#STEAM DECK COST PORTABLE#
#STEAM DECK COST PC#

I’d much rather hold the ROG Ally for long stretches of time, although Asus’ portable does cost twice as much as the base Steam Deck. The former looks a little more stylish and streamlined, with a superior balance of weight. The launch of the Asus ROG Ally has put the design of the Steam Deck into perspective. Steam Deck at top, ROG Ally at bottom – Image Credit (Trusted Reviews) There have been occasions where the fans have kicked up a gear and become really loud, although never to the extent of say a high-end gaming laptop or the notorious PS4. There’s a wide vent right at the top, which blasts out hot air while playing a game. Valve has also made sure that the Deck’s handles never get hot, with the system only ever getting toasty on the rear where all of the components are stuffed. The material feels nice in my hands, with the smooth rounded edge preventing it from digging into my palms. The Steam Deck’s outer shell is entirely made up of plastic rather than metal, but I think that was a wise decision. I’ve managed to play games on the Deck for multiple hours without my arms aching, with Valve doing an excellent join at distributing the weight. When passing it to any one of my colleagues, they always remarked that it was significantly lighter than what they expected. Even simple alterations, such as swapping the left-click function in Football Manager 2022 from right trigger to left-grip button, made a world of difference to my comfort.Īnd despite weighing more than the Switch, hitting the scales at 669g, the Steam Deck doesn’t feel very heavy at all. That said, the ability to remap buttons, coupled with the ‘grip buttons’ on the rear allowed me to fiddle with the settings to find the most comfortable fit. Steam Deck (bottom) compared to the Nintendo Switch OLED (top)

I find this slightly problematic, as I’d often have to stretch my thumbs to reach the analogue sticks and perform some finger gymnastics to hit the many onboard buttons. It has a screen sandwiched by two controllers (albeit not detachable) with analogue sticks on the front and bumper buttons up top.īut the biggest difference is the size, as the Steam Deck is significantly larger, both in terms of width and depth, despite remarkably featuring the same 7-inch screen size as the Switch OLED. It’s impossible not to make comparisons to the Nintendo Switch when ogling the Deck’s design.

So is the Steam Deck still worth a buy a year after launch? Here are my thoughts. As a result, the likes of the Asus ROG Ally have since launched, providing added competition for the Steam Deck in 2023.

#STEAM DECK COST PC#

It’s also got enough power to play AAA games, even offering a specific mode for the notoriously demanding Cyberpunk 2077.īut the Steam Deck has been such a roaring success that it’s encouraged rival companies to jump on the handheld gaming PC bandwagon. Earlier this year, Valve developers suggested that 'a true next-gen Deck with a significant bump in horsepower wouldn't be for a few years.The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC, scratching the itch for those who want to enjoy their Steam library on the go.īy adopting a similar – albeit bulkier – design to the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck allows users to game on the go, whether it’s on a plane, train or on your sofa. It's unlikely that Valve is using this sale to clear out Steam Decks for a successor. That's nice savings if you want the official dock, but you can still find third-party alternatives for less if you look around on Amazon.Īs usual, there are also a whole bunch of games included in the Summer Sale, which goes through July 13. It usually retails for $89, but is down to $71.20. Valve's docking station is also seeing a cut. While Valve has set a precedent to drop the price of the Steam Deck during its store-wide sales, it is notable that this further drop is occurring so quickly after the release of the Asus ROG Ally, a Windows-based handheld using a faster AMD processor.

Steam deck cost