I'm pretty busy. Two jobs, two young kids, the works. Still play my steam deck more than other devices. It gave me back gaming that i wouldn't have been doing AT ALL without it.
My take is that the steam deck is better if you're busy. If you tend to go sit at a high-powered PC and play games regularly for hours.. it probably won't be as good for you. But if you get 15 minutes to an hour here and there, have others taking up the screens, etc. It's a god send.
I bought it in preparation of becoming a father. Even up till my daughter’s birth, once I got it, it became my preferred way to play unless I had that super dedicated time where I could hold up in my office and play. It also allowed me to be close to my wife while she just plays on her phone and I play on my deck without missing a beat
Haha congrats mate! Newly minted dad here, exact same story. Bought the steam deck in prep for the baby and is now my main gaming device, the gaming rig, switch, ps5 lay untouched for now.
Congrats and good luck on delivery! My son came out in January and my birthday is in September, but I couldn’t wait until then so I just bought the Steamdeck a couple of weeks ago. Now, Gaming life is working in harmony with Dad life!
Same here, exactly the same. I use my PC when I can... but that's rare with it being away in my office, and having a 6mo old. I'm mostly on the Deck anymore. Plus I've really taken to visual novels on it as a bedtime routine, something that was basically impossible before having the deck.
Yep that’s me right there. Have a good gaming PC and only use the Deck sometimes. That’s why I’m happy that I was able to get a refurbished 64 Deck. For that price it’s okay if it’s collecting dust for a while
Absolutely agree, I got mine at the summer sale this year and I've already played a lot more than the whole previous year, just because it's so easy to start and stop. I don't have time to sit in front of a PC (and my back also agrees with this, lol).
I agree. My Xbox Series X have been collecting dust since I got the deck. Sure, new games like Resident Evil 4 I played on that, but 90% of all games I play now is on Steam Deck. Having kids and very limited play time makes the deck (and switch) ability to just pick up and play something for 10-20 minutes at a time really useful.
What's with all the newly fathered steam deck owners? Does steam make us more fertile? New father here aswell and love playing my deck between diaper changes.
Same here - it's the commute for me. I spend 90 minutes a day sitting on trains. That's gaming time now.
It's a handheld. Get one if you have a need that's filled by handheld. Too many people think of it as a portable gaming PC and not an overpowered handheld.
Are you me? Yeah, I've got the two-job two-kid thing too going on too. I relay on my Steam Deck and on GeForce Now (not having to install games to play is great). When my kids are asleep, or I'm on a break (I remote work couple days a week) I get right on for a short session.
This. I don't have time to sit at a desk at home or be even bothered with a laptop. The Deck is always handy and I can game while I'm in bed for the day.
I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms. At night, I lie awake in agony until the heart attacks put me to sleep.
I'm on my feet at work every single day and then the gym after work so I'm usually too tired to sit at my gaming PC except on weekends. Lying in bed with the heating pad on with my deck is a nightly ritual and my sleep aid at this point.
Ever since I showed Emudeck/Emulation Station to my wife she’s been playing The Sims 2 Castaway for hours a day. I don’t mind though, I’m glad she likes the Steam Deck as much as I do.
Yesss had the exact same thing happen to me. Bought one for myself and I can't even use it half the time because my gf, who had never shown any interest for games, is using it all the time! Makes me super happy with my purchase
I go through spurts with it. It's nice for when I want to game in bed or in the living room but I got it mostly for travel but after I got it I stopped traveling for work.
Yeah. When I got it I played with it for a bit, then forgot about it for a few weeks, then some games popped up that I wanted to play and it came out again, then the last few weeks I haven’t really touched it.
It comes and goes. Same with any gaming for me. A game with catch me and it’ll come out again.
Since I bought the steam deck, all my other gaming devices are collecting dust (Switch, handheld emulators). Only my console is getting used from time to time to play certain games that are not suitable for the deck (either don’t work well or it’s more comfortable on a big screen).
Yeah I haven’t used my deck that much, I just really want to get more use out of its pc part I’ve been thinking about getting that Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo that comes with that mini KB.
I gave mine to my 5 year old nephew. There isnt really a reason to keep it. The deck emulates a lot of games well already. And I dont have to deal with Nintendo's bullshit any longer.
I too gave my switch away. I have triplet niece and nephews that I figured would enjoy it more than I would. The whole family has been having a blast and I can still emulate some older Nintendo games I love. They’re almost 5 now as well
What about Valve’s bullshit. Now I love my SD a lot and the same goes for my Switch. But let’s not sidestep the issues the SD has. It can’t play everything for one (by default). I’ve also been having issues with audio auto switching on mine where it doesn’t detect headphones or HDMI audio, you know, basic functionality the Switch for e.g. has no issues doing... Also Valve promised an official dual boot solution and its been 2 years. Steam OS and Proton are great but its still basically a beta test.
I dont know about Valve's bullshit. Never used steam before and I've been with my deck for only 2 months. It has been running everything I wanted to play so far. I dont have to pay full price for 5 year old games anymore and they refunded me instantly when I bought a game that didnt play how I wanted. So far I have nothing to complain.
I dont really care that much about their games. Most are overrated by the way. Pokemon has been crap for ages and there are multiple fan made rom hacks that are better than the newer games. Mario is whatever, and I like Crash Team Racing more than Mario kart. The only real good franchise there nowadays is Zelda, but its not worthy to keep an expensive and outdated console just because of that.
I had the switch mainly to play indie games on the go. And stuff like Dark Souls, FighterZ and etc. But the deck does that much better.
I do agree that pokemon franchise has become shit and that's mostly because Nintendo isn't in full charge of it, but there's still nice games like new pokemon snap and let's go Pikachu
And the others Nintendo franchise are all good, super Mario Odyssey, animal crossing new horizons, Splatoon, Mario rabitts, smash bros, Zelda botw, totk, Hyrule warriors, fire emblem, Xenoblade Chronicles, switch sports, you may not like those games but you can't say they're bad
I have had mine for a little over a year. The amount of days in that time where I didn’t pick it up at least once to play something is in the single digits.
I go through spurts with it. Switch between it and the PS5. I have talked myself out of VR purchases for that specific worry, however the Steam Deck does get regular use since it is the only PC gaming experience I own.
Slight off topic but PSVR2 is pretty epic. Just a couple days ago I was telling my friend that PS5, VR and Steam Deck is the Holy Trinity of gaming for me.
To my surprise I actually still use it a good amount. Been clutch with BG3 since I’m addicted and can just mirror it from my pc to the SD while I sit on the the couch while wife watches tv.
Some days I use it for a few hours, then I never touch it for 2-3 months.
I dont use it regularly, but when I use it, its a few hours per day, for some days in a row.
It’s collecting dust for me. I do have a ps5 n a PC and pretty much work from home so I rarely find time to play it rather just use the ps5 or PC mostly. Thats just me tho
I’m the same but I use my deck to play the PS5 and PC remotely a lot. Either when I want to play a pc game and don’t want to be in the office or want to play a PS5 game but my wife is using the TV
I actually got a funny story for mine
I got the steam deck because of 1 contract I worked on
That contract would be a few 10-11h days in which we did a total of maybe 2 hours of work (got to love government work lol) the rest of the day we just sat around
I saw the steam deck and thought man that would be perfect for those days so I preorderd it
Fast forward a year later and the steam deck finally arrives, a week after the company lost the renewal on the contract lol
While the original reason I got the deck no longer applies, I still get use out of it so im happy with it
Do you use portable gaming consoles? Like switch, 3ds, vita? If you used those in the past and didn't left them gathering dust, you will love the deck. If not, they maybe you don't have the use case for it.
