Over time, Handheld PCs have become a lot more beefy, but at the moment, anything that's not Steam Deck costs an arm and a leg.
Steam Deck officially supports a massive amount of games, easily providing players more choice than what is available on the Nintendo Switch.
It's much larger than that, if you factor emulation and how easy it is to run pretty much any "unsupported" game on the Deck using Bottles.
It's insane how most games I've thrown at it have worked with little to no effort on my part, some of my games run better on Linux than Windows.
Even without emulation, it’s massively broader than switch. This is so obvious I’m surprised it’s merited an article.
You'll enjoy it, I only got the 512GB model because I wasn't sure if I'd like it, I should have bought the 1TB model, but I guess I can add in a 2TB drive when SSD prices relax again.
I actually played Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on it a few days ago.
As the latest client update rolls out for Steam Remote, it appears Steam Deck users may not be able to reap the benefits just yet. The client update in question has added support for full HDR streaming from a Windows PC using Nvidia or AMD hardware acceleration to another Windows PC or Mac with an HDR display. However, Steam Deck users are struggling to send HDR from their PC to their device.
We published the performance optimization guide for Ghost of Tsushima earlier today. This is the second post in that series, recommending the optimized settings for the Steam Deck handheld console. Ghost of Tsushima was tested in the below scene using customized graphics settings that provide a stable 40-45 FPS at 720p.
Well, it’s certainly much easier when you can sell the handheld for minimal margin of profit or even at a loss because you have the biggest PC storefront in the world to back it up.
For anyone else, they HAVE to make their profits on the hardware.
No one else but Microsoft will be in a similar position to launch a PC handheld like the steamdeck (putting aside that the MS Store doesnt really compare with Steam, but at least they have a storefront and gamepass)
I have switched from home consoles to exclusively handheld gaming with Steamdeck and Switch due to family constraints.
But you have to keep in mind, that at the price you pay, you get to game everywhere you want and have access to both MS and most Sony games along with PC games. Switch allows me access to Nintendo catalog (even though you can emulate switch games on the deck)
You lose in graphics and controller options naturally but this is something I am willing to trade to game on couch with earplugs.
Besides both consoles can connect to a TV or PC monitor.
It is really great to have these options these days.
Here's the problem with that. These handheld PCs already have really low specs at their current price point. If you lower the price you're lowering the performance so much that you're not going to be playing much of anything except indies and older games. Decent, usable hardware costs money.
There's also the fact that Valve literally prints money with Steam. They practically *are* the PC gaming market. None of the other companies like Lenovo, MSI, etc., can justify either razor thin margins or taking a loss.
Ummm…as someone who has recently entered that world for retro games, there are actually a lot of options in various price brackets. The ones shown above are in the highest price range.
Not every handheld PC is equally capable, mind you, and you do get what you pay for, but depending on your needs, you do not need to invest hundreds of dollars into one of these things. The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is a current favourite in the under $200 range.
Maybe you would need something really expensive if you’re planning to run current games. I for one have perfectly good mainstream consoles, and an admittedly older PC, for my modern gaming needs though.
These Nintendo Switch for PC devices kind of remind me of Netbooks and handheld PCs from the early 2000s. They were cheaper than PCs but overpriced for their functionality. They become obsolete with the rise of smart phones and tablets. I don’t see how Steam Deck and its competitors can break out of the niche handheld PC market and compete with phones, Nintendo Switch, or even PS Portal.