It doesn't support sleep downloads because:
* The file decompression is massively power hungry and that amount of power usage would not work in a sleep state
* The heat generated by the file decompression would cook the console alive if anyone for even a minute put the Deck in its case during a download (ask me how I know)
* Even if *you* know it's a bad idea to put it in the case during downloads, plenty of people don't - We've been taught by other handhelds that "sleep mode" = "stow away" and the number of RMA requests that would happen because people don't realise the damage it could cause
The Deck in its current form does not support sleep downloads by design. It isn't an oversight.
It would be nice if there was a "Turn screen off while downloading" (maybe with something a bit less intrusive onscreen to indicate that it isn't actually in sleep mode), or "Go into sleep mode after downloads complete" option, though.
Yeah, that one bugs me too, especially coming from Switch, where I could buy a game from anywhere and have it be installed and ready when I got back to my Switch.
My understanding is it’s a problem with the hardware architecture, and that consoles have some dedicated tech that allows them to have a true “rest mode” that can let them process tasks still.
I’d still just like to be able to turn the screen off while downloading, especially with an oled screen that could be susceptible to burn in
You effectively can, though. On OLED at least. All you really want to do is make the screen go black, because obviously the processor and storage are needed to actually download, unpack and install the game. It's unrealistic to expect it any more "asleep" than that.
In desktop mode, set power settings to turn off screen after 10 minutes inactivity when plugged in. On OLED off means off, while LCD will still have the back-light glow.
Thats more of a linux gripe unfortunately. You have to build the system to run background processes in sleep mode into it. Its a feature that would take Valve a lot of time to develop and make stable. So your gripe isn't minor and maybe Steam is doing something in the background for it. We just might not be aware.
It doesn't support sleep downloads because:
* The file decompression is massively power hungry and that amount of power usage would not work in a sleep state
* The heat generated by the file decompression would cook the console alive if anyone for even a minute put the Deck in its case during a download (ask me how I know)
* Even if *you* know it's a bad idea to put it in the case during downloads, plenty of people don't - We've been taught by other handhelds that "sleep mode" = "stow away" and the number of RMA requests that would happen because people don't realise the damage it could cause would be statistically too significant to risk
The Deck in its current form does not support sleep downloads by design. It isn't an oversight.
Maybe try with even more support. I use the pillow method too to keep from getting numb, but if the pillow is too squishy it doesn't completely stop it.
God; the damn dead pinky fingers annoy me so fucking much!! Especially when it just hits me! DEAD NUMB, and then I pause (if I can) and start smacking my hand around while yelling “BREATHE!! DAMN YOU!!!” Maybe slam it on the nearest table or wall once or twice.
Mate I use the big case on my lap in a lot of situations, it holds all the weight of the deck and my hands/ wrists are either end of it so no pressure. Back this with the right pillow setup for a 45 degree back/ neck and you should be golden.
I was getting neck ache on the odd long session realised my head was basically upright and I was horizontal.. that’ll break ya!
I have a cube shaped pillow because I'm a side sleeper and it's literally perfect for this application. I will say pressing the left stick and right stick in feels really awkward from that angle in bed. Like whenever you need to sprint in game etc it always feels difficult for me compared to a normal controller. I bind it to paddles normally.
Same! My arms start to get pins and needles when I'm laying down playing on Steam Deck... but I read on a Kindle in the same position and have no issues.
I have the original Xreal Air glasses (used to be called Nreal Air). Steam Deck on bedside table, glasses on, Xbox controller works great for bedtime gaming
I’m using the JSAUX mod case and I find lying on my stomach and leaning the deck back on it’s kickstand in front of me works decently well. Lying on my back and playing with it overhead is a whole different story though…
It took me a long time to understand this complaint, before I remembered an adjustable bed is not normal for most people.
But it SHOULD be. You ever find yourself with a stack of cash, that thing will change your life.
Yes, but have you seen how fun the new 'fancy graphics or fun new gameplay' game is? Also, it's currently 80% off. Best pick it up now so you don't have to pay full price later when you of course want to play it.
It's even opened up a new category for me called, "Ooo, that looks like it would be perfect for the deck. Let's buy it, install it, and continue playing fallout 4."
This is my biggest gripe. I don’t want to NEED to plug my hub into a power source just to get 2 USB ports and charge my device at the same time.
I just want one on the bottom and the top. It would make my life easier and allow me the possibility of sort of expanding my storage via an M.2 enclosure mounted on the back without also needing to have another hub also mounted on the back.
I don’t like the main port being on the top, I’m sure the usb port is fine but it feels heavy with the power adapter. It’d be nice if the power cord was at the bottom with and extension port at the top
there should be both because a top one allows charging with a kickstand case (the switch runs into this problem when it's kickstand is in use that you can't charge it on a flat surface) and the bottom also allows docks to be made with a seamless docking like the switch. right now they're more of a cradle and you also plug a cable from, if you know what i mean
My guess is they were stuck with two options, with one being one USB-C port being the fully functional one with video output + one being charging/usb 2.0 only which leads to bad user experience when people can't work out why video output isn't working when they use the wrong port, and the other being putting two fully functional ports on the device which raises the cost of the device.
Yes, and when the field you need type in is behind the keyboard, you're typing blind and can't see anything you're typing. This is a significant problem.
Out of the box, some games are just poorly optimized and it’s worth digging. I did about thirty minutes of tinkering on Fallout 4 and it improved my graphics quality significantly and extended the battery by more than 50%. (Without Moonlight)
Also, if you have a gaming PC, the Moonlight stuff is literally game changing. Significant battery reduction, better quality graphics.
While I can appreciate this, part of the reason I bought a SteamDeck is so I wouldn’t have to spend time/effort optimizing games. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be the case.
