Steam-Deck-FAQ

Steam Deck Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Answers for Frequently Asked Questions related to the Steam Deck.

We don’t know when Steam Deck sales, refurbished re-stocks or when the Steam Deck 2 release will happen.

Pricing
- Most likely the Deck will be the cheapest option new if you want a handheld
- It’s worth looking for sales or on the used market to see what the competition is going for as well
Hardware / Performance
- Valve has said many times that they will iterate slower with the Deck compared to the competition
- Newer AAA games are already pushing the limits or barely run at all (poor optimization and “weak” hardware don’t mix together well)
- Lacking features:
  - External GPU support (without tinkering)
  - Variable refresh rate display
  - 2nd USB port
Game / Software Compatibility (SteamOS / Linux vs Windows)
- Not all software is available or works under SteamOS (Linux)
  - Competitive games that have anti-cheats most likely don’t work (eg. Call Of Duty, Fortnite)
  - Under SteamOS specifically flatpaks are the way to go limiting your choices even more (immutable distro)
- Modding games might be harder (specifically non-Steam-Workshop modding)
- Frame-generation isn’t that good on Linux yet
Need for portability
- If it would be mostly docked a console or a PC might be a better choice
Other uses
- Media consumption, doing work etc…
  - Might benefit from a larger screen, built in keyboard or more ports which the Steam Deck lacks (unless a hub / dock is used)

Both have warranties
Refurbished stock usually gets sold out pretty fast and a lot of time can pass between re-stocks
Refurbished offers best value though local used market could go even lower depending on region
Refurbished comes in different packaging but most of the time the device itself looks like brand new (from user reports so far on r/SteamDeck)