Steam Deck Related News

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Stay ahead with the latest news and updates about the Steam Deck. We bring you all the information you need about this new handheld gaming device.

Path Of Exile 2 Is Playable On Steam Deck, But Not IdealARPGs like Path of Exile 2 and portable gaming devices like the Steam Deck go together like spaghetti and meatballs. Fighting huge mobs of enemies and grinding out rare loot is perfect for pick-up-and-play gaming, especially while you lay in bed listening to all those podcasts your friends keep bugging you to check… Read more...

KotakuFeb 3

10 best apps for your Steam Deck The Steam Deck is a great way to enjoy gaming on the go, or even grab a quick game bite while lounging on the sofa. But what if we tell you your experience on the Deck could be made better through a couple of simple steps? Let's see what are the best apps for your Steam Deck. The best apps to improve your Steam Deck experience Keep in mind that most of the apps in our list can be installed by using the Discover menu, which can be accessed by heading to the "Power" section of your Steam Deck menu. Now select "Desktop mode," and you will be booted into a desktop-like environment. Click on the menu button in the bottom left and you can use the on-screen keyboard to search for any apps in the Discover section. Mozilla Firefox Image via Firefox Do we really need to explain this one? We think you have probably already used it on your computer or your mobile device. Firefox is one of the best browsers around, and while you might only use your Deck to browse the Steam marketplace, browsing websites would be quite difficult without a specific web browser. There are a lot of different ones you can try, such as Microsoft Edge and Opera, but we do believe Mozilla Firefox is still the best option. By using a web browser on the Deck, you can check a walkthrough and find useful information on a game you might need, such as how long to beat it. While, clearly, all web browsers do the same thing and work just as well on the Deck, other apps also require having one installed. For example, if you use Epic Games Store on the Heroic Launcher (see below), often you will need to confirm details in a browser window. Not having one installed means that the game will often freeze or exit without providing any details. Heroic Launcher Image via Heroic Launcher The Steam Deck, out of the box, is ready and willing to play all of your Steam games, of course. But what if you want to play games from the Epic Games Store, GoG, or any of the other storefronts? Doesn't seem doable, right? Wrong, it is and doesn't even require a lot of tinkering. Say hello to the Heroic Launcher, an app that you can install on your Deck and run just like one of the games in your Steam library. Once run, the Launcher can be configured to interface with several stores, such as the mentioned Epic Games Store, GoG, Ubisoft, and so on. But what if you have compatibility issues? No worries since, thanks to its built-in Wine Manager, you have a ton of different options and plugins to make games run even better. Heroic will also suggest which Proton versions to use if you are unsure. Heroic can easily double or triple your library of available games without even having to install an SD card. Lutris is also a good alternative. EmuDeck Image via EmuDeck Perhaps all the games available on Steam are not enough for you, or perhaps you want something older that you can't get anywhere else. Like that classic PlayStation platformer or that obscure PC Engine shoot 'em up. Enter EmuDeck, one of the best tools to allow you to play retro games on devices that weren't originally designed to play retro games, with additional features available to improve the experience. Clearly, the d-pad on the Deck would not be the best to play classic retro 8-bit games, but you can still give it a decent attempt. The Deck can run a lot of different consoles, including ones such as the NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, GameCube, and even more recent ones. But that's not all; if you have already used EmuDeck, then you can easily transfer your cloud saves over to the Deck so you won't lose that progress in Chrono Trigger . Also, if you have any good Bluetooth controllers, EmuDeck will allow you to quickly set them up for much more comfortable gameplay. This is a must-have for any retro fans. Discord Image via Discord Again, we probably don't think we need to thoroughly explain this one. Chances are that you are already using it to communicate with your friends or other users, along with having joined one (or more) of its millions of servers. Naturally, the app becomes even more necessary if you are going to play any cross-platform titles and want to stay in touch with your friends. Or, perhaps you want everyone on your friends list to know what game you are currently playing. While the app is not as easy to recommend as it once was because of more and more bloatware, not to mention many interesting features now locked behind a paywall, it is still easy to install and use. Also, while there are alternatives to Discord, such as Skype, chances are all your friends will already use it anyway. Perhaps it would make more sense to use Discord on your phone or other mobile device, but switching apps on the Deck is easy, just via a long press of the "Steam" button. Chiaki4deck Image via Reddit Have you been greedily eyeing the PlayStation Portal, thinking you don't really want to spend