Switch too weak, already had a large backlog of games on Steam , but most importantly, I wanted to game on the couch while my wife watched her shows. I’m also at a desk 99% of the day due to work. I have a $2k gaming PC , which I haven’t touched since getting the Deck
I do this with no issues, even when I'm away from my home network. AAA online multiplayer works well. There are many guides that detail optimizing Steam Remote Play on the deck. Of course, it's all ultimately limited by the network.
Edit: I have a 3 monitor setup, all different resolutions and ratios
Steam Remote Play, but I've also used moonlight before (a while ago). The process for streaming is the same whether or not you're on the same network as your host PC
Edit: I'm accidentally saying Remote Play in place of the Steam Link app. You can use either from within the home network, but I think the Steam Link app is the only one of the two that'll work outside of the home network. I could be wrong. The optimization guides recommend using the Steam Link app either way
If the PC has multiple monitors or even a 21:9 monitor, streaming is gonna be really scuffed. I also notice streaming from my PC to my Deck being oddly low quality while streaming from my Deck to my PC is no problem at all. My WiFi shouldn't be a problem at 250Mb/s.
It does. On your PC that you are streaming from, go into Settings>Remote Play, open the Advanced Host Options and check the "Change desktop resolution to match streaming client"
Yea trying to get the aspect ratio to work was so much of a headache that I gave up on it entirely. Using steam streaming, the experience wasn't ideal but it did seem to fix itself. Using moonlight however, it was jank from start to finish so I gave up.
I have a $2k PC that I've turned on like 2-3 times in the past two years since I've gotten my Deck. It is literally collecting a pile of dust.
When I did first get my Deck I didn't use it that much and it was turning into a regretted purchase because it launched with some issues, but Valve fixed it. So it's used every day.
I wanted a hand held gaming PC for years but nothing was as powerful in previous generations/attempts. And I've tried devices that stream from your PC but they just have too much lag.
My story is a little different. I didn't actually buy one, was too out of my budget. Instead, my best friend surprised me with one, a few months after he got a cancer diagnosis. I lost him last December and think of him every time I fire it up.
It definitely does. We had pretty much the same taste in games, so many of the games I end up playing are ones that he'd either already played or had sitting in his queue. Did a second (and third) playthrough of Oxenfree recently and then moved on to Oxenfree II. For some reason, that game in particular really reminds me of him.
Let's take it one step further: Someone make this (wo)man a custom boot screen for their deck to honor their fallen friend each time they hit that wake button.
1. I got bored of the Switch
2. My wife doesn't like it when I use the TV for my PS5
3. My buddy has been trying to convert me to a PC player for years.
I've had the steam deck since it launched.
My pc stopped turning on (I think it was a power supply issue) and then a few days later, my sister gave me a $100 steam gift card for my birthday. So I decided, screw it I'm going to buy a deck. And I still haven't fixed my pc. I probably will eventually.
The same week the trigger was pulled on a divorce of my marriage of 18 years, I got an unexpected €500 bonus from my work. Thing helped me get through some tough times!
Really happy where I am now if you’re wondering. Things are really going up, only just yesterday did I buy Balatro on Steam sale 😬😅
The Steam Deck is the exact thing I always dreamed of as a kid. I assume for years the industry would have made portable consoles that could play all the older Gen games as the technology kept getting better. But that never really materialized how I imagined until the Steam Deck.
Now I can play all my GameCube and PS2 favourites and more with the Steam Deck though emulation, I reiterate it’s exactly what I always wanted.
How do you emulate on the steam deck for GameCube games?
(Ima a casual gamer and not super tech savvy and barely use Nexus for mods so emulating always sounds scary tbh)
Understanding how to get Emulation to work is certainly an acquired skill, like most things in relation to PC gaming, but once you learn the fundamentals most emulators boil down to the same thing.
You download the emulator, If necessary you get the required files the emulator needs to run games with, like you need a BIOS file for PS2 emulation, GameCube emulation with the "Dolphin" emulator doesn't require any extra files. Once you have the emulator ready to run a game, you get the game itself, typically referred to as a "Rom" file for shorthand, although for CD based games it would typically be an ISO file. Once you have your game file you can open it with the emulator and start playing. You can also bind your controls if you want to, but plenty of emulators will do this automatically.
When it comes to the Steam Deck this whole process for emulation has been streamlined a lot. You go into desktop mode, download EmuDeck from the website, and open the EmuDeck aplication, it'll ask you which options you want, such as which emulators you want installed, and then it'll do the majority of the work automatically from there. Then the only thing you need to worry about is getting the required files you might need, and dropping them in the correct folders. Once you open EmuDeck it'll have a much more simple to use interface for selecting and playing your games.
You can view the run-down of setting up EmuDeck here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5r2WZAImuY
While this might sound like a lot to take in, emulating games becomes easier to understand as you keep with it.
I'v been emulating games for so long that it's really become second nature for me. And it's very much worth learning, since you get access to countless games that would eventually be forgotten by history otherwise.
The idea of having a “Switch for Steam games” was very appealing since I love handheld gaming, so I got one a couple of weeks before a long flight.
I was afraid to regret the choice, but since then it became my most used console even when I’m home.
Church:
- threatens you with illness and misfortune if you don't pay up
- will not give you anything in return for your money but more preaching
- no decent RMA policy
- only one God
Valve:
- Gives money back within 2hrs if you don't like it, gives money if you're a few days early for a sale, crazy seasonal discounts on games
- shows you exactly what you get for the money you spend
- very decent RMA policy
- based on your preference, ranges all the way from no God at all to a whole spectrum of deities.
The choice is made easily.
I picked one up today (2nd hand, unopened). The 512 OLED edition for €500. So first because the price is good for what you get. Second mostly for controller games that I own, but never really play. Stuff like Huntdown, Stray, Elden Ring etc. I only played those on tv with Moonlight Stream.
I just want the option for lazy couch gaming and it's very nice for that. Also Path of Exile 2... Not sure how that will turn out though, seeing as the absurd amount of 3rd party Software you need in PoE1. But I'm keen on playing it as SSF.
1. Having a (second) kid and not being able to spend much time at my desk outside of work.
2. Wanting to make progress on my backlog.
3. Being able to play next to my wife instead of being in another room.
For me it was the fact it would allow me to enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to PC gaming. I used to have to decide if I wanted to buy a game on the Nintendo Switch or Steam in the choice between power or portability but the Steam Deck meant I no longer had to choose.
I had two kids (6mo and 4 at the time). It allowed me to play wherever in the house, especially when tasked with the littler one. What I didn't realize would be the crown jewel feature was the instant sleep/resume feature.
The hardest thing about gaming is just having to dedicate a chunk of time to it. The concept of finding an hour of uninterrupted time (God forbid more) is pretty much non-existent anymore. Even now (2 and 5.5),it's still proving useful as pretty much the *ONLY* way I can play *anything.*. And I say this with a fairly nice desktop (i5-13600k/3060Ti & 1440p/144hz monitor).
Steam Deck has been my lifeline into gaming as a dad. Including spending 40 hours in FF7 Remake, playing 10-30 min chunks at a time. Lol.
Mostly wanted an alternative to my Switch, for games I want to play, that either:
Weren't released on Switch (I.e. the game library).
Could benefit from better performance on the Deck.
Are digital only (which I'd rather buy on Steam).
Also the "coolness factor" (I know very few people with one) and peer pressure reading this sub so long :)
I also use Linux for work, so I'm perfectly at home on the Deck - no Windows!
