I do love my Deck and use it all the time. It is also the most frustrating piece of kit I’ve owned in a long while.
I’ve always been concerned about the build quality too. Mine is well looked after, only 7 months since new, and I keep it in the case when not used. I noticed literally yesterday theres a crack in the upper front portion of the deck housing, directly middle above the LCD. How?!
It is also the most frustrating piece of kit I’ve owned in a long while.
Yes, but because of the software. The hardware is absolutely solid. VALVe did a bang up job with the hardware. It works amazingly, pricing is insane, etc.
The software on the other hand…
Default trackpad configuration on the desktop almost made me break half of the content on my desk with a single hammer-fist (I’m not someone who loses my temper often, this had been building up for months), solely because the trackpad “clicks” as soon as the slightest breeze touches it, while at the same time behaving (by design) like a trackball. Meaning “moving the mouse” ends up being a dangerous action that can end up in drag-n-dropping anything into anything, or clicking on anything. And it has been mis-clicking for more than a year by now, during which I have incrementally become more irritated, to the point of absolutely hammering my desk after losing several hours of work for a mis-click.
And then there is KDE. It’s beautiful, I give you that. But the systray icons stacking up on top of each other? 🤪 The humanly perceptible and measurable delay when opening the “start menu” and typing the name of the software you want to run, ending up in you running the wrong software unless you explicitly pause before pressing enter, waiting for the DE to catch up? 😭
So yeah, those are the kind of issues to expect. Not anything relating to hardware (also I have not experienced the deterioration you mentioned - the screen is slightly scratched, but I can explain that very easily: the metal hinge from the box of my caliper brushed against it once, in a bad way… Also your steam deck might have been mishandled by another person while still in the box, without you knowing. Objects in semi rigid protective cases can absolutely get damaged without the case showing signs of it).
But regardless of all that, the reason for the steam deck popularity isn’t fanboyism. It’s pricing and pargmatism. At this price point (esp 20% off during sales), nothing else even comes close to competing in the handhelds category. Unless you only care about raw power and are literally made out of money.
Oh yes the software is the frustrating part for me, far more than any hardware issues. For many of your reasons. I should have clarified. The hardware I fucking love, apart from that goddamn crack in the middle of the air vents :(
But despite the issues I still love the thing, and it is absolutely the best Game Boy Advance I’ve ever owned too which helps
I do love my Deck and use it all the time. It is also the most frustrating piece of kit I’ve owned in a long while.
I’ve always been concerned about the build quality too. Mine is well looked after, only 7 months since new, and I keep it in the case when not used. I noticed literally yesterday theres a crack in the upper front portion of the deck housing, directly middle above the LCD. How?!
Yes, but because of the software. The hardware is absolutely solid. VALVe did a bang up job with the hardware. It works amazingly, pricing is insane, etc.
The software on the other hand…
Default trackpad configuration on the desktop almost made me break half of the content on my desk with a single hammer-fist (I’m not someone who loses my temper often, this had been building up for months), solely because the trackpad “clicks” as soon as the slightest breeze touches it, while at the same time behaving (by design) like a trackball. Meaning “moving the mouse” ends up being a dangerous action that can end up in drag-n-dropping anything into anything, or clicking on anything. And it has been mis-clicking for more than a year by now, during which I have incrementally become more irritated, to the point of absolutely hammering my desk after losing several hours of work for a mis-click.
And then there is KDE. It’s beautiful, I give you that. But the systray icons stacking up on top of each other? 🤪 The humanly perceptible and measurable delay when opening the “start menu” and typing the name of the software you want to run, ending up in you running the wrong software unless you explicitly pause before pressing enter, waiting for the DE to catch up? 😭
So yeah, those are the kind of issues to expect. Not anything relating to hardware (also I have not experienced the deterioration you mentioned - the screen is slightly scratched, but I can explain that very easily: the metal hinge from the box of my caliper brushed against it once, in a bad way… Also your steam deck might have been mishandled by another person while still in the box, without you knowing. Objects in semi rigid protective cases can absolutely get damaged without the case showing signs of it).
But regardless of all that, the reason for the steam deck popularity isn’t fanboyism. It’s pricing and pargmatism. At this price point (esp 20% off during sales), nothing else even comes close to competing in the handhelds category. Unless you only care about raw power and are literally made out of money.
Oh yes the software is the frustrating part for me, far more than any hardware issues. For many of your reasons. I should have clarified. The hardware I fucking love, apart from that goddamn crack in the middle of the air vents :(
But despite the issues I still love the thing, and it is absolutely the best Game Boy Advance I’ve ever owned too which helps