They listed reasons why the PS5 and XboS were not the platform of the year, but nothing about the Steam Deck. It seems like the reason they claimed the Switch was the platform of the year was due to exclusives, so I suppose if that’s their only metric I guess the Switch wins out by a longshot. But I gotta say in any other metric except maybe raw usability (due to some UI bugs) the Deck wins against all other current platforms.
I can’t buy the deck in my country, you can buy the rest almost everywhere in the world
Touche. “Can I buy it” is a pretty important metric.
It seems like the reason they claimed the Switch was the platform of the year was due to exclusives, so I suppose if that’s their only metric I guess the Switch wins out by a longshot.
Steam Deck, being a PC and all, has more “exclusives” than every single currently sold console combined by an enourmous margin.
But naturally by ‘exclusives’ they mean hugely funded “AAA” games from Nintendo or Sony or Micrsosoft.
Exclusives is the only meaningful metric for consoles. PC is superior in every other metrics.
Don’t tell Nintendo, but I play Switch games on my PC and Steam Deck anyway.
Sorry bro. I am Nintendo.
It’s true.
Source: I’m the uncle who works for him.
My main problem with the steam deck is probably portability and battery life. I have used it very seldom on the train to work, but I imagine it would be very cumbersome.
I will try it again when I am finally done with TOTK on my switch.
And then there is always the question: Is the steam deck really an unique gaming platform when it’s really just a small laptop.
I take my Deck with me when I travel. The case is a little on the larger side, but it fits in a backpack under a plane seat. I do tend to have the opposite problem with the switch though, my hands cramp up because the joycon grips are so small. Battery life is an issue though, I can get maybe 3 hours out of it if the plane doesn’t have an outlet.
It is a little hard to call the Deck a platform on its own because the library is all borrowed from an existing client and Valve doesn’t really make games anymore, but for people who have a PC library or are looking to start one and don’t necessarily have the money to throw at a whole gaming PC, the Deck is a solid choice for something portable-yet-powerful - it’s good enough to run Elden Ring pretty stable. It’s also really good for gen 6 and older emulation, both because the hardware is capable and because Valve doesn’t give a fuck what you do with it.
The Steam Deck really is a very unique gaming platform. The Proton compatibility layer is a work of art. Crossover, Valve, and the WINE community should all be regarded as gaming heroes. I can play so many games on my Steam Deck that I never would’ve thought possible 5 years ago.
Being able to add your own external or custom games to your library, and still being able to make custom controls for those games, is just pure joy.
What’s really exciting is seeing the constant flow of games go from unverified to verified. It just keeps getting better.
The best part about the Steam Deck one might argue is being able to install ANY operating system you want on this thing. Want to play Destiny 2 and Fortnite really badly? You have the nuclear option of installing Windows. Want to take Linux gaming to the next level? Install Bazzite. Its up to you. YOU are in control.
Sorry, I just really wanted to speak my 2 cents about how much I love the Steam Deck. I hope I made some salient points.
The platform I played the most this year was the Switch. My local library is blessed with a catalogue of physical games, including new titles such as ToTK, Pikmin 4, etc. There’s obviously a considerable wait list, but I’m so glad it exists.
I just wish the Switch had achievements. 🥲
