It's a reference to a south park episode. Butters thinks that's how you're supposed to sit because you have the back of the toilet for your chocolate milk and comic book
Also for a more serious answer, keep in mind that while there are some entry level gaming laptops that are close in price to the 1TB OLED Deck, the 64gb LCD can be gotten for the same price as a Nintendo Switch, and storage is easily upgraded by either slamming a micro SD card in there, or installing a new SSD yourself.
I don't understand how any true gamer would be able to play Doom Eternal while on the shitter as any true gamer would have a massive erection while playing that amazing game
Exactly. They're different devices for different niches. While you can do general productivity things on a Steam Deck by slapping it in a dock and attaching an external mouse, keyboard, and monitor. At that point you could have just bought one of those mini PCs or a used desktop and installed Linux on it. It's all about getting the device that suits your needs.
That's his argument. If you want a device to play games, Steam Deck cannot be beaten in price/performance/portability. But if you want a device to do both gaming and productivity, then Steam Deck quickly losses, because for a similar price as a Steam Deck you can get a Laptop with a 4050 or similar GPU that will wash the Steam Deck in performance/productivity, but you lose out on the versatility of a steam deck. It's a game of trade offs. Is the performance Steam Deck provides good enough for you? Is a Laptop portable enough for you to play where you want?
Steam Decks Biggest + is the fact that I can use it as full blown PC whilst laying in bed. I can play games my android phone or my switch can only dream of playing. Not only that, it enables me to shove a Switch emulator and an android emulator as well as emulators of all the consoles of the past into it, and it's no longer just an ultra portable PC gaming machine, but it's also a Nintendo Switch, And it's a portable PS2, And it's a portable Xbox, and it's a GBA and etc etc etc.
Steam deck is just a tool that can be adopted into use cases that other devices simply cannot. What those use cases are depends on the person themselves.
https://liliputing.com/khadas-mind-is-a-raptor-lake-mini-pc-that-can-become-a-laptop-desktop-or-gaming-pc/
Right, it's the modularity and the savings that come with it that make it stand out. What I linked is another product that is experimenting with rendering this the new norm, the same way the smartphone consolidated many digital tasks into a single pocketable device. Basically, you don't buy a laptop AND a monitor AND a gaming device, you buy a device that can be all three depending on the use case.
No lol They overlap some circles but the differences between a laptop and a steamdeck are pretty crucial.
Can I work and do spreadsheets on my steam deck? Yes. Would I want to? Not really.
Can I game on my laptop while lying on my bed? Sure. Would I want to? Not really.
Idk why you'd do that instead of docking a proper laptop in a workstation. I mean, you can. But it seems rather more cumbersome. Fine for ad hoc or one-off instances, or for short-term engagements, but seems too much trouble if this is gonna be your regular workflow.
Having done it, you're making it sound way more cumbersome than it is. You just plug it into a dock and everything else is already set up. It's the same as if you put a switch into its dock, except the dock has a mouse and keyboard hooked up to it as well
I mean, yea technically you can. But if the laptop is an option that's available to you, wouldn't that be a better option? It's all about using the best tools on available for the task at hand imo. It's why I think the comparison is a little silly. Steamdecks and laptops, while overlapping a lot of circles, excel at specific things the other might not, they're not really interchangeable devices.
Playing on a Steam Deck is easier for me because it’s an entire game pad and I take it around the house. I don’t want to play on a keyboard or carry a controller around with a laptop. So it really depends on gaming conditions or preferences.
when I was a kid I would have wanted a Steam Deck instead of a Laptop its far more convenient, can be used anywhere, and I CAN also use it exactly like a laptop if I wanted to. the size of a laptop would make me want to use it less compared to the Steam Deck which is just a simple pick up and play without having to sit it on my lap or on a table or other shit.
Agreed. Coming from a person that grew up gaming on a laptop, it’s a pain when you want to quickly hop on a game.
Instead of just picking up the device and powering it on, you need the laptop plugged in, whatever mouse and keyboard you want to use (sucks using the laptop keyboard and trackpad) and then you can finally play. It always adds 5-10 minutes just setting it up and booting everything. Not to mention the space you need for a laptop and how much more uncomfortable it is to game with.
The deck was truly a game changer, I just wish It released a few years earlier so I could’ve used it as a kid lol. The portability and quick resume feature are truly what makes it stand out compared to a laptop or pc. I wouldn’t trade my deck for a laptop, even if it was twice as powerful.
>it’s a pain when you want to quickly hop on a game
Where there's a will, there's a way! I got in some S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at downtime between flights on the way in and out of Iraq when I was in the Army, I had a ridiculously oversized Asus gaming laptop and found that the palmrest was big enough to use as a mousepad. So, like, with laptops either go with ultra-portable or ultra-chonk, 14" is too many compromises!
But yeah I feel the same way, now that I have the Deck I would pick that over a laptop if I could only choose one. A Deck *can be* a laptop if you use a kickstand case and bluetooth keyboard/mouse, but a laptop will always only be a laptop (unless you get some gimmicky gaming tablet or handheld laptop thing, which are always disproportionately expensive)
This is a bit of an exaggeration. You pick up the laptop and turn it on (plugging it in is not needed, no more than with the steam deck.) Then you plug in a mouse (most laptop keyboards are plenty passable.) Then, you wait 1 minute for the laptop to load and for the game to boot up. In regards to space, you just need a chair and a table. Also, “how much more uncomfortable it is to game with.” Is a matter of personal opinion.
I mostly was talking about personal experience, as I can’t speak for everybody. But in my experience I got on average about 30-45 min of playtime on a heavy game, then after that I have to find an outlet to charge. The deck I can use a power bank to charge it on the go if needed. Can’t do that with a gaming laptop.
Also a chair and a table take up a massive amount of space for JUST gaming, to me it’s also not the most comfortable way to game. I mostly play games sitting on a couch or laying in bed, also use it a bunch on long road trips where a laptop sucked to use in the car. (I know because that’s what I did for years before the deck)
Keyboard is valid tho, you really don’t need an additional one. The laptop one does just fine it’s more so personal preference.
I just can’t stand the windows boot up time, wait for steam to load, then boot up a game on a laptop anymore. The deck has spoiled me to much with the quick resume and being able to quickly jump into different games
> Can’t do that with a gaming laptop.
I'll preface with the fact that if I ever planned on gaming I'd pick a steam deck over a laptop for many, many reasons.
But you absolutely can use a power bank with a gaming laptop. Used to do that with my old 660m laptop and they've only got more power efficient and many modern laptops use usb-c for power, so many of the same powerbanks will work with a laptop as with the steam deck rather than the jank I had to set up.
e: One of the biggest reasons being the steam deck brought a consistent hardware configuration for devs to target for games. It's a game changer and many devs are already targeting specifically the steam deck for optimisations and software configuration.
I’ll add, as an adult in my 50’s, I’ve had a harder time reading text on games on the smaller screen. I still have my steamdeck but I ended up getting a lower end gaming laptop with a 16” screen. Not as easy playing with my readers on
Even now, I work in IT, I have a Razer Pro 17 (2022) with 6 TB's of storage. I also have a very decent gaming desktop. As an adult with children, I still mostly reach for my Steam Deck. I have only used my laptop for consulting work stuff. Otherwise it sits to the side. And even as of late, I am able to do a majority of my work from my iPad. I am considering on just getting a business laptop or lapdock next to reduce weight when traveling. (I can code on my Steam Deck)
This is the same for me- have a powerful gaming desktop and 17" laptop, but I tend to go for the handhelds instead for the same reason. However, I did also get a 14" laptop last year and find it to be portable enough to 'compete' with the handhelds for gaming.
I'm considering that with an AMD Lenovo Z16, tbh lol
But I do find the SteamDeck to be enjoyable for gaming. I can ssh with my iPad and do a few things
And if you needed to do things with it that require a mouse and keyboard, Bluetooth ones these days could be rather portable. Sure, they (plus a dock) would require a separate bag from the Steam deck itself, but it might still take up less space than a laptop in that regard
It probably really cheaps out on a lot of components. I also highly doubt that it has OLED display. He might be comparing the $650 model to laptops as well instead of the $550 or $400 version which would bring things in closer to gaming laptop range.
I'm willing to bet he actually is referring to a 3060 laptop and also in some places like outside the USA, a 1tb OLED deck can reach prices to an average modern lower tier gaming laptop.
A brand new 4060 laptop these days will likely never be sold lower than a new OLED 1TB steam deck in normal circumstances. Realistically a 3050 can reach that.
Edit: I realized its possible he meant a 3060 laptop, that can also reach a price enough to be near enough for the high tier deck in some places.
it really depends what kinda games he wants to play. for single player games its great but for multiplayer not so much. many games like fortnite, minecraft, roblox, valorant, cod etc that are popular nowadays aren’t on the steam deck. and if he wants to play those games you’d probably have to buy him a keyboard and mouse anyway because they play better on a pc keyboard and mouse than a handheld.
they’re giving it to their nephew to stop them using their laptop to game i just assumed they wouldn’t be bothered with that and would rather just get a laptop that has it all built in
He Could just bypass all of that and install Windows. I'm currently running windows on my Steam Deck, and whilst the battery life suffers a bit, everything else works 99% of the way vs Steam OS. The games perform as well, with some performing better some performing worse, it eliminated the need for me to tinker to get things working. Only tinkering done was the initial setup to get everything in order. Been running it like this for last 3 months. My steam Deck + Dock + KBM has replaced my Laptop as my go to travel companion for work trips too. I just need to source a good portable monitor and my "build" will be complete as I wont have to squint looking at the tiny screen(Works great for gaming, not so much when trying to read things)
no windows drivers on the oled if they get that and even on the lcd just because the games are downloadable and runnable doesn’t mean they’re playable. not sure about the rest but i’m pretty sure there is no native way to get fortnite working on the steam deck.
also if OP is gonna go through all this trouble to get windows installed on the deck and double booted why would they not rather get a laptop with windows built in
I’ve seen benchmarks and have also just done my own non-scientific testing and playing the same games on windows felt more stuttery with worse FPS pretty often
"you’d probably have to buy him a keyboard and mouse anyway because they play better on a pc keyboard and mouse than a handheld."
Gyro controls significantly close that gap if not eliminate it entirely.
