I won't buy a Steam Deck until Valve fixes these issues
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Stream Deck
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After several months of delay, the Steam Deck is finally due to arrive on February 25
for those who were able to pre-order the console. Valve’s latest
venture into gaming hardware is expected to toe the line between PC and
handheld consoles, allowing gamers to enjoy their Steam library on the
go.
But
as tempting as a portable gaming PC may sound, in practical terms, the
upcoming device has too many red flags for me to really consider buying
one anytime soon.
Before
I have the chance to antagonize any early adopters, let me preface this
by saying that I truly believe that what Valve has been able to achieve
with the Steam Deck is incredible. Less than a decade ago, having the
opportunity to play PC games on a handheld device seemed like a pipedream. Now we’re just days away from being able to do just that. Still, as someone who’s keen for something that meets my specific
lifestyle needs, I’ve decided to bide my time and wait until either
Valve or its competitors come up with a solution to the issues I’ve
outlined below.
The battery life sounds like a major Dealbreaker
Judging by early previews, the Steam Deck seems to have significant issues with its battery life. Several YouTube channels such as
GamersNexus and
ThePhawx
have already had the opportunity to test out the Steam Deck and found
that they were only able to get around 85-90 minutes out of the device
before it ran out of juice.
It’s
important to note that both content creators tested the Steam Deck on
rather graphically-demanding games with an uncapped frame rate and VSync
disabled. However, even setting a limit of 60fps and switching on VSync
seemed to add an average of 30 minutes of game time. This is obviously
disappointing since this means that both reviewers seemed to only reach
the lower range of Valve’s claims of battery life of two to eight hours.
This
doesn’t come as a complete shock considering the Steam Deck’s
internals. After all, the handheld computer needs to be powerful enough
to run most PC games flawlessly,
and processing power like that demands some serious juice. Still, this
is a big problem for a device that markets primarily itself as a
portable gaming PC.
As
revolutionary as it may be, I’m not too keen on paying at least $400
for something that would confine me to the nearest electric plug. And
compared to the Nintendo Switch OLED, which boasts approximately 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life, it’s a dramatic difference.
There’s
a myriad of reasons that could contribute to the device’s reportedly
poor battery life. It’s very possible that this issue could to some
extent be down to unpatched software issues that are very commonly found
in early testing units. While it's unlikely that the retail units will
offer a significant jump in battery life, it’s not unreasonable to think
that some software improvements will be made in the run-up to the
device’s release.
It’s too bulky for daily commutes
Another issue that pushes me away from the Steam Deck is that it’s
simply too big to comfortably use outside of the house. The bulky
handheld computer is 11.7 inches in length and 4.6 inches in width,
making it almost twice as long as two
PS5 DualSense
controllers held together side by side. It also weighs approximately
635 grams (1.4lbs), which is significantly heavier than your average iPad and 215 grams heavier than the Nintendo Switch OLED.
ThePhawx
YouTube channel took the liberty of comparing the Valve Steam Deck to
various other handheld devices, including the original PSP and the
Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP. However, the most appropriate comparison
seems to be the Nintendo Switch OLED:For most people, using the Steam Deck in the comfort of their home or
car will be a non-issue. However, as a London-based commuter, just the
thought of using the device on my early morning journey to the office is
daunting considering how difficult it would be to hold in the middle of
a packed train carriage. Personally, I even find that the Nintendo
Switch OLED is a bit too large to carry on a commute. In that regard,
the affordable Nintendo Switch Lite is much more suitable.
The Nintendo Switch just does it better
Size aside, there’s several other reasons why the Steam Deck should look to the
Nintendo Switch
for inspiration. Of course, the Switch and the Steam Deck are not
comparable in terms of gaming libraries and overall technical
specifications. The Steam Deck is a relatively powerful gaming PC
repackaged in a miniature format, while the Switch is much more akin to a
classic handheld console. Both devices are also targeted towards
completely different gaming audiences.
However,
in terms of practicality and comfort, the Nintendo Switch and its
accompanying Joy-Con controllers are simply unmatched by any other
portable device that has been introduced in recent generations of gaming
hardware. The console may not be perfect - and the common issue of Joy-Con drift
can attest to this - but the Nintendo Switch is something I believe the
Steam Deck can draw lessons from. After all, there’s a reason as to why
the Switch became the fastest console to reach the 100 million sales mark.
Let’s wait and see
By no means am I discouraging others from ordering and enjoying the
Valve Steam Deck. It’s just that I personally prefer to wait for more
advanced models to hit the market rather than purchasing something that
doesn’t quite meet my expectations. And with the rate of technological
advancement, it’s unlikely that I’ll have to wait very long.
Just recently, it’s been reported
that AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution feature has been implemented
into the Steam Deck. This means that individual games can be rendered in
a lower resolution before upscaling the image, allowing the device to
conserve power as a result.
Though
it’s unclear as to the extent to which this could solve the Steam
Deck’s battery life issues, the Nintendo Switch has shown that positive
changes can happen in this area. The original Switch model only offered
2.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life, which was later improved in the 2019
models.
Over
time, we’re also likely to see a more refined system come to market if
the Steam Deck is a moderate success. Similar to the evolution of the
Nintendo DS to the Nintendo DS Lite, there’s a high probability that the
next version of the Steam Deck (or a third-party take) could solve many
of the problems I have with Valve’s bulky system, and I’m willing to
wait until then.
