What's great about the steam deck is that it's the culmination of everything valve has done the past few years, the steam controller , the steam big picture ui and proton/Linux support. Even if this doesn't take off it'll accelerate Linux gaming and steam as a whole
And the other stuff didn't even get killed off. They stopped getting sold just like... every other product eventually? But they still update them regularly (not sure about the steam machine though).
@@SnrubSource the steam controller definitely got killed due to the lawsuit with the scuf controllers. steam link also wasn't really getting any sales. they were flops, though i'll add i own both and use the controller frequently.
Only if Steam OS can punch Windows hard enough to put a dent... Cause gamers don't want to fiddle around Linux like PC nerds. They want to download, install & enjoy.
I've been playing several games for days now and don't know what he means necessarily by latency. If it's a frame rate thing, yeah like.. 30fps is going to feel slightly less responsive than 60, but.. There definitely isn't a hardware delay and you can always tweak the game to run at 60fps
Yeah, I've noticed zero input latency. Thats either a game specific issue or he's referring to lack of responsiveness with 30fps over 60fps (which is understandable). But straight up input lag? I've seen none. On several games running at 60fps on my deck the input has zero detectable lag. Even with emulation of old consoles, it feels great
Valve have actually made great hardware, the steam machines being the exception (which weren't actually made by valve). The steam link was sold off because it became obsolete with the steam link apps, and the steam controller was sold off due to a lawsuit. You left out the vive and the index, both of which were among the best VR headsets for their time.
@@FizzyCape valve developed the tracking system that they used and was a partner in the creation of the Vive. They were very much involved in the HTC Vive. They also laid the groundwork for the Oculus Rift before Facebook got their hands on it. Valve has been absolutely integral in the state of VR as we know it.
@@FizzyCape bruh look it up valve literally did 70% of the work even with the vive. They developed the tracking system, went ahead and built many of the lighthouses for the tracking and designed some of the headset too
@@GargoyleMODE Yep, Valve is one of the AR/VR pioneers that started with Gabe hiring a bunch of top-tier engineers a decade ago. But sadly, because of internal financial issues, a lot of those engineers were fired and some of them moved to work for Oculus to continue their R&D in VR. After Valve realized their mistake by abandoning the VR project (and with Oculus taking off and getting acquired by Facebook), they decided to work with HTC to continue their VR project. Also, basically, Oculus got carried by Valve because Valve provided most of the additional tech and infrastructure when developing their VR tech. Valve was generous to do that because back then they thought all of the techs they shared would be benefiting them in the long run because they were intending Steam will be the platform for VR gaming. They want people that make those headsets to be able to work on Steam. Even Oculus used Valve's tech, called The Wall, to pitch their technology to many VCs, including Mark Zuckerberg who was amazed by it and instantly acquired Oculus. If Valve were greedy enough, I think they would probably sue Oculus for doing that. It's a complicated history. But you could try reading some articles about it on UploadVR website or some interviews with Jeri Ellsworth, who was a Valve's hardware engineer back then.
@@juice8431 True, but it is Valve Hardware and it hasn't failed and their customer support for it is outstanding. So forgetting about it when bashing the steam controller, steam link and steam machines with the intention to frame them as a bad hardware company is more than disingenuous especially since Valves only involvement with steam machines was the branding and SteamOS the poor hardware in those came from Dell Alienware and other PC manufacturers that got the license to publish PCs with the steam branding. The Steam Link still gets updates, but the steam link App that came from it is the way better option. And for the steam controller that was a nice piece of tech that as far as I remember had to be discontinued because of some patent issues with the back pedals. But if you liked the way it controls the steam controller still is a very good piece of quality hardware.
compared to the controllers of Oculus Quest 2. Valve Index controllers doesn't survive getting hit if it flies off your hand. There's clearly some cheap parts in the index, for $1000 This is very bad.
@@eziothedeadpoet I still feel like there is a lot of barriers standing in its way. Forgetting about the insane price tag, there are also the part where you need a really good pc, a room with minimal furniture and a lot of room and so on. VR is only going to improve as the years go by but as of now it isn’t consumer ready
He's not like LTT or Austin Evans or Donut Media where there's a team/cast on camera. It's okay, I like his format and Dave2D's format. I came to see Marques or his doppelganger!
Wish you also talked about its repair-ability which sets is apart from most of tech-hardware companies. This is also one of the reasons why a lot of people are supporting / rooting for the steam deck.
@@bb69bb I don't think he cares that much about R2R or open source or any such non-Apple-universe things even if he did a video when R2R became somewhat mainstream. This video completely misses the mark if he was interested at all. I caught one passing mention of being able to use it as a Linux desktop, that was that
Hey Marques, just wanted to let you know that the delay you’re experiencing has to do with locking your frame rate to 30 fps with the overall settings menu rather than the game menu. Something I’ve notice when I has testing out my deck.
Also when mentioning games he said apex legends is completely unplayable, when it's been playable for a while now. I think it was only a week after the official release that apex was running.
It isn't exactly fair to say valve hasn't been successful in hardware, they've done a very good job in VR. The index is the best selling headset out there other then the quest
No argument about the Index being great (I love mine) but my understanding is that far more Quest 1 units were sold and that was before the Quest 2 outsold the 1.
@@OhHeyTrevorFlowers More Civics are sold than Ferraris. Clearly Civics are the better car. Number of units sold is a bad metric because they market to different people, have different qualities and features, price range, etc.
What i like about the deck is how everyone in the community can contribute with fixes and community layouts. I even found some for non steam games, like the controller layout for Pokemon uranium.
1:36 While true for the Steam Controller and Link, you're leaving out the Valve Index, which is truly a stellar piece of hardware. It's the Index in particular that got me interested in the Deck.
I mean, you can say the Steam Controller is gone, but it's not, it's literally in the Steam Deck. You can say the Steam Link is gone, but it's not, it's just that it's an app on your mobile device or Apple TV/Android TV instead of a box (also, on your Steam Deck). You can say the Steam Machine is gone, but SteamOS 3 is just another version of what that essentially was (and guess what, that's on Steam Deck). So yeah, all in all, not a bad track record for Valve hardware, I'd wager.
The steam link and controller have gotten tons of updates and are still receiving new updates and features on this very day, years after they stopped selling them. I'm not sure why he's trying to show them as 'failed' projects.
@@no_misaki Steam Deck already has it turned on so it's basically a double layer of Vsync, so turning it off in-game will reduce lag without screen tearing.
@@devadathanyt5595 I think the countdown at the start when Marques is on the SteamDeck is Rocket League? If you're talking about the rally game halfway throughout the video it looks like DiRT Rally or DiRT Rally 2.0. EDIT: It's DiRT Rally - he mentions in the video lol
I started recently learning english. You have the very good pronunciation. I can catch every word that you say without subs. Its very nice to find a youtuber like you)
Just for the record, the steam link still gets updates today and the steam controller is absolutely still supported by Valve including a semi-recent update for the firmware enabling using it with just bluetooth.
Steam controller got them SUED I think by scuff & it’s now worth $300 on ebay lol. Hilarious because I got mine free for buying Sekiro Shadows die twice on steam (bundle)
I would be enjoying one, if I could get one! XD In all seriousness I'm beyond happy to see the device doing well, it's so good for the industry for so many reasons. It's good to finally have a semi mainstream Linux PC, it's good to finally see Valve putting out a console, it's good to see portable PCs finally breaking into the mainstream, it's good to finally have a console out there we can point to with other companies and say "hey, valve can make money with a semi open ecosystem, maybe you should too". I could go on
Valve isn't known for making a ton of great hardware? They make the Index VR headset which is still one of the best HMDs on the market, and they were mostly responsible for the success of the first Vive HMD... not to mention Valve (Chief Architect Alan Yates) designed the entire lighthouse based tracking system hardware which essentially got VR going, and the first OEM finger tracking controllers... I'd say they are very well known for making great hardware.
That goes to show that everyone is copying each other’s scrip on what Valve is. Like since when did Valve release the Steam console? Last time I check it was cancel but a third party Alienware made it base on Steam OS or lynx (not sure on that). Why these tech channels never get Valve info right yet they know everything about tech and tech companies history?
The key word here is "a ton" of great hardware. Meaning they make a lot of great hardware. Having one piece of good hardware doesn't constitute as "a ton" of great hardware.
Interesting to watch an MKBHD review in 2022 on a 'first-gen' piece of tech. Going back to those issues around battery life, compatibility issues, hot & loud fans and so on that we take for granted as solved in most of the tech we use today. Steam Deck v2 (or v3, or mini) seem like the ones that will break into the mainstream.
@@retro_boy_advance If they continue making these they're probably gonna launch the Steam Deck V2, then the V2+ and then the Steam Deck Go or something.
I think they just have to work out the battery life. and boom it will go mainstream. The rest can be ironed out easily compared to the battery issues. Hopefully the next iteration lets us play at least 4-5 hrs and ill buy it.
Glad Valve is so open to users truly making their Steam Deck their own, going so far as to have disassembly guides and making Windows Drivers in case you want to install that.
@@sicthegamer1362 Yeah. Windows drivers are rly great. To test it i installed Windows 10 to an extern hdd. Steam deck boots with this over a usb c dongle Just fine.
