so the title says it all. if you’re willing to read my situation, thank you.
Married, Father of two. Recently purchased a gaming laptop that’s around PS4 quality. But I play GTA V, Ace Combat 7, PS2 via PCSX(only my own ROM copies, really), nothing FPS, and sadly nothing new has really piqued my interest(maybe starfield?) PC game purchases are either Steam or GOG.
I usually play games away from the kids as I don’t particularly like them seeing Dad gunning down people(but they’re really bad people!) And while attached to the wall I can play to my heart’s content, battery power is pitiful with the dgpu activated. I need a desk and controller to play, so it’s as akward as ipad gaming and lap burningly hot when I try to play on the sofa.
As a Dad, I have very little time for personal entertainment. maybe an hour daily, up to 3 hours if I decide to cut into sleep.
As a Dad, purchases for my own use have to go through a pretty long vetting/authorization process. That gaming PC I mentioned above was telegraphed a year in advance(hey my current pc is having hardware issues, hey my current pc is ungodly slow and I can’t help w/ the kids online homework, hey my current pc is almost 10 years old…) It’s a gaming PC, but I also use it to edit premiere for my tiny YT channel
From what I can tell, the steamdeck can give me comprable or less gaming performance than my gaming PC, in a much more portable, single piece hardware that I can play on the couch, staying in the same room as my wife and kids while they do other stuff in the living room. the convenience is appealing, but I’m just thinking of the energy I’d need to put into it to get a clear OK as opposed to the side eye and comments such a purchase out of the blue would create, just for the ability to do something I can do already on my gaming pc(albeit a little less easier if I had a steamdeck)
I’m personally thinking I’d rather spend that kind of energy on a future, more capable steamdeck 2, on the off chance some new game I want to play comes out my pc can’t handle.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happily married, and get along great with my wife, but I’ve noticed I get the stinkeye a lot more for any purchases for myself that are solely entertainment related
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It could have been me writing this. Also married father of two, very little time for games. Without the steamdeck there was no gaming and now I can at least play now and then.
I also didn’t need it but don’t regret it at all.
I really do like my OLED. But I think you have a couple of options:
- Wait 2-4 years for a steam deck 2
- Buy a used steam deck (the older models are cheaper and can work with your budget) 3 Get a new one
I like mine (OLED) model because of the screen, battery life, my steam library on the go, emulation (this thing can play up to switch/ps3), and modding.
If those things also appeal to you it may be worth
I’m by no means rich, but I can afford to buy an OLEDdeck without having to resort to eating top ramen for a month…
I was debating whether or not to get a typical cheaper PC and an OG steamdeck for about the same total price I paid for the gaming PC, but figured I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone with the gaming PC. I can edit video and play games too, but it’s not as simple as console gaming(then again, neither is the steamdeck from what I’ve seen) a lot of tweaking of settings to get it in the right rez and fps sweet spots.
The OLED version quashed 2 of the 3 issues I had with the OG. Battery life and screen quality. The APU will have to be more than just a lithography shrink, but I’m torn about the need for more horsepower for games that don’t exist.
grrrr. need to plot how to justify a purchase. coming up a bit short, especially after buying the gaming pc…
“but I can play on the couch and be with you guys instead of going into my tiny man cave and being by myself” probably won’t hold…Another option is sell something to make up the difference/close the gap.
I’m selling my old 512gb deck for $350 to a friend so it didn’t hurt THAT much to shell out for the LE OLED
Mine SD1 is sitting with my oled switch. Should prob charge them up once in a while
Something that could be huge for you is the sleep feature. One button then you can put it away and help the kids. One button and you are gaming again.
Can laptops just close the lid to sleep and open the lid later to continue the game?
dammit. that’s a great point.
my pc CAN wake up from sleep and go back to gaming, but it’s more complicated than tapping 1 button. (open lid, facial recognition log in, re-pair BT controller, hope the light sleep state didn’t kill the battery…)
It would save you the mental overhead of fussing with your gaming setup by having a dedicated device that just works as intended most of the time
I’m personally thinking I’d rather spend that kind of energy on a future, more capable steamdeck 2, on the off chance some new game I want to play comes out my pc can’t handle.
Valve has said the chips with the performance they want for a Deck 2 don’t exist yet. So you’ll be waiting awhile - my bet is on 2025-2026 at the earliest.
And right now you can score really great deals on used LCD Decks because everyone is trying to upgrade to OLEDs. Sure the OLEDs are objectively better in most ways, but they still play the same games at the same performance at the end of the day.