that kind of money on a simple streaming device? Well, you are in luck because with a Deck, you can get an experience that is quite similar and, many users swear, even better than Sony's expensive portable device. Enter Chiaki4deck, an app that you can use to stream PS5 games directly from your console to your portable Steam device. The app ran into some problems at first, with users complaining about the app's performance degrading in a few minutes. But luckily, this issue seems to have been fixed, so you can go ahead and try Chiaki4deck for yourself. While Chiaki does require a bit of customization before running it, as it might not work perfectly out of the box, once it's set up, it is very easy to use and should guarantee efficient performance with any game. If you are looking to stream Xbox games, try XBPlay instead. Moonlight Image via Moonlight app Since we are on the topic of streaming games, Steam already provides its own specific app to stream games from your PC: Steam Link. This usually works quite well, but many users have problems with its performance. So, if you are unsure if Link is the ideal streaming app for you, then you'll be happy to know there is a free alternative you can try out. Plus, Moonlight, as opposed to Link, supports HDR natively and can improve latency if you have been having issues. Installing Moonlight requires a couple of more steps than usual, as you need to install Sunshine first. Sunshine provides the server from which the games will be streamed. You can do this, as always, by using the Discovery section of the menu in Desktop mode. Once they are both installed, the setup for Moonlight is easy and mostly painless, and you will be streaming games from your PC in no time, having a great experience while saving battery life. Decky Loader Image via Decky Loader Wondering how to customize your Deck beyond buying a silly-looking silicone cover? By using Decky Loader, you can choose from a vast selection of plugins and scripts that will not only change the looks of your Deck but also improve how you use it. For example, do you want to add NES sounds to your Deck or perhaps show off some tasty Windows 95 wallpapers? You can do it really easily through a huge free library of items. But wait, there's more! You can also use the app to look up and apply the recommended settings for any game in your library automatically. Plus, by using Decky Recorder, you can easily record gameplay footage that you can upload to Steam or use for your Let's Play YouTube channel. Also, look up FAQs easily and see many useful details on each game you have. Decky Loader will improve your life as a Deck user, no doubt about that. Foliate Image via Foliate Why not take a break between playing your favorite games with a good book? While that might not sound like the most engaging proposal, reading a book on the Steam Deck is feasible thanks to its great screen. Also, by bringing your Deck with you, you can consider leaving your Kindle or ebook reader at home, which will definitely save you a bit of hassle. So, if you would like to think of your Deck as an all-in-one platform to read, play, and even watch movies (see below), then head over to the Discovery section of the Desktop mode. Foliate, along with other apps that you can find, such as Sigil and Bookworm, will do the heavy lifting and leave you to your reading. Foliate includes handy features such as different reading modes (paginated and scrolled), font customization, light/sepia/dark modes, and a useful progress slider so you can keep track of where you left off. Whoever said that reading is the enemy of gaming? VLC (Videolan) Image via Videolan Sure, streaming is still the easiest way to access content on any device you currently own or are thinking of buying. But if you possess a digital collection of media, perhaps a leftover from your iPod days, or maybe you would like to watch on the Deck those old Vines you made as a kid, then VLC is the app you need. It will allow you to play any kind of media content transferred to the system or loaded from an SD card. Naturally, VLC (or VideoLan) is not the only app that you can install on the Deck. You can easily find other media players, such as Kodi or MX Player; it is just a matter of preference since all of them do the same thing. Also, these apps support streaming from another source, so you can watch content directly from your computer or cast a video from the Deck to another device (such as your Google Cast). If you have been dreaming of a DRM-free world, then this is your first step into a wider universe. ProtonUp-Qt Image via ProtonUp-QT This might be a bit more for the "option nerds" among you, but hear us out. If you have been playing games in non-native Steam mode, perhaps because you are a retro fan or indie games downloaded from Itch, then ProtonUp-Qt will be a powerful help. This app will let you not only install several GE-Proton versions but also customize them through compatibility options within SteamOS. This will greatly improve game compatibility in case you have been running into problems trying to run anything outside of the store. Find the tool in the Discover store, then run it in Desktop mode to get an interface with which you can install more compatibility options. If you are not planning to run anything outside of the Steam store, then ProtonUp-Qt is probably not needed, but thanks to its ease of use and accessibility, it is still a great app to keep handy. The post 10 best apps for your Steam Deck appeared first on Destructoid .

