Steam Deck |OT| Your Games are Going Places

[padsports]

Just received mine, installing the updates now. Fan definitely on laptop level, but not annoying so far. Wonder how it'll get when the first game is being played. Alos, curious as why there was no screen protector installed, you know, the sticky foil you'd have to remove prior to get the gadget started. Was I the only one without one here?

 

[Calijor]

A quick google search shows it's 23.6 oz or 670 g. Comparing that to a Nintendo Switch with joycons attached, 14.9 oz or 420 g, it is objectively kind of heavy though. I still find it comfortable in the hand, more so than the Switch, but I want to know what people who are saying it's not heavy are comparing it to, or if they're going entirely by feel.

Honestly, when I saw the size of it, after picking it up I was like "Huh, this is lighter than it seems it should be". I was very surprised.

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Also my take, it feels much lighter than it looks.

Alos, curious as why there was no screen protector installed, you know, the sticky foil you'd have to remove prior to get the gadget started. Was I the only one without one here?

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I also did not have a screen protector, pretty sure that's standard.

 

[zoodoo]

Alos, curious as why there was no screen protector installed, you know, the sticky foil you'd have to remove prior to get the gadget started. Was I the only one without one here?

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Mine did not have one either

 

[nmkd]

Just received mine, installing the updates now. Fan definitely on laptop level, but not annoying so far. Wonder how it'll get when the first game is being played. Alos, curious as why there was no screen protector installed, you know, the sticky foil you'd have to remove prior to get the gadget started. Was I the only one without one here?

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I don't see why you would need one considering it comes in a carrying case.

 

[padsports]

Thanks for the replies!

As for the weight of this thing - I do not think it's on the heavy side but we'll see how things turn out once it has found its way onto the night stand. What I know for sure is that it cannot be worse than an Elite Series S controller clamped to an iPhone!

 

[LuckPuck]

A question for anyone who dual booted SteamOS and Windows on the Deck - is it possible to use one SD card between the 2 OSs? I bought a 1TB card and was hoping to share it between Steam and Windows, but can't find any info online if this is possible.

 

[Astraer]

So I installed Emudeck along with PCSX2 (and a few other emulators) and have been playing through a game (Xenosaga Ep I) at what I assume is the default settings. I haven't found a way to access the emulator settings while in-game and although it's been running fine, it would be nice to use things like save states or speed-ups. How would I go about doing that, or do I have to change and run the emulator in desktop mode?

 

[Wigsy]

So I installed Emudeck along with PCSX2 (and a few other emulators) and have been playing through a game (Xenosaga Ep I) at what I assume is the default settings. I haven't found a way to access the emulator settings while in-game and although it's been running fine, it would be nice to use things like save states or speed-ups. How would I go about doing that, or do I have to change and run the emulator in desktop mode?

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Have you tried pressing the left and right sticks in together? That brings up the RetroArch menu if you're playing in Gaming mode.

 

[Type422]

So I installed Emudeck along with PCSX2 (and a few other emulators) and have been playing through a game (Xenosaga Ep I) at what I assume is the default settings. I haven't found a way to access the emulator settings while in-game and although it's been running fine, it would be nice to use things like save states or speed-ups. How would I go about doing that, or do I have to change and run the emulator in desktop mode?

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Click both sticks, that's the default for bringing up the emu menu

*Edit* too slow xD

 

[Sirhc]

A question for anyone who dual booted SteamOS and Windows on the Deck - is it possible to use one SD card between the 2 OSs? I bought a 1TB card and was hoping to share it between Steam and Windows, but can't find any info online if this is possible.

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You can using BTRFS, Phawx did a video on this awhile back.

 

[chrominance]

You can using BTRFS, Phawx did a video on this awhile back.

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Curious to see how this holds up long-term on the Windows side. In theory Windows also has third-party ext4 drivers but in practice it seems no one recommends using them as they cause issues. I'd be worried about the same with BTFRS.

 

[nmkd]

This is exactly what I'm looking for. Will you post impressions once you have it? I don't have a Steam Deck yet but should by the end of Q2.

Thanks!

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So, a few days ago my tiny attachable USB hub arrived, here's a quick review.

First of all, the ports:
- 1x USB-C male (to plug into the Deck)
- 2x USB-C, one of which supports PD passthrough
- 3x USB-A, one of which is 3.1, the other two are 2.0

The good:
- Works exactly as advertised. Tested with PD, a thumbdrive, ethernet adapter, etc.
- It's small and has no cable, you just plug it in.
- Even works through my USB tester, which surprised me as I did not expect the tester to support data in addition to power.

