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Digital Foundry: Steam Deck Gets Even Better: 40-60Hz Support, VRS, Refined Acoustics tested
- Thread starter Biosnake
- Start date
yeah i was super tempted for a few days, i was checking ebay constantly even at the super high prices, but instead i've grabbed a Backbone for my iPhone and I use Moonlight to stream to it instead. i'll wait for a gen2 Steam Deck I think because of the bulk and fan noise, theres so much room for improvement even though it is pretty cool
Tempted on just waiting for a new revision with a better screen and a less obnoxious fan.
The fan is much better with the new fan curve in Beta OS.
Screen is decent, not amazing but certainly not terrible.
The fan profiles were improved in steamos beta. The only time I hear it go full blast is when it's downloading a game. If I cap it to 40hz, I can barely hear it.
Can "indie" games like rogue legacy 2, hades, and slay the soire hit solid 60? That's all I'm going to use it for
Easy, should get atleast 4+ hours battery life as well in lighter indie titles, could probably push 6-8 if you wanted to drop to 30 fps for stuff like slay the spire that won't matter much.
With how long the wait time is for this version already I'd be surprised if v2 was anytime soon to be honest.
also seeing him play crysis with the stick over the pad is painful
also seeing him play crysis with the stick over the pad is painful
The bulk is a feature, not a bug. Actually feels like a quality piece of kit rather than feeling so light and flat that you could snap it in two like the Switch. The Deck really is just a dream to hold.
Yeah you might be right as I've never held one but I have 3D printed one and its huge. Doesn't mean it can't be comfortable but it's a bit too big for me, especially considering it has large screen bezels that can be made smaller in a refresh or Gen2 product
40hz cap is godlike and the fan is a nonissue now
i do need an OLED mod asap tho
i do feel like i only see you bring it up though
i do need an OLED mod asap tho
i do feel like i only see you bring it up though
Reddit - Dive into anything
www.reddit.com
Doesn't seem like there's anything remotely controversial about it. Not everyone is going to notice it, but the numbers certainly aren't good. At least for latency sensitive games.
I'm very sensitive to latency, but am blind as a bat to tearing. So when mine comes, I'm going to try and see how things go running uncapped, but just lowering TDP/parking cores/GPU manipulation so I'm limiting the hardware from going too much higher than I need it to. We'll see if this is a good compromise. I haven't seen anyone really go this route.
The 40hz trick made me more hyped to own this than I had been before, it's like the perfect middle ground for a portable that you expect to swing above it's weight class.
Absolutely. The age of the big comfortable handheld is here.
Tag verified.
Truly the most comfortable handheld I've used. Everything right at the top of the device where your fingers naturally lie. I honestly think what's been holding handhelds back from this is that it looks unusual but it feels perfect.
The screen is just so bad, I would have payed so much more for a good one and it bothers me every day. Cause everything else is so good. (I'll just ignore the many button problems :D)
How can you botch the most important factor on your handheld gaming device, the screen you're constantly looking at, I don't get it.
I also don't get why they simply don't offer an expensive fanservice tier, let it be 1000 bucks, I don't care, at least the screens would be out there and at least they would exist at all, which would mean they would be available to build in separately in one way or the other.
Would 1000 bucks be too much for a handheld gaming PC? I mean, no? In a world where 1k+ phones exist and Valves own VR kit would still be more expensive, I think that would be fine.
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Well it's been measured by someone else and it definitely exists. 40 FPS is still better than 30 in most games, at least, but less input lag would still be preferable.
Loving the aggressive and sensible support this thing has gotten already.
Can't wait to get mine. 40Hz on paper sounds like the best compromise for me in terms of performance vs battery life.
Can't wait to get mine. 40Hz on paper sounds like the best compromise for me in terms of performance vs battery life.
Interesting - I am not super sensitive to it, so maybe I'm lucky here
I talk about input latency and the Deck in the upcoming DFdirect - but to say the least, I think people need to read up about Standard Triple Buffer vsync (With a maximum 2 Backbuffer one Front Buffer) and do a bit of maths for framerates of 40 or 30.
30 FPS with Triple Buffer vsync is going to have large Input latency. Especially for those who are used to PC gaming in the modern age with Gsync and HFR
30 FPS with Triple Buffer vsync is going to have large Input latency. Especially for those who are used to PC gaming in the modern age with Gsync and HFR
Yeah. I remembering seeing those numbers in that Reddit thread and remembering I'd completely forgotten what triple buffering actually added to things.
The numbers really get ghastly if you start dropping frames when you're in triple buffered, locked mode. It's pretty much crucial you're not dropping frames. Unless you have zero sensitivity to lag.
