1 year ago, Valve finally started shipping their long-awaited device that would bring PC gaming into the palms of people's hands. While mobile PCs have been made before, this was an affordable option made by the pioneers of PC gaming itself. Utilizing their own distribution of Arch Linux to allow a much more configurable experience, as well as the Proton compatibility layer, the Steam Deck wowed with what it was able to accomplish. I still feel star-struck when playing God of War, Uncharted 4, and Red Dead Redemption 2 on this small screen.
Not all games will be able to run on the Deck though, which we have started to see more of recently, but does that mean we should be worried about the future? Now that a year has passed, is the Steam Deck still a worthwhile investment? Well, it depends on what you are looking for exactly.
Worth It: Older Titles (Pre-2018)
If you have been gaming on PC for years, like I have, you may have a decent backlog of games that can date to the mid-2000's. A lot of these games are so old, you never thought about being able to play these on a handheld device, nor did you think it would be possible due to their age and improbability of ever being re-released. Luckily, with the Steam Deck, that isn't a worry!
The device can easily play most of these older titles with ease. I was shocked at how well the original Dishonored ran on the Deck at 60 FPS. It makes sense that it runs, its an older game running on newer hardware, but I was shocked because I never knew how much I wanted to play Dishonored like this! Tales of Symphonia, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Sleeping Dogs, Dark Souls, Dead Rising, Far Cry 3, Portal 1 and 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dead Space 1-3 (originals), Dead Island, the list can go on and on, but all of these games play extremely well on the Steam Deck with minimal to no changes. If you will be playing a backlog of older titles, this is the perfect machine for you.
Worth It: Most Indie Games
The indie scene is the life-blood of the gaming industry, constantly pushing with new and unique ideas that make us think about games differently with heartwarming stories or exciting new ideas. If you are someone who loves playing these games, the Deck will be your best friend!
Games like Hollow Knight, Celeste, Noita, Rain World, Vampire Survivors, Hades, Binding of Isaac, Undertale, Baba is You, Rivals of Aether, and many more work extremely well on the Steam Deck. This also includes some of the newest titles too like Wandering Sword, Dust & Neon, Chained Echoes, Lunistice, and Cult of the Lamb to name a few.
I say most since there are some that have some small issues or just aren't optimized enough yet. Eldest Souls runs really well, but needs Proton GE or you will be missing videos showing how to perform moves or Gunfire Reborn that needs a launch option to run it. Some indie games are more intensive than others and will need optimization or adjustments to run well, like Kerbal Space Program 2 or Outer Wilds, but these games are far and few compared to the ones that do work. The Deck is an indie MACHINE.
Worth It: Emulation (Pre-PS2)
If you are someone who is looking for a device that can run the classic games from your youth that were released outside of PC, you are going to be amazed at what the Steam Deck can do. Using EmuDeck to install all the emulators and configure them for the Deck, you will be able to run some of your favorite games from the past with ease.
The moment it hit me was when I went out to get Sushi and I was playing Kirby Air Ride on my Deck, sitting at the table, and it was running flawlessly. I was absolutely baffled this was possible! If you are looking to emulate games from consoles before the PS2 era, including the PS2, this device will take you VERY far. Even Wii and Wii U emulation works really well here! PS3 can work too, but I haven't tested and results may vary depending on the game. You can even connect your Deck to a 2nd monitor and use the Wii U or 3DS dual screens separated on the monitors, it is awesome!
SteamDeckHQ does not promote piracy and will never discuss how to get games for these emulators, but emulating itself is completely legal and are happy to discuss the emulators themselves.
Maybe Worth It: AAA Games
Recently, we have seen a slew of newer AAA games that have pushed themselves to get that Verified checkmark to show they are compatible with the Steam Deck. This has been seen with Octopath Traveler 2, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and Dead Space remake specifically that have gone out of their way to get the Verified rating, but it isn't that simple.
While some games AAA games run extremely well on the Deck, like Octopath Traveler 2, some really require some configuring to run well...and some compromises will need to be made. Take Uncharted 4 for instance. The game has a Verified label so it runs well on Deck when you boot it up right? Well...not exactly. To really make the most of it, you will need to make sure FSR 2 is on, TDP limit is at 8 (or the game will drain more than it needs to). Preset for the graphics can be set to high, but framerate needs to be at 30 FPS. Utilizing that will get the most out of the game without breaking your Deck's battery or making temps too hot.