The bad:
- It, uh, covers the power button. You will either need to keep the Deck on, or add something inbetween the Deck and the Hub, like my USB meter, or a tiny USB-C female to male piece.

Pics (second and third image are wrapped in spoiler tags to avoid spam):

Spoiler: Image #2: Close-up showing the power button position

Spoiler: Image #3: PD and Ethernet working flawlessly through my USB tester

Link to purchase (this one is model YX04 X4): https://aliexpress.com/item/1005003787865547.html

 

[Astraer]

Click both sticks, that's the default for bringing up the emu menu

*Edit* too slow xD

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Hmm, tried that and it doesn't do anything. Perhaps I didn't install it correctly?

 

[AOL Power User]

Do all the decks ship from Illinois?

 

[Hasney]

Curious to see how this holds up long-term on the Windows side. In theory Windows also has third-party ext4 drivers but in practice it seems no one recommends using them as they cause issues. I'd be worried about the same with BTFRS.

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I've seen reports about it and it should be fine. It's been designed to use in Windows and it's been working long term

 

[Type422]

Hmm, tried that and it doesn't do anything. Perhaps I didn't install it correctly?

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Hm, that's strange, which Emulator does it say in Emulation Station? PCSX 2 oder PCSX2 standalone? The first one should use Retroarch where clicking both sticks should bring you in the menu. The standalone version takes the shortcuts from the standalone emulator as far as I know.
I'm using PCSX2 directly via desktop mode...

 

[Winnie]

I have been using a few days BTFRS, that way I can plug-in the SD card to my Windows PC and transfer games back and forth. It works perfectly fine.

 

[Allietraa]

I think it's a matter of getting use to it. But yeah my thumb gets lost sometimes

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I just dont get why they didnt even include a small bump or something on the button. It feels barely more tactile than a capacitive button lmao

 

[Astraer]

Hm, that's strange, which Emulator does it say in Emulation Station? PCSX 2 oder PCSX2 standalone? The first one should use Retroarch where clicking both sticks should bring you in the menu. The standalone version takes the shortcuts from the standalone emulator as far as I know.
I'm using PCSX2 directly via desktop mode...

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So noticed I haven't been using the EmuStation app and have just been accessing the game via the game itself in my collections tab. When I try to go through Emustation, the game won't even boot.

 

[strudelkuchen]

I cannot fathom who made the decisions around the "Steam" and "..." buttons. You have like 15 other buttons they could copy on the deck and instead they make them completely flat, have zero travel and not even give them haptic feedback????

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Fun (?) fact: the dev kits have better Steam/... buttons.

 

[peteriouscatfat]

After having mine for a couple days, the most surprising thing I've enjoyed about this thing are the trackpads. Combining the trackpads and gyro make FPS games feel so much more natural, I can see myself getting used to them but I don't know if I could hang in a competitive multiplayer setting. They make it super easy to configure in the controller setup too. I tried a config for Katamari that uses the trackpads and it's so novel, I'm not as good as I am with the thumbsticks, but it feels really good and I might be able to get there with a little tweaking. Anyone know of any other games to try with them?

 

[DemonFox]

After much, much consideration I decided to claim a return and refund for the deck and will wait for a different revision most likely.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I suppose my device malfunctioning to an extent I don't want to deal with. The fan is loud, which I can deal with but the deck already was stuck in a Bootloop after not even two weeks. I had to re-image steam is which was a bit of a pain because even that didn't work right away. After several tries it managed to do that and soon after I was back playing with it, the steam button didn't work. And when I switched to desktop mode it froze at the "switching to desktop" screen and I had to reboot it again.
For a device at this price range I don't want to deal and fear with a loss of all my data again. It took me long enough to set it up the way I want it.

It's a real shame because I really like the the idea of the deck and it was fun for the time being.

I suppose I was just one of the unlucky few.

 

[Type422]

So noticed I haven't been using the EmuStation app and have just been accessing the game via the game itself in my collections tab. When I try to go through Emustation, the game won't even boot.

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If you want to boot it in emustation, you need to create another folder in the bios-directory. you need to create pcsx2/bios in there and put the bios-files there. After that it worked for me ^^

 

[TheSix]

I got Lutris up and running. I installed Assassins Creed Unity via Ubisoft and Need for Speed Most Wanted via Origin.

How do I map controls because one I'm in, they are messed up.

 

[Salpal]

So, a few days ago my tiny attachable USB hub arrived, here's a quick review.

First of all, the ports:
- 1x USB-C male (to plug into the Deck)
- 2x USB-C, one of which supports PD passthrough
- 3x USB-A, one of which is 3.1, the other two are 2.0

The good:
- Works exactly as advertised. Tested with PD, a thumbdrive, ethernet adapter, etc.
- It's small and has no cable, you just plug it in.
- Even works through my USB tester, which surprised me as I did not expect the tester to support data in addition to power.

