I got the DBrand Killswitch case, and cover. It allowed me to toss my SteamDeck into my carry-on across 8 flights this year, along with a large battery pack and other items, and come out the other end without a scratch. Even with all the shuffling things around that happens during TSA checks. Included kickstand is nice too, as I used my SteamDeck with a folding Bluetooth keyboard on the trips to act as a portable PC without having to lug my laptop across the country.
yeah one of the old ones. i never noticed the owl face but uh yeah it does look like that and now i cant unsee it. it's pretty good for desktop navigation, and i think it's a shame they don't make them anymore
i'd say a usb hub, so you can easily connect kb and mouse if you want to get into desktop mode.
the one i have has usb3 in and out for power passthrough.
a couple of normal usbs , hdmi output, and ethernet port.
for me i also use that hub to add in usb storage (mostly if i want movies when travelling or something)
i use the ethernet port for large downloads - my wifi is a bit lame.
i'm thinking about a 3d printed stand for it (that i can clip the hub into) - but i might just make one out of scrap wood because it's nicer than shitty plastic.
If you aren't sure about a dock, you should at least look at getting an inexpensive usb hub. I found that and a 3d-printed stand was good enough for propping it up to use with kb/m on occasion.
Other than that, for me at least, installing Anydesk made things much easier to set things up in desktop mode and transfer files from my desktop pc.
This is the first I've heard of Anydesk. Does that basically mean I can operate the steam deck in desktop mode from my actual computer? If so, that would be amazingly handy! (I'm particularly glad they have a version for Mac.)
Hey I've just installed AnyDesk on the Steam Deck and my Mac. It's consistently disconnecting after exactly 1m. Is that normal behavior for a free tier user?
The default case for the original leaves a little to be desired, but it’s ok for what it is. I upgraded my case to a JSAUX bc I wanted some extra space and didn’t like bundling the power cord up underneath a strap. I don’t find myself traveling with it too much though, so it doesn’t get alot of use.
The on-screen keyboard takes some getting used to and I hated it at first, so I had gotten a sort of portable mousepad/keyboard thing (cheap fosmon brand thing), but I actually don’t find myself using it at all anymore. The grip is weird on it for doing L/R mouseclicks and I just got used to typing on-screen. Maybe a different one would give better results, but I’m not going to buy stuff just to test it.
I actually hadn’t been using the dock I got for the longest time, but in the past few months since I started letting my kids use the Deck (only while docked), it’s getting used daily and we’re playing alot of co-op/multiplayer games. Getting a Dock w multiple USB ports helps if you don’t want to deal w wireless connection stuff (haven’t really tried). This would probably depend on your use-case, but the Deck itself is a bit heavy and docking it could also help with that.
I have a library of emulated games, so I bought an SD card specifically for holding those, otherwise I try to budget my Deck’s storage and only keep games I’m actively/regularly playing.
A pd capable power bank can be a godsend. I’ve got one capable of delivering 40W, and charging the deck , 3-4 times. It’s gotten me out of a hole a few times, when I’ve used up the internal battery, and don’t have easy access to mains power.
Beyond that. A Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can be useful, along with a set of headphones. I’ve got a dock, but rarely end up using it. Half of that is it acting as a stand. Nothing else is really required, as far as my gaming goes. It’s all rolled in already. Though you might want a chunky SD card, depending on how many games you want available, away from fast WiFi.
About the dock, I would add that if you want to do emulation stuff, a dock with kb/mouse makes it a lot easier. Can you do it with the trackpad and on screen keyboard, yes. Will you hate yourself for trying after 5 minutes, also yes. 😂 Maybe it was just me, I found doing anything other than basic settings changes nearly impossible without kb/mouse.
for me dock and skins to protect. The screen skin is just a film but the body type protector is a rubbery type stuff but mine came with an adapter so it would work fine with the steam dock. My steam dock has an annoying issue with the power where it sometimes just does not work so if I had to do again I would get a third party dock. The worst part of the issue is that its just not quite bad enough to go through the hassle of doing a return but just annoying enough to come across it regularly to remind me to be annoyed about it.
maaaaybe the dock (my friend is telling me to get one)
Unless you have something to replace its functionality with already, just get the dock. You are probably going to want to plug in a mouse and keyboard and monitor eventually; it's a full x86-64 linux computer with a desktop mode in addition to being a hand-held gaming console.
Personally, I usually use it more like a traditional gaming console (with my old xbox360 wireless controller plugged into the dock and hooked up to my monitor) -- that I can pick up and take with me occasionally -- but have written code on it and installed mods/patches that have to be copied into specific parts of a game's folder and such. Just being able to use it like a regular computer is nice.
I thought the case it came with was fine personally, but I've only traveled with it a little bit.
If you’re a tinkerer / interested in emulation a nice Samsung or name brand USBC thumb drive for moving files. I found this to be the accessory I needed the most and which saved me the most headache once acquired.
I almost always play in handheld mode. I did ultimately buy a cheap USBC dock so I could watch movies / have on the hotel tv while traveling.
I got one of those mounts which latches onto the deck. It sits on the wall now beside my couch. I like that, personally.
I think the only thing you need to consider with Steam Deck is little things like installing Proton-GE for greater game compatibility. SteamGridDB Decky plugin for non-steam games so they have all the nice artwork etc.
I will say though, I upgraded my 64GB eMMC Steam Deck to a 1TB SSD a few months ago and this OLED Steam Deck is super goddamn tempting.
I would look at it as "maybe consider later", but the limited edition look is sexy. I'm not going to actually do it (I basically locked that in by buying a PS5 today) any time soon, even though I didn't regret the upgrade with the switch at all, but it's definitely a tempting upgrade.
God damn is the controller an even bigger upgrade than I expected, though. The precision vibration is way better than the switch and the triggers are legit as hell stacked with it. Astro's playroom shows it off really well.
To get lower input latency ensure your PS5 is connected via a network cable, then the only wireless hop is via the Steamdeck. Gets to be pretty reasonable input latency then, best with 60fps games.
PS5 remote play is actually the primary reason I started looking at larger handhelds. I have been using a Retroid Pocket 3+, but the tiny 720p screen is starting to hurt my eyes at night. I had looked at the steam deck already, but I wanted something with a more ideal screen. The timing of the OLED couldn’t have been more perfect for me.
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