Steam Deck Owners Clubhouse

[Space Lynx]

One thing a lot of people overlook about the Steam Deck is the OS. There are so many games that are hard as hell to run on Windows 10 or 11, like Prototype for example on Steam, but on Steam Deck it not only 'just works' it's a blast to play on it, with no stutters, etc. FFX HD, Dishonored, and a couple others always give me a bit of screen tearing on Windows built PC's, but on Steam Deck they look smooth as butter, even the 30 fps cap on FFX HD looks better than the 30 fps on Windows PC, I am not sure if the Steam Deck OS has some kind of smoother built into it, but it is noticeable in older capped frame games.

I love my Deck and will keeping it for life, thanks, that's all i wanted to say... now let me know when Steam Deck 2 OLED goes for pre-order, so I can pre-order it day 1. I will disconnect my Steam Deck 1 battery, remove it, and put my Steam Deck 1 in its original case and put it in closet for safe keeping as I enjoy Steam Deck 2 OLED. Make this happen Lord Gabe, please!!! Steam Deck and Steam Deck OS has changed gaming for me, so many gems I skipped cause of technical issues that I can now go back to.

Also some games look better on Deck than they do on any PC, like the resolution was just made for them, Braid and GRIS are two indie games that come to mind, but there are more, just can't think of them right now, but these games look just mind boggling good on the Deck. FFX HD looks damn good on it too.

 

[r9]

Both rdr2 and The last of us were stuttering and running around 30fps on Windows 11. Installed Win10 Ghost Spectre which is completely stripped down and using the Razer Cortex to freeup even more RAM before I launch games and now rbr2 on medium 800p does 49fps average and Tlou 40+ fps average no stuttering either. So I think Ghost Spectre Win 10 and Razer cortex are a must for anyone preferring Windows over Steam OS. And of only Valve released APU Windows drivers more frequently.

 

[Space Lynx]

Both rdr2 and The last of us were stuttering and running around 30fps on Windows 11. Installed Win10 Ghost Spectre which is completely stripped down and using the Razer Cortex to freeup even more RAM before I launch games and now rbr2 on medium 800p does 49fps average and Tlou 40+ fps average no stuttering either. So I think Ghost Spectre Win 10 and Razer cortex are a must for anyone preferring Windows over Steam OS. And of only Valve released APU Windows drivers more frequently.

I love Steam OS a lot, so I won't be changing, but seeing a notification in this thread makes me one happy dude. Cause I love my Steam Deck, its changed my enjoyment of gaming and saved a hobby that I love.

this is great to note though, I will be waiting Steam Deck 2 OLED before I play more demanding games that can't run at 60 fps now (or use my desktop for those games)

 

[Nordic]

My most played games on the Deck are Stardew and Vampire Survivors. Both feel like they were made for the deck.

Both rdr2 and The last of us were stuttering and running around 30fps on Windows 11. Installed Win10 Ghost Spectre which is completely stripped down and using the Razer Cortex to freeup even more RAM before I launch games and now rbr2 on medium 800p does 49fps average and Tlou 40+ fps average no stuttering either. So I think Ghost Spectre Win 10 and Razer cortex are a must for anyone preferring Windows over Steam OS. And of only Valve released APU Windows drivers more frequently.

That seems to be about what performance others are getting on the Deck with SteamOS. Some have lowered the TDP and settings and claiming a nearly 3 hour battery life on RDR2.
https://sharedeck.games/reports?app_id=1174180

 

[Space Lynx]

My most played games on the Deck are Stardew and Vampire Survivors. Both feel like they were made for the deck.


That seems to be about what performance others are getting on the Deck with SteamOS. Some have lowered the TDP and settings and claiming a nearly 3 hour battery life on RDR2.
https://sharedeck.games/reports?app_id=1174180

Can you give me any advice for vampire survivors, I never make it past the first opening level map, I can survive for about 8 minutes or so sometimes as high as 12-15 I think, but eventually I can't keep up. I have tried several times, eventually I gave up on the game awhile ago.

I feel like the following games are perfect and made for steam deck: GRIS, Braid, Dave the Diver, Arcade Paradise, Dishonored - those are all my favorites anyway (so far), many more to come I am sure. Most of you probably have Braid in your library its a really old game... it looks so damn good on Deck. its insane how good it looks on deck, it really makes the colors pop. same with GRIS. man I hope Deck 2 doesn't change the resolution. i want this exact same screen, just in OLED.

 

[Nordic]

Can you give me any advice for vampire survivors, I never make it past the first opening level map, I can survive for about 8 minutes or so sometimes as high as 12-15 I think, but eventually I can't keep up. I have tried several times, eventually I gave up on the game awhile ago.