The bad:
- It, uh, covers the power button. You will either need to keep the Deck on, or add something inbetween the Deck and the Hub, like my USB meter, or a tiny USB-C female to male piece.

Pics (second and third image are wrapped in spoiler tags to avoid spam):

Spoiler: Image #2: Close-up showing the power button position

Spoiler: Image #3: PD and Ethernet working flawlessly through my USB tester

Link to purchase (this one is model YX04 X4): https://aliexpress.com/item/1005003787865547.html

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Thank you for the follow up. Appreciate it.

The style of that hub is exactly what I want so my decision is a little more difficult now. It's either this or the Anker 7 in 1.

Hmmm

 

[Dancrane212]

Just had mine show up this hour, pretty excited to give it a whirl this evening!

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

After much, much consideration I decided to claim a return and refund for the deck and will wait for a different revision most likely.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I suppose my device malfunctioning to an extent I don't want to deal with. The fan is loud, which I can deal with but the deck already was stuck in a Bootloop after not even two weeks. I had to re-image steam is which was a bit of a pain because even that didn't work right away. After several tries it managed to do that and soon after I was back playing with it, the steam button didn't work. And when I switched to desktop mode it froze at the "switching to desktop" screen and I had to reboot it again.
For a device at this price range I don't want to deal and fear with a loss of all my data again. It took me long enough to set it up the way I want it.

It's a real shame because I really like the the idea of the deck and it was fun for the time being.

I suppose I was just one of the unlucky few.

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Nah, I appreciate you sharing and am also sorry you've had to deal with that.

I'm glad the vast majority of people are really loving the Deck - and I'm super excited for mine to arrive (hopefully this week). But my hands-on impressions of a colleague's unit had me quickly realizing that while yes, it's really, really neat - it definitely has some hardware quirks, software shortcomings, and general wonkiness that make it much more like a PC you have to tinker with and setup than just a "set it and forget it" console for the mainstream.

I'm fine with that... but many won't be.

 

[xeroborn55]

I got my email the Thursday before the estimate I received, so it seems generally fairly accurate. Though I am US which may affect things based on sample size, etc.

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Guess it was accurate for me too - I just completed my order.

 

[Winnie]

Another test of the Power Tool plugin, this time Super Mario Sunshine on Dolphin with the Widescreen and 60fps patch:

SMT on (default Deck mode):

SMT off:

That's an insane performance uplift, 20fps more and full speed now!

 

[nmkd]

Another test of the Power Tool plugin, this time Super Mario Sunshine on Dolphin with the Widescreen and 60fps patch:

SMT on (default Deck mode):

SMT off:

That's an insane performance uplift, 20fps more and full speed now!

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You mean 54% FPS more. Specifying an FPS increase in absolute numbers is pointless.

 

[strudelkuchen]

Another test of the Power Tool plugin, this time Super Mario Sunshine on Dolphin with the Widescreen and 60fps patch:

SMT on (default Deck mode):

SMT off:

That's an insane performance uplift, 20fps more and full speed now!

Click to shrink...

Alvis fyi

 

[Alvis]

Alvis fyi

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Thanks, but the problem isn't really the framerate, but rather the stuttering.

I'll try that plugin out tho, where can I get it?

 

[strudelkuchen]

Thanks, but the problem isn't really the framerate, but rather the stuttering.

I'll try that plugin out tho, where can I get it?

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GitHub - SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-loader: A plugin loader for the Steam Deck.

A plugin loader for the Steam Deck. Contribute to SteamDeckHomebrew/decky-loader development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

GitHub - NGnius/PowerTools: Moved to

Moved to. Contribute to NGnius/PowerTools development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Dangerblade]

Has anyone played anything for a prolonged period in tate mode yet? Been hoping for some in-depth impressions since it was teased by Phawx in that one video...

 

[Pizza Dog]

If I were to buy a USB C (Male) to HDMI (female) adaptor would that allow me to plug the deck into my TV?

 

[Phawx]

Another test of the Power Tool plugin, this time Super Mario Sunshine on Dolphin with the Widescreen and 60fps patch:

SMT on (default Deck mode):

SMT off:

That's an insane performance uplift, 20fps more and full speed now!

Click to shrink...

Looks like someone made it possible to do the core-parking and clock modulation I had done in my initial review video (which I was doing through SSH). Glad it's in an easy to use tool now.

 

[Winnie]

Looks like someone made it possible to do the core-parking and clock modulation I had done in my initial review video (which I was doing through SSH). Glad it's in an easy to use tool now.

