As someone who owns the deck for a while already (since feb 2023) I can suggest not to tinker it at all. It is good out of the box, most issues related topics on Reddit are the results of tinkering.
When have questions if the game will run on Deck (or you have installed something and it doesn't run) - check protondb.com. Not only you will have info how games run, but also there are usually some tips (like what proton version can be used to run the game).
Go with EmuDeck if PS2 games are must for you.
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Thanks, I won't change anything on the outside of the deck, except maybe a protective glass and maybe a cover. Maybe later I'll get a docking station to run it on a monitor/TV or something. As for the software, I've seen that there's supposed to be a tool that lets you see how a game is running, which seems very useful.
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By tinkering I ment software tinkering, like installing Decky Loader. Hardware wise i won't recommend to tinker it as well (if it requires disassembly) :)
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Decky Loader is a great tool, though, which in my opinion greatly enhances the experience. Not by itself, but by allowing the installation of the custom plugins. This enables you to, for example, install "ProtonDB badges" plugin, which when clicked on takes you to the ProtonDB page for the specific game - which isn't in any way required but just so convenient. HLTB (for howlongtobeat.com) plugin is also a great one when you're looking for something short to play for the evening or two. But I do agree that you should be careful with this kind of tinkering and only go into it with some knowledge and awareness
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You’re absolutely right - I was overly concise in explaining my perspective. :) Decky Loader with plugins is a fantastic way to customize everything to your liking. But as you pointed out, it does require diving a bit deeper into the details to avoid potential mishaps. Just from my experience it is really better to use Deck "as-is" unless you really need something and you know how to do it in proper way.
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If you already have a dongle, try it first. I recently found out that my company dongle (that is used to connect monitor to laptop) can be used as well to connect steam deck to monitor. It is not as good as steam deck dock (iirc the resolution is bigger there) but if you are ok with it and dont use dock that often, it might be a better option.
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- Vampire Survivors -
- Diablo 4
I never used anything third party on the deck
note1 - you nailed with all those games!!! great job!
note2: I am blind now after I visited your profile xD
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I hope your eyes are fine XD
Sorry that you have gone blind
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Unrelated to emulation, but a specialty of the Deck - you can set it top sleep mode at any time, essentially pausing any/most game at any time. It's a really nice feature when it comes to checkpoint-based games, because you can take a proper break at any time, or end a session when you want.
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That sounds very practical. Is this only recommended for short breaks because of the battery consumption?
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You can turn off the Deck, obviously that's the best for battery between "full" sessions.
You can sleep it, with a game running, or without it. I don't know the energy consumption rate between these two options, but I have a feeling that a paused game drains the battery more than just the sleeping machine. Still can go like a day or more in my experience.
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I personally use EmuDeck.
Check ProtonDB for info and tips from other users on how to make almost any Steam game work on the Deck:
https://www.protondb.com/
You can also customize the controller layout of every game individually and try out community layouts as well.
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I use retrodeck since it’s easier to set up and update.
If you are into achievements, I can recommend https://retroachievements.org, which I myself just started using days ago. It’s a third-party cheevo system (and community) for retro titles and it works suuuuper well!
Other misc recommendations:
- https://protondb.com for compatibility reports (especially useful for tweaking settings to make games that don't work out of the box, work). Note: Valve's compatibility rating system isn't rock solid, you may often run into "Verified" games that don't work well or "Unsupported" games that work flawlessly. Visit ProtonDB for more accurate reports instead.
- https://steamgriddb.com for cover arts if you add non-steam games to your library and want things to look pretty, and Boilr (available in flathub, i.e., the Discovery app in desktop mode) which automates the process
- https://steamdeckrepo.com for user-uploaded custom boot videos
- Heroic Games Launcher for accessing your Epic/GOG/Amazon libraries, and Lutris for one-click install of countless games thanks to user-created install scripts. Both available in Discovery
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got like 800+ish hours on deck
if you want to do anything in desktop mode you need a bluetooth keyboard and mouse
also most games run far better in desktop mode
with horizon forbidden west the game will crash 100% of the time on the 1st cutscene in the same place unless you use desktop mode
if you want the deck to run even better play with it attached to a monitor with the decks screen off. wont heat up as fast and runs better
dont waste money on the steam dock. far better and cheaper dongles you can buy. got solid one for 8$ that still works perfectly and comes with more usb slots than the steam dock
got 4 anti glare screens for 7$ and protection from getting scratched as the screen protector already has been ONCE
i also always use an xbox controller when i can so the decks sticks last longer. my 2nd steam deck as the 1st one i refunded cause the sticks wore out within 2 weeks and made a grinding sound when left one was used
the deck is lacking grip when one handing it so i would buy a cover. got one of these. cut the back out with a knife to reduce decks heat
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hence the +
this is why nobody likes you XD trying to start shit where there is none
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Oh cute little sunshine, I also wrote " at least 800h" back then. Which resulted in you posting this.
