My new gaming device: SteamDeck

I consider myself an avid gamer. I have been playing games on a gaming console since the PlayStation 1 until the PlayStation 4 era. After a few years of using the PlayStation 4 console, I decided to upgrade my gaming console.

I initially planned to purchase a PlayStation 5 because I was tempted by their promise of next-gen gaming experiences. However, my hectic work schedule has limited my time from playing games whenever I am at home.

When the gaming world was introduced with the first PC-grade handheld gaming device, I was shocked at how small and powerful the handheld device was. The best thing was the whole concept of PC-quality gaming on the go.

The idea of being able to bring my library of games wherever I go without compromising on graphics, and gaming experience was undeniably tempting. Also, I have been using the Steam platform for more than 5 years now. This is one of the key factors that favor me to choose SteamDeck instead of a PS5.

Over the years, I have accumulated around 56 game titles from the Steam marketplace. SteamDeck will give me the ability to access my entire game collection on a handheld device.

The SteamDeck's hardware specifications are more powerful compared to a PS4. By default, the SteamDeck device comes equipped with:

• custom AMD APU (CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32) & GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.6GHz (1.6 TFlops FP32)
• RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels)
• Storage: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Display: 1280 x 800 X RGB - Optically bonded IPS LCD
• Battery: 40Whr battery. 2 - 8 hours of gameplay
• Software: SteamOS 3 (Arch-based)

Of course, my decision to obtain a SteamDeck comes with sacrifices. I had to sell my beloved PlayStation 4 along with all the games that I had purchased. I was genuinely sad when I passed my PS4 to its new owner.

Today marked the third month since I purchased the SteamDeck. I have been carrying the SteamDeck with me wherever I go. Whenever I had a chance to play a game, I took out the SteamDeck from its case and chose the game that I wanted to play

The downside of owning a SteamDeck is, that there are no service centers located in Malaysia. Thus, I need to be extra careful with my SteamDeck

---