First Steam Deck review is here * NS is so DEAD *

The hype is real boys. This is one of the biggest PC gaming innovations in the last 2 decades.

C'mon, this thing isn't going to make even a dent in NS. But it doesn't matter - I'm very excited for mine

@ivangrozny: lmao 🤣. I posted this in the other thread already but here's good too. So I don't think Nintendo is in trouble, but I did see a spot where Linus briefly flashed his steam deck with botw running. That is not good news for Nintendo if this can run Nintendo games. It's partly nintendos fault though for releasing such turd console hardware that even something relatively weak like the deck is emulating their games.

Nintendo really needs to pull their shit together. If this is the trend for future portable handheld, nintendos switch 2 can't be so shit that even the deck which is basically a low end pc is emulating the games at better performance settings.

Switch has an OLED screen and is cheaper let that factor in. The button is way better on the switch I mean its over dude.

Where have I heard the "Nintendo is doomed!" line before? And did it ever happen or is it just wishful thinking?

Impressive, still Q1 for me.

Valve can pay all the YouTubers they want for positive press. Ain’t nobody falling for this crap. This POS will sell worst than the Vita.

Seems fun and exciting, but Nintendo has its own market and consumers and wont be affected by this.

Neat system but I have a feeling that the Switch will be just fine.

I don't see this harming the Switch in any meaningful way. It's a niche system released on a small scale in limited regions.

It'll be fun to play some PC games in handheld. Some other PC games won't work or won't be suited to a handheld. That's a far cry from a dedicated system like the Switch, where games are designed with the controller and portability in mind.

lmao. The deck plays nintendo games though. Its nobodies fault but nintendo for releasing such weak hardware in 2022, that even a low end pc like the deck can easily emulate switch games. Its not a good sign for nintendo, not at all.

@blaznwiipspman1: This thing could play every game known to mankind, nobody cares. Valve couldn’t market anything to save their lives.

@mesome713: the deck is $399 for the base version. The switch is $350 for the OLED. The difference in price is small enough at this point that the deck will sell well.

Of course the OLED display is actually the best part of the switch. Just the oled display by itself is enough to put up a fight against the deck. But nintendo really needs to be smarter with the switch 2.

The deck, a non nintendo handheld is playing switch games lol. For $50 more and with better performance. This is a giant slap in the face to Nintendo. They are losing a lot of face and need to get their shit together. Otherwise the deck will wipe the floor with the switch.

Heck, even 3rd party developers won't like this. If the deck can play nintendo games illegally because the switch hardware is so damn weak, then they will stop bringing games over to the switch.

The deck can play nintendo games, it has officially become the switch 2. Slap in the face to nintendo. Im sure they will launch lawsuits though. Good luck to them.

Looks like valve did a great job on the hardware. for a first attempt at a portable PC its not too shabby at all.

I will get one when they are more readily available. I have always loved the idea of such a device and the Deck is the best implementation of it imho. the PC has a boat load of games suitable for a portable.

this is not going to cause the switch any problems though: lets get real here. unlike the switch, the Deck has to sell on its own merits. its a PC. it plays PC games. it competes directly with desktops and laptops (and AYA, GPD and so on). they would be doing well if they sell a few million over the course of its life.

But selling a few million would also be a big success for the deck. in the PC space, a particular PC SKU selling a few million is a good day at the office. the metrics for success in the PC hardware industry are quite different to a console.

I wonder if valve/AMD also make that SOC available to other vendors like GPD though? there are definitely areas where other manufacturers could improve on the deck.

@blaznwiipspman1: PC can run switch games as well, and much better then this thing could...so please tell me how that's hurt Nintendo so far and why this would be any different now?

Steam Deck is cool. Not sure why Nintendo would care or be affected though.

The bit with the guy laying on his side playing it in bed is pretty funny.

Surprised to see @tormentos in this review

😄 at PC gamers thinking this will catch up to Switch

I give this about a year before it’s dead. I hope to be proven wrong.

@rmiller365: You may want to avoid using juvenile terms like "Nintendotards" on this forum or anywhere on GameSpot's message board. Let us act like adults, not still act like children.

If Nintendo fans are a "cult," what can we say about Sony or Xbox fans?

Where the f is @casey-wegner? I must triggeruuuu him

People buy Nintendo for the Nintendo exclusives. You're not playing Smash or BotW on that so... I don't see this having any effect on Nintendo.

Now, if Valve actually still made games and they were exclusives to the platform, I think it'd sell better than it will. But there's nothing on that handheld I cannot play on my PC, and I'm sure as shit not going to carry that thing around...

Think they should've made it a little weaker , cheaper and smaller.

Then it might've had some impact .

As of right now don't see it taking off.

Yeah. And other people who likes colorful cutesy things will also be drawn to those offerings. This is... bad?

No, it doesn't matter, cause if you want to play Nintendo games, you need Nintendo hardware. Unless you're gonna play Nintendo games illegally on your Steam Deck of course.

No, it wont matter, because of the reason above. And a bunch of other reasons, such as portability: The Switch is smaller. Ease of use: Monkeys can operate consoles. Online: How are you gonna play Switch games online on Steam Deck? Cost: It's about twice as much as the Switch.

