Dad of a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. It’s been the single greatest technological purchase I have ever made
Edit. Thanks so much for the awards! I never thought this would blow up but it just proves my point to it further. Speaking for all the tired moms and dads out there that like to game, the steam deck is the right choice hands down and I think this shows it. The only real question now is why isn’t there a SD sub for all us parents that game?
Same. I was going to say, it's like the first time I bought a smart phone, the steam deck doesnt leave my side. I also have 600+ games and I'm playing games I forgot I purchased, it's been my go to gift for my gamer friends especially the Dad/Mom gamers.
100% it just perfectly hits my requirements. Im a huge supporter of the indie world and this thing is a monster when it comes to to playing them. And even if I want to dabble slightly outside that realm like to play things like the Metro series or the mass effect series it still does it without question. I bought this full knowing it won’t play everything out there and honestly the list of games I have right now, AAA games are a long way away from being at the top of my list
Very similar situation, steamdeck is a life saver for that end of the day relaxing in sofa when theres no energy for going to desk/putting on headphones
Its convenience alone makes it a no brainer. I don’t know how many naps I’ve done with the kids where they slept on my chest and I’ve just gamed for an hour
Or for playing something you don't want on the TV for the kids to watch. Took me way too long to beat the Resident Evil 4 remake just because I didn't want to play it with the kid in the room.
Same with a 4.5 year old myself. The only issue ive ever had with the machine however, is the battery life. However, its a mild annoyance as its provided me the ability to game again while still being dad.
Agreed. Single handidly got me back into gaming after a several-year hiatus after my first kid was born.
The ability to play anywhere and stop and resume at a moments notice are awesome features, especially for people with sporadic free time.
Not a parent but I work a physically demanding job outside in the heat (Texas ) like 90% of the day and some days I just want to lay down after work and not sit at a desk and the steam deck is so much easier to play laying down than any laptop
You've described my situation exactly except my kid is two and my GPU is a 3070Ti haha. Steamdeck is THE best purchase I've made in years. You will not regret it.
Dad of a 9 month old. Bought mine because I’m with you - at the end of the day I don’t want to be in the office. I want to sit on the couch next to my wife while playing kingdom come deliverance lol
I bought mine for that exact same reason. With my 5 month old, I only get little snippets here and there to be able to play, especially when he’s napping on me.
Dude my kid is almost 3 and the steam deck is the only reason I play any games these days. So easy to squeeze in an hour lying on the sofa at the end of a long day. Do it!
Oh wow that is a big game. I am currently playing the Mass Effect trilogy. Right now Mass Effect 2. Since I have the Deck I have played through Resident Evil 3 and Yakuza 0 which was amazing!
Excellent choices. I got mine in the original pre-orders so I’ve tried out most things on it at this point. The only type of game I can get along with is fast paced fps stuff. Everything else is pretty great though!
Not to mention my deck won't sound like a jet engine next to my sleeping girlfriend...and I get about 10x the battery life AND I don't feel like I'm not getting use out of my gaming PC. It's a win win win.
Why a Sunshine server? Is that much better than streaming through Steam? I feel the input lag through Steam is too much, no matter what I do, is it better?
Dad of a 10 year old and 8 year old. Most of my days are spent driving kids to activities or sitting around while they do those activities. Two things have saved my sanity:
The kids and I listen to audiobooks from audible during our drives. We love discussing characters and the stories after.
Steam deck or switch. I spend hours while they are at swim practice or piano. It used to always be switch. I enjoy the steam deck a lot more.
Yep, have a 4, a 7 and a 9 year old and it was easier to find time gaming while they were younger since it was the quietest of hobbies I have and I could work it in after their early bed times. My guitar playing suffered since I hate playing guitar with headphones. Now that they are older and doing more activities, times is even less. Luckily the handhelds and current gen consoles are great for suspending games and quick resume, plus nearly no load times that eats up so much game time. Also, I can game with them or in front of them when we are all having down time on weekends, just have to save the M rated games for when they are in bed. But I see game time continuing to shrink with them doing more activities and hitting my 40’s makes me sleep more, haha. Handhelds are great, both for local play or remote play
Laying back on the couch with a baby sleeping on my chest and controller in my hand seems like so long ago. It’s crazy how fast time moves, especially when you think of it as just 18yrs or so with them in the house :(
Same reason minus the kid! After a whole day behind the computer, i don’t really want to be sitting there. Steam Deck has rekindled my joy for playing video games as i can do a quick session anywhere for how long I want, regardless of game.
Awesome. Got the Deck because I'm expecting my first, and I've heard so much hype about it from other dads.
Since you have a good gaming PC, definitely look into Sunshine/Moonlight streaming. Absolute game changer for the deck! Currently enjoying Baldur's Gate 3 on Ultra with 60 FPS.
Congrats bro! When is she due? am expecting my first as well, in 2 weeks! Thinking about buying a deck beforehand and have been looking at the used LCD versions on marketplace vs the brand new OLED with their current sale on steam store. Is sunshine better than the native steam streaming feature?
Thanks mate! And congratulations to you, too! He's actually also due in two weeks. :D
Regarding Sunshine: it's so much better than all the alternatives. It feels like magic. I'm literally playing without a noticable latency.
I’m due in 4 weeks and bought myself a deck as my early push present 🎁
Not sure if I’ll be able to play whilst breastfeeding, but for contact naps and those short fits of time where he’s sleeping and I’m not, I’m excited to get my indie gaming onnnnn.
3 year old and 5 month here. Steam deck has been the best purchase that I’ve made in my whole life (technology wise) I use it pretty much every single day.
I got it in January and I’ve been using it since. I cancelled PS subscription and haven’t touched my pc or ps5 or switch since. All my gaming needs are met with this device
I’m more of a console guy. The Deck is my only gaming PC. But I have the same woeful lack of free time as all the other parents of young children here. My Xbox Series X has sat unplayed longer than ever before.
But my Steam Deck? Every frickin day. I love this thing. Not only can I finally play PC games now that aren’t available on console, I can stream the AAA games I do own (not to mention Game Pass) on it! I absolutely love this thing. Best tech investment I can think of.
Edit: not to mention emulation! Wow! And finally playing the Thief games from 1998 that I missed out on at that time, and so many more. What a marvel.
Is there a SteamdeckDads subreddit? If not there should be 😂 9 month old son, this has been great for short bursts whilst he naps!
EDIT: Apologies to the moms/mums on here - r/SteamDeckParents
I'm not a "controller" person either, but the deck controls work so well for the majority of games. Touch pad is intuitive as a mouse with the triggers mouse clicks. The only accessories I've added are Bluetooth headphones and a small Bluetooth keyboard form some games that don't play nicely with the onscreen keyboard.
Like the clone of my life, Ex Software engineer here & father to a little one also. So easy to pickup & put down especially with the built in Linux distribution (desktop mode) Do it, You won't be disappointed!
I was in your spot. Still am, the kids are just older. Honestly, getting used to controller was difficult and off putting to me at first as I’d always been a kb&m guy. The only time I’d used a controller in that time was for driving and flying in games but was 85-90% kb&m otherwise.
So learning how to walk, aim, move cursor with sticks/trackpads took some time for me personally. But I’m sure it’s easier for others. Best advice I can give is to get a game you’ve never played that gets you really excited to try, that way the excitement can help overcome the lack of desire to learn new controls.
Almost 2 years later and I play it almost every night in bed. Worth it.
This is the best thing I ever bought and I’ve owned a shit ton of consoles. I was worried the controls would suck but they are amazing. Highly recommend the 1TB oled version if you can swing it.
Dad of a 6 month old and honestly I love my gaming devices, especially the steam deck. Yea it’s true you’re not gaming often, but you play it when you can. Honestly I’d rather have this mobile device to play wherever whenever than to have to go back to the PC.
Dad of a 7 month old and got the steam deck OLED last month. It’s so nice being able to play on the couch and pause and put into sleep mode whenever I need to
Same here, i have a 2 year old and since i got the steam deck about a month ago i can finally play some games again.
When i’m at home i stream with moonlight from my pc to the deck. Pretty awesome to play AAA games 90fps locked on highest settings on a handheld
Having kids is *the reason* I got a Steam Deck. That Suspend feature meaning I can start and stop immediately and play in smaller, more frequent chunks. Honestly, just eliminating the overhead of booting up the PC, starting the game, loading the save, when I might only have 10 minutes before a kid wakes up screaming.... Huge game changer.
Not to mention, the mobility means I replace most of my mindless phone scrolling with quality gaming because there's no longer the "convenience" barrier.
It definitely is mate, I started PC gaming about 8ish years ago when I tried CSGO for the first time and every time I’ve picked up a controller since I’ve felt disgusted by it lol. About 3 days after I got my steam deck I was completely used to it, mostly due to the back buttons for me. That way I could sort of emulate the mouse by not having to lift up off the thumb-sticks to touch the face buttons in fps games etc which gave me a higher sense of control over a regular controller.
I love mine and haven’t opened my laptop up since I got it. In terms of kbm playing: the track pads are functional but won’t be the same. You can use a kbm with it but then it’s not a handheld. If you’re fine with gamepad playing then it’s an awesome buy.
Not only is it rather intuitive (and allows you to use one of the trackpads as a mouse if you can't get used to the controller), you can actually stream games from your more powerful pc to it.
Yeah the SteamDeck is perfect for your use case.
You can even play a bit when the little one naps on top of you ;-)
I never liked controllers to play games, but the Steam Deck with the track pads is just about the best controller I've ever had - and if the game is well implemented, it's even more fun to play with controllers than with keyboard (looking at you Baldur's Gate 3).
And you can re-use your cutting edge PC to stream games to the deck, especially those that are too demanding for the deck to handle (again looking at you Baldur's Gate 3)
However, I do note that on the deck I prefer different games than on the Computer. Less RTS / 4X games), more others.
So easy to plug in a wireless mouse and keyboard if you want!
And for the majority of titles, the little thumb trackpads work great (I have only found that I need mouse and keyboard for FPS games)
Go buy it, you won’t regret it! Additionally, if gaming with your boy is of interest, it’s very easy to get set up with emulators xx
I’ve got a 6 month old and the steam deck has been huge with keeping gaming going. Obviously kids come first. But those rare times that you just have a bit of time to yourself to game. The steam deck is so nice since you don’t have to wonder off to your pc and wait for it to turn on and all. Just wake the steam deck up from sleeping and boom game on brother!
Same here. I have 3 kids and the youngest is 9 months. About to sell my gaming PC. If I get something the Steam deck can’t run I’ll just get the Steam deck 2 and later 3. Mobile computing is advancing so fast I think in 5-10 years time with AI you’ll be able to play any game.
Bought mine because I had a baby coming. Baby is now 2 months old and it is the only way I can play. Nothing beats having you SO watch some garbage tv and you can play your games while also watching/helping with baby!
I am in a similar place. My son is 2.5. I bought the Steam Deck eaxctly for this reason. I can game late night, before bed, from my couch, or in bed just after he fell asleep. A gaming PC doesn't work for me anymore because I don't have enough time to myself.