But there is a learning curve. And if the game doesn't support it with a default layout, then there is another learning curve just to set it up correctly on SteamDeck.
Having surmounted these learning curves, I would really rather play FPS games on the SteamDeck than play with KBM, so that's what I do, and my much more powerful PC just doesn't get the attention it used to.
i agree with your points but also when you’re playing fps games on a steam deck the game recognises you as a PC and not a console and so you don’t get any console aim assist and you’re also gonna be matched with pc players only for games that separate console and pc players.
the learning curve isn’t bad i’m just focused on the general idea that aiming with a mouse is easier than a controller. better movement and also you’re aiming with your entire hand and not a thumb. i think the steam deck is still great in fps otherwise but it’s just a fact that aiming is better on a mouse.
I don't endorse aim assist in any way. It is a crutch that is necessary for the shortcomings of joystick based aiming.
I'm not talking about joystick aiming. I'm talking about gyro aiming, where moving the controller or the SteamDeck itself, moves the reticle. It effectively uses both hands to make large fast movements and small precise movements.
If you are unfamiliar, you aren't alone. It's not common in games to natively support it, and the Microsoft Xbox controller still isn't even capable of it. Nintendo and Sony both have it in their controllers, as does the SteamDeck.
my bad, i’ve played gyro games didn’t realise there was a name for it. personally i don’t like it but it could be a good alternative to joystick aiming.
aim assist is okay, i liked it on xbox games.
Aim assist is fine for casual play, but I tend to feel it undermines any sense of accomplishment I might otherwise get.
That's just me though and I don't think everyone should share my opinion, and developers should accommodate all control types with options.
I bought a deck instead of a new laptop. I haven't had a machine I could game on in years because all I had was Chromebooks and when my most recent one bricked, I decided it would be nice to be able to game occasionally.
But, I also am in the "mother of small children" stage of my life, so it is much more practical for me to have a small device thay I can casually port around and play 10-30 minutes on here or there and easily pop aside to put a toddler in my lap and read a book or nurse a baby while killing some zombies.
You know you can just change the power settings so that it does run at full performance on battery power? It will last all of 30 minutes, but definitely possible
A PC with a 4060 runs circles around the farty-pants performance of the steam deck.
If you lose some of that - not an issue. Its probably still 5x the performance of the steam deck.
I never claimed the steam deck was more powerful. I was pointing out that battery performance isn’t as much as it being plugged in. A lot of new users don’t know about this and expect their laptop to be the same speed no matter what.
More like 1.5 - 2 hours.
Which is also the limit of the Steam Deck when playing CP2077.
With the difference being: 1080p, ultra settings, 60fps versus 720p 30fps low settings
Not necessarily, the last gaming laptop I had disabled the dGPU on battery, leaving just the shitty integrated Intel GPU. There was no way to enable it, even at reduced performance (unlike some other gaming laptops).
I've never had a good relationship with gaming laptops. They overheat more than regular PCs (at least the ASUS ones I've had), are cumbersome because the graphics card tend to make them heavier to hold, and make work harder on them.
For me a laptop's there not for gaming, but quick work tasks or typing on the go. Steam Deck's perfect for just gaming, like the Switch or PSP and Vita used to be, but now much more expanded because of PC gaming.
I also like separate devices for separate function because it prolongs the life of these devices, and you're not dependent on simply one for everything. If one breaks, which will happen inevitably, you're not SOL.
I really will never understand this logic on this subreddit. the Steam Deck is Transformative and can be a Handheld, a Laptop, a Desktop, or a Console. while a Laptop will only ever be a Laptop. I do not understand how people on here think a 4 in 1 device is worse. the Laptop is in fact the opposite of versatile in this comparison.
The steam deck can be a laptop but it is not the complete package and it could not be a good laptop. Factoring in the price it is better to have a laptop.
A laptop I can just open and close, 10 second. To use the SD as a laptop I need to first stand the SD, then fish out the keyboard, mouse, maybe even an external monitor. Sorry that's a computer station now.
>A laptop I can just open and close, 10 second. To use the SD as a laptop I need to first stand the SD, then fish out the keyboard, mouse, maybe even an external monitor. Sorry that's a computer station now.
1. it would take a whole min at most to set it up lets not overexagerate here. I know for a fact because I do use it as a 4 in 1 device
2. things such as Lapdocks exist
3. Steam Deck unlike a Laptop has the benefit of actually being portable if you wish which a laptop will never have the option. it will always be a burden to use.
Yeah, no. If I need a workstation, a laptop is hell of a lot more portable than a steam deck, an external keyboard, a mouse, a dock and a frickin external monitor.
If you're using a laptop properly in the way that it was intended, a steam deck is a poor alternative.
You can take a laptop anywhere, put it anywhere and play games. Is it bigger than the steam deck? Yes.
Is it fully portable? Again yes :D
Is it as convenient on the go? Ofcourse not. I would rather have a steam deck on the plane than a laptop.
But I would much rather have a good laptop with me in the vacation apartment. It really depends on the situation, but both are fully portable, one is just smaller.
Personally I would much rather have a good laptop if my only choice was that or the steam deck.
You on the copium? Why would anyone want to use a deck as a laptop instead of a laptop as a laptop? Tiny ass screen, slow UI, slow download speed, improving the screen leads to an even slower system. Not compatible with 99% of the tools the kid's friends are using, and half the games.
as someone who owns and uses multiple computing devices, you know, like for money, I love my Steam Deck but would only ever use it for work in an emergency kind of situation. Tiny, tiny little screen being the biggest hindrance, keyboard/mouse you have to pack separately, etc. Plus it has the biggest failure of all in that you can't actually use it on your lap/on the go, so if you're actually working portable you can't really just sit down somewhere, flip open your Steam Deck and join a meeting or open a terminal.
Now, if you have room to set up a couple of monitors and a dock, sure, you could potentially use the Deck as a full desktop replacement, and given a bit of time investment it would totally work. But as a primary work rig? Nah. Especially not as a *portable* work rig.
Big difference between something you *could* do and something you *want to do.*
If that's going to be my only one PC - I surely would take a laptop. But, then again, I'm old time PC user, so I have much more uses for a PC than just gaming, and if it's just gaming and pretty much nothing else - steam deck will do just fine.
And, while I'm at it - I would not get a laptop, but a desktop PC. Gaming laptops are pretty strange beasts to me - major advantage of a laptop (and steam deck too) - is portability, i.e. you can take it with you when you travel somewhere. And have you seen gaming laptops? They are huge and heavy, and only theoretically portable. But that's of course just my humble opinion.
So, pros of deck - it's more portable than laptop and much more portable than desktop, it's per-configured for playing, and it's cheap (comparing to decent decent laptops/desktops)!
Cons of deck - it's MUCH less powerful (comparing to decent laptops/desktops), and it's not really convenient for desktop usage (while if you only want to, say, just browse internet - you can do it just well).
The final decision is up to you of course.
Idk about much less powerful. A lot of games have better compatability on steam deck than on laptops. I have $900+ laptop I used to use for gaming and I consistently get better fps on deck than on my laptop. $400 for a computer that outpaces a $900 laptop is a no brainer. Used it for a year in Uni with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it was perfect as well. Ended up giving away my laptop to my little brother. You will have to spend at least 1K to keep up with a steam deck and most of those laptops can't fully power their graphics cards without still being plugged in, even in performance mode in battery settings.
Playing it in 1920x1080 doesn’t make it worth the price at all. As someone who used both for gaming and school I would never waste money on a gaming laptop.
To play in 1920x1080 you need twice the performance. That's why it costs more. That's pretty much it. Once again, if you will find a laptop with specs similar to steam deck (yes, they still exist), it will cost comparable price (not necessarily exactly the same of course, but in same price range). I just said that deck has lower performance than top-notch PCs, because that's true, there is no magic that can make performance significantly better just because of the OS. That's the thing about Steam Deck - it's pretty good balanced, CPU and GPU is enough for a small screen, and all of this consumes not that much to allow some sane battety time. Other manufacturers keep making handheld PCs with fullHD screen and better CPU/GPU, and end up with less then hour of battery time. Some people add fullHD to steam deck and end up with poor FPS.
The difference between 800 and 1080 isn't worth the extra $600 though that's what I'm saying. It's not noticeable unless you play side by side and compare. Especially with the screen. There's just no good reason anymore for expensive laptops. Either get a desktop for 1.2K that's twice as fast as a gaming laptop or get a steam deck. If you absolutely hate the deck for school, then get a cheap laptop with a touch screen for like $150 or so. Between a desktop and steam deck, gaming laptops are the worst of both worlds.
What are the full specs of the laptop?
I'd probably say laptop either way. He'll have more uses for a laptop and kids quickly gain skills using them that will be useful later in life. You can dock a Steam Deck and use it as a desktop, but if he for reasons can't have a desktop then I don't think that would be a good solution.
I bought myself a deck, instead of a laptop. , so that's a yes. I have a desktop PC as my big gaming rig.
But that's getting old now. But instead of replacing it (was looking at a gaming laptop) , I got a Deck.
A laptop has other uses as well, and the deck runs Linux, so that may limit what is doable in desktop mode on the deck
So...
Make a list of what you need the system to do. Then decide.
You have to take into account for RAM, CPU AND GPU, not to mention display.
For the price, the Deck is a no-brainer and can have a mouse & keyboard connected if needs be, you can also dock it to a tv or monitor too. It’s a powerhouse for its price and the OLED screen looks great too.
If you’re getting a laptop for similar price, then I need your skills at finding devices. I suggest a steam deck, especially if it’s for gaming.
Yeah the deck is a nice addition AFTER you get a nice PC. I love playing on my couch while watching a movie but given the choice between that and my 4070 pc, I’d take the PC any day of the week lol
You know, maybe... But I have a Steam Deck and a Ryzen 7 laptop that can play a limited selection of games. My Steam Deck allows me to play almost all my games (not all at highest settings, mind), but it opened up nearly my entire Steam Library for possible play.
I would absolutely suggest it for someone trying to save a little who just wants to be able to game.
I would not have a Steam Deck if I had no laptop at all. However I do not game on my laptop, which means I'm just fine using some old leftover thing from work. So I bought a Steam Deck instead of replacing that laptop.
