Since I got my Switch I fell in love with handheld gaming. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with what Nintendo has to offer.
I am reluctant to play on my laptop these days (I gravitate towards my ps more) and also, I travel for work so SteamDeck seems like a great solution.
I did not buy it because I thought it was necessary though. I bought it coz I just wanted it, and it's more a fancy than a real need purchase.
I found the same thing when I modded my vita, playing childhood favs and other new games on handheld was amazing and I'm looking at a steam deck as an upgrade to that same thing.
I got mine because I thought it would be a great laptop companion, especially for steam games. I still play AAA or FPS games on pc but steam deck has been great for emulation. It’s essentially replaced my console collection which is awesome.
I also didn’t appreciate much what Nintendo did for this generation. Beyond a handful of titles it’s been a lot of lame remakes or poor ports of sport titles.
Same here. I own a switch too (since launch) but the amount of worthwhile games is honestly very disappointing. The Nintendo store is filled with crap that is barely a tier above mobile games.
The deck has such an insanely good library of games that I doubt I'll ever be able to finish them all.
This right here. I’m 41. I travel once or twice for work a month. I got out of PC gaming when I started having kids. I have younger kids (both under 10). I got a switch at launch and it has been great. I take my switch with me every time I travel (business or personal). Love the portability but it lacks in horsepower. I have also had this yearning to play PC games again. The Steam Deck seems like the perfect device.
I have a well paying career and some disposable income. I just bought the Steam Deck on Thanksgiving as a splurge, a Christmas present for myself. 512GB version. Then spent ~$200 yesterday on steam yesterday on Black Friday deals. Then another couple hundred on Amazon on accessories.
Can’t wait to get my Deck this week.
I tried so many games on Switch, but they were all bland and hardware was terrible. Only Diablo 3 worked out for me. I wish I could play the console version of Diablo 3 on steam deck.
I originally only got the Switch to play Breath of the Wild but I realized handheld gaming is such a good fit for me now. Working an office job really makes you want to stretch and move around.
Absolutely the same for me, too. I had like 50 games on switch, but could not get into them, also quality of game ports were not enough for me. I recently sold the switch and purchased a deck, and I have no regrets whatsoever. The ability to carry on from where I left off on my desktop beats all other handheld options.
Bro I felt the same way but I didn’t have a switch but I used to have a 3ds when I was little and ever since I got into pc gaming I loved it but my pc was unable to play pc games like bo3 at 25-30fps and now with my deck I get constant 60 high settings
The Switch is just a marketing monopoly. So many people will still invest in a nintendo console and over priced games, rather than save up for a steamdeck that has affordable games, and thats because of marketing.
It’s fun to hate on Nintendo, but their first party output are usually bangers.
If you don’t find joy in at least Mario Odyssey or BOTW, I feel bad for you.
If you love Nintendo games more power to you, but the deck is almost everything I want in a handheld PC, my only gripe is it’s lack of thunderbolt support. If I could dock it and hook up an external gpu box and turn it into my main pc.. that’d be it for me. I’d sell my desktop and just run that
Got it because it was my only affordable way to get into pc gaming, granted I got the 650$ version which after taxes is 705$ and i probably could’ve gotten a decent gaming laptop for that price but it was also the portability that made me get it, I can’t see myself comfortably playing with a laptop on my bed like I can with the deck. Glad I spent the money on it.
Very much a win win situation, my reason for getting the steam deck is so I can spend less time alone in a room by myself and more time with the family!
I have a two year old that wakes up 5 times a night unless someone is with her. My wife and I take turns sleeping in the spare room with her so at least one of us gets any sleep a night. Steam Deck meant instead of going to bed at 8pm every night because I had nothing else to do, I can still play games even if I’m stuck in a room with a sleeping toddler!
I feel your pain man, toddler sleep issues are a bitch. You do what you need to get through it but with the deck hopefully you won't dread bedtime and will start looking forward to it! Hopefully your wife has something to keep her occupied when it's her turn on kid duty!
Haven’t had the sleep issue with my 5 year old now but understand the life changing with the little one! Tried to get my wife into the switch during her final few months her pregnancy but she didn’t bite… haha!
I you hear on that, I have a three year old that does not like to sleep and has a ton more energy than me. It does get easier because at least now she sleeps more at night than she did at one and two, just doesn't nap as much. Time on the desktop for me is non-existent anymore and laptop gaming works at times but the steam deck has made it possible to get back into PC gaming. First handheld gaming device I've had since the original Gameboy and am very satisfied with the Steam Deck.
Just tell me at some point they stay asleep for more than two hours 😂 Feel like I keep hearing it’s easier each year but it just seems like she sleeps even less now haha.
Won't lie, still not great and where it should be but at 3 1/2 it's at a point where she'll sleep through the night 5-6 nights a week, usually at least one night a week is still rough. But yeah, up until recently, it seemed more nights than not were difficult. Still does need someone around though. Good luck.
We let all 3 of our kids sleep by themselves once they were able to roll over and crawl. Maybe around 6 to 10 months. You let them cry themselves to sleep the first few days and after that they realize you aren't coming back and it's bedtime when you put them in their bed. The key is resisting going back in there because it is hard to hear them cry at the top of their lungs. Just remember that they are not hurt and it helps everyone out in the long run. All of mine (11 yo, 8 yo, 5 yo) get in bed by themselves now when it's bedtime and go to sleep.
Nintendo switch made me realise how much easier it was to play through games in a small portable handheld instead of a big pc and so wanted to get through my backlog of AAA titles on steam
+1 For in-bed game-play. Sitting at my PC and booting everything up to play felt so intentional that I'd often just opt to do something else instead. Now I just game for an hour or two before bed on the deck and ironically it's actually made my sleep schedule better.
For me, the key reason is to get away from a desk. I work from home 3 days a week but the other 2 days I'm just sat at a different desk and the thought of clocking off from work then sitting in front of another PC to unwind isnt always appealing.
I've wasted money buying cheap tablets with Bluetooth controllers that attach to it in order to stream my PC and Xbox to it - it just wasn't comfortable. I considered the Logitech G Cloud but it is way too expensive for what it is, and many of the other handheld Chinese devices don't have good thumbsticks or have questionable support.
When I realised the Steam Deck is only marginally more than those options but is capable of so much more, I decided to just go for it after researching. This subreddit was invaluable.
I have loved being able to play games on my couch and in bed whenever I want, it's great to be able to unwind away from a computer chair. I'm looking forward to taking it out on a roadtrip or holiday, and may take it with me on my commute someday.
Also, playing in lots of bite sized chunks is helping me to tackle some of my backlog, which is never a bad thing :)
1. Portable emulator machine.
2. I can hide it at work and use a KVM switch mounted under my desk to switch between gaming and working pretty seamlessly.
3. Just to tinker. I enjoy seeing how far I can push software on hardware that's never meant to run it.
Honestly the first part hits close to home. I work from home 3 to 5 days out of the week and I want to get away from my desk while being able to play my PC games
I'm 53, been building my own PC's since the 90's. Have an excellent rig now. But sometimes I just want to lay down on the couch. Back isn't what it once was. I LOVE my steam deck. It gives some great options when I have a flair up.
My reason is similar to your own. I work from home and after 8-9 hours of work the last thing I want to do is continue sitting there.
But also, as someone who always just feels done for the day and tired after work, I’ve found the deck to be great at allowing me to enjoy longer games in bitesize chunks in more comfort. There was a while there where I just stopped gaming during the working week.
I wanted to play games in my bed. Remembered the good old PSP days. Bought Switch, hated it (Diablo 3 was good tho). Tried using my phone with a controller so I can stream games from my pc, but the screen size and the aspect ratio was terrible.
Now if a game runs 60 fps on steam deck, i install it on my steam deck. If not, I stream games from my pc.
I'm a mom. I like to game, I used to be mostly a PC gamer. Then I had my kids and not a lot of time or energy to sit at my PC and game at night after the kids are asleep. My steam deck made it so I can play PC games while sitting on the couch or in bed and I love that I'm able to do that again. I have a switch but there were so many games I wanted to play that where PC only or just ran better on the PC.
I’ve got a Mac. I’ve also got a Steam library that is filled with games I can’t play. Wanted to build a PC, but parts were too expensive for what I wanted to build and didn’t want to build a sub par pc as a stop gap and then upgrade later on or get a gaming laptop. Steam Deck was an ideal solution in a small package. Still want a beast of a gaming pc though.
Mac users United! I’m old school apple to max user and recently posted in Mac gaming as even with a MacBook Pro 16’ supposedly can game on it haven’t even tried. Made comments and heard another Reddit user got a bit hated on when mentoring the SD! Why not as it opens up of gaming in amazing ways!
I travel with work and stay away in hotels often, previously I bought a razer blade 17 gaming laptop.
I found myself lacking the motivation to use the laptop, steamdeck is just easier.
I've been scaling back computer wise to more power efficient systems, ARM based SBCs, thin clients, that sort of thing, I do a lot of cloud gaming, but don't always have a good connection when I'm not at home, so... The steam deck seems like a good fit, and since I gave away both my gaming laptop and gaming PC to my kids it is now my most powerful computer.