Getting past the first map is a grind. You need to earn enough coins to buy upgrades until you can pass. How many upgrades you will need depends on skill. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to finish the first map do you were almost there.

Some abilities are better on certain maps or easier to use in general. I found garlic to work really well on the first map because you can walk into the bats in order to level up. Garlic does not work as well in other maps.

Certain abilities combine into different and more powerful abilities. There is a bit of strategy in choosing which abilities you want to get the more powerful combinations.

 

[Space Lynx]

SteamOS 3.5 brings more warmth, vibrancy to the Deck's colors

It's out now for preview.

www.pcgamer.com

says steam OS 3.5 has hit beta channel, but when I go to update on beta channel it still says 3.4.1 OS

maybe I just need to wait a couple days.

edit: nm preview channel. my bad.

edit 2:
the new steam OS 3.5 came out today for Deck, its main feature was improving colors, can confirm colors look much prettier now, it now covers the entire sRGB space with this update. played a few games, and I can 100% tell an improvement, this was an unexpected update and much welcome. this little device is awesome!

 

[theouto]

Hello steam deck owners! I come here since, well, I don't know any other place with tech nerds and steam deck owners than this TPU club.

For someone who is a casual gamer, more so a gamer on the side, and still interested in playing newer beefier games (elden ring being a baseline in terms of size), How worthwhile would a steamdeck be? And how capable/comfortable is it for couch multiplayer, if capable at all? Asking not for myself, but mostly as a recommendation to relatives
*Portability is also important, which is why things like a console or just a laptop are out of the question


(I've read the starter post, but I find that for what I am asking the human experience might be better than raw data, which is still useful)

 

[Nordic]

For someone who is a casual gamer, more so a gamer on the side, and still interested in playing newer beefier games (elden ring being a baseline in terms of size), How worthwhile would a steamdeck be?

This is data showing the most popular games played specifically on the Steam Deck. As you can see, there are several beefy games including Elden Ring. Most deck owners choose to play those beefy games on this device. It works because they play at 800p.

You can get specific performance information including FPS and battery life at a variety of settings in the ShareDeck database. Users submit their settings and performance. You can see if your preferred games perform as well as you would like them too. Keep in mind that 40 fps on the handheld is smoother than you might expect.

And how capable/comfortable is it for couch multiplayer, if capable at all? Asking not for myself, but mostly as a recommendation to relatives
*Portability is also important, which is why things like a console or just a laptop are out of the question

I'm not sure what you mean by couch multiplayer. Are multiple people playing on the Deck while it is docked? I frequently play my SteamDeck on the couch, in bed, in a car, or on the toilet. It is comfy. If you have played with a Switch in handheld mode then you know what to expect. The Deck is only a little heavier than the switch.

(I've read the starter post, but I find that for what I am asking the human experience might be better than raw data, which is still useful)

The starter post is so outdated at this point. That was really useful before the Deck launched. I don't have the interest in asking a mod if I can edit it.

 

[Space Lynx]

Hello steam deck owners! I come here since, well, I don't know any other place with tech nerds and steam deck owners than this TPU club.

For someone who is a casual gamer, more so a gamer on the side, and still interested in playing newer beefier games (elden ring being a baseline in terms of size), How worthwhile would a steamdeck be? And how capable/comfortable is it for couch multiplayer, if capable at all? Asking not for myself, but mostly as a recommendation to relatives
*Portability is also important, which is why things like a console or just a laptop are out of the question


(I've read the starter post, but I find that for what I am asking the human experience might be better than raw data, which is still useful)

elden ring is a bit more demanding of a game, avg fps is 38 fps for elden ring on low setting on Deck. for harder to run games like this, I am saving that in a list called "steam deck 2" and playing my less demanding backlog

 

[theouto]

Thanks for all the information! Specially for linking sharedeck, that will prove very useful, have a good day everyone!

 

[ne6togadno]

Can you give me any advice for vampire survivors, I never make it past the first opening level map, I can survive for about 8 minutes or so sometimes as high as 12-15 I think, but eventually I can't keep up. I have tried several times, eventually I gave up on the game awhile ago.

pick up knife and axe as starters.
they upgrade with bracers and candelabrador passives.
from passives make sure you pickup magnetorb. if you have unlocked empty tome (hold 6 weapons at once) pick it up too.
invest coins in magnet, speed, move speed, area, recovery and might.
when you can consistently earn more then 1k gold per game level up cooldown, luck, growth. if you have leftovers from the run put some on max health and armor

if you dont get suitable new weapons/passives level up existing or just skip (if you get only new). it's better to skip level then to have something useless for you.

