When I pick up the Steam Deck, I think about Leathermans. You know that multitool that your uncle, or somebody's uncle, loves to bust out to solve any problem? Pliers, scissors, a bottle opener... with all those tools and more!) a Leatherman is too big for a pocket, so it usually lives in a little belt holster. It's portable, but it still sticks out.
The Steam Deck is the Leatherman of gaming handhelds, or at least one that Leatherman uncles will love. The problem I’ve always had with Leathermans is that the miniature doodads are never as good as the proper tools they replace. And the Steam Deck isn’t completely immune to that jack-of-all-trades problem—it’s not a replacement for my desktop PC, or as portable as a Nintendo Switch.
But for me it’s slipped into a sweet spot in the middle as the turbocharged Switch Pro that Nintendo will never make, and there are now some games I can’t imagine myself playing on any other system.
During my first few days with the Steam Deck I tested the extremes with lightweight indies like Into the Breach and new, graphically-demanding games like Deathloop. This helped me pin down what, exactly, I want from it.
In most new, big budget games, locking the framerate to 30fps will be mandatory for stable performance and practical battery life. With the framerate capped at 60fps, Deathloop drained the battery from full to 20% in 70 minutes at about 60% brightness. And the Steam Deck wasn’t really up to running it at a full 60fps—once I entered dense areas, the framerate took a nosedive. Locking it at 30 was much better, but sluggish for such a smooth action game.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von PC Gamer US Edition.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2022-Ausgabe von PC Gamer US Edition.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Special Report- Stacked Deck - Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big.
Monster Train, a deckbuilding roguelike that firmly entrenched itself as the crown prince to the kingly Slay the Spire back in 2020, was the kind of smash success you might call Champagne Big. Four years later, its successor Inkbound’s launch from Early Access was looking more like Sandwich Big.I’m not just saying that because of the mountain of lamb and eggplants I ate while meeting with developer Shiny Shoe over lunch, to feel out what the aftermath of releasing a game looks like in 2024. I mean, have I thought about that sandwich every day since? Yes. But also, the indie team talked frankly about the struggle of luring Monster Train’s audience on board for its next game.
SCREENBOUND
How a 5D platformer went viral two months into development
OLED GAMING MONITORS
A fresh wave of OLED panels brings fresh options, greater resolutions and makes for even more impressive gaming monitors
CRYSIS 2
A cinematic FPS with tour de force visuals.
PLOD OF WAR
SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE 2 fails to find a new path for its hero
GALAXY QUEST
HOMEWORLD 3 is a flashy, ambitious RTS, but some of the original magic is missing
FAR REACHING
Twenty years ago, FAR CRY changed the landscape of PC gaming forever.
THY KINGDOM COME
SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE is the culmination of decades of FromSoftware RPGs, and a gargantuan finale for ELDEN RING
KILLING FLOOR 3
Tripwire Interactive's creature feature is back
IMPERFECTLY BALANCED
Arrowhead says HELLDIVERS 2 balancing patches have 'gone too far'