Deck pre-orderers - Does the Steam Deck downgrade affect your decision to purchase?

https://wccftech.com/steam-deck-ssd-downgrade-cost-functionality-gameplay-unaffected/

Steam says gameplay will be unaffected. Do you agree? Is this a deal breaker?

Not worried in the slightest. Most of my games will be played from an SD card.

No, releasing a LCD screen in 2022 did me in.

I ordered one today.

It wont make much of a difference. Considering the overall specs, the bottleneck for loading times will remain mostly on the CPU. I also intend to use mine mostly for AA and indie games so the SSD really isn't going to make much of a difference.

In saying that, for those that do care, it would be good if valve gave an option to specify that you want the PCI-E X4 SSD. It could mean you will wait longer for a unit but if it's that much of a fuss for someone then let them have the option.

So you mean to tell me all them people buying the more expensive model were fools and should have just bought the cheapest model with a SD card. Wow.

Nope, based on what I've heard there's zero effect on performance so I'm all good.

Looking forward to get my email any week now.

@mesome713: yes, the lcd thing is my biggest annoyance. Once you go oled, you dont go back.

That doesn't seem like a big deal. Don't really mobile game, so doubt I'd ever get one.

Had a deck on reserve, but need a new car so I’ve canceled it and am saving my pennies. Will wait for 2nd version which will be better.

I'm just waiting for my Q3 reservation on the 512gig model to be sent to my email. Checking everyday, but it could still be another month, two, or even three....

I'm going to hook it up to my TV in my bedroom with usb-c dock and use it like I use my switch. I'll probably go grab a controller, mouse, and keyboard for it since you can connect through Bluetooth and just play non taxing games like TCGs and a few MMOs that I never played. I don't want it for mind blowing power, I passed on steam machines after much deliberation and this just seems/feels like it's going to have more support and a longer shelf life. Most of the games I will play on it aren't going to be multiplayer, so it will be interesting to see how it runs a game like New World. If it sucks I'll just stick to single player... if not cool.

If I need something a little beefier then I'll cross that road when I get there. I've never been opposed to dropping a lot on a good rig or laptop, I just haven't really ever justified it with myself even though my wife has given the green light many times.

I don't want to build my own PC, but when I start picking parts at one of the many online companies that build them for you I am usually over $5k when it's all pieced out... lol.

Hopefully this will be a good idea of what to expect if I decide I want more. I just don't know if I will get the playing time since I really love the accessibility and turn on and play of a console.

I'm selling my 2nd switch and using the proceeds for a 2nd steam deck.

In short, no.

Paid for my 512gb yesterday. Shipped today.

I was going to put my own in anyway since I got the $399 version.

I’ve had a Steam Deck for over a week, and still haven’t opened it yet… I’m on PTO all next week though… It’s gonna be a fun week!

In real world terms the slower SSD will take 2-5 more seconds to load a game (depending on what you're playing). You won't even notice it.

Mine's still on order. Nothing I intend to play on this will be affected anyway. I intend to play older games and loads of emulators. I'm cool.

@TheEroica: you savage!

@navyguy21: Samsies

@mesome713: No, the cheapest model uses eMMC, which mean HDD-level speeds. This downgraded SSD is still 10-20x as fast as that and most SD cards.

@techhog89: O, ok.

Anyone get their notice for Q3 Shipment in the last couple of days? Still waiting for mine. 😢

bro...i've been checking my inbox and steam account daily. Mine is also set to deliver some sometime in q3, which means september is the latest. Assuming you're somewhere in the middle of the queue, it could be august.

Use this calculator to get an idea of when you'll be getting that email.

@lebanese_boy: Based on this it says I should get my notice in the batch next week. We will see. I just ordered a 1tb sd card which also comes next week. 🤞🏾

It says I'm just a little over 3% of the way there but I'm supposed to get my deck sometime this quarter... dunno. Weird.

@kuu2: @WitIsWisdom: I'm currently at 63.2%, my percentages have spiked ever since they doubled their shipments on June 30th. So if you're also Q3 your percentage should go up faster too.

This thing is pretty cool. Well it’s also loud and hot… But it’s fun

I wonder, how many more years do we need to wait for a handheld that is no bigger than the Switch with at least a 3060ti performance. Like, are we over a decade away? Heat, power, battery life, etc are so limiting holy damn. Its like the handhelds are still in the stone age.

100% disagree. Handhelds have never been this close to the console experience. Before the Switch, we used to get handheld versions and console versions of certain games, because of the limited capabilities of the handhelds. And that was if we were lucky. 95% of the time the handhelds missed out altogether.