The OG Switch surprisingly has a very color-accurate display that covers most of the sRGB spectrum (like 99%) but the Steam Deck has something like 60% sRGB so it''ll look washed out in comparison.
Yes, but there are always exceptions of course. Like playing Coromon on it is a freaking mess, always dropping to ridiculous lows, never even reaching 60 and always being crazy unstable. I have no idea how such a game can run this bad.
Ever since kz2, most sony first party adopted triple buffer v sync on their games. Thats why most of them don't have screen tear even with frames drop. Uncharted 2 in particular, not sure how they managed such low input lag even at 30fps.
What's so bad about it? I'm not trying to be rude but claiming it to be "unbelievably bad" is pretty hyperbolic and makes it sound almost unplayable. There is WAY worse out there.
would be interested to know which modern handheld devices released in the last couple years are worse. you got a list?
As part of my job, I've tested a lot of handhelds that have been released in the past few years.
-So, so, so many of the attempts at doing what the Steam Deck is doing. I don't think the Aya Neo has an OLED but I might need to be corrected on that.
-Analogue Pocket isn't OLED, would argue it's a slight step down from the Deck.
-Playdate's screen isn't even backlit.
-Basically any of the "retro handheld" devices released in the past two years, like the Retroid Pocket or RG351P.
Not saying the Steam Deck has some amazing god tier screen, but "so unbelievably bad" to the point that the poster doesn't have the words to describe it means that this is serious hyperbole or the user had insane expectations if this lands in "unbelievably bad."
Edit: basically, amongst the many industry folks I've spoken to, people in different subreddits/discords/whatever, and my experience with mine, "unbelievably bad" actually makes me wonder if the poster got a defective screen. Again, it's not mind-blowing, but to call it unbelievably bad to the point that it affects your daily experience makes me think something is actually wrong with the unit.
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An OLED would be nice, but, come on. The screen is servicible; every handheld device in the history of the form factor except for the original Vita and now the SWOLED had a similar if not worse screen, and people managed just fine.
Would I also pay more for an OLED screen? In a heartbeat, yes. But it's hyperbolic to act like what we got is so bad that it impacts your use of the device.
Maybe I should just be glad I sorta got what I asked for years ago in 2018 in another thread:
30 FPS capping on PC
What's the best way to do this on PC in terms of frametimes and input lag? I personally use AMD's Chill + FRTC 30 fps limiter all by itself, but I still feel like frametimes aren't as good as they could be. There seems to be all sorts of information out there, and some of it is conflicting...
www.resetera.com
The screen being so bad that they don't have words to describe it + "the many button problems" genuinely makes me think they have a defective unit. I haven't heard a single person say either of these things unless it was defective.
It's literally not, shortly speaking, it's garbage. I can't say anything good about the screen itself, I'm sorry, I would have to lie.
It's a rainbow glowing (try to look at it from different angles), backlight bleeding piece of shit with awful black level and the cherry on top being the bad color accuracy.
I seriously can not understand how anyone can look at it and don't think that it's an incredibly cheap and bad looking LCD screen. Way worse out there? How? And what? Seriously, name a worse LCD screen you looked at in the last 10 years. It's just not good in any way.
Just like I said in the OT a couple of days ago, my 6 year old Laptop and 10 year old Asus monitor have literally better LCD screens than this thing.
Steam Deck |OT| Your Games are Going Places Valve - Tech - OT
Really? 😅 I love the Steam Deck to death and it's getting used every single day for almost 3 weeks now, but the screen is the worst cheap piece of shit and the worst screen I've seen in 15+ years. The backlight bleed, how awful it looks when you're not looking 100% straight at it and you just...
www.resetera.com
And if you scroll down there, most people completely agree.
And that's all without comparing it to the Switch OLED side by side, you don't want to do that, trust me, that made me appreciate the existence of the Switch OLED even more. I really love the Steam Deck but the screen is just awful.
I have an Switch OLED and also listed worse screens up above. There are people in that thread who agree that the screen isn't great, but to call it "unbelievably bad" to the point that you're speechless is hyperbole. Come on. It's serviceable.It's literally not, shortly speaking, it's garbage. I can't say anything good about the screen itself, I'm sorry, I would have to lie.
It's a rainbow glowing (try to look at it from different angles), backlight bleeding piece of shit with awful black level and the cherry on top being the bad color accuracy.
I seriously can not understand how anyone can look at it and don't think that it's an incredibly cheap and bad looking LCD screen. Way worse out there? How? And what? Seriously, name a worse LCD screen you looked at in the last 10 years. It's just not good in any way.
Just like I said in the OT a couple of days ago, my 6 year old Laptop and 10 year old Asus monitor have literally better LCD screens than this thing.
