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Don't buy a Steam Deck, wait for Deck 2

Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
1467026-deck16_1.jpg


Only Deck you ever need. And you can play it on Steam Deck.

Also OP saying that everyone does not understand your concept of timing is correct: Everyone else would just buy the machine and enjoy games.

Maybe we should have said the same of the Switch back in 2017. Just wait for the next one.
 

Reallink

Member
I don't see why not, if not from Valve by another player such as GPD or Aya Neo. But honestly I can easily see a Deck 2 release as we will get RDNA3 Zen 4 and etc. Once more next gen only games release on PC Valve will know what to improve to get these games running.

The Chinese Decks are already on like their 5th or 6th versions, nobody wants them cause nobody's going to pay ~$1000+ for such a niche limited use case device. The Deck is comparatively popular because it's affordable and "First Party" with significant software/OS support, something the off brand versions will never be able to deliver. If Deck fails, the Chinese versions will continue as they have the past 5-7 years, existing in irrelevancy.
 
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CamHostage

Member
There are hundreds of games released to Steam each week, and no living person could ever possibly finish even all of the undisputably-good ones.

Maybe a few super-advanced games will let you down in the distant future, but you'll be fine finding things to play on Steam Deck.
 
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Sentenza

Member
Like all Valve hardware the Deck will be abandoned two years after launch.
Like most "Valve hardware" it won't matter a single bit because as an open platform it will have massive leeway regardless of any direct, explicit support.

A Steam Deck is pretty much the safest "console purchase" you could make today. They could sell three of these fucking things and its potential library of software would be massive regardless.
Ten years from now, when most people will forget this was even a thing, there will still be some software releases that run on a first generation Steam Deck.
Because it's a fucking handheld gaming PC.
 
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01011001

Banned
I agree with OP. the Steam Deck will obviously not be able to play next gen titles at any acceptable quality very soon. as soon as the Series S will be the lowest end target the Steam Deck will barely be able to hold up.

we are talking about a power limited and themal limited handheld here that can (emphasis on CAN) reach about PS4 lrvels of GPU performance, but can also drop down to Xbox One levels.

in a world where the Series S can go as low as 720p when running performance modes, how do you think the less tha half as powerful Steam Deck will hold up? even now with a game like The Medium, which runs at 30fps and can drop to 720p on Series S... imagine running that on a system half as powerful.

you will really fast be at a point where you will run at sub 720p and 30fps, with a downhill path from there.

if you want the deck to play last gen titles/games that are already out ot about to release, then sure, it will run those fine... but this thing is far from being future proof for anything but indy titles
 
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KAL2006

Banned
There will always be a market for Steam Deck after all Steam has 100s of games constantly releasing.

However my OP was in regards to AAA next gen only games. If your interest for Deck is for indie games, cross gen games, legacy games then of course it's a great buy. But for people who want to play the next AAA game I'd say it's better to take a wait and see approach to see if those games actually run. The next Tekken game if it's can't run at 60fps it's not worth it. And I doubt many would continue to play Tekken 7 when the new one is out. Because the cross gen phase for this gen is taking a while I personally think if you are interested in these next gen only games it's better to take a wait and see approach to see how these next gen only games run before buying. However if the Deck is highly in demand I guess you can just sell it off and get your money back.
 

daveonezero

Banned
I think it is best to just avoid first production run for anything. Cars, consoles, etc.

Usually after a few months some problems occur and they are fixed with small revisions.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I don't think you understand the concept of timing.

A generation lasts around 7 years with a bit of cross gen for extra added years of support. Why go by console generation you ask? Well 90 percent of games release target these consoles. So the smart thing to do is ensure the device you are buying can handle that generation, or else by the time the sequel for your favourite game releases you will drop it. Of course this is if you only insterested in Deck for legacy content then I guess my OP doenst matter but I'm talking strictly about buying a Deck to run games from this current generation.

If Monster Hunter World 2 and Street Fighter VI come out in fall 2023 that's only 2 years you get out of Deck. If you just wait until these games come out and bought a Deck 2 around then and the Deck 2 can run those games you would get atleast 6 years out of a Deck 2.
This assumes that generations aren't already dead and that Steam Deck is going to follow the generation model. We're currently in a paradigm where it was only been 3 years between when Microsoft and Sony released hardware updates and this new "generation." Nintendo is already ignoring generations. It's entirely reasonable to believe that we'll see updated console hardware in 2023/2024

There's no reason to expect Steam Deck won't be revised in a couple of years anyway. PC technology evolves pretty much yearly and it is reasonable to expect that you'd need a new Deck as often as you'd need a new CPU or GPU. Thinking you'll get 7 years out of one of these is wishful thinking.
 
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the only time this thought process has worked for me is Playstation 4. I thought Xbox One/PS4 had a terrible lineup of software for like the first 3 years of their launch. So i didn't bother buying it.

