Steam Deck officially announced by Valve

Apparently most of the games shown in the presentation were running off of an SD Card, that's good news to anyone worried that the SD might be too slow.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/games-were-running-off-an-sd-card-during-steam-decks-reveal


"Don’t just take my word for it. Valve engineer Lawrence Yang said so on Twitter. Someone called K-Med asaked: “Are there concerns about the read/write speed of the SD card and slot? Will games on the SD card be playable, just taking longer to load than if stored internally?”


Yang responded: “Yep, games will load faster off internal storage, but games still play great off an SD card. When IGN came by, all the games they tried (and shot footage of) were played off a microSD card.”
 
cybereality said:
In this video, Valve is claiming every Windows game will be playable on Steam Deck at launch (1:50).




I find this hard to believe, but if they pull that off it will be a huge slam dunk.
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I could see it running everything with upscaling, which is more acceptable on a 7" screen than a larger one.
 
cybereality said:
Yeah, it terms of power definitely. I was thinking more about how they could get every Windows game working on Linux.
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ah right, my mind went right to installing Windows on it lol. Linux game compatibility is apparently extremely good and Valve has done a lot of good work building it so maybe they'll pull it off
 
cybereality said:
In this video, Valve is claiming every Windows game will be playable on Steam Deck at launch (1:50).




I find this hard to believe, but if they pull that off it will be a huge slam dunk.
Click to expand...

I doubt it will run every windows game on steam at launch, especially those running anti cheat engines. Now if you install windows on it…. Sure
 
ZodaEX said:
The PSP version is only available in Japanese. Can you read Japanese? I can't.
It's a dungeon crawler RPG where you fight monsters that are fingering themselves/have big tits hanging out their shirt/sucking on a phallic shaped monster/ect.
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This was the Easter egg of the entire thread.
 
cybereality said:
In this video, Valve is claiming every Windows game will be playable on Steam Deck at launch (1:50).

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Technically they said their 'goal' is to have every game work by launch, so less of a commitment and more wishful. Will be exciting to see if they manage to get DX12 working smoothly.
 
Hakaba said:
I doubt it will run every windows game on steam at launch, especially those running anti cheat engines. Now if you install windows on it…. Sure
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Valve has been working on a Kernel feature called Syscall User Dispatch which will fix most of these problems.


Okatis said:
Technically they said their 'goal' is to have every game work by launch, so less of a commitment and more wishful. Will be exciting to see if they manage to get DX12 working smoothly.
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DX12 works smoothly for me. You do lose some performance but that's expected when translating DX12 to Vulkan.
 
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DukenukemX said:
Valve has been working on a Kernel feature called Syscall User Dispatch which will fix most of these problems.



DX12 works smoothly for me. You do lose some performance but that's expected when translating DX12 to Vulkan.
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No need to convince me, I am signed up for their highest priced Deck with a delivery date of Dec 21. I have good faith that Valve will deliver a kickass product, but also expect to run into some problems. I am not a person sitting here convincing my self that every game in my library will run on this device day 0, or ever in fact.

Besides, I have tried using Ubuntu/POP as daily drivers with Linux gaming in mind, but it is not a good enough for me. Instead I just run my workhorse on Windows and everything else on Big Sur.
 
Hakaba said:
I doubt it will run every windows game on steam at launch, especially those running anti cheat engines. Now if you install windows on it…. Sure
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I assume it won't be hard to get it to dual boot. In my head have the internal storage set for SteamOS or Win10 boot, Slap the corresponding SD card in and play those games. A particular game doesn't work well on one, try the other. We will see.....
 
Accursed said:
I assume it won't be hard to get it to dual boot. In my head have the internal storage set for SteamOS or Win10 boot, Slap the corresponding SD card in and play those games. A particular game doesn't work well on one, try the other. We will see.....
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That would be amazing. I normally “wait and see” with this type of thing, but these ideas have me abnormally excited.