@@CatKingEbola can I ask if this is a viable option for having a separate boot drive with windows, so you can use windows based productivity apps at a desk (office, Adobe, etc.), effectively having a Windows desktop computer that can swap to and from a Linux gaming console?
@@JamesLikesCoffee hmmmm. In my case i think not. Windows on a extern hdd seemed a bit slow. Loadingtimes etc. And its installed like a Windows portable Version. Installing it on a fast sd card is maybe the better Option. As far as i know, currently you cant install Windows beside Linux on the internal ssd of the steam deck
They don't make money off the os they make money off the store. The better experience they can make the device, the more likely people will play on it and therefore buy games from steam.
I don't think it will be portable, but definitely wireless. I think Pico/Bytedance along with some other mystery companies will be making some quest competitors
There was an interview with a Valve employee regarding the Steam Deck hardware last year. The interviewer asked if the same idea could be used in a standalone VR headset similar to the Quest. The Valve employee's eyes lit up like a beacon before he gave the company authorized non-answer. They're definitely working on something.
Honestly don't care as much about VR right, but interested in what a modern portable Xbox or PS could look like. This even proves Nintendo could clearly make an adequately performing machine if they tried (preferably one not two generations behind). I personally think the advancement of technology in small form factors is one of the more interesting. More powerful devices with how portability enables us to use them in more places and ways.
Thanks for adding that. Kinda sad how so many people are talking down Vavle's hardware capabilities because of the Steam Machines, forgetting they did make (in collaboration with HTC) the Vive, then they made the Index which is great (not without its problems but the ultra high end, VR-niche pc gaming crowd is extremely hard to please and Valve is dealing with it gracefully) and they're on their way to make a new VR headset. The Steam Controller and Link, while discontinued, were and still are really great devices. As a SC user, I would even say this controller is game-changing for me.
I noticed that ever since Marques got really big about eight years ago he's had this snobby outlook towards every piece of tech that is blessed enough to slide into his hands. This is why I like Linus. He started *from the bottom* by leaving the company that was underpaying him and took only his best friend with him and today they are worth millions. Linus, for ten years, still drives a beater sh*tbox car that his employees (or should I say, friends) spray painted pink for a prank almost a decade ago. Talk about sticking to your roots and remembering where you come from.
@@kanpeki2485 high end. Not everyone can afford it. They make $1000 dollar headsets + the cost of the $2000 PC to run it. Many more people can afford a $300 headset like the shi*ty a*s quest 2 than the $3000 dollars it takes to run a big boy VR setup. Nobody cares about cheaply built outdated tech besides teenagers without jobs.
Here's the best part: It's repairable and you OWN the device. It does not belong to Valve unlike most other devices you showcase. It's repairable. It has swappable thumbsticks.
@@xeno4162 He disses the battery only to barely mention you can literally customize the settings so you can get more than three hours of gameplay with AAA games. That's more than the Switch! But it ain't Apple or Samsung, so...
It blows my mind that we went from storing hundreds of games on external hard drives to being able to store them onto tiny Micro SD Cards. Technology is goddamn beautiful.
@Jaquan Kelsor that's not the point. The point is that we can actually achieve it now. "Portable computers" in 1980-1990s were huge suitcases weighting 10 kgs
@Jaquan Kelsor i don't get a word of what you're saying. Not sure if you are a non native or smth but you just typed random shit that doesn't even make sense
The sticks also recognize you touching them, which is a technology from the Valve Index Controllers. This is used so you can touch them and then use the gyroscope of the Deck to slightly adjust aim for example.
Everytime people talk about Valves hardware, they seem to forget about the Index, which is still one of the best PCVR headsets out there, nearly 3 years after it's release. Also, the Steam controller was actually pretty great, but it sadly did not sell well enough.
@@gogereaver349 "fad"? Boy you must have been living under a rock for the past year. Intetest in VR has been absolutely skyrocketing and is continuing to grow
steam machine was a attempt to get devs to go native linux. they also didnt build the machines in house something they learned was a bad idea all around. devs whont leave windows due to the linux low sales and install base. so they started working with the wine devs in a big way and now enrly any game runs on linux fine.
Big thing for me with steam deck is that I have two kids and a wife. I’m a huge gamer and I do get a decent amount of time gaming at my desk, but with the deck my kids could be playing at the park or back yard or even in the living room watching movies and playing games of their own. We can all do that together as a family with the bonus of me having my steam library. I almost always prefer to buy games on steam because of my gaming pc for one. Mods for two. While I think getting mods to work on deck will likely be annoying. It does mean that I will buy a lot more games on steam to play them unmodded whenever and then at night when it’s time to play at my desk. I pick up where I left off.
@@Stierenkloot yeah it’s just not good enough for me to enjoy it. Worked with some games. I played a ton of temtem that way. There were a few more games I liked as well that aren’t coming to me right now but it was probably less then 10% of games I played.
You very quickly glossed over the fact that it is the cheapest gaming PC you can buy today, as a small form factor computer it is incredible value for money
Its easy to laugh off valves previous hardware attempts but when you look back at it they genuinely have a good track record. Index - Goes without saying, one of if not the best consumer vr headset kit out there. Controller- Much loved by a niche community for the accesbility and customization it brought to the table, was actually on sale for quite a number of years, good build quality, likely getting a succesor at some point. Link- bit under the radar but one of the best ways of game streaming, seems to work better than any other local in house game streaming app ive used whether thats xbox's or playstations and the dedicated hardware unit like this seems to run flawlessly even compared to the steam link appletv app and android tv apps. steam machines were more of a software thing iirc as they were basically licensing out steamos to alienware and so on to make them, not that that excuses them, they definitely were a failure, but i think when you look at it valves track record with hardware isnt bad at all.
Yeah I think all of those products were just very niche. It's not like they were bad they did what they were supposed to do quite well again steam machines not withstanding.
Not to mention the fact that even the steam link gets updates every now and then still. Like. Most companies don't update a failed product at all after a couple years, valve is doing alright frankly
ALL of those previous attempts at hardware have had influence on the Steam Deck. Steam Machines = Valve specific hardware and Steam OS & the Proton compatibility layer. Steam Controller is the reason the Steam Deck has all those mapped controls and gyro because of Steam Controller fans doing the work. Link still works, or you can technically download the app for Steam Link on any Android TV device. Remote play is also part of the Steam Deck. Some of the controller concepts in the Index also made it to the Steam Deck. Windows 1 and 2 were failures for Microsoft but they eventually succeeded with Windows 95. Valve has a clear road map for gaming they're pursuing and it's clear to see the direction things are heading.
I got mine yesterday, absolutely loving it so far. Most of the games I played get an estimated 3 hours but 2 of them get 6 hours so I’m happy about that
Appreciate the review! Will add for hardware: The Valve Index was the sold completely out of inventory after Half Life: Alyx released in 2019 and was critically acclaimed as a premium product. Also the steam machines weren't technically Valve hardware - Valve handled the software for the operating system but let different PC manufacturing partners (such as Alienware) create their own hardware configurations using standard PC components, which is arguably part of the reason why it failed (no set hardware targets to make any games for, just rebranding of more limited machines paired with a new linux-based OS). Between the Steam Controller, Steam Link, and Valve Index, they've had what I would call a mixed record. The Steam Controller is disliked by the majority but well liked by a niche audience of those that play RTS or other titles not condusive to analogue sticks and wanted a controller option. Those who play FPS/Racing/Platformer/Fighting games or anything else with strafe-style movement tended to dislike the experience or noted a very long learning curve in adjusting to a trackpad, which while more precise in fine movements than analgue sticks needed to reset positions like a mouse. The Steam Link was great for those that wanted an out-of-the-box solution for PC streaming but cheaper and better options were available at the time and built-in functionality for Windows 10 and 11 have made it possible to stream to many devices without the need for dedicated hardware. The Index was quite well received overall and arguably one of the best performing tethered-headsets you can buy today, but extremely expensive compared to similar products in a market where the average gamer would prefer a cheaper and untethered option at the cost of performance. Aspects of all four of these initiatives are present in the Steam Deck - the option for trackpad controls, the excellent stick design from the Index, the software needed for built in PC streaming from a gaming PC to the deck and the OS from the largely failed steam machines that can push players to their storefront and keep costs for the initial purchace down despite the hardware it is packing. That said, it is a niche product (like all of their hardware so far) from a company that has (to my knowledge) never released a second model of their hardware that improves on their designs.
Would have been nice to touch on the tuning options for improved battery life. You can greatly improve battery life simply by locking FPS to 30 and reducing power.
@@Gureenu You can lock it at 15, 30 & 60 and tune the refresh rate anywhere between 40 and 60Hz. Also there' half rate shading and manual GPU frequency control.
The other next-level editing can be found in the title. Original title was "I like the BAD SteamDeck" or something along those lines but since I slept and woke up, he changed it 🤔
I've had my deck for a couple of weeks now, and it's definitely not perfect. It has some major software issues, there are issues even with games marked as compatible and such - but holy cow is it a cool piece of tech. It has also vastly improved since I got it, with fairly significant software updates. I'm a tinkerer, and am comfortable messing around with settings to get things to work - but Valve absolutely has some ground to cover to make this suitable for the larger masses. They absolutely can though, because this thing is sublime. This is true portable gaming, in a way that a laptop never could be.
