The Steam Deck by Valve celebrates its first anniversary and has established itself as a major player in the gaming industry since its launch. The handheld console runs on SteamOS and is capable of playing PC games on the go. Despite initial delivery difficulties, the device has evolved into a better product than at the beginning, with its flexible usage options and a wider range of games.
Diversity of usage options is a great success
According to Pierre-Loup Griffais, an engineer at Valve, the versatility of the Steam Deck was a big surprise. The device was designed to be flexible and allow players to play in their own way. However, what has emerged from the community has surprised the developers. Nevertheless, it is a great success that 42% of Steam Deck owners play on the device most of the time. This does not mean that they use it exclusively, but it is a serious competitor to other devices such as the PC or console.
Compatibility with a variety of games
The Steam Deck has also achieved great compatibility with a variety of games. This is also due to improved compatibility with anti-cheat systems and media codecs, which were previously a major problem. Collaboration with other game developers has also proved fruitful in addressing issues that also occur on Windows and console platforms. Valve has tested over 10,000 Steam games for compatibility with the Steam Deck to ensure they are playable on the device. Over 8,000 games have received the "Playable" or "Verified" label.
Many improvements through software updates
Valve has continually improved the Steam Deck through software updates and added new features. The updates include innovations such as a more user-friendly interface, an overheating warning sign, and extended refresh rate settings. Valve has also developed peripherals to make it easier to use the device on the desktop. A dock that can be connected to an external monitor, as well as a variety of controllers, greatly expand the usage options of the Steam Deck. Another advantage of the Steam Deck is the use of emulators, which allow old console games to be played on the device.
The Steam Deck will continue to be developed in the future
Valve already has some ideas