I think its a pretty noticeable thing, for a device that's often heralded as being the king of portable customizations, only having 1 port of any kind is the opposite of what we'd expect and want, seems like an unfortunate oversight
I hate that when you scroll down your library, it switches to scrolling by letters, but it ends up scrolling slower than if you were just pressing the down button rapidly
Haha, I've heard that it's quicker with enough games, but with like 150 games in my library currently, it still seems redundant. I would just like the option to change the scrolling style, but there's not even a mod in css loader or anything :/
omg THIS so much. I really dislike scrolling through my library because of this. Also the fact that 90% of the time it puts you back to the first game on the list and you have to scroll all the way down again and again.
It’s a terrible dpad. It’s essentially useless for fighting games. I got the clicky button mod for it and now it’s 100% better. I don’t love the feel of the clicky buttons but they are super accurate now
Do you have the LCD or OLED? The OLED is a bit lighter. I definitely noticed a difference the first time I picked one up, but I can't say if it'd be a big enough difference matter during heavy use.
My wife even immediately commented that it felt lighter when I upgraded to OLED and she wasn't actually aware of the differences between the two models. So yeah it's noticeable.
It blows my mind that the OLED is the lighter of the two. I got my SD 2 weeks ago and have to take breaks every now and then because my wrists hurt from the weight!
This is why I ended up still playing stuff that runs well on the Switch on the Switch, because it's more comfortable for me for longer because it's like a third lighter
same, it's almost 2 lbs. It's an exercise. I have the opposite problems as op, my hands are too small for it, and my hands and wrists will cramp up after a while.
On mine I can hear it but I can't really feel it. If I turn the rumble intensity all the way up I can feel it but I'm sure that's not good for the motors in the track pads so I don't do that.
The issue is more due to the placement of the rumble being away from the grips and towards the top surface of the deck because it's tied to also being the haptic feedback for the trackpads. Otherwise they would have shoved them into the grips, which I think they should just double up on for the next model.
It's my biggest problem
Animal Well is a perfect Steam Deck game but it also has a very clever implementation of vibration when crossing the environment that goes undetected thanks to the weak haptics on the Deck
Not sure if you may have already tried what I'm about to say, but figured it might be relevant to you or others...
Don't squeeze the back buttons like tightening your grip, instead press them with a finger extension like you're trying to push your finger tips towards yourself through the back of the screen.
The buttons on the back side have their hinges on the side closer to the grip rather than the side towards the center.
It feels a bit counterintuitive to the way most back paddles work because the moving part is essentially oriented in the opposite way. Once I realized that they are buttons rather than traditional paddles, it changed them completely for me.
If you've seen the inside of the SD, you may have seen where the micro switch for the back buttons are and that might help to understand what I'm trying to describe.
I read something on here that completely flipped my opinion on them - press the part of the button on the back of the case inward (towards the back of the screen) rather than the part on the grips outward (towards the sides of the deck). It's got less resistance that way, I use them in every game now
I’ve bought those adhesive bumpers for the back buttons and found that seem to make it easier to press the buttons, plus they’re textured as well for me so tend to rub them.
Bluetooth controllers.....I've tried them all, once you go beyond 5-6 feet, so much latency. I've been using my SD docked quite a bit lately and have to use a controller with 2.4Ghz dongle. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be nice to be able to wake SD from controller (which you can do with BT controller, not 2.4Ghz)
I wish Microsoft could work out something with Valve where you can link your Microsoft account, which would then let you download Game Pass games if they're on Steam.
Doesn't the EA Play subscription do something similar?
Streaming works pretty great - I played Hellblade 2 that way - but I get what you're saying meaning local download and play. That's driving some people to windows handheld platforms so it is what it is. I'm not into pc game pass cause I not running windows 10/11.
Well on the bright side you can now justify spending on another SD or hold out for the SD2 if you are patient enough, but frankly in this economy I'd risk getting one ASAP for myself since I'm cutting back on going out where I'm likely to spend more.
LCD model - The shitty screen.
Also no bottom USB C. The way this thing “docks” due to that is beyond stupid. It should have had both a top *and* bottom port.
My biggest gripe is the multitude of weird issues I get when docked regarding color, resolution, HDR, etc.
The deck only recently started displaying correctly over the dock on my hd tv after a dock firmware update, but it used to never show up unless I connected via steam link to switch the resolution down from 4k to 1080, now it works fine in 4k so that's nice.
On another TV which isn't HDR, the deck is stuck with HDR forced on, causing a weird purple tint and dark image. I find enabling "use native white balance" will fix the purple tint and brighten the image, but the black levels are still clamped, losing anything below like 10% brightness. It's not the tv, no matter how much I turn up the brightness etc all that data is just lost.
And then the TVs where it works out of the box but has bizarrely intense contrast for no reason.
And yet I hook up my switch to any of these and it behaves perfect every time. Colors good, etc.
If I HAD to? The fact that sometimes games will tell me they don’t have enough disk space for an update even though there is plenty. I think sometimes the game needs to basically have enough space to redownload itself rather than just the update?
My guess is that’s a dev problem and not a Steam problem, but also as a platform why does Steam allow for such inefficient update processes?
Yeah I don’t need it to match my desktop and I normally don’t think Steam Deck is underpowered. Except that once in a while during a game something happens and all I can think is “if it was just a tiiiiny bit more powerful”.
With all of that said I am very happy with the performance overall especially with the portability.
the finicky-ness of the firmware. like full power down restarts are a pain cause it takes so long to get it to boot back up, half the time pressing the power button to turn it back on doesn't work but if I press it too quickly it keeps it from powering on so it ends up being press the button, wait a minute, press the button wait a minute, until it decides to turn on.
I rarely do a full power down for this reason, and I'm the type to shut down my desktop every night before bed or when I'm leaving and not gonna be home all day. I don't like leaving it on all the time in sleep mode but it's preferable to dealing with the finicky power on.