The Steam Deck brings handhelds closer than ever before. You can play damn near ANY AAA game in the thing. Is the battery life an issue? Yup. Heat? Yes. Fan noise? Absolutely. But it offers an experience we have never had before. Big budget titles on the go. And at a more than acceptable quality and performance level. Like, I’m gonna have to factor in the Steam Deck when I’m deciding where I’m gonna purchase games in the future. Are the bells and whistles of console gaming worth the lack of mobility? I‘m not so sure…

But "closer" doesn't mean anything when we're still miles away. The performance difference is massive, and don't even dream of RT being a thing on a handheld. And even if they somehow find a way to match a 3060ti, they'll be stuck with a 20-30 minutes battery life (probably even less). Its like there's no way to progress at a reasonably fast pace when its handheld related, because they issue isn't just more tflops, but so many other factors.

Imagine having a tiny system with a nice 8" screen that has the performance of a 3080. Now that would be sick, and i'll become the biggest handheld enjoyer overnight.

The performance difference isn’t “massive.” The resolution difference is quite large, but the size of the screen negates the disadvantage. And raytracing? Really? The consoles don’t use it in any meaningful way, so how can we expect a handheld running on a battery to do it?

These handhelds aren’t as far away as you think. Just a generation ago, it was hard to imagine Nintendo pulling off what they did with the Switch. It would be unthinkable to be playing PS4/PS5 games on a handheld at all… Sure the ~2hour battery life isn’t ideal. But that’s ~2hours longer than most thought we’d get before the Steam Deck arrived. Yes, there’s advancements in cooling and power consumption to be made still. It will get better. The Switch and Steam Deck have laid the foundation for the future of gaming.

Why are you comparing it to consoles? I am talking about pc here, not consoles. And i don't know why you're saying that handhelds aren't far. If a title that is extremely well optimized such as Doom Eternal looks like a 360 game on the deck, and still gets massive fps drops, what can we expect from something like Stalker2? Its not looking pretty.

@hardwenzen: So you wanna compare a handheld that plays games like God of War at 30fps at TDP as low as 7W, to a PC burning 700W+. Makes sense 🙄

We couldn’t play these kind of games on the go a few years ago. Now we are playing them on the go, off a battery with more than acceptable performance and visuals… But there’s no raytracing… You’re right… Just scrap it all and go back to the computer desk.

@goldenelementxl: How hot does it get in your hands?

Anybody get an email today about their deck? None for me. 🥲

just got mine, and paid for it :D So happy lol. Going to go hard on bloons TD once I get my deck

clownwenzen, and bassman are constanly spewing BS about handhelds that doesn't make sense.

Yes. And i am not saying that its doable. This is simply what I want to see. I want to boot up my handheld, and have at least 80% of the maximum graphical settings that can be achieved on pc, and that includes RT. Until this is a reality, and i am sure that twenty years from now, it will be one, but until then, TO ME, handhelds are irrelevant.

That doesn’t make sense. You‘ve created a scenario that will never happen. A handheld running on a battery could never reach 80% of the graphical capabilities of a PC’s max graphical settings. Not unless PC hardware hits a wall and innovations completely stop.

In decades from now, of course it will happen. A breakthrough in batteries tech is needed, and one day it will come out.

In other words, i want something that cannot be achieve for a very long time, and until then, there's no chance i could ever take handhelds seriously.

@hardwenzen: A breakthrough in battery tech isn’t going to allow what you’re proposing. A 800W TDP on a handheld isn’t going to be a thing. Chips can get more efficient, which is why we have things like the Switch and Steam Deck now. But a handheld will never match 80% of a PSU powered PC. Because as good as handheld tech gets, PC tech will continue to get better as well… Or are you saying a you want a handheld that matches 80% of todays high end PCs?

Chips are not gonna be as power hungry as they are in 2022. Everything will be much more efficient compared to the current tech. That is what's needed, and what i want, but it will take an insanely long time, so its pointless to even talk about this.

I have the same issue with VR. I want a VR headset to be as light and tiny as my pair of oakleys, and i am certain that this will be achievable, but in how long? Until then, i simply couldn't care less about VR.

After a couple months with the deck, I must say.... this system absolutely rocks.

@blaznwiipspman1: congrats bro! May I ask what your order date was?

Do you play with a headset on? I find that while the speakers are surprisingly good, the fan noise is always noticeable And sometimes obnoxious. That and the heat kicked out by the top exhaust, as well as the back of the device is quite high. I’ve noticed these two things on my 512, and my brother in-laws 256 models. Maybe I‘ve just been spoiled by the Switch OLED and its whisper quiet performance.

yep, it was july 18th, 2021