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Steam Deck |OT| Nintendo Switch 2

Been playing my Steam Deck for past week or so. I am quite surprised how well this proton runs the games and all.
Still having some issues with some of games, but a lot of the times there's some sort of fixes out there. You just have to find them and hope it would fix it.

Been patching some stuff (mostly language related) - and even a linux illiterate person like myself, at least could do it. Little scary - but just drag-and-drop worked fine. Not sure how to do the "WINE" exe patches... someday will try to learn about it.

And the fan. I'm not sure - but my fan is quite silent. Perhaps I was expecting PS4 Pro level - but not at all. Can hardly hear it... Maybe because the most graphically intensive game that I was running was MGSV Phantom Pain (ran at smooth 60fps)... not some modern day AAA game?
did you try the desktop mode?
 

lachesis

Member
did you try the desktop mode?
Yes - what of it? (is fan supposed to be louder..?)

Desktop mode was interesting - I'm too used to Mac OS and Windows in terms of UX, so it took me some time to even figure out what it meant.
Such as "Dolphin" as I thought they were talking about Gamecube Emulator... and took me a bit to figure out how to empty trash.

One issue that I'm having is Ys 2 Chronicles. The FMV doesn't play correctly while the game itself runs fine. Ys Origin had similar issues - but changing around the Proton ver helped I belive.
I heard there's some stuff you can do in desktop mode to fix that FMV, but I'm still stumbling around hoping I won't break anything in desktop like... well, proper middle age man. For once, I feel like I'm acting my age... lol.

Now I'm trying to apply Resident Evil 4 HD mode - but it comes in EXE self-installing thing. I understand how to do it in theory, but haven't got the nerves to do so yet... so ended up just playing on my PC... and got drawn to it. They did amazing job for the HD mode - I can definitely tell that they didn't ruin the integrity of the original game gfx by overstepping it. Amazing. Also RE4 also felt better in larger screen.

But JRPG - this thing is just so great.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Anyone have experience playing Dungeons 3 on Deck? Is the UI usable in a handheld form factor?

I'm interested since there's a humble bundle for all 3 games right now. I'm also pleasantly surprised to see it's support on Windows, Mac, and Linux so I might play across all 3 but I am primarily a Deck gamer these days.
 

Rex_DX

Gold Member
So I bought a fancy new set of Sennheiser Bluetooth earbuds just for the Deck.

Jesus the audio lag is bad. I know Bluetooth is susceptible to lag but this is really egregious and impossible to play a game with.

I've read I can change codecs in desktop mode and that can make things better.

Anyone here have this issue and find success? Or should I just return these and stick to a wired set of cans?
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
So I bought a fancy new set of Sennheiser Bluetooth earbuds just for the Deck.

Jesus the audio lag is bad. I know Bluetooth is susceptible to lag but this is really egregious and impossible to play a game with.

I've read I can change codecs in desktop mode and that can make things better.

Anyone here have this issue and find success? Or should I just return these and stick to a wired set of cans?
I haven't used headphones with the Deck yet. If it is that bad, I would assume a software update could correct.

Seems like it's been an issue for some time:

As far as returning & going wired, that's really only something you can answer. I'm a weirdo and tend to prefer wired headphones in general unless I'm traveling.
 

Apocryphon

Member
My Jsaux dock finally arrived. Docking is flawless and it weeks to charge quicker than plugging directly into the wall, with the same charger?

Monitor picked up the video feed straight away and my Keychron connected wired and Logitech Master 3 Advanced connected via wireless receiver work perfectly.. though the mouse doesn't work correctly in gaming mode when in game but does work perfectly in the menus. In desktop mode mouse works perfectly in games.. it's a strange issue to have.

Build quality of the dock is excellent and I'm plenty happy with it in the absence of an official dock. It'll be far easier to play strategy games now. I gave the Homeworld Remastered Collection a good look and it plays like a dream as long as you don't enable enhanced shadows or depth of field. Highest quality textures and enhanced lighting are perfectly fine though when running at 1440p.
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
So I bought a fancy new set of Sennheiser Bluetooth earbuds just for the Deck.

Jesus the audio lag is bad. I know Bluetooth is susceptible to lag but this is really egregious and impossible to play a game with.

I've read I can change codecs in desktop mode and that can make things better.

Anyone here have this issue and find success? Or should I just return these and stick to a wired set of cans?
I occasionally use Skull Candy Grind Fuel bluetooth earbuds I got for $20 refurbished(they were like new in a sealed box), and they didn't have any noticeable lag.
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
Just got my oldest son's [former] 64GB Deck in today. Thank heavens it has the quiet/good fan.
uHdh1ht.jpg

I was doing some thinking, and I got the idea to sell my 512GB for the $650 MSRP to somebody who didn't have a reservation or needed it quickly, then buy a 64GB and upgrade it. I talked to my son who this Deck was for, and he's cool waiting for one of the Q4 Decks I have on reserve since he mostly plays on XSS and PC. His preorder was originally Q4, but they moved it up to Q3, so it was supposed to be a Christmas present anyway. A kid who was going on a family road trip to Arizona ended up buying my 512GB Deck for $650. He was stoked that he didn't have to wait, was guaranteed a quiet fan, and that he'd have something to do during the long drive and while visiting the relatives.