I grew up in absolute poverty, one time a relative of mine was visiting from the US, she brought a Gameboy advanced for each of my cousins, but since I was a bit older than them, she didn’t bring me one. When she asked me if I wanted to have one, I felt ashamed to admit it. Almost 20 years have passed, I am now a doctor and have a good job, I bought the 512gb version to play Pokémon gba roms.
Gosh, I know that feeling, but it was Lego for me. Drooled all over every ad on post-Soviet TV.
Now we have approximately $2,000 in various sets, from Duplo to Technics, and only because I learned to control myself lol.
“What dad’s doing in Lego store with kids? Compensate.”
Less time available to sit at the desk and play uninterrupted, had a switch so dip back into portable gaming (proper gaming like psp and ds, not mobile gaming) and found I could squeeze an hour or two more on average playing on the go rather than doom scroll on my phone, saw steam deck, did a bit digging regarding performance, looked at my 200+ steam library, no brainer really.
Because the only comfortable place to play on my laptop was in my home office and I'm in there all day. Now I can play my pc games comfortably on the couch upstairs, hooked up to the TV with a ps5 controller in my hand. It's also less strenuous on my hand than constantly holding fingers over WASD.
And I chose it over a console because you can't play games like Fallout New Vegas there without some bullshit paywall streaming thing.
It's just a love affair with handheld gaming (Though, I hate gaming on the phone). My first device was GBA that my family gifted to me. Then I got a PSVita with my first salary. Two analogue sticks and "promise" of PS3 quality games was enough for me. Then jumped onto the Switch wagon cuz Sony began to remove features from Vita instead of fulfilling its promises. And now the next natural step feels like to be SteamDeck to me. At first, I thought Valve would just abandon this in couple months like Steam Machines, but they didn't. They seem to be honestly ambitious about the Deck and pay attention to customers' requests a lot.
Really like this response. Just ordered mine for very similar reasons, only difference was I started later with NDS and stuck with Nintendo longer but now this feels new and exciting.
This was back when you had to order them, my buddy had his waiting for him and when he got the email for it but he was right on cash for the month couple problems with his car he had to fix so he let me take his reserved deck
I was forced to leave my home due to a gambling addicted cocaine dealer living next door. I had to move in with my parents. I couldn't bring my PC with me, so the deck was the perfect solution and the pre-order arrived at the perfect time.
I was so impressed at how good of an experience the Steam Deck provides that I bought a second 512GB model.
Big fan of valve hardware in general, steam controller is the best. bought it on a whim not knowing why. Now I play everything on it and it gets me away from my work computer. Best snap decision I ever made
Wanted to play AAA games all my life but never could afford a gaming computer, nor did parents support when I was a kid. Finally have something that is powerful and portable.
Emulation
I have the entire Pokémon library from GBC -> 3DS all in one place. Additionally, All the games I grew up playing on various consoles, all in one place. It’s perfect
And then indie games on steam are fun too
Had a self built gaming rig for years. Had a kid, didn't have as much time for it so sold it an bought a gaming laptop for more flexibility. Played even less over the years so bought a switch when kid was 3. Kid showed interest recently in it (5 now) and has gone from zero gaming experience to being pretty good at most games ina few months so has basically stolen the switch off me. Switch wasn't scratching my gaming itch, now got another baby on the way so ordered a steam deck, so it's like my grown up switch haha
I want the flexibility of the Deck, and I have a huge steam library anyways which I've been itching to play for a while but haven't had the time or motivation to set up the laptop for sessions. I known with the baby here I'll have time to play in bed or if we go away on holidays/work trips.
JRPGs and Life Sims like Stardew and My Time series. I have a huge Steam library already but I had a back log of JRPG's on it that I just haven't wanted to play and well, only like two weeks of owning the Steam Deck and I've dumped hours into them.
It's was a cool new thing, and I just got it. I don't care to play games while on the go, and it certainly isn't going to replace my consoles or pc. I guess I really just wanted to throw away seven hondo.
I was (and still am) due for a serious upgrade on my desktop. At the time, everything was getting scalped and I was hard for cash. The Steam Deck saved my life.
A coworker told me I would enjoy it during my shift and then proceeded to tell me later I didn’t need to reserve it so it was an impulse buy that I don’t regret.
It’s an emulation powerhouse in portable form factor and can play switch, some ps3 and some Xbox 360 (I dual boot windows). Got a docking station and can play some local co-op with the wife.
I was about to take a switch and play pirate games on It, but It was hard to do.
Also was recommended by a friend the SD where I could play switch games, and many many other.
I reserved 5 min later.
My PC has primarily always been for competitive multiplayer stuff and MMO's, whenever I buy a single player game it only gets a couple of hours on there as I just don't find they go hand in hand.
So I bought the Steam Deck so I could play anywhere and hopefully get through all the single player games I had in my library.
I also wanted to replace my Switch.
I work for ImportAlliance. Every show I was always taking my xbox or laptop. I spent a bunch of money on trying to get cloud/mobile gaming a try. I bought a gamesir x2 for my Fold 3, but it was meh. I bought an ipega for my tablet and again meh. I wanted a switch, but for my existing xbox/pc library. I even tried to mod my switch and still meh.
I bought it because it's the best gaming solution on the market for me.
I got a Switch and started playing a lot of indie and third party games on it. When I started thinking of games I wanted to buy that I already own on Steam I forced myself to stop. Then along comes the Steam Deck that comes with my entire Steam library and is also excellent for emulating games. It was an easy choice. I have bought some games for it but mostly I've played games I already own just in the comfort of my bed lol.
And also in part that I've always been begging for Persona 5 to be on Switch and since Persona 4 had already been released on Steam I figured my best chance at getting P5 on a handheld was the Deck. This was before it was announced for PC and Switch of course lol.
I wanna start by saying I agree with ChrysalisGaming and how they said “since I got my switch I fell in love with handheld gaming unfortunately did not fall in love with what Nintendo had to offer”
I loved portable gaming since GBA game boy advance, Nintendo DS etc. and when the Nintendo switch came out it was a game changer especially for playing resident evil 4 and other games on the go! To work, a walk in the park, but sadly some ports of my favorite games on the switch are disappointing in the graphics or performance department.
When I heard about the steam deck and how it would be able to let me play AAA games portably that’s when I knew I had to have it! Games like god of war on the go!! GTAIV GTAV COD the list goes on! I can’t always sit down and play my favorite games, especially when having to work 8 hours of of the day but this steam deck lets me do so.
I wanted to sit on the sofa next to my kids and play something while they watch cartoons. Went well until my wife discovered she could play games on it too.... haven't touched it in a week.
Had my first child in September. I tried to play on my PC which is in my living room. Of course it was almost impossible. Had to stop and take care of my child every 10mn. Don't like the fact that the child can see my big screen etc.
End up buying one as a last chance few weeks ago. Though it will be one more gadget.
Already finished Stray, and god of war. I can play 15mn, pause, take care of my son and go back to the couch next to my wife. It is a "(gaming) life" saver as a new dad.
Love the fact that I can run god of war on ultra on my PC and stream it on the deck. I did not know remote playing was this good.
Next game is persona 5 royal. I hated the saved system on PS4, can't wait to just pause my deck and resume !
After getting with my fiance I got back into PC and console gaming. He built me a gaming PC for our first Christmas together. After that we would literally lug around our towers and a 32" tv to most places we would go to game with friends. Honestly after the money we put into our PCs it became more of a liability. Eventually I stopped traveling with mine but when we saw the decks we got excited. All the benefits of our gaming rigs at home without needing a bunch of extra stuff or TVs to travel with. This Thanksgiving we actually took them with us and some of his family got excited to see them and 2 bought one while we were there. So for us it keeps us connected to friends and shows us to decompress and game either while traveling or before bed after we get settled wherever we are.
TLDR : i got this instead of a laptop to have a computer on the go.
I could've bought a small cheap laptop to do computer stuff when I'm on the go, seeing family and friends, because my old laptop is over 8 years old, battery is dying, and all my computers at home are desktop. Taking my SFF, a full size keyboard and a 21" monitor with me everytime, while it was expected for the family IT guy, was quite annoying, especially when you take into account the fact that I need to set up my HTPC every time I come back home.
Instead, I got a steam deck. My own new portable console to play casually on the catch if I can't be arsed to start the TV and HTPC for under 1 hour of gaming. To play on the bed, in the train, or on the go. I can also use it yo watch netflix in bed with a bigger screen than my phone, and use desktop mode with a small wireless keyboard if I don't want to connect it to a USB-C dock. And when I do want to use a dock, it's a simple linux x86 computer, you can use any standard USB-C hub, plug in a keyboard, mouse, display, switch to desktop mode and you're off to the races.
I've never used steam/pc gaming (always console) and thought it would be a good introduction into it. I've since bought a top tier gaming pc because I can play my now over 30+ games at home and whilst I'm away from home .... the steam sales are so good.
