Microsoft has **not** expressed interest in improving Windows for handhelds. That was one Microsoft employee doing mockups as part of an internal hackathon. That person also later confirmed that the company wasn't particularly interested in actually implementing it.
I mean, have you guys seen all the improvements they have done on Windows 11!?! Yup, you havenot, because they pulled out features from taskbar that were already there, only to reimplement so of it after over 2 years now. But hey, you need to have bingGPT in your desktop RIGHT NOW. They are absolutely not doing anything with regards to handheld in near future. Perhaps the powertools team might
One of the biggest strengths of the Steam Deck I don't see many people touching on is the dual trackpad setup combined with the customizable controls feature. Being able to create a custom radial menu that maps to controller buttons, keyboard keys, or mouse keys is such a cool feature.
The trackpads are the #1 reason why I bought one. Some games are impossible to play without them and they make trouble shooting games so much easier without having to use a mouse. I wanted a true handheld that wasn’t tethered to other devices and the Steam Deck has proven to me it is a true handheld like the Switch is.
For all the steam decks competetors, they all seem to ignore one of the most important parts. The trackpads. This sorta hardware is best for older games which usually don't have great controller support.
this is why i’ll never upgrade from my Deck until the Deck 2 comes out. Track pad + gyro aiming in FPS games gives you so much more precision than a joystick ever could
@@_mailer There aren't any buttons beneath the trackpads, this is simply haptic feedback making you think that there are buttons :) All done in software.
@@pcm720true. You can test it by pressing the trackpad while the Deck is turned off. Still awesome software to fool you into thinking there are haptic buttons where none are
I've rarely used mine on my Deck. So to each their own. The Ally is appealing to me since it's a smaller form factor and better screen and performance. It's good to have options.
@@PeterMoore5 Minecraft (much more precise than stick and inventory management is faster), Euro Truck Sim (navigating menus), RuneScape, AMS2 (again menu navigation), basically any top down strategy games. I also use them to navigate the desktop environment, writing using them is also more comfortable. It's more about what games I am not using them for, that would be basically only games without mouse support and 3D platformers.
One of the top features of the Deck I find is the Suspend/Sleep function. I could be in the middle of an important mission, but I can just press the power button and it instantly puts the game to sleep, and I can return later, press the power button again and be back in the action instantly rather than having to load the game again (which in some titles, can be quite a few minutes!)
I point this out as a deal breaker with the other portable PCs. It reduces the friction of stopping and starting play that it's such an essential thing.
I have the 64GB version of the Deck, and while I do love it, I don't use sleep. Simply because it takes up to two minutes just to sleep. I suspect that may be down to mine being based on eMMC rather than PCIe though, so once I can afford it I'll probably be upgrading it to a 1TB SSD, or switching to an Ally (running SteamOS)
Is the Windows sleep/hibernate that bad? In my Windows laptop, the few times that I used sleep while in game it worked alright. When sleeping it automatically hibernates after some minutes if it isn't charging. Maybe I didn't use it enough to see the issues, but I feel like this isn't something that innovative
Your point at 1:51 is really true. When the Ayaneo and GPD devices were starting to stir up lots of interest in late 2020/early 2021 I dismissed them as unneccesary because I already had a gaming laptop. But the Steam Deck released with such a reasonable price point that I bought one. A year later, I now also have an Ally, and I find myself playing on them all the time while my laptop sits powered down in a drawer.
I also got myself the ROG Ally two and a half months ago and my desktop has been mostly just sitting there doing nothing ever since because it's so much more convenient to be able to play anywhere. I don't mind the battery only lasting like 90min if I'm using my custom 17W power profile as I don't need it to last any longer. The lower performance also isn't a problem for me, I don't mind turning Forza Horizon 5 down to Medium, it still looks great
@@dreamcat04 Right? The pick up and play capability that these handhelds have is such a massive change in the way we access our games. I also recently found out about Lossless Scaling on Steam (a scaling and/or framegen program which works with any GPU), which is perfect for the Ally's APU. With it I can reach over 100 FPS on Helldivers 2 on 900p, which is already fantastic on a 7 inch screen.
Got myself a Steam Deck after getting into another full-time job, and I will say that it is my favorite purchase this year. It allows me to play games during my lunch break and the sleep feature allows me to get back to most games at any time.
What goes around comes around. Microshit used to use the three e's. Extend, enhance, extinguish. They'd go to open sources stuff, lightly improve it so that their version played nice with the old stuff and their stuff and so they could take the market but they'd also copyright it, extinguishing the originals usage. Microshit has a habit of copying, lightly changing and fucking over stuff.
@@DarkeningDemise if we discard the fact that the hardware used on windows phones and tablets were not powerful enough to run windows at a decent level.
My main gripe with the competitors is the control layout... the asymmetrical layout makes my hands lock up while the playstation and steam deck layout helps sooooo much. On top of that the ability to repair and upgrade the steam deck puts it ahead of its competitors for me. My steam deck is out of warranty now and it is nice to know that I have the ability to fix it myself instead of paying killer prices to have it repaired or buy a new one.
I agree. It reminds me of the Wii U gamepad which is one of the most comfortable controllers ever made. It’s like Valve decided to shove a PC into one of those and called it a day.
To be fair game compatibility isn’t necessarily the os’ problem, it’s more of a monopoly problem. Most people use windows because it’s simply the default. Windows is however pretty terrible in many regards, but that doesn’t matter to many because it’s what they’re used to. We need more competition because competition leads to innovation. Everyone wins in the end
@@male07mdl for 99% of people modern 'just works' distros of Linux have no disadvantages over Windows excepts for those that happen to have wrong incompatible hardware because, all they do is use browser and maybe work with documents.
@@male07mdlIt's terrible in terms of privacy or bloat or how Windows Update *will* update your system whether you like it or not for example. And the person you're replying already covered compatibility which is your only example of Windows superiority over Linux
The Steam Deck has become my favorite device for retro game emulation. The performance is quite stellar and has great battery life. I also like that I can dock the Steam Deck. I love playing retro games portably, but very often I also like playing it on a big TV. Being able to take the same device on the go and to my TV, using any controller I want has been amazing. I’ve been playing Legend of Dragoon for PS1 and it’s been an incredible experience on the Steam Deck 💕
@@MsZscI'm sure those nintendo "fans" emulate the old games anyway. Like there is no way to play TTYD without buying a used console that nintendo doesn't support anymore.
The main knock I have against the Ally is that it has a very basic xinput gamepad controller with two paddles. Steam Deck's two trackpads, capacitive sticks and four grip buttons make a LOT of PC games very accessible on the device, on top of great ergonomics (despite the weight).
I feel sad that not one word was said about the trackpad. The built in vibration makes it feel like a trackball. UI intense games, RTS and even FPS are a lot better because of it. I now feel like next gen controllers should have at least one trackpad available next to the thumb, it's just a separate necessity than the joystick.
The second Valve makes a Steam Controller 2 that'd literally be a Steam Deck with the screen part removed and the two handles fused together, i'm buying 4 of them. I don't even care how expensive they are. A controller with a symmetric 2-stick layout, capacitive sticks, 2 trackpads, 4 back buttons and gyro ? I'm IN. Give it to me NOW. The only thing it'd be missing to objectively be the best controller ever made would be dynamic triggers like the PS5's and we'd be SET.
the Steam Deck is genuinely a big reason that I've gotten a lot more into gaming this year. I have ADHD which makes small executive function things difficult for me, like having to fully move to a desk when I want to play a game. before the steam deck, I had lots of games I wanted to play but struggled with the motivation to head to my desktop PC every time. with the Steam Deck, I can pull it out in bed, on a couch, on the train, or anywhere that I have some time to kill. Last year before I had the Steam Deck I finished 1 game, this year I've finished 7 and it's only halfway through the year. Obviously it's not a perfect device (battery often sucks, dpad isn't great, screen could be a lot better) but it got so much right in comparison (ease of use with SteamOS, alternate controls via touchpads and back buttons, emulation powerhouse, amazing battery efficiency when streaming or playing lighter games). It's not for everyone, but for the people it IS for, it's a game changer.