So congrats on your rookie numbers, I guess?
And yeah, when I show that people are exaggerating clowns they don't tend to enjoy that very much, haha.
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dont value your opinion based on your past actions.
TLDR
use your 2nd profile next time, i forgot the username to that one
https://i.imgur.com/ygwkpg3.mp4
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You should report it when you remember because I'd like to know which profile that is supposed to be too.
But sayonara for now, as always it was a "pleasure" to hear your made-up bs.
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Not sure if this would be considered BS too, but last year alone, as reported by the Steam Replay, I had ~712 hours logged, with 96% of it on the Steam Deck. And it isn't the first year I've owned one 🌚👌in 2023 it was 880 hours with 86% on the Deck
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I'm not sure if you misunderstood the context here. It wasn't about having 800+ hours with the Steam Deck being "bs". At least it wasn't from my side ;)
Btw I miss when SteamDB directly showed the time spent with the Deck.
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steam deck logs NONE of the offline hours and thats 99.99% of my gameplay on it
so its guess work off the amount of games ive finished.
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Yeah, I did stumble upon this problem a couple of years ago but didn't notice any issues in that regard lately
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you would think they would want to fix the biggest steam problem of all sooner, but nope.
this lets users play 335 hours of a game and as long as it under the 2 weeks period you can refund it. because you have 0 hours.
since the last updated on deck it will say how many hours i have - 217 for one game. it count hours if your deck is in sleep mode......
this only applies to desktop mode
annnnd you still cant review the game cause you have 0 hours on store page. so would also be up for refund.... so broken
what i hate the most about it is that all my achievements are unlocked and given at the exact same time when i go online.
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A lot of these pointers listed I've never personally encountered with my Deck, and I've had mine since launch. My Steam Deck has been pretty consistantly stable both in handheld (gaming mode) and in desktop mode with the only change to performance being in desktop mode running at a higher screen resolution than in handheld, so I don't agree with saying it runs far better in desktop mode. I also use a dock for my pc monitor for desktop mode with an attached wired keyboard and wired mouse with no issues, though I occasionally use a wireless logitech keyboard and mouse using the same unifying adapter when i bring my deck to my office. I also have never had issues with my joysticks and mostly play in handheld mode, that sounds like a specific issue with your deck. Also to help with heat management you can manually adjust the fan curve for better temps and performance with decky plugin, or switch the default fan curve in the steam deck settings.
Just some pointers from another deck daily user with 800+ hrs :)
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Good to know. There really seem to be a lot of plugins
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I wouldn't get into plugins and other more advanced stuff right away. Steam OS is already very very solid, you can absolutely rely on the vanilla package for a very enjoyable experience.
When I got mine, I also experimented a lot. But rather quickly I registered that just playing Steam titles on a standard OS was more than enough. I kicked all emulation stuff and other extras from mine. While the Deck is excellent for emulation, there are better games to play on Steam.
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I've seen that there are a few things I can do to customize the interface, but I don't think I'll change anything there. I'll just see if there are some useful things that might make things easier for me. I'll try it out and see what I can use, otherwise I'll remove it.
Since I don't use emulators on the PC, I would rather use them on the Steam Deck to play my favorite games from old consoles, but also so my sister can play the games I grew up with on a mobile device.
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Many thanks for all the helpful tips! Yes, the Steam dock is really expensive.
I'm going to use my Xbox controller. And I'll use my PS4 controller for the PS2 emulator, for example
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how do you view the number of hours you played on the steam deck>? Is there a stat that Valve tracks or is this your personal tracking. I am interested in my usage.
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I've had my Steam Deck since launch, love it and play it nearly daily. Some tweaks I've made to mine includes:
-
Emudeck - I personally prefer this over Retrodeck
-
CryoUtilities 2.0 - App that automatically makes tweaks for better performance & has an included guide on how to allocate more VRAM
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Decky Loader - Plugin manager for custom tools and plugins for tweaking performance, custom launch animations, Customized UI, etc.
