Gaming laptops are overrated but the Steam Deck is the real deal

Date:
Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:18:01 +0000

Description:
The Steam Deck makes playing PC games on the go so much better than any
gaming laptop.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Ill let you into a little secret: Ive never really got on with gaming laptops . In the many years Ive been a tech journalist, Ive had the chance to try out some incredible gaming laptops but while Ive been impressed with their performance, Ive never felt the need to own one.

Instead, Ive always returned to my trusty desktop PC . It feels more comfortable to use, and despite mobile components being more powerful than ever, even the mightiest gaming laptop cant compete with my desktop PC when
it comes to raw performance.

The fact that I can upgrade my PC to keep it current, or swap out any problematic components, also means itll have a much longer lifespan than a laptop. Sure, after a while my PC ends up like the Ship of Theseus if every component is eventually upgraded, is it even the same PC? But its certainly cheaper than buying a whole new gaming laptop every five years or so.

Of course, my aversion to gaming laptops has meant I've missed out on the portability and convenience they offer. I love my big, bulky, inconvenient desktop PC, but Im not going to be taking it anywhere with me.

Meanwhile, gaming laptops didnt really make me feel like I was missing out on too much. Yeah, they were more portable than my PC (which isnt really difficult), but they were still bulky and heavy enough that I wouldnt really want to carry any of them around with me. Their poor battery lives also meant that if I wanted to do any serious gaming, Id need to be plugged in limiting that much-vaunted portability.

So, there I was being perfectly happy with my desktop PC life. When I fancied playing my PC games downstairs on the TV in my lounge, buying a gaming laptop wasnt ever a consideration for me I just built a compact small form factor desktop PC . OK, maybe I have a bit of a desktop PC dependency (Image credit: DisobeyArt / Shutterstock) Enter the Deck

While no gaming laptop has managed to convince me, the new Steam Deck
handheld offers me everything I felt laptops couldnt. Its compact enough that I can comfortably carry it around with me, and I can use it on a bus or a train something Id never do with a gaming laptop.

As with gaming laptops, it gives me access to loads of my PC games, and while playing non-Steam games is more tricky, there are workarounds. The Steam Deck has also made me go back to games I thought Id never play again. Id have
never fired up Hotline Miami on a gaming laptop, but I tried it on the Steam Deck, and I couldnt put it down. (Image credit: Tunic)

Theres also new games such Tunic which look like the perfect fit for the Steam Deck. This Zelda-inspired RPG works brilliantly on the Steam Deck, and
I couldnt imagine playing it on a laptop or desktop.

The compact design of the Steam Deck has meant that Ive played on it far more than any gaming laptop but theres another important difference that has made me more willing to pick up and play on the Steam Deck: no Windows 10 or 11.

The Steam Deck runs on the Linux-based Steam OS 3.0, and Im increasingly convinced that this is a masterstroke. It means booting the Steam Deck takes
a few seconds, and Valve (the company behind the Steam Deck), has been able
to implement features that dont come with Windows 10 or 11, such as the ability to turn off the Steam Deck, which suspends your game. When you turn
it back on, your game is running and youre where you left off, making it perfect for a quick play when the mood takes you. (Image credit: Future)

Playing a game on a Windows gaming laptop, by comparison, feels like a chore. After booting Windows, or waiting for it to wake up, you then need to open up the game launcher for the game, then launch the game. By that point youve probably missed your stop.

Of course, there are still things that you could argue gaming laptops have
the edge. Theyre more flexible, for a start so you can use one for working
on when not gaming. The Steam Deck does have a desktop mode, though, allowing you to run certain applications, and if you plug in a USB-C hub, you can use
a keyboard, mouse and monitor. While its not quite as useful as a laptop, you could use it as a PC for many tasks. You can also install Windows 10 on the Steam Deck , if you want.

There are also power considerations. Pretty much any gaming laptop is going
to out-perform the Steam Deck but I found myself not really caring. Theres enough power in the Steam Deck to run games like God of War and Elden Ring with a decent level of performance, and while I think the Steam Deck is more suited to arcade-inspired indie games, it means if you want to play a AAA title when youre away from your main machine, you can.

I found it particularly enjoyable to quickly fire up Elden Ring for some rune farming and upgrading while on the couch. As a father to a toddler, this fits into my life well. Again, I never had the urge to do the same with a gaming laptop. Thank to some hard work by Valve, Elden Ring also performs better in some respects than my expensive gaming PC .

The final thing the Steam Deck has going for it is price. At $399 / 349 for the base model, $529 / 459 for the 256GB version and $649 / 569 for the 512GB model, the Steam Deck is a lot less expensive than most gaming laptops. While its not easy to get hold of one at the moment theres a waiting list thats several months long I would recommend getting a Steam Deck over a gaming laptop pretty much every time, especially when stock ramps up and they get easier to buy.

There have also been hints that not only is the Steam Deck the first in a range of models from Valve, third party manufacturers may make their own
spins on it. This could see a new category of handheld PC gaming devices
based on the Steam Deck, and if that happens, gaming laptops could be in a
lot of trouble. These are the best laptop games many of which work great on
a Steam Deck



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming-laptops-are-overrated-but-the-steam-deck -is-the-real-deal/


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