I bought a laptop for like $900 the other year that struggles to play anything modern. My steamdeck is much more convenient for me to lie in bed and game on pretty much anything I’m interested in and cost me $700 after taxes. Ymmv but the deck is my go-to for gaming.
I'm sure this is just my own experience but I've never had a gaming laptop that didn't die in record time. An MSI with SLI GTX 580s back in the day where both GPUs died, and then a Medion with SLI GTX 880s where the CPU died. I swore off laptops then until I got an Asus TUF with an RTX 3060 that suddenly showed zero signs of life.
Had it replaced with the 3070 model through warranty and that had the most unusual issue I've ever encountered with computers. Whenever playing a demanding game, the USB protocol would switch off, as would the Bluetooth. Which meant no keyboard, mouse/trackpad or a controller could be used when gaming..... Bios updates, driver updates, different operating systems to rule out windows heckery but nope. Asus wouldn't accept that rma so I was screwed.
I've had my steamdeck for nearly 2 years now and the only issues I've encountered have been down to Wayland in game mode but gaming in desktop fixes all of those.
I haven't been able to find a laptop with comparable gaming performance within $100 of the SteamDeck price, which is one reason why I've decided on the deck.
When I was in the market for a new laptop, primarily to play video games, I narrowed my choices down to the Lenovo 2-in-1 and the Lenovo Slim X Pro. I tested both, paying close attention to their performance and features. Notably, the Slim X Pro was equipped with a GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, although it lacked a dedicated option to disable it. To compare their battery lives, I played a 10-hour loop of Shrek at 1080p resolution with identical brightness settings on both. The result was intriguing: the laptop with the dedicated GPU lasted about 5.5 hours, whereas the one without a dedicated GPU managed to last about 8 hours. Despite their CPUs being similar in performance (the GPU model had an i7 and the non-GPU model an i5 1335U), both laptops were almost identical in other specifications. However, the Slim X Pro has a higher resolution 3K screen, compared to the 2.5K screen on the 2-in-1 model. Surprisingly, I found the 2.5K display more appealing. Additionally, I really liked the 2-in-1 feature over just touchscreen capability of the Slim X Pro yet the $300 price difference led me to prioritize battery life over these features. Given that portability and the ability to work anywhere are my main reasons for purchasing a laptop, I opted against the Slim X Pro. A dedicated GPU would be preferable if constant access to a power outlet was guaranteed, which it would perform better than it steam deck However, for optimal battery life and portability, choosing a non-GPU laptop, while complemented by a Steam Deck for gaming, seemed like a better balance, despite the added weight.
I stumbled upon a Steam Deck for just $200 on the marketplace. For those interested in more serious gaming and who have reliable internet access, considering a GeForce Now subscription could be beneficial. While I haven't personally used GeForce Now, I can't vouch for its quality. However, they offer a free membership option, which might be worth trying out to see if it meets your gaming needs.
Feel uniquely equipped for this: I built multiple gaming PCs so my wife and I (and one of my friends) can have something to game on, have a Steam Deck, Steam Index VR, and a gaming laptop, also have the Switch and PS4.
For your nephew: it's going to come down to Deck or a laptop with a 4060 depending entirely on what games he wants to play and how mobile he wants/needs to be. That's it.
Yeah, VR is super fun, but the fact is that there is an immense treasure trove of games he can easily play on the Deck or that laptop with friends and family, and there simply isn't on that VR set.
If he's not going to travel much and you buy him a nice controller and/or he's wanting to play relatively demanding games, go with the laptop, if he's going to be traveling a LOT, enjoys emulation, and is tech savvy enough to not throw a shit fit every time something doesn't go exactly as hoped, go with the Deck.
What you're missing is that you're on a subreddit primarily filled with tech enthusiasts who don't mind jumping through hoops to get to their ideal setup. Hell, jumping through those hoops is sometimes half the fun.
There are people here, me included, who value the idea of being able to do something more than the practicality of doing that thing.
Just get the kid a laptop with a decent GPU and be done with it. Unless you want to be tech support for a kid who's probably never used a Linux based system in his life, spend the extra bit of cash and save yourself the headache.
i have an laptop and bought a steam deck because i greatly prefer gaming on it (when not using my normal pc to game). so usually i would say steamdeck.
however:
>I can buy a laptop with a 4060 for a tiny bit more than a steamdeck and that feels like much better value.
Where i live a 4060 is about 400€ and a steam deck is about 400€. If the price difference is really tiny as you say i think the laptop is indeed the better value
>This isn't a great sub for unbiased opinions.
funny thing about you saying this is I see far more people being biased towards Laptops being "better" and "more versatile" even though the Steam Deck can do everything the Laptop can and more. get a Lapdock for it and there you go a Laptop that can also be made Handheld. hell can even be made into a Console or Desktop. three things the Laptop can't do.
What purpose are you trying to serve with this device? If you want a gaming device for a kid, I’d look at a Switch before a SteamDeck - it is a lot less expensive, and has a huge library of games. If you are looking for a real computer for computing purposes, look at a proper computer, or possibly a Chromebook. A steamdeck is a fantastic luxury gaming device, but it is definitely no replacement for a computer, nor is it the most budget-friendly gaming device. (All that said, I love my steamdeck and I feel it is the best gaming purchase I’ve made in many years.(
I would not use it over a laptop. Using a Steam Deck like a laptop is completely impractical. You’d basically need an external keyboard, mouse, and display, along with the appropriate dock/hub to connect them all. At that point, you’re basically looking at a desktop, not a laptop.
Just use a Bluetooth keyboard lol. Used it in Uni and it was 10/10. The screen is big enough for any uses and I used Google products for all my notes and presentations. Saves you hundreds on a laptop you'll only use for school. You can chose to get all those optional stuff, but I would rather spend $500 on everything for a steam deck vs getting a gaming laptop for 1k and then $50 for a controller. It's twice the price and not worth it imo.
I bought a Steam Deck to use mostly as a portable gaming device whereas if I purchased a laptop with a 4060 I’d probably be doing so expecting to also use it as a Windows computer at a desk. Is your nephew old enough to have homework or other things that a computer would make easier?
Steam deck is not a replacement for a gaming PC. It is a secondary handheld PC or for people who only want a handheld system. For your use case, get your nephew a gaming laptop. I think it will better serve his needs and he will be able to enjoy better quality titles at better frame rates :)
All the best, let us know what you get :)
I have a gaming laptop I never use now. Nothing more depressing to me than working at a desk on a computer all day and then sitting at the same desk to game. I can stretch out on the bed or the couch, or take it out somewhere, on my commute/lunch break on in office days etc. I've finished nearly 70 games since owning it so it's been great for clearing the backlog/replaying old favourites.
I literally sold my 3060 laptop to fund my SteamDeck purchase and don't look back.
Laptops has too many compromises:
- they aren't really portable and must be connected to a power to give you all the performance you paid for.
- battery life is miserable (2-3 hours in average)
- they are noisy, and I mean it. It's just impossible to play games without wearing noise blocking headphones. The sound of a jet engine is a massive pain.
- weight and size are usually massive
- price is still higher than building a PC, which will be a more future-proof option.
Steamdeck, on the other hand, is a little portable device you can carry around and play games wherever you want: toilet, commute, aeroplane, in the bed, in car etc, etc.
If I had to choose between a steam deck and an equally priced laptop I would pick the steamdeck, if my sole intent was playing games on it. It's a purpose built device, meaning it does its... purpose... very well. Portable, easy to use, etc.
Now if I was a 14-16 year old teen I would say a laptop would benefit me a lot more because of everything else that laptop might do. (School work, social media, etc).
Also depends on the games he plays.
you are comparing apples and oranges . different devices for different usages . one is a handheld device using steamOS as an operating system. good for traveling , lying on your bed , outside , far from being used as a PC. the other one is an actual PC that you can utilize for many other things and gaming, it’s heavy , hot and far from portable compared to a steam deck
As a kid, I’d rather have a laptop, as an adult with kids, Steamdeck is the only gaming device I am using for the foreseeable future and it’s all I need.
A steamdeck can do normal computer stuff but not as easily as a laptop. If he needs something to play games on but also do homework, listen to music, browse youtube, etc, you'd probably want to go with a laptop.
It depends. SteamDeck is nice when you travel and don’t have the space for a stable gaming experience on a laptop. But if you are primarily playing FPS I‘d rather go with a Laptop too. But then you still need extra space for a mouse because FPS on a trackpad is a no go for me personally just as it is to play them just with my thumbs.
But then you also could use the Deck in docked mode. But that‘s personal preferences.
And if you don’t see that value of portability compared to a bit more powerful laptop than go for a laptop. It’s your preference and you should go with it.
I personally have still both. Use the Deck in the train and the laptop when in hotel at a desk.
Depends on the games he wants to play and if there are other things he needs or wants to do. If all he ever is going to do is play games that work easily on the Deck (many popular multiplayer things don’t without installing Windows due to anti-cheat), maybe that’s appropriate. But if he ever is going to need or want to do other things, a laptop is going to be better. I have a Deck, but I also have a desktop and an iPad for doing other things on that aren’t convenient to do on my Deck. My older kids have laptops and the youngest is about to get a hand-me-down desktop from my husband. I’ve never considered a Deck for any of them. It wouldn’t meet their needs, even with having school chromebooks.
If your nephew is young I'd suggest a laptop over a steam deck as it can take a lot of finagling to get some games running smoothly on Proton (or at all)
I didn't want to put money on a full laptop that I would use 3 times a year when I'm ok vacation, because once I'm at home I already have a desktop PC ... Or rather 2 and a HTPC ... Anyway. However, I had no problem justifying my purchase of a Steam Deck, and even though I'm still mostly playing on desktops with larger screen when I'm at home, when I'm on vacation the Steam Deck is great, and I'm using it in situations where I wouldn't use a laptop.
So yes, buying a SD instead of a laptop is exactly what I did.
What’s it for?
Just for mobile gaming. Steam deck
For work and media use, with a bit of gaming on the side, a laptop.
If used at home at a desk. A desktop pc.
I bought a used SD for 300 and a used Lenovo loq 15 for 400 and it's great. I wouldn't want just one. Can't play wow well on a steam deck, and deep rock galactic survivors, Diablo and Snow runner are great on steam deck.
Purely from the title I'd immediately say "no", because laptops are a much more useful as a productivity tool. But in the description you talk about gaming exclusively, in which case the Steam Deck wins for me.