 

[r9]

Thanks for all the information! Specially for linking sharedeck, that will prove very useful, have a good day everyone!

Runs Elder ring just fine even on higher detail than low.
Cyberpunk as well.
Only game that I wouldn't want to play on it is Starfield. It runs fine when indoor on med 75% resolution scale ~32fps but outdoor is brutal.

 

[Kyan]

Hello steam deck owners! I come here since, well, I don't know any other place with tech nerds and steam deck owners than this TPU club.

For someone who is a casual gamer, more so a gamer on the side, and still interested in playing newer beefier games (elden ring being a baseline in terms of size), How worthwhile would a steamdeck be? And how capable/comfortable is it for couch multiplayer, if capable at all? Asking not for myself, but mostly as a recommendation to relatives
*Portability is also important, which is why things like a console or just a laptop are out of the question


(I've read the starter post, but I find that for what I am asking the human experience might be better than raw data, which is still useful)

In my opinion, the Steam Deck is a very good console/portable PC, I consider it a PC because the desktop mode is usable with the touch pad. But I think that if the user really wants a straightforward gaming experience like the Switch, they might find it a bit complicated. It's possible to use it stock, play with standard settings and never touch the tdp or manual gpu frequency, but it's much better when you fine-tune it and modify the game settings. More performance, less noise and maybe a bit more visual once you've tweaked the game settings and steam deck parameters.

That said, maybe it's more my technical side that thinks it's better when you're trying to get a better experience after spending time with the sliders, but I think it can fit the needs of casual gamers too, you just have to be aware that if you don't change any settings, heavy games (god of war is the one I tested) will tend to make the console a bit hotter and noisier.

In term of portability, it's large for a portable console but if it is intended to play it mostly at home and sometimes on train or car, it's really great. Don't plan on using it in a bus or short travel, it take space so the protective case too.

I've take some time to be comfortable with the ergonomics but i personnaly find it good in that regard.

What are you meaning by couch multiplayer ? local party game multiplayer on TV ? Or competitive multiplayer title ?

 

[theouto]

In my opinion, the Steam Deck is a very good console/portable PC, I consider it a PC because the desktop mode is usable with the touch pad. But I think that if the user really wants a straightforward gaming experience like the Switch, they might find it a bit complicated. It's possible to use it stock, play with standard settings and never touch the tdp or manual gpu frequency, but it's much better when you fine-tune it and modify the game settings. More performance, less noise and maybe a bit more visual once you've tweaked the game settings and steam deck parameters.

That said, maybe it's more my technical side that thinks it's better when you're trying to get a better experience after spending time with the sliders, but I think it can fit the needs of casual gamers too, you just have to be aware that if you don't change any settings, heavy games (god of war is the one I tested) will tend to make the console a bit hotter and noisier.

In term of portability, it's large for a portable console but if it is intended to play it mostly at home and sometimes on train or car, it's really great. Don't plan on using it in a bus or short travel, it take space so the protective case too.

I've take some time to be comfortable with the ergonomics but i personnaly find it good in that regard.

What are you meaning by couch multiplayer ? local party game multiplayer on TV ? Or competitive multiplayer title ?

By couch multiplayer I mostly mean local multiplayer, something like castle crashers or ultimate chicken horse, but I imagine those would run without issue

Thank you for the detailed response! All of the information has been useful, also good that no one has brought up anything regarding compatibility, because that means that valve has succeeded in making things "just work" with proton, meaning that besides a few games with anti cheat, things, well, just work, neat stuff!

 

[Kyan]

By couch multiplayer I mostly mean local multiplayer, something like castle crashers or ultimate chicken horse, but I imagine those would run without issue

Thank you for the detailed response! All of the information has been useful, also good that no one has brought up anything regarding compatibility, because that means that valve has succeeded in making things "just work" with proton, meaning that besides a few games with anti cheat, things, well, just work, neat stuff!

Yeah, compatibility issue are not really a problem anymore. Just make sure that it's at least with a yellow mark and your good to go. I believe 80% of games are green or yellow, exact number are available on proton or steam website if you search for it. Local multiplayer have been on my mind to try it out but i need to find games and people to play with. I don't know how well does it handle multiple wireless controller but i can say it pair seamlessly with joy con

 

[Nordic]

Honestly, it is easier to get games running on the Deck than it is on windows sometimes.

Keep in mind that the Steam Deck Verified system is not very useful. Many games marked unplayable work just fine. Deck Verified has nothing to do with performance. Deck verified means it has been tested to launch correctly and have readable text on the small screen

If you want actually useful compatibility information you need to look at Proton. https://www.protondb.com/

 

[r9]

Set mine to 18W tdp with 30mv undervolt on all and 4000MHz CPU and 2000 MHz gpu.
Nice speed bump.