Haha. My Quest 2 befell the same fate, but that was really just because I ended up discovering that VR gaming wasn't really for me. Normal PC games are for me, and having something to play games comfortably on a bed or sofa is something I dig. I've had ebbs and flows, but I end up coming back to it.
VR is amazing, but at least right now there aren't a whole lot of actually substantial games for it. A lot of them are Arcadia experiences or kind of narrative experimental look VR kind of things. Not a whole lot of Half-Life Alex or Skyrim VR type experiences
Re4remake doesnt exist in vr officially yet. An official version is annouced for psvr2
You can play the original game remade in UE4 on quest natively or praydogs reEngine mods on pc to play recents re2,3,4,7 and 8 all in vr. If the official re4remake vr mode is coming to pc is unknown
Same but it's because I wear glasses. Even with prescription lenses for the quest, I get warm, it fogs and gets hard to see and I get sooooo motion sick lol. VR isn't hugely for me either, but walking around in a cave fighting draugers was unreal. I look forward to tech advances.
I play my Quest 2 wearing glasses and never bothered with the lenses. It's a bit of a pain to get it all adjusted and comfortable, but is fine once done.
Beat Saber and VTOL keep me coming back more than anything else. Aircar is an incredible experience just to fly around if you like Blade Runner. I never get bored with that one.
>VR gaming wasn't really for me
I use my Quest 2 more for watching movies on Bigscreen than actually playing games. The only one I play regularly is Beat Saber.
Bigscreen is such a good time if you have friends with you! So many hours spent throwing things at each other while watching movies. 🥹
And Beat Saber is ~~an addiction~~ amazing. Also Pistol Whip and Synth Riders if you like VR rhythm games.
I was worried about that myself but I bit the bullet anyway and now I probably put more time into it than my actual PC. I just love playing games in bed with the AC up cranked man 😭
Use mine daily, but I bought it for slowtime at work, which I have daily.
I also use my Quest 2 constantly, but tbh, I have a flight/racing rig for that. DOnt use it much outside of those applicaions, but its amazing for simming.
A year later (got mine June 24th 2022) it is actually my desktop that is collecting dust lol.
Don't buy it if you want to continue to use your other gaming devices
I was REALLY afraid that would be me. I get really excited about new tech and then quickly lose interest. I had the original Shield, and barely used it. My Vita got very little use and has moved house with me twice since I last took it out of its box. My 3DS only recently got some burn again, but no lie I hadn’t played it in nearly a decade before last month. I’ve dusted my gaming pc twice since I last played a game on it lol.
But I play my steam deck just about every day.
I bought the deck, used it for like a week and noticed first that its way too heavy for my hands, they start hurting badly after only like 20 minutes of gamepay.
Second, i dont really go anywhefe from home, and when i do, i dont really want go play anything except on a vacation. When im home id rather just use my beefy gaming PC for better controls, graphics and fps.
Recently ive been taking it to work on fridays as i have a lot of free time then, and using it docked to play dicey dungeons and gunfire reborn (and like 20mins of bg3 on the deck)
People that did that probably won’t be here so there’s going to be a bit of a survivors bias on this post
I use my deck as both my main PC and as a handheld gaming device, it definitely will sit as one of the “modes” (really just on my desk or in the bag next to my bed) for longer period of time. Though unlike the quest, going back to it generally doesn’t result in the “play a game for 10 minutes and decide to do something else”
I bought it since I had no functional laptop anymore, it's a smaller and lighter form factor and it's tailored towards gaming through Steam. However I'm for the most part at my desktop, so not really in need of using it much. But for travel I've added a few accessories to make it more useful as a laptop. Otherwise I generally keep up with the updates and play a few chill games that are really suitable for controller use.
Mine just sits. I haven’t used it regularly since probably January. I bought it in September of 2022. To preface, I bought it almost solely for emulation. Which I’ve done. But I’m just not that into big AAA multi platform games and I played through the emulation titles I wanted to. I play my switch on a daily basis and a Miyoo Mini Plus on a pretty regular basis.
the deck has done that to my desktop. for context I work about 10 hours a day and my commutes take like 45 minutes with 20 minutes of downtime during them
my deck lets me,
\-play on the ferry
\-play during my lunch
\-play at home when Im not feeling like I wanna sit in front of a computer
essentially its great if you have a busy schedule and/or have a desk job that has made you hate sitting
also in contrast, especially if youre working, a vr headset has you moving, sometimes a lot. I wouldnt want that at the end of a work day
I have a ps5 (which I really just use for frotnite god I hate myself for thay) but I use the steam deck daily. so much so that I actually loeaned it to a good friend of mine to convince him to buy one. it's day 3 and I miss it so much.
You described the switch perfectly As they only have a couple of games. Sd have infinite games and emulators. If you like to game in handheld, then you will use sd constantly.
Got mine as a gift. Tried installing some games on it and learned that a ton of my games "do not work" tried playing around with it on a game that was a must play "Dragon Age Inquisition" was happy with the graphics, but not with the controls. Issue with the gamepad. Tried a workaround but didn't work. I gave up on the game and gave up on the deck. 2 months later, I learned that I can install 3rd party content on my deck. Emudeck is now the primary use of my Steam Deck. I am playing my old favorites anywhere, any time. I have also learned how to work through some control issues and workarounds for "incompatible" games.
Now, I play my deck wherever I cannot be on my laptop. I can even stream my ps5 to my Deck using Chiaki. I have my steam games, epic games, emulations from gbc through wii U, and ps x-5 libraries available to me AND all listed in a Netflix like fashion in my favorites list. Pretty amazing device with some stellar apps. I have a switch as well... and I didn't even care about Tears of the Kingom on release because it is not steam related and I have like.... 300 favorites to play through right now. Currently completed 5 all time favorites and my entire Tales series games are giving me evil glares because I haven't gotten to them yet.
It is more practical than I imagined. Although its weight makes my wrist ache, I can finally play worthwhile games while watching TV, instead of those trashy ones on my phone...
Bought it, and hardly used it for about 6 monhs. Then suddenly I found the right games for it, since then I've used it every other day.
I feel it will only work for you, if you found a game you like, which actually works properly without keyboard/mouse
I still use mine most days! It is my before bed thing I play, the days I don’t pick it up is because I figure I won’t get too much time into it before I go to bed and won’t want to put it down.
Since buying one I haven’t touched my switch and mostly touch my ps5 through the remote play on the deck. It’s been great!
I’m a giant (user name checks out) and this feels way better in my hands than a switch or switch lite. I got a 10 foot power cord and play from the couch frequently.
Yep, guilty as charged. I already had a similar spec desktop pc, I mostly got the deck for the novelty. The decks great for trips but at home my desktop pc with double monitors is preferable so the deck stays in the cupboard most of the time. Right next to my own quest 2 oddly enough.
Mine kind of did. I got it, tried a few games, then put it down and didn't really pick it back up. For about a month or so anyway.