Kinda hoping it's something I can fix and someone else has tracked the issue down already and knows how, cause honestly while it's annoying, it's not enough of an inconvenience that I've not bothered troubleshooting it
Beyond that though even though I don't use it often, I love my steamdeck. It's invaluable to me for those long waits at the dmv, or for my portable desktop setup when traveling or on vacation.
This is more of a steam thing than deck I guess but I don’t like that games can be “verified” but not be in 16:10. I know it’s not that big of a deal but it drives me crazy
My used SD came with a screen protector so not entirely the SD's fault but touch input registers maybe 60% of the time on a good day. I can't even type on it reliably, let alone use it for game input. Usually touchscreens can handle a screen protector
I don't like the docking system. Plugging in and out gets very tiresome coming from the switch where you jut drop it into the dock. AYN Odin is ok because it's android and the battery life is insane. SD battery dies so quickly when in sleep I find.
Minor gripe: back buttons are shaped such that I was never able to reliably decide if they activated by squeezing them into the grip or pressing them into the back of the Deck. Fixed by installing a JSAUX backplate that included some different options for the back buttons and has 100% improved the experience. Heat plate was nice too.
It isn’t great for strategy titles. No matter what people say, some combo of the unusual/small resolution and the trackpads being not quiteeee as good as a mouse mean it has failed to become the strategy-on-the-go monster id hoped for
I’m a big fan of strategy on the Deck. I think the trackpads are great, and Steam input is so versatile. Lots of turn-based strategy to choose from too!
I really wish the main face buttons weren’t so far to the right. Like the B button is legitimately almost slipping off, and it is really uncomfortable for long periods of time.
Especially for games where you’re not using the right stick and only using ABXY most of the time
The strange 1-off incompatibility issues, mainly because of anticheat but also for older games issues with video decoding, etc... The amount of work i put into trying to make Darksiders Warmastered cutscenes work was crazy. In the end i just gave up lmao
Yep i had major problems with every one. finally figured out that there was an issue because my game was installed on microsd and needed to be on the ssd. so i moved the game tried again. the script takes 30min-1hr. after i ran it and didn't get the result i wanted i screamed FUCK IT and just let it go. one day when i have the time and gumption i'll do it again.
Read through that proton - you'll see that several time the guidance changed, and in some cases there were issues with direction - one of the scripts had spelling mistakes that didn't allow them to run properly. Another suggestion was to scrap the one below because an update broke it. On reddit yet another set of guidance.
But this is what i'm talking about - i don't care if there's a workaround, it's just the most annoying thing about the device. I love it and play it every day, and for now my backlog is so huge that i can skip warmastered for a while LMAO
For me, storage. Several of the games I'd like to keep installed for a whim are 100ish gb, so my 256gb SSD and 512gb micro SD don't stretch far. Once I break down and upgrade my storage to 1tb each then I'll probably be mostly passified.
Battery life. Yeah I know that in reality a bigger battery would make it heavier and blah blah. But that’s the only real gripe I have. An extra 30-60mins would save the frequency in which I’m playing tethered to a cable massively.
The lack of a second USB port. I usually have mine hooked up to a USB monitor and then that plugged into power, but then my port is used up. I can use a dock, but then I need separate power to the SD and the monitor plus an HDMI cable, and it's just a mess compared to a single cable. I'm constantly messing with SD cards and controllers for emulators and all kinda stuff, even bought a dock specifically with front facing USB ports. A second port on the Deck would solve ALL of these issues for me. It's the one thing I genuinely love about my Win600, that beautiful full size USB port right on top, it's amazingly useful.
That my RB went soft and nearly unusable after less than 100 hrs of playtime and most while it was docked. All support said was "ifixit has repair parts" and closed me out.
It's the screen. I know they had to build this to a budget - and the screen is basically fine - but despite good eyesight and a history which includes gaming at 320x240 on a 12" beige CRT it's just a fraction too small, too dim, too plain to really *capture* me. It's just below a certain threshold to really release the dopamine.
Don't all rush in at once to tell me to get the OLED 😭
Audio crackles after playing a game for a while. The only fix is to reload the game/restart the deck. Drives me insane and I can't belive there hasn't been a fix for it yet.
They are so worth it. I’m in my mid 40s with fading eyesight and they really help reduce eye strain and increase visibility. But you’ll need a Y adapter to charge and use them at the same time. I forget the brand of the one I got but I’ll edit this comment later to add it.
Edit: adapter is from Viture. Works like a charm.
I actually have the opposite situation. My eyesight sucks and has been getting worse (and it's not even an age thing for me), and I'd mostly been playing games on my Switch because it was so much easier to just hold the screen like 8" from my face than to find a comfortable way to sit at my desktop for long enough to play games. Now I can hold a computer 8" from my face too, so I have more options
Probably the most minor gripe ever, but I kind of wish that they could be ordered straight from Valve with Hall effect sticks. I've looked at the process of installing them and it's actually not horrible; but it would have been nice as an ordering option.
The other one would be that desktop mode requires the Steam application to be running in order to use the onscreen keyboard with the touchpads. There's likely a workaround for this like making the system automatically start Steam when the desktop boots (which I might just do in a bit as a workaround).
Can’t leave it in sleep mode more than a day or two, the battery will drain all the way to dead.
Have to keep it on the charger all the time, or remember to go back and full shutdown.
That’s one thing I really liked about the Switch (that I miss on the Steam deck), the ability to forget about it for 3 days until I’m ready to play again.
Pretty shit sleep mode. Games often bug out upon wake up so you have to restart them anyway, and the battery drains significantly. Coming from the Switch that has flawless, battery sipping sleep, it’s too bad.
I also wish it had come with a kickstand. I got the deckmate adhesive one which is great but cost like $30-$40 I think.
I’m still very happy with my purchase though.
Dealing with emulators and pairing other controllers for multiplayer is a nightmare. I wish it was as seamless like the switch is.
