My new power bank arrived and I don’t get the dreaded slow charging message using it!
[Handheld] The Steam Deck
- Thread starter Ravenpoe
- Start date
You know, even though the power bank I use only outputs at 20W and gets the slow charging message, I've found it's still more than capable of powering the steam deck. It simply won't charge the battery to full -and- play games at the same time, plugging it in and playing games while on the charger causes the battery to stay at the same level
figmentPez
Staff member
If it's a Steam game it should be pretty easy (non-Steam games can be a little more difficult, but it's still possible in many cases).
Since Steam OS 3.0 changed a lot of the interface, I don't know the exact steps, but I have used community configurations for several games. The hardest parts are figuring out which layout you want to use, which is tied into figuring out how the layout works. Unfortunately there's no real rating system beyond how many hours people have played using them, and there's not much way for layout creators to annotate their control schemes. The whole system could be a lot better, but as it is it's not hard to just slap something in place and try it out.
Go into controller settings, and then I think you're looking for "explore worshorkshop layouts". From there it should show you a list of all the Steam Deck layouts (and you can optionally show layouts for all controller types), you can then preview them, and apply whatever looks good.
I know that's kinda vague in terms of instructions, but I think I can help more with specific issues/questions.
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I got this one in the hopes that it would keep me going for one of my long work flights/travel days.
I kept the other one with the higher capacity as we have a lot of power outages and it will keep outlet phones going a long time.
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Thank you. I appreciate that. There is a new game that I am super interested in and I would need to figure this out to play it on the Steam Deck.
figmentPez
Staff member
A feature that users have been begging for since the Steam Deck came out has been added to the Steam Deck beta: The ability to set the resolution of the OS when using an external monitor, and automatic avoidance of 30Hz modes.
For those that don't know why this is an issue, when the Steam Deck is connected to an external display, it automatically chose the highest possible resolution reported by the display / dock / device chain. This included choosing 4K 30Hz resolutions when connected to either TVs or hubs that couldn't do 4K 60Hz or better. Because Steam OS scales all the games it runs in game mode to the resolution of the display, this meant that people connecting to a 4K 30Hz external device were then stuck at 30Hz for everything, even when running games at a much lower resolution.
This update also fixes problems with using mice in gaming mode, issues with formatting SD cards, and other stuff. Other recent updates improved the responsiveness of the on-screen keyboard. Overall, Valve is making some good improvements to the Steam Deck.
For those that don't know why this is an issue, when the Steam Deck is connected to an external display, it automatically chose the highest possible resolution reported by the display / dock / device chain. This included choosing 4K 30Hz resolutions when connected to either TVs or hubs that couldn't do 4K 60Hz or better. Because Steam OS scales all the games it runs in game mode to the resolution of the display, this meant that people connecting to a 4K 30Hz external device were then stuck at 30Hz for everything, even when running games at a much lower resolution.
This update also fixes problems with using mice in gaming mode, issues with formatting SD cards, and other stuff. Other recent updates improved the responsiveness of the on-screen keyboard. Overall, Valve is making some good improvements to the Steam Deck.
It is cheaper than a graphics card
figmentPez
Staff member
Top games played on the Deck in September:
Stardew Valley is a classic and I modded it for the first time on the Steam Deck. All cosmetic mods, but I am giving serious consideration to the one that gives you an elevator in Skull Cavern.
I downloaded the Disney character creator and I may need that game too. I can’t get enough farm sims.
I downloaded the Disney character creator and I may need that game too. I can’t get enough farm sims.
figmentPez
Staff member
TL;DW
- official Valve dock is now available ($89 US)
- recent updates made a lot of improvements to Steam OS when using a dock, and other improvements
- Valve has caught up on production and Steam Deck is available without a reservation (in regions it is currently available in).
- Reservations have started for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
I’m thinking of getting a dock. That one or there is one I saw on Amazon that looks good. I’m just not sure that mine will fit with the case I have on it.