i might have adhd too and what you described is interesting do you mind telling me how you camd to terms and also became aware of something like that as a problem
@@MsZsc doing homework was always super difficult for me as a kid, I wanted to do it but there was this mental block that made me feel like I just "couldn't" do the assignment even if it was due the next day. when I got older and was online more I saw videos from other people with ADHD describing their experience which really matched up with mine, and so I talked to my therapist about getting a diagnosis and ADHD meds. the meds don't eliminate ADHD for me but they mainly make it like 75% easier to control my executive function, so stressors aren't quite so overwhelming. hope this helps :)
@@Generic_UA-cam_Username_ linux is already widely used,albeit not gnu/linux android uses the linux kernel,so unknowingly,people are using some kind of linux distro on their phone already. And linux is used for lots of stuff outside of that one example is servers
Im happy its moving away from top tier super expensive computers witj 4090s to the humble steam deck. I have a very good gaming setup but for some reason I prefer playing most non competitive games on my steam deck, the humbleness and simpleness of it increases enjoyment for some reason
@@euphoric-cat Same. The SD is fantastic but it has its place for me and so does the ROG Ally. They are better for less demanding games, especially most JRPG’s I play. I love the SD UI and experience with Linux but it is not 100% compatible as Windows can be with games (it does a great job but some things slip thru the cracks). ROG Ally has better compatibility for some games I want to play and has the better screen, etc but lacks the button I have on the SD (which I love). I also like how I can use WeMod on the Ally but can’t on SD…SD can use Fling Trainers with some tinkering and cheathappens which is janky and required tinkering too (I love using trainers/cheats with some older RPG’s that I only want to experience the story). But my 3080 Ti PC does it all, and although I don’t play it a ton with all my other devices/consoles, it has a place for me when running the most demanding games.
@@euphoric-cat Ah I still prefer steam deck for alot of games but I mostly play older titles anyway, not much of a AAA game guy (Atleast not new ones). But pc deffo is more immersive
I agree about handhelds being an awesome way to play games, I picked up a switch OLED recently and have been playing on it considerably more than my fairly powerful PC. It's my first handheld in about 15 years since the PSP, I didn't realise what I was missing. I did deliberate between the switch and steam deck a lot, but settled on the former for two reasons. Firstly, the steam deck still hasn't officially launched here in Australia so it's an expensive marked up import by third party sellers, making it effectively about twice the price of the switch (once you upgrade the 64gb versions storage which you absolutely will need to do). Secondly, I'm not all that keen on the IPS panel. Both my phone and my main computer monitor are OLED and I don't really want to go backwards in that regard. Having a better screen (while being way cheaper) is a BIG deal for a portable device like this. Still, I love the idea of having access to my steam library on the go, and the ability to stream games from my desktop to the deck at home is a really sweet feature to enhance both performance and game compatibility. I'll be eagerly awaiting details for both the switch 2 and second gen steamdeck.
The issue is other countries like mine South Africa and I hear Australia as well struggle to get their hands on Steam Hardware. The Valve Index is insanely expensive here and virtually unavailable where as the Steamdeck is easily twice the base price or more than it is in America. It's downright awful.
Fr, here in Indonesia is easy to find steam deck on online shop but to get accessories or spare part is god awful and need to import from US or Singapore Compare with Asus Ally with service center is everywhere, Asus have no competition here
Yeah I ended up sucking it up and paying for an imported deck in Australia for $800 for a 64g. When you include exchange rate that's still a decent markup. Still worth it for me though.
Indian here. Same shit here, pricing is really high here as well, since theres no official support. You can expect anywhere between 200% and 300% of US MSRP.
I love this style of video making where you just play around with the product with a voiceover instead of repeatedly showing commerical footage of the product
That last line, man. Imagine if Microsoft had any interest in innovating instead of waiting for literally anybody else to make a move that doesn't immediately flop and/or could take customers away from Windows before just... doing what they did with a bigger budget. Makes you wonder what their R&D teams actually do all day.
lol two delusional posts in a row, totally divorced from computer and consumer electronic history. but hey, this year is surely the year of the linux desktop, right?
@@Generic_UA-cam_Username_ ":they don’t seem to have learned from that 2001 lawsuit." then you dont know the current MS at all, or any of the time between, you are a delusion hater, you have gone religious with tech, you are fox news but for tech
what I love the steam deck for is it finally sets a baseline for PC gaming hardware, if your game doesn't run on the deck, you've failed, and even the games people say run terrible like the last of us are verified on the steam deck, and I think a big reason is proton, more specifically DXVK and Valves shader cache, many modern games run like ass not due to bad optimization, but just awful shader compilation lag, making it FEEL like the game runs terribly but really once those shaders are finally done compiling it runs good enough, its just that it can take until your done with that section of the game for the shaders to be done compiling, proton and Valves shader cache fixed this, going into the game the shaders are compiled already, and what I dont get is why isn't this on windows, well it actually is, the windows client supports it, but idk if its just that Valve only makes it possible to access their shader cache and devs can't provide their own, or if devs just don't use it, honestly I've been debating switching to linux for this feature, especially since the only games I play that only work on windows, well I haven't really been playing much, the only thing stopping me is just the setup it would take, I've dabbled in linux before so I know that unless I commit enough to switch my game drive from NTFS there will be a good amount of setup and jankiness, ad idk if I'm committed enough to format my 2TB drive filled with games, not that I couldn't go without much on that drive, but god thats a lot of games to reinstall
desktop linux has been making massive strides in gaming over the last 4 years, but also major improvements to just about every component as well. like it's insane to think that pc gamers can now use a linux distro as a viable alternative. i think having competition in the OS space for PC gaming is very important especially since it has been dominated by windows exclusively for decades. even macOS is going to use wine by default with their game toolkit. wine (and proton) is very important software for compatibility. there are games that you can run much easier thru wine on linux than on modern windows.
Linus Torvalds even said once (before the steam deck was) that Valve are probably the ones who is going to save Linux desktop and make it into the mainstream. The biggest hurdle for linux is that so little people use it for average use so less use development goes to gaming, programs and other stuff. But by making SteamOS a big deal, more stuff will be developed for linux so that even non-gamers might consider switching to a linux distro.
@@awii.neocities you can... just like any other windows game. pirate that like you usually do then run the sus ass installers and crack shit in either Lutris or Bottles. you filthy pirate
The ROG Ally is missing one of my favorite things about the Deck: The touch pads. I doubt it'd be particularly fun to play Stellaris or Dyson Sphere Program on the Ally, especially compared to playing those on Deck.
Biggest downside for me with the Ally is it’s embarrassing aesthetic. It’s that tacky “Gamers will love this” look that all the tech companies push. Would not want people seeing me use that thing.
True I really am not a fan of rgb because it just adds cost and it’s just to flashy, I like the way the steam deck looks because it’s basic in its color, grey is all I need and I don’t need the rainbow lights
I don't play anything that makes the fans go really loud on steam deck so that's not really a concern for me. On the other end the Ally looks so gooffy and so uncomfortable that I would rather whip out a PSP than this thing.
@@robrob8936 dude I think the fan being loud isn’t even that bad of a thing in public but holy shit imagine whipping out a device that’s just covered in rgb in public, that’s even more embarrassing then the loud fans honestly
@@robrob8936 honestly I could care less about preformace, I literally have a pc with a gt1030 and a 2 core and processor, I barely even play video games and when I do it’s ether a source engine game from 2009, the only reason I like the steam deck is because it’s cheaper and plus it looks like valve made the design to change broken parts really easy, I’m considering getting a deck to do guitar recording honestly
As someone who has had the ROG Ally for a few weeks, and someone with a decent desktop PC, I’m very impressed with the handheld. So much so I rarely use my desktop at the moment. Convenience and the performance of the handheld is too good to ignore. It’s also getting better with every update like the steamdeck did
I used to like using my laptop on my lap. Touchpads never felt right to me, so eventually I just got used to having barely enough space for a mouse under the keyboard. My DPI was insane, and I played games like that without much issue. I even competed in a local tournament of Dota 2 once without a desk, since it was more comfortable for me that way.
I loved the steam deck and recently picked up a gpd win 4. It was between that and the Ally. I think the win 4 is probably the best out of the 3, the sheer portability of it over the other two cannot be overstated and from what ive heard the software on the Ally is an absolute mess, where as the software on the gpd win 4 and the deck feel right at home on their respective hardware. Valve is the safe play though, because they will keep supporting the deck for years to come.