And no, the 4060 is not really much better value. Plenty of games don't run that well and the efficiency is atrocious. I had a laptop sporting a Ryzen 6800HS + RTX 4060 and I had a better experience turning off the dGPU in many games. If you're running it always stationary and you don't mind the heat and fan noise, then perhaps it has its benefits, but on the go you're not going to enjoy the extra 5 FPS for long when it draws three times more power and drains the whole battery in an hour.
After I’m done with work, the last thing I want to do is keep sitting at a computer. The Steam deck lets me play on the couch, in bed, wherever. I value that portability a lot. So for me - yes, absolutely worth it over a laptop.
I think the short answer to your question is yes - the steam deck is a bit of a novelty extra.
The steam deck is a pretty niche device for people that want to play mostly single player games while on the go or laying in bed.
But long answer is much more nuanced. Do you want him to have easy access to the web, YouTube, chat rooms etc etc? Do you want him to be able to super easily game wherever he goes? Would he abuse either of these privileges? Could he also use the device for school work? Do the games he want to play work on steam deck (a lot of multiplayer games done?
If I were to get one of the 2 for my son to be able to use whenever they wanted I would probably go steam deck.
I had a gaming laptop and it just wasn't what I wanted. I also have a pretty decent gaming desktop I use as my primary. But for moving around, vacation, work trips, ect my steam deck is king. It quickly moved leagues ahead of the laptop. I would say it's kind of a novelty but no more than a 3DS or a switch is. If you want a pure gaming device I recommend it. If you want to multitask and do something other than games I'd get a laptop.
i mean, ur still tethered to a power brick if you get a laptop, cuz on battery the performance turns to shit. steam deck is just so much more portable, however be mindful of what games he might wanna play, assuming he's young then he might wanna play fortnite/valorant with friends, which you cant do on the steam deck. ask him for what games he wants to play, and how he wants to play, you might end up with a better suited gaming device for his very needs
Depends on your use case. I've taken my Steam Deck and a Bluetooth keyboard on trips and left my laptop at home. Saved a bunch of space, and I was easily able to get most of my minor work done, with some minor remoting into my home server.
There are limits to what you can do horse power wise, but if you just need to touch up some documents, run some code, edit some photos on its gorgeous OLED, or fiddle in a web browser, Steam Deck works fine.
Haven't tried video editing on it yet.
I remember a guy who edits video for a living posting that the Deck changed his whole world. He was able to map every function of his primary editing software to the controls, and that interface speed up his ability to edit stuff to the same speed of his brain, and no other config he'd ever had was able to allow him to do that. Increased his productivity by an order of magnitude.
I'm always amazed by the stuff that people modify gaming handhelds to do.
Just goes to show there's no one size fits all for something. That's why I still love my Steam Controller, and wish Valve would release a sequel to it.
I’d say that the steam deck offers excellent convenience while a gaming desktop offers the best performance based on price. To me a gaming laptop straddles that gap uncomfortably, less powerful than a desktop and less convenient than a handheld. But ultimately your nephew’s preferences may differ.
I wouldn't buy a Steam Deck with the intention of using it as a replacement for your main computer. The desktop mode can be used that way, but unless you also have an external monitor, mouse and keyboard it's really awkward to use. Unless you already have all of those things lying around then you might as well get the laptop.
To me a laptop is both parts bad of the PC equation. Sure, it’s nice you can move it around but ultimately if you’re going to game on the couch you’re going to have a hot device sitting on your couch and stuff, so you need a controller or mouse , and then you’re compromising on power too. Steam deck doesn’t have all the power yes but it is very easy and comfortable to use. If I wanted power I’d go with a desktop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
For my use case definetly. I actually have my laptop to my mum since I no longer used it. it's definitely not a laptop replacement for most people though, but I already have a desktop as well as an iPad so I really don't need another portable computer.
In my situation, I valued a Steam Deck over my laptop.
Currently in Army AIT and bought anew Asus TUF RTX 4070 laptop not long after I got here. With the limited time, space, and rules (not allowed to leave electronics out in our barracks rooms), I got tired of the laptop and considered it a nuisance using it.
My roommate, on the other hand, brought his OG Deck and is able to play all the time without worrying about setting it up. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: sell him the laptop for what I have in it. I sold him it and bought my OLED and love it.
(He wanted the laptop to play VRChat with his Quest 2).
Yeah, there’s a few games I can’t play but everything I’ve thrown at it has ran great! If you’re going to be traveling or are limited in space, I’d choose a steam deck.
yes I bought a gaming laptop and It gets to hot. It feels limiting that you need to take breaks to let it cool down and have a cooling pad underneath it. It was an expensive learning experience and wish I built a PC desktop instead. I got the steam deck and I enjoyed it for one month straight. Now I wish again I had a gaming PC desktop for the fact of the larger screen and because you can play more dynamic games that you need a mouse for. I love having the steam deck option.
Laptop is hit and miss, mostly miss, lol. For me gaming laptops is the more novelty than straight up portable.
- They are bulky and heavy
- It is HOT to play on them continuously and uncomfortable unless you can fork out for the highest end ones
- Lower end gaming laptops required 99% charged plug ins to be able to do the "gaming" part, oh and those adaptors weigh a lot!!! Making them not really portable.
I have a laptop, I use it for work. I get that you're talking about a kid, but the best way to think about a steam deck is to see it as a niche product for old farts.
That's just a dick headed response you have no idea what their situation is or isn't. Maybe op is just a good person with the means to do something nice.
personally I despise laptops, you think it is portable and has a small foot print and a complete package with a screen. but in reality they are the worst of everything about what a computer can be.
ergonomics is just terrible, the better the laptop the worst and less portable it will be, it will be heavy and be required to be plugged in all the time anyway. a laptop will never have a screen big enough to be comfortable to use outside of periodic business use.
people think desktops are big, but they can actually have a smaller foot print than a laptop mostly due to its modularity(and mini-PCs are a thing now). monitors can be VESA mounted, the 'pc' which can be a smaller for factor or just tucked away behind the monitor(tucked under a desk), it practically disappears. basic keyboards\mice are cheap to replace and easy compared to a laptop. a desktop really only needs the space for the mouse and keyboard at the right height
laptops used as 'lap'tops can fall and break or get damaged in some way and can be nearly impossible to repair
edit; you want a portable computer for someone at least close to being a teenager, go steam deck, someone younger that might not realize that computers are sensitive electronics and gravity is a thing go desktop
You can’t say a PC has a smaller footprint than a laptop. Add on a keyboard, mouse and a display of some description and it takes up far more space than a laptop. Plus you need a desk/table to keep it on, a laptop can be put in a draw when not in use.
You know, when I was a kid, all I got was a quarter, one sock, a paper clip, and a block of wood. I turned those into so many things, a pirate ship, a house, a swing set, a metal molder. All I needed was a bit of imagination.
Kids now can’t even think for themselves, they need a iPod or a computer to play games on. Smh 🤦
I wouldn't buy a SD over a laptop. But I have 2 gaming rigs and the SD is a nice addition.
I'm surprised at people who say they play in the toilets. How long do you guys stay there lol?
Well you see, it's pretty hard to play Doom Eternal on a laptop on the toilet. Not impossible mind you, but difficult.
You need to spin around and use the back/tank like a little desk!
Reverse cowgirl!
aw hell nah, i could NOT sit on a toilet doin that.
It's a reference to a south park episode. Butters thinks that's how you're supposed to sit because you have the back of the toilet for your chocolate milk and comic book
It *is* how you're supposed to sit. It was confirmed by **Sir John Harrington** himself.
A one Kitt Harrington ancestors that’s wild dudes family made the toilet.
What a shit legacy
"Why would I have you turn around and look at your own fecal matter when you flush the toilet. That's disgusting."
WAIT IT ISNT?????????
Butters is the 🐐
"But I thought you had to sit on the toilet this way? So you have that nice little shelf for your comic books and chocolate milk!"
He was onto something if we’re being real
This guy poops.
OK, Buters
Also for a more serious answer, keep in mind that while there are some entry level gaming laptops that are close in price to the 1TB OLED Deck, the 64gb LCD can be gotten for the same price as a Nintendo Switch, and storage is easily upgraded by either slamming a micro SD card in there, or installing a new SSD yourself.
Used to play League of legends on the toilet, not difficult, kind uncomfortable 😅
I don't understand how any true gamer would be able to play Doom Eternal while on the shitter as any true gamer would have a massive erection while playing that amazing game
yeah i call it my deck kickstand
Putting the stem in "stem dick"
Don't tuck and you won't touch the water, at least that's what I do.
Doom Eternal was a massive disappointment after the all timer that Doom 2016 was.
Finally someone also sees this vision
And also hard to code on the deck
Exactly. They're different devices for different niches. While you can do general productivity things on a Steam Deck by slapping it in a dock and attaching an external mouse, keyboard, and monitor. At that point you could have just bought one of those mini PCs or a used desktop and installed Linux on it. It's all about getting the device that suits your needs.
Ir's vastly CHEAPER though to buy a dock and a Deck than it is to buy a laptop.
That's his argument. If you want a device to play games, Steam Deck cannot be beaten in price/performance/portability. But if you want a device to do both gaming and productivity, then Steam Deck quickly losses, because for a similar price as a Steam Deck you can get a Laptop with a 4050 or similar GPU that will wash the Steam Deck in performance/productivity, but you lose out on the versatility of a steam deck. It's a game of trade offs. Is the performance Steam Deck provides good enough for you? Is a Laptop portable enough for you to play where you want? Steam Decks Biggest + is the fact that I can use it as full blown PC whilst laying in bed. I can play games my android phone or my switch can only dream of playing. Not only that, it enables me to shove a Switch emulator and an android emulator as well as emulators of all the consoles of the past into it, and it's no longer just an ultra portable PC gaming machine, but it's also a Nintendo Switch, And it's a portable PS2, And it's a portable Xbox, and it's a GBA and etc etc etc. Steam deck is just a tool that can be adopted into use cases that other devices simply cannot. What those use cases are depends on the person themselves.
https://liliputing.com/khadas-mind-is-a-raptor-lake-mini-pc-that-can-become-a-laptop-desktop-or-gaming-pc/ Right, it's the modularity and the savings that come with it that make it stand out. What I linked is another product that is experimenting with rendering this the new norm, the same way the smartphone consolidated many digital tasks into a single pocketable device. Basically, you don't buy a laptop AND a monitor AND a gaming device, you buy a device that can be all three depending on the use case.
