Steam Deck - Perfect for Busy Gamers

hello everybody and welcome to another video I'm trying something new this time where instead of covering a game I thought I'd cover a lovely piece of gaming technology as the title suggests I want to talk about the steam deck now before I begin I want to make it very clear that this isn't an in-depth technical analysis of the deck there are plenty of videos out there for that so I won't be wasting your time about frame rates and battery life and so on this video is going to be more about why the steam deck is perfect for me and my situation and why I think it's perfect for people in similar circumstances that being very strapped for time when it comes to gaming I've already mentioned in previous videos but free time is incredibly important to me especially when so much of it is filled with a full-time job and boring responsibilities that come with adulthood finding a few hours just to sit down and play games is becoming increasingly harder until I decided to pick up a steam deck the olab model to be specific this beautiful piece of technology is a massive Game Changer it's completely changed the way I play my games it's opened up a whole new way of playing I'm no longer constricted to sitting at my desk or in my living room I can play this thing literally anywhere while it's true this type of portability has existed for a while now with the likes of the switch and other handheld consoles the steam deck has taken it to the next level and then some it's a device where you can play your steam library on the go whether that be modern titles or the classics not only that but it's also an emulation Beast where you can play all your retro favorites and take them anywhere one thing that I'm particularly impressed with is its ability to remote play play your console games with near zero latency seriously it feels like there's no limits to what it can do but I think that's enough of an introduction so let's not waste any more time and get right into it I'm pretty sure you will have a good idea of what the steam deck is but I'm going to quickly tell you anyway to sum it up the steam deck is a portable in its computer that's capable of running video games it allows you to bring nearly your entire steam library on the go and adds a whole new way of playing your PC games not only that but the steam deck can also be used as your computer with you being able to quickly switch to desktop mode and do anything that computer allows you to do when in gaming mode the deck runs on steem OS that was purpose built for the deck which is very intuitive and easy to use you're able to quickly navigate your library and the store either by using the touchscreen or the buttons I wouldn't really consider myself a PC Gamer I've grown up predominantly playing consoles and while I do own a pretty decent gaming PC it's typically not where I like to play my games hence why my steam Library isn't exactly big I was a bit unsure on whether to purchase one and I was asking myself if the deck was made for someone like me but when watching the reviews and what's possible with this machine I started to change my mind I noticed when doing my research the deck seemed to be more in line with game consoles than a PC which really resonated with me of course it's possible to use it as a PC and steam is fundamentally a PC application but the way you navigate your games and how you play them is more akin to what I'm familiar with on consoles so I decided to take the plunge and bought myself an olab model and I am very very happy I did for many reasons so my full-time job involves working from home home but my house isn't exactly big so my desk is where I have both my work stuff and my gaming PC after a long day working the last thing I want to do is stay in the room I've sat in for 8 hours so I usually relax downstairs in the living room with my consoles when I get a few hours of free time I would love to continue sitting at my desk after a day of work topl and PC games but there's some sort of mental block that really puts me off doing it I unfortunately associate my office with my job and I think that gets in the way of PC gaming being a viable option for me I'm definitely weird but the environment in which a game is incredibly important but with the steam deck this is no longer a problem I can bring my steam library on the go and enjoy some PC games in an environment I find comfortable if I have some time to spare I can quickly pick it up and play my games in seconds it's allowed me to play my favorites during times I wouldn't be able to before I can use it during my long train commute to work I can use it when I'm away visiting my family or even using it during a long plane journey to quickly pass the time and even if I wanted to chill on the sofa for some simple console gaming on the big screen I can even do that with the deck too with a dock I can hook it up to my living room TV connect a controller and away I go it's as simple as that of course this has been possible for a while with the switch but this thing is a switch times 1 million steam's library is endless and being able to play games like balers Gate 3 halflife 2 and Elden ring really separates it from the competition the deck has enabled me to find time to game that I couldn't find before and that's really important to me with games seemingly becoming longer and longer I'm able to quickly pick up and play these in a timely manner that suits me without the limitations Home console gaming brings it ends the monotony of long commutes it relieves the boredom of a family member not having the consoles you like during family visits and most importantly it breathes new life into one of your biggest passions I do want to go back to the topic of console gaming for a bit even if console gaming is your preferred way of playing the steam deck just Walters in and changes everything with the deck I can cast my Xbox series X and PS5 gam straight to it and use for decks controls to control whatever I'm playing I'm no longer restricted to my living room for console gaming I can play God of War in bed or even bloodborne on the toilet one thing I was quite disappointed with when I bought the deck was the lack of a native Xbox game Pass App I use Game Pass a lot I think it's such a steal and one of the best deals in gaming at the moment it's how I check out new Indies and also older gems I'd completely forgotten about so not having access to it on my deck was a bit of a disappointment to begin with I know there's workarounds I did get Xbox cloud gaming up and running but I'm still not fully on board with cloud gaming and I found the quality to be lacking I'm also aware I could install Windows in order to get the Game Pass