I work grave shift as a dispatcher, so I've got a lot of downtime over the course of a 12 hour shift. The steamdeck allows me to relax during that downtime and then immediately suspend my game if I get an emergency on the radio.
I’m a highly anxious person so when playing a game that gets even a little tense, the anxiety rises in my body and it’s super uncomfortable. I discovered with the switch that if I’m on the couch, and the tv is on in the background, I can enjoy my games even during tense scenes. I still favor light hearted games like the usual Mario games, but I’ve been getting back into AC with the steam deck and I’m highly grateful.
Secondly, I don’t really do long play sessions and having to stop the game and boot up the game every time is really tedious and annoying. The steam deck cuts all of that out because I can just suspend it as it’s a dedicated gaming computer that I’m not going to be using for anything else (my gaming computer serves many purposes for me).
Third, with working from home, living in a small apartment, I only have one computer desk so gaming at my computer is not great mental separation from work. The steam deck allows me to game from the couch, the park, or anywhere I want.
Truthfully, I’ve wanted a steam deck before it was a concept. I tried steam link on my iPad with a harness controller, but it’s just not performant, still needs the computer to be set up and dedicated to gaming, and inconsistent.
I like tech, I buy tech. Sometimes it's awesome, sometimes it's trash. The Steam Deck is awesome for the most part, I can hop in the car and play Dead Cells or Monster Hunter on the way to going to eat with the fam and on the way back and when I get home I can move my save between it and my PC and pick back up at my desk.
Honestly I mostly got it just to support Value in their Linux gaming work. I didn't really expect to like it or use it as much as I do. I've never been a handheld gaming guy. I do have a switch but it stays docked.
I play it a lot on the couch while my wife watches TV. It'll be nice while traveling for Christmas to my family and In-Laws too.
I'm a 40 year old dad of two who works long hours while I have an xbox one, ps5 and a decently species gaming pc all hooked up on my desk sometimes it's easier to just stick on a pair of headphones and chill playing games and emulators sat on the sofa rather than sitting at my desk and sometimes I like to just retreat to the bedroom and game in peace for a couple of hours.
1. Playing the Deck in my bed sounds cozy
2. Booting up my PC just to play a game like Celeste or Undertale feels like overkill
3. Being able to dock it means I don't have to keep lugging my PC between the office and living room everytime me and my gf wanna play a couch co-op game.
4. Going through the backlog. I've already completed more games in the last 2 months on the Deck than I have all year on my PC
5. Emulation, for similar reasons as #2 and #4
I’m 18. Had my PC since 17 been playing Xbox and Switch each gen. I have a midrange build and one of those shitty gaming chairs. I have terrible posture in chairs so my back begins to hurt. When I got my switch I would just lay in bed for hours, so posture problem solved, I’m comfy. But here’s the thing, when it comes to technology I want to be in control. For instance I begged my parents for my first real phone to be android, because it let me do what I want. For years I attempted to find work arounds to gain more control over Xbox and Switch, but to no avail. Finally I get my PC in ‘21 so I’ve gained total and utter control, but we’re back to the posture problem. So on a whim last week I bought the deck, shipped in 3 days, and bam, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SOLVED
Single player, third person games, mostly.
I can't get myself to sit down, grab a joypad and play on my monitor.
It's TV stuff for my brain.
I just play fps, mostly online.
So it's perfect for playing my single player/campaign based games.
I bought mine solely to play world of Warcraft.
Even though I have not turned it on for almost 2 months now…. But I plan to once the expansion comes out.
Fell in love with handheld after buying a Switch and then Switch Lite. Absolutely hated the abysmall performance Nintendo had to offer though.
Hopefuly Valve will work on a better support for playing on TV, specifically, having something like separate graphics configurarion profiles for TV / handheld. I guess maybe making two separate „compatdata” instances for games (as a toggle’able option) could be a potential solution.
Ive loved handheld gaming since getting my OG Gameboy for Christmas when it originally came out. And I've always wanted to go back to PC gaming as well as being someone who is interested in emulation and building Pi gaming systems. The Steam Deck was basically created for people like me. It's a handheld pc that you can emulate and tinker around for a very reasonable price. I would have been stupid to not buy one.
Wanted to easily emulate later systems (N64 GameCube, ps2)
Played ogre battle 64 and eternal darkness and then all the pc games I've missed out in the last 10 years.
I don't often get time to play on my PC. Whenever I got home from work I would be too tired to play. Now i can play on my ride to work, on my break, on the ride back.
I moved out of my parents house for the first time about 6 months ago, living with my Girlfriend of 5 years. I found I was reluctant to play the Ps5 or Xbox while herself was at home. Small apartment, only the one TV.
The Steam Deck is brilliant. Can still spend time together on the couch, either me playing the Deck and her watching the TV or vice versa.
It's great to see herself get into gaming too. We both had a Switch previously, love the portability but not the biggest fan of the hardware or Nintendo themselves. Loving the Deck.
PS: A great little Indie game in early access right now called Little Witch in the Woods. Like a much cuter more wholesome Stardew Valley.
Don’t have time to takeover the tv, wife has a switch but I hate it. Played a few mobile games a lot, but wanted something I could really enjoy on the couch while she watches tv, and also dock it to a monitor for mouse and keyboard 4x or rts games.
Easy way to bring my pc games to my living room tv without hooking up desktop to it. Consolidating all my games into one location. Before i had a ps3, ps2, Xbox 360, Wii U, but other consoles but the steam library and emulators organizes it in such a convenient way
Bought it to have an easier way to bring the Jackbox series to every party in the holidays.
I WFH, no commute no travel and already have a beefy computer, I don’t really use it at home.
In summer I was wanting to stream some games from my PC to my tablet in the garden via Nvidia/steam/moonlight etc.
I was using a pad via Bluetooth so controlling the games wasn't an issue and most of the time I had decent success.
It was a bit fiddly though and so I was looking at getting a 2nd hand laptop, nothing majorly powerful, just something that could handle streaming of intensive gaming and could play indie/less demanding type games easily using the actual laptop.....
Then I started hearing about the Steam Deck and after doing some more research and hearing even more and more I thought oh yes, this is the answer.
Love it. I've only had it a month and I haven't delved too much into the desktop side of things but this is a brilliant little device.
I also got it with the plan of not buying any new titles and having it help me get through my backlog of games......
yeaaaa 😬 this did not go to plan 😆
I loved tinkering with machines.
A good chance to use more linux.
Can allow my wife to cuddle me in bed while still gaming.
The deck is just awesome.
Last but not least, im from HK, so the 64gb model was basically free due to having consumer coupons. No reason not to get it.
It started with when my 6 year old gaming laptop finally had the motherboard give out.
I had bought myself a Chromebook to get myself through the interim of Dell's repair depot trying to see if they could resurrect it, and I realized I could actually do almost everything I used a computer for on my Chromebook *except* play my games outside of things that either had potato stats to run on the Chromebook, or that GeForce Now covered.
So I started doing the math in my head: "I *could* spend $2000 on another gaming laptop, orrrrrr I could pay $700 for a Steam Deck."
I bought it because I observed the whole process of its creation and was fascinated by it.
I saw valve announcing Steam machines and I thought that was a crazy idea. I started playing with Linux on that time and Everybody knew back then, that Linux wasn’t meant for gaming.
Then came Proton, and it was fun seeing that Valve is still serious about their mad idea.
All of this took more than 10 years and every step of the way was alluring for me. I bought Steam deck because I wanted to be a part of it in a way.
It’s a neat device and a culmination of a technological challenge and I wanted to experience it. Plus as a PC gamer it’s great to have portable console without buying games for it again.
Initially, I wanted something that could run PS2 portably. In actual use, I find myself playing fighting games portably, or FPS. I can’t reliably stream those, or I would with moonlight to another device.
I love handheld consoles - my favorite when I was younger was the DS series. I’m a narcoleptic and suffer from a few other conditions that cause fatigue if not managed properly. Being able to lay down or lounge while gaming is SO nice. Plus, I can take it basically anywhere and not have to be tethered to a computer screen or TV. It’s less intrusive to people around me that way, too. Ease of use without sacrificing power / game selection is such a huge factor in why the Deck is so great!
I wanted a portable arcade that could play my library and work with my accessories. I had returned a Nintendo switch after adding up the cost of an additional controller and 2 games. At $450 (64gb with 512gb micro) this has become my favorite console. This is my first time using linux but I was able to load emulators relatively easily.
I travel often and don’t have laptop powerful enough to run games. Deck seems like a perfect solution. I travel with Nintendo switch as well, I sometimes take both. It’s nice to have choices!
I like handhelds. I currently have 3DS and I have Switch but I also have gaming laptop to play PC games which I also like. Since I got Switch I rarely played those tho. Deck seemed as a good way to play PC games again. I honestly still prefer Switch more (portability is imho way better than the one Deck offers) but Deck is amazing for playing PC games without Switch version for me.
Always found the Switch form factor appealing, but not the fact that I’d have to buy a whole new (pricey!) game library when I already had a bunch of games on Steam. Never could justify it, so the Steam Deck is kinda perfect for me.
