Killswitch Engage? Not Entirely...
So, It’s been an exciting weekend where I’ve been fortunate enough to get my hands on a Steam Deck ahead of its release here in Australia – if it ever launches here that is. I’ve been patiently waiting for at least a pending release window for its release down under, but from the looks of things it’s not happening anytime soon, so I took it upon myself to go through some backdoor business, utilise my VPN, get myself one of those nifty pre-paid VISA’s and have one mailed out directly from the US. So what’s the reasoning? Why did I jump the queue and pony up the cash to get my mitts on this incredible piece of kit? Well, this is a video gaming outlet and I wouldbe remised if I weren’t to cover what the Steam Deck has to offer in terms of its capabilities, and how it measures up to competing platforms such as its biggest competitor in the Nintendo Switch.
From the small amount of time I’ve had this beast in my hands, I’ve managed to do an entire playthrough of the original Mirror’s Edge (2008) and just today have re-started an Uncharted 4 campaign. Out of the box, SteamOS’ frontend is a seamless experience after signing into my personal account. Logging in, selecting a game and downloading was quite simple. The unit’s Dual-Band Wi-Fi network card runs at ungodly speeds, leaving much to be desired out of other portable platforms and their digital outlets. Of course, this is Steam’s bread and butter so it would be egregious of Valve to not manufacture their handheld without any horsepower behind its download services. Navigating through the user friendly UI mirrors the Steam Store experience you would ordinarily get on a desktop, and is laid out similar to what we’ve become familiar to in modern consoles like a Nintendo Switch or a PlayStation 5.
There’s more that can be done behind the curtain from accessing the unit’s desktop mode which is essentially a Linux-based operating system with a tonne of Valve’s custom forks implemented for an intuitive experience. You may use the touchpads and analogue sticks to control the on-screen cursor, as well as the unit’s triggers for right and left click respectively. Alongside Steam’s pre-installed forks comes a lofty repository of goodies for users to install including a multitude of browsers and apps which expand the use of the deck from just a gaming handheld to a full-fledged Desktop PC. I had installed Windows 10 on the device and ran Mirror’s Edge on the Microsoft based OS, but ran into some hitches and frame drops that caused me to re-install SteamOS. I’m not saying it was unplayable, and if anything it may have to do with the fact that I was running the game off a 400GB Sandisk Extreme MicroSD card – one of the fastest you can grab on the market – but it wasn’t as smooth as running it from the intended OS.
My other deterrent from running Windows on the device was an uncontrollable fan curve that left the unit whirring for extended periods. While I appreciate trying to keep temperatures cool for optimal experience, I do think there needs to be some tweaking involved with Windows, but that may never happen. Another caveat to the Steam Deck x Windows gaming experience is an unfortunate inaccessibility to your XBOX/Microsoft Store games library without the OS installed. If you have games purchased on Windows, or are using Game Pass for PC then you’re going to have to install Windows on the unit to use them natively with zero compromise – at least for the time being. There are ways to use other launchers like GOG or Epic Games with third party apps installed in desktop mode, but this unfortunately does not include the aforementioned Microsoft Store.
Feature | Steam Deck | Nintendo Switch OLED | Price | $399USD (64GB Model) | $349USD |
|---|---|---|
Release Date | December 2021 | October 8, 2021 |
Size/Dimensions | 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.8-inch (298 x 117 x 49mm) | 4 inches high, 9.5 inches long, and 0.55 inches deep (with Joy-Con attached) |
CPU | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5HGz | 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT) |
RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 @ 5,500MT/s | 4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM @ 1600 MHz |
GPU | AMD RDNA 2 | Nvidia Tegra X1 (Custom) |
Video Output | Up to 4K at 120Hz via HDMI in TV mode.
Up to 720p via built-in screen in Tabletop mode and Handheld modes | Up to 1080p via HDMI in TV mode.
