I am using my PC for gaming 80% of the time. Instead of buying a new PC (mine is getting old), I was wondering if I can just buy a Steam Deck with docking station, to work as PC substitute.

How hard would it be to:

  1. Play strategy games with keyboard/mouse/screen setup.
  2. Mod steam games.
  3. Browse web through a browser that supports adblocking.
  4. Watch Netflix/D+/Twitch.
  5. Install random linux apps (e.g. Anki).
  6. Do some recreational python programming .

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  • deathblade200BEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Can SteamDeck substitute for a PC?

    simple answer is yes it will be more powerful than any laptop/PC in the same price range. I have a gaming laptop and gamingdesktop but use my steam deck more because not only can it transform into a Laptop, a Desktop, a Console, or just be used as a handheld but I also like having all my data on one portable device instead of having to worrying about having to get it off my other devices. as for your questions

    1. a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard will connect to it easily or if you prefer wired you can get a usb hub. for the screen you would need something with a USB-C to HDMI adapter such as a dock.
    2. depends on the game as well as your knowledge working with files. if you know windows at all it works fairly similar though people for some reason act like it doesn’t.
    3. you can just install browsers like chrome and opera. this isn’t a console and has a full normal Desktop mode
    4. again it has full browsers and full desktop mode. there are also apps like Kodi if you prefer that
    5. depends on the apps really flatpak is the main supported app but you can also use other app formats such as appimages or even .deb. there is also nix support now
    6. as stated before it has a full desktop mode that will let you do that.
    • xmBQWugdxjaABEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      yes it will be more powerful than any laptop/PC in the same price range

      The GPU definitely, but the CPU isn’t.

      It’s a trade-off, you get a great mobile GPU but a slightly weaker CPU, and split RAM for the GPU.

      Overall it works quite well though, but could be an issue for strategy / simulation heavy games like Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress, Victoria 3, etc.

      But it performs really well for GPU-heavy games that can run well at the 1200x800 screen resolution and don’t require a mouse - like third-party combat games.