play a huge selection of retro titles and even add them to your Steam library.
The Retroid Pocket 5 just launched for $219, half the price of a basic LCD Steam Deck and around $330 less than a Steam Deck OLED (the Retroid Pocket 5 also has an OLED display). While I could buy one of those instead, spending a bit more to get access to a much larger library of games feels like a no-brainer.
I’m Not Waiting for Microsoft’s Handheld
A lot of people use the Steam Deck to stream games from their gaming PC using Steam Link. Others use Chiaki to stream PS5 games using Sony’s Remote Play feature. As a primarily Xbox gamer, I’m looking forward to using Greenlight (or XBplay) to stream Game Pass titles from my console in the living room.
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed in November 2024 that Microsoft is working on an Xbox portable, and remote play will surely be part of that vision. This sounds like the perfect portable for an Xbox gamer, except for the fact that the portable is said to be years away from release.
I already updated my router last year and the Steam Deck OLED has a Wi-Fi 6E chip that offers good network performance both in terms of game downloads and remote play. I’m ready now, even if Microsoft isn’t.
It’s an exciting time to be a video game enthusiast. Got an original Steam Deck? Find out if the Steam Deck OLED upgrade is worth it.