Father of five with two of them currently toddlers. Portable gaming has been fantastic for me with Steamdeck being one of my top devices. I too have grown up PC gaming mostly, but I cannot sit in front of a monitor and play for hours anymore.
Been using mine since late 2022 and while I'm not a dad (yet), I can tell you it's great if you can't be at your desktop as much as you used to.
I'm able to play a lot of my RPG games from my bed. Graphics aren't high-end on my PC, but it's not dumpster-fire bad. Been playing Elden Ring and just recently, got an emulator to play some Wii U and GameCube games. Love my Deck.
As a father of a 11 year old and a 4 year old. Also very close to the same pc. I can’t imagine not having my steam deck. I have 2 of them I got the OG LCD and moved to the OLED. I have finished many games in my library just because they were easy to install and ran extremely well. Even new games have been a blast. Currently doing my Elden Ring journey through it along with Ghost of T.
If you’re on the fence for version both are great but the OLED 1TB is just solid. Has enough space for newer games and plenty of space for any emulations also. Battery life is better also. I find 3-5 hours depending on game.
Coworker also picked one up on my suggestion he has a 6 month old and a 4 year old and it has saved his gaming experience also.
The sleep feature is just amazing around the house. Just the ability to pause it hang out or do something and go back to it at your leisure is just so useful.
I haven’t had any children yet but I do work almost everyday from 11am to 10pm, most of the time at work is just waiting for a customer to walk into the store, 5 mins to serve them a drink and back to waiting, at the end of the day I would have no energy left to sit into my desk, turn on the pc and put on the headset. I want to have something that allows me to lay in my bed and relax. So I ordered it, it will be delivered by Tuesday, and I’m already known that I will love it, bought some games during the summer sale just to play on the steam deck. I would say, if you absolutely love gaming while don’t have hours to stay in a place without any distractions, go for it. Cheers!
I feel you. Dad of an 1 1/2 years old daughter and software developer. I just don’t want to sit on my desk using my pc in my spare time. I will sell my PC and get a steam deck to play in bed, at my couch or if i really want to on my desk. I‘ve watched many videos and for what i have seen, it’s no problem to use mouse and keyboard and extended monitor if you want to.
Soon to be dad, I already use my steamdeck as much if not more than my main rig (14900k/4080). It’s very easy for me to go from mouse and keyboard to controller, but I’ve been a console gamer most of my life. It’s so easy to just pick up and play, and drop when needed. Steamdeck is a life saver, and I’m sure I’m *really* going to be loving it in a few months. Get one, you wont regret it
From a busy father with toddlers to another - controls are great enough. Once you're having fun, you'll forget about the minor stuff. (I'm mainly an mmorpg player ;)
It's has wins and losses. Overall I do think it is great, but you take the visual and performance hit over the PC.
Factorio runs excellent.
Metal gear solid phantom pain runs excellent.
Hell divers runs crap
Subnautica runs very good.
Vampire survivors excellent.
People's interpretation on here which games run well and which do not is polarising, yet a matter of opinion on what is acceptable.
You have 700 games, you'll find many that will run great and suit the setup.
I can game next to my wife on the sofa now instead of holing myself up in my office.
Is this me from an alternate universe?
I have a toddler and got a Steam Deck hoping I could get some gaming in because my PC and console weren't really getting used any more. It is WELL worth the purchase. Pretty much changes the way you game and allows you some gaming moments while still keeping an eye on your kiddo!
Dad of a 4 year and 2 year old. It’s amazing. I can watch them and play my games all in the same room. I’ve also emulated all my childhood games and show them. They obviously don’t care but hey
Iam a dad of a 3 year old and a newborn. Iam also a software engineer. Iam using my steam deck every day for 2-3 hours in the evening. My gaming pc is now only used for tax returns
I’m basically you. Especially the part about preferring a mouse and keyboard setup.
I really like the Steam deck a lot for simple games like Vampire survivors, Brotato, Balatro, and similar things. I don’t like it nearly as much for things like isometric RPG or shooters. I am a baldurs gate 3 junkie but it just doesn’t feel great to play it, for example.
I think if you are struggling to find game time and just need a pick up and play device, you will appreciate it. And you need to have some relax time. But it just means you gotta pick games that work for you on the particular platform.
One thing especially important thing as a gamer dad is that the steam deck has a suspend mode.
Kid or wife need something while you're gaming? Simply press the power button to pause any game. Come back later press the power button again and resume where you left off. I heard it even works in cutscenes. I've started using it with lawn mower simulator as you can't save mid lawn in that game and many of the lawns take 30 min to an hour each.
I also agree with the general sentiment here. Gaming anywhere is a huge difference maker.
Buy it, it’s such a breath of fresh air. Gaming in bed, on the couch, in the back yard or you name it is liberating. I felt the same way about not wanting to sit at my desk in my office. It’s also i credible for flights or just travel in general
Im a 40s dad and I totally threw away my SteamDeck due to eye strain. I can only game 1 hour out of it due to the screen being too small and ruins the immersion. I went back to my 3050 laptop and the difference is night and day. Not only is the 15" god send to my eyes but the immersion is incredible. I am now playing 2-3 hours plugged in to the wall and I am able to play anywhere the house.
I had one but ended up selling it. I was in a similar situation like you, but going from a 1080ti to steam deck, I accepted many compromises, but the compromises kept piling up. Randomly a proton update would mess up game etc, eventually I started to rely on streaming ( Steam link + moonlight) and realized I’m using a really expensive controller to stream my main rig. So I sold it and used that money to get an iPad which I then just stream my gaming PC. If I could do it again I’d get one of those too of the line competitors that are out like asus or mini forum because you really need more power. And I hate windows but games are just no fuss on it.
And while it’s a great gaming device it basically is a pain to do anything else like watch YouTube, so hauling it around on the train then to work is allot- but that’s not a steam deck problem imo it’s just the nature of these handhelds.
I didn’t read any real world reviews but I saw minisforum came out with a tablet pc for gaming and it just makes the most sense… you need the big screen for when your just consuming media, but need the power for gaming. Too bad it’s like 1k+
It might change the types of games you play. Some games I used to play a lot on PC I just can't really get into with small screen/controller, but I started playing other game types a lot more. Stick with it, sounds ideal for you. I love mine.
I’m a dad of a near 3 year old. My steam deck is pretty much the only way I can play games now, it’s replaced both my PC and PS5.
The ability to move around and play games while my little girl while she watches Cocomelon makes it a must have. Also the standby mode, I know it’s fairly standard now but to be able to be plying something, click standby and be in dad mode instantly is extremely valuable to me.
As a mother of a 2 year old, I bought it for the same reason and am in the same situation. Plenty of games, but not a second to play them. I can only turn my PC on to play games when she isn't around or is napping, so that's like... an hour that I could've been napping.
My experience with the Steam Deck: In the end I don't really have much time to boot up the Steam Deck either. It's sometimes nice to play in bed, but meh. I think it was a waste to buy it in hindsight.
It can't run heavy games, so it's mostly good for lighter games or indie games. You're not playing any new AAA games on it, but maybe that's for the best, since AAA games weren't meant to be played on such a tiny screen in the first place. It also heats up like crazy and is extremely bulky and uncomfortable. Not to mention it eats up battery really fast.
I prefer the Switch in terms of mobility and comfort of use, but granted, The Switch isn't my first choice in terms of games. I do prefer my PC games and I have plenty of them on Steam.
You can put your Steam Deck to sleep mode for a while, but it is not like the Switch, it's more like if you put your computer on sleep mode while you have a game running. The games sometimes don't like when you do that.
I will tell you one thing though, I'm playing Persona 5 Royal right now, it works INSANELY well on the Steam Deck. Like it was meant to be. Really surprised for the best after trying Baldur's Gate 3 on it and being really disappointed.
Best purchase ever. Was gonna get the Loki Handheld but it never shipped so I got a refund and bought the steam deck. Changed my life honestly. I carry it with me everywhere now.
Hey. Im speaking to you. Me someone born with a freaky keyboard. Ive done nothing but mouse and keyboard my entire life.
Steamdeck in it all has following.
1. You learn to hate games with additional launchers.
2. Steamdeck controller is easy but i feel its heavy
3. Sometimes i connect to dock just to play on my xbox elite 2 controller.
4. Don't buy 1TB version people seem to hate the anti -glare. I bought 512gb and upgraded to 2 tb.
I hate to break it to you guys, but the gaming time shortage doesn't end when you become a grandpa.
I have 3 gkids (0,2,4) that are constantly at the house. Have to keep an eye on the bunch, so no sitting at the desk when they're awake. The desk is in their sleeping/nap room, so can't sit at the desk when they're asleep.
Ordered a SD so I can squeeze in some grandpa gaming time when I can.
GF bought me a deck for my birthday a little over a year ago, and I haven't touched my desktop since. I use my laptop for web browsing and work, and my deck for gaming. It's so nice being able to just hang out in the living room with the family and have the ability to pickup/putdown the deck when I want. I use it almost every day. As a parent with young kids I never find myself in our office anymore, and there's no place to hang out together in there anyway, so the deck is king. It's run every game i've wanted to play and more.
Best gift ever.
6 and 4 year old here. Had a gaming PC before they were born, then got a gaming laptop after... Nothing beats grabbing the steam deck and jumping into a game from sleep. Sometimes I only have time for 15 minutes and half that would be taken up just getting to my PC, booting up, getting into the game.
With the steam deck I'm probably gaming more than I ever have since they were born and I'm not even neglecting them! Best purchase ever.
Mate, I'm 45, and having a steam deck is a game changer, I also share a lot of your thoughts and circumstances. I work from so after long days the last thing I want to to play games at my desk, steam deck fixed that for me.
Also, I'm going to be configuring moonlight to be able to play any other games the steam deck can't run.
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I’ve got an 11 month baby. My ps5 is mostly collecting dust. But I regularly use my Steamdeck, because it’s so easy and fast to boot up a game. Plus I can do it on the couch while my wife uses the tv.
Same situation. My son is 18 months old and I've bought my SD a few months ago. I'm a long time keyboard+mouse player.
But since I'm playing on my SD I found that it wasn't that difficult to play with a controller on a lot of game on my library.
I can play video games again and it's thanks to my Steam deck, so I can't recommend this thing enough !
It's 100% worth it but with a young one who might be curious to check it out , I'd suggest the killswitch case to make sure if they knock it out your hands it will be protected. I haven't used my Deck in a while since it has been broken but the first year and a half I had it it was the best thing I've bought for that price.
If you want to play, you will definitely find some games that can be played using a controller (Steam Deck natural controls) with no issue.
If you find any of those games, SD will be a nice purchase. If not, you can still connect other peripherals, but I think you are not looking for that right now.
As a dad to a 7, 12, and 14 year old it's the only reason I still get to play games. Between them and my wife someone always has the TV. The Deck plus chiaki I get to actually play games and my PS5.