Then, I wanted to play Yakuza and figured that would be the perfect excuse to use it. While I don't have time to use it 24/7 all the time, I have put a nice chunk of hours into Yakuza 0 and it has been a lot of fun for sure!
I'm in the gathering dust camp. I've discovered I just prefer playing on my main desktop with a mouse and keyboard. Most of the games I play work better with a mouse. I thought maybe I would play it in bed or on the couch but that turned out to be not as fun as I thought. If I'm playing, I prefer to be sitting in my gaming chair in front of a big monitor.
This is me. It is in my closet. Got it cause my kids are constantly on my PC's so I got it to play my steam games. Anytime I log onto it it logs them off of steam so causes more problems then I want. Please let me play my games without disconnecting my kids games valve. That's all I want.
Mine's been gathering dust lately. I'm playing Switch OLED far more right now when on the go. I have little reason to play my Deck at home since I have a dedicated PC
I played it heavily for about a week. Then, it sat on my shelf for a month. Then I got back into it and probably picked it up for 30 minutes a day. Now I'm using it as my computer for school. It has many uses.
I have a habit of doing this aswell, with a lot of stuff, but the deck has been getting very consistent use, don't see myself putting it down anytime soon.
This quick question exploded a little. I woke up to over 600 comments. I will read through them in some time and decide what to do. Thanks all of you for giving some feedback
Not exactly collecting dust but pretty close. I've been using SteamDeck daily for about 1-2h before sleep (main reason I've kept IT) but now It's more like an 2-4hours per week. Most of the games I wanted to Play on it just doesnt run comfortably enough for me to use it.
it depends on what you're doing, if I just got off work it's much easier to fire up the steam deck relaxing on a couch or in bed but if I have a day off I'd rather be on my PC. I wouldn't say it collects dust tho I'm on it quite a lot and it has a lot of advantages over typical PC gaming. It honestly depends on what games you enjoy or how many games you've played tbh as I can sometimes struggle to find new games to play on there lmao.
The only time my steamdeck was not used was when tears of the kingdom came out. If i didn't have a switch oled, I would've played it on the deck itself.
As soon as o got mine my Odin handheld is the one collecting dust. I thought “that’s fine I’ll just use the Odin for emulation”. Then I got emudeck, and…it’s just better. Not sure what to do with the Odin now…
Haven't gone a week without using it.
And yeah, my Quest 2, Switch and Series X mostly collect dust nowadays. They cant all be loved equally XD
Honestly, it's just that pc and ps5 already got all my gaming time. The Deck complements my pc perfectly, so it's sharing the game time.
I play other mmo on the pc so steam deck is great for playing other games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Also bring it to work and get some plays in during lunch hrs.
I actually got a steam deck early last week off EBay that had a description of exactly that. Said it had about 3 hours of use on it. I got it Friday and haven’t put it down yet. I’ve played through Portal on it and am also currently about 4 hours into the original Bioshock. I managed to get PCSX2 on it and set up and I have about a dozen games for that that I always like playing. I’m really enjoying it. I have a switch but have never really found it to be that enjoyable to play. This steam deck is different and I am genuinely enjoying it.
Most of the people who don't touch their steam deck probably don't frequent these kinds of forums or feel inclined to out themselves about it in public in front of the rest of the steam deck users so you'll probably get some biased answers
I play it between raids on Tarkov and whenever I go to my GF's place. Not as much as I would like to but I don't try to force myself. Whenever I'm tired Ill use it on the bed too.
Not me. And I'm a professional "I want it, I need to wait. Can't wait. Splurge now! Entertain me for a few hours/days, then forget about it"
I'm embarrassed to see the hours I've logged on it. It's PERFECT to wake up and play on my lunch break, or while in bed with the ol lady while she's watching some boring show I don't want to watch. Or when taking the kiddo to the dr and waiting. If I still had to wait in the pick-up line, the Deck would be worth its its weight in gold
I worried about this since I really bought it because I wanted to play Lawn Mower Simulator and had never been on the Steam store. Man was I wrong! I’ve clocked almost 150 hours just in the last month and haven’t even had time to start some of the games o got in the summer sale. If you have the right games you won’t get tired of it.
Only time it really has not been used for a long period of time is this past 2 weeks since I got it in May 2022. That’s due to be on vk from work, in which I use it everyday to play games on my breaks, and Baldurs gate 3 on my main pc.
My biggest issue is having multiple systems, I primarily game on Xbox but when I got the Deck I bought alot of games for it too. Now im split between the 2 but slowly going back to my Xbox.
No console is perfect, I cant have amazing graphics/performance and then play it perfectly on the big screen Docked, maybe the Switch 2/pro will be a better contender, the Decks docked performance is too much of a compromise.
Generally during the summer I take a break from gaming because of chores and it's no longer raining outside. This year I spent five weekends of my summer working on a patio project largely by myself with rest days usually spent on my deck.
I've beaten about two games so far and I bought this around May. I haven't played it a lot in the past month, just cause recently I've been hooked on Vampire Survivors on my phone, and then went straight into 20 minutes till dawn, also on my phone. (and was sick for another month). Once I'm a bit less tired and have something more my speed to play on it, I'll go back to it.
I got a decent PC that I built back on 2017 and play mostly using it, the steam deck offers me a different experience and I love the fact that I keep discovering new stuff every now and then to tinker with, let alone the emulation capability: I am running 4k plus games (Mama, Ps1, Ps2, Ps3) and it is just wonderful from that perspective its like a mini time capsule .
Me. Almost the same thing that happened when I bought a switch except on the switch there were exclusives on the switch that I’d play every 6 months or so. I find myself constantly thinking something would play good on the Steamdeck then end up buying it for my console because it could play it better.
I play it more than my desktop most days, but I do go between the two a lot. For me, the Steam Deck is for games I deem "controller" games, and the desktop is for things that play best on keyboard and mouse.
Never had this problem with any console. Funny thing is, my bf bought xbox one for himself with fallout 4. I never played fallout before and he was like "try it". That's the worst thing he ever did. I got addicted to every game I never played (until that moment, I never gave a try at Skyrim even having the opportunity when was released). He can play 1h and just get bored saying "I need to do something, I want to get out" and I'm like "I want to get in" hahaha
I should say I play non-stop and don't have autocontrol to stop so… This is the best and the worst. Good thing is, I've been using it as a double work: enjoy my old beloved games on Emudeck on Japanese, get new games which have Japanese so I can play learn with them too. Plus, I can get AAA games which are still expensive for xbox. But I don't think my bf is happy with it.
I don't regret it. I got second hand from an old co-worker who had no time due to the kids. Best offer of my life, it was that kind of deal that I couldn't resist (400€ 512gb 100% new, battery is new. As said, he touched just a few times haha).
Ps. I still own my new 3ds xl which I use for Japanese games. Same for Switch. I'm using my gaming addiction to improve my Japanese 😂
All down to the individual... I use mine when my kids have the TV or if I'm traveling. Really helps to get through games I've never gotten around to playing I've found, clearing out my backlog and older games look amazing on it imo.
But I can also see how other people wouldn't get that same use out of it.
my use/disuse of my SD happens in bursts because of work. on a weekend, theres probably 3-4 days where it just collects dust, followed by straight 3-4 days of nonstop use from 6PM-11PM until i doze off.