Steam Archives – DestructoidFeb 2

Someone Ripped Apart A Steam Deck And Turned It Into A Super Small ConsoleThe Steam Deck is a very popular (and good! ) handheld gaming device that lets you play many of your favorite PC games on the go. But what if it was a screenless console you had to plug into a TV to use? Well, someone ripped their own Steam Deck apart to make just that and called it a “Steam Brick.” Read more...

KotakuJan 27

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth On Steam Deck Is Surprisingly Playable But Kind Of Ugly2024’s highly anticipated ( and very good ) Final Fantasy VII Rebirth broke out of its PS5 containment cell to emerge on PC on January 23, 2025. Here, the open-world RPG ostensibly improves its arguably disappointing technical performance and presentation issues on console by way of more powerful CPU and GPU combos… Read more...

KotakuJan 27

Square Enix Shared Best FFVII Rebirth Steam Deck Graphics SettingSquare Enix recommended the best FFVII Rebirth Steam Deck Graphics Quality setting, but didn't mention any other recommendations.

SiliconeraJan 27

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Runs Well on a Handheld Gaming PC The PC release isn’t just the first opportunity for various graphical enhancements for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth , as it also marks our chance to run the latest FFVII remake trilogy game on a handheld gaming PC like a Steam Deck. Square Enix even announced it was part of the company’s mission to get it running on that by launch, which it achieved . I spent all of my time with the latest version on a Lenovo Legion Go and, while does need a little finagling to get it in a place a player might like, I found that this fantastic JRPG worked much better than I expected it to. So the first part of any handheld gaming PC experience like a Steam Deck is going to involve the time spent waiting for all the shaders to load, and FFVII Rebirth is no exception. The first time you play, it’s going to take a bit of time! The thing is, I found it took less time than Dragon Age: The Veilguard to get itself set up. Rather, it was a little more similar to what I expect when I start an Infinity Nikki session. Subsequent sessions were shorter, of course. But it was off to an encouraging start to see it make that sort of progress quickly and not find myself worrying if the game was freezing on me during the process. When I first started playing FFVII Rebirth on my Lenovo Legion Go, it defaulted to the Medium quality, which is about at the Recommended benchmark display and stats for the game. So this meant it was running at 60fps and with a 1920x1080 resolution. Now, initially we’re only faced with a bevy of cutscenes. These ran well on my handheld, as you’d expect! Once I had full control of my character both in Midgar and Nibelheim, I did notice a little bit of disruption, especially when a lot of people are around. But it did feel playable. It wasn’t running at its best , but it worked . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO-Fnjkt2iA&ab_channel=FINALFANTASY That experiment done, I immediately dropped down to the Low settings to see the sort of difference that would make. For reference, the resolution remains the same at that point, but the framerate drops to 30. I noticed this made a big difference in terms of heading into areas with a lot of moving parts to them or situations when Cloud and his crew would be facing greater numbers of enemies who might have had flashier attacks. At this default setting, I felt like I was getting the general FFVII Rebirth Steam Deck experience on my Lenovo Legion Go. However, as is true of nearly any PC game, I found the best way to experience FFVII Rebirth was to play around with the settings to tailor it to what my computer was capable of handling. Here are some of the settings I used that worked best for me. My goal was performance and enjoying myself, rather than prioritizing the appearance of the game. Display Mode: Borderless Full Screen Framerate: 30 FPS Display Sync Technology : V-Sync Brightness: 0 Graphics Quality: Custom Dynamic Resolution Scaling (Maximum) : 66% Dynamic Resolution Scaling (Minimum): 33% Background Model Detail : Medium Ocean Detail: Medium Character Model Detail: High Effect Details: Low Texture Resolution: Medium Shadow Quality: Low Fog Quality: Low Anti-Aliasing Method: TAAU Characters Displayed: 3 Character Shadow Display Distance: 5 Low-Resolution Font : Disabled Keep in mind, you could play around with the settings even more and have it work to suit your needs. I was going with an option that I wouldn’t need to constantly fiddle with, so I could quickly go through a game I’d already played before in a new way. So if you prioritize appearances, you could probably make additional adjustments and have it still work and run well on a handheld gaming PC. I do recommend dropping down to 30 FPS, as that helped my playthrough quite a lot. As for actual gameplay, I feel like FFVII Rebirth is the perfect Final Fantasy VII remake installment or entry to play on a handheld gaming PC like a Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go. There are so many “distractions” in it that are suited to pick-up-and-play experiences. I adored Queen’s Blood the first time around, and I’m spending even more time making sure I don’t miss any cards because I can hop into it at any time. My play sessions during my time with it were shorter, often letting me play through a side quest or mainline mission for an hour or two before I moved on to something else. Which also worked out well, as the intensive nature of the game meant it ate up more of my device’s battery than a game like Fields of Mistria . I found I was taking my time and enjoying the moments more because I could play it on a portable device. So yes, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth might not be able to be at its absolute best and taking advantage of all the graphical and performance upgrades when on a handheld gaming PC like a Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, but it also ran much better than I expected considering the specs and possibilities . While I didn’t stick with it running at Medium on my Legion Go, I absolutely had a lot of fun going through the world and satiating my Queen’s Blood obsession on Low or with custom settings. FFVII Rebirth is an admirable entry in the Final Fantasy series, and it’s definitely helping set the bar high for the third entry in the remake trilogy. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC version will debut on January 23, 2025 , and it runs well on a Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming PC. It is also available on the PS5. The post Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Runs Well on a Handheld Gaming PC appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 22