Up to 720p via built-in screen in Tabletop mode and Handheld modes |
Storage | 64GB/256GB/512GB | 64GB (Can be expanded through MicroSD Card slot) |
Battery Life | 2-8 Hours depending on which title you’re playing. | 5-8 Hours depending on which title you’re playing. |
Now I’m sure there’s software out there that could potentially control the unit’s fan speeds, but without precise knowledge on how you could run the OS, it’s hundreds of processes and not cook your APU, it’s unideal. The best way to run your library right now is to have an XBOX Game Pass Ultimate subscription, to where you can access said games through Xcloud, install Microsoft Edge on Linux and then visit xbox.com/play to enjoy your library that way – I’ll have a guide on how to do this shortly. But if you don’t mind a little fan noise then Windows is the solution. Battery life is, well… okay. It’s not the greatest, but it’s not completely terrible. If anything it sits on par with Nintendo’s first model of the Switch. You have to understand that the titles you play on the unit are of higher demand than most optimised for Nintendo’s platform. Hell, most titles on this platform are yet to be optimised for it, but they still run great.
I ran through Mirror’s Edge with some options tweaked at a smooth 720p@60fps with graphics set to High. That’s better performance than how the title ran on a PlayStation 3 when it launched. There are minor blemishes on titles like Uncharted 4, that have frame dips here and there but again, this is running off a MicroSD card rather than an SSD. I have yet to pony up for a bigger SSD, as I picked up the 64GB model. I’m intending to upgrade the unit to a 2TB 2230 M.2 SSD drive instead of paying a premium for Valve’s pre-built SSD that’s only available in 256GB or 512GB. I will say that if you do have the spare MicroSD lying around that’s capable of great reading or writing speeds, then this is a more than adequate ‘temporary’ solution – emphasis on temporary. I opted to pick up a cheap $20 multiport USB-C Dock with HDMI that supports the deck if you want to dock it on TV, and is great for other uses like file transfer or installing Windows as mentioned.
So it’s hard not to play the comparison game with the obvious outlier being the direct competitor in the Nintendo Switch. So the big question here being “is the Steam Deck really a Nintendo Switch killer?”, I can confidently say without a doubt the answer is a big, fat, resounding… no. Of course Nintendo’s platforms hosts a barrage of incredible first party franchises that will forever be engrained in gaming’s established line-up. But will the Steam Deck give Nintendo a run for their money in terms of what the Deck is capable of? Yes and no. Yes; for it’s flexibility and marginally forward hardware that’s able to be tinkered and played with to suit the end-user and No; for the obvious omission in first party software from the Big N. With developers and publishers like PlayStation now open to re-distributing titles on Steam, this opens the floodgates for Valve to push the Switch vs. Deck agenda, and sell the platform to a key margin of Nintendo’s current audience.
There’s already a Twitter account dedicated listing titles that are available on the Steam Deck, but not on the Nintendo Switch – @DeckVsSwitch. Now it could be said about titles that are not officially licensed from Nintendo aren’t available on the Steam Deck, and that statement is 100% fact. But if you read between the lines, it doesn’t say that you can’t play your games legally on a Steam Deck, which again is 100% fact. Now without diving into detail, as this has been a grey area – aka a major headache – of sorts for DashGamer over the last two months, Emulation is a thing that’s going to be a seller for this unit whether the big corps like it or not. I’m only here reporting the facts. Yes, it’s possible to make your Steam Deck the ultimate retro gaming machine, or even a populated emulation device and 80% of current emulators available – without mentioning any – run perfectly on the deck.
When it comes to my experience thus far, I’ve only scratched the surface of what true potential the Steam Deck shows. I can’t speak on it in its entirety until I’ve gained an optimal experience in running titles from appropriate hardware which will be likely in the forthcoming year, after the Christmas period where my wallet isn’t screaming bloody murder. But for now, with what I have on-hand, the Steam Deck is a fantastical handheld that leaves me in disbelief. The fact that Valve are manufacturing these machines at such an insanely cheap price tag is remarkable to say the least.
I’ve seen these bad boys scalped on eBay for $1400AUD just for the 64GB base model, which is why I decided to VPN this machine into the country, without paying an exorbitant premium that sellers have decided to profit from. I’ll have more to say about my experience with the Deck before the year’s out, and a step-by-step guide on how to import your own Steam Deck into the country later this week – if you are like me and are unwilling to wait for an unlikely release date that I would predict to be around Christmas 2023. But as for now, the best has yet to come from this journey, and I can’t wait to experience more.