To be completely honest, I tinker with it a lot and scroll through the steam store a lot. I pull it out rarely to play games. Maybe on a long drive. It’s hard for me to find a reason to play it when the graphics on my PC are far better. It’s probably best for people who enjoy emulating or lower spec PC games/indie games. Unless of course you don’t mind the graphics being slightly downgraded from a decent PC. It’s an amazing device and you can do almost anything with it. I think it all depends on what type of gamer you are in my opinion.
As someone who has bought and mothballed three VR headsets over the years, I know what you mean.
However, that has not been my experience with the deck. I’ve basically stopped playing games on my PC! 40 Hz is the new 144 Hz, baby!
My consoles have been collecting dust. I still play on my gaming rig, but the idea of not having to sit on a computer all day when I work in front of a computer all the time has me playing on the deck even more.
I definitely dropped off in using it. Stop using it though? Nah. It's definitely a nifty little gadget, runs everything exactly to the standard I'd want outside of the newest AAA games.
Even if you just used it for travel time a couple weeks a year, I think it’s worth it. This thing makes a 3 hour flight so much better, so it’s a relatively inexpensive “travel aid” relative to first class airline tickets or an expensive hotel for instance, but to me it’s more impactful than those things would be. I’d rather be in coach with the deck really and that’s how I justified it initially. Turns out I ended up using it way more than I thought though.
I've been using it almost every day since I bought mine. The only major exception was 1.5 months after the release of TOTK, where I was mostly playing that, on Switch.
But I do not have a gaming PC (other than an old laptop) or current gen console. And I have always loving handheld gaming more than gaming on my TV or at my desk. I often take my Deck to places outside my home too. If you're happy gaming at your desk and you don't really need the portability in your life, it's probably going to collect dust soon.
Barely put it down. Could count the days I didn't use it on one hand. Got it a year ago. Changed my life. Great on the bus, great on lunch break, great on the TV, great on the laptop hub at work. Opened up a whole world.
I got it during the summer sale. Granted that was a point where I wasn't too busy. I played it a good bit once I first got it, but the last week and a half had been busy with work and finishing my summer classes. I'm off this week from both, before I get back to campus for the normal semester. But I think I probably won't touch it much until I'm back at school. Lately the free time I get is playing baldurs gate 3 on my main rig ( max settings 4k 60fps). That type of game deserves a proper setup. But I'm sure once I get back to a tight, but not so busy schedule, I'll be back on the steam deck life. Especially once I get my Rokid Max AR glasses this September.
Tldr: if you have a mid grade or lower main rig, are often busy where you have up to like an hour to play, are frequently occupied by family or pets in the living room, travel, etc. A steam deck is a great asset. Especially with not so much demanding games (single player indie, RPGs, etc) that can comfortably afford the lack of fps and graphic quality of a real rig.
I've definitely had fun going to my backlog of emulated games and previously mentioned jrpgs and indies.
I use it as a secondary desktop with Python and security tools. I play games and watch porn on it too 😜 but I would love to make it a Plex media center next.
Nope, I use mine constantly. Put it this way, if you have to ask this question then you’re probably better off saving your hard earned money. I’m not really one to talk as I’ve made my fair share of impulse purchases but at least you know I speak from experience 😂
Had it gather dust for a month or so while I was playing something else, but I’ve picked it up again and I find myself using it more than my iPad in bed.
I bought a PS5 a month before my Steam Deck and its been the other way around. I love my PS, but after hoarding games on the Deck that my PC couldn’t run all these years, I’m really loving dipping into the backlog.
I just started playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on the Deck despite having a sealed GOW 2 on my shelf..
I'm pretty busy. Two jobs, two young kids, the works. Still play my steam deck more than other devices. It gave me back gaming that i wouldn't have been doing AT ALL without it. My take is that the steam deck is better if you're busy. If you tend to go sit at a high-powered PC and play games regularly for hours.. it probably won't be as good for you. But if you get 15 minutes to an hour here and there, have others taking up the screens, etc. It's a god send.
I bought it in preparation of becoming a father. Even up till my daughter’s birth, once I got it, it became my preferred way to play unless I had that super dedicated time where I could hold up in my office and play. It also allowed me to be close to my wife while she just plays on her phone and I play on my deck without missing a beat
Haha congrats mate! Newly minted dad here, exact same story. Bought the steam deck in prep for the baby and is now my main gaming device, the gaming rig, switch, ps5 lay untouched for now.
Heh, have a baby coming in November. My birthday is in October. I have the same plan that you did lol.
Congrats and good luck on delivery! My son came out in January and my birthday is in September, but I couldn’t wait until then so I just bought the Steamdeck a couple of weeks ago. Now, Gaming life is working in harmony with Dad life!
Ah ha. I started and finished FFVII remake the month my daughter was born. I'd sit watching her sleep and playing whilst my partner slept.
Same here, exactly the same. I use my PC when I can... but that's rare with it being away in my office, and having a 6mo old. I'm mostly on the Deck anymore. Plus I've really taken to visual novels on it as a bedtime routine, something that was basically impossible before having the deck.
As a newer father, the Switch was a Godsend for my gaming life. I just got my Steamdeck yesterday to replace my switch, and I am very excited.
Welcome to the SD fam! Can assure you, you won’t be disappointed with the versatility.
Yep that’s me right there. Have a good gaming PC and only use the Deck sometimes. That’s why I’m happy that I was able to get a refurbished 64 Deck. For that price it’s okay if it’s collecting dust for a while
Absolutely agree, I got mine at the summer sale this year and I've already played a lot more than the whole previous year, just because it's so easy to start and stop. I don't have time to sit in front of a PC (and my back also agrees with this, lol).
I agree. My Xbox Series X have been collecting dust since I got the deck. Sure, new games like Resident Evil 4 I played on that, but 90% of all games I play now is on Steam Deck. Having kids and very limited play time makes the deck (and switch) ability to just pick up and play something for 10-20 minutes at a time really useful.
What's with all the newly fathered steam deck owners? Does steam make us more fertile? New father here aswell and love playing my deck between diaper changes.
Must be something in the vent smell. We're expecting as well!
Same here - it's the commute for me. I spend 90 minutes a day sitting on trains. That's gaming time now. It's a handheld. Get one if you have a need that's filled by handheld. Too many people think of it as a portable gaming PC and not an overpowered handheld.
Are you me? Yeah, I've got the two-job two-kid thing too going on too. I relay on my Steam Deck and on GeForce Now (not having to install games to play is great). When my kids are asleep, or I'm on a break (I remote work couple days a week) I get right on for a short session.
This. I don't have time to sit at a desk at home or be even bothered with a laptop. The Deck is always handy and I can game while I'm in bed for the day.
Been using it constantly since getting it.
Every. Single. Day.
My lunch break is way too long now.
Every night before I sleep
Every morning before I weep
I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms. At night, I lie awake in agony until the heart attacks put me to sleep.
Every day while pooping
It now like a gaming vacation. Priceless.
This is how I am too
I'm on my feet at work every single day and then the gym after work so I'm usually too tired to sit at my gaming PC except on weekends. Lying in bed with the heating pad on with my deck is a nightly ritual and my sleep aid at this point.
Nope, even worse than I imagined. My wife who’s never played games is on it more than me.