Steam Ate Microsoft's Lunch On PC, It's About To Do The Same On HandheldsValve’s handheld device, the Steam Deck , wasn’t the first portable gaming PC ever created, but it is by the far the most successful. And like Steam becoming the de facto way people play PC games in 2025, SteamOS will soon be the most popular way to play PC titles on the go, which is not great for Microsoft. Read more...

KotakuJan 8

Lenovo Legion Go S will be the first gaming handheld outside Steam Deck to use SteamOS While Steam Deck has been a lot of people's go-to when it comes to handheld PC gaming, the likes of Lenovo have been making their own mark on the industry. The Legion Go has offered a decent alternative to Valve's portable system, but we're about to experience a first. Lenovo is all set to launch the Legion Go S. Announced at CES 2025, the upcoming device will be more ergonomic and feature a smaller screen when compared to the current model. According to a post on Micro Center , a Windows 11 version will be launching sometime in January, and will have an RRP of $729. https://twitter.com/LenovoLegionGo/status/1876561772649263443 However, if you're willing to wait a bit longer, there's an alternative model, which will come with SteamOS, the very same software that powers the Steam Deck UX. This version is expected to be released sometime in May. Will others follow suit? This is a pretty significant development. As the post above itself says, this makes the Lenovo Legion Go S "the first PC gaming handheld built on the SteamOS from someone other than Valve itself." Whether this will open the door for other third-party handheld manufacturers to do the same remains to be seen at this stage. Whether you go for the Windows or Steam version, both of these new models offer a departure from the current Legion Go, according to Micro Center. As well as the aforementioned ergonomic design, the Go S also now has integrated controllers, rather than the Nintendo Switch-style ones you could remove from the device. As for hardware specs, you can expect to find an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme processor with a Radeon 700M GPU under the hood, as well as 32GB of RAM. Given that the Steam Deck OLED has 16GB of RAM, we're already seeing just how Valve's system is starting to look less impressive as we move forward. I guess Newell and his team need to come out of the woodwork with something quick, especially if third-party devices are going to start using SteamOS. The post Lenovo Legion Go S will be the first gaming handheld outside Steam Deck to use SteamOS appeared first on Destructoid .