Some games need even more configuring, like Horizon Zero Dawn or Dying Light 2, but they can be played. And then some AAA games just can't be fixed no matter what in its current state, like Wild Hearts, or plagued with stutters that make it much harder to play, like Hogwarts Legacy or Returnal. While most AAA games that have come out work fine, we have been seeing a tougher trend for some newer ones to perform well.
Maybe Worth It: Accessibility
One of the awesome things about the Steam Deck is the ability to switch between game mode and a more traditional desktop mode. In this desktop mode, the device can be used like a normal computer to browse the internet, watch movies, download programs, whatever you want to use it for! It is an awesome feature and one I am glad Valve included, but it can be a slog to fully utilize easily.
Since this is a desktop interface, it's much easier to use with a mouse and keyboard. For this, you will either need a bluetooth mouse and keyboard or a dock you can plug the Deck into that has USB slots. This might be worthwhile at home since it can be set out when you want to be sitting down, but if you are on the move, this will mean investing in a bag or backpack to carry all of this. On top of that, if you forget your Dock, which I have done, it can make the keyboard and mouse useless (if using a wired or USB dongle to connect them).
I personally don't mind bringing everything with me when I am out and about as I am used to traveling with multiple devices, but I know it can be a deal-breaker for others who may use the Deck as a productivity machine too. Now it is better than carrying around a giant laptop, but a laptop is in one piece while the Deck will need multiple. Overall, I don't see it as a crutch, but it's still worth noting.
Not Worth It: Gaming Without Compromise
The Steam Deck is a portable device that has a limited amount of power packed into its portable form factor. Is it impressive what it can do? Absolutely. Does it need compromises to run games well? No doubt! These compromises depend on the game, but they are definitely necessary.
This could be ranging from lowering resolution and using FSR to upscale (which can result in a slightly sharp picture), lowering framerate to make sure battery doesn't drain in an hour and the game is stable, or lowering graphics settings. You will not be able to play every game at 60 FPS, there are some that may not be able to run at 30, but if you're not willing to make compromises to play these games, you shouldn't get a Steam Deck.
One of the biggest compromises is battery life. Depending on the game and how you're playing it, battery life can feel incredibly short. Most bigger games, with optimizations, can have a battery life between 2.5 - 3 hours. While this is short, it is also good to remember that these AAA games weren't designed to be played on a device like this. Yes I can only play Like a Dragon: Ishin! for 3 hours on my Deck, but it also isn't being released on portable devices at all. I would consider this a BIG victory overall.
If you can stomach it, you will be opening yourself to a world of playing games on a portable device that you never thought possible, but for some, being able to game comfortably with the highest graphical quality or at 60 FPS isn't negotiable. This is totally fine of course, the beauty of gaming is being able to pick and choose, but the Deck just isn't capable of that kind of performance.
Not Worth It: The Newest AAA Games
While there have been some incredible strides with optimization and upscaling technology, we have been seeing some new releases fall short of being able to run well on the Steam Deck. I mentioned them before, but Wild Hearts and Returnal are two good examples of this. People were hoping these would run on the Deck and give us the opportunity to play portable, but even with the optimization and upscaling they have, the games just could not run.
This doesn't apply to all new AAA titles of course. Some that come out aren't intensive and run well like Octopath Traveler 2, while some are just optimized very well and can be playable on the Steam Deck (Like a Dragon: Ishin! is an example of that). Some games also take a couple days for patches or the shared shader cache to release and performance could improve, but I think expecting the newest AAA games to run on the Steam Deck will lead to disappointment.
The Steam Deck is an awesome device, but it won't be something for every gamer. But, as a PC gamer, or if you are willing to compromise for portability, this will be your favorite gaming device. It has easily eclipsed regular PC or console gaming for me and became my favorite device. If it were up to me, I would recommend this device entirely! What about you guys? Let us know what you think!
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I absolutely hated the steam deck and returned it as fast as I could once I realized how seriously deficient and overinflated it was; the screen was too tiny to enjoy anything compared to simply streaming via steam link to my 10.5 inch S6 tablet; the controls were very awkward compared to just using a controller; the supported games were quite small; compatibility with rockstar was zilch and I was never able to successfully launch a Ubisoft connect title. For almost $700 (or even $400) this is absolutely unacceptable and lazy on the part of Valve. I'm much better off using my 11" laptop for gaming than this hobbled Emperor's New Clothes.
