🎮 I Bought The SteamDeck To Get Back Into Gaming !
My Gamer Life!!
I've always been a gamer enjoying multiple genres these past 30+ Years or so. However, my gaming life if the last 7+ years has mainly limited itself to following the gaming news while watching others play some of the more recent games. Occasionally, I still managed to play and finish some games that I highly enjoyed (Resident Evil 2 Remake, Some Zelda Games, Slay The Spire, Apex Legends ...) mainly on my PS4 but I generally lack the time or willpower to really go sit in front of my tv to play 20+ Hour games or really get good and join a clan in Online Games.
Many games I would love to play like Gran Turismo 7 on PS5 with a real racing sim setup including a direct drive wheelbase, Half-Life Alyx in VR, but I just don't have the hardware or spare funds let alone time to play those (yet). I also avoid using my pc for games as it would be too tempting and take my focus away from work related things.
The only real game I played obsessively putting tons of hours in it last year was Balatro which I absolutely love as quick sessions on my ipad either in my bed or on my coach.
SteamDeck Black Friday Buy!!
I've been considering buying a PS5 for a long time and the 349€ Black Friday Deal for sure was tempting but at the same time that doesn't include a 2nd controller, a discdrive, any games while they are also rather expensive with limited in options that aren't also available on PS4. GTA 6 is one of the games I would buy one for but that will take another year to be released.
So I skipped on buying the PS5 and instead could not resist picking up the 256GB LCD Steamdeck for 335€ which I'm sure I will have a lot more fun with for a lot less money. The thing about gaming these days is that there is such a big library of existing games who offer excellent experiences and where you don't need the latest hardward to enjoy them to the fullest. This unlike the old days where each new console offered such a large gap that new games always exponentially got better.
Some of the aspects that sold me on the steam deck are
- Universal praise it gets accross the internet
- The ability to emulate all old games
- Easy to pick up and play in bed or on couch
- Very affordable Games
- Good ergonomics for longer sessions
- Lots of Games on My list I really want to play.
- A Case Is Includes
- Possible to Take with You
335€ just felt like a super solid deal for a device of which I knew I'm going to have tons of fun with in the coming years.
SteamDeck First Impression!!
Within a couple of days, it arrived (By now just shy of a month ago) and I instantly loved the from factor. I don't have a Steam Account (my old one from decades ago I lost), so I had no real games available. It took me a couple of days to find some time to try and install Emudeck but on the first install I choose the advanced option and something seemed to have gone wrong which made emudeck shut down instantly after I booted it.
I tried to get it fixed using Chat GPT which actually provided a ton of help but it didn't work so I ended up just re-installing it in simple mode and learned that aside from the Roms, you also need the BIOS files on some of the systems for them to play. I managed to get around that and add some retro games one system at a time starting with Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, SNES, Xbox360, with many more that I still have to add and I got it to work with the emulation working really really well playing everything super smooth.
One of the retro PS1 / Arcade games I have really good memories off is the original Ridge Racer which I got running and played some already.
I have also started by making a wishlist of games on steam to possibly pick them up on a big discount. So far I only bought and played one of them which is Darkest Dungeon (3.44€) which I tried to get into but haven't managed it yet.
I do plan to make some reviews going forward on the games that I play on it going forward increasing my gaming related content.
Some of The Games on My Whishlist now that I really want to play
- Outer Wilds
- Cloverpit
- Slots & Daggers
- Dark Souls 3
- Hollow Knight
- Hades
- Baba Is You
- Getting Over It
- ...
The main challenge will be to find the time and really get into it, I also aim to play some older games and am highly looking forward to the time with my new Steamdeck to revive my gaming journey in 2026. I will bring more gaming related content here on my blog along with it...
If anyone has some good steamdeck recommendations, feel free to let me know in the comments.
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STOPI had an old work mate praise the steamdeck, great pick up the will help you play where ever and when you have spare time!
I just started fresh on Darkest Dungeon, it does take some getting used to and managing of the party and adventures, but well worth it and that narration is so good!
My first impression of Darkest Dungeon is that you knind of need to learn how to play it on a pc first before it can be really enjoyable on the steamdeck and it does take some effort for sure with a lot of info to take in and not everything being as clear. I'm sure that it's a game for me though, just not one where I pick it up and instantly get hooked like Balatro.
Thanks for Stopping by and happy holidays!
If my bf saw this post, he would go crazy just because he's been tempted to get one portable console for the last few weeks. But not the one from Valve, more like something from Lenovo or Asus Rog. They sure are great toys to own, but they are so expensive!!
The other ones from what I understand are more powerful but also a lot more expensive. As I'm not out to play the latest games with fancy graphics, the old LCD Steamdeck with justy 256GB as a discounted Black Friday price was the perfect pick up for me.
I really feel that it might revive my gaming life again as these devices give a good quality experience in a very comfortable and quick way on the couch or in bed.
Cheers, and happy holidays!
I've never owned one of these devices, so I can't recommend anything, but I'm glad you got one, man. These types of devices allow people to stay immersed in the gaming world 24/7. Some streamers I follow in Turkey say the Steam Deck can't compete with the PS5, but ultimately, it offers something different. How about adding a city-building game to your list? Frostpunk is one of the best games I've ever played.
In terms of power it can't compete with the PS5, even the upcoming steam machine won't be able to do that while it's said to be 7X more powerful than the steamdeck. Many of the best games don't need more processing power though. Frostpunk is one that I looked at and considered adding to my whishlist. As always though, time remains the limited factor. I enjoyed Sim City along with Caesar 3 way back in the days when I was a kid but never since got into a city building game. I will put it on my list and if the day comes where it is at a crazy discount I might pick it up. Thanks for the tip!
I don't know the current price, but I'm sure it will go on sale at New Year's and you'll be able to get the game for a few dollars at most. If you like the style, you can also check out This War of Mine. These are really high-quality games. In terms of time, you can finish the game in about 10 hours.
A relative of mine got a Steamdeck and absolutely loves it. I have a Switch and I have to say that I am jealous of the SD. Nintendo is notorious for trapping and ripping off their customers so the affordability factor of your console is undeniable. I wish I had gotten one of them instead of the Switch but to be fair the SD didn't exist when I bought my Switch!
The thing about the steamdeck is also that it is supposed to emulate Switch Games also. I still have to try that. One of the good things about Nintendo I would say is that their games hold their value (at least they used to when they were fully on the cartridge). So while it may apprear more expensive, you could easily buy them 2nd hand and resell them later on to play everything basically for free.
It's nice though to have so many big discounts on steam especially if you don't need to play the latest releases or enjoy retro games that can be emulated for free.