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The clock modulation doesn't work yet tho!

 

[Karish]

EmuDeck or RetroDeck? I pulled the trigger on my order this morning and plan to use this a lot for emulation.

 

[Wigsy]

EmuDeck or RetroDeck? I pulled the trigger on my order this morning and plan to use this a lot for emulation.

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RetroDeck isn't on the Discovery store yet, I'm not sure many people have even tried it. Emudeck work well though.

 

[strudelkuchen]

Has anyone played anything for a prolonged period in tate mode yet? Been hoping for some in-depth impressions since it was teased by Phawx in that one video...

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(not my image)

 

[Alexandros]

After having mine for a couple days, the most surprising thing I've enjoyed about this thing are the trackpads. Combining the trackpads and gyro make FPS games feel so much more natural, I can see myself getting used to them but I don't know if I could hang in a competitive multiplayer setting. They make it super easy to configure in the controller setup too. I tried a config for Katamari that uses the trackpads and it's so novel, I'm not as good as I am with the thumbsticks, but it feels really good and I might be able to get there with a little tweaking. Anyone know of any other games to try with them?

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The trackpad is great for FPS and games that use the mouse cursor. I don't know what the default FPS control setup is but if you like the trackpads you should definitely try trackball mode. You'll be able to execute large movements and turns very easily by 'flicking' the trackball without swiping multiple times. Setting trackball friction to low is the best setting in my opinion.

 

[Ouroboros]

Do all the decks ship from Illinois?

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Mine did, I live in PA.

 

[Deleted member 81119]

Wasn't able to get MGS1 on Heroic Games Launcher running :(

 

[Qassim]

I've been really enjoying F1 2021 on the Deck, but finally ran into a seemingly common bug - it crashes whenever I try to load a rainy track.

Tried a few different proton versions, including some Proton GE versions, but can't seem to get it working. It's a shame, because it otherwise works well.

 

[Phawx]

The clock modulation doesn't work yet tho!

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Well along those lines, using Governor only limits on CPU will have a basement of 1.7ghz (which is listed). There is a specific override that you can force all the way down to 400mhz, though to be clear, only 1.1ghz or 1.2ghz on CPU is the only area where "value" can be extracted.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I guess Diablo Immortal is coming to PC in addition to mobile. I'm curious if it'll work with the Deck or if it has some anti-cheat thing that might stop it working on SteamOS.

I got Lutris up and running. I installed Assassins Creed Unity via Ubisoft and Need for Speed Most Wanted via Origin.

How do I map controls because one I'm in, they are messed up.

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There's two ways (that I'm aware of).

I think one way is adding Lutris as a non-steam game, then in the regular Steam OS interface (not Desktop mode) you can set a controller profile. The problem with this is that you'd need to configure the controls every time you play a different game (assuming they're different). And sometimes launching games from a launcher in Steam OS causes things to start flickering like crazy (it doesn't always know how to switch between two windows)

But the better way with Lutris is to use the "Create Steam Shortcut" option. You need to close out of Steam in desktop mode first, then right click on a game and choose "Create Steam Shortcut".
This will add those games automatically as non-steam games, so when you boot back into the regular interface, they'll show up individually and will boot their launchers in the background so the games launch just fine. I tested it with Peggle in Origin and it worked just fine.
Apparently you also need to turn on a setting in Lutris to minimize it when you launch a game or else it won't launch them right.

From there just go to the controller settings for the I dividual games and set it to how you want it. Keep in mind sometimes games don't support controllers, I haven't retried it in a while, but I wasn't able to get Dragon Age Inquisition to register Steam Deck gamepad controls. When next month comes (and my interest data cap resets) I'm going to try redowbloading it again and messing with it more.

 

[Bede-x]

I can't name a single game that does this except for Elden Ring where you can easily mod it out.

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I've encountered a lot of games doing that. Just to mention a few:

Dark Souls
Dark Souls II (Maybe all the From's Souls games do it, but have only tested two Souls games and Elden Ring?)
Pixel Junk Shooter
Castle of Illusion remake
X-Morph Defense
Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate
Alice Madness Returns
Blaphemous
Valfaris

It's not a big deal though, they typically look and run great anyways.

 

[Dangerblade]

(not my image)

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Yes. Yes please.

 

[inner-G]

Got my email but I'm having second thoughts after seeing videos about the fan noise... is it really as bad as it they say it sounds? It seems really high-pitched.

 

[Wigsy]

Anyone know why my SD card doesn't show in Gaming mode storage in settings? Card is picked up fine in Desktop and games are loading from it fine etc. But the Gaming mode just doesn't show the card in storage so I can't see what space is available etc.