cronSteam Deck is at sale: 10% to 20% off
zlatiahOut of curiosity... Anyone use the Steam Deck as a computer beyond just gaming? I don't play games that much but I'd love a decent spec portable computer that I can also use to play video games, the price is quite generous given what its specs look like so...
Yes, I’ve been using it as my PC for about a year now, I do game on it but my primary reason for purchase was that it was just a great deal on a Linux machine.
I’m curious what makes it a great deal on a Linux machine? It seems like pretty niche (i.e. expensive) hardware for any other purpose than handheld gaming.
It’s cost:performance ratio at the time was crazy, it is widely assumed Valve is selling it as a loss leader or at mfr cost. The only thing they’ve said is that it’s pricing was “painful”. It’s hardware isn’t that niche, it’s just a PC in a handheld form factor.
I mainly use mine for gaming because I have a desktop and a laptop too, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it as a decent semi-portable computer. It probably won't be as convenient is a laptop when it comes to typing on the go, and it certainly won't be as powerful as a desktop, but gaming on a Steam Deck is an absolute joy.
You'll definitely want some kind of dock, a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse.
I’ve used mine on the go with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Works great, although the screen is a little small in that use case.
Docked with an external monitor is much more useful for regular computing. I suggest use Linux as my daily driver OS, so easy enough for me. Only thing the Deck is really missing is CUPS for printing.