 

[r9]

Set mine to 18W tdp with 30mv undervolt on all and 4000MHz CPU and 2000 MHz gpu.
Nice speed bump.

Got backplate and a cooler for it and final OC is CPU@3800MHz(it can go higher but it takes too much power from the GPU) GPU@2100MHz.

 

[Space Lynx]

Set mine to 18W tdp with 30mv undervolt on all and 4000MHz CPU and 2000 MHz gpu.
Nice speed bump.

fyi, the latest Steam Deck Preview OS update brings undervolting to the masses with an easy way to do it. most Decks seem to be getting -40 easily, max the SteamOS update allows you to do is -50, mine does -50 and not had any issues so meh. pretty nice of SteamOS to update on colors and now making undervolting easy.

SteamOS has been rock solid for me on the Preview update channel, was expecting some bugs, but honestly it might as well be the main channel, its rock solid for me all the time.

Got backplate and a cooler for it and final OC is CPU@3800MHz(it can go higher but it takes too much power from the GPU) GPU@2100MHz.

I didn't change the clocks any, I just did the undervolt.

What cooler did you buy?

 

[r9]

fyi, the latest Steam Deck Preview OS update brings undervolting to the masses with an easy way to do it. most Decks seem to be getting -40 easily, max the SteamOS update allows you to do is -50, mine does -50 and not had any issues so meh. pretty nice of SteamOS to update on colors and now making undervolting easy.

SteamOS has been rock solid for me on the Preview update channel, was expecting some bugs, but honestly it might as well be the main channel, its rock solid for me all the time.



I didn't change the clocks any, I just did the undervolt.

What cooler did you buy?

There is similar back plate that's little cheaper $20 but they say it cools worse but in imo is because there are no openings for the steam fan and the metal plate chokes the airflow from the intake.
The upside is that on that cheaper backplate the metal plate is exposed and I think that would work betters with the semiconductor cooler if you mod it that one by drilling some holes to open the steam deck fan to copy the more expensive one.

 

[Space Lynx]

I have not had a problem with temps, I am not overclocking though, just the undervolt and temps didn't really seem to change much with that. this is interesting.

if i could get an extra 10-15 fps in some games with an overclock it might be worth it, I have not measured anything though. I know there were a couple games I was only getting 40 fps, if I could get that up to 55 I'd be pretty dang happy. i am content just playing my indie game backlog though and those are easy to run, but this is good to know for the future.

im keeping my steam deck forever, even when steam deck 2 comes out. going to own both. its changed gaming for me. i been laying in a "hammock like" to be clear not a hammock, but its similar - and playing Deck while plugged in, my arms rest just perfectly to sides of me and i just get lost in gaming, its been great. i got about 5 hours in FFX HD Remaster and 20 hours in Chrono Trigger, and I have beat several games that were on my backlog for many years.

 

[Space Lynx]

I can say Steam Deck is a pretty cool device, takes less than 15 seconds to dial in a games watt usage, I am now playing Final Fantasy X HD Remaster a whopping 5 watts, it literally only takes 15 seconds to dial it in for any game when you have fps in upper left corner turned on. FFX is capped at 30 fps regardless of settings, and being so old its just insanely easy to run (even though it looks decent to this day)... 5 watts... crazy. I haven't tested how much battery I get with that with airplane mode on. I am guessing I will get around 4 hours play time maybe more. If I go to 3 watts it goes to 22 fps, 4 watts is stable 30 fps, but just in-case intense action scenes come about I decided to stick with 5 watts.

The original PS5 used something like 70-100 watts or somewhere in there I think, and this is the FFX HD Remaster so it probably can't even run on original PS2 is my guess. So 5 watts imo is really impressive. Honestly this is kind of fun seeing how much wattage older games require on a modern chip. I bet with Steam Deck 2 it will run at 2 watts.

 

[Space Lynx]

also pro tip for Steam Deck users, there are four buttons on the back of steam deck you can program to anything, before you launch the game, assign escape key, f1, f2, and f3 to the back 4 buttons, this will allow you to use the HD Remaster features, they are not accessible on steam deck unless you do this or bring up the keyboard, which is a clunky way of doing it imo. it feels very natural having these extra four buttons.

 

[Dragokar]

Steam Deck™

Steam Deck™ is the most powerful, full-featured gaming handheld in the world.

store.steampowered.com

New Steam Deck with OLED screen and a 6nm APU. Should be the same, just shrinked afaik.