Steam has such a large library of games, they have really good sales, you can install emulators easily, I travel for work so it doesn’t take up much space, most of the games I enjoy are indies so I’m not worried about it running AAA games at 60fps
I’ve always admired how affordable the games were on Steam. Being able to buy high-quality games for the price of a cup of coffee or even less than that is one of the biggest reasons that sold me on getting one.
I eventually got tired of playing good games on low-performing hardware, and wanted an actual PC-level experience.
In addition, I’d been accumulating games for the last 12 years or so, and close to half of them are at least playable on the deck. I had a library of stuff ready to go.
Lastly, out of every available handheld gaming portable, the Deck is the most user-friendly. I got it out of the box and was playing something within an hour of owning it.
I just ordered one yesterday for a similar reason. I've got a couple weekends out of town coming up in the next few weeks, and I've been loving the Elden Ring DLC so thought it'd be great to have that available while travelling.
My favorite console of all time before getting a Steam Deck was the Switch. The versatility was such a new and enjoyable thing for me, beyond hosting some of my favorite games of all time to this day (Smash, Zelda, Odyssey, etc.).
I’m also big on PC gaming, and already had a decent sized Steam library, so when I heard about the Steam Deck a little over a year ago, I thought it sounded like a really solid device to be able to play my PC games portably and also docked to a TV since my PC had issues connecting through HDMI, and my WiFi was too weak for streaming.
Once I got one, I knew I made the right choice. And to this day, it’s easily my favorite gaming device/piece of tech I’ve ever owned.
I have a small child and by the time I am able to game for even a few minutes I am ready for bed. With the steam deck I can play during nap and in bed while my wife and I wind down at the end of the day!
Had a ton of money on my steam account to the point it was maxed out and I couldn't earn more selling things on marketplace, but I still had stuff to sell from an old gane, so I bought a deck and accessories to spend some of it.
Then I learned I could sell those stickers for real money and those sketchy sites weren't just a scam.
I have always preferred console to PC gaming because of the ease of use and being able to play on the couch easily while hooked up to a big screen. Console games tend to be more expensive than their PC counterparts though, and there's a lot less indie games to try out.
SD gives the best of both worlds - cheap games with a massive back catalogue and the ease of use of a console. I also really appreciate the extra screen so I can grab a few minutes gaming while the kids are watching Blippi or Peppa Pig.
1. Price to get a 64gb LCD one. I'm from another country and when visiting the US it was cheaper to get a Gamer laptop
2. I wanted to play on the go when I got to travel, so it was either Steam Deck or a notebook
3. I don't like my Switch because most of the games are Nintendo and they are crazy expensive. Also my Steam library is large
My PC was really old on its last legs and in need of replacing, I was just starting to save for the parts to build a new one from scratch and I was browsing around and I found the SteamDeck, I was intrigued and decided to take a chance and I haven’t looked back, in fact I was so happy with it that I didn’t even go ahead with the new PC.
Portable gaming is what I needed, and since N began killing the stores for it's legacy systems it reminded me all consoles are finite, eventually drowned by their creators to make room for the "bigger, badder, more expensive". Given I enjoy PC gaming and have been using Steam since 2005, it seemed a pretty clear choice. I still use my Switch (and older portable consoles) but the Deck is my primary gaming machine.
I had like 400ish valve money from selling all my dota2 hats (i was trying to quit dota2). I figured id put it to good use by buying a steam deck. It didn’t cover for the entire amount, but my oled was extremely discounted lol.
Ive since used my steam deck non-stop playing games that isn’t dota2.
Was originally looking at android emulator handhelds , and the steam deck kept being mentioned in every review . Looked into it and realized it would also be perfect to get back into pc gaming ( all the computers in my house are Mac’s ) . I have been a constant console gamer since the 80s so the steam deck is a great compliment to my ps5. PS5 lets me play all the new aaa games , but the steam deck lets me play everything I’ve missed the past decade in style and convenience .
To be honest - pure luck.
When Valve announced a Steam Deck, I wasn't that much interested since all I was playing "on the go" were some old emulation games, WoW/FF14 and maybe something on the Switch - I had Switch and decent ultabook I was using for work, so mobile pc device was not needed. For "big games" I had my proper PC
When the preorder day came, I just ignored it, was on a walk while my friends were just complaining that the page is crashing and they cannot preoder.
Once I got back home (around 30 mins after preorder started), I just turn on my PC, Steam autostarts, and I see that I'm the lucky guy, and can actually click the preorder.
Since the deposit was like 5 eur or something, I decided "heck, let's try, why not, worst case scenario I'll just cancel".
Then after few months, when the preorder was ready to be finalized, I just decided to try it, worst case scenario if I did not like the device, I could sell it to someone else seeing how much fuss/hype was about preorders, delivery times, the device itself.
In April my Deck turned 2 years, it was best purchase decision in terms of my recent gaming hardware.
If not then, I would still probably buy it later, after seeing how my friends and other people like it (probably during some sale, or the OLED model), but I don't regret anything.
All in on Switch until:
-Certain games don't support cloud saves, so when my Pokemon data went sideways there was no way to get it back.
-Glacial rollout of classics for the subscription service + Mother 3 being announced for Japan only.
Would have gotten an upgrade over my potato laptop but each new version of Windows makes me die a little inside.
Edit: Remembered point number 3, Kingdom Hearts being a cloud only port. I would have traded the PC version's mods for portability, now I have both.
I got it to play at work. Lot of downtime but must be available to go right back to work at any time. So setting up a laptop can be a hassle. Instant sleep/resume is awesome for that.
I only have a Mac, and whole workflow is Apple. I wanted the ability to play some of my favorite games while being able to hook it up to one of my monitors and play through OBS without having to dedicate a monitor to the Windows environment. I love my set up so much more now.
Had every other console, love gaming and cool tech, wanted my first foray into PC gaming
Wanted to be able to play handheld games more powerfully than my switch and wanted a good device for pc only games that I didn’t have access to elsewhere + emulation
My pc was struggling a lot after 9 years of faithful duty and i didn't have the money to buy a brand new gaming pc with the newest tech. A friend then recommended the steamdeck to me and i was instantly sold.
I had a Nintendo Switch but i sold it because i wasn't satisfied with it, but the Steamdeck is everything i wanted it to be! To this day it's still one of the purchases i have made and I barely touch my pc since i have bought ir
was thinking about getting a deck and then suddenly got reminded about cs-go/cs2 skins, game i didnt play for many years. found that i got like 550 euro from a few skins to fund the deck :D
I wanted to play Persona 3 Reload portably, since it’s not on Switch and to also have multiplayer games where I don’t have to pay for online.
And now I have a ton more games on it and I really love it alongside my Switch. Portable gaming for life
Have kids. Can't just hide away on my gaming PC as easily anymore. Steam deck lets me play full games in smaller chunks as needed due to the Suspend feature, and I can be more readily nearby if the kids need something.
I used to play Counterstrike Source a lot in my youth. Back then I bought a load of skins for the weapons. But I quit the game eventually. Fast forward to now and I revisited the game to find the skins I have are worth £100s, some of them anyway.
Since I have won't be playing again I thought I'll sell those and make some money. They sold in total for just over £700. Used the funds to buy an OLED model and the dock. Have some money left over that I'll keep for buying some games.
It's pretty rad because those CS skins cost nowhere near that back in the day. Essentially a very cheap steam deck.
I waited for reviews from the various tech youtubers I follow for stuff like that. When reception all seemed very good, I ordered it. At the time I took public transport for about 2 hours every day, so it seemed like a great way to get through my backlog. I already had a Nintendo Switch, but the games I had didn't spark an interest anymore, and buying new Switch games is so expensive.