@@chrispricesk8 Mine took 8 days to arrive, and I live in an area where shipping is really wierd. It took about 3 days after payment to get the shipping email with the package tracking info.
The battery life definitely depends on the game and settings. My half life 2 and CIV games lasts about 4-5 hours. GTA V about 3 hours. Yes if you play a triple AAA, 60 fps, high setting, max wattage use, then the battery would drain to 2 hours. I can imagine playing stardew valley, card game, etc, lasting 6-8 hours.
Yeah I've had no problem with the battery i get like 6 different play sessions before even having to charge it like the other night i was playing at 37 percent and the battery indicator said i had like 2 hours left.
My primary gaming genre on PC is visual novels, which I know are also on the switch, but the selection is greater on PC. I’m excited to be able to play some of my favorite VNs portably (a Windows tablet could run them, but ergonomics and lack of mouse controls make it less than ideal), plus I love tinkering on Linux, so this’ll be fun when mine arrives this fall. :)
@@ganganthefatman1382 Now that brings about a question I was wondering about. When it comes to that, how would game mods be installed, since it’s a Linux based system?
@@rml695 For a while now it hasn't been much different from the process of Windows. But now that this is out, I'm keen to see what the community comes up with considering the portable nature.
even games that "don't work" often it's "only work 99%, so it's not verified" the games that truly don't work are because more often because of some kind of anti-cheat protection not liking it being on linux. And plenty of "unsupported" games work just fine, but there's 30-40 years of PC games that need to be checked to see how they work, and alot of them do just work. They might need you to setup your own control scheme, but the games work flawlessly.
@@hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-Mikel.Montalat They were trying to defend it. Other handheld PCs with similar performance are over $1k is what they were saying. Valve has a super competitive price for the Deck. And if you really want to, you can just install Windows on it (Valve/AMD already released Windows 10 drivers with Windows 11 drivers being developed).
I think it's slightly unfair to question valve hardware's ability to "last" at least with the steam link. I still regularly see it getting updates from Valve. I suspect they would mostly be security related (keeping certs up to date and updating kernal etc) but they put in the effort to keep it running, and let you build your own with explicit Raspberry Pi support. It has seen UI and usability improvements too though not as recently, but still well after it went out of production. Out of production now and commercially non viable to produce at the time of it's creation? Yeah. But also, probably ahead of it's time. Look how prevalent things like Amazon Fire sticks and similar are now.
This video didn't really come across very in-depth as a whole. He completely missed the Index as you said, Valves pro-consumer marketing/communication, the repair and upgrade friendliness and for example made their 2-8h claim look ridiculous while only playing 2 AAA 3d games which Valve never said would run for 8 hours. And his point "half of the games don't run" without saying that there are still hundreds of 90%+ positive games that run *great* seemed very disingenuous. He also skimmed over the "you can install Linux" part without even mentioning Windows supported as well... This was easily the worst video about the Steam Deck I've seen so far.
It's like the Elden Ring of Tech. A culmination of past experiences then wrapping them all up in one package. Not perfect but also way waaaay better than the majority of what we've seen so far.
The steam controller may not have had the best interface, but for what it did, it was amazing. The steam link is purely amazing though. It’s like a super chromecast. It’s really amazing what you can do with it, and it’s dead simple to set up.
@@FlareGunDebate And I'd hope that it wouldn't just get forked and re-distroed 200 times because the one thing that linux nerds love is disagreeing on anything that could make life easy through standardization.
The 512GB model is not coming later, it released at the same time. As for latency, that often depends on what FPS you're locking to. 30FPS always has more input lag compared with 60FPS. For the "Great On Deck" section, there's a lot more that goes into it than just controls. It also takes into account performance, text legibility on the screen resolution and size, and all features are supposed to work. Not sure when you recorded this, but Apex Legends was actually Verified on March 9.
It is an issue with the overlay-based frame limiter. Games that have an option to lock frame rate to 30, in game, produce less latency. It needs to be fixed by Valve.
@@LogenNineFingers43 That's not how it works. All brand new orders will be subject to the queue system, the 512 model released at the same time as other models. I don't know why MKBHD said it because it's just factually wrong.
... How the F does this Channel have more complex camera work and cinematography than most commercials/ Music videos/ TV?!? Wild. Keep up the great work!
I have 2 steam links and 2 steam controllers and they both still work and are easily my go-to for playing games on the couch. It's sad that the controller didn't catch on more. For the Deck, I will probably be streaming games more than playing directly.
I think this is appealing to those who only use Mac, always want to play PC games but don't bother to buy a separate PC or installing parallel windows on their Mac ... pretty niche group, but that's exactly the group I'm in
This 100%. I'm a Mac user and am always tempted to build a PC for gaming but the ability to take Portal or maybe Half Life on a flight? That's crazy tempting.
Terrible and uninformed take you mean. Literally excluded 2 inputs (gyro and capacitive), wrong about battery (played 2 taxing games), failed to mention loads of details (desktop, windows duel boot, ProtonDB, Linux)
Amazingly mentioning all the unsuccessful hardware, but not the VR headsets - despite having a controller on the couch - and being the best quality VR headset in circulation
Marques: "Valve isn't exactly known for making a ton of great hardware...." Valve Index Devs: "Are we a joke to you!?" The Index is arguably the best VR headset on the market (performance wise).
@@gdlpe05 sure, maybe price wise. but if you want pure performance and quality assurance, 99 percent of people will gravitate to the index and they're absolutely not wrong in doing so
Valve made the best vr headset on the market (index) and the steam controller was actually pretty good, it just didn't sell well. The trackpads on the deck are good because of what they learned from the steam controller.
I agree. The problem no one wants to talk about is that most people aren't willing to put up with innovation until Apple and Samsung adopt years later, and that includes tech reviewers like this guy.
@@NoxiousPluK And also, somehow, glosses over the fact that this is playing games you'll never be able to play on Switch for less than 1/4 of their prices when those Steam sales roll around, literally a more inexpensive option when you consider the longevity of both, and even more so when you factor in how Nintendo's made it nearly impossible to hack the Switch now.
I disagree with him saying "there's not a lot of people in that group" when talking about wanting to play your steam library anywhere. The appeal to a PC gamer is the same appeal the switch has, being able to play on the go. I would say the Steam Deck is appealing to most PC gamers
Yeah I thought that was a weird comment too since a lot of big console games are going to be playable on the Deck, so it's got a lot going for it even for casual console gamers
Agreed. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to most console players because they are used to getting a game and it just working flawlessly. However for most PC gamers? Absolutely I would recommend it.
You could say that statement is true if you were to compare to something like console sales. 1 million Steam Decks (rough estimate of all deposits to date) vs 4 million PS5s (data from Q4 2021). Valve is definitely trying to entice more PC users and casual gamers to the Steam Deck but relatively speaking, it is still a "small" group of people
It’s low key frustrating when a detractor from the deck is that “some PC games don’t play as nice on a handheld”. Like no shit? The devs didn’t originally intended it to be a handheld game to begin with. Not to mention how rapidly steam is incorporating new titles to be compatible (and devs giving their games controller support). IMO people who think the deck will act as a comparable replacement for a 2k setup either don’t know enough about either and need to do more research.
It's weird, he is harping that it isn't perfect but ignore the fact that it's even possible. Valve are miracle workers that we can even get this piece of awesome tech.
I just love the fact that the Steam Deck didnt get canned by Valve.Just seeing it on par with the other consoles after being called bugged software machine not for many people,to now casual use in any way its just so amazing that the Steam Deck took of W Valve w for you.
Can't wait for my Steamdeck. The basics of the review were good, but I do feel like you are underestimating the size of audience with a valuable steam library that could benefit from a play anywhere option.
When he talks about the battery life lasting around 2 hours, that's because he's playing very intense/complex games. The battery does last 4-6 hours if you play older/smaller/simpler games that don't max out the CPU/GPU.
This was actually a refreshing take on the steam deck. Most reviewers are pc gamers with some Linux experience. It's nice to see a casual gamers review
I'm stoked to get my Steam Deck from Valve. All of the hardware that Valve has been working on over the years has culminated in the Steam Deck. And the rate at which they are cranking out updates for the device? They mean business. It's not a perfect device but it's pretty impressive. I expect to sink a lot of time into it!
I still love my old Steam controller, and am glad I picked up another when they were disconuing them. Valve still supports it to this day with software updates 3 years later (nearly 7 since initial release), even though they aren't making the hardware anymore.
The Steam Deck has played every single one of my Steam games, and updates have made everything much, much more stable. If you only play Steam Games, this thing is near flawless. For me, some more integration with the Desktop(using programs like WineTricks and SteamInput together) is all I'd need to meet my goals. I honestly think they did almost too good of a job separating the console and PC/linux experience, since using things like apt, Pacman, wine, and even emulators have extra steps compared to a normal PC (ie. Having to choose render windows, and Wine/retro PC games having orientation issues). My dream game for the Steam Deck was THUG Pro, and I got that working in desktop mode, so I'm happy with my purchase. It's a great system, and works for 90% of my games, so it does what I wanted it to! Loud AF fan though lol.