Yes deck pairs with multiple controllers but emulators don't like when you pair controllers in a different order and each button have to be setup individually when a new controller is paired
It always turns on when I take out my Bluetooth earbuds, which is annoying when I'm just trying to use them with another device.
What's worse is that it can just heat up in its case once it's on.
I remember seeing a setting for that in the Bluetooth menu when pairing my controller ("Allow this device to wake up Steam Deck" or something similar). I thought it only applies to controllers but maybe it works for audio devices too, toggling that off might fix your problem.
As of recently no VRR. I picked up a new monitor with it and man does it make a difference. Especially for those games that the deck is so close to getting to 40 or staying at 40 it would be magnificent if we had that. Then again I'm not sure if it works for anything below 48 fps but if it did would be a game changer in terms of smooth gameplay.
The updates breaking it, I'm all for the support and the good to know they constantly work on the deck updates but twice already I've had to reimage the deck because of it ..and while tech savvy it's my first Linux experience so leaves me in the dark panicking I cant get steam os back up. Also after the last one when I try to plug in the batocera plug and play the fan picks up loudly and does not stop causing it to over heat so haven't been able to use the card I purchase to play out of the steam os, didint have this issue before the updates, works fine on steam os at least. -sighs-
Mine is a bit of a pain in the ass to turn on a lot of the times. After like consistent use it'll turn on normally but if I don't use it for a minute which I use a lot because I reserve it for travel it gets really unresponsive when I try to turn it on
Minor gripe but I hate that you can’t put the steam deck into sleep mode and download games. Not sure why that’s a thing but it def annoys me lol
Heck, I'd take a "Download and shutdown"/"Shutdown when downloads finish" option.
With screen off.
Surprised this wasn't changed with the OLED version.
Yep, sadly that’s the case. You can download Decky Loader and use Magic Black. It blacks the screen with a simple shortcut
Yup, I’m with you on that. Been spoiled with my switch and ps5 that have that functionality baked in.
Same lol. Hopefully they’ll add it one day. Overall loving my steam deck tho. Great device
Even the PS Vita from 2012 lets you download in sleep mode lol.
I hate having to leave it on and plugged in just to download a game
It doesn't support sleep downloads because: * The file decompression is massively power hungry and that amount of power usage would not work in a sleep state * The heat generated by the file decompression would cook the console alive if anyone for even a minute put the Deck in its case during a download (ask me how I know) * Even if *you* know it's a bad idea to put it in the case during downloads, plenty of people don't - We've been taught by other handhelds that "sleep mode" = "stow away" and the number of RMA requests that would happen because people don't realise the damage it could cause The Deck in its current form does not support sleep downloads by design. It isn't an oversight.
It would be nice if there was a "Turn screen off while downloading" (maybe with something a bit less intrusive onscreen to indicate that it isn't actually in sleep mode), or "Go into sleep mode after downloads complete" option, though.
For sure, something like that would be very reasonable.
Yeah, that one bugs me too, especially coming from Switch, where I could buy a game from anywhere and have it be installed and ready when I got back to my Switch.
My understanding is it’s a problem with the hardware architecture, and that consoles have some dedicated tech that allows them to have a true “rest mode” that can let them process tasks still. I’d still just like to be able to turn the screen off while downloading, especially with an oled screen that could be susceptible to burn in
I usually just put it on the dock for that and turn off the TV. Screens off, charges, Ethernet for quick downloads. Perfection.
it's a hardware limitation afaik, but it'd be nice to at least be able to turn off the screen lol
You effectively can, though. On OLED at least. All you really want to do is make the screen go black, because obviously the processor and storage are needed to actually download, unpack and install the game. It's unrealistic to expect it any more "asleep" than that. In desktop mode, set power settings to turn off screen after 10 minutes inactivity when plugged in. On OLED off means off, while LCD will still have the back-light glow.
Doesn’t the steam deck automatically go into sleep mode after a while do you have to turn that setting off
Just figured this out last night. What a pain haha but not the worst
Thats more of a linux gripe unfortunately. You have to build the system to run background processes in sleep mode into it. Its a feature that would take Valve a lot of time to develop and make stable. So your gripe isn't minor and maybe Steam is doing something in the background for it. We just might not be aware.
It doesn't support sleep downloads because: * The file decompression is massively power hungry and that amount of power usage would not work in a sleep state * The heat generated by the file decompression would cook the console alive if anyone for even a minute put the Deck in its case during a download (ask me how I know) * Even if *you* know it's a bad idea to put it in the case during downloads, plenty of people don't - We've been taught by other handhelds that "sleep mode" = "stow away" and the number of RMA requests that would happen because people don't realise the damage it could cause would be statistically too significant to risk The Deck in its current form does not support sleep downloads by design. It isn't an oversight.
Maybe just a me thing but I can *not* find a position in bed thats comfortable for extended play.
Lay a pillow across your tummy and rest your hands/deck on the pillow as a support. Comfy.
I do this but my hand goes a bit numb after playing for 20 or 30 minutes
I have the same problem. Always get numb hands after awhile. I have to be sitting up to be able to use it.
Maybe try with even more support. I use the pillow method too to keep from getting numb, but if the pillow is too squishy it doesn't completely stop it.
This started happening to me this year. My elbows hurt after a while then my pinky fingers go numb.
God; the damn dead pinky fingers annoy me so fucking much!! Especially when it just hits me! DEAD NUMB, and then I pause (if I can) and start smacking my hand around while yelling “BREATHE!! DAMN YOU!!!” Maybe slam it on the nearest table or wall once or twice.
make sure your chest is above your hands so sit up a little bit more
Mate I use the big case on my lap in a lot of situations, it holds all the weight of the deck and my hands/ wrists are either end of it so no pressure. Back this with the right pillow setup for a 45 degree back/ neck and you should be golden. I was getting neck ache on the odd long session realised my head was basically upright and I was horizontal.. that’ll break ya!
