Steam Deck officially announced by Valve

At least one developer (from the game Rust) has confirmed EAC are working on Steam OS support. Whether it'll require separate work on a per-game basis is unclear.
 
Krenum said:
Valve said they are working on a solution by launch.
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Axman said:
It's going to be a new version that replaces the old SteamOS based on Arch Linux using Proton. I'm betting most other game services outside of GOG won't be supported at first. But supposedly you can boot off SD which means you can run Windows on it without uninstalling SteamOS, and there is talk of rolling EAC into future kernel updates.
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Okatis said:
At least one developer (from the game Rust) has confirmed EAC are working on Steam OS support. Whether it'll require separate work on a per-game basis is unclear.
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cybereality said:
Game launchers work on Proton. UPlay (now Ubisoft Connect) works perfectly fine (they fixed the login issue) and Cyberpunk works as well.
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That is good.

I like the concept of the little device and all, even though it may not be for me, but what I really like about it is that if it gets traction we can see fiether improvements of these little nagging problems that keep me from gaming under Linux.

If it becomes popular enough, the players in the market will have a reason to care.
 
I'm very interested in this concept. Super nice for more casual non-AAA games (which are all shite nowdays anyway so moot point).

I just recently built a gaming rig so I won't be going Steam Deck for a while, but just curious, have they released how long the battery is expected to last during a session?
 
Furious Nerd said:
I'm very interested in this concept. Super nice for more casual non-AAA games (which are all shite nowdays anyway so moot point).

I just recently built a gaming rig so I won't be going Steam Deck for a while, but just curious, have they released how long the battery is expected to last during a session?
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On their official specs page it lists "2 - 8 hours of gameplay" on its 40whr battery. This is no only a pretty solid playtime for something this powerful, but the way it is written " of gameplay" is really commendable. Valve could have done the thing that most would do and list the maximum battery life being something sitting idle on the desktop (or at most using basic computing tasks like browsing or whatnot), lowest brightness and other power-consuming features turned off. This would give them the ability to "truthfully" put some 10-16+ hr maximum battery life, and then put the usual "battery life varies if you actually use the damn thing" sort of disclaimer below. However, assuming it is accurate they will have reviewers commenting on both the performance and the unusally forthright honesty, which will reflect even better on the Deck!

I should also mention that its highly likely that, besides playing titles with native hardware, the Deck is going to have fantastic support for game streaming. While 3rd party tech should work fine provided its Linux friendly (I'm pretty sure Parsec is Linux friendly both client and server, not sure if Nvidia GameStream works from the server side or not but I know there's client support etc..), Steam has all sorts of built in streaming tech from Steam Link to Play Together. Thus, if you wanted to play on the go or simply in another room, you coulkd use that big gaming rig to actually run the game, streaming to the Deck. While they're off to a great start if users have a gaming PC capable of being a server (one of the only ways that "game streaming" isn't a threat to user control of their game and an excuse to lock things down, unlike the Stadia and similar types out there) , I personally hope Valve will use the Deck as a springboard to unveil a new cloud gaming service with an open ethos and user-control focus. Allow users to rent a powerful virtual PC in the cloud somewhere and have complete control of it, instead of just a very narrow focus. Thus even those without [H]ard gaming rigs could play even the latest games on their Deck, be it the built in screen or outputting to a 4K TV!

Definitely looking more interesting with every bit of info they add! Hopefully sometime soon they'll clarify if the built in display is FreeSync compatible or if its just for outputting to another device. I admit I still hope that they'll upgrade the Deck to a Zen3 powered CPU core (and possibly an option for a 8c/16t CPU + additional RDNA2 GPU higher power for those willing to pay a bit extra) , but overall it looks quite promising indeed.

Edit: Every video of GabeN lately shows his increasing ascension from Gaben the Gray to Gaben the White!
 
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Stadia works on Linux (via Chrome), so that would be one option for streaming. Also, Steam In Home Streaming works pretty well if you have a fast WiFi network.

I believe you can connect a stream while a game is running. So like you are playing the game on PC and then pick up the Deck, hit stream, and continue playing while you visit the toilet.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
So, the Deck's OS is essentially SteamOS, right? Or is it different.

Someone in a different forum was suggesting that if it is SteamOS it essentially means that no titles that require either EAC or have their own launcher will work, whick excludes the majority of games your want to play.

Anyone know if this is the case?
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3.0 is a fork of Arch Linux. 1.0 and 2.0 were both forks of Debian.
 
