More from Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution
I thought it breathed new life into the Steam Deck even in my 60Hz tests — but next month, Nvidia’s adding its promised new mode that matches the Steam Deck OLED’s 90Hz refresh rate, too. Also, you’ll be able to stream some games with the power of an RTX 5080.
I adore Mechanism’s mounting solutions, but always felt its $15 kickstand was a skip; I bought this amazing $25 mount instead. But the brand-new Kickstand 2 is better! Slimmer, stronger, anti-skid, no more detach when you lean back. Still can pop off when pulling forward at some angles, though! Tradeoffs.
Why reboot your whole SteamOS handheld to desktop when you can visit the desktop from inside the gaming mode? Nested Desktop does have limitations (no file management, no Steam-within-Steam) but gosh are there times this’d come in handy. Jacob at XDA calls it “the best Steam Deck feature you aren’t using”.
Setup: In desktop mode, tap Steam logo on taskbar > scroll down to Lost and Found > Right-click “Nested Desktop” > “Add to Steam.”
Not to be outdone by GPD, which teased a handheld so powerful it’s begging to be plugged into the wall, Ayaneo is teasing its own Strix Halo handheld — alongside a mountain of other product. There’s so much you’ll need to scrub through not one, but two “strategy sharing session” videos to see it all. The Strix Halo device will be the Ayaneo Next 2, and it’s promising its battery will be internal unlike the GPD one.
GPD, the company behind the most potent tiny laptops, is now teasing the most potent handheld. The GPD Win 5 will somehow fit a AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — also see Framework Desktop and Asus’ ROG Flow Z13 gaming tablet — into a chassis that’s like a large PlayStation Vita with hidden keyboard.
The Phawx has shown that Strix Halo can already beat today’s handhelds on efficiency, and destroy them plugged into the wall.
Testing the $599 and $829 SteamOS models.
We have the early answer, thanks to Digital Foundry and Cary “The Phawx” Golomb, and... it’s so nuanced and intriguing I recommend you watch both videos yourself! But TL;DR:
- Switch 2 plays Cyberpunk 2077 far better docked... but Steam Deck wins handheld.
- Handheld, the Switch 2 is less stable; missing some detail; load times are slower.
- Switch only uses around 1/3rd the power! But since Steam Deck has 2.5x the battery, both last around 2 hours.
Want to tell Siri (no, not that Siri, I mean the goofy guy below) what he should make next? You could already suggest ideas on Discord, but now there’s a Feedbear page to vote up ideas.
My existing fav is the do-it-all Phone Mount that I’ve featured here before, though I’m very tempted by the ball joint adapter and the gaming pillow. I’m also overdue to write about the very good sling bag.
There’s a native app for SteamOS now, and it’s pretty great.
Now that SteamOS 3.7.8 has added official support for Lenovo’s handheld gaming PC, as well as a recovery image for installation on other handhelds like the Rog Ally and original Legion Go, it’s time to find out.
YouTuber Dave2D seems impressed, saying the Steam version has better performance than the Windows version in some games, and better performance in some games than the Steam Deck OLED -- albeit with more wattage required.
The Lenovo Legion Go S will be the first authorized third-party SteamOS handheld, whenever it finally goes on sale, but more may be coming. In January, Valve told us that Lenovo was its only partner, but today Valve published an updated FAQ stating that “We’re currently working with select partners on officially licensed Powered by SteamOS devices.” Multiple partners!
Valve might simply mean it’s looking for more partners, but if the language was meant to be precise...
The new feature just launched in the Preview and Beta channels. “Limiting the charge limit to 80% can be beneficial for long term battery health,” Valve says. “This can be useful if your Steam Deck is constantly being charged (i.e. docked), or very rarely has its battery depleted.”
[store.steampowered.com]
You can turn on your Steam Deck LCD from across the room with a Bluetooth controller (only the OLED model did that at launch!) and I’m personally excited to finally use my Bluetooth headset’s microphone for chat while I game (sadly just in Desktop mode for now). Plus much more!
All these changes already arrived in the Preview branch back in March and in April, but there be dragons that way. Much more accessible now.
[store.steampowered.com]
The first non-Steam Deck but authorized as “Powered by SteamOS” handheld is supposed to ship this month, joining the Windows version of the Legion Go S that we reviewed in February. Now the latest SteamOS preview (3.7.5) shows Valve’s ongoing preparations with new support for its trackpad.
That was on the to-do list of items Valve had at CES, so it’s good to see it being checked off, even if the Steam version is still only listed as “coming soon” at Best Buy.
[store.steampowered.com]
7
Verge Score
Don’t buy one unless you need both.