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Steam Deck - A review of Valve's portable console

The legendary Nintendo Switch killer - the most anticipated hardware from Valve, the Steam Deck portable computer - has dropped onto our review table. It hits consumers in 2022 and has already sold 5 million copies. While Valve has tried several times to conquer the hardware market, it has so far achieved mixed results. In the case of the Steam Deck, on the other hand, it has been quite successful - but is the hardware actually worth buying and does it perform well with hundreds of hours of gaming? That's what we tested and are showing you today.

 

IntroductionThe Steam Deck comes in a cardboard box with a nice motif greeting us inside. The inside is divided into two sections - In the first box, a cable with a charger greets us at the outset. It is time to get down to the device. The foil is removed. The cardboard packaging announces with a shimmering inscription that we are dealing with a machine created for gaming. Moving on, the quality of the case is immediately apparent: very well made and made of high-quality material, it will certainly withstand more than one journey. The pocket on the back seems to be designed for the cable included in the kit.DesignIt's time to open this baby - At first glance, the word OLBRZYM leaps to mind. It is bigger than any Portable Console yet released. Its main rival seems miniature next to it - the weight is not a featherweight. However, the hardware is designed to be held in both hands and then you barely feel its weight and it doesn't cause any problems after sitting for a while, which is a pleasant surprise. The screen - 7 inches - is quite a lot. Bigger than many a phone. The casing is pleasant to the touch and does not creak under hand pressure. The Steam Deck gives the impression of being solid and well made. The design is neat and the console is handy despite its size. The design is neat and, despite its size, the console is easy to handle. The build gives the impression of a device that can withstand more than one fall and the harsh realities of everyday life - although we certainly don't recommend putting this to the test. Plenty of buttons provide ample control options, and there are an additional four programmable bumpers on the back - and a small, subtle Valve inscription in the middle. The main differences in price correspond to the expansion of the built-in memory, from 64 GB to as much as 512 GB, where in the more expensive ones we get at this price a faster SSD to improve the performance of the console and possibly more games installed at the same time. The rest is all about the goodies, in the form of exclusive layouts for Steam accounts, various community accolades and an anti-reflective coating for the screen.

 

Configuration

Once the hardware is switched on, the console will ask us to select a language, enter a WiFi password and connect a Steam account. After this brief introduction, we can immediately download the game and immerse ourselves in the virtual world, taking full advantage of the device.

 

Performance

In terms of compatibility, the console works well with the gaming ecosystem on Steam and allows you to play many top titles, the likes of Dark Souls, Dying Light, Battlefield, The Witcher, Doom and so on. The Steam Deck also does not disappoint us with the sound quality from the built-in speakers. Games run superbly, often at the highest possible settings and with the feeling of playing on a fully-fledged PC - no cuts and with fps oscillating between 50 and 60 frames, this is a phenomenal result for portable hardware. Of course, the image quality is not as good as on a high-performance monitor, but we cannot see this as a disadvantage, but only as a statement that this is still a portable device. Let's remember that there will also be games still not supported by Steam Deck, but these are often niche titles, and all the bestsellers we know should run smoothly, and sometimes we'll just use the touchscreen to click through menus in a game. With demanding titles, the battery will let you know and can quickly reduce the run time from 8 hours to 2 - 3, but this is only a small drop in the overall sea of advantages. Nevertheless, the Steam Deck brilliantly fills the niche of gamers in need of a powerful little monster - for gaming on the move, in the air or at home. Its price, which starts at around £2,000, is not exorbitant. In the hardware settings, we have the possibility to manipulate the brightness of the screen, so that it can be used in any conditions. The function buttons do an excellent job, with the trackpad doing a good job of navigating the screen and navigating through the games library. On top of this, the screen offers touch, allowing it to be used like a tablet. Bumpers - they give a lot of fun and the feel of holding a traditional pad, and their placement allows for a lot of possibilities. Should 512 GB be too small for us, the manufacturer offers us a slot for expanding the memory with further gigabytes of external memory.

 

Summary

The interface, as well as the gaming environment itself, builds a player-friendly atmosphere that allows every minute of the game to be absorbed with pleasant immersion. Valve continues to develop the software and add more verified titles to the list of applications, which will allow for long use of the Steam deck and frequent new downloads. On the downside, the short battery life, which can simply die, and the rather low screen resolution - well, one would like more. However, among other things, the large number of buttons and the hold of the device are fabulous, and the large screen along with good speakers work well together. This powerful console is sure to appeal well to more demanding gamers, or those needing something smaller than a laptop but just as powerful. The Steam Deck is selling like hotcakes, with Valve promising to beat last year's sales figures. This is not surprising, as the hardware is certainly second to none.

 

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