Just for a correction, apt isn't available, as it's based on Arch, and pacman only works if you unlock the root file system, which gets wiped every time you update. It's a better idea to just use FlatPaks.
@@linuxsbc I agree, I just wish that I didn't have to only be able to do that. Some games are easier to configure using Pacman, or only have tutorials using Pacman. I think that it shouldn't be locked down to just the Flathub, since so much that's needed for non-steam games still isn't easily done through Flatpacks (not to mention that adding non-flatpack games through steam is a worse UX atm). The only reason I mentioned apt is also since most Linux tutorials mention apt, which would confuse a user who has basic enough Linux knowledge to use Apt but not realize that it's only on Debian
I don't think it will get killed off, valve is actively adding features and fixing bugs and has been since release, valve clearly cares about keeping it out and about. Valves last tech product was a major success, the valve index is still the best VR headset you can buy for PC. And the steam link and steam controller was still considered pretty good devices, they just didn't sell well.
Yo, that intro was next level. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it was to make those robot moves match perfectly with a cut to for the two marques’
I hope that Valve continues to improve and produces a second and third generation Steam Deck in the future. I probably won't get one now, but definitely look forward to seeing it evolve and get better.
@@melinagoranson Id buy it but it would probably just end up next to my switch and 3ds untouched 🤣 I only play my PS5 and I have a ps2 and 3 for show too
i love that thing theres so many things it can run where youre like...really? that works? that shouldnt work! but it does. super fun to play around and experiment with
My wife gifted me the Steam deck in Feb 2023. 9 months into Maques's review, I just want to report that Steam has been steadily and increasingly adding compatible games to the library. The desktop version enables me to play my Xbox Game Pass games, so I'm not really missing out on much here. Other libraries like EA play are also available.
What's great about the steam deck is that it's the culmination of everything valve has done the past few years, the steam controller , the steam big picture ui and proton/Linux support. Even if this doesn't take off it'll accelerate Linux gaming and steam as a whole
And the other stuff didn't even get killed off. They stopped getting sold just like... every other product eventually? But they still update them regularly (not sure about the steam machine though).
@@SnrubSource the steam controller definitely got killed due to the lawsuit with the scuf controllers. steam link also wasn't really getting any sales. they were flops, though i'll add i own both and use the controller frequently.
Can you get Galaga on there?
Only if Steam OS can punch Windows hard enough to put a dent... Cause gamers don't want to fiddle around Linux like PC nerds. They want to download, install & enjoy.
But not the index
Putting that robot to work by the looks of that intro
I thought so too!
Cool
Dmn. I didn't notice before reading this. Nice
I don't watch his videos, what is he using?
@@barcag6001 just watch the video😂
If you're seeing 'latency' issues i can only assume its a game specific issue with the proton. It certainly wouldn't be a storage speed issue
Or running at a lower frame rate. Elden ring is noticably less responsive at 30 than my pc setup. Still a great gameplay experience.
@@piyh3962 that's exactly what I figured he was seeing. 30fps is not as "responsive"
I've been playing several games for days now and don't know what he means necessarily by latency. If it's a frame rate thing, yeah like.. 30fps is going to feel slightly less responsive than 60, but.. There definitely isn't a hardware delay and you can always tweak the game to run at 60fps
v-sync turned on will cause input lag.
Yeah, I've noticed zero input latency. Thats either a game specific issue or he's referring to lack of responsiveness with 30fps over 60fps (which is understandable). But straight up input lag? I've seen none. On several games running at 60fps on my deck the input has zero detectable lag. Even with emulation of old consoles, it feels great
Valve have actually made great hardware, the steam machines being the exception (which weren't actually made by valve). The steam link was sold off because it became obsolete with the steam link apps, and the steam controller was sold off due to a lawsuit. You left out the vive and the index, both of which were among the best VR headsets for their time.
The vive was made by htc. Valve has nothing to do with that
@@FizzyCape valve developed the tracking system that they used and was a partner in the creation of the Vive. They were very much involved in the HTC Vive. They also laid the groundwork for the Oculus Rift before Facebook got their hands on it. Valve has been absolutely integral in the state of VR as we know it.
@@FizzyCape bruh look it up valve literally did 70% of the work even with the vive. They developed the tracking system, went ahead and built many of the lighthouses for the tracking and designed some of the headset too
@@GargoyleMODE Yep, Valve is one of the AR/VR pioneers that started with Gabe hiring a bunch of top-tier engineers a decade ago. But sadly, because of internal financial issues, a lot of those engineers were fired and some of them moved to work for Oculus to continue their R&D in VR.
After Valve realized their mistake by abandoning the VR project (and with Oculus taking off and getting acquired by Facebook), they decided to work with HTC to continue their VR project.
Also, basically, Oculus got carried by Valve because Valve provided most of the additional tech and infrastructure when developing their VR tech.
Valve was generous to do that because back then they thought all of the techs they shared would be benefiting them in the long run because they were intending Steam will be the platform for VR gaming. They want people that make those headsets to be able to work on Steam.
Even Oculus used Valve's tech, called The Wall, to pitch their technology to many VCs, including Mark Zuckerberg who was amazed by it and instantly acquired Oculus. If Valve were greedy enough, I think they would probably sue Oculus for doing that.
It's a complicated history. But you could try reading some articles about it on UploadVR website or some interviews with Jeri Ellsworth, who was a Valve's hardware engineer back then.
I heard a lot of people actually really liked the Steam controller as well.
When talking Valve hardware literally EVERYONE leaves out the Index VR which is amazing.
Which also cost a kidney to purchase
@@juice8431 True, but it is Valve Hardware and it hasn't failed and their customer support for it is outstanding. So forgetting about it when bashing the steam controller, steam link and steam machines with the intention to frame them as a bad hardware company is more than disingenuous especially since Valves only involvement with steam machines was the branding and SteamOS the poor hardware in those came from Dell Alienware and other PC manufacturers that got the license to publish PCs with the steam branding. The Steam Link still gets updates, but the steam link App that came from it is the way better option. And for the steam controller that was a nice piece of tech that as far as I remember had to be discontinued because of some patent issues with the back pedals. But if you liked the way it controls the steam controller still is a very good piece of quality hardware.
compared to the controllers of Oculus Quest 2. Valve Index controllers doesn't survive getting hit if it flies off your hand. There's clearly some cheap parts in the index, for $1000 This is very bad.
@@eziothedeadpoet I still feel like there is a lot of barriers standing in its way. Forgetting about the insane price tag, there are also the part where you need a really good pc, a room with minimal furniture and a lot of room and so on. VR is only going to improve as the years go by but as of now it isn’t consumer ready
the steam controller is way better than any controller if you want to play mouse controlled games
I love how Marques still does his 2-person skits by himself even though he now has multiple people working with him 😂
It's a fun way to get creative. I dig it. Keep it up
my man that wasnt just a 2person skit, that was a ROBOTIC ARM 2person skit..
@@herrkelm thanks
He's not like LTT or Austin Evans or Donut Media where there's a team/cast on camera. It's okay, I like his format and Dave2D's format. I came to see Marques or his doppelganger!
People watch for marques, not the random assistance he has.
Wish you also talked about its repair-ability which sets is apart from most of tech-hardware companies. This is also one of the reasons why a lot of people are supporting / rooting for the steam deck.
reparability and open source software.
this guy is an apple shill, he doesn't even know that repair-ability is a thing.
@@bb69bb I don't think he cares that much about R2R or open source or any such non-Apple-universe things even if he did a video when R2R became somewhat mainstream. This video completely misses the mark if he was interested at all. I caught one passing mention of being able to use it as a Linux desktop, that was that
@@MrHakisak LMFAO
60 hz screen in 2022? Even smartphone can game on 120hz.
Being able to play any of these massive games off of a micro SD card is probably the most mind blowing thing to me
My first phone had like 50mb storage. Pretty wild to have 1tb sd cards.
Hey Marques, just wanted to let you know that the delay you’re experiencing has to do with locking your frame rate to 30 fps with the overall settings menu rather than the game menu. Something I’ve notice when I has testing out my deck.
*I've noticed
*was testing
@@alvallac2171 oh wow look at you fixing spelling mistakes. Got nothing else to do? Aww poor you
@@alvallac2171 damn
I wish to see more hints like this instead of "buy yourself a grammar book".
You are the hero we don't deserve.
@@alvallac2171 that wasn't necessary! Obvious it was a typo lol 😆 😂 🤣
You kind of did valve a disservice for not mentioning the valve index. That one's arguably the best VR headset.
Also when mentioning games he said apex legends is completely unplayable, when it's been playable for a while now. I think it was only a week after the official release that apex was running.
@@chris307 did you not see the edit when he said its not playable?
Yep, he really has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to gaming.... Go review an Apple product or a frisbee Marques.
@@hemmi12344 oooookay
but also the steam controller was great, even if not perfect, and nearly everyone who bought one loved it
It isn't exactly fair to say valve hasn't been successful in hardware, they've done a very good job in VR. The index is the best selling headset out there other then the quest
No argument about the Index being great (I love mine) but my understanding is that far more Quest 1 units were sold and that was before the Quest 2 outsold the 1.