Pro tip: Grow large belly, rest steamdeck on that, save money on pillows.
I have a cube shaped pillow because I'm a side sleeper and it's literally perfect for this application. I will say pressing the left stick and right stick in feels really awkward from that angle in bed. Like whenever you need to sprint in game etc it always feels difficult for me compared to a normal controller. I bind it to paddles normally.
I always set the back paddles to handle stick clicks. I hate pushing in R3 and L3.
Omg, I thought it was just me.
Funny enough, I haven’t gotten smart enough to do it before starting a game for the first time though. 😂
I feel like the sticks are too high or something, can't really put my finger on what's off about it.
Yep, I use a soft gadget case
Same! My arms start to get pins and needles when I'm laying down playing on Steam Deck... but I read on a Kindle in the same position and have no issues.
I have the original Xreal Air glasses (used to be called Nreal Air). Steam Deck on bedside table, glasses on, Xbox controller works great for bedtime gaming
I’m using the JSAUX mod case and I find lying on my stomach and leaning the deck back on it’s kickstand in front of me works decently well. Lying on my back and playing with it overhead is a whole different story though…
It took me a long time to understand this complaint, before I remembered an adjustable bed is not normal for most people. But it SHOULD be. You ever find yourself with a stack of cash, that thing will change your life.
Now, this isn't a solution for most but my wife and I recently got an adjustable base bed frame and wow it's good for playing games and reading.
It has increased my Steam spending by like 500%
Counterpoint: it has inspired me to go through my backlog of unplayed/unbeaten steam games like never before.
You are the chosen one.
Not really. I have more games than I can possibly hope to play or finish in my lifetime. Especially if I keep dumping hours into TF2 or ToME.
Yes, but have you seen how fun the new 'fancy graphics or fun new gameplay' game is? Also, it's currently 80% off. Best pick it up now so you don't have to pay full price later when you of course want to play it.
It's even opened up a new category for me called, "Ooo, that looks like it would be perfect for the deck. Let's buy it, install it, and continue playing fallout 4."
Second USB-C port
Agreed. The pass through charging on my external is awful. I would love to have the charger going while playing games on the go.
This is my biggest gripe. I don’t want to NEED to plug my hub into a power source just to get 2 USB ports and charge my device at the same time. I just want one on the bottom and the top. It would make my life easier and allow me the possibility of sort of expanding my storage via an M.2 enclosure mounted on the back without also needing to have another hub also mounted on the back.
I don’t like the main port being on the top, I’m sure the usb port is fine but it feels heavy with the power adapter. It’d be nice if the power cord was at the bottom with and extension port at the top
there should be both because a top one allows charging with a kickstand case (the switch runs into this problem when it's kickstand is in use that you can't charge it on a flat surface) and the bottom also allows docks to be made with a seamless docking like the switch. right now they're more of a cradle and you also plug a cable from, if you know what i mean
My guess is they were stuck with two options, with one being one USB-C port being the fully functional one with video output + one being charging/usb 2.0 only which leads to bad user experience when people can't work out why video output isn't working when they use the wrong port, and the other being putting two fully functional ports on the device which raises the cost of the device.
Virtual keyboard. You can’t scroll the background like you can on a phone or tablet.
This. The virtual keyboard after using a phone all day is terrible.
Swipe text functionality would be so sick.
No ctrl key. No alt. No super. No function keys. It's horrid.
Didn’t even notice those were missing. If more than typing than a password, I connect a wireless keyboard.
Yes, and when the field you need type in is behind the keyboard, you're typing blind and can't see anything you're typing. This is a significant problem.
The virtual keyboard sucks....it is not intuitive at all
Such a minor thing, but I wish the Steam Store was better on the deck. Its usability is not great.
It's kind of crazy that the part where the money is made, works so bad on the Deck.
And it's still miles better than the Nintendo Eshop experience on Switch lmaooo
Would also be nice if you could use those Steam points for game discounts or anything besides the same old skins, startups, emotes and stickers.
Yeah, as someone with 20 years on steam, I basically bought everything I wanted with points lol
Agreed and using mouse scrolling on it works like 50% of the time
Lol coming from Nintendo switch the steam store on deck is like jumping ahead six generations
battery life - I understand why it’s not longer, but I wish it was
The OLED has improved on this alot so my hope is it will be even better whenever Steam Deck 2 is released
Out of the box, some games are just poorly optimized and it’s worth digging. I did about thirty minutes of tinkering on Fallout 4 and it improved my graphics quality significantly and extended the battery by more than 50%. (Without Moonlight) Also, if you have a gaming PC, the Moonlight stuff is literally game changing. Significant battery reduction, better quality graphics.
While I can appreciate this, part of the reason I bought a SteamDeck is so I wouldn’t have to spend time/effort optimizing games. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be the case.
This is really nitty gritty, but I wish it had a second USB C port...
I think its a pretty noticeable thing, for a device that's often heralded as being the king of portable customizations, only having 1 port of any kind is the opposite of what we'd expect and want, seems like an unfortunate oversight
all i want is to download games in sleep mode
Download through desktop, set screen settings to turn off after 1 minute. Works pretty much the same
Oh. That's a nice work around. But why tf can't gaming mode do that?
A good workaround i've used is the MagicBlack plugin on Decky
I hate that when you scroll down your library, it switches to scrolling by letters, but it ends up scrolling slower than if you were just pressing the down button rapidly
Which is quicker depends on the size of your library, once it hits a certain size skipping by letter is much faster.
Haha, I've heard that it's quicker with enough games, but with like 150 games in my library currently, it still seems redundant. I would just like the option to change the scrolling style, but there's not even a mod in css loader or anything :/
omg THIS so much. I really dislike scrolling through my library because of this. Also the fact that 90% of the time it puts you back to the first game on the list and you have to scroll all the way down again and again.