Steam deck is currently my only computer, and I didn't have any issues or shortcomings with it as my main PC. If anything, I was finally able to play Arma 3 without it being a slideshow (Using an external monitor and kb+m) The only reason I am still looking to build a computer is PC VR
The Ally feels like Asus wanted to make a computer and added the controller parts as extra doodads. While more power is great, the fact it's missing the 4 back buttons and touch pads marks it at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to the controls and what games you can play. To me, that's the most important factor. If this mini computer is designed for me to play PC games, then I want to be able to play almost any PC game I want. People have made KotOR control schemes for the Steamdeck that are actually intuitive, while with the ROG you are hit with a hard limit of the two back buttons. So far, besides extra performance, the Ally seems like they want you to dock the machine more than use it as a handheld device.
the history of handheld computers is pretty cool and probably the most remarkable market i ever seen. evolving from palm tops to gpd win becoming more game ready and seeing as apus/mobile chips get smaller for performance is pretty staggering.. im really waiting for a lens on my retina just to be able to play the world.
I knew what to expect of my Steam Deck and I'm very impressed. I bought like $500 worth of games for it and I haven't turned my PC on for gaming too much. Only RTX AAA games that are worth playing in 2k or 4k are for my machine, the rest is on the Deck. I'm also bad with time management so when the battery on it runs out it's time to stop playing. Deck literally changed the way I play games and I've been playing more and more of them ever since I got it. And of course the emulation is incredible.
@@MaksKCS however much you earn buying a steam deck for hundreds, then buying 500 worth of games when you already have an RTX-ready PC is just the most consoomer thing possible. I hate the consoomer mindset some people have.
@@primtve_dope9568 it's not a consoomer thing. I just bought things off my wishlist (games dating from 2018-2023 that I never got around to buying because I was unsure of when I could play them) that I'll play for the next year. And yes, it's called having a job.
5:20 I must say it's not a novel method of typing, this method was already implemented in Steam Controller. Nearly all features of it were either directly ported, or reimplemented in SteamDeck. Some say the Deck as a project was just a second gen of the Steam Controller, but the scope was widened to the point of the entire handheld pc/console
1:45 what a pleasant surprise :> Fluffykins seems like a kind of kitty that will always be by your side within few mins :) I wonder how it goes when you’re recording voice over hehe
Small things to note regarding the price difference between the Z1 Extreme Ally and the most expensive Steam Deck: 1) Steam deck comes with a travel/carry case - Ally does not 2) The price of the Ally depends on your country. Over here the 512GB Deck costs 679 while the Z1 Extreme Ally is 799. That's a difference of 120 Euros, which isn't a low sum
Same here. Never cared much for portable gaming, hate mobile gaming + I have a top of the line PC. Got a SteamDeck and suddenly I found a lot of use for it
actually, why i think valve is such a great company is because they actually care about their consumers, they aren't in it for the win, but to drive competition, their hardware is usually really well built and high end when compared to others and they're not overly priced. even the Index is sort of reasonable if you consider what's in it and how it works. Valve's just not greedy, they're grounded in reality and they can afford to make good things without the worry of losing profits because they're the number one option for PC gaming and that, i think you cannot change no matter how much you try to
I can't afford a gaming pc so I got a steam deck and docking station. It works great as a budget pc and I don't mind playing on low settings on the games I play. And emudeck is awesome.
I love the fact there is a lot of competition in the pc handheld market always good for consumers. Who knows maybe one day you can buy mix & match parts to make your own handheld PC like standard PCs
I also had issues with the size of the Steam Deck at first, and the fans were slightly loud. I got the Jsaux transparent backplate with the aluminum on the back to help with cooling, and I got a case so that the Steam Deck sits better in my hands. Seriously though, if the Steam Deck feels too small get a good case for it. It'll protect your deck while making it easier to hold at the same time.
I'm very happy that handheld PCs are a thing now. I really really want them to sell even more so devs have to optimize for them aswell. There is something so pleasing in running a game at 15W instead of 1500 or whatever Nvidia does these days
The ROG Ally's screen is higher resolution in terms of total pixels however it's a 16 : 9 screen rather than a 16 : 10 screen that the Steam Deck has. This to me is a big downside as a 16 : 10 screen gives you more physical screen real estate than a 16 : 9 one. Granted not all games will take advantage of it but I would rather have it for those that do than be stuck using a 16 : 9 resolution. The 16 : 10 aspect ratio also makes a lot of sense for these kind of devices as the screens are already pretty small and you can't really make the screen wider because of the form factor. IMO the most important specs of a handheld gaming PC's screen in order from least to most important are: the aspect ratio, resolution, VRR support and refresh rate.
I didn't need my steam deck and had no reason to justify the purchase, but one birthday I gave in and bought one for myself, and Holly crap, it's the best decision I've made. I love my steam deck so much. Every game I've ever played or want to play on a hand held is mind blowing. Every single game I had growing up is playable and at this point I don't care for any more powerful competitor. ROG ally seems nice but I'd miss the conveniences of my steam deck. I tried using windows as the main OS for my deck for a while but Steam OS was so much more convenient than I thought. The touch pads unexpectedly are game changers and make certain mouse and keyboard games much more playable. Also I like that the steam deck is black like the rest of my technology, as a night mode kinda guy I don't like white devices, an ROG ally would feel out of place being all white.
Coming back to the Ally segment after seeing the Jerry Rig video on it seems... quite ironic. Stay safe, don't cook your fingers or your SD cards and get the Deck instead.
If you’re bothered by the fan noise and don’t mind getting a bit technical, why don’t you try undervolting? It’s not an excuse as consumers shouldn’t need to tune their system for a good experience but it’s nice to have the option. That being said, I don’t have a Steam Deck so I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve heard it can have an effect on heat and battery life.
I think the biggest strength of the SteamDeck aside from cost, software and controls, is that it's the "winning team" - everyone makes software, accessories, tutorials, support, controller profiles, etc for the Steam Deck, because it's the most popular device
My steam deck goes everywhere with me love that portable gaming is back. I literally sat out outside a few nights ago and played persona 5 till I killed the battery. Oh and steam cat!
I have both the Deck and the ROG Ally, and I find them to be exceptional devices. Native Windows and a substantially more powerful APU in the Ally make it my preferred option for higher end games and emulators (with CEMU running BOTW at 55-60 at full load vs Deck's 38-40 under same conditions), but the Deck's additional back buttons, trackpads and integrated gyro through SteamOS make it the ideal option for games designed with KBM in mind - Astroneer being a perfect example - or otherwise titles that allow for simultaneous KBM and Controller input, as you showed with CounterStrike for gyro aiming. Neither device is perfect, and neither device is outright better than the other.
8:58 I don't think that we need to make the choice between gaming and general PC functionality, well maybe we do. one of the most exiting things for me concerning the steamdeck is how it's normalizing the use of linux, which I hope will drive more software vendors to support linux more.
The Steam Deck fits perfectly into my hands, which I would call average sized. My only issue is the lower back buttons, if they were moved up slightly to be more comfortable to press in a later revision it would be great.
I still use them sometimes, but they are the hardest thing to press on the Deck for sure. I think it has to do with human anatomy as well, though. You use your ring finger for the lower back buttons, and I don't know if you've noticed, but your ring finger is your sh*ttiest/worst finger. It's weak and hard to control independently. Maybe the solution is paddles instead of buttons (like the Xbox Elite controller) but last time Valve did that with the Steam Controller they got sued by Scuf and had to discontinue it 😔
If you get the JSAUX transparent backplate replacement it comes with two different sets of back button replacements, I use the paddles, which are much easier to reach imo. Might be worth looking into.
@@David-ki2xt Hard to say, I haven't done any A/B testing as I've only got the one Deck. My intuition is it will pretty much just slightly delay getting to peak temp, unless you were in an exceptionally cold environment/ had a fan pointed at it/ soldered a little heatsink onto it or something for more passive cooling. I will say it gets hot af so must be at least slightly better being exposed to the outside air than under a plastic plate?
what all the new steam deck competitors forget is the price point they are all ALLOT more expensive then the deck. I got my steam deck as i was in the market for a new laptop and the steam deck was more affordable and better at running games at any laptop within its price range. The price per unit is key for something with that formfactor Even though I hardly use my deck when I'm at home but it's perfect for when I'm on break at work and when I'm in my family's caravan with bugger all internet
I can think of two reasons. 1. They're very uncomfortable to use. The joycon was the first 1st part controllers I hated using. I don't like Xbox. Analog stick placement, but it still works for me and isn't a painful to my hands. 2. Nintendo probably have patents keeping others from doing so.