@@OhHeyTrevorFlowers That's true, but to be fair, their prices are completely different, and they're in two completely different price areas
@@OhHeyTrevorFlowers More Civics are sold than Ferraris. Clearly Civics are the better car. Number of units sold is a bad metric because they market to different people, have different qualities and features, price range, etc.
The original comment was talking about units sold. I continued talking about units sold. Nowhere did I say that the Quest is a better piece of kit.
*than
What i like about the deck is how everyone in the community can contribute with fixes and community layouts.
I even found some for non steam games, like the controller layout for Pokemon uranium.
1:36 While true for the Steam Controller and Link, you're leaving out the Valve Index, which is truly a stellar piece of hardware. It's the Index in particular that got me interested in the Deck.
The Steam Controller was fantastic, still use it to this day.
I mean, you can say the Steam Controller is gone, but it's not, it's literally in the Steam Deck. You can say the Steam Link is gone, but it's not, it's just that it's an app on your mobile device or Apple TV/Android TV instead of a box (also, on your Steam Deck). You can say the Steam Machine is gone, but SteamOS 3 is just another version of what that essentially was (and guess what, that's on Steam Deck).
So yeah, all in all, not a bad track record for Valve hardware, I'd wager.
The steam link and controller have gotten tons of updates and are still receiving new updates and features on this very day, years after they stopped selling them. I'm not sure why he's trying to show them as 'failed' projects.
The Valve Index is great but the quality of the hardware leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the controllers and lenses
He's trying to paint Valve as incompetent hardware manufacturers, it's outrageous and misleading.
The delay could be related to vsync being enabled. Try disabling it in each game or if the steam deck has it enabled in the performance menus.
looking for this
and deal with nasty tearing the whole time? not worth it imo.
@@no_misaki ?
@@no_misaki Steam Deck already has it turned on so it's basically a double layer of Vsync, so turning it off in-game will reduce lag without screen tearing.
I haven’t watched every single review on steam deck, but hearing this worried me. Hopefully this is the fix for this.
THAT ZOLLY INTRO SHOT THO
which racing game is that i recognise it bit which?
I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY THAT
Not perfect.. but DAMN (it's one of my favourite camera tricks ever)
@@devadathanyt5595 I think the countdown at the start when Marques is on the SteamDeck is Rocket League? If you're talking about the rally game halfway throughout the video it looks like DiRT Rally or DiRT Rally 2.0.
EDIT: It's DiRT Rally - he mentions in the video lol
@@bobconstructeur Nah, it's 120% perfect
I started recently learning english. You have the very good pronunciation. I can catch every word that you say without subs. Its very nice to find a youtuber like you)
ok
Just for the record, the steam link still gets updates today and the steam controller is absolutely still supported by Valve including a semi-recent update for the firmware enabling using it with just bluetooth.
That firmware update was well before the steam controller got discontinued, more than 2 years ago
Steam controller got them SUED I think by scuff & it’s now worth $300 on ebay lol. Hilarious because I got mine free for buying Sekiro Shadows die twice on steam (bundle)
I'm excited that you are enjoying the Steam Deck! It's definitely changed the way I approach handheld gaming.
Hey retro !
I would be enjoying one, if I could get one! XD
In all seriousness I'm beyond happy to see the device doing well, it's so good for the industry for so many reasons. It's good to finally have a semi mainstream Linux PC, it's good to finally see Valve putting out a console, it's good to see portable PCs finally breaking into the mainstream, it's good to finally have a console out there we can point to with other companies and say "hey, valve can make money with a semi open ecosystem, maybe you should too".
I could go on
@@wickersticks Ahaha I can see what you’re doing on that last sentence
Of course he'd download an NBA game
Hey retro are you going to buy Dbrand’s steam deck screen protector ?
Valve isn't known for making a ton of great hardware? They make the Index VR headset which is still one of the best HMDs on the market, and they were mostly responsible for the success of the first Vive HMD... not to mention Valve (Chief Architect Alan Yates) designed the entire lighthouse based tracking system hardware which essentially got VR going, and the first OEM finger tracking controllers... I'd say they are very well known for making great hardware.
Yep. Big oof. Modern PC vr is 100% a result of Valve engineering.
The risk is Valve getting distracted.
Yes! I was just about to make another comment about this.
The steam controller is also good, just not universal.
That goes to show that everyone is copying each other’s scrip on what Valve is. Like since when did Valve release the Steam console? Last time I check it was cancel but a third party Alienware made it base on Steam OS or lynx (not sure on that). Why these tech channels never get Valve info right yet they know everything about tech and tech companies history?
The key word here is "a ton" of great hardware. Meaning they make a lot of great hardware. Having one piece of good hardware doesn't constitute as "a ton" of great hardware.
2 years later, and the steam deck is in a league of its own
Interesting to watch an MKBHD review in 2022 on a 'first-gen' piece of tech. Going back to those issues around battery life, compatibility issues, hot & loud fans and so on that we take for granted as solved in most of the tech we use today. Steam Deck v2 (or v3, or mini) seem like the ones that will break into the mainstream.
😍
I'll honestly be surprised if Valve releases a 3rd iteration of a Steam Deck. Maybe it'll even launch with HL3! (And Portal 3, and TF3, and....)
@@retro_boy_advance If they continue making these they're probably gonna launch the Steam Deck V2, then the V2+ and then the Steam Deck Go or something.
@@retro_boy_advance theres no such thing as 3
I think they just have to work out the battery life. and boom it will go mainstream. The rest can be ironed out easily compared to the battery issues. Hopefully the next iteration lets us play at least 4-5 hrs and ill buy it.
Glad Valve is so open to users truly making their Steam Deck their own, going so far as to have disassembly guides and making Windows Drivers in case you want to install that.
They have official Windows drivers? Wow. Other companies, take note, please, lol.
@@sicthegamer1362 Yeah. Windows drivers are rly great. To test it i installed Windows 10 to an extern hdd. Steam deck boots with this over a usb c dongle Just fine.
@@CatKingEbola can I ask if this is a viable option for having a separate boot drive with windows, so you can use windows based productivity apps at a desk (office, Adobe, etc.), effectively having a Windows desktop computer that can swap to and from a Linux gaming console?
@@JamesLikesCoffee hmmmm. In my case i think not. Windows on a extern hdd seemed a bit slow. Loadingtimes etc. And its installed like a Windows portable Version. Installing it on a fast sd card is maybe the better Option.
As far as i know, currently you cant install Windows beside Linux on the internal ssd of the steam deck
They don't make money off the os they make money off the store. The better experience they can make the device, the more likely people will play on it and therefore buy games from steam.
If valve is able to pack this much stuff in that form factor, imagine how powerful a portable VR made by them would be
A lot of this is definitely in order to build support for proton for a portable VR headset
I don't think it will be portable, but definitely wireless. I think Pico/Bytedance along with some other mystery companies will be making some quest competitors
There was an interview with a Valve employee regarding the Steam Deck hardware last year. The interviewer asked if the same idea could be used in a standalone VR headset similar to the Quest. The Valve employee's eyes lit up like a beacon before he gave the company authorized non-answer. They're definitely working on something.
Honestly don't care as much about VR right, but interested in what a modern portable Xbox or PS could look like. This even proves Nintendo could clearly make an adequately performing machine if they tried (preferably one not two generations behind). I personally think the advancement of technology in small form factors is one of the more interesting. More powerful devices with how portability enables us to use them in more places and ways.
Have you guys never heard of the Valve Index before?
Valve has been big in the hardware scene… they’re leading the pack in the high end VR market…
Thanks for adding that. Kinda sad how so many people are talking down Vavle's hardware capabilities because of the Steam Machines, forgetting they did make (in collaboration with HTC) the Vive, then they made the Index which is great (not without its problems but the ultra high end, VR-niche pc gaming crowd is extremely hard to please and Valve is dealing with it gracefully) and they're on their way to make a new VR headset.
The Steam Controller and Link, while discontinued, were and still are really great devices. As a SC user, I would even say this controller is game-changing for me.
I noticed that ever since Marques got really big about eight years ago he's had this snobby outlook towards every piece of tech that is blessed enough to slide into his hands.
This is why I like Linus. He started *from the bottom* by leaving the company that was underpaying him and took only his best friend with him and today they are worth millions. Linus, for ten years, still drives a beater sh*tbox car that his employees (or should I say, friends) spray painted pink for a prank almost a decade ago. Talk about sticking to your roots and remembering where you come from.
@@Poofter who cares what are you his wife? Lol
Funny how you said “high end” cuz like 10 people bought those. Quest 2 is the best selling VR headset and works perfectly well for pc
@@kanpeki2485 high end. Not everyone can afford it. They make $1000 dollar headsets + the cost of the $2000 PC to run it. Many more people can afford a $300 headset like the shi*ty a*s quest 2 than the $3000 dollars it takes to run a big boy VR setup. Nobody cares about cheaply built outdated tech besides teenagers without jobs.
valve has been supporting, manufacturing, and selling the Valve Index for 3 or so years now, I think the Steam Deck is going to be the same
Why 60 hz screen? Its 2022.