TLDR: Thanks to my kid's patience I was able to get back my $650 and I'll end up with a 1TB Deck for ~$550. Then I can put $100 I saved towards his Deck. Win-win-win. Only downside is I don't have the anti-glare screen, but that wasn't a big deal since I mostly play inside.
 
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lmimmfn

Member
I forgot it even has a fan but it's 17/18 Celcius atm in Ireland(and we darent turn on any heating lol) so maybe that's why :)
 

lmimmfn

Member
I’ve heard something about the heating restrictions. That’s true?
17 inside is freezing!
Costs about 4 dollar an hour for heating will probably be 8 by February lol
Tbh it's probably 22/23 inside, not cold, I'm wearing a t-shirt, just never heard the fan.
 
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Just got my oldest son's [former] 64GB Deck in today. Thank heavens it has the quiet/good fan.
uHdh1ht.jpg

I was doing some thinking, and I got the idea to sell my 512GB for the $650 MSRP to somebody who didn't have a reservation or needed it quickly, then buy a 64GB and upgrade it. I talked to my son who this Deck was for, and he's cool waiting for one of the Q4 Decks I have on reserve since he mostly plays on XSS and PC. His preorder was originally Q4, but they moved it up to Q3, so it was supposed to be a Christmas present anyway. A kid who was going on a family road trip to Arizona ended up buying my 512GB Deck for $650. He was stoked that he didn't have to wait, was guaranteed a quiet fan, and that he'd have something to do during the long drive and while visiting the relatives.

TLDR: Thanks to my kid's patience I was able to get back my $650 and I'll end up with a 1TB Deck for ~$550. Then I can put $100 I saved towards his Deck. Win-win-win. Only downside is I don't have the anti-glare screen, but that wasn't a big deal since I mostly play inside.
Don't leave your deck running in the case, zero ventilation. Thing will melt to slag
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
I don’t know how accurate Get my Deck is since I reserved September 5th and in 10 days I’m up from 55% to 78%, at this rate I will have the email end of September.
 

lmimmfn

Member
I don’t know how accurate Get my Deck is since I reserved September 5th and in 10 days I’m up from 55% to 78%, at this rate I will have the email end of September.
It's very accurate from my experience as long as the rate of increase stays the same, its been about 8% increase every Monday/Thursday the past few weeks so 16% per week so yes you should get the email on the 26th September.

Using getmydeck I predicted my email 3 weeks in advance.
 

Certinty

Member
I want to play Ultimate Spider-Man and the first two Marvel Ultimate Alliance games but they’re both long time delisted. It seems my only way of getting them is by installing Windows?
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
It's very accurate from my experience as long as the rate of increase stays the same, its been about 8% increase every Monday/Thursday the past few weeks so 16% per week so yes you should get the email on the 26th September.

Using getmydeck I predicted my email 3 weeks in advance.
Wouldn’t that be strange? I see people that ordered in may and June just getting their emails. It would seem they massively increased production.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Completed all achievements on Vampire Survivors this morning. What a steal at $3. Total playtime is at ~60 hours. All of that was played on my Deck across multiple states.

I've been itching to give emulation a go and have the OG Final Fantasy to complete so that will probably be my next game. I love that RetroAchievements works with RetroArch. And that save files sync on Steam Cloud.

ay7KfKE.jpg
 
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EekTheKat

Member
Steam Deck weirds me out sometimes with how many things seemingly just...works?

Things that are traditionally broken badly on Windows like sleep seemingly works on Steam OS without things imploding.

Hitting the sleep button on Steam Deck seemingly means going to sleep - instead of "let's do all sorts of background processing keeping the machine awake"

bluetooth keyboard - works when paired directly with no dongle.

Dusted off an old bluetooth mouse - seemingly works?

Sony bluetooth earbuds - works when paired directly.

Witchcraft I say.

But in all seriousness this has been pretty impressive. Almost console like ease of use paired with an utterly huge library of games built up over years - and it's been mostly working.
 
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rofif

Banned
Irritatingly no. They need to get that sorted out though as it's one of the most requested QoL features.
Now I know why because when you download something the deck goes into overdrive with fan exhaust spewing all the lava produced inside that thing.
Maybe it's because I am getting 65MB (600mbit !!!) on it which is nuts
 

Apocryphon

Member
Now I know why because when you download something the deck goes into overdrive with fan exhaust spewing all the lava produced inside that thing.
Maybe it's because I am getting 65MB (600mbit !!!) on it which is nuts
Yep, that sounds accurate!

It's frustrating to have to dim the screen and leave it on while downloading games though. I would like a more elegant solution.
 
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rofif

Banned
I did some quick testing today.
This thing feels like a sin. I know I don’t need it but it’s so cool and playing games this way is interestingly weird. I know it’s a waste of money with pc in the same room but still.