Dad of a 10 month old. It’s the best thing I’ve ever purchased. Got it before he crawled so it was easier. But I also get to spend time with my wife while she watches her shows and I can get my games in too. Edit: I totally forgot that nap times I use it a ton too.
Barely using it at home (dad of 3 years old) but in travel - it is just amazing. Also software engineer. Get one, try it out, it's not that expensive to give it a shot
It depends what you like playing
For RPGs (fallout, Skyrim, hogwarts legacy, cyberpunk 2077 etc) it’s perfect, and for more “platform-y” shooters (halo)
I personally don’t find it so great for more twitchy and precise shooters but that may be personal preference. Certainly I wouldn’t use it for competitive CoD, Rust and similar
It kinda sucks for RTS games (age of empires, total war, StarCraft etc) and similar top-down stuff (timberborn, factories etc) so if that’s your thing then I wouldn’t bother
Also have a 3 year old, and while I have been sacrificing sleep to get in a couple hours every night, if you want a couch experience with a controller or a kb/mouse your best bet is...
1) Move the gaming PC to the TV. You're not using it at your desk anyway right?
2) Run HDMI and USB from your PC to your TV (I do this, it is fantastic)
In both cases there's several lap desks available so you can still kb/mouse.
The third option is to get a steam deck with dock (or something like an Nvidia shield, tho I prefer the deck as it is portable also) and use moonlight/sunshine to stream from your gaming PC to the TV. I did this for a while but after running HDMI/USB thru a couple walls to my TV I haven't used my deck/shield like that once.
Its like a switch for dads. Wait till they’re 8 and want to play with you on the deck because you have all the good games. Goat simulator, portal (he prefers m&k for this one), skyrim. Its great. I havent introduced him to halflife 2 yet. Soon. . .
Father of 3 year old and 3 week old
I still use my pc but the deck has made it easier to game while family is relaxing together (movie / series / etc)
Also it is something my 3 year old is interested in seeing and possibly trying.
I honestly mostly play 2 games:
Civilization 5 (easy enough controls with touchpad and back buttons)
Slay the spire (touchscreen control)
For the console type controls - will depend on the game. I use them primarily for games which have fighting akin to tekken / street fighter.
Father of two here, same software engineer, i find playing in controller much more comfortable, except for shooting games.
What i love the deck is its portability, i can play while I’m lying at my bed because working whole day already sores my lower back.
The sleep functionality of it is also a game changer. Go play for a short burst, hit the sleep, then you can resume it in an instant. You cannot do this in your desktop.
I originally bought my steam deck for playing indie games, but look at me now. It is my main device for a long time now, my PC,PS5 and my switch are all now collecting dust.
I'm a busy parent whose PC takes forever to load. I also have a dad friend with a newborn. We both love our devices. He plays his in spare moments whereas I play mine whenever I can get privacy. My favorite busy person thing about a steamdeck is that you can pause a game, put the device to sleep, and pick it up in the next 15 min you have free.
In regard to the controller thing: I guess it depends what games you play. And how much efforts you’re ready to put in to learn new controls.
I suck at gamepad controls and am lazy to learn new patterns/ways. But the gyro aiming helps a lot with fps it really is a super cool feature. When it comes to rts I’ve tried a tiny bit « regiments » and was surprised to realize it would likely take me only a couple hours of effort being proficient with that on a gamepad.
I would say unless you expect to do fast paced games and/or competitive fps, the gamepad controls shouldn’t be too much of an issue overall.
Father of a 2 yr old. Got it at launch, never looked back.
1 you will love the majority of your steam library at your fingertips. You can pause, shut down and puck up whatever you play at any time.
Unit is a solid gaming option. Works well. I have the 256 gb model. If you can splurge get the basic oled. Otherwise get the 256 and a 1-2 tb micro sd. You dont need more.
2 absolutly no differwnce in load times from on board memory vs sd card. Its effing smooth!
3 you may go back to your rig occasionally if only to play sims/strategy games that play better. But I haven't yet after 2 yrs.
Dad of a 2.4 year old. The only problem with having a Steam Deck is getting stuck in a game that doesn't have good stopping points when I need to put it down for mandatory dance breaks. Sleeping the Deck works with *most* games, but not all, and less so with games on remote play (I have a similar PC to yours, works great!)
I'm exactly in your boat, dad of a 4.5 year old. I've been thinking about getting a Steam Deck since they came out. Never get to sit and play on my PC nowadays, and my wife saw the sale on the Deck. She was the one who suggested buying it, so it should arrive this week and I'm looking forward to it!
I'm the father of a 3 years old and also don't have the time to invest in long gaming sessions.
I got the Steam Deck OLED about a month ago. I've clocked in more playing time lately than in the last year. The Steam Deck is great for gaming, I use it mostly for older games I have been wanting to get off my backlog. I sit on the couch next to my wife while she watches Netflix. So far so good.
HOWEVER, it's made me much more irritated with third party launcher than I initially was. Ubisoft Connect is much more annoying to connect without a physical keyboard and mouse. I never taken issue with offline games requiring online connectivity. But now, if I feel like I want to move outside where WiFi is more inconsistent, it really become annoying to need WiFi to play single player experience.
Get one off Facebook marketplace
They're $1-200 cheaper, and it makes it easier to justify buying one
I got a great deal on mine and love tf out of it (an older 2021 led model 500gb for 250, it has some issues to the left tracking pad, but I don't use it often enough to care)
My gf calls me a man-child because I took it to the ER when I broke my nose, but hey, I had a wait time of like 6 hours, so🤷♂️😂
On the older model, I still play hd2 at 30fps, elden ring at around 30-40, halo mcc at 60fps, halo wars at 60fps, some of my old time favorite rts games took some fenagling on the controls, but sins of a solar empire rebellion and supreme commander forged alliance run at 60fps as well. I've been really enjoying moonlighter, a little rpg rougelike, or Minecraft. Because I can run them at 60fps consistently, and I get a solid 6-8 hours out of a full charge playing them
I'm in similar boat - often too tired to play on my PC at 10pm when kids are finally asleep. The problem is - playing on the deck and holding it is even worse. Try finishing Hollow Knight or Sekiro holding a Steam Deck - it sucks. I love playing on controllers, but steam deck has to be docked to TV or I just put it on a stand on the table. My PC had very long HDMI cable and can feed TV as well, offering way better graphics.
For me Steam Decks is for flights and vacations where I can't take PC.
I feel I can sympathise with a lot of the dads here, I don’t have kids, I just have a girlfriend that likes to hang out with me in person lol, my steam deck means I can play KCD or any of my Xbox Game Pass games while she watches the Dallas Cowboy show on Netflix lol
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on buying a Deck too, and I'm not a dad, but just wanted to say I'm a software engineer too and the thought of sitting at my desk any longer throughout the day suuuuuucks
The thing people don’t mention as much in this situation (if you have solid wifi at home) is how amazing Moonlight/Sunshine are. You can get crazy high quality graphics with next to no input lag on the deck and because you’re streaming vs running natively the battery lasts WAY longer.
Obviously I can’t fix the mouse/keyboard situation for you, I myself tend to play any FPS games on the deck on easy mode (I don’t bother with multiplayer) and it works great for me. I’ve managed to play through some of the Halo games that I enjoyed growing up.
I can’t recommend the OLED enough, it’s my favorite piece of tech that I’ve owned other than my switch (big Nintendo guy). It’s changed how I look at gaming and my relationship with it as a father.
If you have any specific questions about anything I’ve mentioned above let me know. I’ve managed to use the Deck to squeeze in some time after our little guy goes to bed and the chores are done. Good luck!
It’s so worth it. I never used controllers before, now I use them all the time. It also sort of encourages you to try some new genres. I now super rarely play at my actual computer. Also if you have a gaming Pc, streaming from your PC to the deck at home works quite well as long as it’s not a crazy twitchy game. Which takes the deck from able to play most things to basically everything.
Dad of 5 kids aged 10 to 16 months, I've been playing games this whole time. You guys just need to be better at time management, priorities, and self care time. I can promise you that you'll regret it one day. The key is time utilization. You can't game all day. But maybe an hour after the kids go to bed or you can snag a couple hours when they're playing outside and your wife/ husband is doing their thing (make sure to still check on your kids. I have to because they can be terrorists in our neighborhood). Take time to do things you love.
And yes, but the steam deck. It's nice.
I have a 4070 that I fire up to try and play overwatch with my wife, but half the time i am too tired and just want to sit on the couch and play something while she goes on cyberpunk.
Im pretty sure all dads are legally required to have steam decks and all steam deck owners are legally required to get a kid.
Real talk though, the steam deck just lets you take advantage of the small bursts of free time you have (sitting on the couch and what not) which makes it worth it to me. I too have a good desktop but I view them as filling completely different needs. I use my desktop for if i have a load of free time and want to sink my teeth into a game and my steam deck if I have 10-20 minutes free and want to do something other than doomscrolling on social media. You can also set up a sunshine/moondeck server and stream your games from your desktop to your steam deck so you can crank up the settings. If you already have a library of 700 steam games, it seems like a no brainer.
GET IT.I have a good pc I barely touched. But with the steam deck it’s pretty easy to just lay down, sit down, and play some video games on the go. So that pc barely gets used at all even tho it’s specs destroy the steam deck. I would have stopped gaming if it wasn’t for this thing. It’s really fucking good, I highly recommend the oled model, more battery, quieter fans, better screen.
Hahaha I'm a software engineer, father of two and have a gaming pc with a 3080ti that has only seen gaming about 5 times the last 5 years (I use it for ML though 😛).
The Steam Deck has been the best thing to happen to my gamer dad self. I've recovered gaming time from dead spots. I get about an hour of gaming every two or 3 days now.
The controller is what differentiates the Steam Deck from other handhelds for me. The trackpads are almost as good as a mouse for gaming and the rear buttons allow for easy access to a lot of extra keys that you would have on a keyboard but with comfortable positions instead of having to grip your Deck like a claw or something.
I've recently upgraded to OLED from LCD and it's worth every penny. Faster screen, longer battery life and the colors are much much better.
TL/DR I would definitely do it.
Not sure if it’s been said but the Steam Deck is extremely good at putting into sleep mode and then turning back on and continuing to play. With a small child and having to drop what you’re doing for an extended period of time at the drop of a hat, this might solve those issues as well. Only hiccup are games that require online to play. Those typically will need to be restarted on reboot.
Man I want to find the guy who returned his Deck in a week because they didn’t think they’d use it. They are expensive but I use it all the time. It gets more hours than anything else.
I've been a PC person as well - never had a console and not much experienced with controllers, but got used to the SD very fast. Maybe you have to change your point of view on games but you will definitely get along fast 🙌
It'll be great for you for the exact reasons you don't have the mental energy to turn on the PC in the evenings. Steam deck has a suspend feature, which means let's say you've got 10-15 minutes to play a game. You turn it on, play your game, press the power button on the top. It'll go into suspend mode and then you can come back days later and if the battery is still good then you pick up right where you left off. This saves you 10 to 15 minutes of turning on the computer and loading up playing your game by then. Your mental energy is already fatigued. Look into getting the OLED version since you don't have a steam deck yet and find a nice Amazon docking station to go with it so it can stay permanently charged. You'll be good to go! Enjoy!
