Ever since Valve launched the unique Steam Deck, the PC gaming world has been on the hunt for a Steam Deck killer. Asus went first with its ROG Ally, and Lenovo adopted shortly after with the Legion Go. That’s to not point out the swath of smaller manufacturers which were chipping away at handheld gaming PCs for years, similar to Ayaneo and GPD.
You possibly can’t kill the Steam Deck, although, no less than not with the present choices. Valve has a specific benefit with the Steam Deck that it’s been constructing for years, and will probably be laborious for a real competitor to emerge within the rising market of handheld gaming PCs.
Priced for everybody
In probably the most direct approach, the Steam Deck stands head and shoulders above different handheld choices on account of its worth. Earlier than the Steam Deck OLED, you might choose up a tool for as little as $400. Positive, it got here with solely 64GB of sluggish storage, but it surely supply essentially the identical expertise because the dearer fashions.
Now, costs are even decrease. You will discover a Steam Deck LCD for $350 and even much less in the event you choose up a refurbished machine. The worth of admission right here is low, not way more than a Nintendo Change and fewer than an Xbox Collection X or PlayStation 5.
That’s in stark distinction to units just like the ROG Ally and Legion Go. The ROG Ally with the Z1 Excessive chip is $700, with no possibility to scale back the value for much less storage. The Legion Go is identical worth, and you’ll spend an additional $50 for extra storage. Asus tried to compete at a lower cost with the ROG Ally that includes the bottom Ryzen Z1 chip, however at $600, it’s nonetheless way more costly than the Steam Deck (and a bit slower, as you possibly can learn in our ROG Ally Ryzen Z1 evaluate).
Worth goes out the window with extra area of interest manufacturers. The Ayaneo 2S will run you no less than $1,000, and the GPD Win four prices $850. In case you have the cash to spare, you might make an argument for considered one of these different units. However when the Steam Deck prices so little and storage upgrades are low-cost and straightforward, it’s protected to say that Valve is enjoying in a league of its personal.
The software program benefit
It’s not simply worth, nonetheless. The barrier to entry is low for the Steam Deck in comparison with different units, however there’s no denying that Steam Deck opponents maintain some benefits. For instance, the ROG Ally comes with a a lot sooner processor, and the Legion Go’s large display screen is unmatched.
Valve wins with software program. I’ve beforehand written concerning the issues with Home windows on a handheld gaming PC, but it surely comes right down to this: Home windows, for as a lot flexibility because it affords, simply isn’t constructed for 2 thumbsticks and a few buttons. It’s constructed for a mouse and keyboard, and that distinction makes the Steam Deck really feel like a a lot nicer machine in comparison with its Home windows counterparts.
SteamOS offers a principally seamless handheld expertise, but it surely’s not nearly navigation. With SteamOS on the helm, the Steam Deck is ready to droop video games when it’s essential pause, and also you’re in a position to simply choose choices in overlays with out your inputs being mirrored on the sport operating beneath. It seems like a handheld, not a laptop computer stripped of its most handy enter strategies.
There’s the truth that Home windows helps, effectively, any Home windows sport, however with Steam as the first market for PC video games and instruments just like the Heroic Launcher for different storefronts, you possibly can nonetheless play the overwhelming majority of PC video games on the Steam Deck. As well as, there’s a swath of further software program you possibly can obtain by Decky Loader, making SteamOS extra helpful. These choices aren’t obtainable on Home windows-based handhelds.
Carry on the killers
I wish to see extra supposed Steam Deck killers. That’s good for everybody. With the ROG Ally and Legion Exit, Valve pushed out the Steam Deck OLED, which offers an enormous enchancment over the unique mannequin. If nothing else, handheld opponents be certain that the Steam Deck doesn’t fall behind and change into a second-class citizen.
It is going to be a tricky battle for a competitor to really upend the Steam Deck, although. It has to nail the right marriage of efficiency and software program and at a worth that’s cheap sufficient for a mainstream viewers. We’re nonetheless within the early days of handheld gaming PCs, so I don’t doubt {that a} machine will get there ultimately. For now, although, it’s laborious to say any new handheld can actually enter the category of a “Steam Deck killer.”
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