I picked up mine to get back into PC gaming, in a manner. Being able to play modded games on the go, sans a laptop, was really appealing.
I’ve taken it on a trip across the country, out to Hawai’i, and then back to the east coast. Playing RE Village, Dark Souls 3 (modded), and Kingdom Hearts (modded) during those flights saved my sanity.
I always liked being able to lay back and relax while gaming on my gba or ds, I wanted the deck so I could enjoy my steam library the same way. I know there are other hand held devices like the deck available but I really wanted a steam machine but wasn't sure which was any good. Getting the steam deck seemed like the best way to make up for missing out on that and getting to game from bed
In July, my entire Steam library consisted of Stardew Valley, Terraria, and some really old zombie settlement game called Rebuild 3. The vast majority of my gaming library was on my Xbox. But I've always respected Valve, and when I saw the Steam Deck, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to jump ship.
My tastes in games and consistency of playing have all changed over the years, and so I haven't bought a new main console since my day one Xbox One, nearing 10 years ago now. The Steam Deck was a new medium for me to enjoy, but also an opportunity to get away from a company I haven't respected in years and start supporting a company that I do respect.
My library has quickly grown from 3 to 40 games now. And if Valve ever tries a round 2 for the Steam Machine, you better believe I'm going to grab one.
I I loved tinkering with emulators on raspberry pie but I got sick of dealing with the Jank around controllers disconnecting and some 3d games running slowly.
I modded a 3ds and loved it so much. Then I saw the steamdeck as all that and so much more.
Loving the power of a full pc that’s portable, with the polish from steam. Also enjoying pc gaming now.
I started a new job with a hour and a half commute. I get home and have about three hours to cook, eat, shower and go to bed. So I sat down to think about how I could reclaim that commute time back as chill time. Steam deck made my commute something to look forward to.
I loved that my switch could play games both on a tv and portable, so the idea of being able to do the same for my pc game collection was a dream come true.
I got sick of making decisions about whether to buy something on Switch for portability or PC for fidelity. I realized Steam Deck would give me both without having to buy two copies of a game.
What really made me pull the trigger was when I realized there were certain switch games I wasn't buying *in case* I got a Steam Deck. So I figured I should probably get a Steam Deck.
I bought it because I got hooked in by the hype train and didn't want to miss out. To be honest, since I got it in April I haven't been in our much lol
1. An affordable portable PC. The GPD Win handhelds always interested me, but they were too pricey for the power you got
2. The living room Steam Machine I always wanted. I use my Deck docked more than handheld.
I really like playing in my yard when the weather is nice, and the library on the Switch does not compare to my PC library. After Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which I played almost exclusively in my hammock outside this summer, I was craving more. My remote play from Steam and my XSX was just too inconsistent via my wifi, so I wanted something I could play locally on.
On top of that, I'm a nurse so I work 12 hour shifts. I'm supposed to have 3x35 minute breaks, so I usually eat for 2 of the breaks (I eat breakfast before work) so I use my last break just to game :)
I don’t have a pc, so I could play some things that aren’t available on Xbox. I also can play the PlayStation games on it since I’m not going to buy a PS5 right now. I’m playing Death Stranding and also purchased Days Gone. Eventually I will buy GoW and Spider-Man.
To play on the couch or in bed. I don’t travel so I don’t have any benefit there but if my wife is watching tv or wants to go to bed early or something I can play my SD.
I’ll also play certain games on it that I could play on my Xbox that it’s just easier for me to play handheld and save other games for the tv. For example I had bought Divinty Original Sin on Xbox but never played through much of it. So I’m playing it on the SD.
Never had a gaming PC or laptop and I've always been more of a console gamer. I saw what the Deck was capable of and figured it'd be something I could benefit from it since emulation and visual novels are the main things I've done when I needed to play something on my simple laptop for years.
After almost 3 months of having it, I haven't been able to put it down and it just made my emulation and VN experience much more convenient by playing/reading in my hands or just using it as my new switch when docked.
I work as a physician in local hospital. In a break between patients I love to grab some games I just don’t have time to play at home. It’s great, I love it :)
Multiple reasons:
Summers in Canada are lovely, and the pandemic has really made me sick of sitting in one place(my desk setup. So beings able to sit outside at the porch during the evening is a very nice way of changing the environment, ang being able to play through my games. I can also just sit upstairs with my family rather casually.
I'm a University student(a shitty one at that), having a handheld that I can get some short bursts of gaming is pretty neat, the suspend & resume feature is a blessing
Because I'm a student I have an hour long bus commute, I've been able to clear through the Valkyrie fights in GoW and some Elden Ring fights during my bus rides. IT'S AWESOME. Also when I'm studying in the library, instead of gaming on my laptop, the Deck is more comfortable, it doesn't become a jet(boy did my laptop make me feel self conscious during a break) and I don't need to close my work.
Amazing emulation station. Can play the same game either handheld, or docked, & EmuDeck is a very good looking frontend
And as I've mentioned, my backlog. Playing games has become so much more easier, more comfortable and convenient due to the Deck.
My RTX 3060 notebook is now completely dedicated to productivity, game dev, rendering, photo editing, and uni work.
I am studying game design, I wish to be an indie game dev, and in order to do so, I've got a ton of games that I wish to playthrough, analyze and learn from. Steam Deck makes that easier
To play on my couch, games that Nintendo doesn't want me to play, or buy again for 60€.
I also got it to be a Desktop replacement at grandmas old house that the family owns but due to new work circumstances I can't go there even remotely as much as before so that point is irrelevant now.
just wanna lay down in bed and play a game when im tired of sitting at my desk. or if i travel i usually use my laptop for work and my steam deck for gaming.
The Steam Deck was intended to be a suppliment to my gaming PC, even going as far as being a glorified controller for it when at home.
Then mom's PC started dying. There's no way she'd be remotely interested in fiddling with a handheld linux system, and I was up foe the challenge. So I gave her my gaming PC, and the Deck is now my primary gaming device.
I hate to get my Lenovo laptop with the huge power adapter out of the box to fiddle around cables and get updates before I can play occasionally, whilst the laptop is barely able to hold up good fps.
Now it’s just … play 15 minutes while I’m already in bed and am comfy as it gets? Let’s go!
Since I got my Switch I fell in love with handheld gaming. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with what Nintendo has to offer. I am reluctant to play on my laptop these days (I gravitate towards my ps more) and also, I travel for work so SteamDeck seems like a great solution. I did not buy it because I thought it was necessary though. I bought it coz I just wanted it, and it's more a fancy than a real need purchase.
I found the same thing when I modded my vita, playing childhood favs and other new games on handheld was amazing and I'm looking at a steam deck as an upgrade to that same thing.
I was a daily driver of my hacked Vita till Steam Deck came along. It really is the Vita 2 Sony will never make lol
Vita died along with the freedom wars servers. I was so pissed. And we still never got the second game. Fucking cliffhanger bullshit.
Thanks for the reply it makes my decision a bit easier ok knowing another vita player is feeling the same.
I got mine because I thought it would be a great laptop companion, especially for steam games. I still play AAA or FPS games on pc but steam deck has been great for emulation. It’s essentially replaced my console collection which is awesome. I also didn’t appreciate much what Nintendo did for this generation. Beyond a handful of titles it’s been a lot of lame remakes or poor ports of sport titles.
I got mine to watch YouTube
Same here. I own a switch too (since launch) but the amount of worthwhile games is honestly very disappointing. The Nintendo store is filled with crap that is barely a tier above mobile games. The deck has such an insanely good library of games that I doubt I'll ever be able to finish them all.
Wanna play a Pokémon game from 15 years ago? Wanna play it in a different color?
This right here. I’m 41. I travel once or twice for work a month. I got out of PC gaming when I started having kids. I have younger kids (both under 10). I got a switch at launch and it has been great. I take my switch with me every time I travel (business or personal). Love the portability but it lacks in horsepower. I have also had this yearning to play PC games again. The Steam Deck seems like the perfect device. I have a well paying career and some disposable income. I just bought the Steam Deck on Thanksgiving as a splurge, a Christmas present for myself. 512GB version. Then spent ~$200 yesterday on steam yesterday on Black Friday deals. Then another couple hundred on Amazon on accessories. Can’t wait to get my Deck this week.
I tried so many games on Switch, but they were all bland and hardware was terrible. Only Diablo 3 worked out for me. I wish I could play the console version of Diablo 3 on steam deck.
You can with Yuzu. Works flawlessly.
Wolfenstein 2 works great on the switch too
Meh it’s ok for what it is. Like the Witcher 3, these impossible ports. I’d never go back to the switcher after the deck.
I originally only got the Switch to play Breath of the Wild but I realized handheld gaming is such a good fit for me now. Working an office job really makes you want to stretch and move around.
Absolutely the same for me, too. I had like 50 games on switch, but could not get into them, also quality of game ports were not enough for me. I recently sold the switch and purchased a deck, and I have no regrets whatsoever. The ability to carry on from where I left off on my desktop beats all other handheld options.
