Yeah you should! I got one for my partner and she loves it.

But what if I just received my Deck. Holy shit is it amazing. But also I’m overwhelmed. What should I do first? Do you all have game recommendations? Also I broke my SD card while removing the shell so I could get a better whiff of the vent.

Do you have a Steam library already or are you starting from scratch?

That’s definitely true. I’ve had to just kind of lean to be bilingual but if there nonnegotiable factor then I’d recommend an Xbox controller.

Probably a DualSense - native Linux drivers from Sony. Touchpad. Gyro.

I’d say far from most. A lot won’t even let you set it manually in the settings.

I think it should have “boot to account picker” for people who share a Deck like a living room console.

Also a “boot to desktop mode” for people who want to use it as a desktop PC.

I switched to a DualSense because Sony provides native Linux drivers. It seemed to work better.

You’re going to have a great time! What are you going to play first?

That’s why for the first couple of months I had a fairly strict “no desktop mode” self imposition. Kept it to Steam Games and tinkering only within what was available in settings do I wouldn’t go down modding, emulation, sideloading rabbit holes.

I hope that eventually Valve adds a setting for “boot to desktop by default” an option.

The Steam Deck is a handheld console by default but its versatility is part of what makes it such a unique and awesome device.

With a docking station and controller it becomes a great living room console. I think the UX could still use some improvements in small areas but it’s a great experience already.

But right now it’s not the best desktop PC experience because even if you hook up a mouse and keyboard, it boots into game mode by default and can’t be configured on the settings.

I honestly can imagine a future where after several iterations of the Deck I’ve got one hooked up to my TV, one at my desk, and one in my backpack or bedside table or wherever I play in handheld mode.

I just bring my docking station and a controller. It’s not great but it’s still usually nicer than hooking a laptop up to a TV because you can navigate the UI from the couch with a controller.

I wish there was an easy way to cast the image to the TV while playing the game from the Deck in your hands. Hell, even just a second USB C port so I could hook up an HDMI cable with a dongle while having it plugged in would work alright.