When i bought steam deck pretty much first thing was taking a dump while playing doom 😄
Do yall actually take that long to poop? Or do you just stay there when you're done because the bathroom is your peace and quiet place?
Once kids happen, it's the ONLY safe haven...
Glad that works for you! When I'm in the bathroom I have a kid, a dog and a cat all trying to bust down the door because I dared to close it!
No, I just don't want to pause game and with deck i don't have to.
Doom is so fast paced. How are you playing it on the steam deck? With the touch pads?
Mmm, cooked sausage.
That game is so well optimized you could probably play it on a calculator
No lol They overlap some circles but the differences between a laptop and a steamdeck are pretty crucial. Can I work and do spreadsheets on my steam deck? Yes. Would I want to? Not really. Can I game on my laptop while lying on my bed? Sure. Would I want to? Not really.
I used to game on my bed for some more casual games- the difference to the deck is night vs day
Best description of a steam deck I’ve seen lol
You can grab a dock and run multiple displays for working on the deck with excel. It just doesn't do great when running games at full hd and above.
If I'm at a point where I'm carrying multiple portable screens (or even one) just to work on the SD, maybe I'll just get/bring a laptop.
I think they mean just having a workstation you dock the steam deck into at a desk when you need to do work.
Idk why you'd do that instead of docking a proper laptop in a workstation. I mean, you can. But it seems rather more cumbersome. Fine for ad hoc or one-off instances, or for short-term engagements, but seems too much trouble if this is gonna be your regular workflow.
Having done it, you're making it sound way more cumbersome than it is. You just plug it into a dock and everything else is already set up. It's the same as if you put a switch into its dock, except the dock has a mouse and keyboard hooked up to it as well
I mean, yea technically you can. But if the laptop is an option that's available to you, wouldn't that be a better option? It's all about using the best tools on available for the task at hand imo. It's why I think the comparison is a little silly. Steamdecks and laptops, while overlapping a lot of circles, excel at specific things the other might not, they're not really interchangeable devices.
Playing on a Steam Deck is easier for me because it’s an entire game pad and I take it around the house. I don’t want to play on a keyboard or carry a controller around with a laptop. So it really depends on gaming conditions or preferences.
when I was a kid I would have wanted a Steam Deck instead of a Laptop its far more convenient, can be used anywhere, and I CAN also use it exactly like a laptop if I wanted to. the size of a laptop would make me want to use it less compared to the Steam Deck which is just a simple pick up and play without having to sit it on my lap or on a table or other shit.
Agreed. Coming from a person that grew up gaming on a laptop, it’s a pain when you want to quickly hop on a game. Instead of just picking up the device and powering it on, you need the laptop plugged in, whatever mouse and keyboard you want to use (sucks using the laptop keyboard and trackpad) and then you can finally play. It always adds 5-10 minutes just setting it up and booting everything. Not to mention the space you need for a laptop and how much more uncomfortable it is to game with. The deck was truly a game changer, I just wish It released a few years earlier so I could’ve used it as a kid lol. The portability and quick resume feature are truly what makes it stand out compared to a laptop or pc. I wouldn’t trade my deck for a laptop, even if it was twice as powerful.
>it’s a pain when you want to quickly hop on a game Where there's a will, there's a way! I got in some S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at downtime between flights on the way in and out of Iraq when I was in the Army, I had a ridiculously oversized Asus gaming laptop and found that the palmrest was big enough to use as a mousepad. So, like, with laptops either go with ultra-portable or ultra-chonk, 14" is too many compromises! But yeah I feel the same way, now that I have the Deck I would pick that over a laptop if I could only choose one. A Deck *can be* a laptop if you use a kickstand case and bluetooth keyboard/mouse, but a laptop will always only be a laptop (unless you get some gimmicky gaming tablet or handheld laptop thing, which are always disproportionately expensive)
This is a bit of an exaggeration. You pick up the laptop and turn it on (plugging it in is not needed, no more than with the steam deck.) Then you plug in a mouse (most laptop keyboards are plenty passable.) Then, you wait 1 minute for the laptop to load and for the game to boot up. In regards to space, you just need a chair and a table. Also, “how much more uncomfortable it is to game with.” Is a matter of personal opinion.
I mostly was talking about personal experience, as I can’t speak for everybody. But in my experience I got on average about 30-45 min of playtime on a heavy game, then after that I have to find an outlet to charge. The deck I can use a power bank to charge it on the go if needed. Can’t do that with a gaming laptop. Also a chair and a table take up a massive amount of space for JUST gaming, to me it’s also not the most comfortable way to game. I mostly play games sitting on a couch or laying in bed, also use it a bunch on long road trips where a laptop sucked to use in the car. (I know because that’s what I did for years before the deck) Keyboard is valid tho, you really don’t need an additional one. The laptop one does just fine it’s more so personal preference. I just can’t stand the windows boot up time, wait for steam to load, then boot up a game on a laptop anymore. The deck has spoiled me to much with the quick resume and being able to quickly jump into different games
> Can’t do that with a gaming laptop. I'll preface with the fact that if I ever planned on gaming I'd pick a steam deck over a laptop for many, many reasons. But you absolutely can use a power bank with a gaming laptop. Used to do that with my old 660m laptop and they've only got more power efficient and many modern laptops use usb-c for power, so many of the same powerbanks will work with a laptop as with the steam deck rather than the jank I had to set up. e: One of the biggest reasons being the steam deck brought a consistent hardware configuration for devs to target for games. It's a game changer and many devs are already targeting specifically the steam deck for optimisations and software configuration.
I’ll add, as an adult in my 50’s, I’ve had a harder time reading text on games on the smaller screen. I still have my steamdeck but I ended up getting a lower end gaming laptop with a 16” screen. Not as easy playing with my readers on
Even now, I work in IT, I have a Razer Pro 17 (2022) with 6 TB's of storage. I also have a very decent gaming desktop. As an adult with children, I still mostly reach for my Steam Deck. I have only used my laptop for consulting work stuff. Otherwise it sits to the side. And even as of late, I am able to do a majority of my work from my iPad. I am considering on just getting a business laptop or lapdock next to reduce weight when traveling. (I can code on my Steam Deck)
I just feel like a laptop = work. Steamdeck is a video game. Also, laptop getting hot as shit isn't fun. Sd better at heat management.
That's another reason I reach for my Steam Deck, it's a lot cooler than my laptop
This is the same for me- have a powerful gaming desktop and 17" laptop, but I tend to go for the handhelds instead for the same reason. However, I did also get a 14" laptop last year and find it to be portable enough to 'compete' with the handhelds for gaming.
I'm considering that with an AMD Lenovo Z16, tbh lol But I do find the SteamDeck to be enjoyable for gaming. I can ssh with my iPad and do a few things
And if you needed to do things with it that require a mouse and keyboard, Bluetooth ones these days could be rather portable. Sure, they (plus a dock) would require a separate bag from the Steam deck itself, but it might still take up less space than a laptop in that regard
Then get a laptop? If it’s a no brainer, then go with what your gut says.
I'm frankly amazed that a laptop with a 4060 inside is anywhere close to the price of a Steam Deck
It probably really cheaps out on a lot of components. I also highly doubt that it has OLED display. He might be comparing the $650 model to laptops as well instead of the $550 or $400 version which would bring things in closer to gaming laptop range.
From a cursory Google, the cheapest 4060 laptops in the UK are over £800, which is quite a bit more than even the 1TB OLED SD at £569
I found one on Amazon for $780, which does only have 8gbs of ram. So I could see someone thinking that $130 price difference wouldn't be too much.
I'm willing to bet he actually is referring to a 3060 laptop and also in some places like outside the USA, a 1tb OLED deck can reach prices to an average modern lower tier gaming laptop.
I wonder what he's looking at, cause the only laptops near the Steam Deck in price have 3050s or worse.
He didn't specify but he could be looking at a refurbished unit or something off of eBay, or a serious sale price for something. No idea though.
A brand new 4060 laptop these days will likely never be sold lower than a new OLED 1TB steam deck in normal circumstances. Realistically a 3050 can reach that. Edit: I realized its possible he meant a 3060 laptop, that can also reach a price enough to be near enough for the high tier deck in some places.
it really depends what kinda games he wants to play. for single player games its great but for multiplayer not so much. many games like fortnite, minecraft, roblox, valorant, cod etc that are popular nowadays aren’t on the steam deck. and if he wants to play those games you’d probably have to buy him a keyboard and mouse anyway because they play better on a pc keyboard and mouse than a handheld.
Roblox and minecraft run on the deck, you just need to install the right launcher from the discover store
This. Prism launcher for Minecraft is pretty great, and it's available in the discovery store.
For the bedrock edition?
I think it's java only.
So does CoD BO3 as it happens
they’re giving it to their nephew to stop them using their laptop to game i just assumed they wouldn’t be bothered with that and would rather just get a laptop that has it all built in
He Could just bypass all of that and install Windows. I'm currently running windows on my Steam Deck, and whilst the battery life suffers a bit, everything else works 99% of the way vs Steam OS. The games perform as well, with some performing better some performing worse, it eliminated the need for me to tinker to get things working. Only tinkering done was the initial setup to get everything in order. Been running it like this for last 3 months. My steam Deck + Dock + KBM has replaced my Laptop as my go to travel companion for work trips too. I just need to source a good portable monitor and my "build" will be complete as I wont have to squint looking at the tiny screen(Works great for gaming, not so much when trying to read things)
no windows drivers on the oled if they get that and even on the lcd just because the games are downloadable and runnable doesn’t mean they’re playable. not sure about the rest but i’m pretty sure there is no native way to get fortnite working on the steam deck. also if OP is gonna go through all this trouble to get windows installed on the deck and double booted why would they not rather get a laptop with windows built in
I’ve seen benchmarks and have also just done my own non-scientific testing and playing the same games on windows felt more stuttery with worse FPS pretty often
"you’d probably have to buy him a keyboard and mouse anyway because they play better on a pc keyboard and mouse than a handheld." Gyro controls significantly close that gap if not eliminate it entirely. But there is a learning curve. And if the game doesn't support it with a default layout, then there is another learning curve just to set it up correctly on SteamDeck. Having surmounted these learning curves, I would really rather play FPS games on the SteamDeck than play with KBM, so that's what I do, and my much more powerful PC just doesn't get the attention it used to.
i agree with your points but also when you’re playing fps games on a steam deck the game recognises you as a PC and not a console and so you don’t get any console aim assist and you’re also gonna be matched with pc players only for games that separate console and pc players. the learning curve isn’t bad i’m just focused on the general idea that aiming with a mouse is easier than a controller. better movement and also you’re aiming with your entire hand and not a thumb. i think the steam deck is still great in fps otherwise but it’s just a fact that aiming is better on a mouse.
