Pressing the Steam or Options buttons open helpful overlays when you're in or out of games. Steam Cloud saves are also carried over from any supported Steam games on your PC. It integrates directly with your Steam account, bringing any installed Steam games (and games available through another computer with Steam’s Remote Play feature) to the forefront. SteamOS launches into a Big Picture mode-like view, with a large tile-based interface that works well on a small screen using gamepad controls.
#Steam deck software#
The Steam Deck uses Valve’s SteamOS 3.0 operating system, which is based on Arch Linux with the Proton software compatibility layer to run Windows games.
#Steam deck skin#
SteamOS 3.0: Linux With an Accessible Skin That two-hour limit seems to match our testing with Horizon Zero Dawn and Monster Hunter Rise.
Valve estimates as few as two hours between charges for games that use a lot of processing power, but simpler games can stretch the battery out as long as eight hours. You can connect gamepads, mice, and keyboards to the system via Bluetooth.īattery life varies wildly depending on what games you play, but don’t expect long play sessions without plugging the handheld into a power socket. The Steam Deck's wireless connectivity includes dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. A second USB-C port for power delivery, or simply a micro or mini HDMI or mini DisplayPort port would have been welcome inclusions. Plus, you’ll probably run out of battery very fast if you just use a USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable. You cannot connect the Steam Deck to a monitor or TV out of the box. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for one USB-C port, which means you’ll want to buy either a third-party dock or the official Valve Steam Deck Dock.
In case you're wondering, yes, the Steam Deck works with a standard USB-C dock to enable additional ports and HDMI output. The Steam Deck can output audio or video over USB-C or DisplayPort 1.4. It charges the Steam Deck with the included USB-C wall adapter, and works with any 45W PD3.0 power supply. The fan is audible when playing games, but it’s much softer than a small gaming laptop’s fan (in this case the Zephyrus 14).įor connections, the Steam Deck has a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-C port that handles nearly every wired connection besides 3.5mm headsets (a headphone jack is there, too). The back panel has a large intake grille that works with an exhaust fan and grille on the device's top edge to ensure proper airflow. The buttons are a bit stiff and shallow by default, but they provide useful additional inputs. The back houses L4/L5 and R4/R5 buttons under where the middle and ring fingers of each hand naturally rest. The bottom edge features a microSD card slot that expands the system’s storage past the 64/256/512GB of onboard storage for the $399, $529, and $649 models, respectively. There are also power and volume buttons, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a USB-C port for charging the device. The Steam Deck's top panel features standard L1/R1 bumpers and L2/R2 triggers, though the bumpers are just a bit too high to quickly and comfortably press. In a nice touch, the grips' widths ensure that your thumbs and the meat of your palms won’t accidentally touch the trackpads or block the speakers, located under the Steam and Options buttons. Square touchpads sit below the analog sticks and above the Steam and Options buttons. The standard dual analog sticks are present, along with four menu buttons, a direction pad, and four face buttons. (Opens in a new window) Read Our OneXPlayer Mini (Intel i7-1195G7) ReviewĪ significant portion of the Steam Deck’s frame consists of the control surfaces and grips, which are considerably wider than the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons (and not removable).
#Steam deck full#
The Linux backbone includes a full desktop environment, which leaves lots of room for tinkering and classic game emulation.
#Steam deck install#
The Steam Deck runs on Linux, but the SteamOS front end is incredibly simple to use, and it lets you easily install and play many Windows games via Proton. It’s a Nintendo Switch alternative more than anything else, only bigger and more powerful, and with a separately sold Dock. It’s built on the bones of Valve's prior hardware, but with a much more focused, singular concept that doesn’t try to replace gaming PCs. Now, there’s the Steam Deck gaming handheld. The Steam Link enabled surprisingly functional local game streaming, but it was eventually replaced by an app. Steam Machines and the Steam Controller completely fizzled in the face of conventional gaming PCs and gamepads. The Index is an excellent VR headset with revolutionary controllers. Valve has an uneven hardware track record.
#Steam deck how to#
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