I’ve been playing on Steam Deck for a month. Is this console worth buying in 2023

Steam Deck, or in common “steam deck”, went on sale a year ago, but I was not eager to immediately have it in my collection of consoles: I had just got rid of the annoying Nintendo Switch, which had just been cleaned in a drawer for several months.

But at the end of April, Avito treacherously threw me an advertisement for the sale of a “steam deck” in perfect condition, with a 256 GB hard drive, a 128 GB flash drive and the original docking station included. For all this wealth, the seller asked for 41 thousand rubles, and I could not resist.

After examining the consolidation of trading volumes, it was possible to reduce the price by several thousand. And for a month now I have not let my new gadget out of my hands, playing new libraries and old games from my Steam on the street, in cafes, especially at home, lying on the couch or connecting the console to a large TV.

Now, most often, honestly and impartially, does it make sense to spend money on this expensive toy, who will like this format of gaming and who won’t, and at the same time I will list the main pros and cons of this brainchild from Valve.

Why does an adult need a Steam Deck

Perhaps this is the main question that I know and will answer. It is important to understand that Steam Deck is a full-fledged gaming computer, only on a standard portable device.. Moreover, the console really you can replace a desktop PC, thanks to a special mode and a keyboard and mouse connected via a docking station.

Therefore, if you have a real computer occupied by children in the evenings, if you do not want to “litter» Steam Deck suits you perfectly.

For example, I have not had a home PC for many years. For work, usually a MacBook, for games – Xbox and PS4 (but more often Xbox, thanks for the subscription with access to the must-have list of games).

I have more than 200 purchased games on my Steam account, and I also pre-purchase new ones if I see discounts and sales. Just like that, for later. So, I thought, someday I’ll get pissed off PeKa with ultra-top stuffing, and I will play for my pleasure day and night long.

But instead of a ghostly system unit, I got Steam Deck, which pulls all the top games without any problems. In terms of money, the benefit turned out to be very tangible, because it is impossible to buy a gaming computer with a normal monitor for 40 thousand rubles.

The pleasure of playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a compact console was exactly the same as if I played more than 100,000 rubles on a full-fledged computer.

Moreover, I didn’t even buy cyberpunk in Steam, but in another digital store. Steam Deck allows you to use the GOG, Epic Games, Origin and even VK Play client applications to buy and install Atomic Heart from there.

And yes, this game, as well as the latest part of Need For Speed ​​and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, is great on steamdeck.

I have a PlayStation (Xbox, Nintendo Switch). Should I buy a Steam Deck?

Remember how often you turn on your full console. When was the last time you did something on it? If this happens rarely and irregularly, then my answer is the number is worth trying to make friends with Steam Deck. most likely, this thing will return you the joy and pleasure of computer games.

And if you have a Nintendo Switch, then your plan is to quickly go through the new Zelda and get rid of this Japanese money milker. Just compare how much, for example, This is the Police costs on Nintendo eShop (2099 rubles) and on Steam (349 rubles).

Moreover, you can’t buy anything for Switch now without dancing with a tambourine, and in Steam – please, there are a whole bunch of wallet replenishment services (I personally use Payberry).

In the end, you can even put on Steam Deck stolen games from torrents and generally for nothing. Personally, I do not do this, because I consider the support of a developer, a representative of a good game, a noble deed.

Surprisingly, Steam Deck doesn’t get boring

I remember the emotions that gripped me the first time after buying the Nintendo Switch. At any free moment, I discovered the Zelda and was transported to the magical world of Hyrule.

But when the story part was completed, I abruptly lost interest in this console, because the games that I would like to play were expensive, affordable indie projects that did not catch on.

This is not the case with Steam Deck. Steam has hundreds of thousands of different games in its assortment, including new AAA games. Most of these games are well used and played on a portable console, so the question “what to play?” doesn’t even pop up in my head.

Now I alternate passing Cyberpunk 2077 with Need For Speed ​​Unbound and DYSMANTLE, and just yesterday I also bought Valheim, we are hacking in it with friends in the harsh setting of the northern Vikings.

Most importantly, Steam Deck allows you to play anytime, anywhere. You don’t have to be at home, watch TV, have a console. You can just fall into bed and dissolve in one of the game worlds for an hour or an hour before going to bed.

This format of gaming allows me not to abandon the events of the games I like and not to lose the desire to play them.

Cons of Steam Deck, personal experience

The biggest disadvantage is autonomy. If I launch the same Cyberpunk, and the console is not connected to charging, after 30-40 minutes the gadget will signal a charged battery. But on the other hand, this just allows you not to sit out half the night for the passage, but to clearly control the game sessions.

The second minus is the noise from the built-in cooler. The fan will often start to make an extremely loud sound that can wake up a person talking next to you if you decide to visit the Wild West and feed your horse in RDR2 under the cover of night.

Well, the third minus is the crunch of plastic from which the console case is made. It is worth squeezing it a little, as you can hear distinct crunches, but this personally does not cause rejection in me. Well, crunches and crunches. You don’t have to press hard, that’s all.

This is where the cons end. And I have already described the advantages above.

Tips if you decide to get your own Steam Deck

The console is available in three versions: a version with 64 GB of memory (very little space to play, you immediately need a flash drive), 256 GB and 512 GB. Consider instances above 256 GB, because at the youngest, smallest SSD size, the hard drive itself is set to slow read/write speeds, so games will show up and last longer.

If you want to save some money, you can buy a Steam Deck with 64 GB, and buy an SSD on another one with the amount of memory you need. You can even shove 2 terabytes when transferring. You can replace the SSD at home, there is nothing complicated in this procedure if you have more or less direct hands and guides from YouTube.

You can install it on a full-fledged Windows console and generally use the gadget like a real computer, including torrents, office applications, and much more. I like the SteamOS shell, so I didn’t experiment like that.

You can put various tweaks and enhancement programs on the Steam Deck to change the interface, splash screens, sound design, regularly set fps settings, the rotation speed of the built-in cooler, you can even overclock the processor.

Conclusion: I am very happy with my own game console

Steam Deck regularly met me and there was not a day that I did not get my hands on it. the choice of a dynamic lifestyle and the frequent reluctance to deliberately sit down in front of the TV to play something on the Xbox, the “steam deck” is ideal for my life in the near future and allows you to get acquainted with new gaming products that are not even suitable for home PCs.

You, too, can appreciate the beauty of serious gaming on a portable spectacle. A brand new sealed Steam Deck now costs from 43,928 rubles.

I consider this console one of the best this year. Because of what is visible from the gray days, it is absolutely necessary and the Steam Deck is visible in order to perceive the game, clear your head and just have fun.

Anywhere.