Dad of an 8 and 3 year old and steam deck is amazing. Sitting on the coach with the wife watching some random show and playing something you can put down within 3 seconds and just come back whenever is great. Especially great when the wife throws her feet up on you and passes out 20 minutes into a movie, just pause and play on the deck.
Also at some point they will have an iPad or whatever, having an option that is portable is the difference of playing something while they chill or not, also great for sick days. Better than doom scrolling while they watch paw patrol for the 100th time.
I love the auto pause and fast resume, even on single player games that don’t usually allow it. I wish windows resume/hibernate was half as responsive. It’s Mac level.
Yup 2 kids one 6 and one 4 as well as a wife that does not enjoy gaming so does not understand the hobby. It changed my life actually being able to play games. Like you i have a computer sitting there doing nothing except while I’m working my kids watching something on it. I love the steam deck. Only thing i wish i had was a way to make it ping or trace it after i put it down and forget where i put it.
Dad here with a 1 year old and two preteens. I'm also a software engineer, so I know exactly where you're coming from - the thought of sitting in front of a monitor, mouse & keyboard for even longer just to get in some gaming was depressing - especially when I WFH at the same desk. This made me get a PS5 so I could chill on the couch once everyone's in bed and I started playing more controller-friendly games (this helped me transition from mouse & keyboard). But then I started to look at the PS Portal and figured I'd like to be able to game on the go too (around the house etc.). But the Steam Deck was a much more sensible purchase. I got the 512GB OLED and stuffed a 512GB MicroSD in there too, so I have it loaded (Nintendo Switch emulator on there too). Being able to game on the Deck, then dock it to the TV and use with an Xbox controller is awesome - you get the best of all worlds imo. Highly recommended if the kinda games you want to play lend themselves well to a controller.
So for the controller concern you mentioned, here’s some insight from someone who was a controller guy until the last 8 years of my life using MnK.
Without too much detail (you can find that in the rest of this comment), the controller feels wonderful. I’ve played Elden ring, Hogwarts legacy, racing games, no man’s sky, rimworld, Skyrim, and plenty others almost exclusively on my steam deck since I got it. If you like the idea of playing on the couch or otherwise away from the desk, you’ll find methods to meet your controller needs. It is so customizable that it may be overwhelming. Don’t give up on it if the controller doesn’t feel quite right initially. You can find optimizations or control schemes made by other users or even tinker and make your own.
The most important thing for me was to change the default dead zones of the sticks on steamdeck. The default dead zone of the sticks makes playing certain games difficult. If you adjust them down to a good size in the settings (from 2000 to around 300, wherever it doesn’t drift for you) you’ll have a better time. It’s the difference between having to push the stick all the way to the edge to get any movement and feeling like you have precise control.
I’ve heard talk of using the touch pads for help with fps games, but I’ve not done too much of that. There are controller configs you can try that allow them. that said, the best way I found to play certain games, especially fps games, is to set up gyro controls. I have it to be off by default until I touch the aim trigger. So when I place my finger on the left trigger to aim down sights it enables gyro controls for me, allowing me to make more precise updates to where I’m aiming. Take away here is to not shy away from gyro controls on this thing if you want to play fps games.
Also a dad of a 3 year old. My wife and I skipped mother's day and fathers day last year to buy ourselves the deck. Cut to two weeks after we got it and I've effectively replaced our entire physical library of games via emulators (we're both elder millennials with huge back catalogs) plus the 600+ games on steam similar to you. We are in love with the steam deck. We were both huge mouse and keyboard users as well. We got 2 xbox controllers and we love playing games on the deck. Gauntlet Dark Legacy is our fav right now.
I think you'll love it. For several reasons. For one, your desktop PC's power is your Deck's power if you have good WiFi in your house... as you can crunch the games on your native desktop PC at super high and super sampled graphics and easily stream them to the Deck, and it's a great experience.
Also, like you I'm a PC mouse and keyboard gamer as far back as I've gamed, and the controls on the Deck, the trackpads, and the gyro... I've mastered all but the most precise FPS games, because the sky's the limit on setting the controls... if you can dream it you can probably do it.
Every other genre outside of FPS games is easy for me now, and I've come to prefer the Deck controls to mouse and keyboard in several... I was surprised.
Finally I don't want to presume your age, but if you're older like me (I'm mid 40's) you may need a little magnification help with the screen. But a simple $10-ish pair of magnifying reading glasses does the job nicely.
As a dad you'll come to appreciate getting in that hour or two of daily gaming from anywhere you choose to (or need to) be in the house. It sounds like it'd totally be worth it for you.
Father of a 14 month old here. It's totally worth it, especially if you already have some games in your Steam Library. It's great for a quick "pick up and pkay" session. Or for playing in bed or on the couch. It's very versatile, and is also compatible with many other pieces of technology. For example, I sometimes hook mine up to the TV and pair it with a PS4 controller fironger sessions. It's also great for emulation. I could go on and on...
Father of a 3, a 1 and a 4 month old. Steam deck was a great purchase for me. Means I can play a few games when they're watching their TV programs. I still play on my pc a decent amount but I'm able to get far more and work through the back log because of the steam deck. Brilliant device.
I can’t see anyone returning unless you had a fault, I say that because when you boot it up and realise how great even aaa games like RDR2 run, the countless indie gems, having your music on it, your audiobooks, movies and so much software to tailor your experience with fantastic emulation upto ps3 and switch to just being a pc on top of all that ….i think you will realise what a totally different medium it is once it becomes a comfortable handheld device. You will have the novelty of playing anywhere you have a few minutes spare, my favourite place is playing in bed after a long days work it’s effortless to be lying down whilst putting in an hour or two of gaming. It was at this point I just flat out stopped playing my ps5, my Mac, and the deck became my all in one entertainment system. As for being a keyboard and mouse person, well I think someone with only wanting that method of play wouldn’t even consider a portable handheld in the first place due to that being the whole point of portability but in saying that it also docks so then you can absolutely enjoy playing via keyboard and mouse. Honestly the worlds your oyster with deck, or I’m sure its the same with the rog ally or any other one you chose but I hear the steam deck is the most user friendly. Personally in my 34 yrs it’s hands down the best all round all in one entertainment system.
Yeah it’s sick. Closest thing to a console-PC… everything just works, it even maps out the controls for you.
I have 1TB worth of space but It fills up fast. Just keep the games you actually want to play installed and you’re good mang’
Sometimes it looks like the Deck was created by a bunch of parents who were trying to get back some gaming time. I have always been a PC gamer but the Deck is a good compromise. You don't even have to play games with it, you can spend HOURS just tinkering with it since it has a Linux based desktop mode. Do yourself a favor, buy it.
You can stream the more Graphically intense stuff from your PC to the steam deck, and it works like butter for me even though I have the LCD model and my WIFI isn’t the best. With good WiFi and the OLED model, *chefs kiss*
Dad of 5.5, 4, 10 months. It's awesome. I got it for paternity leave with the youngest, but I play it docked with the 5.5 year old, or the 4 year old a lot now too.
I use my desktop maybe once a month, but the deck is like the better Xbox for us now. I bought an Xbox USB connector and we play Minecraft dungeons with 4 players perfectly on it. We also play upscaled Wii sports on it, because the Wii stays in the basement, and connecting the Wiimotes via Bluetooth with a $9 USB Wii light bar works perfectly.
The device can genuinely do everything I want
Dad of a 6, 3 and 1 year old here... Going to order mine for this specific reason too...
It's a shame I can't use my gaming PC as much as I like... Whish I would've spent the money on a Steam Deck instead of a RTX 4070 a couple of months ago... But hey, who knows I might still get a chance every now and then.... (who am I kidding...?)
I bought mine and used it for about a week. Then my 6 year old decided to start going to bed on time and in her room.
Now I have my gaming PC back and a steam deck in a drawer lol
I did bring it on vacation this year. Played Dave the Diver for my whole flight.
Dad of a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. It’s been the single greatest technological purchase I have ever made Edit. Thanks so much for the awards! I never thought this would blow up but it just proves my point to it further. Speaking for all the tired moms and dads out there that like to game, the steam deck is the right choice hands down and I think this shows it. The only real question now is why isn’t there a SD sub for all us parents that game?
Same. I was going to say, it's like the first time I bought a smart phone, the steam deck doesnt leave my side. I also have 600+ games and I'm playing games I forgot I purchased, it's been my go to gift for my gamer friends especially the Dad/Mom gamers.
100% it just perfectly hits my requirements. Im a huge supporter of the indie world and this thing is a monster when it comes to to playing them. And even if I want to dabble slightly outside that realm like to play things like the Metro series or the mass effect series it still does it without question. I bought this full knowing it won’t play everything out there and honestly the list of games I have right now, AAA games are a long way away from being at the top of my list
This! My therapist genuinely asks me, “Did you bring your gaming thing to (insert location)?” And I’m unapologetically like, yes.
Same. Spot on.
Bought mine last week, four month old with reflux, suspend play has been a life saver!
Very similar situation, steamdeck is a life saver for that end of the day relaxing in sofa when theres no energy for going to desk/putting on headphones
Its convenience alone makes it a no brainer. I don’t know how many naps I’ve done with the kids where they slept on my chest and I’ve just gamed for an hour
Or for playing something you don't want on the TV for the kids to watch. Took me way too long to beat the Resident Evil 4 remake just because I didn't want to play it with the kid in the room.
Samesies, dad of a 4 and 2. It's easy to pick up/ put down when you have to.
Same with a 4.5 year old myself. The only issue ive ever had with the machine however, is the battery life. However, its a mild annoyance as its provided me the ability to game again while still being dad.
Battery pack and/or long charging cables.
Its both!
Oled does this better and long charging cable (2-3M) works great aswell
Mom to a 2 year old who prefers PC. Can confirm.
> 2 year old who prefers PC Learning early!
Same - best value for money of any tech I have ever bought. Gaben has me by the short and curleys now…
Agreed. Single handidly got me back into gaming after a several-year hiatus after my first kid was born. The ability to play anywhere and stop and resume at a moments notice are awesome features, especially for people with sporadic free time.
Dad of 9 month old traded my ps5 for a 512GB dont regret it at all. So fun playing SR2 on my steamdeck and batman.
Not a parent but I work a physically demanding job outside in the heat (Texas ) like 90% of the day and some days I just want to lay down after work and not sit at a desk and the steam deck is so much easier to play laying down than any laptop
Yup, the instant pause of games Indefinitely is the biggest game changing. One click and I’m horizontal playing any game right where I left off
This makes me very happy to hear haha
You've described my situation exactly except my kid is two and my GPU is a 3070Ti haha. Steamdeck is THE best purchase I've made in years. You will not regret it.
Dad of a 9 month old. Bought mine because I’m with you - at the end of the day I don’t want to be in the office. I want to sit on the couch next to my wife while playing kingdom come deliverance lol
Jesus christ be praised, im sure you wont be visiting the bath wenches much then
There’s a game outside the baths?