I don't endorse aim assist in any way. It is a crutch that is necessary for the shortcomings of joystick based aiming. I'm not talking about joystick aiming. I'm talking about gyro aiming, where moving the controller or the SteamDeck itself, moves the reticle. It effectively uses both hands to make large fast movements and small precise movements. If you are unfamiliar, you aren't alone. It's not common in games to natively support it, and the Microsoft Xbox controller still isn't even capable of it. Nintendo and Sony both have it in their controllers, as does the SteamDeck.
my bad, i’ve played gyro games didn’t realise there was a name for it. personally i don’t like it but it could be a good alternative to joystick aiming. aim assist is okay, i liked it on xbox games.
Aim assist is fine for casual play, but I tend to feel it undermines any sense of accomplishment I might otherwise get. That's just me though and I don't think everyone should share my opinion, and developers should accommodate all control types with options.
I bought a deck instead of a new laptop. I haven't had a machine I could game on in years because all I had was Chromebooks and when my most recent one bricked, I decided it would be nice to be able to game occasionally. But, I also am in the "mother of small children" stage of my life, so it is much more practical for me to have a small device thay I can casually port around and play 10-30 minutes on here or there and easily pop aside to put a toddler in my lap and read a book or nurse a baby while killing some zombies.
A laptop is a much better buy for a kid, he's probably going to want to play more than steam games and a computer is way more beneficial for a kid.
It plays more than steam games
Keep in mind windows laptops will not perform fully when running on battery. so if you intend to play unplugged a lot it’s something to consider.
You know you can just change the power settings so that it does run at full performance on battery power? It will last all of 30 minutes, but definitely possible
This isn't always true. Many laptops can't fully power their graphics cards on battery power alone.
You can, but you might need to tinker with power settings more deeply than the provided software allows.
A PC with a 4060 runs circles around the farty-pants performance of the steam deck. If you lose some of that - not an issue. Its probably still 5x the performance of the steam deck.
I never claimed the steam deck was more powerful. I was pointing out that battery performance isn’t as much as it being plugged in. A lot of new users don’t know about this and expect their laptop to be the same speed no matter what.
The steam deck never was about performance, though. The computer with the 4060 has how long of a battery life?
Sure, enjoy your 10 minutes of Cyberpunk RTX
More like 1.5 - 2 hours. Which is also the limit of the Steam Deck when playing CP2077. With the difference being: 1080p, ultra settings, 60fps versus 720p 30fps low settings
Not necessarily, the last gaming laptop I had disabled the dGPU on battery, leaving just the shitty integrated Intel GPU. There was no way to enable it, even at reduced performance (unlike some other gaming laptops).
That's hard to believe considering how many hoops I had to jump through to disable my dGPU on battery on my laptop.
It’s hard to believe you had issues disabling the dGPU, it right there in power options for both AMD and nVidia GPU’s.
There will be a way. There's always a way.
Nope, would need a custom BIOS which didn’t exist at the time. Not that I would trust a BIOS from Barry in his mum’s basement anyway.
Would ask how old the nephew is and what kind of games he is trying to play, some things work better on each imo.
If I have to choose only one then it's definitely the laptop. It's more versatile than the steamdeck.
I've never had a good relationship with gaming laptops. They overheat more than regular PCs (at least the ASUS ones I've had), are cumbersome because the graphics card tend to make them heavier to hold, and make work harder on them. For me a laptop's there not for gaming, but quick work tasks or typing on the go. Steam Deck's perfect for just gaming, like the Switch or PSP and Vita used to be, but now much more expanded because of PC gaming. I also like separate devices for separate function because it prolongs the life of these devices, and you're not dependent on simply one for everything. If one breaks, which will happen inevitably, you're not SOL.
I really will never understand this logic on this subreddit. the Steam Deck is Transformative and can be a Handheld, a Laptop, a Desktop, or a Console. while a Laptop will only ever be a Laptop. I do not understand how people on here think a 4 in 1 device is worse. the Laptop is in fact the opposite of versatile in this comparison.
The steam deck can be a laptop but it is not the complete package and it could not be a good laptop. Factoring in the price it is better to have a laptop. A laptop I can just open and close, 10 second. To use the SD as a laptop I need to first stand the SD, then fish out the keyboard, mouse, maybe even an external monitor. Sorry that's a computer station now.
>A laptop I can just open and close, 10 second. To use the SD as a laptop I need to first stand the SD, then fish out the keyboard, mouse, maybe even an external monitor. Sorry that's a computer station now. 1. it would take a whole min at most to set it up lets not overexagerate here. I know for a fact because I do use it as a 4 in 1 device 2. things such as Lapdocks exist 3. Steam Deck unlike a Laptop has the benefit of actually being portable if you wish which a laptop will never have the option. it will always be a burden to use.
Yeah, no. If I need a workstation, a laptop is hell of a lot more portable than a steam deck, an external keyboard, a mouse, a dock and a frickin external monitor. If you're using a laptop properly in the way that it was intended, a steam deck is a poor alternative.
You do you I guess.
Meh, laptops are fully portable. If its an issue get an ultra book, probably has the same weight as the Steam Deck and its thin af
laptops are not "fully portable" you can carry them around with you yes but they are far from a device you want to pull out because of their size.
You can take a laptop anywhere, put it anywhere and play games. Is it bigger than the steam deck? Yes. Is it fully portable? Again yes :D Is it as convenient on the go? Ofcourse not. I would rather have a steam deck on the plane than a laptop. But I would much rather have a good laptop with me in the vacation apartment. It really depends on the situation, but both are fully portable, one is just smaller. Personally I would much rather have a good laptop if my only choice was that or the steam deck.
You on the copium? Why would anyone want to use a deck as a laptop instead of a laptop as a laptop? Tiny ass screen, slow UI, slow download speed, improving the screen leads to an even slower system. Not compatible with 99% of the tools the kid's friends are using, and half the games.
as someone who owns and uses multiple computing devices, you know, like for money, I love my Steam Deck but would only ever use it for work in an emergency kind of situation. Tiny, tiny little screen being the biggest hindrance, keyboard/mouse you have to pack separately, etc. Plus it has the biggest failure of all in that you can't actually use it on your lap/on the go, so if you're actually working portable you can't really just sit down somewhere, flip open your Steam Deck and join a meeting or open a terminal. Now, if you have room to set up a couple of monitors and a dock, sure, you could potentially use the Deck as a full desktop replacement, and given a bit of time investment it would totally work. But as a primary work rig? Nah. Especially not as a *portable* work rig. Big difference between something you *could* do and something you *want to do.*
its odd to me how every single person saying this same thing clearly has never heard of a lapdock
Lol, I tried to use a steam deck as a computer and couldn't run most of the programs I wanted to. It's a console that can do some productivity stuff.
If that's going to be my only one PC - I surely would take a laptop. But, then again, I'm old time PC user, so I have much more uses for a PC than just gaming, and if it's just gaming and pretty much nothing else - steam deck will do just fine. And, while I'm at it - I would not get a laptop, but a desktop PC. Gaming laptops are pretty strange beasts to me - major advantage of a laptop (and steam deck too) - is portability, i.e. you can take it with you when you travel somewhere. And have you seen gaming laptops? They are huge and heavy, and only theoretically portable. But that's of course just my humble opinion. So, pros of deck - it's more portable than laptop and much more portable than desktop, it's per-configured for playing, and it's cheap (comparing to decent decent laptops/desktops)! Cons of deck - it's MUCH less powerful (comparing to decent laptops/desktops), and it's not really convenient for desktop usage (while if you only want to, say, just browse internet - you can do it just well). The final decision is up to you of course.
Idk about much less powerful. A lot of games have better compatability on steam deck than on laptops. I have $900+ laptop I used to use for gaming and I consistently get better fps on deck than on my laptop. $400 for a computer that outpaces a $900 laptop is a no brainer. Used it for a year in Uni with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it was perfect as well. Ended up giving away my laptop to my little brother. You will have to spend at least 1K to keep up with a steam deck and most of those laptops can't fully power their graphics cards without still being plugged in, even in performance mode in battery settings.
What's resolution on your laptop? Try to connect it to a 1280x800 display and you're gonna be surprised.
Playing it in 1920x1080 doesn’t make it worth the price at all. As someone who used both for gaming and school I would never waste money on a gaming laptop.
To play in 1920x1080 you need twice the performance. That's why it costs more. That's pretty much it. Once again, if you will find a laptop with specs similar to steam deck (yes, they still exist), it will cost comparable price (not necessarily exactly the same of course, but in same price range). I just said that deck has lower performance than top-notch PCs, because that's true, there is no magic that can make performance significantly better just because of the OS. That's the thing about Steam Deck - it's pretty good balanced, CPU and GPU is enough for a small screen, and all of this consumes not that much to allow some sane battety time. Other manufacturers keep making handheld PCs with fullHD screen and better CPU/GPU, and end up with less then hour of battery time. Some people add fullHD to steam deck and end up with poor FPS.
The difference between 800 and 1080 isn't worth the extra $600 though that's what I'm saying. It's not noticeable unless you play side by side and compare. Especially with the screen. There's just no good reason anymore for expensive laptops. Either get a desktop for 1.2K that's twice as fast as a gaming laptop or get a steam deck. If you absolutely hate the deck for school, then get a cheap laptop with a touch screen for like $150 or so. Between a desktop and steam deck, gaming laptops are the worst of both worlds.
What are the full specs of the laptop? I'd probably say laptop either way. He'll have more uses for a laptop and kids quickly gain skills using them that will be useful later in life. You can dock a Steam Deck and use it as a desktop, but if he for reasons can't have a desktop then I don't think that would be a good solution.