I'm trying to find a reason to be excited about this but I'm coming up a bit short. I don't really see the appeal of using joystick/gamepad style controls to play computer games. The only game I play where I see that being at least somewhat viable would be GTA5 - which I'm not sure will even work on the Steam Deck since it uses all the Rockstar games stuff also (even though I bought it on steam). I would love a version that got rid of the joystick/gamepad controls in exchange for a bigger screen and more external ports. Basically a gaming tablet that I could use my own keyboard and mouse with. It sounds like I might be able to do that with the Steam Deck but that would be a very tiny screen. It's also kind of apple-style obnoxious for it to only have a single USB-C port for both input AND output.
 
cybereality said:
What you are asking for exists. It is called a computer.
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I think it's pretty clear that I was talking about something portable. Something even more portable than a laptop. Even high-end Android and Apple tablets are terrible for serious gaming (aka beyond pay-to-win gameboy-style apps) and more built around funneling money through their respective app stores. I'd love a tablet that was ground-up focused on gaming, as the steam-deck seems to be. I just don't have much use for clumsy joystick/gamepad controls.
 
GotNoRice said:
I think it's pretty clear that I was talking about something portable. Something even more portable than a laptop. Even high-end Android and Apple tablets are terrible for serious gaming (aka beyond pay-to-win gameboy-style apps) and more built around funneling money through their respective app stores. I'd love a tablet that was ground-up focused on gaming, as the steam-deck seems to be. I just don't have much use for clumsy joystick/gamepad controls.
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It's coming in future, probably, a surface tablet. The AMD Rembrandt would be a good fit.

Expect Surface to sell for a premium tho...
 
GotNoRice said:
I just don't have much use for clumsy joystick/gamepad controls.
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Well, first of all, go watch the video with the gyroscopic mouse controls. Then look at the tech specs, which include Bluetooth 5, and look into wireless keyboards and mice. Then give up on that and pick the prettiest combo from Microsoft because they're still just the tops at consumer-grade peripherals like that.
 
GotNoRice said:
I'm trying to find a reason to be excited about this but I'm coming up a bit short. I don't really see the appeal of using joystick/gamepad style controls to play computer games. The only game I play where I see that being at least somewhat viable would be GTA5 - which I'm not sure will even work on the Steam Deck since it uses all the Rockstar games stuff also (even though I bought it on steam). I would love a version that got rid of the joystick/gamepad controls in exchange for a bigger screen and more external ports. Basically a gaming tablet that I could use my own keyboard and mouse with. It sounds like I might be able to do that with the Steam Deck but that would be a very tiny screen. It's also kind of apple-style obnoxious for it to only have a single USB-C port for both input AND output.
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The built-in gamepad controls are the selling point. Otherwise, you're just left with a UMPC with a surprisingly good GPU.

Anyone else remember UMPCs? They were basically even smaller Tablet PCs, but still a bit larger than your typical PDA/smartphone of the era. In fact, I liken the Steam Deck to the Samsung Q1 Ultra more than I do the Switch, Game Gear, or Atari Lynx.

In my case, I have plenty of PC games that play great on gamepad. Think spectacle fighters like Devil May Cry/Bayonetta/Revengeance/Darksiders/etc., console-esque 2D action games like everything Supergiant Games releases (Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, Hades) and Hyper Light Drifter, 3D action/adventure titles that weren't designed with KB+M in mind like Shenmue, Yakuza and Dark Souls, platformers like A Hat In Time, other games that work well with twin-stick aiming like Cortex Command and XenoRaptor, so on and so forth.

I could pair a gamepad with my gaming laptop, but that's a slight extra bit of bulk on top of a system that requires a nice table to set it on, and a cooling pad to keep from overheating... or I could just whip out the Steam Deck, for that console-like pick-up-and-play experience with the flexibility of a proper computer, with the freedom to use game mods and run titles that date back literal decades. Most of those games I mentioned don't need a Crysis-level CPU and GPU to run well, especially not at 1280x800.

Other computer-centric genres like old-school isometric RPGs might be a crapshoot, with the reliance on keyboard text entry (nobody seems to have covered how well the virtual keyboard on the Steam Deck works while in-game) and good mouse input (for which the dual trackpads and touchscreen help considerably). That might warrant breaking out a Bluetooth or USB keyboard. (I know there's a double-thumb split virtual keyboard designed for use with dual trackpads, but calling up said keyboard without tying up your standard controls may very well require mapping a toggle to those additional L4/L5/R4/R5 buttons on the back.)