I always saw handheld computers like the GPD Win as cool devices, but the price-to-performance made it so I never even entertained the idea of owning one. I didn’t hace any consoles that use thumb sticks to look around till I was in High School so I never got used to using them and always saw them as a hindrance. The steamdeck having gyro and the steam controller touchpads make it look way more appealing as a product that I may actually enjoy using. With the Steamdeck I actually entertained the idea of owning one which lead to me pulling the trigger on one last week with the ongoing sale. Their is no other computer handheld I would have even entertained the idea of buying.
Im pretty confident that you have a Delta fan in your Deck, which is a very loud and annoying fan. I had it in my Deck, too. I bought a replacement on iFixIt which is the Huaying model and it is _absurdly_ quieter. I highly recommend it for anyone with the Delta fan.
God of war is so good on the deck, i play at 40fps as well, i used to play it at 30fps which was great but 40 just feels so smooth without sacrificing to mucj graphic fidelity
Valve has been incredibly open with the Steam Deck that I think deserves to be mentioned. You can install and play games from stores other than Steam, and their SteamOS version will be open sourced (idk why they're taking so long on it) so other handhelds can deliver the same experience. You can also repair pretty much everything in it, they've even provided an official teardown video. Valve has also done a TON for making gaming on Linux (SteamOS) possible over the last several years with their Proton compatibility layer, which is also open source.
Cool video. I do think that you already have a system where you don't have to trade general gaming aptitude and convenience for general use cases. The steam deck. As a Linux user for many years, the only reason I had windows was to run video games. Everything else I use Linux. It is better, easier, more convenient, more modular. Installing python and libraries required on windows is an exercise in pulling your hairs out. In Linux? Sudo apt-get install and you are done. Wine and proton did the grunt of the work for gaming and now I can game on Linux and ditch windows. I also ditched my laptop who was running Kali Linux and my desktop was running mint but due to my GIS heavy workload I now run Dragon OS in it. And it blows windows away in terms of useability and just having things. I bought a miniPC and installed Chimera on it but will likely change it as Chimera still has issues supporting the 7840U processors but I will find a distro that fits. For now I am keeping chimera on SSD1 and batocera on SSD2. I would highly recommend you try using the deck as a desktop replacement with external kb and mouse. I think you will be impressed with the experience. The packet manager available on the deck has some open source video editing software you could give a go.
The screen of the Ally is NOT what creates the battery life issues on it. It's the APU and how it's tuned. On balance the screen consumes about the same amount of power as the Deck's does.
If you have big hands you can use both thumbs to write anything with touchscreen and that made keyboard experience much better. You just have to shift grip a little bit closer to the edge for few seconds which feels natural to me
Philip, i don't know if this is a unpopular opinion but I'd like to ask if you would start reviewing games more now? All of your reviews were really interesting and fun to watch, even after years of coming back to them just for entertainment. The Hogwarts Legacy Review for example really helped me make an informed decision. On top of that it seems like our tastes are pretty similar and so is the way we play games. Since you said that you'll change over to less time consuming content.
Increasing the resolution is not a bad idea. Smartphones had 1080p screens for years despite having smaller screens than the Steam Deck. What is important is the screen aspect ratio. The Steam Deck has 16 : 10 screen which gives you additional screen real estate on top and bottom which some games use to either show more on top and bottom or to move bottom or top anchored UI elements further out of the way. With that being said refresh rate above 60 Hz is a waste on devices like these as they lack the power to run many games at higher refresh rates and in case of games where they can it has a side effect of lower battery life.
The switch 2.0 might be the next best gaming handheld if they keep the same formula and a nvidia gpu. All these handheld PCs are forced to use AMD gpus because nvidia does not sell this kind of APUs. For high end computers the AMD offer is of course competitive, but imo nvidia technology really shines for this kind of devices. The first switch was somewhat able to run some PC games, but with improved hardware plus DLSS upscaling (and framegen) there's no reason it wouldnt handle current gen games. FSR is decent at 1440p or above but not that good at upscaling really low resolutions, whereas DLSS does an incredibly good job at it. On top of that , regarding power efficiency, nvidia is slightly better for raster and much much better for RT. A 4XXX series gpu should give around for 4-6tflops for 20W, so 2-3x the old steam deck gpu compute and probably around 7-10x the switch gpu.
There's no reason to believe Valve is making a loss on the Deck, and the pricing for the ROG Ally is a hint towards the idea that they're probably not losing money.
3? Still?! Laidlaw said goodbye, he's not there anymore. There's not ever going to be a 3. Besides, that "letter" said the Borealis was a bust. Its over.
Two things: 1. I love gyro aim on the steam deck, and valve has been oushing gyro aim for controllers, which is a total win. 2. I like that the steam deck has both desktop and gaming mode, I ended up installing brave browser and mumble on the desktop mode and now I can select each of them in gaming mode. Overall steam deck > competition. Then again I'd probably say the same about the Index so...maybe I'm a bit of a fanboy.
5:40 The thing you mentioned about hand position is the one consistent issue I've had with the deck. I also have large hands and they rest naturally on triggers but have to extend to hit the bumpers. I find myself remapping the R4/L4 back paddles to the bumper inputs and use it that way instead of reaching up.
![BEST Gaming Handheld in 2024!? [Steam Deck OLED | Ally X | Legion Go | Claw]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/czoKrKcgHaY/mqdefault.jpg)
![BEST Gaming Handheld in 2024!? [Steam Deck OLED | Ally X | Legion Go | Claw]](/img/tr.png)
Microsoft has **not** expressed interest in improving Windows for handhelds. That was one Microsoft employee doing mockups as part of an internal hackathon. That person also later confirmed that the company wasn't particularly interested in actually implementing it.
I found the only other sane person on UA-cam. Hi. How you doing?
Seriously though. This story has been reported to irresponsibly.
For sure, there's no incentive to respond Handheld PCs are tiny in the grand scheme of Windows* operations.
I mean, have you guys seen all the improvements they have done on Windows 11!?!
Yup, you havenot, because they pulled out features from taskbar that were already there, only to reimplement so of it after over 2 years now.
But hey, you need to have bingGPT in your desktop RIGHT NOW.
They are absolutely not doing anything with regards to handheld in near future. Perhaps the powertools team might
They already tried doing this 10 years ago with Windows 8 and everyone seemed to hate it.
@@ShockinglyBleh Because they keep messing with the fundamentals!
One of the biggest strengths of the Steam Deck I don't see many people touching on is the dual trackpad setup combined with the customizable controls feature. Being able to create a custom radial menu that maps to controller buttons, keyboard keys, or mouse keys is such a cool feature.
How do you do this?
@@nicememe8809virtual menus in the controls menu
The trackpads are the #1 reason why I bought one. Some games are impossible to play without them and they make trouble shooting games so much easier without having to use a mouse. I wanted a true handheld that wasn’t tethered to other devices and the Steam Deck has proven to me it is a true handheld like the Switch is.
For all the steam decks competetors, they all seem to ignore one of the most important parts. The trackpads. This sorta hardware is best for older games which usually don't have great controller support.
this is why i’ll never upgrade from my Deck until the Deck 2 comes out. Track pad + gyro aiming in FPS games gives you so much more precision than a joystick ever could
I think what's more important is the instant sleep mode. That's such a huge part of the Steam Deck that just doesn't really work on Windows
@@_mailer There aren't any buttons beneath the trackpads, this is simply haptic feedback making you think that there are buttons :)
All done in software.
Especially strategy games, the track pads as a mouse is a godsend
@@pcm720true.
You can test it by pressing the trackpad while the Deck is turned off.
Still awesome software to fool you into thinking there are haptic buttons where none are
I gotta say that I can't imagine playing some games without the trackpads
I've rarely used mine on my Deck. So to each their own. The Ally is appealing to me since it's a smaller form factor and better screen and performance. It's good to have options.
Which games? What functions do you use them for?
@@PeterMoore5 Minecraft (much more precise than stick and inventory management is faster), Euro Truck Sim (navigating menus), RuneScape, AMS2 (again menu navigation), basically any top down strategy games. I also use them to navigate the desktop environment, writing using them is also more comfortable.
It's more about what games I am not using them for, that would be basically only games without mouse support and 3D platformers.
hopefully valve keeps making handhelds with trackpads
@@korysovec I played on my friend's deck a little, it is also absolutely unmissable in Civ 6.
One of the top features of the Deck I find is the Suspend/Sleep function. I could be in the middle of an important mission, but I can just press the power button and it instantly puts the game to sleep, and I can return later, press the power button again and be back in the action instantly rather than having to load the game again (which in some titles, can be quite a few minutes!)