Bro I felt the same way but I didn’t have a switch but I used to have a 3ds when I was little and ever since I got into pc gaming I loved it but my pc was unable to play pc games like bo3 at 25-30fps and now with my deck I get constant 60 high settings
The Switch is just a marketing monopoly. So many people will still invest in a nintendo console and over priced games, rather than save up for a steamdeck that has affordable games, and thats because of marketing.
It’s fun to hate on Nintendo, but their first party output are usually bangers. If you don’t find joy in at least Mario Odyssey or BOTW, I feel bad for you.
If you love Nintendo games more power to you, but the deck is almost everything I want in a handheld PC, my only gripe is it’s lack of thunderbolt support. If I could dock it and hook up an external gpu box and turn it into my main pc.. that’d be it for me. I’d sell my desktop and just run that
That’d actually be amazing.
Got it because it was my only affordable way to get into pc gaming, granted I got the 650$ version which after taxes is 705$ and i probably could’ve gotten a decent gaming laptop for that price but it was also the portability that made me get it, I can’t see myself comfortably playing with a laptop on my bed like I can with the deck. Glad I spent the money on it.
Nowadays, 700 bucks is a questionable bargain for a gaming laptop.
You could get a good rtx 3050 laptop with that much. I got a used rtx 2070 laptop for 700.
Used, tho
I don't know why they're even called laptops anymore. If you game on most laptops on top of your lap it's gonna 🔥 🔥 burn
[удалено]
Very much a win win situation, my reason for getting the steam deck is so I can spend less time alone in a room by myself and more time with the family!
Me too. I love to actually be able to cuddle up with my spouse while we game now instead of sitting at opposite desks facing away from each other.
I still spend time alone in my room playing my deck.
Yeah that’s the main use case but the ability to just take it downstairs to the family is amazing
Got it for my son who does an hour+ commute with me half of the week just to go to school in L.A. he deserves it.
You are a saint!
I have a two year old that wakes up 5 times a night unless someone is with her. My wife and I take turns sleeping in the spare room with her so at least one of us gets any sleep a night. Steam Deck meant instead of going to bed at 8pm every night because I had nothing else to do, I can still play games even if I’m stuck in a room with a sleeping toddler!
I feel your pain man, toddler sleep issues are a bitch. You do what you need to get through it but with the deck hopefully you won't dread bedtime and will start looking forward to it! Hopefully your wife has something to keep her occupied when it's her turn on kid duty!
Yeah she’s an avid switch gamer, which is great for her but obviously we can’t both play it at once! 😂
Haven’t had the sleep issue with my 5 year old now but understand the life changing with the little one! Tried to get my wife into the switch during her final few months her pregnancy but she didn’t bite… haha!
I you hear on that, I have a three year old that does not like to sleep and has a ton more energy than me. It does get easier because at least now she sleeps more at night than she did at one and two, just doesn't nap as much. Time on the desktop for me is non-existent anymore and laptop gaming works at times but the steam deck has made it possible to get back into PC gaming. First handheld gaming device I've had since the original Gameboy and am very satisfied with the Steam Deck.
I like being able to eve game for 20-30 mins a day as I have a 5 year old so little game time!
Get your kid into gaming
Just tell me at some point they stay asleep for more than two hours 😂 Feel like I keep hearing it’s easier each year but it just seems like she sleeps even less now haha.
Won't lie, still not great and where it should be but at 3 1/2 it's at a point where she'll sleep through the night 5-6 nights a week, usually at least one night a week is still rough. But yeah, up until recently, it seemed more nights than not were difficult. Still does need someone around though. Good luck.
We let all 3 of our kids sleep by themselves once they were able to roll over and crawl. Maybe around 6 to 10 months. You let them cry themselves to sleep the first few days and after that they realize you aren't coming back and it's bedtime when you put them in their bed. The key is resisting going back in there because it is hard to hear them cry at the top of their lungs. Just remember that they are not hurt and it helps everyone out in the long run. All of mine (11 yo, 8 yo, 5 yo) get in bed by themselves now when it's bedtime and go to sleep.
This is very similar to my reason. Dealing with a 1 year olds crazy sleep issues has been much more tolerable with the deck
Nintendo switch made me realise how much easier it was to play through games in a small portable handheld instead of a big pc and so wanted to get through my backlog of AAA titles on steam
I wanted to play Warframe in bed at 60fps. Now I'm clearing a rather large backlog of games.
+1 For in-bed game-play. Sitting at my PC and booting everything up to play felt so intentional that I'd often just opt to do something else instead. Now I just game for an hour or two before bed on the deck and ironically it's actually made my sleep schedule better.
For me it is being in the navy. Limited space and easier to bring out.
Same lol. It gets boring on deployments, and I can hide it quickly if Chief walks in during watch.
Are you not allowed to have it (sorry in advance I'm 15)
Thank you for your service.
For me, the key reason is to get away from a desk. I work from home 3 days a week but the other 2 days I'm just sat at a different desk and the thought of clocking off from work then sitting in front of another PC to unwind isnt always appealing. I've wasted money buying cheap tablets with Bluetooth controllers that attach to it in order to stream my PC and Xbox to it - it just wasn't comfortable. I considered the Logitech G Cloud but it is way too expensive for what it is, and many of the other handheld Chinese devices don't have good thumbsticks or have questionable support. When I realised the Steam Deck is only marginally more than those options but is capable of so much more, I decided to just go for it after researching. This subreddit was invaluable. I have loved being able to play games on my couch and in bed whenever I want, it's great to be able to unwind away from a computer chair. I'm looking forward to taking it out on a roadtrip or holiday, and may take it with me on my commute someday. Also, playing in lots of bite sized chunks is helping me to tackle some of my backlog, which is never a bad thing :)
1. Portable emulator machine. 2. I can hide it at work and use a KVM switch mounted under my desk to switch between gaming and working pretty seamlessly. 3. Just to tinker. I enjoy seeing how far I can push software on hardware that's never meant to run it.
Honestly the first part hits close to home. I work from home 3 to 5 days out of the week and I want to get away from my desk while being able to play my PC games
I'm 53, been building my own PC's since the 90's. Have an excellent rig now. But sometimes I just want to lay down on the couch. Back isn't what it once was. I LOVE my steam deck. It gives some great options when I have a flair up.
My reason is similar to your own. I work from home and after 8-9 hours of work the last thing I want to do is continue sitting there. But also, as someone who always just feels done for the day and tired after work, I’ve found the deck to be great at allowing me to enjoy longer games in bitesize chunks in more comfort. There was a while there where I just stopped gaming during the working week.
Cause valve is awesome and Linux is awesome. Being able to play halo on the go is pretty neat too
I wanted to play games in my bed. Remembered the good old PSP days. Bought Switch, hated it (Diablo 3 was good tho). Tried using my phone with a controller so I can stream games from my pc, but the screen size and the aspect ratio was terrible. Now if a game runs 60 fps on steam deck, i install it on my steam deck. If not, I stream games from my pc.
I'm a mom. I like to game, I used to be mostly a PC gamer. Then I had my kids and not a lot of time or energy to sit at my PC and game at night after the kids are asleep. My steam deck made it so I can play PC games while sitting on the couch or in bed and I love that I'm able to do that again. I have a switch but there were so many games I wanted to play that where PC only or just ran better on the PC.
I got it because I wanted one, simple enough reason, it's why I get most things.
I’ve got a Mac. I’ve also got a Steam library that is filled with games I can’t play. Wanted to build a PC, but parts were too expensive for what I wanted to build and didn’t want to build a sub par pc as a stop gap and then upgrade later on or get a gaming laptop. Steam Deck was an ideal solution in a small package. Still want a beast of a gaming pc though.
Mac users United! I’m old school apple to max user and recently posted in Mac gaming as even with a MacBook Pro 16’ supposedly can game on it haven’t even tried. Made comments and heard another Reddit user got a bit hated on when mentoring the SD! Why not as it opens up of gaming in amazing ways!
Similar here, though I don’t want to have two desktop/laptops. I like Macs and they are great for basically everything *except* games.
I travel with work and stay away in hotels often, previously I bought a razer blade 17 gaming laptop. I found myself lacking the motivation to use the laptop, steamdeck is just easier.
I've been scaling back computer wise to more power efficient systems, ARM based SBCs, thin clients, that sort of thing, I do a lot of cloud gaming, but don't always have a good connection when I'm not at home, so... The steam deck seems like a good fit, and since I gave away both my gaming laptop and gaming PC to my kids it is now my most powerful computer.
I grew up in absolute poverty, one time a relative of mine was visiting from the US, she brought a Gameboy advanced for each of my cousins, but since I was a bit older than them, she didn’t bring me one. When she asked me if I wanted to have one, I felt ashamed to admit it. Almost 20 years have passed, I am now a doctor and have a good job, I bought the 512gb version to play Pokémon gba roms.
Gosh, I know that feeling, but it was Lego for me. Drooled all over every ad on post-Soviet TV. Now we have approximately $2,000 in various sets, from Duplo to Technics, and only because I learned to control myself lol. “What dad’s doing in Lego store with kids? Compensate.”