Waited long enough, and got a PS4 Pro for the same price as those 35 million suckers that bought the original PS4
 

BigBooper

Member
This assumes that generations aren't already dead and that Steam Deck is going to follow the generation model. We're currently in a paradigm where it was only been 3 years between when Microsoft and Sony released hardware updates and this new "generation." Nintendo is already ignoring generations. It's entirely reasonable to believe that we'll see updated console hardware in 2023/2024

There's no reason to expect Steam Deck won't be revised in a couple of years anyway. PC technology evolves pretty much yearly and it is reasonable to expect that you'd need a new Deck as often as you'd need a new CPU or GPU. Thinking you'll get 7 years out of one of these is wishful thinking.
You say that like people can't still game on their gtx980s, which I do.
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
OP is presenting a strawman argument. We already know performance of pre-production models thanks to Linus Tech Tips. It runs DOOM Eternal at 1280x800, Medium Settings, at roughly 60fps avg. In like-for-like comparison it is 59% faster than Aya Neo, which runs $925-1015, while Steam Deck runs $399-649. Nobody has claimed it's anything but that.

Don't get me wrong, Aya Neo and GPD Win 3 seem like great devices, but they are upwards of 2-3x more expensive. Valve stated that they designed the Steam Deck to be the physical manifestation of your Steam library. I have over 300 Steam games, and over a hundred more via GoG, Origin, and Ubisoft Connect. This is excluding Game Pass and emulation. That's thousands of games I know I can play. As more games support FSR and as the FSR Vulkan hack for Proton is refined, the performance of games on the unit that support it will greatly improve. I made a quick video showing the potential of FSR on even meager hardware like Ryzen 2400...


1280x800, FSR 'Off', High Settings: 43.80fps avg | 36.53 low 1% | 30.65 low .1%
1280x800, FSR 'Quality', High Settings: 63.88fps avg | 53.47 low 1% | 44.36 low .1%
1280x800, FSR 'Balanced', High Settings: 70.88fps avg | 58.80 low 1% | 48.52 low .1%
 
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VN1X

Banned
Like most "Valve hardware" it won't matter a single bit because as an open platform it will have massive leeway regardless of any direct, explicit support.

A Steam Deck is pretty much the safest "console purchase" you could make today. They could sell three of these fucking things and its potential library of software would be massive regardless.
Ten years from now, when most people will forget this was even a thing, there will still be some software releases that run on a first generation Steam Deck.
Because it's a fucking handheld gaming PC.
That's fair enough.
 

01011001

Banned
I'll buy sd1 purely for retro games and mostly everything older than 2010.

yeah I think for that it's amazing and that is one of use cases that people should buy it for, but I think many people got that believe that this thing is future proof which it isn't at all. playing games already on the market + indy + emulation, that's all it will be good for in about 1 to 2 years. but you will not be able to play AAA games at any acceptable quality after that.
we are already seeing games like Doom Eternal being dangerously close to base Xbox One quality on that thing
 
Hear me out.

The main reason I want to buy a Steam Deck is to play my games portable. Games like Street Fighter V, Monster Hunter World and Assasons Creed would be nice go play in short bursts. I can play Assassin's Creed to grind and do side missions. Monster Hunter I can quickly get in a game and do a hunt, or collect resources. With Street Fighter I can have some quick casual matches online.

The probpem is I won't be interested in these games as soon as the eventual sequels come out. Street Fighter VI, Monster Hunter World 2 and etc, we don't know how well they will run on Steam Deck. This generation is taking a while to get going due to chip shortage and covid, so will likely go on for a while. We need to wait atleast until 2023 to see the proper sequels of the big games. And by then mobile tech will continue to improve and I'm sure a eventual Steam Deck 2 will release in 2023/2024. Yes you can easily say then why not wait for Deck 3. Well it's about timing if the eventual Deck 2 can handle next gen only games and you get one around 2023/24 that should carry you throughout the entire gen which most likely will last a long time. However I just can't see the Deck able to handle next gen only games. So the Deck will most likely be a system for legacy games and cross gen games.

Edit
for people with joke posts about buy a Deck 3, Deck 4, Deck 5 etc


I don't think you understand the concept of timing.

A generation lasts around 7 years with a bit of cross gen for extra added years of support. Why go by console generation you ask? Well 90 percent of games release target these consoles. So the smart thing to do is ensure the device you are buying can handle that generation, or else by the time the sequel for your favourite game releases you will drop it. Of course this is if you only insterested in Deck for legacy content then I guess my OP doenst matter but I'm talking strictly about buying a Deck to run games from this current generation. Yes technology always gets better however with consoles they have fixed technology for around 7 years, and the lowest hardware in this case Series S will be targeted for 7 years.