@@2kliksphilip great point, explains why my Quest 2 hasn't been used in months...
I point this out as a deal breaker with the other portable PCs.
It reduces the friction of stopping and starting play that it's such an essential thing.
I have the 64GB version of the Deck, and while I do love it, I don't use sleep. Simply because it takes up to two minutes just to sleep. I suspect that may be down to mine being based on eMMC rather than PCIe though, so once I can afford it I'll probably be upgrading it to a 1TB SSD, or switching to an Ally (running SteamOS)
Is the Windows sleep/hibernate that bad? In my Windows laptop, the few times that I used sleep while in game it worked alright. When sleeping it automatically hibernates after some minutes if it isn't charging. Maybe I didn't use it enough to see the issues, but I feel like this isn't something that innovative
Just like PSP
Your point at 1:51 is really true. When the Ayaneo and GPD devices were starting to stir up lots of interest in late 2020/early 2021 I dismissed them as unneccesary because I already had a gaming laptop. But the Steam Deck released with such a reasonable price point that I bought one. A year later, I now also have an Ally, and I find myself playing on them all the time while my laptop sits powered down in a drawer.
@jabron.destoroyah Lol yeah I'm probably gonna let my laptop go for $600 at this point, which is a bargain for it.
I also got myself the ROG Ally two and a half months ago and my desktop has been mostly just sitting there doing nothing ever since because it's so much more convenient to be able to play anywhere. I don't mind the battery only lasting like 90min if I'm using my custom 17W power profile as I don't need it to last any longer. The lower performance also isn't a problem for me, I don't mind turning Forza Horizon 5 down to Medium, it still looks great
@@dreamcat04 Right? The pick up and play capability that these handhelds have is such a massive change in the way we access our games. I also recently found out about Lossless Scaling on Steam (a scaling and/or framegen program which works with any GPU), which is perfect for the Ally's APU. With it I can reach over 100 FPS on Helldivers 2 on 900p, which is already fantastic on a 7 inch screen.
Got myself a Steam Deck after getting into another full-time job, and I will say that it is my favorite purchase this year. It allows me to play games during my lunch break and the sleep feature allows me to get back to most games at any time.
"just like with tablets, I doubt Microsoft will be remembered for pioneering it" is a beautiful way to end the video
@@2kliksphilip agreed, have a good one
@@2kliksphilip aye the Windows Phone had the potential but fell flat
What goes around comes around. Microshit used to use the three e's. Extend, enhance, extinguish. They'd go to open sources stuff, lightly improve it so that their version played nice with the old stuff and their stuff and so they could take the market but they'd also copyright it, extinguishing the originals usage. Microshit has a habit of copying, lightly changing and fucking over stuff.
@@DarkeningDemise if we discard the fact that the hardware used on windows phones and tablets were not powerful enough to run windows at a decent level.
I miss my windows phone :(
My main gripe with the competitors is the control layout... the asymmetrical layout makes my hands lock up while the playstation and steam deck layout helps sooooo much. On top of that the ability to repair and upgrade the steam deck puts it ahead of its competitors for me. My steam deck is out of warranty now and it is nice to know that I have the ability to fix it myself instead of paying killer prices to have it repaired or buy a new one.
I agree. It reminds me of the Wii U gamepad which is one of the most comfortable controllers ever made. It’s like Valve decided to shove a PC into one of those and called it a day.
To be fair game compatibility isn’t necessarily the os’ problem, it’s more of a monopoly problem. Most people use windows because it’s simply the default. Windows is however pretty terrible in many regards, but that doesn’t matter to many because it’s what they’re used to.
We need more competition because competition leads to innovation. Everyone wins in the end
pretty terrible how? compared to linux, it is superior with gaming and many other aspects
@@male07mdlpeople just like to shit on Windows because they hear other people doing it and completely ignore everything that Microsoft has done right
@@male07mdl for 99% of people modern 'just works' distros of Linux have no disadvantages over Windows excepts for those that happen to have wrong incompatible hardware because, all they do is use browser and maybe work with documents.
@@male07mdlIt's terrible in terms of privacy or bloat or how Windows Update *will* update your system whether you like it or not for example. And the person you're replying already covered compatibility which is your only example of Windows superiority over Linux
@@trofchik9488honestly if it wasn't fpr office, more people would switch
The Steam Deck has become my favorite device for retro game emulation. The performance is quite stellar and has great battery life.
I also like that I can dock the Steam Deck. I love playing retro games portably, but very often I also like playing it on a big TV. Being able to take the same device on the go and to my TV, using any controller I want has been amazing.
I’ve been playing Legend of Dragoon for PS1 and it’s been an incredible experience on the Steam Deck 💕
I upgraded to a 1TB SSD for primarily Gamecube and Playstation games haha
@@blairlohnes8103watch out nintendo “fans” will find you with kill bill ironside playing in the background
@@MsZscI'm sure those nintendo "fans" emulate the old games anyway. Like there is no way to play TTYD without buying a used console that nintendo doesn't support anymore.
@@bustercalibur4908 i knew ppl that pay for youtube premium
The main knock I have against the Ally is that it has a very basic xinput gamepad controller with two paddles. Steam Deck's two trackpads, capacitive sticks and four grip buttons make a LOT of PC games very accessible on the device, on top of great ergonomics (despite the weight).
Great video! Always excited to see something new from you.
I feel sad that not one word was said about the trackpad. The built in vibration makes it feel like a trackball. UI intense games, RTS and even FPS are a lot better because of it. I now feel like next gen controllers should have at least one trackpad available next to the thumb, it's just a separate necessity than the joystick.
The second Valve makes a Steam Controller 2 that'd literally be a Steam Deck with the screen part removed and the two handles fused together, i'm buying 4 of them. I don't even care how expensive they are.
A controller with a symmetric 2-stick layout, capacitive sticks, 2 trackpads, 4 back buttons and gyro ?
I'm IN. Give it to me NOW. The only thing it'd be missing to objectively be the best controller ever made would be dynamic triggers like the PS5's and we'd be SET.
love the shots of you and the camera in the steam decks screen
the Steam Deck is genuinely a big reason that I've gotten a lot more into gaming this year. I have ADHD which makes small executive function things difficult for me, like having to fully move to a desk when I want to play a game. before the steam deck, I had lots of games I wanted to play but struggled with the motivation to head to my desktop PC every time. with the Steam Deck, I can pull it out in bed, on a couch, on the train, or anywhere that I have some time to kill. Last year before I had the Steam Deck I finished 1 game, this year I've finished 7 and it's only halfway through the year. Obviously it's not a perfect device (battery often sucks, dpad isn't great, screen could be a lot better) but it got so much right in comparison (ease of use with SteamOS, alternate controls via touchpads and back buttons, emulation powerhouse, amazing battery efficiency when streaming or playing lighter games). It's not for everyone, but for the people it IS for, it's a game changer.
i might have adhd too and what you described is interesting do you mind telling me how you camd to terms and also became aware of something like that as a problem
@@MsZsc doing homework was always super difficult for me as a kid, I wanted to do it but there was this mental block that made me feel like I just "couldn't" do the assignment even if it was due the next day. when I got older and was online more I saw videos from other people with ADHD describing their experience which really matched up with mine, and so I talked to my therapist about getting a diagnosis and ADHD meds. the meds don't eliminate ADHD for me but they mainly make it like 75% easier to control my executive function, so stressors aren't quite so overwhelming. hope this helps :)
The natural OS I would argue for these handhelds are not windows but rather linux. That's what Steam OS is after-all.
@@Generic_UA-cam_Username_ linux is already widely used,albeit not gnu/linux android uses the linux kernel,so unknowingly,people are using some kind of linux distro on their phone already.
And linux is used for lots of stuff outside of that one example is servers
It would be nice to see Linux used more widely, so while Windows had advantages out of the gate I would prefer to see something like SteamOS take off.
@@Damian-cilr2 even Windows users are probably unknowingly runingn linux as they run Minix in their intel chips already
@@MonnizProductionsminix is unix, not linux
@@monochrome_linux and what is linux?