FrgMstr said:
Steam today updated my order with probable shipping date.

View attachment 377168
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I was 10:04 order time and my availability says December 2021 now as well. Seems like about 5 min after open was the cutoff time for December availability.
 
Marees said:
Yes, this is Van Gogh. But I doubt if we will ever see this outside of the steam deck.

AMD is not a player in the ultra portable market. So they don't have the volumes to make it as a standalone product.

It is as simple as
no Valve then no VanGogh
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That could change. Demand equal change. Not before hand.
 
Want detachable/repairable controllers. Everything I have ever owned with permanent controllers I have regretted.
Switch showed you the way but...nope! Makes too much sense I guess.
 
funkydmunky said:
Want detachable/repairable controllers. Everything I have ever owned with permanent controllers I have regretted.
Switch showed you the way but...nope! Makes too much sense I guess.
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Switch had shit battery life.
 
funkydmunky said:
Want detachable/repairable controllers. Everything I have ever owned with permanent controllers I have regretted.
Switch showed you the way but...nope! Makes too much sense I guess.
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f you want this feature, it's going to add a couple hundred dollars to the design.

I mean, look at the Switch's compromised Joycon gimmick, and that adds a hundred dollars to the design! Tell me how much more expensive it would be to bump those babby sized controllers up to full-sized Manwich controllers? With real fucking d-pads?
 
funkydmunky said:
Want detachable/repairable controllers. Everything I have ever owned with permanent controllers I have regretted.
Switch showed you the way but...nope! Makes too much sense I guess.
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Joycons suck ass as controllers. They're small, uncomfortable, and nothing about them feels premium or well designed. Id much rather have one perminent controller than two detachable shitty ones. The only reason they're sensible on the switch is because they're good for little kid hands and it's good marketing for a family console that every switch has two usable controllers.

The Steam decks ability to use any BT controller means it already supports everything in existence. Hell, use shitty Joycons with it if you so desire. Whats the benifit to detachable controllers here? Size doesn't matter for docked play, so I see no benefit to removing them in that scenario. Having them be removeable and usable adds size and cost. They'd need to fit a battery and wireless transmitter into each controller then. It just doesnt make sense.
 
Viper87227 said:
Joycons suck ass as controllers. They're small, uncomfortable, and nothing about them feels premium or well designed. Id much rather have one perminent controller than two detachable shitty ones. The only reason they're sensible on the switch is because they're good for little kid hands and it's good marketing for a family console that every switch has two usable controllers.

The Steam decks ability to use any BT controller means it already supports everything in existence. Hell, use shitty Joycons with it if you so desire. Whats the benifit to detachable controllers here? Size doesn't matter for docked play, so I see no benefit to removing them in that scenario. Having them be removeable and usable adds size and cost. They'd need to fit a battery and wireless transmitter into each controller then. It just doesnt make sense.
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The Switch works because it has to be affordable. Using the joy con controllers means you can dock it without a separate controller. But they do suck. At the same time, the grip module and added cost of the detachable joy cons brings the price up. Wonder if it would've cost the same to just include a Pro controller with every Switch. But I assume, even if the manufacturing costed was the same they'd still go the route they did. Most people who use it docked end up buying the Pro controller, which means more profits.
 
I like the Switch, but I used the stand and detachable JoyCons (as two controllers) maybe once when I first got the console.

Ended up selling it and getting a Switch Lite, which I prefer. It's not like you want to be on the bus or a plane waggling around those controllers.

So I'm glad Valve went with the all-in-one design.
 
I think the Switch's detachable Joy-Cons are nifty for simpler games where you want to just set up two-player gaming on the spot, no additional TV/monitor and speakers needed, but they're inherently compromised in so many ways due to having to be portable and work as simpler one-click-stick, eight-button controllers.

The good news is, there's nothing really stopping anyone from designing far more ergonomic Joy-Con replacements to begin with, something with some real meat to grip on the back.