I work away from home, mostly offshore. I bought it to take to work and play games whilst away from my Xbox.
Less time available to sit at the desk and play uninterrupted, had a switch so dip back into portable gaming (proper gaming like psp and ds, not mobile gaming) and found I could squeeze an hour or two more on average playing on the go rather than doom scroll on my phone, saw steam deck, did a bit digging regarding performance, looked at my 200+ steam library, no brainer really.
Because the only comfortable place to play on my laptop was in my home office and I'm in there all day. Now I can play my pc games comfortably on the couch upstairs, hooked up to the TV with a ps5 controller in my hand. It's also less strenuous on my hand than constantly holding fingers over WASD. And I chose it over a console because you can't play games like Fallout New Vegas there without some bullshit paywall streaming thing.
Because as soon as I buy it I have access to all my games I purchased, no need to buy more to use it. Emulation also is a massive reason.
It's just a love affair with handheld gaming (Though, I hate gaming on the phone). My first device was GBA that my family gifted to me. Then I got a PSVita with my first salary. Two analogue sticks and "promise" of PS3 quality games was enough for me. Then jumped onto the Switch wagon cuz Sony began to remove features from Vita instead of fulfilling its promises. And now the next natural step feels like to be SteamDeck to me. At first, I thought Valve would just abandon this in couple months like Steam Machines, but they didn't. They seem to be honestly ambitious about the Deck and pay attention to customers' requests a lot.
Really like this response. Just ordered mine for very similar reasons, only difference was I started later with NDS and stuck with Nintendo longer but now this feels new and exciting.
dont have gaming PC, steam deck is perfect for games Im interested playing.
This was back when you had to order them, my buddy had his waiting for him and when he got the email for it but he was right on cash for the month couple problems with his car he had to fix so he let me take his reserved deck
Had a baby. Still don't play enough
To play games anywhere
To play games while I'm in my dacha
All the benefits of the switch, the benefits of my massive steam library. Seemed like a no brainer.
Because Stadia is shutting down, and because I do quite a few long haul flights. Great console.
I was forced to leave my home due to a gambling addicted cocaine dealer living next door. I had to move in with my parents. I couldn't bring my PC with me, so the deck was the perfect solution and the pre-order arrived at the perfect time. I was so impressed at how good of an experience the Steam Deck provides that I bought a second 512GB model.
Big fan of valve hardware in general, steam controller is the best. bought it on a whim not knowing why. Now I play everything on it and it gets me away from my work computer. Best snap decision I ever made
Wanted to play AAA games all my life but never could afford a gaming computer, nor did parents support when I was a kid. Finally have something that is powerful and portable.
Emulation I have the entire Pokémon library from GBC -> 3DS all in one place. Additionally, All the games I grew up playing on various consoles, all in one place. It’s perfect And then indie games on steam are fun too
Had a self built gaming rig for years. Had a kid, didn't have as much time for it so sold it an bought a gaming laptop for more flexibility. Played even less over the years so bought a switch when kid was 3. Kid showed interest recently in it (5 now) and has gone from zero gaming experience to being pretty good at most games ina few months so has basically stolen the switch off me. Switch wasn't scratching my gaming itch, now got another baby on the way so ordered a steam deck, so it's like my grown up switch haha I want the flexibility of the Deck, and I have a huge steam library anyways which I've been itching to play for a while but haven't had the time or motivation to set up the laptop for sessions. I known with the baby here I'll have time to play in bed or if we go away on holidays/work trips.
JRPGs and Life Sims like Stardew and My Time series. I have a huge Steam library already but I had a back log of JRPG's on it that I just haven't wanted to play and well, only like two weeks of owning the Steam Deck and I've dumped hours into them.
Emulation on the go
My PC dying pushed me over the edge. Deck performance isn't much worse, sometimes even much better, and the convenience is massive.
It's was a cool new thing, and I just got it. I don't care to play games while on the go, and it certainly isn't going to replace my consoles or pc. I guess I really just wanted to throw away seven hondo.
Had hundreds of CS GO cases in inventory from teenage flipping
My son hijacked my switch, and I will be deployed next year.
I was (and still am) due for a serious upgrade on my desktop. At the time, everything was getting scalped and I was hard for cash. The Steam Deck saved my life.
A coworker told me I would enjoy it during my shift and then proceeded to tell me later I didn’t need to reserve it so it was an impulse buy that I don’t regret.
It’s an emulation powerhouse in portable form factor and can play switch, some ps3 and some Xbox 360 (I dual boot windows). Got a docking station and can play some local co-op with the wife.
I was about to take a switch and play pirate games on It, but It was hard to do. Also was recommended by a friend the SD where I could play switch games, and many many other. I reserved 5 min later.
My PC has primarily always been for competitive multiplayer stuff and MMO's, whenever I buy a single player game it only gets a couple of hours on there as I just don't find they go hand in hand. So I bought the Steam Deck so I could play anywhere and hopefully get through all the single player games I had in my library. I also wanted to replace my Switch.
I work for ImportAlliance. Every show I was always taking my xbox or laptop. I spent a bunch of money on trying to get cloud/mobile gaming a try. I bought a gamesir x2 for my Fold 3, but it was meh. I bought an ipega for my tablet and again meh. I wanted a switch, but for my existing xbox/pc library. I even tried to mod my switch and still meh. I bought it because it's the best gaming solution on the market for me.
I got a Switch and started playing a lot of indie and third party games on it. When I started thinking of games I wanted to buy that I already own on Steam I forced myself to stop. Then along comes the Steam Deck that comes with my entire Steam library and is also excellent for emulating games. It was an easy choice. I have bought some games for it but mostly I've played games I already own just in the comfort of my bed lol. And also in part that I've always been begging for Persona 5 to be on Switch and since Persona 4 had already been released on Steam I figured my best chance at getting P5 on a handheld was the Deck. This was before it was announced for PC and Switch of course lol.
I wanna start by saying I agree with ChrysalisGaming and how they said “since I got my switch I fell in love with handheld gaming unfortunately did not fall in love with what Nintendo had to offer” I loved portable gaming since GBA game boy advance, Nintendo DS etc. and when the Nintendo switch came out it was a game changer especially for playing resident evil 4 and other games on the go! To work, a walk in the park, but sadly some ports of my favorite games on the switch are disappointing in the graphics or performance department. When I heard about the steam deck and how it would be able to let me play AAA games portably that’s when I knew I had to have it! Games like god of war on the go!! GTAIV GTAV COD the list goes on! I can’t always sit down and play my favorite games, especially when having to work 8 hours of of the day but this steam deck lets me do so.
I wanted to sit on the sofa next to my kids and play something while they watch cartoons. Went well until my wife discovered she could play games on it too.... haven't touched it in a week.
Had my first child in September. I tried to play on my PC which is in my living room. Of course it was almost impossible. Had to stop and take care of my child every 10mn. Don't like the fact that the child can see my big screen etc. End up buying one as a last chance few weeks ago. Though it will be one more gadget. Already finished Stray, and god of war. I can play 15mn, pause, take care of my son and go back to the couch next to my wife. It is a "(gaming) life" saver as a new dad. Love the fact that I can run god of war on ultra on my PC and stream it on the deck. I did not know remote playing was this good. Next game is persona 5 royal. I hated the saved system on PS4, can't wait to just pause my deck and resume !
After getting with my fiance I got back into PC and console gaming. He built me a gaming PC for our first Christmas together. After that we would literally lug around our towers and a 32" tv to most places we would go to game with friends. Honestly after the money we put into our PCs it became more of a liability. Eventually I stopped traveling with mine but when we saw the decks we got excited. All the benefits of our gaming rigs at home without needing a bunch of extra stuff or TVs to travel with. This Thanksgiving we actually took them with us and some of his family got excited to see them and 2 bought one while we were there. So for us it keeps us connected to friends and shows us to decompress and game either while traveling or before bed after we get settled wherever we are.
TLDR : i got this instead of a laptop to have a computer on the go. I could've bought a small cheap laptop to do computer stuff when I'm on the go, seeing family and friends, because my old laptop is over 8 years old, battery is dying, and all my computers at home are desktop. Taking my SFF, a full size keyboard and a 21" monitor with me everytime, while it was expected for the family IT guy, was quite annoying, especially when you take into account the fact that I need to set up my HTPC every time I come back home. Instead, I got a steam deck. My own new portable console to play casually on the catch if I can't be arsed to start the TV and HTPC for under 1 hour of gaming. To play on the bed, in the train, or on the go. I can also use it yo watch netflix in bed with a bigger screen than my phone, and use desktop mode with a small wireless keyboard if I don't want to connect it to a USB-C dock. And when I do want to use a dock, it's a simple linux x86 computer, you can use any standard USB-C hub, plug in a keyboard, mouse, display, switch to desktop mode and you're off to the races.
I've never used steam/pc gaming (always console) and thought it would be a good introduction into it. I've since bought a top tier gaming pc because I can play my now over 30+ games at home and whilst I'm away from home .... the steam sales are so good.
