r/SteamDeck

Hey there,

I'm considering picking up the GTA Definitive Trilogy on Steam along with possibly GTA V. I have seen mixed reviews about both of those games not running super well on Steam Deck in the past. Have there been any improvements? Are they games that work well on the system.

Thanks,

As the title says. I've been using my deck for a lot of metroidvanias, some RPGs and some emulation. Would love some suggestions for good racing games on deck.

Previously Enjoyed Games: Split/Second, Burnout and Wipeout series, a little bit of Forza.

Preferred Genres: any futuristic and/or not too realistic games (I don't like F1 games).

Budget: any

Other Notes: Bonus if it's included in Steam/GOG Summer Sale

Disclaimer: I mention the game I built with the Steam Deck near the end for anyone curious. That's the only promotional link in this post.

About a year ago I was planning a six-month trip through Southeast Asia.

At the time I only owned a desktop PC, and wasn't interested in buying an expensive gaming laptop just to travel.

I wanted something that could:

• play games
• let me work from coffee shops and co-working spaces
• run from a USB-C charger or power bank during blackouts
• fit in a backpack

On paper, the Steam Deck was a good fit.

The question was whether it could actually replace a traditional computer for work.

I'm an indie game developer, so my typical day involves running a game engine, creating art, editing trailers, and testing builds.

I searched Reddit / YouTube to see if anyone had already tried this. The answers were... mixed.

And that makes sense. Whether the Steam Deck can replace your PC depends entirely on what you do. Linux compatibility, software availability, and your tolerance for workarounds all need to be considered when purchasing any computer.

So I decided to find out for myself.

Why I took the gamble

• I was moving overseas and wanted to travel light.
• I didn't want to spend $1500+ on a laptop I'd only use while travelling.
• I needed a Steam Deck anyways for future game development.
• It’s just plain cool!

Here's the software I ended up using (and the alternatives I forced myself to learn):

• Godot (game engine) 
• Aseprite (pixel art, via Proton) 
• Kdenlive (video editing) - Alternative video editor, was actually quite nice to use. 
• Krita (image editing) - Not a huge fan coming from Affinity Photo, but got the job done.

Peripherals used (These are mandatory if you value your sanity):

• Bluetooth mouse + keyboard 
• Portable monitor (for a second screen) 
• Dock (to connect everything)

I think it will come as no surprise that trying to use this thing as a PC without external peripherals is going to be miserable. While these external peripherals will arguably make the entire setup heavier, and harder to transport, they have the added benefit of being optional for gaming on the go.

I did learn quickly how ridiculous I looked setting all this up at a coffee shop, and quickly found myself going to co-working spaces instead. 😅

What surprised me most:

• Trackpads are surprisingly useable in a pinch for web browsing / file navigation. 
• It handled a full dev workflow without issues
• Personally I had little to no issues with performance.
• It runs super quiet, pretty much all the time.
• THE VENTS SMELL GOOD

*Also… I may or may not have pushed a build while sitting on the toilet.* Peak “portable workstation” moment.

https://preview.redd.it/hkntnz46nlbh1.png?width=612&format=png&auto=webp&s=e49c2fb16c2c3d9dbd55cf55eb3c21ddc43ae4f3

Where it struggled:

• Some Linux / SteamOS quirks 
• Video editing works, but only for simple stuff 
• Extra peripherals make it less portable 
• Some problems are harder to troubleshoot

I struggled a lot with getting the controller input to work while outside gaming mode, turns out you need to hold the menu button for a few seconds to switch to controller mode.

There was a lack of troubleshooting resources compared to Windows. I could usually solve my problems, but it often took a lot more digging.

The only performance issues I had was during video editing, which I kind of expected. During editing of the trailer trying to playback the edit would get pretty choppy once effects were added in. I did use proxy clips which helped. Editing a simple 30 second trailer was fine, anything beyond that… and you’re gonna have a bad time.

Result:

My biggest takeaway is that the Steam Deck is absolutely capable of replacing a desktop for some workflows, provided you're okay with Linux and don't mind carrying a few peripherals.

In the end I ended up completing almost the entire development of my latest game using nothing but the Steam Deck.

Since it was developed on the hardware from day one, it has native controller support and was designed around the Deck.

If anyone is curious, here's the Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3987230/Mining_and_Dwarves/

I'd genuinely love some wishlists and feedback from other Steam Deck users, especially on the controls. If you end up trying it, let me know what feels good and what doesn't.

And if you've used your Deck as more than just a gaming device, I'd love to hear your experience too.

Questions:

If you have any questions or want me to dive into more specifics ask away below, or share your experience using the deck as a PC :)

The full Black Flag remake (Resynced) lands July 9 and it's Steam Deck Verified at launch. I put together a first look going through what's actually new vs the 2013 game. The Anvil engine visual overhaul, the reworked combat/stealth/parkour, the naval changes, the new end-game chapter, and the Rifts. Tis isn't the full review - I'm keeping all the Steam Deck performance testing, settings and my verdict for a full breakdown on July 8(Because I am under embargo) Just wanted to give you all a first look. Tell me what do you want to see tested for my full performance breakdown - battery, frame rate liiting, upscalers, ray tracing on the Deck etc?

Sorry about the double posting

I'm considering getting a Steam Deck (with the dock) to use as a sort of all-in-one system. For Desktop use I don't need anything too intensive but one thing does worry me

>anything you install outside of flatpak (via pacman for instance) may be wiped with the next SteamOS update.

How likely is *may be?* Does this affect whatever normal things are on the system like written documents? Is it possible to disable updates?

Edit: I am familiar with Linux and I am comfortable with the terminal. Some of the programs I use have to be installed from their own repos so this is a big deal for me

Is there a way to get this back? Have they moved the setting? I use it on my deck and my custom built steam machine to supersample to 1920x1200 on basically every game.

My workflow is essentially set resolution in-game to 1280x800 and then FSR automatically upscale the output to 1920x1200.

Depending on the game I might use an internal resolution of 1440x900 or 1680x1050 and FSR upscale it to 1200p

This gives me much better image quality than the native 800p for basically no performance cost. And it also works really well with LSFG in many games.

Why the hell did they take it away? It's an extremely useful feature. Has Microsoft vibes to delete it without fanfare or explanation. It didn't hurt anyone to not use it. Or to use it so why remove it?

Guess I'll have to roll back to 3.7 because this is super annoying.

I keep seeing recommendation threads, but I’m more curious about the weird surprises.

What’s a game you didn’t expect to work well on the Deck, or didn’t even buy for handheld play, that somehow became the thing you keep launching when you just want something comfortable?

For me, the interesting part is when the fit is not obvious. Maybe the controls should have been annoying, the text should have been too small, or the genre should have felt wrong on a handheld, but the Deck changed how you experienced it.

What was yours, and why did it work?

Gonna Start playing the Trilogy for the first time since I grabbed them from the Summer Sale. I noticed the last 2 are under "playable". Are they all good on the Steam Deck? Any settings I should be aware of? Thanks

my friend who’s a console only player, owns a xbox series x and PS5, wants to dip their toes into PC gaming without taking the full leap, after seeing that the steam machine is kind of impossible to get right now he considered getting the steam deck and then realised the ally is cheaper and supposedly it can do everything the steam deck can, are there any downsides to going with the Ally? he mainly just wants to play some PC only indie games, and mod some games he’s always wanted to mod like Battlefront 2, Stardew Valley etc..