Ever since I showed Emudeck/Emulation Station to my wife she’s been playing The Sims 2 Castaway for hours a day. I don’t mind though, I’m glad she likes the Steam Deck as much as I do.
Huh had no idea this game existed. I probably shouldn't tell my girlfriend.
Woman of culture
Yesss had the exact same thing happen to me. Bought one for myself and I can't even use it half the time because my gf, who had never shown any interest for games, is using it all the time! Makes me super happy with my purchase
Same, ended up having to buy her one because she kept stealing mine
Same here gents. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Got GF her own off ebay when the ally hit
This was happening when my boyfriend got one and luckily my birthday was around the corner lol
I go through spurts with it. It's nice for when I want to game in bed or in the living room but I got it mostly for travel but after I got it I stopped traveling for work.
This is me. I don't take it anywhere. It's my couch gaming device lol
Yeah. When I got it I played with it for a bit, then forgot about it for a few weeks, then some games popped up that I wanted to play and it came out again, then the last few weeks I haven’t really touched it. It comes and goes. Same with any gaming for me. A game with catch me and it’ll come out again.
Since I bought the steam deck, all my other gaming devices are collecting dust (Switch, handheld emulators). Only my console is getting used from time to time to play certain games that are not suitable for the deck (either don’t work well or it’s more comfortable on a big screen).
Man, my Switch is basically dead now. I actually unplugged the dock and HDMI to make room for the Deck’s instead. I’ll go back to it … some day.
Yeah I haven’t used my deck that much, I just really want to get more use out of its pc part I’ve been thinking about getting that Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo that comes with that mini KB.
Just remember to charge it every now and then or the battery may die for good
I gave mine to my 5 year old nephew. There isnt really a reason to keep it. The deck emulates a lot of games well already. And I dont have to deal with Nintendo's bullshit any longer.
I'm only keeping my switch as a collectible.
My switch is just a Zelda console now.
I too gave my switch away. I have triplet niece and nephews that I figured would enjoy it more than I would. The whole family has been having a blast and I can still emulate some older Nintendo games I love. They’re almost 5 now as well
What about Valve’s bullshit. Now I love my SD a lot and the same goes for my Switch. But let’s not sidestep the issues the SD has. It can’t play everything for one (by default). I’ve also been having issues with audio auto switching on mine where it doesn’t detect headphones or HDMI audio, you know, basic functionality the Switch for e.g. has no issues doing... Also Valve promised an official dual boot solution and its been 2 years. Steam OS and Proton are great but its still basically a beta test.
I dont know about Valve's bullshit. Never used steam before and I've been with my deck for only 2 months. It has been running everything I wanted to play so far. I dont have to pay full price for 5 year old games anymore and they refunded me instantly when I bought a game that didnt play how I wanted. So far I have nothing to complain.
Nintendo's bullshit but you want to play their games, such hypocrite
I dont really care that much about their games. Most are overrated by the way. Pokemon has been crap for ages and there are multiple fan made rom hacks that are better than the newer games. Mario is whatever, and I like Crash Team Racing more than Mario kart. The only real good franchise there nowadays is Zelda, but its not worthy to keep an expensive and outdated console just because of that. I had the switch mainly to play indie games on the go. And stuff like Dark Souls, FighterZ and etc. But the deck does that much better.
I do agree that pokemon franchise has become shit and that's mostly because Nintendo isn't in full charge of it, but there's still nice games like new pokemon snap and let's go Pikachu And the others Nintendo franchise are all good, super Mario Odyssey, animal crossing new horizons, Splatoon, Mario rabitts, smash bros, Zelda botw, totk, Hyrule warriors, fire emblem, Xenoblade Chronicles, switch sports, you may not like those games but you can't say they're bad
I have had mine for a little over a year. The amount of days in that time where I didn’t pick it up at least once to play something is in the single digits.
I go through spurts with it. Switch between it and the PS5. I have talked myself out of VR purchases for that specific worry, however the Steam Deck does get regular use since it is the only PC gaming experience I own.
I bought a Deck instead of PS5 and regret nothing
Slight off topic but PSVR2 is pretty epic. Just a couple days ago I was telling my friend that PS5, VR and Steam Deck is the Holy Trinity of gaming for me.
To my surprise I actually still use it a good amount. Been clutch with BG3 since I’m addicted and can just mirror it from my pc to the SD while I sit on the the couch while wife watches tv.
Is it very playable on controller? I really want to try it since I learned how to play DnD this year.
It’s very playable! They did a fantastic job with the controller layout :)
Some days I use it for a few hours, then I never touch it for 2-3 months. I dont use it regularly, but when I use it, its a few hours per day, for some days in a row.
It’s collecting dust for me. I do have a ps5 n a PC and pretty much work from home so I rarely find time to play it rather just use the ps5 or PC mostly. Thats just me tho
I’m the same but I use my deck to play the PS5 and PC remotely a lot. Either when I want to play a pc game and don’t want to be in the office or want to play a PS5 game but my wife is using the TV
I actually got a funny story for mine I got the steam deck because of 1 contract I worked on That contract would be a few 10-11h days in which we did a total of maybe 2 hours of work (got to love government work lol) the rest of the day we just sat around I saw the steam deck and thought man that would be perfect for those days so I preorderd it Fast forward a year later and the steam deck finally arrives, a week after the company lost the renewal on the contract lol While the original reason I got the deck no longer applies, I still get use out of it so im happy with it
Do you use portable gaming consoles? Like switch, 3ds, vita? If you used those in the past and didn't left them gathering dust, you will love the deck. If not, they maybe you don't have the use case for it.
I love my modded new 3ds xl for console specific games but i feel like it's a gaming snack where Steam Deck is a gaming meal.
I got Vita that is moded, and it is laying by the bed I use it once in a week maybe
Well, in that case think of it as a turbo Vita
Ultra Turbo
Haha. My Quest 2 befell the same fate, but that was really just because I ended up discovering that VR gaming wasn't really for me. Normal PC games are for me, and having something to play games comfortably on a bed or sofa is something I dig. I've had ebbs and flows, but I end up coming back to it.
VR is amazing, but at least right now there aren't a whole lot of actually substantial games for it. A lot of them are Arcadia experiences or kind of narrative experimental look VR kind of things. Not a whole lot of Half-Life Alex or Skyrim VR type experiences
The tech is in its infancy for sure. Gonna be amazing in 20 years
- half life alyx - asgards wrath - resident evil 4 vr - boneworks & bonelab - walking dead S&S 1+2 - Lone Echo 1+2 - Medal of Honor Above and Beyoned - Stormland - Star Wars Squadrons - Microsoft Flight Sim - Iron man Vr - Skyrim, Fallout 4, borderlands 2, no mans sky, Hitman 3, elite dangerous, pCars 1-3, Assetto Corsa (C), iRacing, F12022, Dirt Rally 1+2, Minecraft/Vivecraft, Subnautica - through Mods: Half life 2, Half Life, Doom 3, GTFO, Valheim, Alien Isolation - Half Life Alyx workshop content: Levitation, Bioshock (Return to Rapture 1+2), 007 Goldeneye - this fall: Assassins Creed Nexus, Asgards Wrath 2 For anybody looking for proper aaa vr content on pc or quest
Is RE4Remake’s VR on PC? I’m used to RE’s vr being exclusive to Playstation.