I think the steam deck is a marvel in itself, but if you're looking for a PC experience, or the NEW consoles 4K/1440p experiences then you're going to be disappointed. The SD is a tweaker's fest. It has so many settings and other things that can be done to it. Much like a PC, but just at a lower resolution and less GPU power. Not quite on par with a PS4, but close enough. Especially with frame rates on certain games. However I tried one (my sons) and I'm so use to the large 4K TV experience it just didn't do anything for me, buy the graphics were quite impressive for a handheld. Controls are superb, the feel of the system and the screen. But I just can't do the handheld gaming thing. Same with a Switch, not my cup of tea. But then again I have a PS5, Series X (with close to 300 games digitally library on it), an Xbox One X, ole 360, and a gaming PC which I barely use. So I think it would be a little overkill to have a SD for me anyway. lol.
No mention of ProtonDB.com to assist with compatibility issues?
Your assessment of AAA games is based on all of 4 titles? 😆
I have over 400 titles and I can state that the vast majority of them, including AAA titles, run great
https://steamdb.info/calculator/76561197990297465/?cc=us
Well the issues I mention are documented on ProtonDB, but we are also a Steam Deck performance review website, so we tend to check compatibility ourselves!
My AAA assessment has multiple different points, but none of them say to not get the deck if you want to play any AAA titles. I do mention older games, which include older AAA titles. While most older AAA titles, even ones that came out last year, work on the Deck, they do need compromises and can’t run at 60 FPS with the best visual settings.
For the newer AAA titles not being a recommendation to get the device, the games that are coming out are going to push new tech, new engines, and go for higher fidelity. Returnal and Wild Hearts can run, but it isn’t easy, stable, and goes under 30 FPS. My mention of them was to hamper expectations that you are buying a future-proof device for the newest and largest scale AAA titles. From the current trend, we are seeing more AAA titles that aren’t playable than before, so based on that, I’d say to lower it.
Overall, the Deck is a worthwhile device and can run tons of games. If you’re willing to compromise, it will run newer games too. But buying the device is expecting Jedi Survivor or Redfall or Elder Scrolls 6 to work and work well is something I wouldn’t put bets on. I’d be happy to be wrong, I love the Deck and want it to succeed, but I also will be realistic in expectations.
While I have not “played” any game as yet on my Deck I do have those games I would be interested in playing on a small handheld installed. I have never been a handheld gamer but I believe the Deck to be “worth it”
I got my Deck in September '22 and I'm still completely blown away. Before the Deck I played on a PS4. Couldn't get my hand on a PS5 (and honestly - so far there are not even remotely enough great games to justifiy the price tag) and there is the fact that I can't clear enough time to play huge AAA titles anymore. I can start playing at maybe 10 p.m and a good session takes up at least 2 hours, which means that I start the next day with 5.5 hours of sleep, which is not sustainable in the long run. And for some reason I always had the feeling that launching the PS4 on my big TV for just half an hour to play some small games simply wasn't worth the effort.
Long story short - last August I decided to scratch the whole "get a PS5" plan and I went for a Deck. Time to reactivate my Steam account which had been dormant since 2015 or so.
Well, what can I say - I haven't launched my PS4 since then. For me the Deck is perfect in every single way (well except for my pile of shame sky-rocketing...). I have no problem turning it on for like half an hour. I switch between multiple games (never did that on the PS4). I play a lot of indie games (NEVER did that before) + I play a lot of old titles I never thought I could play again. Turns out Max Payne 3 still is the best third person shooter ever made and Arkham City still rocks.
I also LOVE the battery lifetime, BECAUSE it is short. This way I simply can't stay up way beyond bedtime. Sounds dumb? Well...not for me.
So to sum things up - the Steam Deck has completely changed the way I play games and for the foreseeable future I won't go back to anything stationary. I don't mind that it can't run modern AAA games, because most of those do not interest me anymore. I've been playing since the early 90s and - some rare exceptions aside - modern AAA games simply can't give me anything new and/or exciting. At the moment my wishlist in Steam is so long that I can play until I retire. And all the games on the list exist already. I'm just waiting for sales or simply for a fitting time frame to purchase them (because most are already really cheap).
And of course lots of Kudos to the SDHQ crew and other pages that really help along with technicalities and tipps for great configurations. For example I would never have dreamed of the Hades configuration posted on this side. Game was running perfectly well on the Deck. I never thought I could turn things down so much (TDP, GPU clock) and still have a perfect experience.
Greetings from Germany. Keep up the good work.