If Monster Hunter World 2 and Street Fighter VI come out in fall 2023 that's only 2 years you get out of Deck. If you just wait until these games come out and bought a Deck 2 around then and the Deck 2 can run those games you would get atleast 6 years out of a Deck 2

Hmmm…Nah, I’ll keep my pre-order. And buy a Steam Deck 2 if they release one.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
I dont quite understand why?

You dont want a steamdeck because you want sequals and current gen compatibility?
That game could last forever, live in the now and play what you want to play.
 

01011001

Banned
I dont quite understand why?

You dont want a steamdeck because you want sequals and current gen compatibility?
That game could last forever, live in the now and play what you want to play.

it's more about the fact that the specs of the Deck are not at all reassuring when it comes to future game releases outside of Indy titles.
when The Medium runs at 720p30 in some scenes on a Series S, which is more than 2x as powerful as the Deck... then... I mean, where do we go from there?
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
OP is presenting a strawman argument. We already know performance of pre-production models thanks to Linus Tech Tips. It runs DOOM Eternal at 1200x800, Medium Settings, at roughly 60fps avg. In like-for-like comparison it is 59% faster than Aya Neo, which runs $925-1015, while Steam Deck runs $399-649. Nobody has claimed it's anything but that.

Don't get me wrong, Aya Neo and GPD Win 3 seem like great devices, but they are upwards of 2-3x more expensive. Valve stated that they designed the Steam Deck to be the physical manifestation of your Steam library. I have over 300 Steam games, and over a hundred more via GoG, Origin, and Ubisoft Connect. This is excluding Game Pass and emulation. That's thousands of games I know I can play. As more games support FSR and as the FSR Vulkan hack for Proton is refined, the performance of games on the unit that support it will greatly improve. I made a quick video showing the potential of FSR on even meager hardware like Ryzen 2400...


1280x800, FSR 'Off', High Settings: 43.80fps avg | 36.53 low 1% | 30.65 low .1%
1280x800, FSR 'Quality', High Settings: 63.88fps avg | 53.47 low 1% | 44.36 low .1%
1280x800, FSR 'Balanced', High Settings: 70.88fps avg | 58.80 low 1% | 48.52 low .1%

FSR would look terrible on something with that low of a resolution.
 
when The Medium runs at 720p30 in some scenes on a Series S, which is more than 2x as powerful as the Deck... then... I mean, where do we go from there?

The Medium is an outlier, a perfect example of a terribly optimised game. Doesn't mean that every next gen title is gonna be like that, otherwise Series S would be completely obsolete in a year, and Series X soon after.


What matters to me is that day one I have well over hundred games to play on Steam, and thousands more that I can buy for peanuts.

On top of that, I think it will easily handle majority, if not all cross-gen games that we'll probably see for another 2 years.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
No, it doesn't.
mgL78Tm.jpg
cool PR render! Since I assume you've got a PC with an AMD or nVidia GPU and a game that supports FSR, can you please show us some actual native screenshots of a game at native 720p and then a game using FSR from like native 400p or whatever it would be FSR'd up to 720p?
 
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01011001

Banned
cool PR photo! Since I assume you've got a PC with an AMD GPU and a game that supports FSR, can you please show us some actual native screenshots of a game at native 720p and then a game using FSR from like native 400p or whatever it would be FSR'd up to 720p?

this is basically the only game that actually looks good using FSR, which is why it is shown a lot.
I used FSR on every game that supports it just to see how it fairs, and you can barely tell the difference between FSR and AMDs old CAS sharpening

you'd literally get better results by buying a freaking m-classic adaptor to run your PC output through :pie_roffles:

I present to you, FSR 2.0!!!

mclassic-dontjustwatch_shadow-4__29490.1586634532.jpg
 
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CrustyBritches

Gold Member
cool PR render! Since I assume you've got a PC with an AMD or nVidia GPU and a game that supports FSR, can you please show us some actual native screenshots of a game at native 720p and then a game using FSR from like native 400p or whatever it would be FSR'd up to 720p?
I made this using FSR at 1200x800. You can watch the 4K video I made on a AMD Ryzen 2400g APU, which is weaker than Steam Deck. Pay attention.
 
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Brofist

Member
So don't buy it and hope after it flops that they'll double down and make a way more powerful one? Sounds like a legit strat
 

clarky

Gold Member
Paid off in spades for me, was getting a megadrive but decided hold out for Dreamcast 2 for a while now, saved me a ton, plus the graphical leap from fuck all to 100000000 will be awesome. Street fighter 2 will run like butter.
 
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MrFunSocks

Banned
I made this using FSR at 1200x800. You can watch the 4K video I made on a AMD Ryzen 2400g APU, which is weaker than Steam Deck. Pay attention.
You made what exactly? Was there supposed to be a video or screenshots or something attached on this post?

What internal resolution was the game running at? What FSR profile? Where are the actual screenshots at 1200x800 for us to compare?
 
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