No but I’ve definitely used handhelds more than my main rig, at least prior to Starfield and Phantom Liberty. Work from home has really put a dent in how much I want to sit at my main PC regardless how awesome it is and my PC is too far away to reasonably hook up to a TV. Some days it’s handheld or nothing.
Intent: all of them.
In reality: maybe a quarter
Does she have any interest in the Sims? That would be the only major game I would think that she’d miss out on by not going Deck.
Exactly why I wish Valve would make a Controller 2 already, we need a 1:1 experience for docked mode
Either the battery or the improved Haptics. The Haptics make typing a way smoother experience.
I’m perfectly fine if they never make another game again.
Not that I wouldn’t want that, but all of the work they’ve done to help games run on Linux has been a huge boon for PC gaming IMO.
Between Steam OS, Proton, Steam Input etc they’re giving us a viable future without Windows and we’re able to consolize PC gaming. I’d much rather they continue building on that.
Plus I need a Steam Controller that has the same controls as the Deck. So that first before any new games.
The Steam Deck is “Perfect for me” because the Work Valve put into the Software and Hardware means there’s usually a way to tweak games to work for you, even hardcore Mouse and Keyboard games or Games without controller support.
Compatibility is a game by game struggle and workarounds are largely going to depend on why it’s not compatible. I haven’t had an issue with anything I’ve wanted to play.
As for the Windows Systems, The Legion Go and Ally being able to run games better at higher TDPs is only a plus if you’re not got going to be relying on the battery life. The Ally has a battery that’s comparable to the LCD Deck but can run significantly higher TDP.
The Legion Go is also monstrous, I owned another 8” class Handheld and it was just too fatiguing.
Windows outside of the native compatibility for Anti-Cheat games is a compromised experience for handhelds. Windows is built from the ground up expecting you to use a mouse and keyboard for control of the OS. It’s something that makes set up more difficult but eventually it kind of gets out of your way. SteamOS makes PC Gaming the most console like it’s ever been, and honestly rocks. Valve has really turned Linux gaming from a joke into a serious option.
TL;DR: Do your research that the games you want to play can play on Deck, and then get a Deck if they can it’s the best all around solution.
The people taking the risk with DeckHD are the ones who try to install them. Difficult Installation, Custom Bios (Does it require DeckHD existing for support long term?), and its a resolution that the Deck isn’t targeting. I’m going to stop short of calling it a bad product, charitably its an enthusiast product.
Ultimately DeckHD is not completely SoL, the base model is still going to have the LCD screen, so there will be plenty more new LCD models that some people may turn to DeckHD for.
If you’re not sensitive to how low resolution content looks on higher resolution displays, then yes it’s a good option