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Those are usually console-esque games with gamepad controller support, such as God of War. Other games, especially those listed as 'Verified' by Valve, work right out of the box. For some games, you'll be digging into the options and settings and actively troubleshooting so they play well вЂ“ or play at all.

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That actually makes PC gaming devotees an ideal audience вЂ“ we're already used to tweaking and troubleshooting, installing mods and drivers, and swapping out or overclocking hardware components. Like those first-gen VR headsets, the Steam Deck requires an adventurous spirit and a love for fiddly workarounds.

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Yes, they were available for consumers to buy, but to be an early adopter, you need to have a certain comfort level with trial and error, and figuring things out for yourself.

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It runs Valve's Linux-based SteamOS, paired with software called Proton that helps many Windows games run, somewhat like Apple's Rosetta does for non-M1-native Mac apps.ДЄfter spending about two weeks with the device, it reminds me of the first wave of modern VR headsets, like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. While we're talking about playing Windows games from the extensive Steam library, note that this is not a Windows device. Even though there's a microSD card slot for expanding the storage, I highly recommend at least the midrange model.

On paper, the eMMC drive won't be as fast as the other two, and frankly, 64GB of storage is way too little for this device. The cheapest option has an eMMC storage drive versus NVMe for the other two, and the most expensive version has anti-glare etching in the glass (like on some iMacs). Valve also makes games, like Portal and Half-Life, and has made other gaming hardware in the past, to mixed effect. The Steam Deck is made by Valve, the company behind the hugely successful Steam online game store/platform. It's always going to be a compromise compared to full-size gaming laptops or desktops, at least with the current state of available technology. There are still a few expensive pocket-sized specialty Windows devices you can buy and try to play games on. A couple of years ago, a few big PC-makers showed off handheld PC gaming prototypes (that were mostly never seen again). Years before that I tried gaming on early Windows-based UMPC handhelds. It's been tried before, and the high-tech highway is littered with the wrecks of previous attempts.

Taking the openness, flexibility and scale of PC gaming and putting it into handheld form has long been a holy grail for a devoted subset of WASD gamers.

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The two biggest things to watch out for are battery life and storage capacity, but that's always been true of portable gaming devices. I was especially impressed with how well some keyboard-and-mouse games translated to the built-in touchpads, after some hands-on tweaking. Quick note: If you missed out on this first wave, Valve is now taking reservations, with a $5 deposit, for delivery 'after Q2 2022.'ДЄfter spending some time getting used to its quirks and figuring out which games and genres worked best on its small screen, I had a great time using the Steam Deck. But if you're expecting a gaming experience with the same casual pick-up-and-play ease of a Nintendo Switch, this isn't the device you're looking for. The TL DR version is, if you're the type of PC gamer who jumped online to preorder the Steam Deck during its short first-wave delivery window, you'll be mostly impressedвЂ¦ and occasionally frustrated.

Battery life is short when playing certain games.

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