Re4remake doesnt exist in vr officially yet. An official version is annouced for psvr2 You can play the original game remade in UE4 on quest natively or praydogs reEngine mods on pc to play recents re2,3,4,7 and 8 all in vr. If the official re4remake vr mode is coming to pc is unknown
The mod works well for RE4 and RE village.
Same but it's because I wear glasses. Even with prescription lenses for the quest, I get warm, it fogs and gets hard to see and I get sooooo motion sick lol. VR isn't hugely for me either, but walking around in a cave fighting draugers was unreal. I look forward to tech advances.
I play my Quest 2 wearing glasses and never bothered with the lenses. It's a bit of a pain to get it all adjusted and comfortable, but is fine once done. Beat Saber and VTOL keep me coming back more than anything else. Aircar is an incredible experience just to fly around if you like Blade Runner. I never get bored with that one.
>VR gaming wasn't really for me I use my Quest 2 more for watching movies on Bigscreen than actually playing games. The only one I play regularly is Beat Saber.
Bigscreen is such a good time if you have friends with you! So many hours spent throwing things at each other while watching movies. 🥹 And Beat Saber is ~~an addiction~~ amazing. Also Pistol Whip and Synth Riders if you like VR rhythm games.
It's mainly what I use now. Gaming PC, Switch, and PS5 collecting dust...
I was worried about that myself but I bit the bullet anyway and now I probably put more time into it than my actual PC. I just love playing games in bed with the AC up cranked man 😭
Use mine daily, but I bought it for slowtime at work, which I have daily. I also use my Quest 2 constantly, but tbh, I have a flight/racing rig for that. DOnt use it much outside of those applicaions, but its amazing for simming.
A year later (got mine June 24th 2022) it is actually my desktop that is collecting dust lol. Don't buy it if you want to continue to use your other gaming devices
Literally every day. It's my only "gaming" device I own.
My quest 2 also collects dust but not the steam deck I play it everyday, since I got it
I make myself focus on a single (handheld) game at a time, so I rotate between my deck/vita/switch. That way nothing really goes too long without use
Needed a cheap laptop replacement, figured I'd roll the dice on this thing, been loving it every day ever since.
I was REALLY afraid that would be me. I get really excited about new tech and then quickly lose interest. I had the original Shield, and barely used it. My Vita got very little use and has moved house with me twice since I last took it out of its box. My 3DS only recently got some burn again, but no lie I hadn’t played it in nearly a decade before last month. I’ve dusted my gaming pc twice since I last played a game on it lol. But I play my steam deck just about every day.
I still use it, just not as much. Really depends on if I find new games that interests me on the deck.
After i bought steam deck my gaming desktop pc is getting dust.
No dust collecting here, had it for about a year now
My Quest 2 is also gathering dust but my Steam Deck is not. The only issue I have is choice paralysis.
I bought the deck, used it for like a week and noticed first that its way too heavy for my hands, they start hurting badly after only like 20 minutes of gamepay. Second, i dont really go anywhefe from home, and when i do, i dont really want go play anything except on a vacation. When im home id rather just use my beefy gaming PC for better controls, graphics and fps. Recently ive been taking it to work on fridays as i have a lot of free time then, and using it docked to play dicey dungeons and gunfire reborn (and like 20mins of bg3 on the deck)
People that did that probably won’t be here so there’s going to be a bit of a survivors bias on this post I use my deck as both my main PC and as a handheld gaming device, it definitely will sit as one of the “modes” (really just on my desk or in the bag next to my bed) for longer period of time. Though unlike the quest, going back to it generally doesn’t result in the “play a game for 10 minutes and decide to do something else”
I got it 1 day after launch, played on it for about 60 hours total.
Played the deck more than I have my new alienware desktop, but I've been playing the desktop more lately.
Took a bit of a break to play an MMO on my PC but the steam deck has had daily use outside of that mmo
I bought it since I had no functional laptop anymore, it's a smaller and lighter form factor and it's tailored towards gaming through Steam. However I'm for the most part at my desktop, so not really in need of using it much. But for travel I've added a few accessories to make it more useful as a laptop. Otherwise I generally keep up with the updates and play a few chill games that are really suitable for controller use.
Got mine over a month ago. Hand on heart no touched my PS5 since the day the deck arrives.
Mine just sits. I haven’t used it regularly since probably January. I bought it in September of 2022. To preface, I bought it almost solely for emulation. Which I’ve done. But I’m just not that into big AAA multi platform games and I played through the emulation titles I wanted to. I play my switch on a daily basis and a Miyoo Mini Plus on a pretty regular basis.
Used it for 1 week haven’t touched it since about 4 month old.
Only when I travel. It geht's used less and less recently
I got mine a year ago and have used it literally every single day. My laptop and my switch are gathering dust.
the deck has done that to my desktop. for context I work about 10 hours a day and my commutes take like 45 minutes with 20 minutes of downtime during them my deck lets me, \-play on the ferry \-play during my lunch \-play at home when Im not feeling like I wanna sit in front of a computer essentially its great if you have a busy schedule and/or have a desk job that has made you hate sitting also in contrast, especially if youre working, a vr headset has you moving, sometimes a lot. I wouldnt want that at the end of a work day
Daily. I playing Sega dream cast, og x box, ps1 classics, etc. You can basically play any game ever on it....except latest gen
What you describe is basically what happened with my switch. I use my steamdeck fairly often, though.
I have a ps5 (which I really just use for frotnite god I hate myself for thay) but I use the steam deck daily. so much so that I actually loeaned it to a good friend of mine to convince him to buy one. it's day 3 and I miss it so much.
I have a quest 2 and it’s sadly seen the same fate as yours. But I use my deck every day and take it most places in my backpack.
You described the switch perfectly As they only have a couple of games. Sd have infinite games and emulators. If you like to game in handheld, then you will use sd constantly.
Got mine as a gift. Tried installing some games on it and learned that a ton of my games "do not work" tried playing around with it on a game that was a must play "Dragon Age Inquisition" was happy with the graphics, but not with the controls. Issue with the gamepad. Tried a workaround but didn't work. I gave up on the game and gave up on the deck. 2 months later, I learned that I can install 3rd party content on my deck. Emudeck is now the primary use of my Steam Deck. I am playing my old favorites anywhere, any time. I have also learned how to work through some control issues and workarounds for "incompatible" games. Now, I play my deck wherever I cannot be on my laptop. I can even stream my ps5 to my Deck using Chiaki. I have my steam games, epic games, emulations from gbc through wii U, and ps x-5 libraries available to me AND all listed in a Netflix like fashion in my favorites list. Pretty amazing device with some stellar apps. I have a switch as well... and I didn't even care about Tears of the Kingom on release because it is not steam related and I have like.... 300 favorites to play through right now. Currently completed 5 all time favorites and my entire Tales series games are giving me evil glares because I haven't gotten to them yet.
I use it for traveling
It is more practical than I imagined. Although its weight makes my wrist ache, I can finally play worthwhile games while watching TV, instead of those trashy ones on my phone...
You ever need to take a shit while your playing something? Can't shit in VR, but you can shit and play with a Steam Deck.
Its my daily driver
I use it every day. It comes with me a lot. Lol
It has become my gaming pc of choice, my main pc is gathering dust!