Im happy its moving away from top tier super expensive computers witj 4090s to the humble steam deck. I have a very good gaming setup but for some reason I prefer playing most non competitive games on my steam deck, the humbleness and simpleness of it increases enjoyment for some reason
100% agree. I'll play comp games on my pc at 300 frames but everything else I want to play on the steam deck
@@euphoric-cat Same. The SD is fantastic but it has its place for me and so does the ROG Ally. They are better for less demanding games, especially most JRPG’s I play. I love the SD UI and experience with Linux but it is not 100% compatible as Windows can be with games (it does a great job but some things slip thru the cracks). ROG Ally has better compatibility for some games I want to play and has the better screen, etc but lacks the button I have on the SD (which I love). I also like how I can use WeMod on the Ally but can’t on SD…SD can use Fling Trainers with some tinkering and cheathappens which is janky and required tinkering too (I love using trainers/cheats with some older RPG’s that I only want to experience the story).
But my 3080 Ti PC does it all, and although I don’t play it a ton with all my other devices/consoles, it has a place for me when running the most demanding games.
@@euphoric-cat the honeymoon phase was over
@@euphoric-cat Ah I still prefer steam deck for alot of games but I mostly play older titles anyway, not much of a AAA game guy (Atleast not new ones). But pc deffo is more immersive
@@Generic_UA-cam_Username_steam big picture literally is the same UI as the steam deck lol
I love his videos so much. Who woulda thunk a video essay could be so interesting
The fan is way quieter at 10W and lower. Plus the SoC is most efficient at 9W anyway (according to testing from The Phawx)
cant wait for ur breakdown of the new mapping tools that come with source 2
I agree about handhelds being an awesome way to play games, I picked up a switch OLED recently and have been playing on it considerably more than my fairly powerful PC. It's my first handheld in about 15 years since the PSP, I didn't realise what I was missing.
I did deliberate between the switch and steam deck a lot, but settled on the former for two reasons. Firstly, the steam deck still hasn't officially launched here in Australia so it's an expensive marked up import by third party sellers, making it effectively about twice the price of the switch (once you upgrade the 64gb versions storage which you absolutely will need to do). Secondly, I'm not all that keen on the IPS panel. Both my phone and my main computer monitor are OLED and I don't really want to go backwards in that regard. Having a better screen (while being way cheaper) is a BIG deal for a portable device like this.
Still, I love the idea of having access to my steam library on the go, and the ability to stream games from my desktop to the deck at home is a really sweet feature to enhance both performance and game compatibility.
I'll be eagerly awaiting details for both the switch 2 and second gen steamdeck.
i wished i had a steamdeck rn so i could watch this, steam-deck-ception
after 10 years of watching you, you still have a really nice voice
The issue is other countries like mine South Africa and I hear Australia as well struggle to get their hands on Steam Hardware. The Valve Index is insanely expensive here and virtually unavailable where as the Steamdeck is easily twice the base price or more than it is in America.
It's downright awful.
Fr, here in Indonesia is easy to find steam deck on online shop but to get accessories or spare part is god awful and need to import from US or Singapore
Compare with Asus Ally with service center is everywhere, Asus have no competition here
Can confirm, the steam deck hasn't officially launched in Australia so it's a marked up import.
Yeah I ended up sucking it up and paying for an imported deck in Australia for $800 for a 64g. When you include exchange rate that's still a decent markup. Still worth it for me though.
ez money
Indian here. Same shit here, pricing is really high here as well, since theres no official support. You can expect anywhere between 200% and 300% of US MSRP.
I love this style of video making where you just play around with the product with a voiceover instead of repeatedly showing commerical footage of the product
That last line, man. Imagine if Microsoft had any interest in innovating instead of waiting for literally anybody else to make a move that doesn't immediately flop and/or could take customers away from Windows before just... doing what they did with a bigger budget. Makes you wonder what their R&D teams actually do all day.
lol two delusional posts in a row, totally divorced from computer and consumer electronic history. but hey, this year is surely the year of the linux desktop, right?
@@Generic_UA-cam_Username_ ":they don’t seem to have learned from that 2001 lawsuit." then you dont know the current MS at all, or any of the time between, you are a delusion hater, you have gone religious with tech, you are fox news but for tech
microsoft research is the only bell-labs style r&d lab left in the world
what I love the steam deck for is it finally sets a baseline for PC gaming hardware, if your game doesn't run on the deck, you've failed, and even the games people say run terrible like the last of us are verified on the steam deck, and I think a big reason is proton, more specifically DXVK and Valves shader cache, many modern games run like ass not due to bad optimization, but just awful shader compilation lag, making it FEEL like the game runs terribly but really once those shaders are finally done compiling it runs good enough, its just that it can take until your done with that section of the game for the shaders to be done compiling, proton and Valves shader cache fixed this, going into the game the shaders are compiled already, and what I dont get is why isn't this on windows, well it actually is, the windows client supports it, but idk if its just that Valve only makes it possible to access their shader cache and devs can't provide their own, or if devs just don't use it, honestly I've been debating switching to linux for this feature, especially since the only games I play that only work on windows, well I haven't really been playing much, the only thing stopping me is just the setup it would take, I've dabbled in linux before so I know that unless I commit enough to switch my game drive from NTFS there will be a good amount of setup and jankiness, ad idk if I'm committed enough to format my 2TB drive filled with games, not that I couldn't go without much on that drive, but god thats a lot of games to reinstall
desktop linux has been making massive strides in gaming over the last 4 years, but also major improvements to just about every component as well. like it's insane to think that pc gamers can now use a linux distro as a viable alternative. i think having competition in the OS space for PC gaming is very important especially since it has been dominated by windows exclusively for decades. even macOS is going to use wine by default with their game toolkit. wine (and proton) is very important software for compatibility. there are games that you can run much easier thru wine on linux than on modern windows.
Linus Torvalds even said once (before the steam deck was) that Valve are probably the ones who is going to save Linux desktop and make it into the mainstream. The biggest hurdle for linux is that so little people use it for average use so less use development goes to gaming, programs and other stuff. But by making SteamOS a big deal, more stuff will be developed for linux so that even non-gamers might consider switching to a linux distro.
until I can pirate Linux games I am not switching
@@awii.neocities you can... just like any other windows game. pirate that like you usually do then run the sus ass installers and crack shit in either Lutris or Bottles. you filthy pirate
The ROG Ally is missing one of my favorite things about the Deck: The touch pads.
I doubt it'd be particularly fun to play Stellaris or Dyson Sphere Program on the Ally, especially compared to playing those on Deck.
Biggest downside for me with the Ally is it’s embarrassing aesthetic. It’s that tacky “Gamers will love this” look that all the tech companies push.
Would not want people seeing me use that thing.
True I really am not a fan of rgb because it just adds cost and it’s just to flashy, I like the way the steam deck looks because it’s basic in its color, grey is all I need and I don’t need the rainbow lights
that good old nintendo 64 case with the gamer favorite RGB twin stick
I don't play anything that makes the fans go really loud on steam deck so that's not really a concern for me.
On the other end the Ally looks so gooffy and so uncomfortable that I would rather whip out a PSP than this thing.
@@robrob8936 dude I think the fan being loud isn’t even that bad of a thing in public but holy shit imagine whipping out a device that’s just covered in rgb in public, that’s even more embarrassing then the loud fans honestly
@@robrob8936 honestly I could care less about preformace, I literally have a pc with a gt1030 and a 2 core and processor, I barely even play video games and when I do it’s ether a source engine game from 2009, the only reason I like the steam deck is because it’s cheaper and plus it looks like valve made the design to change broken parts really easy, I’m considering getting a deck to do guitar recording honestly
As someone who has had the ROG Ally for a few weeks, and someone with a decent desktop PC, I’m very impressed with the handheld. So much so I rarely use my desktop at the moment. Convenience and the performance of the handheld is too good to ignore. It’s also getting better with every update like the steamdeck did
3:57 he is STILL teasing destruction Darius 2.
GIVE US DARIUS.
Excellent video, if I'm being honest probably my favourite that you've put out on this channel in a little while
I used to like using my laptop on my lap. Touchpads never felt right to me, so eventually I just got used to having barely enough space for a mouse under the keyboard. My DPI was insane, and I played games like that without much issue. I even competed in a local tournament of Dota 2 once without a desk, since it was more comfortable for me that way.
well done. all I can say is well done :D
I loved the steam deck and recently picked up a gpd win 4. It was between that and the Ally. I think the win 4 is probably the best out of the 3, the sheer portability of it over the other two cannot be overstated and from what ive heard the software on the Ally is an absolute mess, where as the software on the gpd win 4 and the deck feel right at home on their respective hardware. Valve is the safe play though, because they will keep supporting the deck for years to come.