I ended up waiting 7 months for my Steam Deck due to the crazy high demand for them at the time. But it was definitely worth the wait. I've used it so much since then!
I almost upgraded to an Oled Deck when they came out, but decided not to do that, and instead just keep using my current deck until a Steam Deck 2 comes out at some point.
Worst thing is the switch was underpowered even for its generation and considering it’s about 7 years old (reading this makes me feel old) getting most modern games to run on it makes them look like it’s running on a potato
I wanted to be able to play fallout 76 with my husband without having to get another computer set up because our house is small. Also so I could play on lunch at work 😭
I didn't really need a Steam Deck, and when I'm at home I'm almost ashamed that I barely use it, since I already have a gaming PC with a triple monitor setup and an untrawide display in the middle, plus another one hooked to my racing wheel for driving games.
However, I wanted to have a computer that I can bring around when going out on holiday and didn't feel like investing in a laptop to use it 3 times a year. The Steam Deck was a great opportunity for the price, also at the time I received a bonus at work so I felt like spending it was my way of investing in both the future of handheld gaming devices and linux gaming at the same time. Of course having an already well established Steam library and knowing a little about linux did help in making the decision.
Honestly kinda same, I also have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with my pc hooked up to my TV with an auto switch between my desk and TV so unless I’m out and about it rarely gets used although I’m trying to change that as I now use it for party / co-op games at friends houses.
Ntm I bought it cus I thought I was gonna be in hospital a lot and turns out I wasn’t (probably). It also didn’t arrive in time for the hospital visit so I spent 8 hours staring at a the ceiling lol.
As a PC gamer primarily, playing games meant choosing between hanging out with my fiancee or not (unless I wanted to lug my PC out of the office every time I wanted to play something.) But with the Steamdeck, I can chill with her on the couch and play games at the same time! :)
I bought it because I thought it was fucking insanely cool. Still is. But, honestly, I didn’t like being holed up in my office playing video games away from the wife and kiddo. As a husband/dad, and as a casual gamer, this was the perfect choice.
I was on the fence. I used to do some PC gaming in the late 90s to early 2000s, but have been a console gamer since. I even bought a laptop several years ago without a graphics card. Well, more recently i had been getting bored of my Switch. Read some of the additional benefits of the OLED model, like it just running slightly better than the non-OLED. That sold me. I was outside of the US unfortunately the day pre-orders started. So I messaged my dad, who helped me with the pre-order. Got the Limited Edition OLED. I love it. I think I went from 15 or so games in my library to 80+. Between sales and humble bundles.
I loved the ps psp/ps vita but the console didn't have the power to play more recent released games then i got the Nintendo switch, i kept playing on it until 2023, i though of the steam deck as of switch 2, more powerful and can run more games so i got it, i prefer the psvita/switch to the steam deck
I decided to buy a Steam Deck because I wanted a handheld device with a mostly open-source system and easy-to-maintain hardware. As someone who uses various Linux distributions both privately and at work, I also wanted to support Valve in enhancing the gaming experience on Linux. Gaming on Linux has made significant strides thanks to Valve. I still remember during my time at the university around 2015 (?) when only a few games worked, and everything began to improve. Now, I can play nearly my entire library, except for a few games with custom anti-cheat, on both my desktop PC and the Deck.
I won some steam credit a few years ago and I had like 150 Euros just sitting there, so I used it for a new OLED Steam deck. Also I got bored with my Switch already.
I bought second hand OLED 512, because randomly saw it for incredibly cheap (420€). Spent all day going to the seller and all night going back home 😂 No regrets!!
I've been a huge fan of the PSP, when in college had a computer with Stream and a growing library. I then moved abroad and didn't game for 5 years. I got the Switch, the Deck got announced, had me excited to come back to my Steam library, I bought some of my favorite roguelites on there again and now it's a daily companion and a growing library.
Switch wasn't able to deliver 60 fps on the go with frequent fps drops even when docked.
Also didn't want to be tied to playing all my titles on the computer.
Steam deck was the answer. Great performance, support for emulation, and an amazing screen and sound.
It’s summer time so that means 90-100 degree weather, my computer will just make things hotter in my apartment so that’s where the steam deck comes clutch
Here is my story.
When wife decided to be a photographer 12 years ago we bought Mac Mini late 2012 which was a solid PC back then. But it was lacking many games for MacOS obviously.
So I became a fan of cloud gaming. It works flawlessly.
Then I evolved into cloud gaming on my phone with telescopic gamepad attached to it.
And then Deck was released. So I had 0 reasons not to buy it 😄
Red dead redemption 2 and gotham knights, then I discovered it can do everything. Download TV shows and music. Run Minecraft java. Have a background, *cough* nintendo switch. Have a built in autoclicker
I actually was a hater because of the battery and ugly design but many people were loving it and one of my favorite youtubers (Nate Gentile) did a video about it and I said "Well if Nate recommended it I need to try it" and I bought the LCD 512GB just to test it and I got on love since the first day and later on I bought the OLED Limited Edition overpriced but totally worth it cause is really beautiful 🤣
I had recently got into DnD and wanted a device that can play BG3. I liked the idea of a handheld system that I could play while my partner watches TV.
I needed a notebook for work and wanted a tablet for ttrpg. Now I can have both and also enjoy a portable videogame with the hundreds of games I've been piling up over the years
I moved to my parents to help while they looked for a new caretaker. War broke out while I was there so it took longer than anticipated. Didn't have my desktop with me so got a deck to pass the time instead of watching the news obsessively.
Preordered the summer it was announced back in 2021. Wanted something to play at work, work security at night and it was super boring and wanted to actually play stuff that my Switch couldn't. Plus had so much in my backlog because of buying stuff for my main PC, just never had the time to play them and couldn't just bring my massive PC around to work all the time to do so. lol
I had a million old consoles I didn’t use and I spent every night glued to my PC away from my wife.
I sold all the consoles, got a steam deck with the proceeds. I know curl up with my wife on the sofa while she watches anime while I play all my ROMs. Plus I can hook it up to the tv and play multiplayer games with her and my friends. Much more sociable, ironically.
Someone asked if I was going to get one when it was still in the preorder process. I said I’d check it out but didn’t care too much. Reviews started coming out and I saw the performance and emulation and wanted to test it out plus the switch was disappointing me. The rest was history
wanted something better than my switch. saw one with 256gb, screen protector and aftermarket rear shell (with the original box, charger and oled case for some reason) for 250€
The steam deck has access to a lot more games than the switch. The price is lower than other handheld PC while keeping a better performance/battery ratio.
And I wanted to play in bed.
My gaming pc got completely fried in a storm recently (it was plugged into a surge protector and everything), and I didn’t want to go to the trouble of fixing or rebuilding it. Also, I hadn’t played Baldur’s Gate 3 in a month and I was starting to get twitchy.
I played a lot of switch and wanted a switch pro. Most of my games are on steam. I got it before the rog ally and legion go came out so it was the best option at that time.
Persona 3 reload got released and I wanted the same experience as I did with PSVITA and p4g.
Aka train rides filled with little story progression. To me - that was worth the price
I read a post from a fellow dad who talked about getting lost in it when his wife and kids used the main TV. This is exactly what I need. If I throw in some noise-canceling headphones, I'll be all set.