Steam Archives – DestructoidJan 8

Review: Freedom Wars Remastered Deserves a Second Chance If anyone had asked me about the possibility of a Freedom Wars Remastered release during the last decade, I wouldn’t have put my money on it. Yet this fascinating oddity of a game is now getting a new lease on life . For those unfamiliar, Freedom Wars is a mission-based action RPG with a particular and bold aesthetic, as well as a Sony first-party title developed by Dimps and released all the way back in 2014 exclusively on the PlayStation Vita Vita. But now, it's showing up on modern consoles and PCs. Freedom Wars Remastered is set in a distant future where humanity lives imprisoned penal city-states called Panopticons. In these Panopticons, humanity is divided between regular citizens and sinners, people that have been condemned with 1,000,000 years of imprisonment for the crime of being alive. The player character is one such sinners that happens to lose their memories at the start of the game, forcing the Panopticon to reset their sentence to a million. Sinners are forced to “volunteer” in warfare with other rival Panopticons to gain resources or kidnap valuable citizens to perform labor. Image by Siliconera The core conceit of the game sounds more melodramatic than it ends up being. While the game evokes images of prison and penitentiary life, it doesn’t take long after the introduction for Freedom Wars to give a different image from its seemingly dour premise. Sinners lead relatively normal lives and increasing your sentence doesn’t change much, other than serving as flavor text. Furthermore, the amnesia plot serves as a device to provide an explanation to the player and introduce them to the world of the game. First and foremost, Freedom Wars Remastered is a portable game, and this is felt all throughout its pacing. The game starts with some basic tutorials, lengthy dialogue, and light “exploration” stages. I put exploration in quotations because it is apparent very quickly that areas in the main hub of your player-chosen Panopticon are recycled and identical, with very little variation until later into the game. Similarly, worldbuilding and story rely heavily on short, but constant, character exposition in between main story missions. While I didn’t mind this back in 2014 on the Vita, I found it to be a bit obtrusive playing for longer sessions on my PC. Particularly the Cell Garden infiltration sections felt too repetitive, despite there only being a handful. Image by Siliconera Luckily, the pacing issues only exist during the first few hours. Once you learn the ropes, the game consistently gives you missions where you deploy with up to three party members and are tasked with different objectives. These vary between defeating all enemies, whether it is rival Sinners or Abductors, giant machines that Panopticons employ to wage war; rescue citizens from your rivals, or domination missions in the style of “capture the flag.” Again, because of its origins as a portable 2014 game, there isn’t a lot of mission variety. However, I didn’t mind this, as the main attraction is the Abductor fights. The variety of Abductor types isn’t massive either. Freedom Wars Remastered makes up for it by starting with fights against one, and increasing the number of Abductors and combinations of them you need to fight at the same time, or even having several of them in waves, or interspersed with waves of Sinners. This distinguishes the game from series like Monster Hunter or God Eater , where the focus lies on a single big spectacle fight. And, in spite of all of its limitations as a portable title, Freedom Wars Remastered has really engaging combat. The player character can carry two weapons at a type, being able to choose between melee equipment such as one-handed, two-handed weapons, and polearms; as well as firearms in the form of assault weapons, portable artillery, and autocannons. Each melee weapon type has its own moveset, with some of them excelling at severing abductor parts, dealing critical hits, or other specialty. I gravitated towards light melee weapon and polearms for my melee choice favoring the Hawkshadow, and Barbara's Easy Blaster as my firearm of choice. While practice battles are available to try your moveset in a safe environment, for this remaster I would have liked having the option to change weapons on the fly during these practice missions so you could easily find your favorite combination of weapons. Image by Siliconera And yet, my favorite inclusion to the gameplay is the thorn system. Sinners are capable of using a grappling hook-like tool called the Thorn. It is a useful system to traverse the arenas and maps, to drag down enemy Abductors, or even to connect with enemy Sinners for a powerful dash combo. This mechanic is simple but deceptively deep, granting the game a powerful layer of aerial combat and combo opportunities. Thorns come in Binding, Healing, and Shielding varieties, each with unique properties such as the ability to enhance defense, heal allies, or stun enemies. Sinners are also accompanied by an Accessory, a robotic ally that fights and offers support in the battlefield. As a remaster of a decade-old game, Freedom Wars Remastered adds some subtle but meaningful changes, with the inclusion of some fascinating elements that never made it to the original American or European releases. First of all, the movement speed feels much faster and responsive now. Maps are not particularly big, and traversing them with the Thorn is pretty easy, but this increase in maneuverability is great to dodge and avoid damage in fights with lots of moving parts. Additionally, the unique voice synthesizer editor system used for Accessories in the original Japanese release finally made it overseas. This allows players to create their own unique responses to orders or gameplay actions, such as asking your Accessory to take care of rescuing citizens. Image by Siliconera My only real problem with this version of the game is the inclusion of Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) for the PC release of the game. Depending on each player's PC, this might or might not be a problem for some. For me, EAC resulted in an unstable performance and drastic framerate drops, despite having a pretty powerful rig. I was able to fix this issue quickly due to having had this problem before with EAC and knowing how to deal with it, but this resulted in the game crashing approximately every hour and a half. The generous use of auto-save ensured that I never lost progress, but this was a considerable inconvenience for the first 4-5 hours of playtime. And at around 10 hours of playtime in my approximately 22-hour playthrough of the main campaign, the framerate issues stopped completely and I was able to play normally. I would advise to keep an eye out in case you've ever experienced similar issues with other games that use EAC. The game is still absolutely worth it, but you might want to give it a try on console. On the other side, performance on the Steam Deck was silky smooth and it game me no problem. Image by Siliconera Over a decade after its release, Freedom Wars Remastered remains a competent action RPG with a surprisingly engaging gameplay loop and complex combat system. Noticing the seams of a PS Vita portable game will be unavoidable even in this remaster, but it has a certain charm to it. Perhaps the story is not the most highbrow out there, but the aesthetic and purposeful odd vibe of the Panopticons are pretty unique and attractive. While I was unable to try the multiplayer, I plan on putting more hours into the game and jump into the post-game missions with friends, trying to reduce my sentence to 0, and maybe give the PvP modes a chance. If you enjoy mission-based action RPGs, this is an absolute classic. Freedom Wars Remastered will come out on January 10, 2025 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam . The post Review: Freedom Wars Remastered Deserves a Second Chance appeared first on Siliconera .