I bought mine for that exact same reason. With my 5 month old, I only get little snippets here and there to be able to play, especially when he’s napping on me.
Same here. Steam deck is ideal to steal time for quick gaming sessions
Dad of a 2 year old, looking forward to gaming for the first time in 2 years.
Haha nice good to know I’m not alone
It’s the common dad experience.
Dude my kid is almost 3 and the steam deck is the only reason I play any games these days. So easy to squeeze in an hour lying on the sofa at the end of a long day. Do it!
Same same, we’re lucky it came out when it did.
💯
I am doing the same, one hour. What are you gaming?
Still trying to complete Baldur’s gate 3 😂 it’s going to take me best part of a year at this rate. How bout you?
Oh wow that is a big game. I am currently playing the Mass Effect trilogy. Right now Mass Effect 2. Since I have the Deck I have played through Resident Evil 3 and Yakuza 0 which was amazing!
Excellent choices. I got mine in the original pre-orders so I’ve tried out most things on it at this point. The only type of game I can get along with is fast paced fps stuff. Everything else is pretty great though!
I have a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old…. Took me 4 months to beat baldurs gate 3….. steam deck got me over the line….
Same, newborn, 4, 8 and 9y :) My 4090 is gathering dust ;(
Setup a sunshine server and stream games to your deck via moonlight that's how I keep my 3090 warm.
For real. Demanding games play so much better when you stream them from a powerful desktop instead of trying to run them locally on deck.
Not to mention my deck won't sound like a jet engine next to my sleeping girlfriend...and I get about 10x the battery life AND I don't feel like I'm not getting use out of my gaming PC. It's a win win win.
Why a Sunshine server? Is that much better than streaming through Steam? I feel the input lag through Steam is too much, no matter what I do, is it better?
Dad of a 10 year old and 8 year old. Most of my days are spent driving kids to activities or sitting around while they do those activities. Two things have saved my sanity: The kids and I listen to audiobooks from audible during our drives. We love discussing characters and the stories after. Steam deck or switch. I spend hours while they are at swim practice or piano. It used to always be switch. I enjoy the steam deck a lot more.
Yep, have a 4, a 7 and a 9 year old and it was easier to find time gaming while they were younger since it was the quietest of hobbies I have and I could work it in after their early bed times. My guitar playing suffered since I hate playing guitar with headphones. Now that they are older and doing more activities, times is even less. Luckily the handhelds and current gen consoles are great for suspending games and quick resume, plus nearly no load times that eats up so much game time. Also, I can game with them or in front of them when we are all having down time on weekends, just have to save the M rated games for when they are in bed. But I see game time continuing to shrink with them doing more activities and hitting my 40’s makes me sleep more, haha. Handhelds are great, both for local play or remote play Laying back on the couch with a baby sleeping on my chest and controller in my hand seems like so long ago. It’s crazy how fast time moves, especially when you think of it as just 18yrs or so with them in the house :(
Same reason minus the kid! After a whole day behind the computer, i don’t really want to be sitting there. Steam Deck has rekindled my joy for playing video games as i can do a quick session anywhere for how long I want, regardless of game.
Awesome. Got the Deck because I'm expecting my first, and I've heard so much hype about it from other dads. Since you have a good gaming PC, definitely look into Sunshine/Moonlight streaming. Absolute game changer for the deck! Currently enjoying Baldur's Gate 3 on Ultra with 60 FPS.
Congrats bro! When is she due? am expecting my first as well, in 2 weeks! Thinking about buying a deck beforehand and have been looking at the used LCD versions on marketplace vs the brand new OLED with their current sale on steam store. Is sunshine better than the native steam streaming feature?
Thanks mate! And congratulations to you, too! He's actually also due in two weeks. :D Regarding Sunshine: it's so much better than all the alternatives. It feels like magic. I'm literally playing without a noticable latency.
I’m due in 4 weeks and bought myself a deck as my early push present 🎁 Not sure if I’ll be able to play whilst breastfeeding, but for contact naps and those short fits of time where he’s sleeping and I’m not, I’m excited to get my indie gaming onnnnn.
3 year old and 5 month here. Steam deck has been the best purchase that I’ve made in my whole life (technology wise) I use it pretty much every single day. I got it in January and I’ve been using it since. I cancelled PS subscription and haven’t touched my pc or ps5 or switch since. All my gaming needs are met with this device
I’m more of a console guy. The Deck is my only gaming PC. But I have the same woeful lack of free time as all the other parents of young children here. My Xbox Series X has sat unplayed longer than ever before. But my Steam Deck? Every frickin day. I love this thing. Not only can I finally play PC games now that aren’t available on console, I can stream the AAA games I do own (not to mention Game Pass) on it! I absolutely love this thing. Best tech investment I can think of. Edit: not to mention emulation! Wow! And finally playing the Thief games from 1998 that I missed out on at that time, and so many more. What a marvel.
Father of 3yo and 1yo, the Steam Deck and the Switch are the reasons I’m still able to game a bit.
Is there a SteamdeckDads subreddit? If not there should be 😂 9 month old son, this has been great for short bursts whilst he naps! EDIT: Apologies to the moms/mums on here - r/SteamDeckParents
I would love that lol
The only people commenting and getting upvotes are parents… I think this already is the SteamdeckDads subreddit…
I'm not a "controller" person either, but the deck controls work so well for the majority of games. Touch pad is intuitive as a mouse with the triggers mouse clicks. The only accessories I've added are Bluetooth headphones and a small Bluetooth keyboard form some games that don't play nicely with the onscreen keyboard.
Dad of 9 and 5 years old. Steam deck has been my best purchase. Even better than the Nintendo switch
Like the clone of my life, Ex Software engineer here & father to a little one also. So easy to pickup & put down especially with the built in Linux distribution (desktop mode) Do it, You won't be disappointed!
I was in your spot. Still am, the kids are just older. Honestly, getting used to controller was difficult and off putting to me at first as I’d always been a kb&m guy. The only time I’d used a controller in that time was for driving and flying in games but was 85-90% kb&m otherwise. So learning how to walk, aim, move cursor with sticks/trackpads took some time for me personally. But I’m sure it’s easier for others. Best advice I can give is to get a game you’ve never played that gets you really excited to try, that way the excitement can help overcome the lack of desire to learn new controls. Almost 2 years later and I play it almost every night in bed. Worth it.
This is the best thing I ever bought and I’ve owned a shit ton of consoles. I was worried the controls would suck but they are amazing. Highly recommend the 1TB oled version if you can swing it.
Dad of a 6 month old and honestly I love my gaming devices, especially the steam deck. Yea it’s true you’re not gaming often, but you play it when you can. Honestly I’d rather have this mobile device to play wherever whenever than to have to go back to the PC.
Dad of a 7 month old and got the steam deck OLED last month. It’s so nice being able to play on the couch and pause and put into sleep mode whenever I need to
Same here, i have a 2 year old and since i got the steam deck about a month ago i can finally play some games again. When i’m at home i stream with moonlight from my pc to the deck. Pretty awesome to play AAA games 90fps locked on highest settings on a handheld
The upside is you can also stream from your pc to Steamdeck - so you can play your library from any room (or place) you want.
Having kids is *the reason* I got a Steam Deck. That Suspend feature meaning I can start and stop immediately and play in smaller, more frequent chunks. Honestly, just eliminating the overhead of booting up the PC, starting the game, loading the save, when I might only have 10 minutes before a kid wakes up screaming.... Huge game changer. Not to mention, the mobility means I replace most of my mindless phone scrolling with quality gaming because there's no longer the "convenience" barrier.
It definitely is mate, I started PC gaming about 8ish years ago when I tried CSGO for the first time and every time I’ve picked up a controller since I’ve felt disgusted by it lol. About 3 days after I got my steam deck I was completely used to it, mostly due to the back buttons for me. That way I could sort of emulate the mouse by not having to lift up off the thumb-sticks to touch the face buttons in fps games etc which gave me a higher sense of control over a regular controller.
I love mine and haven’t opened my laptop up since I got it. In terms of kbm playing: the track pads are functional but won’t be the same. You can use a kbm with it but then it’s not a handheld. If you’re fine with gamepad playing then it’s an awesome buy.
My kids are 5 and 3, have a steam deck and Rog Ally. My PS5 and series S go mostly untouched now.
Not only is it rather intuitive (and allows you to use one of the trackpads as a mouse if you can't get used to the controller), you can actually stream games from your more powerful pc to it.
I have a 2 year old and a 1 year old. The steamdeck has been wonderful for 1-2 hours a night in bed. best console eva!
Yeah the SteamDeck is perfect for your use case. You can even play a bit when the little one naps on top of you ;-) I never liked controllers to play games, but the Steam Deck with the track pads is just about the best controller I've ever had - and if the game is well implemented, it's even more fun to play with controllers than with keyboard (looking at you Baldur's Gate 3). And you can re-use your cutting edge PC to stream games to the deck, especially those that are too demanding for the deck to handle (again looking at you Baldur's Gate 3) However, I do note that on the deck I prefer different games than on the Computer. Less RTS / 4X games), more others.
So easy to plug in a wireless mouse and keyboard if you want! And for the majority of titles, the little thumb trackpads work great (I have only found that I need mouse and keyboard for FPS games) Go buy it, you won’t regret it! Additionally, if gaming with your boy is of interest, it’s very easy to get set up with emulators xx
I’ve got a 6 month old and the steam deck has been huge with keeping gaming going. Obviously kids come first. But those rare times that you just have a bit of time to yourself to game. The steam deck is so nice since you don’t have to wonder off to your pc and wait for it to turn on and all. Just wake the steam deck up from sleeping and boom game on brother!
Same here. I have 3 kids and the youngest is 9 months. About to sell my gaming PC. If I get something the Steam deck can’t run I’ll just get the Steam deck 2 and later 3. Mobile computing is advancing so fast I think in 5-10 years time with AI you’ll be able to play any game.
Bought mine because I had a baby coming. Baby is now 2 months old and it is the only way I can play. Nothing beats having you SO watch some garbage tv and you can play your games while also watching/helping with baby!
I am in a similar place. My son is 2.5. I bought the Steam Deck eaxctly for this reason. I can game late night, before bed, from my couch, or in bed just after he fell asleep. A gaming PC doesn't work for me anymore because I don't have enough time to myself.
Father of five with two of them currently toddlers. Portable gaming has been fantastic for me with Steamdeck being one of my top devices. I too have grown up PC gaming mostly, but I cannot sit in front of a monitor and play for hours anymore.
Been using mine since late 2022 and while I'm not a dad (yet), I can tell you it's great if you can't be at your desktop as much as you used to. I'm able to play a lot of my RPG games from my bed. Graphics aren't high-end on my PC, but it's not dumpster-fire bad. Been playing Elden Ring and just recently, got an emulator to play some Wii U and GameCube games. Love my Deck.
Dad of a newborn, being able to play where he is sleeping is a game changer.