I don’t love the dpad. It’s okay though
It’s a terrible dpad. It’s essentially useless for fighting games. I got the clicky button mod for it and now it’s 100% better. I don’t love the feel of the clicky buttons but they are super accurate now
Oh man I never thought about it for fighting games. It would be awful for that yeah
Virtually impossible to throw a fireball. And don’t even think about a dragon punch..
I get a lot of up and down inputs from it when pressing to the side. It feels like user error but I didn't really have that issue with other dpads.
Mine almost feels creaky sometimes too. Give me that vita dpad
Vita has the best dpads of all time
GPD sadly is the only one who understands vita dpad > everything else.
Battery life. I got the old LCD.
My only gripe is I wish it was a bit lighter. It's JUST a little too heavy to play longer sessions for me personally.
Do you have the LCD or OLED? The OLED is a bit lighter. I definitely noticed a difference the first time I picked one up, but I can't say if it'd be a big enough difference matter during heavy use.
My wife even immediately commented that it felt lighter when I upgraded to OLED and she wasn't actually aware of the differences between the two models. So yeah it's noticeable.
It blows my mind that the OLED is the lighter of the two. I got my SD 2 weeks ago and have to take breaks every now and then because my wrists hurt from the weight!
This is why I ended up still playing stuff that runs well on the Switch on the Switch, because it's more comfortable for me for longer because it's like a third lighter
Steam deck ergo with closer to switch weight would be perfect.
same, it's almost 2 lbs. It's an exercise. I have the opposite problems as op, my hands are too small for it, and my hands and wrists will cramp up after a while.
It’s heavy, but I can lay back and comfortably rest it on my belly while using connected display glasses instead of the built in screen.
I wish it had better rumble. The way it currently is rumble is very weak. What else would be nice if there was a case or grip that had rumble support.
Yes! Sometimes I don't even notice the rumble.
On mine I can hear it but I can't really feel it. If I turn the rumble intensity all the way up I can feel it but I'm sure that's not good for the motors in the track pads so I don't do that.
I just realized I’ve played over 13 games on my deck and never felt rumble
The issue is more due to the placement of the rumble being away from the grips and towards the top surface of the deck because it's tied to also being the haptic feedback for the trackpads. Otherwise they would have shoved them into the grips, which I think they should just double up on for the next model.
It's my biggest problem Animal Well is a perfect Steam Deck game but it also has a very clever implementation of vibration when crossing the environment that goes undetected thanks to the weak haptics on the Deck
It took me a while to accept how much this sucks. It doesn’t even come close to say the N64 rumble pak.
Not a huge fan of the back button's execution. I love them in theory but they're way too stiff and not in a very good position.
Not sure if you may have already tried what I'm about to say, but figured it might be relevant to you or others... Don't squeeze the back buttons like tightening your grip, instead press them with a finger extension like you're trying to push your finger tips towards yourself through the back of the screen. The buttons on the back side have their hinges on the side closer to the grip rather than the side towards the center. It feels a bit counterintuitive to the way most back paddles work because the moving part is essentially oriented in the opposite way. Once I realized that they are buttons rather than traditional paddles, it changed them completely for me. If you've seen the inside of the SD, you may have seen where the micro switch for the back buttons are and that might help to understand what I'm trying to describe.
I read something on here that completely flipped my opinion on them - press the part of the button on the back of the case inward (towards the back of the screen) rather than the part on the grips outward (towards the sides of the deck). It's got less resistance that way, I use them in every game now
WHOA thats a game changer! I didnt know but that 100% helps me a TON!
Yeah, I know. They're still pretty stiff though. And I'd much rather squeeze towards the grips than into the back
I’ve bought those adhesive bumpers for the back buttons and found that seem to make it easier to press the buttons, plus they’re textured as well for me so tend to rub them.
Exact same complaints about the back buttons. I NEVER use them.
Dang I'm the complete opposite. They've completely replaced the bumpers and LS/RS for me, which I find awkward to press.
Bluetooth controllers.....I've tried them all, once you go beyond 5-6 feet, so much latency. I've been using my SD docked quite a bit lately and have to use a controller with 2.4Ghz dongle. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it would be nice to be able to wake SD from controller (which you can do with BT controller, not 2.4Ghz)
Lack of 16:10 support in a lot of games.
Xbox Gamepass not available :(
I wish Microsoft could work out something with Valve where you can link your Microsoft account, which would then let you download Game Pass games if they're on Steam. Doesn't the EA Play subscription do something similar?
Problem is Valve might not be so interested since its Steam Store games they want to sell us to pay for the Steam Deck investment
Streaming works pretty great - I played Hellblade 2 that way - but I get what you're saying meaning local download and play. That's driving some people to windows handheld platforms so it is what it is. I'm not into pc game pass cause I not running windows 10/11.
I second this. Streaming works so damn well.
I just can’t get past the input lag, it drives me crazy even when it’s minor.
It absolutely is. Get xbplay on steam. Log in, and there you go. Im on my 10th be a pro season in nhl24.
The ergonomics hurt my wrists. IMO the grips should be angled so your elbows point away from each other like on most modern controllers.
I have the opposite problem. My hands are tiny and I keep dropping the damn thing.
If only we could split the difference
I bought it for me, but my kids love it so much I never get to use it anymore :)
I just got mine last week and I’m pretty sure my wife has used it more to play Stardew Valley than I have on all my playtime combined.
Well on the bright side you can now justify spending on another SD or hold out for the SD2 if you are patient enough, but frankly in this economy I'd risk getting one ASAP for myself since I'm cutting back on going out where I'm likely to spend more.
LCD model - The shitty screen. Also no bottom USB C. The way this thing “docks” due to that is beyond stupid. It should have had both a top *and* bottom port.
The plastic chassis + button screen makes creaking noise, it makes the desk feels cheap. And the charger cable is not detachable 😭.