@@fynkozari9271 to balance it with it's battery
@@fynkozari9271 you don't want to play any game just a mere 10 minutes right?
@@fynkozari9271 60Hz is playable
60hz isn’t bad lol
Here's the best part: It's repairable and you OWN the device. It does not belong to Valve unlike most other devices you showcase.
It's repairable. It has swappable thumbsticks.
I love how of all things to talk about he rambles on for several minutes about the ''awkward'' transition from desktop to this. LOL
that doesnt sit right with Apple so i wont be surprised if MKBHD will subtly roast this device.
@@ganganthefatman1382 Yeah exactly
There is a lot of stuff that should have been mentioned that was done well by valve.
@@xeno4162 He disses the battery only to barely mention you can literally customize the settings so you can get more than three hours of gameplay with AAA games. That's more than the Switch! But it ain't Apple or Samsung, so...
This is somewhat out of his comfort zone. He doesn’t know enough about the gaming space I think.
It blows my mind that we went from storing hundreds of games on external hard drives to being able to store them onto tiny Micro SD Cards. Technology is goddamn beautiful.
@Jaquan Kelsor that's not the point. The point is that we can actually achieve it now. "Portable computers" in 1980-1990s were huge suitcases weighting 10 kgs
@Jaquan Kelsor why are you?
@Jaquan Kelsor i don't get a word of what you're saying. Not sure if you are a non native or smth but you just typed random shit that doesn't even make sense
@Jaquan Kelsor Did you snort a line before writing this comment? Genuine question
@Jaquan Kelsor
Huh?
The sticks also recognize you touching them, which is a technology from the Valve Index Controllers.
This is used so you can touch them and then use the gyroscope of the Deck to slightly adjust aim for example.
They're also buttons!
@@mick2d2 That's true for basically all joysticks or mouse wheels.
@@xyoxus I remember being confused and stuck at a level when one game (I don't remember which) told me to press R3.
@@xyoxustell that to its competitor, the Nintendo switch
Everytime people talk about Valves hardware, they seem to forget about the Index, which is still one of the best PCVR headsets out there, nearly 3 years after it's release.
Also, the Steam controller was actually pretty great, but it sadly did not sell well enough.
becouse the vr fad fell off a clif again. it always does.
@@gogereaver349 absolutely not, the number of VR users on Steam reaches a new high almost every month, and the Quest 2 absolutely boomed
@@meta7517 agreed. the only thing that died was the media's obsession with it during the pandemic.
@@gogereaver349 "fad"? Boy you must have been living under a rock for the past year. Intetest in VR has been absolutely skyrocketing and is continuing to grow
the steam machine was also a cool concept. I really liked it. it should make a comeback imo.
While Steam Machines were a huge fail, Steam Controllers and Link were absolutely amazing, and pretty cheap too.
I know, I love my Steam Controller
steam machine was a attempt to get devs to go native linux. they also didnt build the machines in house something they learned was a bad idea all around. devs whont leave windows due to the linux low sales and install base. so they started working with the wine devs in a big way and now enrly any game runs on linux fine.
Still got my link. An incredible device.
@@roopek.9511 the link was just killed off by the app.
Noone even talking about the Valve Index!?!?!
Big thing for me with steam deck is that I have two kids and a wife. I’m a huge gamer and I do get a decent amount of time gaming at my desk, but with the deck my kids could be playing at the park or back yard or even in the living room watching movies and playing games of their own. We can all do that together as a family with the bonus of me having my steam library.
I almost always prefer to buy games on steam because of my gaming pc for one. Mods for two. While I think getting mods to work on deck will likely be annoying. It does mean that I will buy a lot more games on steam to play them unmodded whenever and then at night when it’s time to play at my desk. I pick up where I left off.
valve released a statement awhile back saying getting mods for the deck will be just as easy as doing it on a pc
@@h3n478 so you'll actually get to mod games on steam deck?
You could do that anyways for years on ps4. You can use the ps vita to remotely play ps4 games.
@@Stierenkloot yeah it’s just not good enough for me to enjoy it. Worked with some games. I played a ton of temtem that way. There were a few more games I liked as well that aren’t coming to me right now but it was probably less then 10% of games I played.
Just spend time with your kids man,when you have free time you can play on your PC
You very quickly glossed over the fact that it is the cheapest gaming PC you can buy today, as a small form factor computer it is incredible value for money
Yeah my 2017 pc has a fried motherboard & graphics card so I really want the steam deck
Its easy to laugh off valves previous hardware attempts but when you look back at it they genuinely have a good track record.
Index - Goes without saying, one of if not the best consumer vr headset kit out there.
Controller- Much loved by a niche community for the accesbility and customization it brought to the table, was actually on sale for quite a number of years, good build quality, likely getting a succesor at some point.
Link- bit under the radar but one of the best ways of game streaming, seems to work better than any other local in house game streaming app ive used whether thats xbox's or playstations and the dedicated hardware unit like this seems to run flawlessly even compared to the steam link appletv app and android tv apps.
steam machines were more of a software thing iirc as they were basically licensing out steamos to alienware and so on to make them, not that that excuses them, they definitely were a failure, but i think when you look at it valves track record with hardware isnt bad at all.
Yeah I think all of those products were just very niche. It's not like they were bad they did what they were supposed to do quite well again steam machines not withstanding.
Not to mention the fact that even the steam link gets updates every now and then still. Like. Most companies don't update a failed product at all after a couple years, valve is doing alright frankly
Also the HTC Vive (first one) that Valve designed and went to HTC so they could get a partner that has a lot more experience with manufacturing.
ALL of those previous attempts at hardware have had influence on the Steam Deck. Steam Machines = Valve specific hardware and Steam OS & the Proton compatibility layer. Steam Controller is the reason the Steam Deck has all those mapped controls and gyro because of Steam Controller fans doing the work. Link still works, or you can technically download the app for Steam Link on any Android TV device. Remote play is also part of the Steam Deck. Some of the controller concepts in the Index also made it to the Steam Deck. Windows 1 and 2 were failures for Microsoft but they eventually succeeded with Windows 95. Valve has a clear road map for gaming they're pursuing and it's clear to see the direction things are heading.
I agreee love the controller I don't use it but I sad it's gone off sale... Still if you need it you need it.
I got mine yesterday, absolutely loving it so far. Most of the games I played get an estimated 3 hours but 2 of them get 6 hours so I’m happy about that
Where did you get it? I’d like to get one
when did you reserve it? just wondering how far behind i am :D thanks
@@VENENOSEASON you need to reserve it on Steam. If you reserve now you'll get one sometime in 2023.
is the input lag he talked about in the video really that noticeable? sounds like something that would bug me for a 500 quid piece of hardware
@@dabinhaler1337 I havent noticed any input lag yet, but I havent actively looked for it either
Appreciate the review! Will add for hardware: The Valve Index was the sold completely out of inventory after Half Life: Alyx released in 2019 and was critically acclaimed as a premium product. Also the steam machines weren't technically Valve hardware - Valve handled the software for the operating system but let different PC manufacturing partners (such as Alienware) create their own hardware configurations using standard PC components, which is arguably part of the reason why it failed (no set hardware targets to make any games for, just rebranding of more limited machines paired with a new linux-based OS).
Between the Steam Controller, Steam Link, and Valve Index, they've had what I would call a mixed record. The Steam Controller is disliked by the majority but well liked by a niche audience of those that play RTS or other titles not condusive to analogue sticks and wanted a controller option. Those who play FPS/Racing/Platformer/Fighting games or anything else with strafe-style movement tended to dislike the experience or noted a very long learning curve in adjusting to a trackpad, which while more precise in fine movements than analgue sticks needed to reset positions like a mouse. The Steam Link was great for those that wanted an out-of-the-box solution for PC streaming but cheaper and better options were available at the time and built-in functionality for Windows 10 and 11 have made it possible to stream to many devices without the need for dedicated hardware. The Index was quite well received overall and arguably one of the best performing tethered-headsets you can buy today, but extremely expensive compared to similar products in a market where the average gamer would prefer a cheaper and untethered option at the cost of performance.
Aspects of all four of these initiatives are present in the Steam Deck - the option for trackpad controls, the excellent stick design from the Index, the software needed for built in PC streaming from a gaming PC to the deck and the OS from the largely failed steam machines that can push players to their storefront and keep costs for the initial purchace down despite the hardware it is packing. That said, it is a niche product (like all of their hardware so far) from a company that has (to my knowledge) never released a second model of their hardware that improves on their designs.
Would have been nice to touch on the tuning options for improved battery life. You can greatly improve battery life simply by locking FPS to 30 and reducing power.
i think you can lock the screen's refresh rate from 60 to 30, so it is there
@@Gureenu You can lock it at 15, 30 & 60 and tune the refresh rate anywhere between 40 and 60Hz. Also there' half rate shading and manual GPU frequency control.
Editing on this video is next level!
agreed!
He's top notch. He's gotten so much better in the last few years
Yeah it's really awesome! Does anyone know if he edits all his videos by himself or is it a collective effort with the Studio?