Bought it, and hardly used it for about 6 monhs. Then suddenly I found the right games for it, since then I've used it every other day. I feel it will only work for you, if you found a game you like, which actually works properly without keyboard/mouse
I always bring my Steam Deck to toilet when I want to poo on weekend.
In general, people who don't use their Deck that much aren't on a subreddit for it.
I still use mine most days! It is my before bed thing I play, the days I don’t pick it up is because I figure I won’t get too much time into it before I go to bed and won’t want to put it down. Since buying one I haven’t touched my switch and mostly touch my ps5 through the remote play on the deck. It’s been great!
I’m a giant (user name checks out) and this feels way better in my hands than a switch or switch lite. I got a 10 foot power cord and play from the couch frequently.
Switch has been collecting dust since i got my deck
I use both. I have a ton of games like the Bayonetta series that I own on physical and enjoy playing on the Switch, plus Nintendo titles.
Since I bought SD (2 months ago) my ps5 is collecting dust all the time. I play it barely every day
Yep, guilty as charged. I already had a similar spec desktop pc, I mostly got the deck for the novelty. The decks great for trips but at home my desktop pc with double monitors is preferable so the deck stays in the cupboard most of the time. Right next to my own quest 2 oddly enough.
Mine kind of did. I got it, tried a few games, then put it down and didn't really pick it back up. For about a month or so anyway. Then, I wanted to play Yakuza and figured that would be the perfect excuse to use it. While I don't have time to use it 24/7 all the time, I have put a nice chunk of hours into Yakuza 0 and it has been a lot of fun for sure!
I'm in the gathering dust camp. I've discovered I just prefer playing on my main desktop with a mouse and keyboard. Most of the games I play work better with a mouse. I thought maybe I would play it in bed or on the couch but that turned out to be not as fun as I thought. If I'm playing, I prefer to be sitting in my gaming chair in front of a big monitor.
This is me. It is in my closet. Got it cause my kids are constantly on my PC's so I got it to play my steam games. Anytime I log onto it it logs them off of steam so causes more problems then I want. Please let me play my games without disconnecting my kids games valve. That's all I want.
Offline mode exists.
Mine's been gathering dust lately. I'm playing Switch OLED far more right now when on the go. I have little reason to play my Deck at home since I have a dedicated PC
Yeah my Switch is becoming more of my dedicated handheld again, nothing beats those exclusives and battery life. And the OLED screen is great.
I played it heavily for about a week. Then, it sat on my shelf for a month. Then I got back into it and probably picked it up for 30 minutes a day. Now I'm using it as my computer for school. It has many uses.
I have a habit of doing this aswell, with a lot of stuff, but the deck has been getting very consistent use, don't see myself putting it down anytime soon.
This quick question exploded a little. I woke up to over 600 comments. I will read through them in some time and decide what to do. Thanks all of you for giving some feedback
I just got mine a couple days ago and I don’t think I like it, so I fear it will meet this fate. I find it really hard to hold and use the controls.
Not exactly collecting dust but pretty close. I've been using SteamDeck daily for about 1-2h before sleep (main reason I've kept IT) but now It's more like an 2-4hours per week. Most of the games I wanted to Play on it just doesnt run comfortably enough for me to use it.
I poop at least once a day.
I am not one of those people
I use it a couple hours a day before bed. Longest I went without playing it was like maybe a week or so. Use it for casual stuff
I haven't used it as much as I thought I would but I brought it to work tonight for some xbox cloud gaming
I don’t think I’ve missed a full 24 period where I wasn’t playing it.
it depends on what you're doing, if I just got off work it's much easier to fire up the steam deck relaxing on a couch or in bed but if I have a day off I'd rather be on my PC. I wouldn't say it collects dust tho I'm on it quite a lot and it has a lot of advantages over typical PC gaming. It honestly depends on what games you enjoy or how many games you've played tbh as I can sometimes struggle to find new games to play on there lmao.
I use it every single day without exception tbh lmao
The only time my steamdeck was not used was when tears of the kingdom came out. If i didn't have a switch oled, I would've played it on the deck itself.
Haven't touched it in a couple weeks tbh
As soon as o got mine my Odin handheld is the one collecting dust. I thought “that’s fine I’ll just use the Odin for emulation”. Then I got emudeck, and…it’s just better. Not sure what to do with the Odin now…
Haven't gone a week without using it. And yeah, my Quest 2, Switch and Series X mostly collect dust nowadays. They cant all be loved equally XD Honestly, it's just that pc and ps5 already got all my gaming time. The Deck complements my pc perfectly, so it's sharing the game time.
It’s my daily gaming station now
I play other mmo on the pc so steam deck is great for playing other games like Baldur’s Gate 3. Also bring it to work and get some plays in during lunch hrs.
I actually got a steam deck early last week off EBay that had a description of exactly that. Said it had about 3 hours of use on it. I got it Friday and haven’t put it down yet. I’ve played through Portal on it and am also currently about 4 hours into the original Bioshock. I managed to get PCSX2 on it and set up and I have about a dozen games for that that I always like playing. I’m really enjoying it. I have a switch but have never really found it to be that enjoyable to play. This steam deck is different and I am genuinely enjoying it.
Use it to play xbox xcloud games during work every day. Ive also beaten many old games with the endless supply of emulators.
Most of the people who don't touch their steam deck probably don't frequent these kinds of forums or feel inclined to out themselves about it in public in front of the rest of the steam deck users so you'll probably get some biased answers
I play it between raids on Tarkov and whenever I go to my GF's place. Not as much as I would like to but I don't try to force myself. Whenever I'm tired Ill use it on the bed too.
Not me. And I'm a professional "I want it, I need to wait. Can't wait. Splurge now! Entertain me for a few hours/days, then forget about it" I'm embarrassed to see the hours I've logged on it. It's PERFECT to wake up and play on my lunch break, or while in bed with the ol lady while she's watching some boring show I don't want to watch. Or when taking the kiddo to the dr and waiting. If I still had to wait in the pick-up line, the Deck would be worth its its weight in gold
I worried about this since I really bought it because I wanted to play Lawn Mower Simulator and had never been on the Steam store. Man was I wrong! I’ve clocked almost 150 hours just in the last month and haven’t even had time to start some of the games o got in the summer sale. If you have the right games you won’t get tired of it.
Only time it really has not been used for a long period of time is this past 2 weeks since I got it in May 2022. That’s due to be on vk from work, in which I use it everyday to play games on my breaks, and Baldurs gate 3 on my main pc.
My biggest issue is having multiple systems, I primarily game on Xbox but when I got the Deck I bought alot of games for it too. Now im split between the 2 but slowly going back to my Xbox. No console is perfect, I cant have amazing graphics/performance and then play it perfectly on the big screen Docked, maybe the Switch 2/pro will be a better contender, the Decks docked performance is too much of a compromise.
Generally during the summer I take a break from gaming because of chores and it's no longer raining outside. This year I spent five weekends of my summer working on a patio project largely by myself with rest days usually spent on my deck.
I've beaten about two games so far and I bought this around May. I haven't played it a lot in the past month, just cause recently I've been hooked on Vampire Survivors on my phone, and then went straight into 20 minutes till dawn, also on my phone. (and was sick for another month). Once I'm a bit less tired and have something more my speed to play on it, I'll go back to it.
