Early impressions of the Steam Deck

Valve’s Steam Deck is not something you can easily get your hands on over here in Australia… hopefully in the near future it’ll be available, but for now you’re not able to purchase it. There are definitely ways to get your hands on it however - if you’re willing to jump through some hoops. For those who are patient, it’s only a matter of time before they’ll be readily available in Australia. But for the impatient like myself, jumping through those hoops is quickly proving worth it.

Firstly, the Steam Deck is a decent quality built handheld device. It’s definitely a lot bigger than I expected, especially because I’m used to the Nintendo Switch. And yes, you really shouldn’t compare it to the Switch as their target demographic is very different. Plus, Nintendo specifically designed the units and JoyCon placement precisely with having kids in mind. However, if you’re looking at trying to compete with the big boys, the Steam Deck is definitely something you’ll want to get your hands on. The build itself is satisfactory… the joystick placement, buttons and directional pad all feel like a legitimate controller, nothing feels too flimsy or cheap. The trackpads are absolutely fun to use to my surprise, as I assumed it was going to be a gimmick. If there’s a call out, I’d say the only thing is that it feels a little on the hollow side on the back of the unit if you tap on it. But then again, who’s going to tap on the back of the unit itself… this was purely just to see what it’s like but is no way an everyday use case scenario. If you’d like to compare it to the Ayaneo Next handheld device, then yeah, that feels absolutely solid and a pleasure to hold. However, it also comes with a very expensive price tag that’s nearly doubled what Valve is charging for the Deck. But for now, Valve have really outdone themselves with this unit, and hopefully they’ll keep improving it for future models. This is an absolutely fantastic piece of hardware for those to love gaming on handheld, like myself. If I was to nitpick again, the only other thing I could maybe comment on is the joystick’s grip having a lack of a slightly rubberised surface. That being said, we all know what had happened to the previous Playstation’s rubbery joystick surfaces… they wore through quite easily. Again, it’s not a big deal, but it would have been nice to have, which I’m sure there are third party grips you’d be able to purchase as an accessory.

The screen itself and visuals look nice and crisp, with a noticeable difference compared to the Switch (again, yes.. I know I shouldn’t be comparing, and I truly have a love for the Nintendo Switch). Not only that, but the sound from the speakers are loud enough that you’d be happy to play without headphones if you’d like. So far, trying to find faults with the Steam Deck is a little challenging, and can only be found if you were specifically looking out for them. There’s nothing jarringly out of place or should be corrected immediately. Maybe one point is the texture of the touchpads or the unit itself? It’s a slightly textured surface, which feels great when sliding your thumbs over it, but over time would show signs of wear as the surface smooths out. Also, the matte finish on the premium anti-glare etched glass screen is fantastic as there’s no reflection, however it is a fingerprint magnet, and is quite difficult to wipe off. One could also say that the wipe cloth provided does nothing to get rid of the finger prints at all. This could be different to the low and mid-tier models.

And one thing that I was mindful of was the amount of heat coming out of the unit when I was testing out the Aperture Desk Job game, which is definitely the very first game a Deck owner should play by the way. The unit must be working hard, similarly to any other consoles such as the PS5 or Xbox.. but this was definitely something that was noticeable, only when you place your hand over the vents or certain parts of the unit itself.

Now over to what game you should play first. A close friend suggested, as previously mentioned, Aperture Desk Job. This is definitely a must, as it really does showcase and calls out the Deck’s features such as touch screen, button and control layouts and gyroscope. It really does take the user through all the features, but also places it in an absolutely hilarious narrative (set inside the Portal universe) that will definitely make you chuckle.

Depending on the game you’re playing and how much CPU is required, it really does vary on the amount of batteries being drained. So far, my experience is that the battery life isn’t great, in which the Switch feels as though it lasts longer… so having the Deck plugged in while playing is probably a good idea. And lastly, it definitely doesn’t help being in Australia and not having the appropriate charging brick. There are specific requirements if you look up and do your research, as there are a lot of friendly suggestions. I’ve come across the specific of ensuring the brick is a 45W (or 60W) capacity with USB-C that has PD charging, not just quick charge. Unfortunately having anything weaker than this (or not 15v) triggers a message screen to let users know that the unit is still draining power as the charge isn’t strong enough. So that’s something to be mindful of if you’re wanting to import it over to Australia as you’d only receive a US 2 prong charger.

Overall, so far the unit has been great and is definitely fun to use for people who enjoy gaming on handheld devices. And sure, it’s hard to make comparisons to actual consoles or PC desktops as they have significantly more power (remember this is limited to space as a handheld). But for those who love units like the Switch, want more games, variety, software etc, the Steam Deck is a great solution. It’s definitely nowhere near perfect, and the biggest concern is the battery life, but it’s a great unit and fun unit to use… the only thing you’d have to think about (in my case) is if it was worth the trouble of jumping through so many hoops to get it to Australia. Especially because we don’t know if it’ll ever be released here. It definitely looks promising as the Decks are available to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea now, but Australia could be waiting awhile.