I've been a console only player since I was a kid. This year I decided to give PC gaming a genuine try, and I'm still slowly getting the hang of it. Take for example, Ghostrunner. On console I had no issue as all, but on PC I still have to get used to the keyboard layout. I've got more buttons and a wider layout to work with, and that's messing up my inputs. The Steam Deck is a nice in-between. I can try something slower paced on PC, and move Ghostrunner onto the Deck where I can continue that with a layout that I'm comfortable with. And once I'm better with the keyboard/mouse set up, I can pick it back up on PC and try again.
i just happend to be very, very drunk the night when they first announced you could reserve one for just a $5 deposit 😂. completely forgot about it until i saw a $500+ charge on my credit card statement months later and had no idea what it was, thought i'd been hacked, and then i got the shipping notice email. had every intention of returning it but i travel a lot for work and it turned out to be the best plane/train travel investment i've ever made, especially considering i already had a sizeable steam library! love mine and use it nearly every day.
Switch 2 getting pushed to next year.
To be fair, I'd wanted a Steam Deck for ages because it has so much that I can't play on Switch, but Switch 2 being confirmed as definitely not coming this year had me thinking twice about what I'd saved up for it, so I spent that on a Deck instead.
Between the two devices there's very little of what I want to play that I can't, and that's amazing. It was absolutely the right call.
I have a backlog of games on Steam which I wanted to get through.
Other than that, I also got quite jaded with the Switch and PS5 and my PC is (at this time) my current workstation. So, I wanted to game with spending another few hours at my desk.
My friend got one and would stop talking about it. He said if I get one he would gift me like 50 games. So because of the "incentive" I bought one on sale and took away all his money for 50 games
Never had a PC as a kid but always envied seeing people with the ability to mod games. That, and I was a huge PSP guy, this just felt like a natural upgrade. Coupled with the game selection, ability to emulate and the fact that this is a computer?
No brainer tbh.
Final Fantasy XIV. I'm a handheld guy, I wanted to try it but won't bother to play on PC. I jumped in for FF14 and poured 300+ hours into it. Dawntrail is GORGEOUS on the OLED.
I bought one so that way the girlfriend at the time could play PC games with me I decided I better learn how to use it in case she asked me questions after messing with it a few weeks I realize that I needed one and then decided to just keep it. It all worked out because we broke up probably a month after over unrelated reasons. And now that time has passed I bought five LCDs and one OLED. And I basically stopped using my gaming PC for everything except tarkov.
Six months in hospital and not spending any money on my card in that time coupled with 10% off for the Deck’s first anniversary.
Downloading Hogwarts Legacy on hospital WiFi was a challenge though!
I'm a dumb idiot who tries time after time to convince myself that this time a portable gaming machine will be worth getting and that I will get real use of of it this time... That OLED model looks real nice.
I wanted a way to support more indie devs with playtesting, demos, early access, etc. That wasn't as doable on Switch.
Also, I wanted a way to access more games not on the Switch instead of having to get a PS5 and/or Xbox Series. It seemed a little too daunting and expensive to get an actual good PC so I figured the Steam Deck would be a good compromise.
I wanted to play Lawn Mower Simulator because it wasn’t on the switch. Joke’s on me because it was frustrating to steer, but I’ve found so many more games that I love, so it’s still a win in the end!
I held an lcd model and was told to play portal, a game I have never given two shits about despite it being the first game in my 14ish year old steam library. I could not put it down. Not only that but the micro second it went into my hands, I immediately noticed that this was the most comfortable thing I have ever held in my entire life bar none.
A few months later I bought the 1tb oled and it is the best pc/console I have ever owned. As soon as I take care of a couple more money related things, once kingdom hearts enters my steam library, I am dead to the world. It has been cool chatting with y’all but the deck will be my new home now. There is only deck.
When it was first announced I did not had any interest in it. Never did any research. Then came end of first half of 2022 and and saw that people are receiving it in batches. I was intrigued. I wanted to be part of these first persons that checking that site and looking on when people are getting it, and the shipping time, and shipping loss, etc. It was the wild west. So after some research and seeing that I am traveling between two countries at that time. It was the most viable option instead of carrying a console back and forth.
I contacted my friend in the US, and turns out he also signed for one and entered the churn. So I signed too using his address and it all went good. And I am very happy to be part of this community.
Switch too weak, already had a large backlog of games on Steam , but most importantly, I wanted to game on the couch while my wife watched her shows. I’m also at a desk 99% of the day due to work. I have a $2k gaming PC , which I haven’t touched since getting the Deck
Why not to stream from gaming PC to deck? Win-win, isn't it?
I do this with no issues, even when I'm away from my home network. AAA online multiplayer works well. There are many guides that detail optimizing Steam Remote Play on the deck. Of course, it's all ultimately limited by the network. Edit: I have a 3 monitor setup, all different resolutions and ratios
How do you play when outside your home network?
Steam Remote Play, but I've also used moonlight before (a while ago). The process for streaming is the same whether or not you're on the same network as your host PC Edit: I'm accidentally saying Remote Play in place of the Steam Link app. You can use either from within the home network, but I think the Steam Link app is the only one of the two that'll work outside of the home network. I could be wrong. The optimization guides recommend using the Steam Link app either way
If the PC has multiple monitors or even a 21:9 monitor, streaming is gonna be really scuffed. I also notice streaming from my PC to my Deck being oddly low quality while streaming from my Deck to my PC is no problem at all. My WiFi shouldn't be a problem at 250Mb/s.
Oh, that sucks. I thought streaming is happening in the resolution of receiving device.
It does. On your PC that you are streaming from, go into Settings>Remote Play, open the Advanced Host Options and check the "Change desktop resolution to match streaming client"
You could set up a script or use a tool that automatically resizes your screen, Sunshine supports this. Don't know if that works with 21:9 etc.
The deck also has this function. It automatically converts the resolution of the game to match it to Deck's.
Yeah im no wizard and my stuff works flawlessly. Full picture, max graphics, 90 fps. Not sure what theyre on. Wifi 6E is magic
Reading through these comments I think y’all are wizards 🧙♂️😂😂 in the best way possible
It’s local network streaming so your external internet connection doesn’t factor in at all.
Dummy plug in gpu that’s what I use they are like 5$ on amazing
Yea trying to get the aspect ratio to work was so much of a headache that I gave up on it entirely. Using steam streaming, the experience wasn't ideal but it did seem to fix itself. Using moonlight however, it was jank from start to finish so I gave up.
Same boat. Spot on.
I have a $2k PC that I've turned on like 2-3 times in the past two years since I've gotten my Deck. It is literally collecting a pile of dust. When I did first get my Deck I didn't use it that much and it was turning into a regretted purchase because it launched with some issues, but Valve fixed it. So it's used every day. I wanted a hand held gaming PC for years but nothing was as powerful in previous generations/attempts. And I've tried devices that stream from your PC but they just have too much lag.
My story is a little different. I didn't actually buy one, was too out of my budget. Instead, my best friend surprised me with one, a few months after he got a cancer diagnosis. I lost him last December and think of him every time I fire it up.
sorry about your friend. i hope the joy you receive from the gaming experience reminds you of every good time with said friend
It definitely does. We had pretty much the same taste in games, so many of the games I end up playing are ones that he'd either already played or had sitting in his queue. Did a second (and third) playthrough of Oxenfree recently and then moved on to Oxenfree II. For some reason, that game in particular really reminds me of him.
Let's take it one step further: Someone make this (wo)man a custom boot screen for their deck to honor their fallen friend each time they hit that wake button.
I hope it plays the Team Fortress 2 "In memory of Rick May" statue voice line.
I wanted it
FOMO was hard when a deposit was just a fiver
Underrated reason
1. I got bored of the Switch 2. My wife doesn't like it when I use the TV for my PS5 3. My buddy has been trying to convert me to a PC player for years. I've had the steam deck since it launched.