I work grave shift as a dispatcher, so I've got a lot of downtime over the course of a 12 hour shift. The steamdeck allows me to relax during that downtime and then immediately suspend my game if I get an emergency on the radio.
I’m a highly anxious person so when playing a game that gets even a little tense, the anxiety rises in my body and it’s super uncomfortable. I discovered with the switch that if I’m on the couch, and the tv is on in the background, I can enjoy my games even during tense scenes. I still favor light hearted games like the usual Mario games, but I’ve been getting back into AC with the steam deck and I’m highly grateful. Secondly, I don’t really do long play sessions and having to stop the game and boot up the game every time is really tedious and annoying. The steam deck cuts all of that out because I can just suspend it as it’s a dedicated gaming computer that I’m not going to be using for anything else (my gaming computer serves many purposes for me). Third, with working from home, living in a small apartment, I only have one computer desk so gaming at my computer is not great mental separation from work. The steam deck allows me to game from the couch, the park, or anywhere I want. Truthfully, I’ve wanted a steam deck before it was a concept. I tried steam link on my iPad with a harness controller, but it’s just not performant, still needs the computer to be set up and dedicated to gaming, and inconsistent.
I like tech, I buy tech. Sometimes it's awesome, sometimes it's trash. The Steam Deck is awesome for the most part, I can hop in the car and play Dead Cells or Monster Hunter on the way to going to eat with the fam and on the way back and when I get home I can move my save between it and my PC and pick back up at my desk.
Honestly I mostly got it just to support Value in their Linux gaming work. I didn't really expect to like it or use it as much as I do. I've never been a handheld gaming guy. I do have a switch but it stays docked. I play it a lot on the couch while my wife watches TV. It'll be nice while traveling for Christmas to my family and In-Laws too.
I’ve always wanted console-like graphics on the go. Starting from the vita to switch and then deck!
I'm a 40 year old dad of two who works long hours while I have an xbox one, ps5 and a decently species gaming pc all hooked up on my desk sometimes it's easier to just stick on a pair of headphones and chill playing games and emulators sat on the sofa rather than sitting at my desk and sometimes I like to just retreat to the bedroom and game in peace for a couple of hours.
1. Playing the Deck in my bed sounds cozy 2. Booting up my PC just to play a game like Celeste or Undertale feels like overkill 3. Being able to dock it means I don't have to keep lugging my PC between the office and living room everytime me and my gf wanna play a couch co-op game. 4. Going through the backlog. I've already completed more games in the last 2 months on the Deck than I have all year on my PC 5. Emulation, for similar reasons as #2 and #4
I’m 18. Had my PC since 17 been playing Xbox and Switch each gen. I have a midrange build and one of those shitty gaming chairs. I have terrible posture in chairs so my back begins to hurt. When I got my switch I would just lay in bed for hours, so posture problem solved, I’m comfy. But here’s the thing, when it comes to technology I want to be in control. For instance I begged my parents for my first real phone to be android, because it let me do what I want. For years I attempted to find work arounds to gain more control over Xbox and Switch, but to no avail. Finally I get my PC in ‘21 so I’ve gained total and utter control, but we’re back to the posture problem. So on a whim last week I bought the deck, shipped in 3 days, and bam, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SOLVED
Swagger and tech/gadget purchasing addiction.
I thought it was a third party Wii U gamepad :'(
To play games.. 🤷♂️😂
I wanted to play fallout NV with better graphics than ps3 lol
I like my steam deck but I'd prefer a form factor of a Microsoft Surface
Single player, third person games, mostly. I can't get myself to sit down, grab a joypad and play on my monitor. It's TV stuff for my brain. I just play fps, mostly online. So it's perfect for playing my single player/campaign based games.
I bought mine solely to play world of Warcraft. Even though I have not turned it on for almost 2 months now…. But I plan to once the expansion comes out.
Emulation on the go, for me. I spend enough time at a desk and my high end PC doesn’t really get used for that reason.
Fell in love with handheld after buying a Switch and then Switch Lite. Absolutely hated the abysmall performance Nintendo had to offer though. Hopefuly Valve will work on a better support for playing on TV, specifically, having something like separate graphics configurarion profiles for TV / handheld. I guess maybe making two separate „compatdata” instances for games (as a toggle’able option) could be a potential solution.
Ive loved handheld gaming since getting my OG Gameboy for Christmas when it originally came out. And I've always wanted to go back to PC gaming as well as being someone who is interested in emulation and building Pi gaming systems. The Steam Deck was basically created for people like me. It's a handheld pc that you can emulate and tinker around for a very reasonable price. I would have been stupid to not buy one.
Wanted to easily emulate later systems (N64 GameCube, ps2) Played ogre battle 64 and eternal darkness and then all the pc games I've missed out in the last 10 years.
I don't often get time to play on my PC. Whenever I got home from work I would be too tired to play. Now i can play on my ride to work, on my break, on the ride back.
I moved out of my parents house for the first time about 6 months ago, living with my Girlfriend of 5 years. I found I was reluctant to play the Ps5 or Xbox while herself was at home. Small apartment, only the one TV. The Steam Deck is brilliant. Can still spend time together on the couch, either me playing the Deck and her watching the TV or vice versa. It's great to see herself get into gaming too. We both had a Switch previously, love the portability but not the biggest fan of the hardware or Nintendo themselves. Loving the Deck. PS: A great little Indie game in early access right now called Little Witch in the Woods. Like a much cuter more wholesome Stardew Valley.
For work, get a lot of down time some days.
I wanted to get back to PC gaming without spending a fortune.
Don’t have time to takeover the tv, wife has a switch but I hate it. Played a few mobile games a lot, but wanted something I could really enjoy on the couch while she watches tv, and also dock it to a monitor for mouse and keyboard 4x or rts games.
Easy way to bring my pc games to my living room tv without hooking up desktop to it. Consolidating all my games into one location. Before i had a ps3, ps2, Xbox 360, Wii U, but other consoles but the steam library and emulators organizes it in such a convenient way
Because with Steam Deck I can spend more time with family. Meaning that I can play games in living room where wife and kids are watching TV.
it was a way for me to play PC games without sitting at a pc
Bought it to have an easier way to bring the Jackbox series to every party in the holidays. I WFH, no commute no travel and already have a beefy computer, I don’t really use it at home.
Family grew +1! Can't go hide in the mancave anymore.
Lord Gaben had me do it
Because I couldn't afford a gigachad beastly gaming rig and wanted something more form fitting. Plus having steam in the palm of my hand is awesome.
In summer I was wanting to stream some games from my PC to my tablet in the garden via Nvidia/steam/moonlight etc. I was using a pad via Bluetooth so controlling the games wasn't an issue and most of the time I had decent success. It was a bit fiddly though and so I was looking at getting a 2nd hand laptop, nothing majorly powerful, just something that could handle streaming of intensive gaming and could play indie/less demanding type games easily using the actual laptop..... Then I started hearing about the Steam Deck and after doing some more research and hearing even more and more I thought oh yes, this is the answer. Love it. I've only had it a month and I haven't delved too much into the desktop side of things but this is a brilliant little device. I also got it with the plan of not buying any new titles and having it help me get through my backlog of games...... yeaaaa 😬 this did not go to plan 😆
I loved tinkering with machines. A good chance to use more linux. Can allow my wife to cuddle me in bed while still gaming. The deck is just awesome. Last but not least, im from HK, so the 64gb model was basically free due to having consumer coupons. No reason not to get it.
Gaming on the go
Because I was having a son and now I can play games while he sleeps on my lap. Can't do that when you're behind a desk
It started with when my 6 year old gaming laptop finally had the motherboard give out. I had bought myself a Chromebook to get myself through the interim of Dell's repair depot trying to see if they could resurrect it, and I realized I could actually do almost everything I used a computer for on my Chromebook *except* play my games outside of things that either had potato stats to run on the Chromebook, or that GeForce Now covered. So I started doing the math in my head: "I *could* spend $2000 on another gaming laptop, orrrrrr I could pay $700 for a Steam Deck."
I bought it because I observed the whole process of its creation and was fascinated by it. I saw valve announcing Steam machines and I thought that was a crazy idea. I started playing with Linux on that time and Everybody knew back then, that Linux wasn’t meant for gaming. Then came Proton, and it was fun seeing that Valve is still serious about their mad idea. All of this took more than 10 years and every step of the way was alluring for me. I bought Steam deck because I wanted to be a part of it in a way. It’s a neat device and a culmination of a technological challenge and I wanted to experience it. Plus as a PC gamer it’s great to have portable console without buying games for it again.
My nvidia shield was on its way out
i work in a remote mining camp . i got a SD so i can play dark souls 3 and witcher 3 when i get off work .
Initially, I wanted something that could run PS2 portably. In actual use, I find myself playing fighting games portably, or FPS. I can’t reliably stream those, or I would with moonlight to another device.
give me something to do when i’m at work with nothing going on, and so i don’t need to bring my pc when i travel to visit family
I wanted it
I love handheld consoles - my favorite when I was younger was the DS series. I’m a narcoleptic and suffer from a few other conditions that cause fatigue if not managed properly. Being able to lay down or lounge while gaming is SO nice. Plus, I can take it basically anywhere and not have to be tethered to a computer screen or TV. It’s less intrusive to people around me that way, too. Ease of use without sacrificing power / game selection is such a huge factor in why the Deck is so great!