I agree. I've had a similar conversation with close friends that want to get a steam deck and would like to add 1 detail. Streaming.
It's worth mentioning streaming games. We spend thousands of dollars on our gaming PCs. The steam deck makes your gaming PC portable home wide(caveat: networking capabilities). I can use my PC as the horsepower therefore can play any AAA on the couch or bedroom even outside last few nice days here in Texas. This often leads to often triple battery life on the deck as well.
Another less and more situational point is that my office where my PC and networking, etc is located often ends up being significantly warmer than the rest of the house.. I am so excited to play with my gaming rig in a cooler room this summer!! (Which is in a few weeks here in Texas)
Streaming is growing in popularity and definitely worth mentioning to some degree, but I wouldn't use it as a selling point personally. Yes, it can stream and depending on your internet and location, it can work REALLY well, but there are other cheaper devices that are created mainly to use for streaming like the Logitech G Cloud. Granted, the Steam Deck gives the option for local storage and more, but compared to the Logitech or other cloud/streaming-focused devices, it is much heavier and could have a smaller battery. I would consider this a "Maybe Worth It" section because yes, it is a great feature you can utilize with the Deck, but if you're only looking for streaming, there are better, cheaper, and more ergonomic choices too.
Your penultimate comment I totally agree with, it has effectively replaced my consoles and is already my favourite gaming console, perhaps of all time.
Re AAA titles, I absolutely disagree here. My fave games on it ARE the latest behemoths - and the Deck runs them beautifully, so much so Sony must be thinking it’s basically what the Vita 2 could have been - but better, as it plays not just the biggest Sony titles with aplomb, but Xbox AND PC.
I play all these on Deck, and with each one my jaw is permanently dropped;
Dead Space remake
GTA Online - created a new character for PC and fell in love with it again
Red Dead Online - wow, the graphics…
Atomic Heart - astonishing. Just a powerhouse
Halo: Infinite
Halo: Master Chief Collection
Forza 5
Uncharted Collection
Elden Ring
What I’m really looking forward to is getting Emudeck fully set-up to play Motorstorm again which I know is playable in full….plus Breath of the Wild, anyone?
Kudos to Valve this portable PC has redefined expectations and immersive experiences on a handheld device, and let’s not forget how good the controls and inbuilt UI is. I’ve purchased a Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, Dock & portable monitor for it….
Year 2 starts with Last of Us remake. I just love this thing it has already secured legend status.
Hi Galvatron! First, thank you for reading. I appreciate you taking the time to do so.
In regards to AAA titles, I did mention that it doesn’t apply to all new AAA titles and use Like a Dragon: Ishin! as an example. The game came out 4 days ago and plays wonderfully on the Deck, but not all the newest AAA are playable and I’ve been noticing it more now.
The two biggest recently were Returnal, which can’t run comfortably on the Deck, and Wild Hearts, which runs a bit worse. As we go into newer games utilizing new tech and UE5, I believe this problem will be more common.
Of course, this is just my opinion based on observation. Like you mentioned, you can run the Dead Space Remake and Atomic Heart relatively well, though a lot of AAA games need some tweaks to play optimally (whether it be saving unnecessary battery drain or pushing framerate). My statement about newer AAA games is referring to this point onwards. I would not get a Deck assuming that the newest AAA titles will run, as it will depend on how they optimize their engines and use upscaling methods like FSR 2.0.
Overall, I do agree that playing AAA titles on the Deck is totally possible and can be really enjoyable. I just personally feel that getting this device to play the newest upcoming AAA games is going to end up with disappointment and I wouldn’t bank on them being playable.
Hi Noah,
Appreciate your reply - great website, highly informative and a daily read for hunters of all info related to this genre-defining gaming PC.
I do get your point re the likes of Returnal, but there are thousands of Verified titles now and the breadth of them, across effectively three different formats and with such aplomb, in terms of precedence it’s a milestone.
Exceptions yes, though in general I don’t agree you shouldn’t buy it to run the latest AAA titles, as the likes of Elden Ring were optimised by Valve themselves to run better on Deck first than on PC, similarly Halo: Collection.
I believe further advancements to Proton does give confidence that like Atomic Heart, which I’m really enjoying, or equally jaw-dropping Cyberpunk 2077 or incoming Last of Us remake - there are plenty of titles in 2023 / 2024 which will certainly be playable at the start or further down the line on Deck.