The other next-level editing can be found in the title. Original title was "I like the BAD SteamDeck" or something along those lines but since I slept and woke up, he changed it 🤔
@@b33p It was "I love the terrible SteamDeck"
I've had my deck for a couple of weeks now, and it's definitely not perfect. It has some major software issues, there are issues even with games marked as compatible and such - but holy cow is it a cool piece of tech. It has also vastly improved since I got it, with fairly significant software updates.
I'm a tinkerer, and am comfortable messing around with settings to get things to work - but Valve absolutely has some ground to cover to make this suitable for the larger masses. They absolutely can though, because this thing is sublime. This is true portable gaming, in a way that a laptop never could be.
How long did it take to ship to you after you payed for it?
@@chrispricesk8 not op, but bought mine on Monday, shipped Thursday, and was delivered following Tuesday. (Indiana to California)
@@chrispricesk8 Mine took 8 days to arrive, and I live in an area where shipping is really wierd.
It took about 3 days after payment to get the shipping email with the package tracking info.
@@chrispricesk8 I believe it took some 8 or 9 days, so really slow shipping.
@@chrispricesk8I’ve paid on monday and got it on Thursday. (Netherlands)
Video used to be titled "I Love the Terrible SteamDeck!"
Lol I noticed he changed it.
The title should have said: "This SteamDeck review is Incomplete"
That intro is why they bought that camera robot. Flawless, crisp, and MKBHD Studio-unique
The battery life definitely depends on the game and settings. My half life 2 and CIV games lasts about 4-5 hours. GTA V about 3 hours. Yes if you play a triple AAA, 60 fps, high setting, max wattage use, then the battery would drain to 2 hours. I can imagine playing stardew valley, card game, etc, lasting 6-8 hours.
Yeah I've had no problem with the battery i get like 6 different play sessions before even having to charge it like the other night i was playing at 37 percent and the battery indicator said i had like 2 hours left.
U have to buy a pc for aaa titles
@@suprithreddy1828 they will all run with 30fps locked on steam deck bro
@@suprithreddy1828 It is a PC
Triple AAA is like AAAAAAAAA
the steam controller was AMAZING though! and their vr department is doing good work still
Yo coming from the future here, it definitely continued
And it's going strong baby
yep. it's beautiful
The production values of this video really show you how far content on this site has come since the early days.
🌸
Audio could use some improvements, lots of sibilance going on
My primary gaming genre on PC is visual novels, which I know are also on the switch, but the selection is greater on PC. I’m excited to be able to play some of my favorite VNs portably (a Windows tablet could run them, but ergonomics and lack of mouse controls make it less than ideal), plus I love tinkering on Linux, so this’ll be fun when mine arrives this fall. :)
Plus, you no longer have to put up with censorship. ;)
@@ganganthefatman1382 Now that brings about a question I was wondering about. When it comes to that, how would game mods be installed, since it’s a Linux based system?
@@rml695 For a while now it hasn't been much different from the process of Windows. But now that this is out, I'm keen to see what the community comes up with considering the portable nature.
I'd take this with "half the games don't work" over a $1000+ ones. This is an absolute steal.
even games that "don't work" often it's "only work 99%, so it's not verified" the games that truly don't work are because more often because of some kind of anti-cheat protection not liking it being on linux. And plenty of "unsupported" games work just fine, but there's 30-40 years of PC games that need to be checked to see how they work, and alot of them do just work. They might need you to setup your own control scheme, but the games work flawlessly.
Are you trying to defend the Deck or insult it? I genuinely can't tell.
even then we can just install windows. This thing is that awesome
@@hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-Mikel.Montalat They were trying to defend it. Other handheld PCs with similar performance are over $1k is what they were saying. Valve has a super competitive price for the Deck. And if you really want to, you can just install Windows on it (Valve/AMD already released Windows 10 drivers with Windows 11 drivers being developed).
@@trashman8080 It runs worse with windows, and the already mediocre battery life falls off a cliff. Would not recommend.
I think it's slightly unfair to question valve hardware's ability to "last" at least with the steam link. I still regularly see it getting updates from Valve. I suspect they would mostly be security related (keeping certs up to date and updating kernal etc) but they put in the effort to keep it running, and let you build your own with explicit Raspberry Pi support. It has seen UI and usability improvements too though not as recently, but still well after it went out of production. Out of production now and commercially non viable to produce at the time of it's creation? Yeah. But also, probably ahead of it's time. Look how prevalent things like Amazon Fire sticks and similar are now.
I hope this takes off, imagine a second generation of this, i’d buy it for sure. Maybe only because i’ll have enough money by then lol
Yeah the only thing I don’t like about my Deck is the LCD screen. It’s weird when you’re used to watch OLED screens all the time
@@jeanbiroute I hope some third party will make an oled display. It’s not really hard to replace it.
@@KerimKero1903 wow didn’t even think of it. But first we need to replace the noisy fan 😭
@@jeanbiroute Buy a gaming smartphone bro
We see you playing American Truck Simulator 😏
Euro Truck Simulator is better in my opinion.
Why you didn't mention Valve Index as a hardware?
This video didn't really come across very in-depth as a whole. He completely missed the Index as you said, Valves pro-consumer marketing/communication, the repair and upgrade friendliness and for example made their 2-8h claim look ridiculous while only playing 2 AAA 3d games which Valve never said would run for 8 hours. And his point "half of the games don't run" without saying that there are still hundreds of 90%+ positive games that run *great* seemed very disingenuous. He also skimmed over the "you can install Linux" part without even mentioning Windows supported as well... This was easily the worst video about the Steam Deck I've seen so far.
Exactly, was wondering that. It's one of their more succesful ones as well.
It's like the Elden Ring of Tech. A culmination of past experiences then wrapping them all up in one package.
Not perfect but also way waaaay better than the majority of what we've seen so far.
@Seek Him with all your heart and you will find Him Strawberries
Like your mom
7:36 no shoes on the couch!!
That dolly zoom at the intro made my eyes melt, in bad need of a surgery right now…
Personally, I'd love a piece of tech that's rarer than a gpu as well
I mean it's not sold out like GPUs were or anything. If you enter the reservation line eventually you will get one
I mean, there’s a gpu inside
I mean
GPU's are finally coming back in stock and dropping price. A lot of sites and actual stores let you walk in and buy one now
@@arkesh110 I mean, I mean
The steam controller may not have had the best interface, but for what it did, it was amazing.
The steam link is purely amazing though. It’s like a super chromecast. It’s really amazing what you can do with it, and it’s dead simple to set up.
The cool thing is that Valve has been transparent about the whole process. They seem committed to Linux gamming.
Yeah and they should be. Microsoft tries to push their windows store and steam is almost completely dependent on windows right now
@@5ch4cht3l7 yeah I'm hoping that a byproduct of the Steam Deck is an functional and non-skeezy Linux desktop OS.
@@FlareGunDebate And I'd hope that it wouldn't just get forked and re-distroed 200 times because the one thing that linux nerds love is disagreeing on anything that could make life easy through standardization.
@@TheUltimateBlooper choice is bad mkay?!?
@@FlareGunDebate Mint is already super stable and usable. Hardly any need for command line
The 512GB model is not coming later, it released at the same time.
As for latency, that often depends on what FPS you're locking to. 30FPS always has more input lag compared with 60FPS.
For the "Great On Deck" section, there's a lot more that goes into it than just controls. It also takes into account performance, text legibility on the screen resolution and size, and all features are supposed to work.
Not sure when you recorded this, but Apex Legends was actually Verified on March 9.
input lag at 30 fps shouldent even be a thing. it might be a issue with the game and proton.
It is an issue with the overlay-based frame limiter. Games that have an option to lock frame rate to 30, in game, produce less latency. It needs to be fixed by Valve.
The 512 gb is literally not out yet. Pushed til Q3
@@LogenNineFingers43 That's not how it works. All brand new orders will be subject to the queue system, the 512 model released at the same time as other models. I don't know why MKBHD said it because it's just factually wrong.
@@LogenNineFingers43 all decks are q3.
The Video Cinematography and editing is getter better every time Marques' posts and i am all here for it. Much love.
... How the F does this Channel have more complex camera work and cinematography than most commercials/ Music videos/ TV?!? Wild. Keep up the great work!
I have 2 steam links and 2 steam controllers and they both still work and are easily my go-to for playing games on the couch. It's sad that the controller didn't catch on more. For the Deck, I will probably be streaming games more than playing directly.
I love watching you.. you’ve been super amazing and I’ve learnt a lot from Nigeria 🇳🇬
I also love this dude 🇳🇬
I think this is appealing to those who only use Mac, always want to play PC games but don't bother to buy a separate PC or installing parallel windows on their Mac
... pretty niche group, but that's exactly the group I'm in
Literally me LOL. The parallel feature is a hassle going back and forth.
Count me in lol
This 100%. I'm a Mac user and am always tempted to build a PC for gaming but the ability to take Portal or maybe Half Life on a flight? That's crazy tempting.
Lol what? I've never used Mac, don't care for it and have a nice gaming pc and this appeals to me and actually currently have the 512gb version.
Even though the steamdeck has been out for a while now, I appreciate how Marques is still able to produce a refreshing take on the product!