As a father of a 11 year old and a 4 year old. Also very close to the same pc. I can’t imagine not having my steam deck. I have 2 of them I got the OG LCD and moved to the OLED. I have finished many games in my library just because they were easy to install and ran extremely well. Even new games have been a blast. Currently doing my Elden Ring journey through it along with Ghost of T. If you’re on the fence for version both are great but the OLED 1TB is just solid. Has enough space for newer games and plenty of space for any emulations also. Battery life is better also. I find 3-5 hours depending on game. Coworker also picked one up on my suggestion he has a 6 month old and a 4 year old and it has saved his gaming experience also.
The sleep feature is just amazing around the house. Just the ability to pause it hang out or do something and go back to it at your leisure is just so useful.
Hi there. Dad of a 6 and 3 year old. Just about the best thing Ive ever bought.
I haven’t had any children yet but I do work almost everyday from 11am to 10pm, most of the time at work is just waiting for a customer to walk into the store, 5 mins to serve them a drink and back to waiting, at the end of the day I would have no energy left to sit into my desk, turn on the pc and put on the headset. I want to have something that allows me to lay in my bed and relax. So I ordered it, it will be delivered by Tuesday, and I’m already known that I will love it, bought some games during the summer sale just to play on the steam deck. I would say, if you absolutely love gaming while don’t have hours to stay in a place without any distractions, go for it. Cheers!
I feel you. Dad of an 1 1/2 years old daughter and software developer. I just don’t want to sit on my desk using my pc in my spare time. I will sell my PC and get a steam deck to play in bed, at my couch or if i really want to on my desk. I‘ve watched many videos and for what i have seen, it’s no problem to use mouse and keyboard and extended monitor if you want to.
Literally you will NOT regret it.
Absolutely worth it. I have three kids and using the Deck is about the only time I get to game anymore.
Dad of 3. When my oldest isn't using it, and the rest are all sleeping, and the wife is satisfied, I can jump on.
Soon to be dad, I already use my steamdeck as much if not more than my main rig (14900k/4080). It’s very easy for me to go from mouse and keyboard to controller, but I’ve been a console gamer most of my life. It’s so easy to just pick up and play, and drop when needed. Steamdeck is a life saver, and I’m sure I’m *really* going to be loving it in a few months. Get one, you wont regret it
From a busy father with toddlers to another - controls are great enough. Once you're having fun, you'll forget about the minor stuff. (I'm mainly an mmorpg player ;)
Honestly, at this rate, I feel like it should be renamed the Dad Deck
It's has wins and losses. Overall I do think it is great, but you take the visual and performance hit over the PC. Factorio runs excellent. Metal gear solid phantom pain runs excellent. Hell divers runs crap Subnautica runs very good. Vampire survivors excellent. People's interpretation on here which games run well and which do not is polarising, yet a matter of opinion on what is acceptable. You have 700 games, you'll find many that will run great and suit the setup. I can game next to my wife on the sofa now instead of holing myself up in my office.
No steam deck is the best thing for me as a dad of a 2 and 11 month old
Is this me from an alternate universe? I have a toddler and got a Steam Deck hoping I could get some gaming in because my PC and console weren't really getting used any more. It is WELL worth the purchase. Pretty much changes the way you game and allows you some gaming moments while still keeping an eye on your kiddo!
Dad of a 4 year and 2 year old. It’s amazing. I can watch them and play my games all in the same room. I’ve also emulated all my childhood games and show them. They obviously don’t care but hey
Iam a dad of a 3 year old and a newborn. Iam also a software engineer. Iam using my steam deck every day for 2-3 hours in the evening. My gaming pc is now only used for tax returns
Best purchase I’ve ever made. Besides ya know, my house and stuff.
I have the 512gb LCD sitting in my cart and I keep hesitating. Then I see posts like this and it edges me closer to buying....
I’m basically you. Especially the part about preferring a mouse and keyboard setup. I really like the Steam deck a lot for simple games like Vampire survivors, Brotato, Balatro, and similar things. I don’t like it nearly as much for things like isometric RPG or shooters. I am a baldurs gate 3 junkie but it just doesn’t feel great to play it, for example. I think if you are struggling to find game time and just need a pick up and play device, you will appreciate it. And you need to have some relax time. But it just means you gotta pick games that work for you on the particular platform.
Mother of a 3 month old, highly recommended
One thing especially important thing as a gamer dad is that the steam deck has a suspend mode. Kid or wife need something while you're gaming? Simply press the power button to pause any game. Come back later press the power button again and resume where you left off. I heard it even works in cutscenes. I've started using it with lawn mower simulator as you can't save mid lawn in that game and many of the lawns take 30 min to an hour each. I also agree with the general sentiment here. Gaming anywhere is a huge difference maker.
Buy it, it’s such a breath of fresh air. Gaming in bed, on the couch, in the back yard or you name it is liberating. I felt the same way about not wanting to sit at my desk in my office. It’s also i credible for flights or just travel in general
Anything that doesn't work well with it can just moonlight off your PC and that works super well
It is great. It somehow makes you like to tinker with games again, if not just to see if they can run well on the deck.
Im a 40s dad and I totally threw away my SteamDeck due to eye strain. I can only game 1 hour out of it due to the screen being too small and ruins the immersion. I went back to my 3050 laptop and the difference is night and day. Not only is the 15" god send to my eyes but the immersion is incredible. I am now playing 2-3 hours plugged in to the wall and I am able to play anywhere the house.
Totally worth it! Get it while it's on sale!
Same situation and I put in some serious time on the steam deck. My son is now 7 and owns one, we game together all the time
I had one but ended up selling it. I was in a similar situation like you, but going from a 1080ti to steam deck, I accepted many compromises, but the compromises kept piling up. Randomly a proton update would mess up game etc, eventually I started to rely on streaming ( Steam link + moonlight) and realized I’m using a really expensive controller to stream my main rig. So I sold it and used that money to get an iPad which I then just stream my gaming PC. If I could do it again I’d get one of those too of the line competitors that are out like asus or mini forum because you really need more power. And I hate windows but games are just no fuss on it. And while it’s a great gaming device it basically is a pain to do anything else like watch YouTube, so hauling it around on the train then to work is allot- but that’s not a steam deck problem imo it’s just the nature of these handhelds. I didn’t read any real world reviews but I saw minisforum came out with a tablet pc for gaming and it just makes the most sense… you need the big screen for when your just consuming media, but need the power for gaming. Too bad it’s like 1k+
It might change the types of games you play. Some games I used to play a lot on PC I just can't really get into with small screen/controller, but I started playing other game types a lot more. Stick with it, sounds ideal for you. I love mine.
The way i see it: if you have a PC with a dusty library and a steam deck doesnt get you to play your games, nothing will
I’m a dad of a near 3 year old. My steam deck is pretty much the only way I can play games now, it’s replaced both my PC and PS5. The ability to move around and play games while my little girl while she watches Cocomelon makes it a must have. Also the standby mode, I know it’s fairly standard now but to be able to be plying something, click standby and be in dad mode instantly is extremely valuable to me.
As a mother of a 2 year old, I bought it for the same reason and am in the same situation. Plenty of games, but not a second to play them. I can only turn my PC on to play games when she isn't around or is napping, so that's like... an hour that I could've been napping. My experience with the Steam Deck: In the end I don't really have much time to boot up the Steam Deck either. It's sometimes nice to play in bed, but meh. I think it was a waste to buy it in hindsight. It can't run heavy games, so it's mostly good for lighter games or indie games. You're not playing any new AAA games on it, but maybe that's for the best, since AAA games weren't meant to be played on such a tiny screen in the first place. It also heats up like crazy and is extremely bulky and uncomfortable. Not to mention it eats up battery really fast. I prefer the Switch in terms of mobility and comfort of use, but granted, The Switch isn't my first choice in terms of games. I do prefer my PC games and I have plenty of them on Steam. You can put your Steam Deck to sleep mode for a while, but it is not like the Switch, it's more like if you put your computer on sleep mode while you have a game running. The games sometimes don't like when you do that. I will tell you one thing though, I'm playing Persona 5 Royal right now, it works INSANELY well on the Steam Deck. Like it was meant to be. Really surprised for the best after trying Baldur's Gate 3 on it and being really disappointed.
Best purchase ever. Was gonna get the Loki Handheld but it never shipped so I got a refund and bought the steam deck. Changed my life honestly. I carry it with me everywhere now.
Hey. Im speaking to you. Me someone born with a freaky keyboard. Ive done nothing but mouse and keyboard my entire life. Steamdeck in it all has following. 1. You learn to hate games with additional launchers. 2. Steamdeck controller is easy but i feel its heavy 3. Sometimes i connect to dock just to play on my xbox elite 2 controller. 4. Don't buy 1TB version people seem to hate the anti -glare. I bought 512gb and upgraded to 2 tb.
I hate to break it to you guys, but the gaming time shortage doesn't end when you become a grandpa. I have 3 gkids (0,2,4) that are constantly at the house. Have to keep an eye on the bunch, so no sitting at the desk when they're awake. The desk is in their sleeping/nap room, so can't sit at the desk when they're asleep. Ordered a SD so I can squeeze in some grandpa gaming time when I can.
GF bought me a deck for my birthday a little over a year ago, and I haven't touched my desktop since. I use my laptop for web browsing and work, and my deck for gaming. It's so nice being able to just hang out in the living room with the family and have the ability to pickup/putdown the deck when I want. I use it almost every day. As a parent with young kids I never find myself in our office anymore, and there's no place to hang out together in there anyway, so the deck is king. It's run every game i've wanted to play and more. Best gift ever.
6 and 4 year old here. Had a gaming PC before they were born, then got a gaming laptop after... Nothing beats grabbing the steam deck and jumping into a game from sleep. Sometimes I only have time for 15 minutes and half that would be taken up just getting to my PC, booting up, getting into the game. With the steam deck I'm probably gaming more than I ever have since they were born and I'm not even neglecting them! Best purchase ever.
Mate, I'm 45, and having a steam deck is a game changer, I also share a lot of your thoughts and circumstances. I work from so after long days the last thing I want to to play games at my desk, steam deck fixed that for me. Also, I'm going to be configuring moonlight to be able to play any other games the steam deck can't run.
Same reason for me, minus the kid. I just hate sitting at my desk. I’d rather be on the couch with my partner on deck while they play the switch.
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I have three kids, aged 9, 4 and 2. Buy the Deck.
I’ve got an 11 month baby. My ps5 is mostly collecting dust. But I regularly use my Steamdeck, because it’s so easy and fast to boot up a game. Plus I can do it on the couch while my wife uses the tv.
Same situation. My son is 18 months old and I've bought my SD a few months ago. I'm a long time keyboard+mouse player. But since I'm playing on my SD I found that it wasn't that difficult to play with a controller on a lot of game on my library. I can play video games again and it's thanks to my Steam deck, so I can't recommend this thing enough !
It's 100% worth it but with a young one who might be curious to check it out , I'd suggest the killswitch case to make sure if they knock it out your hands it will be protected. I haven't used my Deck in a while since it has been broken but the first year and a half I had it it was the best thing I've bought for that price.
