Valve's Steam Deck is set to release February 25th officially, with the first batch of consoles being shipped out on February 28th. The portable console had originally planned to launch late last year but was delayed due to the shortage of microprocessor chips. With just a few more weeks until the new release date, developers who were able to get their hands on the final Steam Deck ahead of launch are once again praising the device.
Back in September, Valve sent out Steam Deck development kits to game developers who in turn shared some insight into what work they would do so that their games would be optimized for the console. The consensus from game developers who received the Steam Deck development kits was one of high praise, and many developers noted that games did run smoothly on the device. It was noted that games that are traditionally keyboard-and-mouse only would need controller to work with the buttons on the console, but even these games could still be played using the Steam Deck's touch screen. Some other titles would also need resolution and input adjustments but would ultimately work on the device without major problems. Now that the final product will be released later this month, excitement for the console is drumming up again.
As reported by specs of Valve's Steam Deck, especially its graphics settings and processing, are impressive considering that the console is a small handheld device. Raymond Doerr, the developer of Rise to Ruins, said that the controls--particularly the touchpad for the mouse--might be the best he's ever used. A couple of developers explained that their games did need a few small adjustments, but every issue was due to the fault of the game or something that could be easily tweaked.
The only negative comment regarding the Steam Deck is that its operating system may have some issues on the development side. For example, some games did not detect the Steam Deck as a controller, and without a search function or collapsible list, the Steam library can be annoying to scroll through. However, these issues will be less of a problem for players and more of an issue for developers. There is also some concern with the Steam Deck's battery life, which is significantly less than that of the Nintendo Switch. Either way, many developers are confident that the Steam Deck will have a smooth launch in of its software.
With such high praise of the Steam Deck from game developers, it's likely that Valve's new portable console will represent a huge shift in PC gaming. Later this month fans will be able to try the console for themselves and see how it works.
Source: PC Gamer