A month out of date, more like
Terrible and uninformed take you mean. Literally excluded 2 inputs (gyro and capacitive), wrong about battery (played 2 taxing games), failed to mention loads of details (desktop, windows duel boot, ProtonDB, Linux)
Amazingly mentioning all the unsuccessful hardware, but not the VR headsets - despite having a controller on the couch - and being the best quality VR headset in circulation
If only VR wasn't a niche expensive gimmick.
@@dolorsitametblue It really isn't
@@dolorsitametblue sounds like you haven't tried any VR games released within the last 3 years or so. VR is far from a gimmick.
Marques: "Valve isn't exactly known for making a ton of great hardware...."
Valve Index Devs: "Are we a joke to you!?"
The Index is arguably the best VR headset on the market (performance wise).
from a vr enthusiast perspective there is a LOT more competitive vr hardware and headsets than what valve offers
@@gdlpe05 sure, maybe price wise. but if you want pure performance and quality assurance, 99 percent of people will gravitate to the index and they're absolutely not wrong in doing so
The index is very much outdated by today's standards. The only thing it has going for it are the knuckles, which doesn't even require the index itself
@@SonicMastr500s outdated by what? are you confusing the vive and index?
@@SonicMastr500s even outdated it's a beast, no serious tech reviewer would ever overlook it
The PSP needs to do a serious comeback. Hand-held consoles aren't what it uses to be.
I'm on board for this
PS VI-Two?
We've seen hardwares that do multiple consoles at once, now I want a handheld made for retro gaming.
@@SyRose901 Retroid Pocket 2+?
Switch is doing great, though.
Cool to see you reviewing handhelds.
Taki is the handheld GOAT 🙌
The biggest part of the Steam Deck for me is definitely what the community can do with it
Rght! Custom UIs, themes, convenient software packages-the possibilities are endless.
I remember when the title of this video was "I love the terrible steamdeck"
Valve made the best vr headset on the market (index) and the steam controller was actually pretty good, it just didn't sell well. The trackpads on the deck are good because of what they learned from the steam controller.
>complains about battery life
>Hud is reading unlocked 900fps
I kinda reject the notion that valve hasnt made good hardware. They fail at adoption but usually the hardware itself is pretty good.
I agree. The problem no one wants to talk about is that most people aren't willing to put up with innovation until Apple and Samsung adopt years later, and that includes tech reviewers like this guy.
They also made the valve index vr headset that is arguably still one of the very best on the market
Agreed. Marques also entirely forgot about the existence of the very succesful Valve Index?
@@NoxiousPluK And also, somehow, glosses over the fact that this is playing games you'll never be able to play on Switch for less than 1/4 of their prices when those Steam sales roll around, literally a more inexpensive option when you consider the longevity of both, and even more so when you factor in how Nintendo's made it nearly impossible to hack the Switch now.
I disagree with him saying "there's not a lot of people in that group" when talking about wanting to play your steam library anywhere. The appeal to a PC gamer is the same appeal the switch has, being able to play on the go. I would say the Steam Deck is appealing to most PC gamers
Yeah I thought that was a weird comment too since a lot of big console games are going to be playable on the Deck, so it's got a lot going for it even for casual console gamers
Agreed, there's way more people in that "group" then he thinks there is
Agreed. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to most console players because they are used to getting a game and it just working flawlessly. However for most PC gamers? Absolutely I would recommend it.
Yea I agree also ...but he probably is not a major gamer ...and probably not much Into handheld gaming either
You could say that statement is true if you were to compare to something like console sales. 1 million Steam Decks (rough estimate of all deposits to date) vs 4 million PS5s (data from Q4 2021). Valve is definitely trying to entice more PC users and casual gamers to the Steam Deck but relatively speaking, it is still a "small" group of people
It’s low key frustrating when a detractor from the deck is that “some PC games don’t play as nice on a handheld”.
Like no shit? The devs didn’t originally intended it to be a handheld game to begin with. Not to mention how rapidly steam is incorporating new titles to be compatible (and devs giving their games controller support). IMO people who think the deck will act as a comparable replacement for a 2k setup either don’t know enough about either and need to do more research.
It's something that a total noob to gaming won't be happy about.
It's weird, he is harping that it isn't perfect but ignore the fact that it's even possible. Valve are miracle workers that we can even get this piece of awesome tech.
I just love the fact that the Steam Deck didnt get canned by Valve.Just seeing it on par with the other consoles after being called bugged software machine not for many people,to now casual use in any way its just so amazing that the Steam Deck took of W Valve w for you.
I just realized the title changed
Yeah I absolutely hate when they do that. Especially when the OG title was “I love the Terrible Steam Deck!”
Can't wait for my Steamdeck. The basics of the review were good, but I do feel like you are underestimating the size of audience with a valuable steam library that could benefit from a play anywhere option.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the creative aspect in these videos. The editing, videography, b roll, everything is just great
When he talks about the battery life lasting around 2 hours, that's because he's playing very intense/complex games.
The battery does last 4-6 hours if you play older/smaller/simpler games that don't max out the CPU/GPU.
This was actually a refreshing take on the steam deck. Most reviewers are pc gamers with some Linux experience. It's nice to see a casual gamers review
I'm stoked to get my Steam Deck from Valve. All of the hardware that Valve has been working on over the years has culminated in the Steam Deck. And the rate at which they are cranking out updates for the device? They mean business. It's not a perfect device but it's pretty impressive. I expect to sink a lot of time into it!
I can’t appreciate more how you guys work with colors in your shots!
Thanks a lot man
No mention of the Desktop mode? No mention of the Valve Index?
This review is incomplete but "fun"!
I still love my old Steam controller, and am glad I picked up another when they were disconuing them. Valve still supports it to this day with software updates 3 years later (nearly 7 since initial release), even though they aren't making the hardware anymore.
yea that was the best controller
i got 4 on ebay for $25 each from display models years ago. they all still work 100%
The Steam Deck has played every single one of my Steam games, and updates have made everything much, much more stable. If you only play Steam Games, this thing is near flawless. For me, some more integration with the Desktop(using programs like WineTricks and SteamInput together) is all I'd need to meet my goals. I honestly think they did almost too good of a job separating the console and PC/linux experience, since using things like apt, Pacman, wine, and even emulators have extra steps compared to a normal PC (ie. Having to choose render windows, and Wine/retro PC games having orientation issues). My dream game for the Steam Deck was THUG Pro, and I got that working in desktop mode, so I'm happy with my purchase. It's a great system, and works for 90% of my games, so it does what I wanted it to! Loud AF fan though lol.
avid thug pro enjoyer, based
Just for a correction, apt isn't available, as it's based on Arch, and pacman only works if you unlock the root file system, which gets wiped every time you update. It's a better idea to just use FlatPaks.
@@linuxsbc I agree, I just wish that I didn't have to only be able to do that. Some games are easier to configure using Pacman, or only have tutorials using Pacman. I think that it shouldn't be locked down to just the Flathub, since so much that's needed for non-steam games still isn't easily done through Flatpacks (not to mention that adding non-flatpack games through steam is a worse UX atm). The only reason I mentioned apt is also since most Linux tutorials mention apt, which would confuse a user who has basic enough Linux knowledge to use Apt but not realize that it's only on Debian
@@NigelMelanisticSmith I see what you mean. The read-only FS is great for the average user, but I understand that it can be annoying for tinkerers.
@@linuxsbc 100%
Marquese Is the type of person that would fart and then say bless you.
So true lmao.
WTF lol
LMAO LMAO
Incomplete ?!
It's as complete as you are willing to put work into it
Cope
Its a 2 year old review for gods sake, believe it or not it was not as complete at the time
I don't think it will get killed off, valve is actively adding features and fixing bugs and has been since release, valve clearly cares about keeping it out and about.
Valves last tech product was a major success, the valve index is still the best VR headset you can buy for PC.
And the steam link and steam controller was still considered pretty good devices, they just didn't sell well.
And we still get software updates for the Steam controller :)
This intro has been filmed beautifully
Amazing job as always!
You forgot to mention the Vive and Index when you were talking about Steam Hardware. Valve makes very impressive VR hardware.
Yo, that intro was next level. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it was to make those robot moves match perfectly with a cut to for the two marques’
I hope that Valve continues to improve and produces a second and third generation Steam Deck in the future. I probably won't get one now, but definitely look forward to seeing it evolve and get better.
Getting better and better with those transitions just WOW
Personally, I'm not really interested in buying a Steam Deck, but I'm glad it exists and I'm definitely rooting for its success!
@@melinagoranson Id buy it but it would probably just end up next to my switch and 3ds untouched 🤣 I only play my PS5 and I have a ps2 and 3 for show too
@@melinagoranson basic
It's the INTRO for me!!!
Just AWESOME!
I'm really digging the cinematography in these.
i love that thing
theres so many things it can run where youre like...really? that works? that shouldnt work! but it does.
super fun to play around and experiment with
I love how he changed the title of the video
My wife gifted me the Steam deck in Feb 2023. 9 months into Maques's review, I just want to report that Steam has been steadily and increasingly adding compatible games to the library. The desktop version enables me to play my Xbox Game Pass games, so I'm not really missing out on much here. Other libraries like EA play are also available.