Going slightly off-topic here, but the Youtubers / gaming ‘writers’ obsessing over frames per second over every second of 30 hour titles really does rankle my nano-circuits; why are you downgrading quality titles thousands would enjoy - and irritating viewers / readers with a third of your review on that issue alone, just because it reverts to 30? None of us who played the classics of yesteryear including PS3 felt anything less than 60 FPS was unplayable….
Anyhow a fantastic machine and websites such as these extend the enjoyment - back to Halo: Collection on Legendary…
Thank you for your complements again. I personally enjoy having these discussions and I appreciate your input and viewpoint, which does raise something I could have expanded on.
Proton. While this compatibility layer is incredible and the devs deserve a TON of credit and appreciation for what it allows us to do, it has its limits. Elden Ring, Halo, and many other games have been improved because of Proton updates and the Shared Shader Cache, but this can only take us so far. The game itself being optimized is just as important and poor optimization or lack of upscaler techniques, or using old ones like FSR 1.0 (Returnal), can't be solved by Valve.
Cyberpunk is a great example of this too. The game's performance didn't improve from just Proton, a LOT of it came from the update from the developers bringing in FSR 2.1 and optimizing further for Steam Deck play. As new AAA titles use new technologies, the Deck will have a tougher time keeping up, whether it be hardware limitations (Returnal's GPU Utilization) or future software (like UE5).
I am hoping that the upcoming games will be playable, I would love to be wrong and eat my words here. I wouldn't go into getting a Deck assuming the newest AAA titles will be great experiences, but I wouldn't say it is set in stone that they will never be playable. Of course, we will do our best to optimize and test them ourselves too, trying the tricks we have to bring the best experience possible.
I will agree on your off-topic point too. I will say stability is important, and we do take care in it for our reviews, but calling a game a failure because you can't play at 60 is ridiculous. The fact that I can play God of War, Uncharted 4, Dead Space Remake, all comfortably at 30 FPS without issues is a HUGE success. There is no way to play these games portable like this. I also have a personal gripe against those who talk about "Steam Deck Killers" and even the "Steam Deck 2", but I will save those for a future opinion article 😉
And again, I appreciate your thoughts. I didn't think to include Proton or the Shader Cache, which can help games run better a couple days after release. Oh, and good luck...I tried Halo on Legendary with all the skulls on and...it was a nightmare.
Pretty sure the majority of new AAAs work and it's only a very small number of AAAs that suffer in the Steam Deck at launch (and most of those are because they're also suffering on PC with serious bugs and optimization issues).
You're talking about a very niche group of games who only play the small AAAs that struggle to work on the deck. It's a perfect gaming device for 99.999% of gamers that aren't little kids.
Hi Chad,
The way I saw it was last year, new AAA games that came out did work on the Steam Deck. I don't recall one that, other than anti-cheat issues, weren't able to run on the Steam Deck. This year, we have 2 very big releases that couldn't run well, Returnal and Wild Hearts. We could also factor in the Wo Long demo which, while we did discover a way to fix it, would freeze and not work on the opening cutscene.
That being said, Dead Space Remake, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Octopath Traveler 2, Atomic Heart, and One Piece Odyssey all have come out this year and worked. Dead Space Remake needed to wait a little longer for the shader cache, but it did run and was playable. I do mention that not all new AAA games will be unplayable, but I do believe that as tech is evolving and we start utilizing UE5 and pushing game quality further, upcoming titles will have a harder time running on the device.
I do agree that the group who get this device to only play those non-working AAA games are small, but it is still a group of people I want to include. And like I sum up, this is still a device I completely recommend people get. The amount of games that do work heavily outweigh the ones that don't and the possibilities with the older games, emulation, and more, outweigh the need to play the newest AAA games that won't work.
There is nothing to be done about poor optimization. I think as the PS4 and XBox 1 are phased out that games will be harder tl work on the deck as companies won't care about optimizibg the game for lower tier systems. Is it somethibg valve can do? Maybe. There is a good bit of news however which is FSR 2 code being open sourced now. I hope to see the FSR scaler on the deck menu be improved to FSR 2. This will allow us to render the gane engine at a lower resolution and upscale using the deck. I love games with FSR implementation as it means I can find graphics that work well on 800p and when I plug my external monitor I lower FSR a notch and play them at 1080p same FPS target. Hogwarts Legacy works well like this for a 30 fps frame cap and God of War for 40 fps (atill think that Hogwarts Legacy will be able to reach 40 stable with a few optimizations but Warner Brothers doesn't seem to care about not PS5).