Steam Deck |OT| Your Games are Going Places Valve - Tech - OT
Really? 😅 I love the Steam Deck to death and it's getting used every single day for almost 3 weeks now, but the screen is the worst cheap piece of shit and the worst screen I've seen in 15+ years. The backlight bleed, how awful it looks when you're not looking 100% straight at it and you just...
And if you scroll down there, most people completely agree.
And that's all without comparing it to the Switch OLED side by side, you don't want to do that, trust me, that made me appreciate the existence of the Switch OLED even more. I really love the Steam Deck but the screen is just awful.
I really do think you might have a defective unit. I've done exactly what you've said and it is not "so unbelievably bad to the point that I can't begin to put it into words." If it's that bad, this device shouldn't be playable, and given the reception of the Deck, clearly that's not an issue.
Again, no one is saying the screen compares to the Switch OLED, but like someone mentioned above, every handheld in existence minus the SwOLED and Vita did not have an OLED. I think your expectations are either blown insanely out of proportion or you have a defective unit.
I trust people like DF and GamersNexus on things like color accuracy tests and what not, and no one with that level of reputation has called it "so unbelievably bad that they can't begin to put it into words."
Edit: I'm scrolling through that thread and like 3 people agreed. Pretty small sample size to say "most people agreed." You also like to use the word "literally" when you don't need to. You sure you aren't prone to hyperbole and misplaced expectations?
Then you're obviously not reading the OT. Plenty of people say similar things about the screen, x10 about button problems (or other kind of problems), like come on, you haven't heard from anyone about sticking start, select or B buttons? Basically every unit has that after some use.
And because all the old devices had bad, or I guess "ok" screens for their time, decades ago means it's still fine when a brand new 2022 product is on the same level as the decade old devices? That's basically the same logic as when people defended it's ok for the Epic games store launcher to be empty and featureless because Steam 20 years ago also started with nothing.
I'm not even saying it has to be an OLED, that would be the best case of course, but it's just not even a good LCD for being a LCD, that's probably the bigger problem. OLED completely aside, as an LCD panel it's already pretty bad.
And no, my unit is not defective, it has the typical backlight bleed on 2 1/2 corners, but I've seen way worse from other people on Reddit, so I'm ok with that (still not great that this exist at all of course) and when it comes to the viewing angles, I don't even know where the "defect" could even be, that's just awful and glowing like the rainbow when tilting but that's seems normal for a bad or mediocre LCD.
The screen in general is mostly fine to use when a game is bright and colorful, don't get me wrong, but especially when playing in dark or games with dark scenes it really does the opposite of shining, that's where it's really weak.
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I'm talking about devices even recently released with LCD screens. Analogue Pocket and all that.
I'm aware of the sticking button issue. It's one singular issue that is fixed with an RMA for most people and other people have come up with easy fixes for it. The vast, vast majority of people have not ran into it. I've just asked on three separate Steam Deck discord servers and only one person said it happened to them and they fixed it in above five minutes.
I think you're missing the point about the screens though. No one is saying this is an amazing screen. Do you actually, truly think it's so bad that there are not words to describe it? That's worse than poor. That's worse than bad. Your exaggeration makes it sound unplayable. If you're saying the display has issues that are so bad that you can't put it into words, you're setting the expectation that it's unplayable. But you love the device, so it really can't be that bad. See the issue? That's what me and the other poster are talking about with hyperbole. Call it bad, call it poor, but "so unbelievably bad" that it leaves you speechless is pretty ridiculous when you love the thing and you're playing it daily. Must not be that bad.
So unbelievably bad would be something like the Switch stick drift that actually broke playability for games or DualSense double button presses.
Where do you even get LCD screens of 1280 * 800 resolution? That's the problem. They're only being manufactured for cheap Android tablets. And I find it hard to believe a semi-custom screen like the Switch's LCD is any better. Different but not better. They're both bargain bin displays that are being sourced from the same pool.
To me it comes down to supply chain. There's no point in talking about a 1000 model having it. Because the BoM on Switch's OLED is cheap. It didn't need to be anywhere near 1000 dollars to be able to offer a 720p OLED screen.
The question really comes down to this: Could they get those in the volumes they needed. Aya is getting them, but in such small numbers as to be irrelevant. Nintendo is getting them, but in such volume they may have some type of exclusive contract that takes it off the market. So were there any viable options actually out there? If there were, and they did it to hit 399, it's dumb. I said it before and I'll say it again: there's no such thing as a magical main street price point if you're not a mass market device. And Deck has proven it's not shipping in anything close to main stream device numbers. So that's where I could get angry. But it's not worth it because #1) It doesn't change anything. #2) Only Valve truly knows whether they could have sourced the number of OLED screens they would have needed. But I really do hope #2 is why we don't have OLED.
That is such an inapt comparison and false equivalency I'm not even sure where to start...