The Steam Deck has a different problem: you can use just about any gamepad imaginable (probably still need an Xbox Wireless Radio dongle for the earlier revision Xbox One pads like I have), but none of them offer all the features of the built-in controls, meaning there's a compromise whenever you're not using said built-in controls.

DualShock 4/DualSense comes closest (single trackpad in the middle, gyro aim support), but if the triggers are anything like the Steam Controller or the Index "Knuckles", then they're missing that additional button click at full trigger depression (a feature Nintendo had once with the GameCube and original Classic Controller, but deleted entirely with the Classic Controller Pro onward for reasons I can't fathom), alongside the additional Steam Controller/SCUF/Xbox One Elite-esque grip triggers on the back that could be used for additional commands. They even have capacitive sensing on the analog sticks this time, something usually only found on VR controllers Oculus Touch and the Index "Knuckles" - in this case, it can be a trigger to enable gyro aim only when you have your thumb on the stick.

I'm hoping that the Steam Deck will actually lead to a much improved second-generation Steam Controller, one that isn't half-assed for both gamepad games and KB+M games, but is instead a very competent gamepad on its own, something you could play DMC/Bayonetta/Revengeance/etc. competently on, while having additional controls for PC KB+M style games and all the flexibility of Steam Input controller mapping on tap, down to using both KB+M and controller inputs simultaneously in the same game if it permits (think analog joystick movement + mouse aim).

All of this input talk raises another question, however: joystick/gamepad input APIs on Linux. I'm not entirely sure how they work. On Windows, you have the older DirectInput, which is actually more versatile (more analog axes, more buttons, true force-feedback instead of just rumble feedback) and the preferred option for flight and racing sims, and the newer XInput, which is tailor-made for Xbox 360/One gamepads and absolutely nothing else.

There are cases where you may want to map Steam Input to a DirectInput controller instead (DCS, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, etc.) instead of an XInput gamepad like most games, and I'm not sure how Proton handles that.
 
cybereality said:
In this video, Valve is claiming every Windows game will be playable on Steam Deck at launch (1:50).




I find this hard to believe, but if they pull that off it will be a huge slam dunk.
Click to expand...

Is any of this claim based on streaming from a PC. Not a deal killer if it runs well. But makes a difference.
 
workshop35 said:
I would love to see this run a wireless VR headset as a monitor. Serious Neuromancer/Snowcrash vibes.
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The GPU's probably far too weak for that (some games want an entire desktop RTX 3080 or 3090 to avoid framedrops), but I'd probably try connecting my Index to it and running Half-Life: Alyx for laughs, just to verify Valve's claim that it'll run anything.

Realistically speaking, though, I'd have to stick with something far more lightweight, probably COMPOUND or GORN, and rely way too much on reprojection.

Now, if AR visors (which are really just VR HMDs with a transparent instead of opaque background) were more of an affordable option, I could see one tethered to the Steam Deck to make a poor man's HoloLens. The burden on the GPU's much easier when it doesn't have to also render the environment virtual objects rest in, and I could see multiple applications for that, like digital service manuals that tell you exactly what parts you're looking at and how to (dis)assemble them, a live multimeter/oscilloscope reading from something like a Pokit Pro, real hacker/maker-type stuff.
 
defaultluser said:
I mean, look at the Switch's compromised Joycon gimmick, and that adds a hundred dollars to the design! Tell me how much more expensive it would be to bump those babby sized controllers up to full-sized Manwich controllers? With real fucking d-pads?
Click to expand...
uhh... $39.99 on amazon right now? And you have choices!
https://smile.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-Split-Ergonomic-Controller-Handheld/dp/B08FJ7XY3B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PYQVISDYMUCW&dchild=1&keywords=hori+split+pad+pro&qid=1627409336&sprefix=hori+s,aps,280&sr=8-1
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Considering their target is 30fps at 1280x800, the ability to meet that at low settings might not be something to write home about.
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I'm not too happy about playing in 30 FPS again, hope most games can hit 60. But it depends on the game, I hope this doesn't become an issue.
 
