Steam-Deck-FAQ

Answers for Frequently Asked Questions related to the Steam Deck.

No, we don’t know when Steam Deck sales happen or when the Steam Deck 2 will release.

Official Resources made by Valve / Steam

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)