Steam deck is currently my only computer, and I didn't have any issues or shortcomings with it as my main PC. If anything, I was finally able to play Arma 3 without it being a slideshow (Using an external monitor and kb+m)
The only reason I am still looking to build a computer is PC VR
The Ally feels like Asus wanted to make a computer and added the controller parts as extra doodads. While more power is great, the fact it's missing the 4 back buttons and touch pads marks it at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to the controls and what games you can play.
To me, that's the most important factor. If this mini computer is designed for me to play PC games, then I want to be able to play almost any PC game I want.
People have made KotOR control schemes for the Steamdeck that are actually intuitive, while with the ROG you are hit with a hard limit of the two back buttons. So far, besides extra performance, the Ally seems like they want you to dock the machine more than use it as a handheld device.
the history of handheld computers is pretty cool and probably the most remarkable market i ever seen. evolving from palm tops to gpd win becoming more game ready and seeing as apus/mobile chips get smaller for performance is pretty staggering.. im really waiting for a lens on my retina just to be able to play the world.
Im really excited for more CS2 content from you.
You have mistaken him for his brother 3kliksphilips who plays csgo
I knew what to expect of my Steam Deck and I'm very impressed. I bought like $500 worth of games for it and I haven't turned my PC on for gaming too much. Only RTX AAA games that are worth playing in 2k or 4k are for my machine, the rest is on the Deck. I'm also bad with time management so when the battery on it runs out it's time to stop playing. Deck literally changed the way I play games and I've been playing more and more of them ever since I got it. And of course the emulation is incredible.
how can you afford it all?!?
@@primtve_dope9568 it's called having a job
Please stop saying 2K when you mean 1440p
@@MaksKCS however much you earn buying a steam deck for hundreds, then buying 500 worth of games when you already have an RTX-ready PC is just the most consoomer thing possible. I hate the consoomer mindset some people have.
@@primtve_dope9568 it's not a consoomer thing. I just bought things off my wishlist (games dating from 2018-2023 that I never got around to buying because I was unsure of when I could play them) that I'll play for the next year. And yes, it's called having a job.
omg only 2 hrs ago, ive been thinking about a steam deck for a week man and u drop this, i lvoe you philip
5:20 I must say it's not a novel method of typing, this method was already implemented in Steam Controller. Nearly all features of it were either directly ported, or reimplemented in SteamDeck. Some say the Deck as a project was just a second gen of the Steam Controller, but the scope was widened to the point of the entire handheld pc/console
Agreed, I would end up using the track pads even if the touch screen was much better
1:45 what a pleasant surprise :> Fluffykins seems like a kind of kitty that will always be by your side within few mins :) I wonder how it goes when you’re recording voice over hehe
Small things to note regarding the price difference between the Z1 Extreme Ally and the most expensive Steam Deck:
1) Steam deck comes with a travel/carry case - Ally does not
2) The price of the Ally depends on your country. Over here the 512GB Deck costs 679 while the Z1 Extreme Ally is 799. That's a difference of 120 Euros, which isn't a low sum
The future is looking beautiful!
I LOVE my steam deck. I already know im gonna buy the next one and turn this one into a server
Same here. Never cared much for portable gaming, hate mobile gaming + I have a top of the line PC. Got a SteamDeck and suddenly I found a lot of use for it
4:02 destruction darius 2 jumpscare
actually, why i think valve is such a great company is because they actually care about their consumers, they aren't in it for the win, but to drive competition, their hardware is usually really well built and high end when compared to others and they're not overly priced. even the Index is sort of reasonable if you consider what's in it and how it works. Valve's just not greedy, they're grounded in reality and they can afford to make good things without the worry of losing profits because they're the number one option for PC gaming and that, i think you cannot change no matter how much you try to
I can't afford a gaming pc so I got a steam deck and docking station. It works great as a budget pc and I don't mind playing on low settings on the games I play. And emudeck is awesome.
I love the fact there is a lot of competition in the pc handheld market always good for consumers. Who knows maybe one day you can buy mix & match parts to make your own handheld PC like standard PCs
I also had issues with the size of the Steam Deck at first, and the fans were slightly loud.
I got the Jsaux transparent backplate with the aluminum on the back to help with cooling, and I got a case so that the Steam Deck sits better in my hands.
Seriously though, if the Steam Deck feels too small get a good case for it. It'll protect your deck while making it easier to hold at the same time.
I'm very happy that handheld PCs are a thing now. I really really want them to sell even more so devs have to optimize for them aswell.
There is something so pleasing in running a game at 15W instead of 1500 or whatever Nvidia does these days
my favorite thing about the Steamdeck Custom Mappable buttons for keyboard and GYRO
With the glimpse of disco elysium shown at 2:39 I have realized. We need a disco elysium review from Phillip.
The ROG Ally's screen is higher resolution in terms of total pixels however it's a 16 : 9 screen rather than a 16 : 10 screen that the Steam Deck has. This to me is a big downside as a 16 : 10 screen gives you more physical screen real estate than a 16 : 9 one. Granted not all games will take advantage of it but I would rather have it for those that do than be stuck using a 16 : 9 resolution. The 16 : 10 aspect ratio also makes a lot of sense for these kind of devices as the screens are already pretty small and you can't really make the screen wider because of the form factor. IMO the most important specs of a handheld gaming PC's screen in order from least to most important are: the aspect ratio, resolution, VRR support and refresh rate.
I didn't need my steam deck and had no reason to justify the purchase, but one birthday I gave in and bought one for myself, and Holly crap, it's the best decision I've made. I love my steam deck so much. Every game I've ever played or want to play on a hand held is mind blowing. Every single game I had growing up is playable and at this point I don't care for any more powerful competitor.
ROG ally seems nice but I'd miss the conveniences of my steam deck. I tried using windows as the main OS for my deck for a while but Steam OS was so much more convenient than I thought. The touch pads unexpectedly are game changers and make certain mouse and keyboard games much more playable. Also I like that the steam deck is black like the rest of my technology, as a night mode kinda guy I don't like white devices, an ROG ally would feel out of place being all white.
Lingering on Destruction Darius 2 for just a second... I'll hope for a new update someday.
Coming back to the Ally segment after seeing the Jerry Rig video on it seems... quite ironic.
Stay safe, don't cook your fingers or your SD cards and get the Deck instead.
Cloud saves for steam and sleep function is pretty amazing.
If you’re bothered by the fan noise and don’t mind getting a bit technical, why don’t you try undervolting? It’s not an excuse as consumers shouldn’t need to tune their system for a good experience but it’s nice to have the option. That being said, I don’t have a Steam Deck so I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve heard it can have an effect on heat and battery life.
I think the biggest strength of the SteamDeck aside from cost, software and controls, is that it's the "winning team" - everyone makes software, accessories, tutorials, support, controller profiles, etc for the Steam Deck, because it's the most popular device
4:02 The coveted Destruction Darius 2! You're such a tease hehe
My steam deck goes everywhere with me love that portable gaming is back. I literally sat out outside a few nights ago and played persona 5 till I killed the battery. Oh and steam cat!
I have both the Deck and the ROG Ally, and I find them to be exceptional devices. Native Windows and a substantially more powerful APU in the Ally make it my preferred option for higher end games and emulators (with CEMU running BOTW at 55-60 at full load vs Deck's 38-40 under same conditions), but the Deck's additional back buttons, trackpads and integrated gyro through SteamOS make it the ideal option for games designed with KBM in mind - Astroneer being a perfect example - or otherwise titles that allow for simultaneous KBM and Controller input, as you showed with CounterStrike for gyro aiming. Neither device is perfect, and neither device is outright better than the other.
For people who work from home this is an innovation. No one wants to sit at a desk after a 9-5. Perfectly time release.
8:58 I don't think that we need to make the choice between gaming and general PC functionality, well maybe we do.
one of the most exiting things for me concerning the steamdeck is how it's normalizing the use of linux, which I hope will drive more software vendors to support linux more.
The Steam Deck fits perfectly into my hands, which I would call average sized. My only issue is the lower back buttons, if they were moved up slightly to be more comfortable to press in a later revision it would be great.
