I know next to nothing about gaming, but I really want to play 2022 Marvel’s Spider-man and branch out from there. I thought I had to get a computer to do this, but I just learned what a steam deck is and now I’m wondering about the trade offs. My sister has a Nintendo Switch and I enjoy playing Pokemon on it. Is the steam deck a little like that? I really like the price and portability, so I feel like there has to be a catch somewhere. Is the steam deck a good fit for me?
If Spider-Man is the newest game you expect to try running, a Steam Deck will likely work for about 80-90% of games you’ll try. Some newer AAA titles from the last several years struggle more than others, depending on how well optimized it is; and your own threshold for playability will be more important than anything anyone on the internet has to say.
If you’re taking open votes, I vote for the Deck. It’s more powerful than any gaming computer of comparable price, and the freedom to play games without being chained to one spot more than outweighs the devices drawbacks, IMO.