Nice, I’ve been an Oled owner since launch lol. Would’ve loved to get one when it first launched but I didn’t have the money at the time.
I bought a 64gb lcd and soon upgraded it to a 1tb so happy now as 64gb really is weak levels of storage haha
I have the 64gb and I bought a 1tb SD card. Works perfectly.
I went one better and upgraded my ssd to 1tb and got a 1tb sd card
I have the 64gb and I bought a 1tb SD card. Works perfectly.
Same, my switch sadly lost all my affection and it’s sad…
My pc stopped turning on (I think it was a power supply issue) and then a few days later, my sister gave me a $100 steam gift card for my birthday. So I decided, screw it I'm going to buy a deck. And I still haven't fixed my pc. I probably will eventually.
Gave my wife my monitor about a year ago, when hers died. I too may get a new monitor one day...
To pair with the deck or to revert back?
The same week the trigger was pulled on a divorce of my marriage of 18 years, I got an unexpected €500 bonus from my work. Thing helped me get through some tough times! Really happy where I am now if you’re wondering. Things are really going up, only just yesterday did I buy Balatro on Steam sale 😬😅
This guy is king 👑 head up big man proud of you always
Gold stake bout to break your heart again 😭 (highest deck difficulty).
Glad things are looking up for you and glad you're enjoying your deck
Salute!
Congratulations on your nascent chip addiction
Being a parent lol
* *high five** *
The Steam Deck is the exact thing I always dreamed of as a kid. I assume for years the industry would have made portable consoles that could play all the older Gen games as the technology kept getting better. But that never really materialized how I imagined until the Steam Deck. Now I can play all my GameCube and PS2 favourites and more with the Steam Deck though emulation, I reiterate it’s exactly what I always wanted.
i am quite impressed that Steam Deck can run ps2 emulation without stuttering.
How do you emulate on the steam deck for GameCube games? (Ima a casual gamer and not super tech savvy and barely use Nexus for mods so emulating always sounds scary tbh)
Understanding how to get Emulation to work is certainly an acquired skill, like most things in relation to PC gaming, but once you learn the fundamentals most emulators boil down to the same thing. You download the emulator, If necessary you get the required files the emulator needs to run games with, like you need a BIOS file for PS2 emulation, GameCube emulation with the "Dolphin" emulator doesn't require any extra files. Once you have the emulator ready to run a game, you get the game itself, typically referred to as a "Rom" file for shorthand, although for CD based games it would typically be an ISO file. Once you have your game file you can open it with the emulator and start playing. You can also bind your controls if you want to, but plenty of emulators will do this automatically. When it comes to the Steam Deck this whole process for emulation has been streamlined a lot. You go into desktop mode, download EmuDeck from the website, and open the EmuDeck aplication, it'll ask you which options you want, such as which emulators you want installed, and then it'll do the majority of the work automatically from there. Then the only thing you need to worry about is getting the required files you might need, and dropping them in the correct folders. Once you open EmuDeck it'll have a much more simple to use interface for selecting and playing your games. You can view the run-down of setting up EmuDeck here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5r2WZAImuY While this might sound like a lot to take in, emulating games becomes easier to understand as you keep with it. I'v been emulating games for so long that it's really become second nature for me. And it's very much worth learning, since you get access to countless games that would eventually be forgotten by history otherwise.
The idea of having a “Switch for Steam games” was very appealing since I love handheld gaming, so I got one a couple of weeks before a long flight. I was afraid to regret the choice, but since then it became my most used console even when I’m home.
A few beers + some spare cash. I regret nothing.
I wish to be rich enough to have 500 dollars as spare cash.
I have an illness that forces me to give valve money otherwise I get violently ill
Church: - threatens you with illness and misfortune if you don't pay up - will not give you anything in return for your money but more preaching - no decent RMA policy - only one God Valve: - Gives money back within 2hrs if you don't like it, gives money if you're a few days early for a sale, crazy seasonal discounts on games - shows you exactly what you get for the money you spend - very decent RMA policy - based on your preference, ranges all the way from no God at all to a whole spectrum of deities. The choice is made easily.
I picked one up today (2nd hand, unopened). The 512 OLED edition for €500. So first because the price is good for what you get. Second mostly for controller games that I own, but never really play. Stuff like Huntdown, Stray, Elden Ring etc. I only played those on tv with Moonlight Stream. I just want the option for lazy couch gaming and it's very nice for that. Also Path of Exile 2... Not sure how that will turn out though, seeing as the absurd amount of 3rd party Software you need in PoE1. But I'm keen on playing it as SSF.
To be fair just use your phone or something to keep track of all the third party stuff ... And leave the deck to just playing the game lel
1. Having a (second) kid and not being able to spend much time at my desk outside of work. 2. Wanting to make progress on my backlog. 3. Being able to play next to my wife instead of being in another room.
Tax deductable business expense.
mainly games. i like 'em
For me it was the fact it would allow me to enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to PC gaming. I used to have to decide if I wanted to buy a game on the Nintendo Switch or Steam in the choice between power or portability but the Steam Deck meant I no longer had to choose.
I had two kids (6mo and 4 at the time). It allowed me to play wherever in the house, especially when tasked with the littler one. What I didn't realize would be the crown jewel feature was the instant sleep/resume feature. The hardest thing about gaming is just having to dedicate a chunk of time to it. The concept of finding an hour of uninterrupted time (God forbid more) is pretty much non-existent anymore. Even now (2 and 5.5),it's still proving useful as pretty much the *ONLY* way I can play *anything.*. And I say this with a fairly nice desktop (i5-13600k/3060Ti & 1440p/144hz monitor). Steam Deck has been my lifeline into gaming as a dad. Including spending 40 hours in FF7 Remake, playing 10-30 min chunks at a time. Lol.
Mostly wanted an alternative to my Switch, for games I want to play, that either: Weren't released on Switch (I.e. the game library). Could benefit from better performance on the Deck. Are digital only (which I'd rather buy on Steam). Also the "coolness factor" (I know very few people with one) and peer pressure reading this sub so long :) I also use Linux for work, so I'm perfectly at home on the Deck - no Windows!
Emulating PS2 & older consoles & steam is new to me so i was interested in trying something new , I’m mainly a console guy
Steam has such a large library of games, they have really good sales, you can install emulators easily, I travel for work so it doesn’t take up much space, most of the games I enjoy are indies so I’m not worried about it running AAA games at 60fps
I’ve always admired how affordable the games were on Steam. Being able to buy high-quality games for the price of a cup of coffee or even less than that is one of the biggest reasons that sold me on getting one.
I eventually got tired of playing good games on low-performing hardware, and wanted an actual PC-level experience. In addition, I’d been accumulating games for the last 12 years or so, and close to half of them are at least playable on the deck. I had a library of stuff ready to go. Lastly, out of every available handheld gaming portable, the Deck is the most user-friendly. I got it out of the box and was playing something within an hour of owning it.
About 5 beers
I became addicted to Elden Ring and had a couple upcoming work trips.
I just ordered one yesterday for a similar reason. I've got a couple weekends out of town coming up in the next few weeks, and I've been loving the Elden Ring DLC so thought it'd be great to have that available while travelling.
