Id gladly stuff that in a suitcase.
It’s comfortable too.
The thumbsticks, too, feel more substantial and satisfying, it not quite as grippy.
Indeed, there are benefits to a larger frame, even on a handheld.
Having the space for so many buttons, sticks and pads is one; cooling is another.
On the subject of the touchscreen, its a 7in, 1280x800, LCD number running at 60Hz.
A bit more vibrancy wouldnt have hurt, mind.
I measured contrast ratio at a nice and high 1241:1, with peak luminance hitting 596cd/m2.
But enough about all that techy gubbins for a moment: youll be wanting to know how games run.
Pretty well, and definitely better than I was personally expecting.
Clearly, the Steam Deck wont send shivers down the circuit boards of 2022sbest graphics cards.
quality preset, andMonster Hunter Risehung around the 45-60fps area on High.
High quality is playabale too, sticking just above 30fps, though tragically the Can It RunCrysis?
setting donks this down into the spluttering 20-25fps range.
Unsurprisingly, games originally crafted for consoles tend to work well too.
I say can rather than will because in practice this system-level FSR wont be available for every single game.
And although text looked less sharp, most of the game still looked close enough to native resolution.
Unfortunately, thats not the same thing as saying all your games will simply work.
In other words, it works, until it doesnt.
Though you naturally wouldnt get the custom-designed SteamOS UI, nor the immensely useful suspend/resume feature, on Windows.
What console lets you do that?
Its all laid out sensibly and feels zippy to operate, whether by touchscreen or the controls.
Back on the subject of compatibility, it is a shame that not everything works.
Thats quite a library for a new handheld.
The diversity of available games also means that battery life can, er, vary.
In this torture test the Deck only lasted one hour and 23 minutes, short of Valves lowest estimate.
That is, indeed, a large yikes.
Thats more of a transatlantic flight than Paddington to Swindon.
And it doesnt take an age to recharge: a little over two hours from empty to full.
Finding text too small to read on the 7in screen?
Holding down the Steam button and L1 together will zoom in for a better view.
Playing a retro game that wasnt designed for the Decks resolution?
The Quick options menu offers integer scaling, which keeps the original pixel art looking sharp.
Cool new thing, yeah?