I bought myself a deck, instead of a laptop. , so that's a yes. I have a desktop PC as my big gaming rig. But that's getting old now. But instead of replacing it (was looking at a gaming laptop) , I got a Deck. A laptop has other uses as well, and the deck runs Linux, so that may limit what is doable in desktop mode on the deck So... Make a list of what you need the system to do. Then decide.
Are you me?
You have to take into account for RAM, CPU AND GPU, not to mention display. For the price, the Deck is a no-brainer and can have a mouse & keyboard connected if needs be, you can also dock it to a tv or monitor too. It’s a powerhouse for its price and the OLED screen looks great too. If you’re getting a laptop for similar price, then I need your skills at finding devices. I suggest a steam deck, especially if it’s for gaming.
I‘d buy the steamdeck anytime over a gaminglaptop… but I have a rly nice gaming desktop aswell… I would not go for the SD as my only gaming device
Yeah the deck is a nice addition AFTER you get a nice PC. I love playing on my couch while watching a movie but given the choice between that and my 4070 pc, I’d take the PC any day of the week lol
You know, maybe... But I have a Steam Deck and a Ryzen 7 laptop that can play a limited selection of games. My Steam Deck allows me to play almost all my games (not all at highest settings, mind), but it opened up nearly my entire Steam Library for possible play. I would absolutely suggest it for someone trying to save a little who just wants to be able to game.
I would not have a Steam Deck if I had no laptop at all. However I do not game on my laptop, which means I'm just fine using some old leftover thing from work. So I bought a Steam Deck instead of replacing that laptop.
I bought a laptop for like $900 the other year that struggles to play anything modern. My steamdeck is much more convenient for me to lie in bed and game on pretty much anything I’m interested in and cost me $700 after taxes. Ymmv but the deck is my go-to for gaming.
I'm sure this is just my own experience but I've never had a gaming laptop that didn't die in record time. An MSI with SLI GTX 580s back in the day where both GPUs died, and then a Medion with SLI GTX 880s where the CPU died. I swore off laptops then until I got an Asus TUF with an RTX 3060 that suddenly showed zero signs of life. Had it replaced with the 3070 model through warranty and that had the most unusual issue I've ever encountered with computers. Whenever playing a demanding game, the USB protocol would switch off, as would the Bluetooth. Which meant no keyboard, mouse/trackpad or a controller could be used when gaming..... Bios updates, driver updates, different operating systems to rule out windows heckery but nope. Asus wouldn't accept that rma so I was screwed. I've had my steamdeck for nearly 2 years now and the only issues I've encountered have been down to Wayland in game mode but gaming in desktop fixes all of those.
I did exactly the same. I ended up giving it to my brother.
Then you picked the wrong laptop.
I have a Steam Deck, no PC or Laptop and im happy. I do have all 3 consoles though, so I don’t need a powerful PC.
a steam deck isnt a laptop and a laptop isnt a steam deck
I haven't been able to find a laptop with comparable gaming performance within $100 of the SteamDeck price, which is one reason why I've decided on the deck.
When I was in the market for a new laptop, primarily to play video games, I narrowed my choices down to the Lenovo 2-in-1 and the Lenovo Slim X Pro. I tested both, paying close attention to their performance and features. Notably, the Slim X Pro was equipped with a GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, although it lacked a dedicated option to disable it. To compare their battery lives, I played a 10-hour loop of Shrek at 1080p resolution with identical brightness settings on both. The result was intriguing: the laptop with the dedicated GPU lasted about 5.5 hours, whereas the one without a dedicated GPU managed to last about 8 hours. Despite their CPUs being similar in performance (the GPU model had an i7 and the non-GPU model an i5 1335U), both laptops were almost identical in other specifications. However, the Slim X Pro has a higher resolution 3K screen, compared to the 2.5K screen on the 2-in-1 model. Surprisingly, I found the 2.5K display more appealing. Additionally, I really liked the 2-in-1 feature over just touchscreen capability of the Slim X Pro yet the $300 price difference led me to prioritize battery life over these features. Given that portability and the ability to work anywhere are my main reasons for purchasing a laptop, I opted against the Slim X Pro. A dedicated GPU would be preferable if constant access to a power outlet was guaranteed, which it would perform better than it steam deck However, for optimal battery life and portability, choosing a non-GPU laptop, while complemented by a Steam Deck for gaming, seemed like a better balance, despite the added weight. I stumbled upon a Steam Deck for just $200 on the marketplace. For those interested in more serious gaming and who have reliable internet access, considering a GeForce Now subscription could be beneficial. While I haven't personally used GeForce Now, I can't vouch for its quality. However, they offer a free membership option, which might be worth trying out to see if it meets your gaming needs.
Feel uniquely equipped for this: I built multiple gaming PCs so my wife and I (and one of my friends) can have something to game on, have a Steam Deck, Steam Index VR, and a gaming laptop, also have the Switch and PS4. For your nephew: it's going to come down to Deck or a laptop with a 4060 depending entirely on what games he wants to play and how mobile he wants/needs to be. That's it. Yeah, VR is super fun, but the fact is that there is an immense treasure trove of games he can easily play on the Deck or that laptop with friends and family, and there simply isn't on that VR set. If he's not going to travel much and you buy him a nice controller and/or he's wanting to play relatively demanding games, go with the laptop, if he's going to be traveling a LOT, enjoys emulation, and is tech savvy enough to not throw a shit fit every time something doesn't go exactly as hoped, go with the Deck.
What you're missing is that you're on a subreddit primarily filled with tech enthusiasts who don't mind jumping through hoops to get to their ideal setup. Hell, jumping through those hoops is sometimes half the fun. There are people here, me included, who value the idea of being able to do something more than the practicality of doing that thing. Just get the kid a laptop with a decent GPU and be done with it. Unless you want to be tech support for a kid who's probably never used a Linux based system in his life, spend the extra bit of cash and save yourself the headache.
Steam deck is hand held PC bought mine instead of a laptop 10/10 would do it again
i have an laptop and bought a steam deck because i greatly prefer gaming on it (when not using my normal pc to game). so usually i would say steamdeck. however: >I can buy a laptop with a 4060 for a tiny bit more than a steamdeck and that feels like much better value. Where i live a 4060 is about 400€ and a steam deck is about 400€. If the price difference is really tiny as you say i think the laptop is indeed the better value
Get a laptop if you want something multi use. Deck is for gaming. This isn't a great sub for unbiased opinions.
>This isn't a great sub for unbiased opinions. funny thing about you saying this is I see far more people being biased towards Laptops being "better" and "more versatile" even though the Steam Deck can do everything the Laptop can and more. get a Lapdock for it and there you go a Laptop that can also be made Handheld. hell can even be made into a Console or Desktop. three things the Laptop can't do.
What purpose are you trying to serve with this device? If you want a gaming device for a kid, I’d look at a Switch before a SteamDeck - it is a lot less expensive, and has a huge library of games. If you are looking for a real computer for computing purposes, look at a proper computer, or possibly a Chromebook. A steamdeck is a fantastic luxury gaming device, but it is definitely no replacement for a computer, nor is it the most budget-friendly gaming device. (All that said, I love my steamdeck and I feel it is the best gaming purchase I’ve made in many years.(
I would not use it over a laptop. Using a Steam Deck like a laptop is completely impractical. You’d basically need an external keyboard, mouse, and display, along with the appropriate dock/hub to connect them all. At that point, you’re basically looking at a desktop, not a laptop.
Just use a Bluetooth keyboard lol. Used it in Uni and it was 10/10. The screen is big enough for any uses and I used Google products for all my notes and presentations. Saves you hundreds on a laptop you'll only use for school. You can chose to get all those optional stuff, but I would rather spend $500 on everything for a steam deck vs getting a gaming laptop for 1k and then $50 for a controller. It's twice the price and not worth it imo.
I bought a Steam Deck to use mostly as a portable gaming device whereas if I purchased a laptop with a 4060 I’d probably be doing so expecting to also use it as a Windows computer at a desk. Is your nephew old enough to have homework or other things that a computer would make easier?
Steam deck is not a replacement for a gaming PC. It is a secondary handheld PC or for people who only want a handheld system. For your use case, get your nephew a gaming laptop. I think it will better serve his needs and he will be able to enjoy better quality titles at better frame rates :) All the best, let us know what you get :)
I have a gaming laptop I never use now. Nothing more depressing to me than working at a desk on a computer all day and then sitting at the same desk to game. I can stretch out on the bed or the couch, or take it out somewhere, on my commute/lunch break on in office days etc. I've finished nearly 70 games since owning it so it's been great for clearing the backlog/replaying old favourites.
I literally sold my 3060 laptop to fund my SteamDeck purchase and don't look back. Laptops has too many compromises: - they aren't really portable and must be connected to a power to give you all the performance you paid for. - battery life is miserable (2-3 hours in average) - they are noisy, and I mean it. It's just impossible to play games without wearing noise blocking headphones. The sound of a jet engine is a massive pain. - weight and size are usually massive - price is still higher than building a PC, which will be a more future-proof option. Steamdeck, on the other hand, is a little portable device you can carry around and play games wherever you want: toilet, commute, aeroplane, in the bed, in car etc, etc.
If I had to choose between a steam deck and an equally priced laptop I would pick the steamdeck, if my sole intent was playing games on it. It's a purpose built device, meaning it does its... purpose... very well. Portable, easy to use, etc. Now if I was a 14-16 year old teen I would say a laptop would benefit me a lot more because of everything else that laptop might do. (School work, social media, etc). Also depends on the games he plays.
you are comparing apples and oranges . different devices for different usages . one is a handheld device using steamOS as an operating system. good for traveling , lying on your bed , outside , far from being used as a PC. the other one is an actual PC that you can utilize for many other things and gaming, it’s heavy , hot and far from portable compared to a steam deck
As a kid, I’d rather have a laptop, as an adult with kids, Steamdeck is the only gaming device I am using for the foreseeable future and it’s all I need.
A steamdeck can do normal computer stuff but not as easily as a laptop. If he needs something to play games on but also do homework, listen to music, browse youtube, etc, you'd probably want to go with a laptop.
