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.
Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av PC Gamer.
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Denne historien er fra May 2022-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BITING BACK
The tooth is out there in adventure TEETH OF GLASS
SMOKE ALARM
THE INVISIBLE SMOKE FACTORY is back in a Flash
MECH ME OVER
Move over Mario, here's mech-based platforming in ARMORED SHELL NIGHTJAR
"I like Pillars of Eternity better than Baldur's Gate III"
PILLARS OF ETERNITY deserves a bigger space in the CRPG pantheon
"A harrowing dark fantasy about hapless, bright-eyed children"
Spelunking into hell with MADE IN ABYSS: BINARY STAR FALLING INTO DARKNESS
THE IMMORTAL LOCK
A massive, meaty game in a single horrific Quake map.
NEW MANOEUVRES
Building a dedicated sim racing space in an average family house
OVERWATCH 2
Save me space girl.
REET GOOD TIME
THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE is a riotous recreation of Yorkshire
THE PLUCKY SQUIRE
How many games let you make friends with a MtG card?