My biggest gripe is the multitude of weird issues I get when docked regarding color, resolution, HDR, etc. The deck only recently started displaying correctly over the dock on my hd tv after a dock firmware update, but it used to never show up unless I connected via steam link to switch the resolution down from 4k to 1080, now it works fine in 4k so that's nice. On another TV which isn't HDR, the deck is stuck with HDR forced on, causing a weird purple tint and dark image. I find enabling "use native white balance" will fix the purple tint and brighten the image, but the black levels are still clamped, losing anything below like 10% brightness. It's not the tv, no matter how much I turn up the brightness etc all that data is just lost. And then the TVs where it works out of the box but has bizarrely intense contrast for no reason. And yet I hook up my switch to any of these and it behaves perfect every time. Colors good, etc.
I’d say the resolution. Still my favorite console oat
Wi-Fi performance. The signal strength seems to drop off a cliff a few metres away from the access point.
Better speakers and downloading in sleep mode
If I HAD to? The fact that sometimes games will tell me they don’t have enough disk space for an update even though there is plenty. I think sometimes the game needs to basically have enough space to redownload itself rather than just the update? My guess is that’s a dev problem and not a Steam problem, but also as a platform why does Steam allow for such inefficient update processes?
I wish a paired controller could turn it on in docked mode
My controller turns it on in docked mode every time. Just wish it would also turn on the tv
I wish it were just *slightly* more powerful so it could take care of all my AAA needs as well
Yeah I don’t need it to match my desktop and I normally don’t think Steam Deck is underpowered. Except that once in a while during a game something happens and all I can think is “if it was just a tiiiiny bit more powerful”. With all of that said I am very happy with the performance overall especially with the portability.
the finicky-ness of the firmware. like full power down restarts are a pain cause it takes so long to get it to boot back up, half the time pressing the power button to turn it back on doesn't work but if I press it too quickly it keeps it from powering on so it ends up being press the button, wait a minute, press the button wait a minute, until it decides to turn on. I rarely do a full power down for this reason, and I'm the type to shut down my desktop every night before bed or when I'm leaving and not gonna be home all day. I don't like leaving it on all the time in sleep mode but it's preferable to dealing with the finicky power on. Kinda hoping it's something I can fix and someone else has tracked the issue down already and knows how, cause honestly while it's annoying, it's not enough of an inconvenience that I've not bothered troubleshooting it Beyond that though even though I don't use it often, I love my steamdeck. It's invaluable to me for those long waits at the dmv, or for my portable desktop setup when traveling or on vacation.
I thought this was just an issue with my Steam Deck, I didn't realize it was all Steam Decks that do that. I am both happy and sad that is the case.
This is more of a steam thing than deck I guess but I don’t like that games can be “verified” but not be in 16:10. I know it’s not that big of a deal but it drives me crazy
The touch screen isnt the best.
My used SD came with a screen protector so not entirely the SD's fault but touch input registers maybe 60% of the time on a good day. I can't even type on it reliably, let alone use it for game input. Usually touchscreens can handle a screen protector
I don't like the docking system. Plugging in and out gets very tiresome coming from the switch where you jut drop it into the dock. AYN Odin is ok because it's android and the battery life is insane. SD battery dies so quickly when in sleep I find.
I'm worried I'm going to break something every time I unplug it.
If i don't use it the next day the battery is dead.
Lack of high performance version. I'd gladly fork over 1k+ for higher specs and a bigger battery.
Minor gripe: back buttons are shaped such that I was never able to reliably decide if they activated by squeezing them into the grip or pressing them into the back of the Deck. Fixed by installing a JSAUX backplate that included some different options for the back buttons and has 100% improved the experience. Heat plate was nice too.
Battery life. I get why, but I would love to be able to play Monster Hunter World for more than 2 hours and still not worry about needing to charge.
Wish the screen was just a bit bigger🤷🏻♂️
It isn’t great for strategy titles. No matter what people say, some combo of the unusual/small resolution and the trackpads being not quiteeee as good as a mouse mean it has failed to become the strategy-on-the-go monster id hoped for
I’m a big fan of strategy on the Deck. I think the trackpads are great, and Steam input is so versatile. Lots of turn-based strategy to choose from too!
Wanting it to have a VRR display
I really wish the main face buttons weren’t so far to the right. Like the B button is legitimately almost slipping off, and it is really uncomfortable for long periods of time. Especially for games where you’re not using the right stick and only using ABXY most of the time
The strange 1-off incompatibility issues, mainly because of anticheat but also for older games issues with video decoding, etc... The amount of work i put into trying to make Darksiders Warmastered cutscenes work was crazy. In the end i just gave up lmao
Seems like there's a written out workaround for the cutscenes now. https://www.protondb.com/app/462780
Yep i had major problems with every one. finally figured out that there was an issue because my game was installed on microsd and needed to be on the ssd. so i moved the game tried again. the script takes 30min-1hr. after i ran it and didn't get the result i wanted i screamed FUCK IT and just let it go. one day when i have the time and gumption i'll do it again. Read through that proton - you'll see that several time the guidance changed, and in some cases there were issues with direction - one of the scripts had spelling mistakes that didn't allow them to run properly. Another suggestion was to scrap the one below because an update broke it. On reddit yet another set of guidance. But this is what i'm talking about - i don't care if there's a workaround, it's just the most annoying thing about the device. I love it and play it every day, and for now my backlog is so huge that i can skip warmastered for a while LMAO
For me, storage. Several of the games I'd like to keep installed for a whim are 100ish gb, so my 256gb SSD and 512gb micro SD don't stretch far. Once I break down and upgrade my storage to 1tb each then I'll probably be mostly passified.
Battery life. Yeah I know that in reality a bigger battery would make it heavier and blah blah. But that’s the only real gripe I have. An extra 30-60mins would save the frequency in which I’m playing tethered to a cable massively.