Anyway. Not sure what I was expecting but hl2 runs 60 and using like 30% of power.
Fear runs 60fps at 800p all maxed with fsaa x4 and it’s crazy expensive soft shadows and only using like 50%. Wow
Dark souls 3 maxed 40 fps.
 

Apocryphon

Member
I did some quick testing today.
This thing feels like a sin. I know I don’t need it but it’s so cool and playing games this way is interestingly weird. I know it’s a waste of money with pc in the same room but still.

Anyway. Not sure what I was expecting but hl2 runs 60 and using like 30% of power.
Fear runs 60fps at 800p all maxed with fsaa x4 and it’s crazy expensive soft shadows and only using like 50%. Wow
Dark souls 3 maxed 40 fps.
Aye, it's a beast. It's surprising how well some games run. Doom Eternal may be extremely well optimized, but being able to run such a stunning looking game on a handheld device is truly mind-blowing. Crysis Remasteted, the Metro games, Control, God of War, Arkham Knight, the Forza games, RE2/3 remakes, Horizon, Cyberpunk 2077, Spiderman, The Witcher 3, GTA 5, RDR2, The Ascent.. and soon enough Returnal...

Some games don't like being locked to 40fps/40hz though. Causes odd sluggishness/response issues in games like Wolfenstein The New Order so I just leave them at 60.

Imagine if it had an OLED and better battery life.
 

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
Mine arrived today, and I'm definitely in love. Mostly have been playing Vampire Survivors though hah.

Some questions though:

1) I see you all mentioning 40fps/40hz, how do I do that exactly? I'm assuming you just set the screen refresh to 40hz then that lets you pick 40 fps as a cap? (I'm away from the Deck right now so I'm just curious)

2) Quite a few of the games I've downloaded so far (Vampire Survivors, TemTem, Monster Hunter Rise, etc) immediately give a cloud save error, and no matter what I've tried I can't get around the error... Except just ignoring the error and firing it up anyway, and it works?
Makes me paranoid, definitely don't want to lose a save!

Obviously Valve is still working on the software and I can totally deal with that. Background downloads and no issues with cloud saves and I'm good to go. I'm going to spend an obscene amount of time playing on this thing!
 

CrustyBritches

Gold Member
Hot Wheels Unleashed is Deck Verified and looks and plays great. Best settings for me are Ultra Preset, Ultra Quality FSR, 90fps limit, and v-sync that will cap it at 60fps. Without the v-sync I was getting little bits of stutter, and using the Deck built-in limiter to 60fps feels like it has little bit more input lag. All that aside, it's a great game to play in little spurts, so it's perfect for the Deck. You can get it for $6.50-$7.00 on Eneba or Gamivo with promo code from allkeyshop. Totally worth it.
y5YVO8M.jpg
 
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FingerBang

Member
Don't think this is thread worthy, so I'll just post it here. My Steam Deck was shipped 2 weeks ago by Valve with GLS, which decided to use Evri in the UK. If you never heard of them, just know that they used to be called Hermes but decided to rebrand because of their terrible reputation... and that's it, they're still awful. Long story short, my expensive toy (the most expensive version) has been stolen by them, like many, many others 🤓

There are some horror stories in the way the parts involved (Valve included) have been handling the situation, but apparently some people have had Valve to send them more than one Deck to then get all of them stolen by the employees of this joke of a company. Some others were forced to accept a refund, after having waited for almost a year. They steal them at their hub, they steal them when they're out of the delivery. They also have stolen them from the box and delivered an empty one.

You can find some stories on Twitter, on Reddit, or on the Steam community forum. Keep in mind they only started shipping with Evri around 4 weeks ago, so all these horror stories started at the end of August. Unfortunately no one has tried to bring this up properly, most people simply stop caring once they get a new one or a refund. I'd rather see Evri disappear the good old capitalistic way.

I'm just trying to spread some awareness while waiting for Valve to finish their investigation and eventually send me a replacement. Thought it was worth sharing.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
2) Quite a few of the games I've downloaded so far (Vampire Survivors, TemTem, Monster Hunter Rise, etc) immediately give a cloud save error, and no matter what I've tried I can't get around the error... Except just ignoring the error and firing it up anyway, and it works?
Makes me paranoid, definitely don't want to lose a save!
Reboot & it will correct.
 
hmm vampire survivors runs at... 57 fps and feels laggy.
Other games run good huh
Mine came yesterday... VS was the first thing, I tried and like on my 3080 gaming PC... in the end of a run this game slows down to single digit fps, and I just don't know why. even in "performance" mode without hitpoints etc. still slow a.f.
Other stuff is great though. Skyrim SE just runs in Ultra quality and above 40fps, Street Fighter IV, The Ascent (don't forget to untick the stupid 30fps option under "Gameplay"...).

It came in my most busy week and I am a bit sad, not being able to just dive in. but man my hands are tingly to get all the stuff on this nice little big machine.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
Trying to play Necromunda Hired Gun and I can't select the native screen res? It's stuck at some weird 4/3 aspect ratio res.
 
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