Steam Deck isn't a Switch. It's a PC. They're very different. It's not hard to understand why a Nintendo fan would want a Switch and not care about the Steam Deck, without resorting to "lol, Nintendo cult derp".

And then you went to small forum fanboy bubble-fantasy land. You could check what other people than trolls on gaming forums has to say about it.

SteamDeck does what Nintendont. :P

Anyway, Bait & Switch has nothing to worry about here.... Unfortunately. :P

Not a switch killer but who is buying this for Nintendo games?

On topic, this just makes me more excited to get my hands on the deck. If he is right about the sad cards loading just as fast as the native memory that is going to be awesome. The controller also seems like a big win.

@onesiphorus: Meh, I don't really care about the sensitivity to words from on a dying forum. Let's just Just call them all what they really are: Brand Bitches.

Regardless of whether this could draw enough market share away from Nintendo to make a dent, you’d have to enough hardware to do so in the first place. Fact is unless you were lucky enough to preorder the Deck when it first open up you’re not getting one for a long time if you want one. Nintendo’s weak, cheaply made Switch is much easier to produce in vast quantities during this chip shortage.

@rmiller365: well you should care because we don't allow certain language and it's not fanwars. You know that

Valve hardware is amazing. Steam Controller, Steam Link, and Valve Index are all incredible designs, built well, and really great in use. I have no doubt the Steam Deck is another great installment in their hardware catalog.

I really like how easy it is to replace the analog sticks in case they break. Why can't it be this easy on the ps5/x controllers? Oh yea, because they want us to spend $60-70 to buy a new controller. F off.

A lawsuit against who exactly?...

Most impressive.

Great that Valve seems to have nailed the hardware aspect. That said, it will have as much impact on the Nintendo Switch and Switch sales as the bagel I'm currently eating for breakfast.

Nothing will ever be the same.

Can this be a legit gaming PC replacement ? i mean, if i want to be a PC gamer will this do the trick? i know this is only steam so it won't have all PC games ever but like i say, if i don't want o spend thousands on a PC, can i use this for a while ?

Anyway .. this one looks great and i feel is a completely different market from the Switch market, i dare to say they don't compete with each other.

If you're fine with running games at lower specs and willing to shill out for the extra space when required, seems like it can easily serve the purpose of a decent laptop. Both in terms of games and non-game related apps.

If you buy either the 256 or 512GB model you can install Windows on it, so technically its library can be increased exponentially.

I really, really like this product and the price, even for the 512GB model is excellent. I'm a PC gamer and I could possibly see myself playing some of my games in a mobile fashion. Even if I have to tone down the graphics or reduce the frame rate.

I would be far more interested in using such a machine to play retro games though.

@xantufrog: Sorry dude, I know that, and I still don't care. No worries though, I have a perfect solution to save the virgin ears and easily offended from my blasphemy on this sinking ship while still doing what I want.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck at your new haunt flogging Nintendo players

Yikes ... i was hoping for something more "mid rangie", i mean i don't usually play AAA games but the ones i want, won't be easy on the visuals.

It's designed for handheld, in this regard nothing touches it and it will play games significantly more demanding than the Switch.

It can't die that easily. It's a PC.

So lets say worst case scenario: It sells nothing, Valve jump ship in a year, no more steam OS updates or anything.

...so what? its a PC, not a console. Install windows or another Linux distro on it and play away. On the linux side the drivers will continue to be included for a long long time (its an RDNA2 GPU and Zen 2 CPU). chances are standard radeon drivers will also work with it on windows.

its not like it needs special Steam Deck builds of games. it just plays PC games.

The other upside of this: say you buy a Deck and buy a whole bunch of games on steam. 5 years from now your deck craps out and Valve stopped making them. but you really like the portable nature of the deck. are you screwed? nope: buy another similar device from GPD or AYA or some other company, log back into steam and all your games will be sitting pretty ready to be downloaded again.

Anyone want to say they are confident Nintendo will carry eStore purchases over from the Switch to the switch 2? their track record in that regard is not great.

i would have far more confidence buying a deck than, say, a new Sony handheld. No matter what, the deck will continue to get games and the games you get for it will not be lost if the deck dies.

So it will appeal to hardcore only. Casuals will not just "install Windows or a Linux OS".

PC gamers are in conflict with themselves more specifically the braggers. Most of the folks bragging about the advantages of PC gaming is performance and now we have a device that goes counter to that. The performance is mediocre. It is not mediocre for a handheld but it is mediocre when compared to the ultra powerful PC setups which is the usual and commonly referenced setup when talking about PC gaming. It would be interesting to see whether it succeeds or fails. It does have a better chance than the abysmal and overhyped Steambox; that was an age of pure irony, because it is standardized hardware. This also goes counter to PC gaming since consoles are blasted for the same reason.

@Pedro: it definitely exposes the reality of PC gaming - that it's not monolithic and there isn't a "we" in many cases. What makes it enjoyable to one gamer may be very different from another. Really only united by the fact that the platform works for us. On SW we tend to get a very narrow lens on it from a vocal minority