Not a parent and fairly young, but I would like to give my motivation for getting the steam deck as in some ways it may be similar to how you would use it. I have a very “interesting” family who is very out spoken and extroverted. I am the complete opposite with social anxiety, very quiet and keep to myself. My family likes to spend time with me but when they do they rarely really involve me in anything. Conversations are always about themselves, and they speak over eachother so often that it’s rare I get to give any input at all. My main reason for getting the steam deck was to allow me to be present but not absolutely bored out of my mind listening to people talk about themselves. Video games is something comforting to me, and for the few things they do want to involve me in I can pause and take part. It also offers the ability for them to watch me play which occasionally they are interested enough to want to do. I think similarly for you being able to pause and play at a moments notice might be useful. Further more, your list of games is pretty limited, and I think for me especially the deck has got me interested in smaller indie style games that you might grow an interest in. Another thing that motivated me is that it can emulate extremely well to the point its basically a ton of consoles in one which would allow me to play games I never had the opportunity to. Not trying to convince you as you asked, but apply the potential advantages of your situation and see whether you think it is worth it or not. Might get the side eye a bit but could turn that into an opportunity to play some indie games with your SO, and tbh it’s healthy for both of you to spend some money on yourselves for things you enjoy, assuming again that you guys are financially stable.
I’ll make it easy for you, DM your card details and I’ll order one for you 👌
LOL
Hey buddy. Don’t be feeling like you got to justify anything. Just don’t put your wants ahead of the needs of the family.
You work, you provide, and sometimes Dad deserves a toy.
You don’t muzzle the oxen that treads out the corn.
That is to say, if you are working to provide like you do, then what is it if you dip into the cash you are making?Make sure the bills are paid, make sure Christmas is covered if you all celebrate it, and that everyone will have their needs met. If you meet all those criteria and still got the dosh, then live a little. Can’t take that money with you when you leave here noway. Just take the side eye and do something nice in return like wash the dishes or something. Give her a big ol’ smooch and tell her you love her. Or cook a fancy meal.
That’s how I really feel about it.
Now if you actually want talked out of it?
It’s flash in the pan tech. There’s gonna be another new thing in a year or two or three that’ll grab your attention then too. You’ll want it too. You’ll live if you don’t get it. You could just buy a lap desk off of Amazon to sit the PC on for way under the price of the OLED or the LCD.
I don’t feel like that at all.
It’ll probably in reality revolutionize your recreational time with freedom of movement and access to instant gaming. Beware of taking it to bed with you, you may never be asleep at a decent hour. It won’t run everything silky smooth 60 fps highest graphical settings in every game always, but it sure will play a ton of games. Some that are even in “playable” status or “unverified” or “unsupported” and not “verified” will be smooth like butter. Add to that that you can do emulation on it and easily pull off all the way up to the PS3 era, and you’ve got a crazy little toy in your hands there.
Do buy a nice grip case, some thumb grips for the control sticks, and a nice screen protector alright? Merry Christmas.
I’m in a similar boat as you. Married, Dad of 7, barely any time to game etc.
You’re going to get the stink eye regardless lol. Probably more so sitting in the same room as your wife while you game.
The steam deck will give you slightly more opportunity to game and being able to set it down whenever you need to go into dad mode is super nice compared to having to run in from a different room or area of the house when crap hits the fan. Your wife will def notice that you aren’t slumped away at a desk and are more present, although mine doesn’t like any gaming noise while she reads so I got a cheap Bluetooth headset to remedy that (g435).
I’ve found that I use my gaming pc for my shooters that I play with buddies once a week when I have more time but everything else gets played on the deck. Currently going through all the resident evil remakes and REALLY enjoying all the indie recommendations from this sub (dredge, Dave the diver, vampire survivors).
As far as price goes I’d recommend grabbing a 64gb lcd and just swapping to a bigger storage yourself. It’s very easy.
All in all if gaming is your hobby and you want to do a little more of it I’d say go for it. Should be a little easier on the authorization portion at the price point……. Unless you are trying to go OLED LE lol.
SEVEN KIDS!?
my hat’s off to you. if I had that many, I’d just be happy to sleep!
we both carve out time for our hobbies. We’re both kinda home bodies. I’m a tinkerer, but not by trade. If I had the floorspace I’d probably have a garage full of tools that could burn, break, cut off my fingers :)