Steam Deck: First Anniversary
Ultimate? umm.. I almost purchased one as a Christmas gift for myself, but after doing some research I decided to spend the money on PS5 games instead:• The Deck's screen is not OLED, which is pretty dumb in 2023, especially when they have a "nano-texture" option for glare reduction; why not also provide an OLED option??• By default it's Linux, and runs Windows games via Proton, resulting in some weird emulation bugs (like physics lag even when everything else seems to be running correctly).• If you install Windows, apparently Microsoft doesn't allow you to get updates (on W11) because of the Deck's lack of a "TPM".• There is no higher performance profile for docked mode, and apparently a dock doesn't come in the box.• The haptics aren't so hot.• Valve is almost as infamous as Google for abandoning their hardware and projects. Until there's a Deck 2 with substantial upgrades, it's hard to foster long-term confidence.It DOES seem pretty attractive as a one-stop hub for retro emulation, but it's far from being the "ultimate gaming platform". For anyone who really wants portable "PC" gaming, a laptop would be a much better choice. Heck even an M2 MacBook + Windows VM would do.♥ Wishlist for a Deck 2:• Fix all the above criticisms. Can leave Windows out if Proton becomes better.• Some Deck-exclusive features and API so that it can be an independent platform in its own right, instead of just a mobile PC. Maybe things like the advanced haptics of the PS5 controller.--I really wish Sony would reenter the handhelds market. The Vita was and still is an amazing device, and they could make an ever better one with the lessons learned from the Vita's failure and the success of the Switch/Deck, combined with new tricks like the awesome haptics of the DualSense/PSVR2.