cakeday train

This is the process I recommend:

1. Look at your stack of shame.
2. Chastise and flog yourself, at first alternately, and then simultaneously to finish up.
3. Buy a Steam Deck, because obviously lack of portability is the sole reason your stack of shame eclipsed the sun.
4. Play in public places and soak up the delicious envy of your peers.

For the price, i'd go for the steam deck, and if in the future you need a desktop computer, you can always get the dock. That's what i would do

So what is your decision? Getting a Deck?

Playing games on this small device seems very odd to me.
So maybe smaller game laptop ? If you dont mind screen being tiny.
What about community features on stem deck ? Chat or voice communicate ? Or maybe you dont need that kind of feature.

my issue is if the controller parts break. how repairable are they? it's a good novelty but unless they made the controller parts easily replaceable i feel you're better off with a laptop.

Personally, I'd buy a laptop - you can use it for many other things besides gaming. If your needs change in a year or two, it'd be nice to already have a laptop.

I'd say take a laptop if you can afford it; if you want a portable handheld for idk travel or so I'd go with the steam deck option.

Why are you asking us? You are the one who knows how you want to game and when.
All you'll get from us is what we want to do, and that might not match your ideas at all...

To me a Steam deck or a Switch is useable to play somethiung while travelling, and not any too demanding something at that - I would absolutely advocate for a stationary/laptop, no contest. I see the portables as fun additions to a stationary/laptop, but not even close to a replacement.
But that's me, and not you (or many others for that matter). So get the one that fits you the best, that fits your needs the best, and don't listen to us too much.

To be honest with the dock you will have a functional laptop, albeit Linux.
You can of course add windows, but why? xD

I like the Steam Deck, but only as a side device (most of my work/gaming is done on desktop).

Steam Deck is much more portable for gaming without carting around a mouse or controller - trackpads have always annoyed me. On extended trips, can also bring along a foldable bluetooth keyboard and stand to turn it into a very functional computer for simple tasks (browsing, emails). Also, can install VLC + Plex in desktop mode (or the streaming service of your choice), so fills that video niche too.

All this at a very affordable price compared to a laptop with similar gaming capabilities

I'd only recommend laptop over deck if the plan is to use it as your main computer, or to use for work related needs (job, school, etc) - the screen is small and definitely isn't the most professional looking device.

Depends on your work actually. If it's solely for gaming and you already have an old laptop to get work done go for deck. It's highly customisable and affordable compared to a gaming laptop.

if you only want to play games get the steam deck

Always goes with the plan B, i mean, just in case something unexpected happen, a laptop would be very useful and helpful :)

I have a steam deck and love it for playing games, it's so portable and the dock is great. With the dock, you can easily hook it up to a monitor and use it as a laptop.

Laptop +1 if you want to do things other than gaming and also better thermal solution/hardware than Steam deck.

I've used both Steam Deck and a gaming laptop, and I prefer the Steam Deck for gaming. It's much easier for me to take on the go. The only thing I don't like as much about the Deck, is how not all PC games run smoothly on it. Thankfully that hasn't been much of an issue for me.

I was surprised by how big the Steam Deck is. Its screen looks fantastic, and it also feels nice in my hands. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I voted for the SteamDeck, cause I have one, and love the experience, but then I think it depends on the games you play. Better to check if they're steamdeck compatible first.
I would have said that it also depends on if you're a keyboard gamer or controller gamer, but if you get the dock and all, you can easily play with a keyboard, too, so I guess it's not that relevant.
Also, if you've got a TV, no need to buy a dock or screen in my opinion, you can jut get a Hub with a couple of usb, hdmi and one usb power ports and link it to your TV, that's what I do when I wanna play a game I'd rather see on a big screen ^^
Whichever your choice is, hope you have fun with it!

Steam Deck, by far. Any 399€ laptop will be terrible for gaming.

Steam deck is cool for gaming! It's also portable so enjoy!

I had a gaming laptop once and it was a mistake.

Nice update. Enjoy your Deck. Great device. 😄

🖥️🎮

Congratz on your purchase! I love my deck.

Congrats on getting your Steam Deck! I just got one myself so hopefully, I enjoy it as much as you do!

Congratz

How does the screen feel? Isn't it too cramped or too small?
That has been my concern for now. First feeling is that it would be difficult to play for example GTA or Skyrim or something like that where there is world to explore.

What games do you play on it? Any first impressions?

I have a flight planned in February and some nights in hotel..... to be honest I just might order one as well within January :D