I do agree in that a second USB-C port at the very least would've been quite nice to not resort to dongle life with a docking station, but at least they have the basic decency to include a headphone jack. That's more than I can say for the smartphone market right now.
 
GotNoRice said:
I'm trying to find a reason to be excited about this but I'm coming up a bit short. I don't really see the appeal of using joystick/gamepad style controls to play computer games. The only game I play where I see that being at least somewhat viable would be GTA5 - which I'm not sure will even work on the Steam Deck since it uses all the Rockstar games stuff also (even though I bought it on steam). I would love a version that got rid of the joystick/gamepad controls in exchange for a bigger screen and more external ports. Basically a gaming tablet that I could use my own keyboard and mouse with. It sounds like I might be able to do that with the Steam Deck but that would be a very tiny screen. It's also kind of apple-style obnoxious for it to only have a single USB-C port for both input AND output.
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A lot of games on PC work better with a gamepad than a keyboard and mouse. Games that require precision like FPS obviously are better with KB+M, but they're still playable with a controller, and the gyroscope and/or touchpads should increase that edge a bit further. Obviously you're to be held back playing competitively, but that's not really what this is designed for. RTS and Strategy games should work well, depending on how reliant they are on a keyboard. The touchpads, again, should make for good mouse-like inputs, and the touchscreen also will be a big help here. Everything else, IMO, is better with a controller anyway. Given that consoles dominate sales and very few games are released exclusive to PC, almost everything being made today is done so with gamepad controls in mind.

Nothing wrong with you not liking that, but at the end of the day, you're going to be the overwhelming minority here. A "gaming PC tablet" doesn't sound like something that has a very broad appeal... certainly not something capable of doing what Valve hopes the SD will do. Unfortunately, it just sounds like this isn't for you.
 
Ordered the 512GB version....

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Wish he would have shown how the Witcher ran.

In doom eternal the steam deck was getting 59 fps where the neo was getting 37.. we should be able to extrapolate some from that.
 
equinox654 said:
Wish he would have shown how the Witcher ran.

In doom eternal the steam deck was getting 59 fps where the neo was getting 37.. we should be able to extrapolate some from that.
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Well yeah, the Rdna2 should be up to 40% more efficient than Vega 8, and when you combo that with the bandwidth -boosting ddr5, you should be close to 60%
 
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My biggest concern was the comfort level of the stick and button placement. Watching the Linus video it looks to be fine, glad to see it. Hopefully it does indeed feel as good as it looks whenever I can actually get one sometime halfway in next year.
 
The button placement looks great. That was a big problem with the GPD devices, the controller just didn't feel ergonomic or good. It was okay for like emulators, but for modern PC games it was pretty bad.

So I'm glad Valve went with full sized ergonomics. Also, the Steam controller, while it had it's faults, was actually pretty darn comfortable. I just couldn't get used to the trackpads, but everything else was solid.
 
workshop35 said:
My only regret is pre-ordering the 256gb instead of the 512gb....
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After watching the videos, it seems the 256 (and 64) GB ones have a glossy glass screen and the 512 is slightly matte.

Now I am wondering if I made the right call. I did want the larger storage, but I like glossy screens better.
 
cybereality said:
After watching the videos, it seems the 256 (and 64) GB ones have a glossy glass screen and the 512 is slightly matte.

Now I am wondering if I made the right call. I did want the larger storage, but I like glossy screens better.
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Well if we both dont like our decisions we can arrange a swap :) but we'll see once they start shipping
 
cybereality said:
... I did want the larger storage, but I like glossy screens better.
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I had expected it to be expandable, and I really struggled on which to get. But yeah the glossy screen is what finally sold the decision to go down to the 256 version. I hope to slap a 1tb in there eventually.
 
jfreund said:
LTT always has a screen cap that looks like he's expecting something to be shoved into his mouth.
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Because, his viewers are mostly bored rich kids - if you want to convince them to suck down yet-another PC release, you have to glamour it us with suggestive shit like this + stupid shit like gold-coated ram sticks

https://www.amazon.com/G-Skill-Trident-3200Mhz-PC4-25600-Channel/dp/B07LD43HMG

I have avoided his channel for years, because there's nothing more he can add to a launch / review video that Tech Jesus hasn't already!
 
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