AustinW said:
did they try mount and blade warband viking conquest with max battle size? Even my x79 system with a 1680v2 and 980ti can't handle that at 1200p
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I'm not familiar with that game.

Is that CPU or GPU limited?

If CPU limited, does it scale well across cores?

Because if it doesn't, the deck may actually be faster, depending on the thermal limit and it's ability to hold boost clocks.

From what it looks like to me, the deck has a slightly lower clocked version of the Ryzen 3 3100, which in single threaded loads beats out a Xeon 1650 v2 by about 26%.

Each generations paltry single digit IPC improvement may have seemed insufficient at the time, but over 8 years things add up...
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
I don't know if this got posted here yet:

View attachment 378986

At first I was impressed. I mean, even MS Flight Simulator 2020, or Cyberpunk 2077?

But then I thought some more about it.

Considering their target is 30fps at 1280x800, the ability to meet that at low settings might not be something to write home about.

I don't know.

View attachment 378988
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I think doing 720P30 in those games on a handheld with no discrete GPU is impressive. Context is important.
My old laptop had a 4C8T i5 @4Ghz and a GTX 1050 4GB @ 1900Mhz+ (both tuned natch) and could sometimes barely keep 30fps locked in Cyberpunk 2077 with medium-low settings at 720P internal render resolution (1080P with FidelityFX scaling). That was a 15" laptop with a 35W CPU and a 65W GPU so if the Steam Deck can match that (which seems plausible tbh) then I'd say it's a win.
 
AustinW said:
did they try mount and blade warband viking conquest with max battle size? Even my x79 system with a 1680v2 and 980ti can't handle that at 1200p
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This is what they said "All the games we wanted to be playable is, really, the entire Steam library. We haven't really found something we could throw at this device that it couldn't handle."

They never said "everything runs at 30 fps". People are playing a game of telephone with the interview.

It just means you can basically play every game, not that it runs well or you can do all the advanced custom stuff in a game. And I highly doubt they have literally tested the entire steam library. Most likely just the most popular games.



It's pretty disappointing the screen doesn't have some form of VRR (I'm pretty sure they would have said if it did). VRR would be a huge benefit for games you can't run at a constant 60 fps.
 
They really should be adding freesync/VRR to this thing. Not sure it is possible after the fact using firmware/software updates ? but i know freesync is supported on AMD using Linux so it's a bit of a head scratcher if they omitted this intentionally.
 
GNUse_the_force said:
They really should be adding freesync/VRR to this thing. Not sure it is possible after the fact using firmware/software updates ? but i know freesync is supported on AMD using Linux so it's a bit of a head scratcher if they omitted this intentionally.
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There may not be suitable LCD panels readily available. 7" 800P 60hz is pretty standard, but I'd wager that 7" 800P with a VRR range is not. Custom panel = more expensive BoM = lower margins or higher price. Valve probably ran the numbers and decided it wasn't worth it.
 
NattyKathy said:
There may not be suitable LCD panels readily available. 7" 800P 60hz is pretty standard, but I'd wager that 7" 800P with a VRR range is not. Custom panel = more expensive BoM = lower margins or higher price. Valve probably ran the numbers and decided it wasn't worth it.
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Hmm. I've never bought LCD panels B2B in bulk.

Are refresh rates usually hard coded at a single refresh rate, or is there usually a small range.

With even a small range you'd thing you could make things work with multipliers.

Let's say the panel supports 30 to 60 hz. You could make a pretty decent range work by stretching 30-60 natively, and then duynamically skipping every other frame in software for framerates below 30. Thus 29fps would be rendered every other frame at 58hz, etc. etc. You'd think this would be able to be done in firmware.
 
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