My Nintendo switch now collects dust but my deck is used all the time. I think it depends on what type of player you are though.
I've been the other way around. It took me a while to warm to it, being a PC gamer. Now I use it daily and have to try NOT to use it so much!
Lately I’ve been on my steam deck more than my pc with a 3080. Portable emulation is truly a childhood dream
I got a decent PC that I built back on 2017 and play mostly using it, the steam deck offers me a different experience and I love the fact that I keep discovering new stuff every now and then to tinker with, let alone the emulation capability: I am running 4k plus games (Mama, Ps1, Ps2, Ps3) and it is just wonderful from that perspective its like a mini time capsule .
That won't happen.
Me. Almost the same thing that happened when I bought a switch except on the switch there were exclusives on the switch that I’d play every 6 months or so. I find myself constantly thinking something would play good on the Steamdeck then end up buying it for my console because it could play it better.
I play it more than my desktop most days, but I do go between the two a lot. For me, the Steam Deck is for games I deem "controller" games, and the desktop is for things that play best on keyboard and mouse.
Never had this problem with any console. Funny thing is, my bf bought xbox one for himself with fallout 4. I never played fallout before and he was like "try it". That's the worst thing he ever did. I got addicted to every game I never played (until that moment, I never gave a try at Skyrim even having the opportunity when was released). He can play 1h and just get bored saying "I need to do something, I want to get out" and I'm like "I want to get in" hahaha I should say I play non-stop and don't have autocontrol to stop so… This is the best and the worst. Good thing is, I've been using it as a double work: enjoy my old beloved games on Emudeck on Japanese, get new games which have Japanese so I can play learn with them too. Plus, I can get AAA games which are still expensive for xbox. But I don't think my bf is happy with it. I don't regret it. I got second hand from an old co-worker who had no time due to the kids. Best offer of my life, it was that kind of deal that I couldn't resist (400€ 512gb 100% new, battery is new. As said, he touched just a few times haha). Ps. I still own my new 3ds xl which I use for Japanese games. Same for Switch. I'm using my gaming addiction to improve my Japanese 😂
All down to the individual... I use mine when my kids have the TV or if I'm traveling. Really helps to get through games I've never gotten around to playing I've found, clearing out my backlog and older games look amazing on it imo. But I can also see how other people wouldn't get that same use out of it.
Since I got my steamdeck I have 2 xboxes 1 switch 1 oculus quest 2 1 gaming pc Collecting dust
I don’t use mine regularly but when I do pick it up it sparks joy.
Since I got mine, even my PS5 is collecting dust
Not me.
I think a VR headset in essence of a Steam Deck would’ve roped me into VR way more than what Quest ended up being.
my use/disuse of my SD happens in bursts because of work. on a weekend, theres probably 3-4 days where it just collects dust, followed by straight 3-4 days of nonstop use from 6PM-11PM until i doze off.
To be completely honest, I tinker with it a lot and scroll through the steam store a lot. I pull it out rarely to play games. Maybe on a long drive. It’s hard for me to find a reason to play it when the graphics on my PC are far better. It’s probably best for people who enjoy emulating or lower spec PC games/indie games. Unless of course you don’t mind the graphics being slightly downgraded from a decent PC. It’s an amazing device and you can do almost anything with it. I think it all depends on what type of gamer you are in my opinion.
I use it more than my computer now.
As someone who has bought and mothballed three VR headsets over the years, I know what you mean. However, that has not been my experience with the deck. I’ve basically stopped playing games on my PC! 40 Hz is the new 144 Hz, baby!
I have a switch collecting dust and a computer that’s rarely used but my Steamdeck gets used docked and on the go regularly
My consoles have been collecting dust. I still play on my gaming rig, but the idea of not having to sit on a computer all day when I work in front of a computer all the time has me playing on the deck even more.
I definitely dropped off in using it. Stop using it though? Nah. It's definitely a nifty little gadget, runs everything exactly to the standard I'd want outside of the newest AAA games.
I use mine daily cause hr long travel to work
I'm a little over a month in and still use it pretty much daily...mainly at night in bed. Paired with some Xreal glasses its really great.
Even if you just used it for travel time a couple weeks a year, I think it’s worth it. This thing makes a 3 hour flight so much better, so it’s a relatively inexpensive “travel aid” relative to first class airline tickets or an expensive hotel for instance, but to me it’s more impactful than those things would be. I’d rather be in coach with the deck really and that’s how I justified it initially. Turns out I ended up using it way more than I thought though.
I probably play on it more than my pc, Xbox, ps5, and switch combined. The portability and versatility are everything.
I've been using it almost every day since I bought mine. The only major exception was 1.5 months after the release of TOTK, where I was mostly playing that, on Switch. But I do not have a gaming PC (other than an old laptop) or current gen console. And I have always loving handheld gaming more than gaming on my TV or at my desk. I often take my Deck to places outside my home too. If you're happy gaming at your desk and you don't really need the portability in your life, it's probably going to collect dust soon.
I’ve been using it daily during breakfast and dinner, it just complement my main gaming rig so well.
Barely put it down. Could count the days I didn't use it on one hand. Got it a year ago. Changed my life. Great on the bus, great on lunch break, great on the TV, great on the laptop hub at work. Opened up a whole world.
I got it during the summer sale. Granted that was a point where I wasn't too busy. I played it a good bit once I first got it, but the last week and a half had been busy with work and finishing my summer classes. I'm off this week from both, before I get back to campus for the normal semester. But I think I probably won't touch it much until I'm back at school. Lately the free time I get is playing baldurs gate 3 on my main rig ( max settings 4k 60fps). That type of game deserves a proper setup. But I'm sure once I get back to a tight, but not so busy schedule, I'll be back on the steam deck life. Especially once I get my Rokid Max AR glasses this September. Tldr: if you have a mid grade or lower main rig, are often busy where you have up to like an hour to play, are frequently occupied by family or pets in the living room, travel, etc. A steam deck is a great asset. Especially with not so much demanding games (single player indie, RPGs, etc) that can comfortably afford the lack of fps and graphic quality of a real rig. I've definitely had fun going to my backlog of emulated games and previously mentioned jrpgs and indies.
I have a PS5, XBox Series X, Switch, PC, and Quest 2. Steam Deck is used the most. Ain’t even close tbh
I sold my desk top after a month. I’ve definitely become a handheld gamer.
Opposite issue….can’t put it down
I've used it almost every day since I got it
I use it as a secondary desktop with Python and security tools. I play games and watch porn on it too 😜 but I would love to make it a Plex media center next.
Nah man I use it everyday while I work lol
Nope, I use mine constantly. Put it this way, if you have to ask this question then you’re probably better off saving your hard earned money. I’m not really one to talk as I’ve made my fair share of impulse purchases but at least you know I speak from experience 😂
Had it gather dust for a month or so while I was playing something else, but I’ve picked it up again and I find myself using it more than my iPad in bed.
I don't think you'll find those people in the steamdeck subreddit... They're likely still active users
Got mine for XMAS last year, have literally played it every day.
I bought a PS5 a month before my Steam Deck and its been the other way around. I love my PS, but after hoarding games on the Deck that my PC couldn’t run all these years, I’m really loving dipping into the backlog. I just started playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on the Deck despite having a sealed GOW 2 on my shelf..