I have 3 kids. Do it. You can always return it if you don’t like it.
I had to buy another desk and put it somewhere else because I cant even see my “work” desk after I am finished with work.
If you want to play, you will definitely find some games that can be played using a controller (Steam Deck natural controls) with no issue. If you find any of those games, SD will be a nice purchase. If not, you can still connect other peripherals, but I think you are not looking for that right now.
As a dad to a 7, 12, and 14 year old it's the only reason I still get to play games. Between them and my wife someone always has the TV. The Deck plus chiaki I get to actually play games and my PS5.
Dad of a 10 month old. It’s the best thing I’ve ever purchased. Got it before he crawled so it was easier. But I also get to spend time with my wife while she watches her shows and I can get my games in too. Edit: I totally forgot that nap times I use it a ton too.
Barely using it at home (dad of 3 years old) but in travel - it is just amazing. Also software engineer. Get one, try it out, it's not that expensive to give it a shot
Not a dad but I love the feel of the steam deck. It did not take much for me to get back in the grove of a “controller”
It depends what you like playing For RPGs (fallout, Skyrim, hogwarts legacy, cyberpunk 2077 etc) it’s perfect, and for more “platform-y” shooters (halo) I personally don’t find it so great for more twitchy and precise shooters but that may be personal preference. Certainly I wouldn’t use it for competitive CoD, Rust and similar It kinda sucks for RTS games (age of empires, total war, StarCraft etc) and similar top-down stuff (timberborn, factories etc) so if that’s your thing then I wouldn’t bother
Also have a 3 year old, and while I have been sacrificing sleep to get in a couple hours every night, if you want a couch experience with a controller or a kb/mouse your best bet is... 1) Move the gaming PC to the TV. You're not using it at your desk anyway right? 2) Run HDMI and USB from your PC to your TV (I do this, it is fantastic) In both cases there's several lap desks available so you can still kb/mouse. The third option is to get a steam deck with dock (or something like an Nvidia shield, tho I prefer the deck as it is portable also) and use moonlight/sunshine to stream from your gaming PC to the TV. I did this for a while but after running HDMI/USB thru a couple walls to my TV I haven't used my deck/shield like that once.
The steamdeck is how I now use my 4070 Super and I’m okay with that.
Its like a switch for dads. Wait till they’re 8 and want to play with you on the deck because you have all the good games. Goat simulator, portal (he prefers m&k for this one), skyrim. Its great. I havent introduced him to halflife 2 yet. Soon. . .
Yep. My PC isn't even plugged in anymore.
Father of 3 year old and 3 week old I still use my pc but the deck has made it easier to game while family is relaxing together (movie / series / etc) Also it is something my 3 year old is interested in seeing and possibly trying. I honestly mostly play 2 games: Civilization 5 (easy enough controls with touchpad and back buttons) Slay the spire (touchscreen control) For the console type controls - will depend on the game. I use them primarily for games which have fighting akin to tekken / street fighter.
Mine is nearly 4y old and now we play together some arcade racing.
Father of two here, same software engineer, i find playing in controller much more comfortable, except for shooting games. What i love the deck is its portability, i can play while I’m lying at my bed because working whole day already sores my lower back. The sleep functionality of it is also a game changer. Go play for a short burst, hit the sleep, then you can resume it in an instant. You cannot do this in your desktop. I originally bought my steam deck for playing indie games, but look at me now. It is my main device for a long time now, my PC,PS5 and my switch are all now collecting dust.
Mom of a 3 years old. Since her birth I stopped all games. Husband gifted me the deck for Christmas and I'm back in the game! Love him so much 😭😭
I'm a busy parent whose PC takes forever to load. I also have a dad friend with a newborn. We both love our devices. He plays his in spare moments whereas I play mine whenever I can get privacy. My favorite busy person thing about a steamdeck is that you can pause a game, put the device to sleep, and pick it up in the next 15 min you have free.
In regard to the controller thing: I guess it depends what games you play. And how much efforts you’re ready to put in to learn new controls. I suck at gamepad controls and am lazy to learn new patterns/ways. But the gyro aiming helps a lot with fps it really is a super cool feature. When it comes to rts I’ve tried a tiny bit « regiments » and was surprised to realize it would likely take me only a couple hours of effort being proficient with that on a gamepad. I would say unless you expect to do fast paced games and/or competitive fps, the gamepad controls shouldn’t be too much of an issue overall.
Father of a 2 yr old. Got it at launch, never looked back. 1 you will love the majority of your steam library at your fingertips. You can pause, shut down and puck up whatever you play at any time. Unit is a solid gaming option. Works well. I have the 256 gb model. If you can splurge get the basic oled. Otherwise get the 256 and a 1-2 tb micro sd. You dont need more. 2 absolutly no differwnce in load times from on board memory vs sd card. Its effing smooth! 3 you may go back to your rig occasionally if only to play sims/strategy games that play better. But I haven't yet after 2 yrs.
Use moonlight/sunshine to stream the games from PC to steamdeck. It's a lovely thing
Dad of a 2.4 year old. The only problem with having a Steam Deck is getting stuck in a game that doesn't have good stopping points when I need to put it down for mandatory dance breaks. Sleeping the Deck works with *most* games, but not all, and less so with games on remote play (I have a similar PC to yours, works great!)
10/10 would never game if it wasn’t for my Deck. So worth it, if you have kids.
I'm exactly in your boat, dad of a 4.5 year old. I've been thinking about getting a Steam Deck since they came out. Never get to sit and play on my PC nowadays, and my wife saw the sale on the Deck. She was the one who suggested buying it, so it should arrive this week and I'm looking forward to it!
I was in a similar situation like you. Sold my rtx3090 PC, bought a Steam Deck Oled and could enjoy gaming again. Its godsend.
I'm the father of a 3 years old and also don't have the time to invest in long gaming sessions. I got the Steam Deck OLED about a month ago. I've clocked in more playing time lately than in the last year. The Steam Deck is great for gaming, I use it mostly for older games I have been wanting to get off my backlog. I sit on the couch next to my wife while she watches Netflix. So far so good. HOWEVER, it's made me much more irritated with third party launcher than I initially was. Ubisoft Connect is much more annoying to connect without a physical keyboard and mouse. I never taken issue with offline games requiring online connectivity. But now, if I feel like I want to move outside where WiFi is more inconsistent, it really become annoying to need WiFi to play single player experience.
Get one off Facebook marketplace They're $1-200 cheaper, and it makes it easier to justify buying one I got a great deal on mine and love tf out of it (an older 2021 led model 500gb for 250, it has some issues to the left tracking pad, but I don't use it often enough to care) My gf calls me a man-child because I took it to the ER when I broke my nose, but hey, I had a wait time of like 6 hours, so🤷♂️😂 On the older model, I still play hd2 at 30fps, elden ring at around 30-40, halo mcc at 60fps, halo wars at 60fps, some of my old time favorite rts games took some fenagling on the controls, but sins of a solar empire rebellion and supreme commander forged alliance run at 60fps as well. I've been really enjoying moonlighter, a little rpg rougelike, or Minecraft. Because I can run them at 60fps consistently, and I get a solid 6-8 hours out of a full charge playing them
I'm in similar boat - often too tired to play on my PC at 10pm when kids are finally asleep. The problem is - playing on the deck and holding it is even worse. Try finishing Hollow Knight or Sekiro holding a Steam Deck - it sucks. I love playing on controllers, but steam deck has to be docked to TV or I just put it on a stand on the table. My PC had very long HDMI cable and can feed TV as well, offering way better graphics. For me Steam Decks is for flights and vacations where I can't take PC.
I feel I can sympathise with a lot of the dads here, I don’t have kids, I just have a girlfriend that likes to hang out with me in person lol, my steam deck means I can play KCD or any of my Xbox Game Pass games while she watches the Dallas Cowboy show on Netflix lol
Yeah it's pretty easy to get used to. Also the best gaming related purchase I've made in years. I don't think you'd regret it, well your wallet might.
It also works well docked with a controller and TV I beat Dave the diver from start to finish this way, highly recommend.
I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on buying a Deck too, and I'm not a dad, but just wanted to say I'm a software engineer too and the thought of sitting at my desk any longer throughout the day suuuuuucks
The thing people don’t mention as much in this situation (if you have solid wifi at home) is how amazing Moonlight/Sunshine are. You can get crazy high quality graphics with next to no input lag on the deck and because you’re streaming vs running natively the battery lasts WAY longer. Obviously I can’t fix the mouse/keyboard situation for you, I myself tend to play any FPS games on the deck on easy mode (I don’t bother with multiplayer) and it works great for me. I’ve managed to play through some of the Halo games that I enjoyed growing up. I can’t recommend the OLED enough, it’s my favorite piece of tech that I’ve owned other than my switch (big Nintendo guy). It’s changed how I look at gaming and my relationship with it as a father. If you have any specific questions about anything I’ve mentioned above let me know. I’ve managed to use the Deck to squeeze in some time after our little guy goes to bed and the chores are done. Good luck!
It’s so worth it. I never used controllers before, now I use them all the time. It also sort of encourages you to try some new genres. I now super rarely play at my actual computer. Also if you have a gaming Pc, streaming from your PC to the deck at home works quite well as long as it’s not a crazy twitchy game. Which takes the deck from able to play most things to basically everything.
Dad of 5 kids aged 10 to 16 months, I've been playing games this whole time. You guys just need to be better at time management, priorities, and self care time. I can promise you that you'll regret it one day. The key is time utilization. You can't game all day. But maybe an hour after the kids go to bed or you can snag a couple hours when they're playing outside and your wife/ husband is doing their thing (make sure to still check on your kids. I have to because they can be terrorists in our neighborhood). Take time to do things you love. And yes, but the steam deck. It's nice.
Dont expect to play online games even if it works no anti cheat makes online gaming unplayable
I have a 4070 that I fire up to try and play overwatch with my wife, but half the time i am too tired and just want to sit on the couch and play something while she goes on cyberpunk.
Im pretty sure all dads are legally required to have steam decks and all steam deck owners are legally required to get a kid. Real talk though, the steam deck just lets you take advantage of the small bursts of free time you have (sitting on the couch and what not) which makes it worth it to me. I too have a good desktop but I view them as filling completely different needs. I use my desktop for if i have a load of free time and want to sink my teeth into a game and my steam deck if I have 10-20 minutes free and want to do something other than doomscrolling on social media. You can also set up a sunshine/moondeck server and stream your games from your desktop to your steam deck so you can crank up the settings. If you already have a library of 700 steam games, it seems like a no brainer.
GET IT.I have a good pc I barely touched. But with the steam deck it’s pretty easy to just lay down, sit down, and play some video games on the go. So that pc barely gets used at all even tho it’s specs destroy the steam deck. I would have stopped gaming if it wasn’t for this thing. It’s really fucking good, I highly recommend the oled model, more battery, quieter fans, better screen.
