Hey everyone, I’m a gamer that’s struggling to decide whether I should buy a Steam Deck OLED. Can you guys give me your most honest take about what should I do?
Key points:
- I own a Switch OLED with 50+ physical games that I’d sell in order to afford the Steam Deck.
- The biggest reason I’m currently not satisfied with the Switch is its catalog (too little AAA games, I don’t like most Nintendo exclusives anymore except for the occasional Zelda and Metroid game) and it’s docked experience.
- I’m mostly a docked player but I want a portable system because 30% of the time I’d play in portable mode.
- I’m interested in playing INDIES and AAA games from the last 2 gens. Playing newer games would be just a plus.
Examples of games I’m interested in: Fallout 3, NV and 4. Modded Skyrim. Monster Hunter World. Dark Souls 1-3, Sekiro. Witcher 3. Baldur’s Gate 3. The outer Wilds.
Can the deck deliver a decent DOCKED experience if I’m looking for a stable 30 fps - 1080p performance for them? My TV is small so I don’t really need more. Higher FPS count would be a plus but aren’t required.
If I had more money I’d keep my Switch and try the Deck before deciding, it’s the only part that makes me think twice. i’ve got a big collection, but most of them are games I didn’t fully or enjoy or that simply will play better on deck (indies, AAA…).
I hope I was able to convey what my priorities are as a player. Thanks a lot for helping a fellow gamer on the fence.
You should search the sub with this question. It gets asked every hour.
Asking in the wrong sub. The answer here is always yes :p
Simple answer yes-ish. 😂
For quite recent AAA games 1080p is often not possible but 720p with FSR is nice and it’s even better with FSR2. With FSR on a small TV you may not see a huge difference between 720p and 1080p. The image will look a bit softer in a quite pleasant way, giving something a bit more natural.
Another handheld nobody is talking about is the ayaneo kun. It has an 8. 4-inch display. However, the price tag is minimum $1,000 and can go up to $1,700 for max specs: 4tb storage, 64 gb, or ram. Personally, price for value wise, the steam deck oled is better in all categories other than performance. But the performance on the steam deck is pretty good. Good battery life and other quality of life improvements.
Yeah that is a more difficult one to answer as performance is generally measured against the on board screen. My guess is it will vary and also depend on other settings, FPS etc that you are willing to accept. You could buy with a view to returning it if it doesn’t meet your expectations. I’ve happily played a few titles at 540p on the deck but others would find that unacceptable - performance is in the eye of the beholder really once your hitting 30fps, some wouldn’t even agree on that.
I will be honest u/Boneyking_ , reading your post you sound a lot like me and my use case. You clearly outlined an argument for getting one. All you need to do now is just pull the trigger and get one. The decision isn’t, “should I get one, but which one.” Seriously, just focus on which one to get. The device is so fantastic I sold my original launch 512gb model for the new 1TB OLED Limited Edition. Valve really built a fantastic product that is fully customizable, order one and you won’t look back! Happy Holidays to you and your family.