I believe, other than storage space, the only difference is the anti-glare screen. Which I do really like, especially if you're going to be playing it in any kind of direct lighting. But if it's just the storage you're looking for you can go the lower capacity models and mod, either soft via sd cards and external drives or hard mod, and actually swap out the internals, down the road.
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figmentPez
Staff member
@Far is correct. The increased storage also comes with faster drive speed, but it's not a huge difference, and games even run fairly well when loaded on an SD card. All the other internals are the same. The 512GB model does come with a slightly nicer case, a microfiber screen cleaning cloth, and a cheap drawsting bag that the US model charger fits in (but not the UK one).
One thing to note is that Steam OS likes to save shader pre-cache on the main drive, so users who download a lot of games to SD card are complaining on Reddit about how the 64GB model can fill up pretty fast. There may be ways to force the Deck to move the cache to the SD card, though. That said, some people are saying that the shaders are more sensitive to being on an SD card than most games are. I haven't seen any benchmarks, or other emperical testing, though.
You know what you're doing when it comes to hardware, so I won't warn you away from swapping out the drive yourself, but be aware that the Deck uses self-tapping screws, and Valve has warned that opening the Steam Deck permanently decreases it's resistance to drops. They go so far as to suggest using a torque screwdriver to avoid over/under tightening. Other than that, the Deck uses 2230 m.2 drives, and needs a single sided drive. Some users have crammed in 2240 drives, or cut down 2280 drives to fit, but Valve warns against this because those drives may draw more power and interfere with the rest of the system. Also, they warn that they can't be sure that any replacement drives won't interfere with the wireless chipset/antenna, which is located right next to the m.2 slot. Apparently they chose the drives they use to not cause problems.
If I had the money to get a Steam Deck, I'd be waffling between the 256GB for breathing room on the main drive, and the 512GB model to get the etched anti-glare screen. If you like to put screen protectors on your gadgets, then the 256GB would be an easy choice, IMO. I'm not looking to open up mobile hardware if I don't have to, though. If you like opening stuff up, then you can upgrade a 64GB model to 1TB for less than a 512GB model. (2TB 2230 m.2 SSDs exist, but they're hard to find and not a good value.)
Lastly, if you any of you ever do decide to open up your Steam Deck to upgrade the storage, replace the joysticks with hall-effect models from GuliKit, or any other upgrades/repairs, make sure you take the SD card out of the slot before opening up the case. Quite a few people have snapped their SD card in half this way, including Linus Tech Tips during a livestream.
figmentPez
Staff member
That reminds me, dual-booting: Valve yet to release tools to easily set up dual-booting, but fans have found ways to do it. Currently I think one of the popular ways is to run Windows of an SD card, but at some point Valve is planning to make it easier to install Steam OS to a multi-OS system, and if anyone wants to be able to do that they'll probably want a larger drive, since Windows is a big-ol' storage hog, even if Steam OS is relatively small (if you don't count shader pre-caching.)
I grabbed this so I can play on the tv
Honestly unless there's something in Windows you absolutely need I wouldn't dual boot. I expected to be wowed by the hardware and then slap Windows on this thing immediately, but instead I've been thoroughly impressed by the software and just how far gaming on Linux has come. SteamOS and linux as a whole is so lightweight and fast and perfect on the machine that I can't imagine putting bloated windows on it
figmentPez
Staff member
Whoops, the video in this post has been made private, because Valve had the Switch emulator yuzu showing in it.
The dongle/hub thing arrived today and is working well. My Steam Deck is on the tv. My PS5 controller paired up nicely.
I will test with a secondary micro usb tomorrow. Or a regular one I guess? There are two slots on the thing.
I will test with a secondary micro usb tomorrow. Or a regular one I guess? There are two slots on the thing.
figmentPez
Staff member
Steam Decks are sold out until the end of the year (at least in some regions). It's back to reservations until at least 2023.
figmentPez
Staff member
GasBandit
Staff member
It's a Steam Deck. It can run Doom 2016 even
It's a pumpkin. It can barely run a flashlight.It's a Steam Deck. It can run Doom 2016 even
*everyone on the forum simultaneously points both thumbs at themselves in unison*