App but knowing how clumsy I am I'm pretty sure I'll break something so I'd rather not get into that but then I found XB play which instantly solved all my problems it does cost around5 and there are cheaper or free programs out there but XB play is an app you can purchase through Steam without the need of running the deck in desktop mode and setting it up that way the setup was was incredibly easy and within minutes I was able to remote play my series X and of course the entire game pass library in perfect quality so after getting my Xbox up and running I started looking at how to remote play my PS5 fortunately there's a very useful app called chiaki for deck I won't lie the setup of this one isn't exactly smooth because it does require downloading and setting it up in desktop mode and you also need some setup details which can be difficult to locate but believe me it's totally worth it it's absolutely insane to me that the play portal cost £250 but if you spend a bit more for either an LCD or an olb model of the deck you can do everything the portal offers but so so so much more seriously this thing is insane the quality of both these apps is outstanding it did take a little bit of tinkering but after it's done the games look beautiful and the performance is excellent I was worried about latency or stuttering but I've never had an issue obviously it depends on your internet connection and my internet is pretty good but I still recommend giving it a go if your precious TV is being used by someone else you can go from playing on your TV to your deck really easily simply turn on your deck open whatever app you're using connect to your console and way you go of course you do need an internet connection for this so it won't be possible to bring your PlayStation and Xbox libraries out of the house and on the go I think it's technically possible for you to remote play your consoles from different locations and networks but it's not something I've tried yet the steam deck is powerful don't get me wrong but it's not going to run recent games flawlessly Remote Play is is a really good way of playing these games on the deck without experiencing any performance issues I recently used the deck to remote play Alan weight 2 and the Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarok and every few minutes I kept questioning how is this possible you can also Remote Play from your PC which isn't something I've tried but is another great way of playing your games in another room without lugging your huge PC around if you are stra for time and want to get some gaming in before bed or you live with a large family that's rudely using your TV then I really recommend getting a steam deck and using remote play the Wii U was definitely on to something all those years ago being able to switch off the TV and continue gaming with the controller was one of the main reasons I bought one but the steam deck brings that idea to new heights having the ability to remote play both my PlayStation and Xbox games is something I truly value one thing that I do want to talk about is how the steam deck is an emulation Juggernaut emulation is important game preservation is important and people should be able to play their old favorite games without having to spend stupid amounts for them and the steam deck is a phenomenal way of playing them when I was doing my research on the deck before buying it emulation kept popping up in every review I saw and people were very impressed with how easy it is to set up and how well the games run after setting it up myself I would like to join these people because emulation on this thing is really something else emulation was quick and easy to configure with em deck which does a lot of the hard work for you after putting IL legally acquired games in the appropriate folders you can then add them to your steam Library so they're accessible Within game gaming mode take a look at how neat and tidy this library is it even has the artwork of the game which is a really nice touch it looks and feels so good navigating your library of games having it all in one place means everything is accessible with only a few button presses there's no need to keep flipping between desktop and gaming mode there are so many of my childhood games that I intend to play and also countless others that I never got the chance to experience I'm currently making my way through Chrono Trigger and Paper Mario and with the deck being portable it's so easy to quickly pick up and play these old games feel right at home on the deck it just feels so natural playing games like Pokémon red or metroid fusion took me right back to being a kid that's just something special about playing games from your youth there's nothing else quite like it and what's amazing is that they can be played on your TV as well in docked mode so you are able to chill out on the sofa playing one of your old favorites if you do already own a deck or are thinking of getting one then do consider setting up emulation there's very detailed Guides Online which are easy to find so I think it's about time I wrap this up it's clear that I love this thing not only because it's an amazing way to play my games but also because it's enabled me to find time to play when I previously couldn't gaming is my biggest passion I can say that with confidence and it does sadden me knowing so much of my time is taken up by a job and other responsibilities the steam deck definitely helps alleviate that problem being able to pick up and play even if it's just for 30 minutes is a big deal for me and I'm incredibly satisfied with my purchase it was worth every penny I think what's most important is that it provides options you know no longer restricted to your living room or desk to play your games and while that may not seem like an issue for some it's huge for me and many others I'm sure from its portability to remote play to emulation you'll never have a dull moment with this thing so if you do lead A busy life and are struggling to find time for gaming seriously do yourself a favor and pick up a steam deck that's it from me if you like this video do a subscribe hit the like button all that sort of stuff and leave a comment if you want to thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one

Channel: Harvesquire

Views: 120,139

Keywords: steam deck, valve, handheld, gaming, handheld gaming, xbox, microsoft, switch, nintendo, emulation, playstation, sony, ps5, PC, pc gaming, pokemon, god of war, indie, portable gaming, OLED, steam deck emulation, steam deck oled, steam, video games, casual gamer, busy gamer, series x, remote play, portable

Id: 9MtbsFVsghY

Length: 11min 10sec (670 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 02 2024