Agreed, I never use the lower back buttons because of that
I still use them sometimes, but they are the hardest thing to press on the Deck for sure. I think it has to do with human anatomy as well, though. You use your ring finger for the lower back buttons, and I don't know if you've noticed, but your ring finger is your sh*ttiest/worst finger. It's weak and hard to control independently. Maybe the solution is paddles instead of buttons (like the Xbox Elite controller) but last time Valve did that with the Steam Controller they got sued by Scuf and had to discontinue it 😔
If you get the JSAUX transparent backplate replacement it comes with two different sets of back button replacements, I use the paddles, which are much easier to reach imo. Might be worth looking into.
@@magganon Yeah, I've thought about that too. How's the thermal metal pad? Does it work?
@@David-ki2xt Hard to say, I haven't done any A/B testing as I've only got the one Deck. My intuition is it will pretty much just slightly delay getting to peak temp, unless you were in an exceptionally cold environment/ had a fan pointed at it/ soldered a little heatsink onto it or something for more passive cooling. I will say it gets hot af so must be at least slightly better being exposed to the outside air than under a plastic plate?
what all the new steam deck competitors forget is the price point they are all ALLOT more expensive then the deck.
I got my steam deck as i was in the market for a new laptop and the steam deck was more affordable and better at running games at any laptop within its price range.
The price per unit is key for something with that formfactor
Even though I hardly use my deck when I'm at home but it's perfect for when I'm on break at work and when I'm in my family's caravan with bugger all internet
👍🏽 for the cat at 1:49 .
I'm surprised noone has copied the switchs dockable controllers yet. They make so much sense for a portable, but semi stationary device.
I can think of two reasons.
1. They're very uncomfortable to use. The joycon was the first 1st part controllers I hated using. I don't like Xbox. Analog stick placement, but it still works for me and isn't a painful to my hands.
2. Nintendo probably have patents keeping others from doing so.
I always saw handheld computers like the GPD Win as cool devices, but the price-to-performance made it so I never even entertained the idea of owning one. I didn’t hace any consoles that use thumb sticks to look around till I was in High School so I never got used to using them and always saw them as a hindrance. The steamdeck having gyro and the steam controller touchpads make it look way more appealing as a product that I may actually enjoy using. With the Steamdeck I actually entertained the idea of owning one which lead to me pulling the trigger on one last week with the ongoing sale. Their is no other computer handheld I would have even entertained the idea of buying.
Im pretty confident that you have a Delta fan in your Deck, which is a very loud and annoying fan. I had it in my Deck, too. I bought a replacement on iFixIt which is the Huaying model and it is _absurdly_ quieter. I highly recommend it for anyone with the Delta fan.
God of war is so good on the deck, i play at 40fps as well, i used to play it at 30fps which was great but 40 just feels so smooth without sacrificing to mucj graphic fidelity
the Pro for me of the Steam deck is that its like a Cheap- Mid Teir Gaming PC.
Valve has been incredibly open with the Steam Deck that I think deserves to be mentioned. You can install and play games from stores other than Steam, and their SteamOS version will be open sourced (idk why they're taking so long on it) so other handhelds can deliver the same experience.
You can also repair pretty much everything in it, they've even provided an official teardown video.
Valve has also done a TON for making gaming on Linux (SteamOS) possible over the last several years with their Proton compatibility layer, which is also open source.
Proton is the sole reason why I quitted from dual booting, after almost a decade doing it.
2018 I played CSGO at my grandparents house on my lap, while watching the football final.
Burned my lap
I hope you revisit this topic down the line!
Successful products like this scream to other developers, "This is a large market" which is important when they just didn't realise it beforehand.
Cool video. I do think that you already have a system where you don't have to trade general gaming aptitude and convenience for general use cases. The steam deck. As a Linux user for many years, the only reason I had windows was to run video games. Everything else I use Linux. It is better, easier, more convenient, more modular. Installing python and libraries required on windows is an exercise in pulling your hairs out. In Linux? Sudo apt-get install and you are done.
Wine and proton did the grunt of the work for gaming and now I can game on Linux and ditch windows. I also ditched my laptop who was running Kali Linux and my desktop was running mint but due to my GIS heavy workload I now run Dragon OS in it. And it blows windows away in terms of useability and just having things.
I bought a miniPC and installed Chimera on it but will likely change it as Chimera still has issues supporting the 7840U processors but I will find a distro that fits. For now I am keeping chimera on SSD1 and batocera on SSD2.
I would highly recommend you try using the deck as a desktop replacement with external kb and mouse. I think you will be impressed with the experience. The packet manager available on the deck has some open source video editing software you could give a go.
I like the little Destruction Darius 2 fan service
The screen of the Ally is NOT what creates the battery life issues on it. It's the APU and how it's tuned. On balance the screen consumes about the same amount of power as the Deck's does.
If you have big hands you can use both thumbs to write anything with touchscreen and that made keyboard experience much better. You just have to shift grip a little bit closer to the edge for few seconds which feels natural to me
how dare you tease us with Destruction Darius 2 😭😭
Philip, i don't know if this is a unpopular opinion but I'd like to ask if you would start reviewing games more now? All of your reviews were really interesting and fun to watch, even after years of coming back to them just for entertainment. The Hogwarts Legacy Review for example really helped me make an informed decision. On top of that it seems like our tastes are pretty similar and so is the way we play games. Since you said that you'll change over to less time consuming content.
@@2kliksphilip Wow thanks for the reply. Totally understandable.
I tend to prefer using my middle finger for the trigger, leaving my index for just the bumper
Ally is godsend for us who live overseas with no steam deck available and Asus service is anywhere near
what is the background music name from the beggining?
This device is so good for emulation too.
I hope if there's a SD2 ever coming out, that they'd keep the screen resolution the same. 1080p seems such a waste of power and resources.
Increasing the resolution is not a bad idea. Smartphones had 1080p screens for years despite having smaller screens than the Steam Deck. What is important is the screen aspect ratio. The Steam Deck has 16 : 10 screen which gives you additional screen real estate on top and bottom which some games use to either show more on top and bottom or to move bottom or top anchored UI elements further out of the way. With that being said refresh rate above 60 Hz is a waste on devices like these as they lack the power to run many games at higher refresh rates and in case of games where they can it has a side effect of lower battery life.
A good 720p oled screen is best for this usecase
I’ve got the Steam Deck and my gf has the Ally. I really don’t think the Ally is above the Steam Deck
What does your gf think?
Has it's perks. She can still have a Steam Deck-like experience using the Windows client Big Picture Mode.
Why? , elaborate pls
Owning both, I feel the ally is very nice till you need mouse control. Screen is way prettier and the 120hz is so nice. This guy is just wrong lel
@@sycoraz Some people like Pepsi. Some people like Coke.
The switch 2.0 might be the next best gaming handheld if they keep the same formula and a nvidia gpu.
All these handheld PCs are forced to use AMD gpus because nvidia does not sell this kind of APUs. For high end computers the AMD offer is of course competitive, but imo nvidia technology really shines for this kind of devices.
The first switch was somewhat able to run some PC games, but with improved hardware plus DLSS upscaling (and framegen) there's no reason it wouldnt handle current gen games. FSR is decent at 1440p or above but not that good at upscaling really low resolutions, whereas DLSS does an incredibly good job at it.
On top of that , regarding power efficiency, nvidia is slightly better for raster and much much better for RT. A 4XXX series gpu should give around for 4-6tflops for 20W, so 2-3x the old steam deck gpu compute and probably around 7-10x the switch gpu.
There's no reason to believe Valve is making a loss on the Deck, and the pricing for the ROG Ally is a hint towards the idea that they're probably not losing money.
This has also lead to an exponential interest in linux gaming, which benefits me because I'm not interested in windows11's TPM shite.
Man's teasing Destruction Darius 2 like Valve is teasing Half-Life 3 👀
3? Still?! Laidlaw said goodbye, he's not there anymore. There's not ever going to be a 3. Besides, that "letter" said the Borealis was a bust. Its over.
Thank you Mr Philip
cant wait for your 800th video
Two things:
1. I love gyro aim on the steam deck, and valve has been oushing gyro aim for controllers, which is a total win.
2. I like that the steam deck has both desktop and gaming mode, I ended up installing brave browser and mumble on the desktop mode and now I can select each of them in gaming mode.
Overall steam deck > competition.
Then again I'd probably say the same about the Index so...maybe I'm a bit of a fanboy.
5:40
The thing you mentioned about hand position is the one consistent issue I've had with the deck. I also have large hands and they rest naturally on triggers but have to extend to hit the bumpers. I find myself remapping the R4/L4 back paddles to the bumper inputs and use it that way instead of reaching up.