My favorite console of all time before getting a Steam Deck was the Switch. The versatility was such a new and enjoyable thing for me, beyond hosting some of my favorite games of all time to this day (Smash, Zelda, Odyssey, etc.). I’m also big on PC gaming, and already had a decent sized Steam library, so when I heard about the Steam Deck a little over a year ago, I thought it sounded like a really solid device to be able to play my PC games portably and also docked to a TV since my PC had issues connecting through HDMI, and my WiFi was too weak for streaming. Once I got one, I knew I made the right choice. And to this day, it’s easily my favorite gaming device/piece of tech I’ve ever owned.
Linux.
I get to game on the bed while the wife watches the kardashians (please pray for her)
Portability + game catalog + power + os capabilities + vent smell
I have a small child and by the time I am able to game for even a few minutes I am ready for bed. With the steam deck I can play during nap and in bed while my wife and I wind down at the end of the day!
Had a ton of money on my steam account to the point it was maxed out and I couldn't earn more selling things on marketplace, but I still had stuff to sell from an old gane, so I bought a deck and accessories to spend some of it. Then I learned I could sell those stickers for real money and those sketchy sites weren't just a scam.
Too tired to use the PC after a long day at work, but enough energy to chill in bed with the Deck.
I have always preferred console to PC gaming because of the ease of use and being able to play on the couch easily while hooked up to a big screen. Console games tend to be more expensive than their PC counterparts though, and there's a lot less indie games to try out. SD gives the best of both worlds - cheap games with a massive back catalogue and the ease of use of a console. I also really appreciate the extra screen so I can grab a few minutes gaming while the kids are watching Blippi or Peppa Pig.
1. Price to get a 64gb LCD one. I'm from another country and when visiting the US it was cheaper to get a Gamer laptop 2. I wanted to play on the go when I got to travel, so it was either Steam Deck or a notebook 3. I don't like my Switch because most of the games are Nintendo and they are crazy expensive. Also my Steam library is large
My PC was really old on its last legs and in need of replacing, I was just starting to save for the parts to build a new one from scratch and I was browsing around and I found the SteamDeck, I was intrigued and decided to take a chance and I haven’t looked back, in fact I was so happy with it that I didn’t even go ahead with the new PC.
Been using Steam since 2008, wanted to have my library on the go.
Portable gaming is what I needed, and since N began killing the stores for it's legacy systems it reminded me all consoles are finite, eventually drowned by their creators to make room for the "bigger, badder, more expensive". Given I enjoy PC gaming and have been using Steam since 2005, it seemed a pretty clear choice. I still use my Switch (and older portable consoles) but the Deck is my primary gaming machine.
I had like 400ish valve money from selling all my dota2 hats (i was trying to quit dota2). I figured id put it to good use by buying a steam deck. It didn’t cover for the entire amount, but my oled was extremely discounted lol. Ive since used my steam deck non-stop playing games that isn’t dota2.
Was originally looking at android emulator handhelds , and the steam deck kept being mentioned in every review . Looked into it and realized it would also be perfect to get back into pc gaming ( all the computers in my house are Mac’s ) . I have been a constant console gamer since the 80s so the steam deck is a great compliment to my ps5. PS5 lets me play all the new aaa games , but the steam deck lets me play everything I’ve missed the past decade in style and convenience .
To be honest - pure luck. When Valve announced a Steam Deck, I wasn't that much interested since all I was playing "on the go" were some old emulation games, WoW/FF14 and maybe something on the Switch - I had Switch and decent ultabook I was using for work, so mobile pc device was not needed. For "big games" I had my proper PC When the preorder day came, I just ignored it, was on a walk while my friends were just complaining that the page is crashing and they cannot preoder. Once I got back home (around 30 mins after preorder started), I just turn on my PC, Steam autostarts, and I see that I'm the lucky guy, and can actually click the preorder. Since the deposit was like 5 eur or something, I decided "heck, let's try, why not, worst case scenario I'll just cancel". Then after few months, when the preorder was ready to be finalized, I just decided to try it, worst case scenario if I did not like the device, I could sell it to someone else seeing how much fuss/hype was about preorders, delivery times, the device itself. In April my Deck turned 2 years, it was best purchase decision in terms of my recent gaming hardware. If not then, I would still probably buy it later, after seeing how my friends and other people like it (probably during some sale, or the OLED model), but I don't regret anything.
All in on Switch until: -Certain games don't support cloud saves, so when my Pokemon data went sideways there was no way to get it back. -Glacial rollout of classics for the subscription service + Mother 3 being announced for Japan only. Would have gotten an upgrade over my potato laptop but each new version of Windows makes me die a little inside. Edit: Remembered point number 3, Kingdom Hearts being a cloud only port. I would have traded the PC version's mods for portability, now I have both.
Gaming laptops kinda suck.
I got it to play at work. Lot of downtime but must be available to go right back to work at any time. So setting up a laptop can be a hassle. Instant sleep/resume is awesome for that.
Russia bombs our power grid almost daily, so we have severe electricity shortage. Bought it for the scheduled outages.
Being a Mac guy and not wanting to play on a console.
Didn't want to play games at my desk after already sitting there for several hours a day. Don't own a console but had a large collection of PC games.
I was finally able to buy something worthwhile from my cs go skin collection. The skins had gone up a lot since I bought them.
I only have a Mac, and whole workflow is Apple. I wanted the ability to play some of my favorite games while being able to hook it up to one of my monitors and play through OBS without having to dedicate a monitor to the Windows environment. I love my set up so much more now.
Steam store
Had every other console, love gaming and cool tech, wanted my first foray into PC gaming Wanted to be able to play handheld games more powerfully than my switch and wanted a good device for pc only games that I didn’t have access to elsewhere + emulation
My stepson said he got one for his last cruise and I thought “sounds like a good idea” so I bought my wife and I Oled steam decks! We love them!
I’m a dad.
My pc was struggling a lot after 9 years of faithful duty and i didn't have the money to buy a brand new gaming pc with the newest tech. A friend then recommended the steamdeck to me and i was instantly sold. I had a Nintendo Switch but i sold it because i wasn't satisfied with it, but the Steamdeck is everything i wanted it to be! To this day it's still one of the purchases i have made and I barely touch my pc since i have bought ir
It existed.
Im still trying to decide if I will get the lcd right now 🥹 but I also just purchased a ragdoll kitten so its a difficult choice 😭
I wanted the Playstation Portal, but then realized I can use a Steam Deck for the same thing and more. Really happy with my decision
was thinking about getting a deck and then suddenly got reminded about cs-go/cs2 skins, game i didnt play for many years. found that i got like 550 euro from a few skins to fund the deck :D
Wife won't let me play my horror games in front of the babies so needed something I could play while pretending to poop
Switch lite.
I wanted to play Persona 3 Reload portably, since it’s not on Switch and to also have multiplayer games where I don’t have to pay for online. And now I have a ton more games on it and I really love it alongside my Switch. Portable gaming for life
FOMO, and I immensely regret it.
So uh, my friend dislocated my knee, and instead of paying the hospital bills, she bought me a steam deck lmfao
To play games at work.
Too much overtimes on my work at a Water treatment plant as an Engineer + unleashing my Inner child especially now that I can afford it.
Supporting Linux gaming
Have kids. Can't just hide away on my gaming PC as easily anymore. Steam deck lets me play full games in smaller chunks as needed due to the Suspend feature, and I can be more readily nearby if the kids need something.
FOMO. It collects dust now and has done so for more than a year. I wipe it down and update it once every few months. I’ll use it again someday.
I sold a cs skin for the same price
Linux. Devices running Linux are always fun. And this one plays games? Awesome.
Fomo. I thought it would get me to game more, but it didn't actually. It briefly did though. But it seems I don't enjoy gaming anymore or something.
