Valve Steam Deck: Our Review

I got to try the new Valve Steam Deck. And the response is easy: its the perfect Christmas gift and not just for gamers!

Thanks to Valve, I had the chance to try the 256Gb version.

The packaging is minimal. Dont expect fancy boxes: The Steam Deck comes right inside what looks like your average Amazon parcel. HOWEVER, it comes with a protector case, which is a huge plus.

The first look

Quite big, I must say, but comfortable to handle. It does feel fragile, particularly the screen, hence why probably the case its very important.

For a nostalgic guy like me, feels a bit like the Sega Game Gear in my hand. And definitely more comfortable than the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Switch is probably the easiest and most natural comparison when looking at the Steam Deck. However, you couldnt be more wrong. The Steam Deck is what the Nintendo Switch could have been and never was: it feels powerful to know to have a proper PC in your hand. Because thats what it is, a PC.

The screen is sufficiently big and its HD (4k next?). I turned it on with the power button on the top. The setup is easy as drinking a glass of water.

Of course, the Steam Deck is a STEAM product, so you need a Steam Account to enjoy it fully. The menu is good, quite slick (I feel the icons and the windows could be a little smaller in order to use better the space on the screen). Moving around is overall easy. The haptic feedback is very cool and the D-Pads works seamlessly

If you are already a Steam gamer, then you will be surprised on how easy youll find all your games on it, without any effort.

But I can hook up the Nintendo Switch to my telly

And so you can, with Steam Deck. With a perk: ANY bluetooth joypad works. So if you have a PS4, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, you can hook up your joypads and play with them while your console sits comfortably connected to your tv.

The connection is good, no delays, is in HD, I didnt notice any particular loss of quality for the video here.

But I told you that the Steam Deck is a PC, right?

Well, hold your breath and long-press the power buttoninstead of turning the console off you can choose to switch to PC modeand there you have it. A fully functional Windows PC, with Firefox to browse the internet. You can connect external memories and do whatever you would do with your normal PC/Laptop. The D-Pads will be your mouse, with the triggers at the back of the Steam Deck being your mouse button. Seems complex but I got used to it in 3 minutes.

That is what makes the Steam Deck what the Nintendo Switch could have been and never was. Wanna watch Disney+? You can.

Go on Spotify to listen to your music? Its done.

Watch some videos on YouTube or navigate Facebook? Easy.

Now, I need to tell you that, being a proper PC, the Steam Deck allows you to install emulators for old games from old consoles, from the Commodore64, to Amiga, to SNES, etc. However the Steam catalogue is HUGE, cheap and with many recurrent offers on games (and lots of games for free!).

Battery wise, it depends a lot on the games, however I averaged about 4 hours of continuous gaming.

The demand for the SteamDeck is high since when the console have been announced so you might need to wait a little bit for it. I suggest you to head over the Steam Store (https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck) and book yours. You only pay a little deposit and then the rest when its ready to be dispatched.

Steam Deck is available in 64Gb, 256Gb and 512Gb and starts at 349. For my needs, 256Gb is perfect. 64Gb would make me panic a little bit about space.

A little suggestion: grab the Docking Station. With 3 USB-A 3.1 Gen1 ports, a USB-C port for power, DisplayPort, HDMI, and a Gigabit Ethernet port, the Docking Station has all the connectivity you’ll need. It’s the perfect way to connect your Steam Deck to power, up to two external displays, and any number of other peripherals. You can find several types online as well. Any USB-C dock or hub will work.

Overall, this is exactly what I wanted years ago when I bought my Nintendo Switch. A full pc that can handle my gaming and my media in my hand.