Key Takeaways
- The Steam Deck allows for easy, on-the-go gaming so you can make even large AAA titles more accessible over short, rewarding play sessions.
- Handheld portability can rekindle interest in older games with fewer technical worries, encouraging even full playthroughs in short bursts.
- Valve’s save sync feature allows for a seamless transition between PC and Steam Deck, letting you pick up and play where you left off.
Most gamers have a backlog of games that they’ve bought with good intentions, then never get around to finishing or even starting. For me, the Steam Deck has been transformational, and now I’m getting through my gaming pile of shame faster than ever.
Easier to Pick up and Play
One reason I struggle so much with finishing games is the fact that so many of them ask for dozens of hours of my time, which makes even starting them a little intimidating. I feel obligated to spend hours at a time with a big AAA game so that I can feel like I’ve made meaningful progress.
But this can sometimes make me feel burnt out, which only causes my playthrough to drag on even longer.
With the Steam Deck, the simple fact that I can play even the latest AAA games on-the-go tends can make the experience feel more accessible, which inspires me to play games a little bit at a time instead. Because I’m not sitting in front of my big, high-resolution monitor to remain fully immersed means that I’m more likely to play until I get bored rather than binging it for hours on end.
The answer to my backlog might just be short, sharp, but ultimately rewarding play sessions and the Steam Deck’s boundless potential makes that possible.
Old Games I Missed Feel Much More Appealing
My interests change a lot, and while a game from 20 years ago might sound fun on a whim, by the time it’s installed and ready to play there’s a chance I’ve already lost interest due to outdated mechanics, graphics or technical limitations.
But once you put the same game on a handheld device and give me free rein to play it wherever I go, I become much more interested in playing through the whole thing in short bursts.
Though it is a powerful piece of hardware, the Steam Deck is still not as robust or complicated as a full-on PC, meaning that many of the things that might normally plague Steam ports of older games are much less of an issue.
The Deck runs Linux, which eliminates most worries about Windows compatibility. Since it’s a dedicated gaming machine with little else running in the background, I can usually rely on having a stable frame rate and a level of visual fidelity that looks great on its 800p display.
Playing Multiple Games at Once is Less Intimidating
When I’m playing games on the PlayStation 5, I tend to stick to maybe one or two main games that I switch between while I work on finishing each one. This means I can more easily give each title my full, proper attention. It also means that I’m not progressing in any of the other games on my ever-growing backlog while I do so.
Luckily, the “pick up and play” nature of the Steam Deck means that I can have a few smaller games to play on the side, while I work the bigger games on my main console.
Instead of starting another new game on my console, I can get on my Steam Deck and play something a bit more casually while still progressing through a game I’ve been meaning to finish anyway.
I Can Pick Up Where I Left Off On My PC
One of Steam’s most useful features for Steam Deck owners is the save sync feature, which automatically backs up your saves to the cloud. This means that you can easily pick up where you left off later, even if you uninstall the game.
This feature works both ways, meaning you can play a game on your PC for a while and then boot up the same game on the Steam Deck and pick up right where you left off.
Being away from my PC no longer means that my progress in a game has to be put on hold until I return, since I can just keep playing from where I was with almost no issue.
Now, I can keep attempting that boss fight or grinding for items while I’m in the car, the doctor’s office, or even on a break at work, giving me a lot more time to make progress than I would have if I only played at home.
Play Modded Games on the Go
A big selling point of the Steam Deck for me was the fact that it has a desktop mode, which allows you to move files around and navigate them the same way you would on a full-fledged PC. This means installing mods in certain games is fairly easy as long as you know how to navigate Linux. It’s just a matter of dragging and dropping files in place, or even just enabling a mod in the Steam Store.
Sure, the Nintendo Switch also delivers a fantastic (and cheap) portable gaming experience, but due to the locked-down nature of the system modding simply isn’t possible on a stock console.
Not only can I play nearly anything from my Steam Library on a handheld, I can even customize the experience in much the same way I would on a PC. I can fix outdated mechanics or bugs, add brand-new content, and much more without sacrificing the novelty of playing on a portable system.
The Same Variety Without the Hassle
Despite its limitations and the fact that many games that aren’t fully compatible, the Steam Deck can still play a good majority of games from the Steam catalog without much compromise. Even if my PC can’t run the game, there’s a chance the Deck can, and if I feel so inclined, I can even get an adapter or a dock to play it on my monitor and emulate the home console experience with a controller.
Steam has a lot of games that are not available anywhere else, especially ports of older titles that may not even be available on modern consoles. On top of this, the platform tends to have a lot more free-to-play or early-access games and heavy discounts that are otherwise unavailable or deliver a lackluster experience on consoles. And then there are all the emulators that Steam Deck owners have access to.
Of course, much of this is true for other handhelds, which is a large part of what makes them so successful. The Steam Deck’s seamless progress tracking and direct integration with Valve’s own software is what sold me. Now, I’m no longer limited to shoddy, 30fps Nintendo Switch ports or to playing retro games on a cheap nasty handheld since I have my whole Steam library at my fingertips.
The Steam Deck may not be the perfect solution for clearing your backlog, since it can’t give you more free time to actually play games. It’s not even the most powerful handheld on the market. But when it comes to making life easier for someone with a massive backlog, it’s a real game-changer.
Don’t be limited to Valve’s handheld if you’re curious. It might be worth looking at all the current options and deciding which one is the best choice for your personal tastes and habits so that you too can finally get through that backlog.