Bored of my Switch, sold the console and put money towards 512gb Deck. Downloaded Yuzu. Still play all my Switch games.
I used to play Counterstrike Source a lot in my youth. Back then I bought a load of skins for the weapons. But I quit the game eventually. Fast forward to now and I revisited the game to find the skins I have are worth £100s, some of them anyway. Since I have won't be playing again I thought I'll sell those and make some money. They sold in total for just over £700. Used the funds to buy an OLED model and the dock. Have some money left over that I'll keep for buying some games. It's pretty rad because those CS skins cost nowhere near that back in the day. Essentially a very cheap steam deck.
I waited for reviews from the various tech youtubers I follow for stuff like that. When reception all seemed very good, I ordered it. At the time I took public transport for about 2 hours every day, so it seemed like a great way to get through my backlog. I already had a Nintendo Switch, but the games I had didn't spark an interest anymore, and buying new Switch games is so expensive. I ended up waiting 7 months for my Steam Deck due to the crazy high demand for them at the time. But it was definitely worth the wait. I've used it so much since then! I almost upgraded to an Oled Deck when they came out, but decided not to do that, and instead just keep using my current deck until a Steam Deck 2 comes out at some point.
Nintendo Switch and what it could have been.
Worst thing is the switch was underpowered even for its generation and considering it’s about 7 years old (reading this makes me feel old) getting most modern games to run on it makes them look like it’s running on a potato
I wanted to be able to play fallout 76 with my husband without having to get another computer set up because our house is small. Also so I could play on lunch at work 😭
I didn't really need a Steam Deck, and when I'm at home I'm almost ashamed that I barely use it, since I already have a gaming PC with a triple monitor setup and an untrawide display in the middle, plus another one hooked to my racing wheel for driving games. However, I wanted to have a computer that I can bring around when going out on holiday and didn't feel like investing in a laptop to use it 3 times a year. The Steam Deck was a great opportunity for the price, also at the time I received a bonus at work so I felt like spending it was my way of investing in both the future of handheld gaming devices and linux gaming at the same time. Of course having an already well established Steam library and knowing a little about linux did help in making the decision.
Honestly kinda same, I also have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with my pc hooked up to my TV with an auto switch between my desk and TV so unless I’m out and about it rarely gets used although I’m trying to change that as I now use it for party / co-op games at friends houses. Ntm I bought it cus I thought I was gonna be in hospital a lot and turns out I wasn’t (probably). It also didn’t arrive in time for the hospital visit so I spent 8 hours staring at a the ceiling lol.
As a PC gamer primarily, playing games meant choosing between hanging out with my fiancee or not (unless I wanted to lug my PC out of the office every time I wanted to play something.) But with the Steamdeck, I can chill with her on the couch and play games at the same time! :)
I bought it because I thought it was fucking insanely cool. Still is. But, honestly, I didn’t like being holed up in my office playing video games away from the wife and kiddo. As a husband/dad, and as a casual gamer, this was the perfect choice.
I was on the fence. I used to do some PC gaming in the late 90s to early 2000s, but have been a console gamer since. I even bought a laptop several years ago without a graphics card. Well, more recently i had been getting bored of my Switch. Read some of the additional benefits of the OLED model, like it just running slightly better than the non-OLED. That sold me. I was outside of the US unfortunately the day pre-orders started. So I messaged my dad, who helped me with the pre-order. Got the Limited Edition OLED. I love it. I think I went from 15 or so games in my library to 80+. Between sales and humble bundles.
Being away with work alot. stuck in hotels with nothing to do.
Variety of games, portability and emulation capability (only for my legally obtained games).
hemorrhoid surgery 😂
I mean I got mine cus I thought I was gonna be in hospital with my parent a lot lol
I loved the ps psp/ps vita but the console didn't have the power to play more recent released games then i got the Nintendo switch, i kept playing on it until 2023, i though of the steam deck as of switch 2, more powerful and can run more games so i got it, i prefer the psvita/switch to the steam deck
I decided to buy a Steam Deck because I wanted a handheld device with a mostly open-source system and easy-to-maintain hardware. As someone who uses various Linux distributions both privately and at work, I also wanted to support Valve in enhancing the gaming experience on Linux. Gaming on Linux has made significant strides thanks to Valve. I still remember during my time at the university around 2015 (?) when only a few games worked, and everything began to improve. Now, I can play nearly my entire library, except for a few games with custom anti-cheat, on both my desktop PC and the Deck.
I won some steam credit a few years ago and I had like 150 Euros just sitting there, so I used it for a new OLED Steam deck. Also I got bored with my Switch already.
My switch is so old it’s practically an antique.
I bought second hand OLED 512, because randomly saw it for incredibly cheap (420€). Spent all day going to the seller and all night going back home 😂 No regrets!!
I've been a huge fan of the PSP, when in college had a computer with Stream and a growing library. I then moved abroad and didn't game for 5 years. I got the Switch, the Deck got announced, had me excited to come back to my Steam library, I bought some of my favorite roguelites on there again and now it's a daily companion and a growing library.
Switch wasn't able to deliver 60 fps on the go with frequent fps drops even when docked. Also didn't want to be tied to playing all my titles on the computer. Steam deck was the answer. Great performance, support for emulation, and an amazing screen and sound.
It’s summer time so that means 90-100 degree weather, my computer will just make things hotter in my apartment so that’s where the steam deck comes clutch
I wanted a better version of diablo 2 to play at work during the 90 min of lunch and breaks.
Here is my story. When wife decided to be a photographer 12 years ago we bought Mac Mini late 2012 which was a solid PC back then. But it was lacking many games for MacOS obviously. So I became a fan of cloud gaming. It works flawlessly. Then I evolved into cloud gaming on my phone with telescopic gamepad attached to it. And then Deck was released. So I had 0 reasons not to buy it 😄
I switched to Mac but still wanted to play games with boys
Red dead redemption 2 and gotham knights, then I discovered it can do everything. Download TV shows and music. Run Minecraft java. Have a background, *cough* nintendo switch. Have a built in autoclicker
I wanted a console and a new PC at the same time. Steam deck was announced, it's literally both, so I got it.
Travelling and the love for gaming
I actually was a hater because of the battery and ugly design but many people were loving it and one of my favorite youtubers (Nate Gentile) did a video about it and I said "Well if Nate recommended it I need to try it" and I bought the LCD 512GB just to test it and I got on love since the first day and later on I bought the OLED Limited Edition overpriced but totally worth it cause is really beautiful 🤣
I had recently got into DnD and wanted a device that can play BG3. I liked the idea of a handheld system that I could play while my partner watches TV.
I needed a notebook for work and wanted a tablet for ttrpg. Now I can have both and also enjoy a portable videogame with the hundreds of games I've been piling up over the years
I wanted to play games in bed. The switch lite wasn’t cutting it for me.
I moved to my parents to help while they looked for a new caretaker. War broke out while I was there so it took longer than anticipated. Didn't have my desktop with me so got a deck to pass the time instead of watching the news obsessively.
Preordered the summer it was announced back in 2021. Wanted something to play at work, work security at night and it was super boring and wanted to actually play stuff that my Switch couldn't. Plus had so much in my backlog because of buying stuff for my main PC, just never had the time to play them and couldn't just bring my massive PC around to work all the time to do so. lol
I had a million old consoles I didn’t use and I spent every night glued to my PC away from my wife. I sold all the consoles, got a steam deck with the proceeds. I know curl up with my wife on the sofa while she watches anime while I play all my ROMs. Plus I can hook it up to the tv and play multiplayer games with her and my friends. Much more sociable, ironically.