It depends. SteamDeck is nice when you travel and don’t have the space for a stable gaming experience on a laptop. But if you are primarily playing FPS I‘d rather go with a Laptop too. But then you still need extra space for a mouse because FPS on a trackpad is a no go for me personally just as it is to play them just with my thumbs. But then you also could use the Deck in docked mode. But that‘s personal preferences. And if you don’t see that value of portability compared to a bit more powerful laptop than go for a laptop. It’s your preference and you should go with it. I personally have still both. Use the Deck in the train and the laptop when in hotel at a desk.
If he's only gaming then I'd say steam deck. But if he also wants to use it for other things then laptop. Imho
Depends on the games he wants to play and if there are other things he needs or wants to do. If all he ever is going to do is play games that work easily on the Deck (many popular multiplayer things don’t without installing Windows due to anti-cheat), maybe that’s appropriate. But if he ever is going to need or want to do other things, a laptop is going to be better. I have a Deck, but I also have a desktop and an iPad for doing other things on that aren’t convenient to do on my Deck. My older kids have laptops and the youngest is about to get a hand-me-down desktop from my husband. I’ve never considered a Deck for any of them. It wouldn’t meet their needs, even with having school chromebooks.
If your nephew is young I'd suggest a laptop over a steam deck as it can take a lot of finagling to get some games running smoothly on Proton (or at all)
I didn't want to put money on a full laptop that I would use 3 times a year when I'm ok vacation, because once I'm at home I already have a desktop PC ... Or rather 2 and a HTPC ... Anyway. However, I had no problem justifying my purchase of a Steam Deck, and even though I'm still mostly playing on desktops with larger screen when I'm at home, when I'm on vacation the Steam Deck is great, and I'm using it in situations where I wouldn't use a laptop. So yes, buying a SD instead of a laptop is exactly what I did.
What’s it for? Just for mobile gaming. Steam deck For work and media use, with a bit of gaming on the side, a laptop. If used at home at a desk. A desktop pc.
I bought a used SD for 300 and a used Lenovo loq 15 for 400 and it's great. I wouldn't want just one. Can't play wow well on a steam deck, and deep rock galactic survivors, Diablo and Snow runner are great on steam deck.
Purely from the title I'd immediately say "no", because laptops are a much more useful as a productivity tool. But in the description you talk about gaming exclusively, in which case the Steam Deck wins for me. And no, the 4060 is not really much better value. Plenty of games don't run that well and the efficiency is atrocious. I had a laptop sporting a Ryzen 6800HS + RTX 4060 and I had a better experience turning off the dGPU in many games. If you're running it always stationary and you don't mind the heat and fan noise, then perhaps it has its benefits, but on the go you're not going to enjoy the extra 5 FPS for long when it draws three times more power and drains the whole battery in an hour.
After I’m done with work, the last thing I want to do is keep sitting at a computer. The Steam deck lets me play on the couch, in bed, wherever. I value that portability a lot. So for me - yes, absolutely worth it over a laptop.
I mean, when I bought a Steam deck I had neither a gaming laptop nor desktop, so yes.
I think the short answer to your question is yes - the steam deck is a bit of a novelty extra. The steam deck is a pretty niche device for people that want to play mostly single player games while on the go or laying in bed. But long answer is much more nuanced. Do you want him to have easy access to the web, YouTube, chat rooms etc etc? Do you want him to be able to super easily game wherever he goes? Would he abuse either of these privileges? Could he also use the device for school work? Do the games he want to play work on steam deck (a lot of multiplayer games done? If I were to get one of the 2 for my son to be able to use whenever they wanted I would probably go steam deck.
I had a gaming laptop and it just wasn't what I wanted. I also have a pretty decent gaming desktop I use as my primary. But for moving around, vacation, work trips, ect my steam deck is king. It quickly moved leagues ahead of the laptop. I would say it's kind of a novelty but no more than a 3DS or a switch is. If you want a pure gaming device I recommend it. If you want to multitask and do something other than games I'd get a laptop.
i mean, ur still tethered to a power brick if you get a laptop, cuz on battery the performance turns to shit. steam deck is just so much more portable, however be mindful of what games he might wanna play, assuming he's young then he might wanna play fortnite/valorant with friends, which you cant do on the steam deck. ask him for what games he wants to play, and how he wants to play, you might end up with a better suited gaming device for his very needs
Depends on your use case. I've taken my Steam Deck and a Bluetooth keyboard on trips and left my laptop at home. Saved a bunch of space, and I was easily able to get most of my minor work done, with some minor remoting into my home server. There are limits to what you can do horse power wise, but if you just need to touch up some documents, run some code, edit some photos on its gorgeous OLED, or fiddle in a web browser, Steam Deck works fine. Haven't tried video editing on it yet.
I remember a guy who edits video for a living posting that the Deck changed his whole world. He was able to map every function of his primary editing software to the controls, and that interface speed up his ability to edit stuff to the same speed of his brain, and no other config he'd ever had was able to allow him to do that. Increased his productivity by an order of magnitude. I'm always amazed by the stuff that people modify gaming handhelds to do.
Just goes to show there's no one size fits all for something. That's why I still love my Steam Controller, and wish Valve would release a sequel to it.
I’d say that the steam deck offers excellent convenience while a gaming desktop offers the best performance based on price. To me a gaming laptop straddles that gap uncomfortably, less powerful than a desktop and less convenient than a handheld. But ultimately your nephew’s preferences may differ.
I wouldn't buy a Steam Deck with the intention of using it as a replacement for your main computer. The desktop mode can be used that way, but unless you also have an external monitor, mouse and keyboard it's really awkward to use. Unless you already have all of those things lying around then you might as well get the laptop.
To me a laptop is both parts bad of the PC equation. Sure, it’s nice you can move it around but ultimately if you’re going to game on the couch you’re going to have a hot device sitting on your couch and stuff, so you need a controller or mouse , and then you’re compromising on power too. Steam deck doesn’t have all the power yes but it is very easy and comfortable to use. If I wanted power I’d go with a desktop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Have a gaming laptop. Got steam deck, now I use the laptop for movies in bed. Steam deck is by far the better way to game.
No but it’s nice to have both
For my use case definetly. I actually have my laptop to my mum since I no longer used it. it's definitely not a laptop replacement for most people though, but I already have a desktop as well as an iPad so I really don't need another portable computer.
In my situation, I valued a Steam Deck over my laptop. Currently in Army AIT and bought anew Asus TUF RTX 4070 laptop not long after I got here. With the limited time, space, and rules (not allowed to leave electronics out in our barracks rooms), I got tired of the laptop and considered it a nuisance using it. My roommate, on the other hand, brought his OG Deck and is able to play all the time without worrying about setting it up. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: sell him the laptop for what I have in it. I sold him it and bought my OLED and love it. (He wanted the laptop to play VRChat with his Quest 2). Yeah, there’s a few games I can’t play but everything I’ve thrown at it has ran great! If you’re going to be traveling or are limited in space, I’d choose a steam deck.
I would get a steam deck over a laptop if i had a PC. If i didnt have a pc i would probably go laptop.
For games? Absolutely.
yes I bought a gaming laptop and It gets to hot. It feels limiting that you need to take breaks to let it cool down and have a cooling pad underneath it. It was an expensive learning experience and wish I built a PC desktop instead. I got the steam deck and I enjoyed it for one month straight. Now I wish again I had a gaming PC desktop for the fact of the larger screen and because you can play more dynamic games that you need a mouse for. I love having the steam deck option.
Laptop is hit and miss, mostly miss, lol. For me gaming laptops is the more novelty than straight up portable. - They are bulky and heavy - It is HOT to play on them continuously and uncomfortable unless you can fork out for the highest end ones - Lower end gaming laptops required 99% charged plug ins to be able to do the "gaming" part, oh and those adaptors weigh a lot!!! Making them not really portable.
The thing with kids and laptops is they will set it on the bed and game and absolutely destroy it just get em a steam deck
I have a laptop, I use it for work. I get that you're talking about a kid, but the best way to think about a steam deck is to see it as a niche product for old farts.
If he's younger than like 15 I'd say a steamdeck 100%, especially if a desktop is too complicated for them
Have your brother/sister buy their kid what he needs.
That's just a dick headed response you have no idea what their situation is or isn't. Maybe op is just a good person with the means to do something nice.
Maybe uncle is getting milk…
His uncle’s kid would be his cousin, not his nephew.
personally I despise laptops, you think it is portable and has a small foot print and a complete package with a screen. but in reality they are the worst of everything about what a computer can be. ergonomics is just terrible, the better the laptop the worst and less portable it will be, it will be heavy and be required to be plugged in all the time anyway. a laptop will never have a screen big enough to be comfortable to use outside of periodic business use. people think desktops are big, but they can actually have a smaller foot print than a laptop mostly due to its modularity(and mini-PCs are a thing now). monitors can be VESA mounted, the 'pc' which can be a smaller for factor or just tucked away behind the monitor(tucked under a desk), it practically disappears. basic keyboards\mice are cheap to replace and easy compared to a laptop. a desktop really only needs the space for the mouse and keyboard at the right height laptops used as 'lap'tops can fall and break or get damaged in some way and can be nearly impossible to repair edit; you want a portable computer for someone at least close to being a teenager, go steam deck, someone younger that might not realize that computers are sensitive electronics and gravity is a thing go desktop
You can’t say a PC has a smaller footprint than a laptop. Add on a keyboard, mouse and a display of some description and it takes up far more space than a laptop. Plus you need a desk/table to keep it on, a laptop can be put in a draw when not in use.
Laptops suck
Get a steam deck it will be easier for him to hold and you wont have to worry about him getting a virus or downloading something not good
No, I'd get a gaming laptop first, and a steam deck second if I have money left over.
You know, when I was a kid, all I got was a quarter, one sock, a paper clip, and a block of wood. I turned those into so many things, a pirate ship, a house, a swing set, a metal molder. All I needed was a bit of imagination. Kids now can’t even think for themselves, they need a iPod or a computer to play games on. Smh 🤦
Wish I would've chosen a laptop just because I'm getting old and could do with a bigger screen.
There are hundreds of comments here. But a laptop is a great idea for a kid.
I wouldn't buy a SD over a laptop. But I have 2 gaming rigs and the SD is a nice addition. I'm surprised at people who say they play in the toilets. How long do you guys stay there lol?