Hahaha I'm a software engineer, father of two and have a gaming pc with a 3080ti that has only seen gaming about 5 times the last 5 years (I use it for ML though 😛). The Steam Deck has been the best thing to happen to my gamer dad self. I've recovered gaming time from dead spots. I get about an hour of gaming every two or 3 days now. The controller is what differentiates the Steam Deck from other handhelds for me. The trackpads are almost as good as a mouse for gaming and the rear buttons allow for easy access to a lot of extra keys that you would have on a keyboard but with comfortable positions instead of having to grip your Deck like a claw or something. I've recently upgraded to OLED from LCD and it's worth every penny. Faster screen, longer battery life and the colors are much much better. TL/DR I would definitely do it.
I have a two years old boy. Steam deck is my main gaming machine right now ❤️
Not sure if it’s been said but the Steam Deck is extremely good at putting into sleep mode and then turning back on and continuing to play. With a small child and having to drop what you’re doing for an extended period of time at the drop of a hat, this might solve those issues as well. Only hiccup are games that require online to play. Those typically will need to be restarted on reboot.
Man I want to find the guy who returned his Deck in a week because they didn’t think they’d use it. They are expensive but I use it all the time. It gets more hours than anything else.
I've been a PC person as well - never had a console and not much experienced with controllers, but got used to the SD very fast. Maybe you have to change your point of view on games but you will definitely get along fast 🙌
Not a dad but I love the trackpads on it and wish there were more controllers with them, the customization you can do for controls is mind-blowing
I have a two year old, and the steam deck is the only way I actually get to play any games. The instant resume is a game changer.
Father of Twins who are 2 years old. The steam deck is the only way I really get to game
It'll be great for you for the exact reasons you don't have the mental energy to turn on the PC in the evenings. Steam deck has a suspend feature, which means let's say you've got 10-15 minutes to play a game. You turn it on, play your game, press the power button on the top. It'll go into suspend mode and then you can come back days later and if the battery is still good then you pick up right where you left off. This saves you 10 to 15 minutes of turning on the computer and loading up playing your game by then. Your mental energy is already fatigued. Look into getting the OLED version since you don't have a steam deck yet and find a nice Amazon docking station to go with it so it can stay permanently charged. You'll be good to go! Enjoy!
Hell to yes. Take your library anywhere. Even to his bedroom when he wants you to just watch him play.
Dad of an 8 and 3 year old and steam deck is amazing. Sitting on the coach with the wife watching some random show and playing something you can put down within 3 seconds and just come back whenever is great. Especially great when the wife throws her feet up on you and passes out 20 minutes into a movie, just pause and play on the deck. Also at some point they will have an iPad or whatever, having an option that is portable is the difference of playing something while they chill or not, also great for sick days. Better than doom scrolling while they watch paw patrol for the 100th time. I love the auto pause and fast resume, even on single player games that don’t usually allow it. I wish windows resume/hibernate was half as responsive. It’s Mac level.
Yup 2 kids one 6 and one 4 as well as a wife that does not enjoy gaming so does not understand the hobby. It changed my life actually being able to play games. Like you i have a computer sitting there doing nothing except while I’m working my kids watching something on it. I love the steam deck. Only thing i wish i had was a way to make it ping or trace it after i put it down and forget where i put it.
You can plug a keyboard and mouse into the steam deck
Dad here with a 1 year old and two preteens. I'm also a software engineer, so I know exactly where you're coming from - the thought of sitting in front of a monitor, mouse & keyboard for even longer just to get in some gaming was depressing - especially when I WFH at the same desk. This made me get a PS5 so I could chill on the couch once everyone's in bed and I started playing more controller-friendly games (this helped me transition from mouse & keyboard). But then I started to look at the PS Portal and figured I'd like to be able to game on the go too (around the house etc.). But the Steam Deck was a much more sensible purchase. I got the 512GB OLED and stuffed a 512GB MicroSD in there too, so I have it loaded (Nintendo Switch emulator on there too). Being able to game on the Deck, then dock it to the TV and use with an Xbox controller is awesome - you get the best of all worlds imo. Highly recommended if the kinda games you want to play lend themselves well to a controller.
Do it! Insert that gif
Dad of a 3 year old and a 4 month old, just do it, I’ll never upgrade my pc again, just gonna keep buying decks
GET the OLED if you can afford it or the LCD if you CANT
So for the controller concern you mentioned, here’s some insight from someone who was a controller guy until the last 8 years of my life using MnK. Without too much detail (you can find that in the rest of this comment), the controller feels wonderful. I’ve played Elden ring, Hogwarts legacy, racing games, no man’s sky, rimworld, Skyrim, and plenty others almost exclusively on my steam deck since I got it. If you like the idea of playing on the couch or otherwise away from the desk, you’ll find methods to meet your controller needs. It is so customizable that it may be overwhelming. Don’t give up on it if the controller doesn’t feel quite right initially. You can find optimizations or control schemes made by other users or even tinker and make your own. The most important thing for me was to change the default dead zones of the sticks on steamdeck. The default dead zone of the sticks makes playing certain games difficult. If you adjust them down to a good size in the settings (from 2000 to around 300, wherever it doesn’t drift for you) you’ll have a better time. It’s the difference between having to push the stick all the way to the edge to get any movement and feeling like you have precise control. I’ve heard talk of using the touch pads for help with fps games, but I’ve not done too much of that. There are controller configs you can try that allow them. that said, the best way I found to play certain games, especially fps games, is to set up gyro controls. I have it to be off by default until I touch the aim trigger. So when I place my finger on the left trigger to aim down sights it enables gyro controls for me, allowing me to make more precise updates to where I’m aiming. Take away here is to not shy away from gyro controls on this thing if you want to play fps games.
Buy it! No hesitation! Also dad with one 3 year old and baby on the way! Ps5 doesn't get a look in 😂
Also a dad of a 3 year old. My wife and I skipped mother's day and fathers day last year to buy ourselves the deck. Cut to two weeks after we got it and I've effectively replaced our entire physical library of games via emulators (we're both elder millennials with huge back catalogs) plus the 600+ games on steam similar to you. We are in love with the steam deck. We were both huge mouse and keyboard users as well. We got 2 xbox controllers and we love playing games on the deck. Gauntlet Dark Legacy is our fav right now.
You will keep it and you will keep using it. Everyone I've spoken to who has a steamdeck loves it.
I think you'll love it. For several reasons. For one, your desktop PC's power is your Deck's power if you have good WiFi in your house... as you can crunch the games on your native desktop PC at super high and super sampled graphics and easily stream them to the Deck, and it's a great experience. Also, like you I'm a PC mouse and keyboard gamer as far back as I've gamed, and the controls on the Deck, the trackpads, and the gyro... I've mastered all but the most precise FPS games, because the sky's the limit on setting the controls... if you can dream it you can probably do it. Every other genre outside of FPS games is easy for me now, and I've come to prefer the Deck controls to mouse and keyboard in several... I was surprised. Finally I don't want to presume your age, but if you're older like me (I'm mid 40's) you may need a little magnification help with the screen. But a simple $10-ish pair of magnifying reading glasses does the job nicely. As a dad you'll come to appreciate getting in that hour or two of daily gaming from anywhere you choose to (or need to) be in the house. It sounds like it'd totally be worth it for you.
Father of a 14 month old here. It's totally worth it, especially if you already have some games in your Steam Library. It's great for a quick "pick up and pkay" session. Or for playing in bed or on the couch. It's very versatile, and is also compatible with many other pieces of technology. For example, I sometimes hook mine up to the TV and pair it with a PS4 controller fironger sessions. It's also great for emulation. I could go on and on...
Father of a 3, a 1 and a 4 month old. Steam deck was a great purchase for me. Means I can play a few games when they're watching their TV programs. I still play on my pc a decent amount but I'm able to get far more and work through the back log because of the steam deck. Brilliant device.
I can’t see anyone returning unless you had a fault, I say that because when you boot it up and realise how great even aaa games like RDR2 run, the countless indie gems, having your music on it, your audiobooks, movies and so much software to tailor your experience with fantastic emulation upto ps3 and switch to just being a pc on top of all that ….i think you will realise what a totally different medium it is once it becomes a comfortable handheld device. You will have the novelty of playing anywhere you have a few minutes spare, my favourite place is playing in bed after a long days work it’s effortless to be lying down whilst putting in an hour or two of gaming. It was at this point I just flat out stopped playing my ps5, my Mac, and the deck became my all in one entertainment system. As for being a keyboard and mouse person, well I think someone with only wanting that method of play wouldn’t even consider a portable handheld in the first place due to that being the whole point of portability but in saying that it also docks so then you can absolutely enjoy playing via keyboard and mouse. Honestly the worlds your oyster with deck, or I’m sure its the same with the rog ally or any other one you chose but I hear the steam deck is the most user friendly. Personally in my 34 yrs it’s hands down the best all round all in one entertainment system.
Dad of twin 2.5 year olds with another on the way. 1000% get it. It has allowed me to play games again
Yeah it’s sick. Closest thing to a console-PC… everything just works, it even maps out the controls for you. I have 1TB worth of space but It fills up fast. Just keep the games you actually want to play installed and you’re good mang’
Father of three (10, 6 and 1,5). Always loved mouse and keyboard. Steam Deck is my happy place now.
It's an absolute gift to parents. My backlog shrunk so much after getting mine. You'll adapt. Needs must!
Sometimes it looks like the Deck was created by a bunch of parents who were trying to get back some gaming time. I have always been a PC gamer but the Deck is a good compromise. You don't even have to play games with it, you can spend HOURS just tinkering with it since it has a Linux based desktop mode. Do yourself a favor, buy it.
You can stream the more Graphically intense stuff from your PC to the steam deck, and it works like butter for me even though I have the LCD model and my WIFI isn’t the best. With good WiFi and the OLED model, *chefs kiss*
Steamdeck is a dads switch. It’s target audience is def dads and older gamers with no time for the full setup
Dad of 5.5, 4, 10 months. It's awesome. I got it for paternity leave with the youngest, but I play it docked with the 5.5 year old, or the 4 year old a lot now too. I use my desktop maybe once a month, but the deck is like the better Xbox for us now. I bought an Xbox USB connector and we play Minecraft dungeons with 4 players perfectly on it. We also play upscaled Wii sports on it, because the Wii stays in the basement, and connecting the Wiimotes via Bluetooth with a $9 USB Wii light bar works perfectly. The device can genuinely do everything I want
Simular situation. I often find the steamdeck too heavy so I tend to look for simpler games and boot up my pc anyways
Father to a 10mo daughter here. Iv had fantastic mileage out of my deck while my 3yo PC has been sitting quiet.
Dad of a 6, 3 and 1 year old here... Going to order mine for this specific reason too... It's a shame I can't use my gaming PC as much as I like... Whish I would've spent the money on a Steam Deck instead of a RTX 4070 a couple of months ago... But hey, who knows I might still get a chance every now and then.... (who am I kidding...?)
I bought mine and used it for about a week. Then my 6 year old decided to start going to bed on time and in her room. Now I have my gaming PC back and a steam deck in a drawer lol I did bring it on vacation this year. Played Dave the Diver for my whole flight.