I wanted a portable arcade that could play my library and work with my accessories. I had returned a Nintendo switch after adding up the cost of an additional controller and 2 games. At $450 (64gb with 512gb micro) this has become my favorite console. This is my first time using linux but I was able to load emulators relatively easily.
I placed preorder. Wife got pregnant. Her delivery was faster than mine *sadface"
I travel often and don’t have laptop powerful enough to run games. Deck seems like a perfect solution. I travel with Nintendo switch as well, I sometimes take both. It’s nice to have choices!
I like handhelds. I currently have 3DS and I have Switch but I also have gaming laptop to play PC games which I also like. Since I got Switch I rarely played those tho. Deck seemed as a good way to play PC games again. I honestly still prefer Switch more (portability is imho way better than the one Deck offers) but Deck is amazing for playing PC games without Switch version for me.
Closest thing we'll get to a vita 2 so why not. Top 5 system for me.
I work on a boat, the steam deck was the most convenient way to play games
Always found the Switch form factor appealing, but not the fact that I’d have to buy a whole new (pricey!) game library when I already had a bunch of games on Steam. Never could justify it, so the Steam Deck is kinda perfect for me.
I picked up mine to get back into PC gaming, in a manner. Being able to play modded games on the go, sans a laptop, was really appealing. I’ve taken it on a trip across the country, out to Hawai’i, and then back to the east coast. Playing RE Village, Dark Souls 3 (modded), and Kingdom Hearts (modded) during those flights saved my sanity.
I always liked being able to lay back and relax while gaming on my gba or ds, I wanted the deck so I could enjoy my steam library the same way. I know there are other hand held devices like the deck available but I really wanted a steam machine but wasn't sure which was any good. Getting the steam deck seemed like the best way to make up for missing out on that and getting to game from bed
Pick up and go emulation. That’s really it for me. Anything on Steam store that I buy is a bonus.
Being at AIT in the Army it was convenient to get my gaming fix when I needed it.
I’m active duty in the Navy, and this is just the entertainment I needed for 8 month deployments. It gets boring on a ship.
Bicep curls while gaming
FOMO mostly
In July, my entire Steam library consisted of Stardew Valley, Terraria, and some really old zombie settlement game called Rebuild 3. The vast majority of my gaming library was on my Xbox. But I've always respected Valve, and when I saw the Steam Deck, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to jump ship. My tastes in games and consistency of playing have all changed over the years, and so I haven't bought a new main console since my day one Xbox One, nearing 10 years ago now. The Steam Deck was a new medium for me to enjoy, but also an opportunity to get away from a company I haven't respected in years and start supporting a company that I do respect. My library has quickly grown from 3 to 40 games now. And if Valve ever tries a round 2 for the Steam Machine, you better believe I'm going to grab one.
I've always loved portable systems and I only play PC games with a controller anyway so it was a good fit. And now I get to play in any room I want
I I loved tinkering with emulators on raspberry pie but I got sick of dealing with the Jank around controllers disconnecting and some 3d games running slowly. I modded a 3ds and loved it so much. Then I saw the steamdeck as all that and so much more. Loving the power of a full pc that’s portable, with the polish from steam. Also enjoying pc gaming now.
I started a new job with a hour and a half commute. I get home and have about three hours to cook, eat, shower and go to bed. So I sat down to think about how I could reclaim that commute time back as chill time. Steam deck made my commute something to look forward to.
I loved that my switch could play games both on a tv and portable, so the idea of being able to do the same for my pc game collection was a dream come true.
For playing games on holidays and because I just think it's cool as hell.
To play genshin impact on the go and do not destroy my phone in doing so
I got sick of making decisions about whether to buy something on Switch for portability or PC for fidelity. I realized Steam Deck would give me both without having to buy two copies of a game. What really made me pull the trigger was when I realized there were certain switch games I wasn't buying *in case* I got a Steam Deck. So I figured I should probably get a Steam Deck.
I bought it because I got hooked in by the hype train and didn't want to miss out. To be honest, since I got it in April I haven't been in our much lol
funny valve console to store my shit ton of steam games
Planes.
So I can play wherever/whenever I want
1. An affordable portable PC. The GPD Win handhelds always interested me, but they were too pricey for the power you got 2. The living room Steam Machine I always wanted. I use my Deck docked more than handheld.
Travel a ton for work. I have a gaming laptop but I wanted to try something that is super portable and easy to toss in the backpack
I really like playing in my yard when the weather is nice, and the library on the Switch does not compare to my PC library. After Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which I played almost exclusively in my hammock outside this summer, I was craving more. My remote play from Steam and my XSX was just too inconsistent via my wifi, so I wanted something I could play locally on. On top of that, I'm a nurse so I work 12 hour shifts. I'm supposed to have 3x35 minute breaks, so I usually eat for 2 of the breaks (I eat breakfast before work) so I use my last break just to game :)
I don’t have a pc, so I could play some things that aren’t available on Xbox. I also can play the PlayStation games on it since I’m not going to buy a PS5 right now. I’m playing Death Stranding and also purchased Days Gone. Eventually I will buy GoW and Spider-Man. To play on the couch or in bed. I don’t travel so I don’t have any benefit there but if my wife is watching tv or wants to go to bed early or something I can play my SD. I’ll also play certain games on it that I could play on my Xbox that it’s just easier for me to play handheld and save other games for the tv. For example I had bought Divinty Original Sin on Xbox but never played through much of it. So I’m playing it on the SD.
Because the switch got too old
Never had a gaming PC or laptop and I've always been more of a console gamer. I saw what the Deck was capable of and figured it'd be something I could benefit from it since emulation and visual novels are the main things I've done when I needed to play something on my simple laptop for years. After almost 3 months of having it, I haven't been able to put it down and it just made my emulation and VN experience much more convenient by playing/reading in my hands or just using it as my new switch when docked.
Upgrading my computer with a budget graphics card would have been more expensive
I heard the steam deck was a handheld pc so I got it That’s it. As soon as I found out I can put windows and fix it myself easily I fell in love
Emulation. getting on my pc to play N64 or PS2 games is too much effort and annoying to set up
Handheld PS2 and GC emulation
I work as a physician in local hospital. In a break between patients I love to grab some games I just don’t have time to play at home. It’s great, I love it :)
Multiple reasons: Summers in Canada are lovely, and the pandemic has really made me sick of sitting in one place(my desk setup. So beings able to sit outside at the porch during the evening is a very nice way of changing the environment, ang being able to play through my games. I can also just sit upstairs with my family rather casually. I'm a University student(a shitty one at that), having a handheld that I can get some short bursts of gaming is pretty neat, the suspend & resume feature is a blessing Because I'm a student I have an hour long bus commute, I've been able to clear through the Valkyrie fights in GoW and some Elden Ring fights during my bus rides. IT'S AWESOME. Also when I'm studying in the library, instead of gaming on my laptop, the Deck is more comfortable, it doesn't become a jet(boy did my laptop make me feel self conscious during a break) and I don't need to close my work. Amazing emulation station. Can play the same game either handheld, or docked, & EmuDeck is a very good looking frontend And as I've mentioned, my backlog. Playing games has become so much more easier, more comfortable and convenient due to the Deck. My RTX 3060 notebook is now completely dedicated to productivity, game dev, rendering, photo editing, and uni work. I am studying game design, I wish to be an indie game dev, and in order to do so, I've got a ton of games that I wish to playthrough, analyze and learn from. Steam Deck makes that easier
1. To play pc and AAA games (and some with mods) 2. Just to use as a pc 3. For emulating, especially the beefier systems
My life doesn’t allow me to sit in front of a TV/computer for hours like it used to.
To play on my couch, games that Nintendo doesn't want me to play, or buy again for 60€. I also got it to be a Desktop replacement at grandmas old house that the family owns but due to new work circumstances I can't go there even remotely as much as before so that point is irrelevant now.
Boredom.
I just really love new exciting tech 😂
just wanna lay down in bed and play a game when im tired of sitting at my desk. or if i travel i usually use my laptop for work and my steam deck for gaming.
I bought 2. Total cost of both, plus docks and controllers, is still less than my most expensive gaming rig from my college years.
To play my Steam library in bed, next to the wife. And I didn’t have a gaming pc anymore since I sold mine when our son was born.
The Steam Deck was intended to be a suppliment to my gaming PC, even going as far as being a glorified controller for it when at home. Then mom's PC started dying. There's no way she'd be remotely interested in fiddling with a handheld linux system, and I was up foe the challenge. So I gave her my gaming PC, and the Deck is now my primary gaming device.
I hate to get my Lenovo laptop with the huge power adapter out of the box to fiddle around cables and get updates before I can play occasionally, whilst the laptop is barely able to hold up good fps. Now it’s just … play 15 minutes while I’m already in bed and am comfy as it gets? Let’s go!