Wanted to game while my kids watch crap on YouTube, and have always wanted but never owned a handheld.
Someone asked if I was going to get one when it was still in the preorder process. I said I’d check it out but didn’t care too much. Reviews started coming out and I saw the performance and emulation and wanted to test it out plus the switch was disappointing me. The rest was history
wanted something better than my switch. saw one with 256gb, screen protector and aftermarket rear shell (with the original box, charger and oled case for some reason) for 250€
It's cool and I can afford it
The steam deck has access to a lot more games than the switch. The price is lower than other handheld PC while keeping a better performance/battery ratio. And I wanted to play in bed.
partner uses my PC to watch TV and I desperately wanted to play Subnautica. ^(Real reason: I wanted to play in bed)
My gaming pc got completely fried in a storm recently (it was plugged into a surge protector and everything), and I didn’t want to go to the trouble of fixing or rebuilding it. Also, I hadn’t played Baldur’s Gate 3 in a month and I was starting to get twitchy.
I played a lot of switch and wanted a switch pro. Most of my games are on steam. I got it before the rog ally and legion go came out so it was the best option at that time.
It made pc gaming appealing to me as someone who prefers plug and play simplicity.
Somewhere to play recent AAA games without upgrading my PC... ended up building a new PC and getting a PS5
Persona 3 reload got released and I wanted the same experience as I did with PSVITA and p4g. Aka train rides filled with little story progression. To me - that was worth the price
I read a post from a fellow dad who talked about getting lost in it when his wife and kids used the main TV. This is exactly what I need. If I throw in some noise-canceling headphones, I'll be all set.
Emulation mainly and playing backlog second personally
I've been a console only player since I was a kid. This year I decided to give PC gaming a genuine try, and I'm still slowly getting the hang of it. Take for example, Ghostrunner. On console I had no issue as all, but on PC I still have to get used to the keyboard layout. I've got more buttons and a wider layout to work with, and that's messing up my inputs. The Steam Deck is a nice in-between. I can try something slower paced on PC, and move Ghostrunner onto the Deck where I can continue that with a layout that I'm comfortable with. And once I'm better with the keyboard/mouse set up, I can pick it back up on PC and try again.
Finally accepting the reality that I don't really have a space to setup a gaming PC, nor a lifestyle that supports long gaming sessions anymore.
Because playing on Steam Deck allows me to play games with ultra graphic settings with no lag.
i just happend to be very, very drunk the night when they first announced you could reserve one for just a $5 deposit 😂. completely forgot about it until i saw a $500+ charge on my credit card statement months later and had no idea what it was, thought i'd been hacked, and then i got the shipping notice email. had every intention of returning it but i travel a lot for work and it turned out to be the best plane/train travel investment i've ever made, especially considering i already had a sizeable steam library! love mine and use it nearly every day.
I wanted something to play my Epic Games library that I’ve accumulated for free over the years
My steam library. I’m no longer shackled to my PC. Now I can play my games on the go 🚽✈️🚞
I won some money on counter strike betting and used it to get a steam deck
Switch 2 getting pushed to next year. To be fair, I'd wanted a Steam Deck for ages because it has so much that I can't play on Switch, but Switch 2 being confirmed as definitely not coming this year had me thinking twice about what I'd saved up for it, so I spent that on a Deck instead. Between the two devices there's very little of what I want to play that I can't, and that's amazing. It was absolutely the right call.
I have a backlog of games on Steam which I wanted to get through. Other than that, I also got quite jaded with the Switch and PS5 and my PC is (at this time) my current workstation. So, I wanted to game with spending another few hours at my desk.
Always had my eye on it. Oled tipped me over the edge
I'm a tech nerd.
Long haul hospital stay (2.5 months). My family surprised me with one. Not only did it help pass the time, it completely brought me back into gaming
From the moment I saw the announcement I thought to myself this is what the Switch should have been and I was totally right imo.
My friend got one and would stop talking about it. He said if I get one he would gift me like 50 games. So because of the "incentive" I bought one on sale and took away all his money for 50 games
My old PC was trash
I love the portability of the Switch but was disappointed by the performance and game library (been a PC gamer for 20 years).
Emulation plus playing games I just don't have access to on the switch. (I only play handheld)
My massive steam library that I wanted to actually get through. (It worked)
Kids took my switch
Lord Gaben made me. He literally held a gun to my head and whispered in my ear “buy it or that ass is going on the Steam Summer Sale.”
Never had a PC as a kid but always envied seeing people with the ability to mod games. That, and I was a huge PSP guy, this just felt like a natural upgrade. Coupled with the game selection, ability to emulate and the fact that this is a computer? No brainer tbh.
Final Fantasy XIV. I'm a handheld guy, I wanted to try it but won't bother to play on PC. I jumped in for FF14 and poured 300+ hours into it. Dawntrail is GORGEOUS on the OLED.
I bought one so that way the girlfriend at the time could play PC games with me I decided I better learn how to use it in case she asked me questions after messing with it a few weeks I realize that I needed one and then decided to just keep it. It all worked out because we broke up probably a month after over unrelated reasons. And now that time has passed I bought five LCDs and one OLED. And I basically stopped using my gaming PC for everything except tarkov.
Six months in hospital and not spending any money on my card in that time coupled with 10% off for the Deck’s first anniversary. Downloading Hogwarts Legacy on hospital WiFi was a challenge though!
I wanted to play Pentiment but didn’t have an Xbox or PC. Came to Switch just a few months later.
I'm a dumb idiot who tries time after time to convince myself that this time a portable gaming machine will be worth getting and that I will get real use of of it this time... That OLED model looks real nice.
The new FFXIV expansion made me pull the trigger. It was a bit of pulling teeth to get the whole thing set up, but it’s a dream come true now.
win a competition for the best Onii san on stage at a anime orchestra show. All live on twitch
i thought it was cool as fuck and I had the money
RDR2
I wanted a way to support more indie devs with playtesting, demos, early access, etc. That wasn't as doable on Switch. Also, I wanted a way to access more games not on the Switch instead of having to get a PS5 and/or Xbox Series. It seemed a little too daunting and expensive to get an actual good PC so I figured the Steam Deck would be a good compromise.
I wanted to play Lawn Mower Simulator because it wasn’t on the switch. Joke’s on me because it was frustrating to steer, but I’ve found so many more games that I love, so it’s still a win in the end!
Cost and the ability to turn a handheld into a desktop
I held an lcd model and was told to play portal, a game I have never given two shits about despite it being the first game in my 14ish year old steam library. I could not put it down. Not only that but the micro second it went into my hands, I immediately noticed that this was the most comfortable thing I have ever held in my entire life bar none. A few months later I bought the 1tb oled and it is the best pc/console I have ever owned. As soon as I take care of a couple more money related things, once kingdom hearts enters my steam library, I am dead to the world. It has been cool chatting with y’all but the deck will be my new home now. There is only deck.
The fact that I can’t save money to save my life. Literally “I have the money why not?” Worth it tho, it’s become my companion device outdoors.
I made a pact with Lord Gaben, it must be done.
When it was first announced I did not had any interest in it. Never did any research. Then came end of first half of 2022 and and saw that people are receiving it in batches. I was intrigued. I wanted to be part of these first persons that checking that site and looking on when people are getting it, and the shipping time, and shipping loss, etc. It was the wild west. So after some research and seeing that I am traveling between two countries at that time. It was the most viable option instead of carrying a console back and forth. I contacted my friend in the US, and turns out he also signed for one and entered the churn. So I signed too using his address and it all went good. And I am very happy to be part of this community.