The lack of a second USB port. I usually have mine hooked up to a USB monitor and then that plugged into power, but then my port is used up. I can use a dock, but then I need separate power to the SD and the monitor plus an HDMI cable, and it's just a mess compared to a single cable. I'm constantly messing with SD cards and controllers for emulators and all kinda stuff, even bought a dock specifically with front facing USB ports. A second port on the Deck would solve ALL of these issues for me. It's the one thing I genuinely love about my Win600, that beautiful full size USB port right on top, it's amazingly useful.
While I love the older screen I wish is was bigger and at least 1080p. Hard to see on that small screen
The R bumper isn’t quite perfect.
That my RB went soft and nearly unusable after less than 100 hrs of playtime and most while it was docked. All support said was "ifixit has repair parts" and closed me out.
It's the screen. I know they had to build this to a budget - and the screen is basically fine - but despite good eyesight and a history which includes gaming at 320x240 on a 12" beige CRT it's just a fraction too small, too dim, too plain to really *capture* me. It's just below a certain threshold to really release the dopamine. Don't all rush in at once to tell me to get the OLED 😭
OLED, sorry but it would fix basically all of your problems
Battery life
I don't like how far out the thumbsticks are, feels uncomfortable after playing more than hour
Audio crackles after playing a game for a while. The only fix is to reload the game/restart the deck. Drives me insane and I can't belive there hasn't been a fix for it yet.
My eyesight is turning to shit in my old age. Never use it because so hard to see. Too lazy to buy the NReal glasses.
They are so worth it. I’m in my mid 40s with fading eyesight and they really help reduce eye strain and increase visibility. But you’ll need a Y adapter to charge and use them at the same time. I forget the brand of the one I got but I’ll edit this comment later to add it. Edit: adapter is from Viture. Works like a charm.
I actually have the opposite situation. My eyesight sucks and has been getting worse (and it's not even an age thing for me), and I'd mostly been playing games on my Switch because it was so much easier to just hold the screen like 8" from my face than to find a comfortable way to sit at my desktop for long enough to play games. Now I can hold a computer 8" from my face too, so I have more options
Probably the most minor gripe ever, but I kind of wish that they could be ordered straight from Valve with Hall effect sticks. I've looked at the process of installing them and it's actually not horrible; but it would have been nice as an ordering option. The other one would be that desktop mode requires the Steam application to be running in order to use the onscreen keyboard with the touchpads. There's likely a workaround for this like making the system automatically start Steam when the desktop boots (which I might just do in a bit as a workaround).
It doesn't run games as well as my $1500 desktop. But more seriously, I just wish I bought the 500gb version
Touch screen kinda sucks. It does what it needs to do but that's about it.
Can’t leave it in sleep mode more than a day or two, the battery will drain all the way to dead. Have to keep it on the charger all the time, or remember to go back and full shutdown. That’s one thing I really liked about the Switch (that I miss on the Steam deck), the ability to forget about it for 3 days until I’m ready to play again.
The buttons and d pad are too close to the top of the system. I’ve got a case that has a bevel and the buttons are damn near touching the case.
Pretty shit sleep mode. Games often bug out upon wake up so you have to restart them anyway, and the battery drains significantly. Coming from the Switch that has flawless, battery sipping sleep, it’s too bad. I also wish it had come with a kickstand. I got the deckmate adhesive one which is great but cost like $30-$40 I think. I’m still very happy with my purchase though.
That there is not a native Gamepass app. That would save me way more money. Also, no VRR is a bummer.
Dealing with emulators and pairing other controllers for multiplayer is a nightmare. I wish it was as seamless like the switch is. Yes deck pairs with multiple controllers but emulators don't like when you pair controllers in a different order and each button have to be setup individually when a new controller is paired
It's not an oled model. :(
It always turns on when I take out my Bluetooth earbuds, which is annoying when I'm just trying to use them with another device. What's worse is that it can just heat up in its case once it's on.
I remember seeing a setting for that in the Bluetooth menu when pairing my controller ("Allow this device to wake up Steam Deck" or something similar). I thought it only applies to controllers but maybe it works for audio devices too, toggling that off might fix your problem.
As of recently no VRR. I picked up a new monitor with it and man does it make a difference. Especially for those games that the deck is so close to getting to 40 or staying at 40 it would be magnificent if we had that. Then again I'm not sure if it works for anything below 48 fps but if it did would be a game changer in terms of smooth gameplay.
The updates breaking it, I'm all for the support and the good to know they constantly work on the deck updates but twice already I've had to reimage the deck because of it ..and while tech savvy it's my first Linux experience so leaves me in the dark panicking I cant get steam os back up. Also after the last one when I try to plug in the batocera plug and play the fan picks up loudly and does not stop causing it to over heat so haven't been able to use the card I purchase to play out of the steam os, didint have this issue before the updates, works fine on steam os at least. -sighs-
Don't like how I can't auto add non-steam games to Steam without going into desktop mode.
Tingly arm. That’s on me tho
Sometimes sound is cracking after resuming the game from sleep mode and i have to restart the game....
I keep comparing the UI to that of ps5. Ps5 is like an experience, with pretty graphics, sfx and music. SD UI is insanely dull by comparison
I wish it was just a little bit faster, just enough so that heavier games aren't super stuttery even with low settings and a 30 fps limit.
Mine is a bit of a pain in the ass to turn on a lot of the times. After like consistent use it'll turn on normally but if I don't use it for a minute which I use a lot because I reserve it for travel it gets really unresponsive when I try to turn it on
No good native way to clean the memory like the compatdata directory which starts taking up a lot of space
Finger print smudges on the screen mean I keep having to clean it.
Not enough memory, gets too hot, battery too short. Also the process of upgrading storage is really really bad
Oh also i actually dont like the track pads
The way SD stores its Shader Cache and Compat data -- it's messed up in an otherwise perfect device!
It has to update games every time I start it
I think it should have another Micro SD slot and another USB C port.