-
Q4Wine - Utility for Wine Applications (Basically makes it easier to install Windows-based .exe's for games and apps. Used this to install NFS Most Wanted & NFS Carbon :D)
That's basically all I've done to mine that I can think of lol, hope this helps a bit :)
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By many accounts, CryoUtilities, the current version of it, is pretty much useless now, because many (if not all) of the tweaks it had offered before have now been integrated into the Steam OS
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Oh I'll have to look into that, thanks for letting me know lol I've still had it installed since like 2+ years ago or so :)
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I have it since the release, when the preorders where a thing and i never needed absolutely anything additional to enjoy it.
I would suggest only two things to download on Desktop Mode, so you can add EpicGames Store, GOG, Amazon Games.
· Install ProtonUp-Qt - Just look for it on the Discovery application center and install it, you will be able to get community supported Proton versions, some games work better with it or add missing cutscenes on some games that official Proton doesn't have.
· Install Heoric Games Launcher - Software that unifies EpicGames Launcher, GOG and AmazonGames into a single app, you will be able to access, install and add to Steam all that games "automatically".
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I use DeckyLoader almost exclusively for the package that lets you change the cover art, as I have some older games. DeckyLoader needs to be reloaded every time there's a main Steam update. (You run the script again. Annoying, but easy.) But also handy for protondb listings and HLTB. I use it for Junk Store for Epic games.
You might join the Steam Deck giveaway group... Whatever it was called. Deck something? You can search the forums. :)
The tool for seeing how the game is running is built in. One of the settings you see when you hit the right side button. (Since you mentioned wanting it.) Being able to set FPS easily on the deck is lovely.
Also, I love the way it suspends basically every game flawlessly.
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As far as the FPS is concerned, I have seen that there is often talk of a sweet spot.
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I don't have one, but I can recommend some games that I've enjoyed a lot that are approved.
Core Keeper
Hollow Knight
Dead Cells
Spider-Man Remastered
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Balatro
Vampire Survivors
Hades
Cyberpunk 2077
Hogwarts Legacy
Dave The Diver
The Binding Of Issac Rebirth
Cult Of The Lamb
Middle Earth Shadow Of War
No Man's Sky
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https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42167844-Great-on-Deck/ - is a great group to join if you haven't
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PlateUp!
Dicefolk
Moonlighter
Monster Sanctuary
Starbound
Nobody Saves The World
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Touhou Mystia's Izakaya kawaii desu!
Wishlisted! Arigatou.
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I’m glad if I was able to help you, even just a little.
That game is about gathering ingredients during the day and running an izakaya at night.
There are many repetitive and monotonous tasks, but the music and characters are so good that I still enjoyed it.
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For some games it's worth to increase VRAM limit in BIOS. It's set to 1GB by default. You can bump it up to 4GB.
I had to do this for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, otherwise all the cutscenes were like a slide show.
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Your first game should be Aperture Desk Job
Its a free demo from valve that will show you how the deck works. And its fun to.
Look into what steam inputs are and how customizable this really is. There is nothing you can't change about any game input as needed. It does not matter if the game supports it or not. Note, this applies to all steam games on desktops as well. Its a part of steam. Not the steam deck. I just mention it since its very useful on the deck.
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Yes! And this game is hilarious. Better if you've played Portal.
Mmm. Cake.
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There's a Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse app, turns your phone into a keyboard/ mouse on the go for your Steam Deck!
Also an app called KDE Connect, let's your RING your Deck if it gets lost! It can also turn your phone into a bluetooth keyboard & much more.
Reddit has a lot of useful steam deck tips too, but I'm learning a lot from this thread here.
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No problems with mine, I just use it when I travel, I got a hub for like $20 and it works as intended.
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My 2 favorite games to play on steam deck is hollow knight and factorio.
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Haven't played factorio before but I imagine it would involve a lot of precise clicking and/or hotkeys, so I'm surprised to see it here. I hopped on protondb and saw that apparently it was updated for native controller support some time ago and now plays pretty well on the deck. Nice!
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Recently played Cult of the Lamb and I think it'd be a perfect fit as a Deck game.
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Heyo :)
I bought a Steam Deck OLED (still waiting for it to be delivered) and wanted to ask if you have any recommendations, tips and tricks or must haves for me. I've heard that you can do a lot with it, especially when it comes to customizing.
I'm also planning emulators on the Steam Deck, but I still can't decide whether to use EmuDeck or RetroDeck. Since PS2 is definitely a must for me, which one is best for?
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