SiliconeraJan 8

The 2024 Steam Winter Sale has begun, with thousands of discounted games It feels like we finished a Steam sale just for another one to begin. Ah, the year-end sales, where bulky wallets go to die. The 2024 Steam Winter Sale is live , bringing tons of discounts to some of the greatest games you can find on the storefront. The Winter Sale has rolled in like a chilly blizzard, bringing discounts on countless games. Some of the year's best titles are on sale, so be sure to check your wishlist. Heavy-hitters like Silent Hill 2 , Helldivers 2 , Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 , and some other sequels are at least 20% off today. You can also find steep discounts on the best games that didn't come out in 2024. The excellent Persona 5 Royal is 60% off The adorable and challenging Tunic can be yours for half price It Takes Two takes you on a co-op journey for 80% off Control Ultimate Edition will blow your mind less than a tenner Hogwarts Legacy takes you back to the magic at a 75% discount Image via Arrowhead Games The 2024 Steam Winter Sale brings discounts on games aplenty There are many, many games on sale starting this week. Be sure to stop by our Best Steam Winter 2024 Deals guide to get our thoughts on more game discounts. The page includes what we feel are the best deals on open-world games, co-op games, action games, and more. I wish we had more comedy games, as it is an underappreciated genre. But I'm thinking of picking up Thank Goodness You're Here for some dry British chuckles at a 30% discount . Unlike the autumn sale, however, the winter sale doesn't include discounts on the Steam Deck hardware. The handheld is in stock, though. If you want to stuff one in your stocking this winter, you must to do so at full price . The 2024 Steam Winter Sale lasts until January 2, 2025, at 10 am PT. The post The 2024 Steam Winter Sale has begun, with thousands of discounted games appeared first on Destructoid .

Steam Archives – DestructoidDec 20