Steam Deck

Yup. I got some JetBrains IDEs installed and do some dev work on it.

Yes, the KDE desktop works really well with a USB-C dock connected to a monitor with a mouse and keyboard. I use it when I need to do some work while not at home. The Steam Deck is beefy enough to be really snappy during desktop usage, even with multiple monitors.

There's no way to boot directly into the desktop with SteamOS without workarounds at the moment unfortunately.

I didn't bother installing another OS yet since I mostly play games but apparently the Steam Deck drivers are in the mainline kernel so it should be possible to install a normal distro that boots directly to desktop.

Yes, I've been using it as my PC for about a year now, I do game on it but my primary reason for purchase was that it was just a great deal on a Linux machine.

I mainly use mine for gaming because I have a desktop and a laptop too, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it as a decent semi-portable computer. It probably won't be as convenient is a laptop when it comes to typing on the go, and it certainly won't be as powerful as a desktop, but gaming on a Steam Deck is an absolute joy.

You'll definitely want some kind of dock, a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse.

I've used mine on the go with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Works great, although the screen is a little small in that use case.

Docked with an external monitor is much more useful for regular computing. I suggest use Linux as my daily driver OS, so easy enough for me. Only thing the Deck is really missing is CUPS for printing.

The anti-glare is definitely worth it and it's also very noticeable outside. The other option is that you could just upgrade the screen from ifixit if you're also going to be upgrading your storage anyways.

All versions of the deck allow you to upgrade the SSD. There's actually a lot more vendors selling 2230 nvme drives now. I'd recommend staying away from SABRENT Rocket since their support is nonexistent and they also have a high failure rate. The Corsair MP600 mini and Micron 2400 is a better option.

You can just buy an aftermarket anti-glare screen. They are cheap.

You can change the SSD by yourself but you'll lose waranty. There's a noticeable speed difference between the eMMC and NVMe versions. There's no noticeable speed difference between the NVMe versions.

IMHO if can afford it and have a few technical skills buy the little one and install one of these. You might even want to wrap it in one these (there's a real leather option too) or these or replace the joysticks with these (can't get drift and have a much smaller deadzone).

Does the eMMC version allow installing an NVMe drive?

Yes, the only hardware difference between the different version is really only the screen and the drive it comes with. You can technically buy the 64GB version and replace the screen with an anti-glare one at a later date, as it can be bought as a spare part for not much.

Personally I got the 64GB some time ago and am still happy enough with just an SD-card with good speed and decent size. I suspect that will change down the line, but right now I'm happy.

The eMMC one does support installing an NVMe, and from what I've seen the Deck can't really support more than PCIe 3.0 speeds. If you find a good deal on a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 drive it will still work but there's no reason to spend extra on a newer drive.

The dock has been fantastic. Quick tip: make sure you go to your game preferences before launching and change resolution from Default to Native, otherwise it will still output with the Deck's resolution instead of 1080p+

I feel you...

Same here!

You can buy it through Kogan or other online stores, but those are imported versions. I'm broke right now anyway, so I'll probably just wait until I can buy it through Steam itself.

No, you don't need two decks. You need:

• Steam Deck
• USB-C Dock with power delivery (for example, the official dock)
• 1 to 4 game controller (most bluetooth controllers will work fine)

However, there are not very many "Couch Multiplayer" games on steam. Most multiplayer games are online.

adding to @cron@feddit.de there is whole genre of indie games targeted for couch coop for couples. there aren't hundreds of excellent games but definitely a dozen. It would definitely deserve it's own post but on top of my head you have: portal 2, Lovers in dangerous space time, it takes two, a way out,

Valve supports their hardware well, so I'd guess you can easily use it for 5 years or so. Probably have to replace the battery or sticks after a few years, but the good news is that most parts are replaceable.

If they are on sale now, chances are they will be again later this year.

It's the second time it's been discounted so far. The first time was on March 23rd this year, on Steam Deck's first birthday.

Hook it to your TV and couch coop games like Stardew Valley, TMNT, and Tetris are a lot of fun.

Tunic is a blast on steam deck, I highly recommend it. I've also been playing Vampire Survivors, Dishonored, emulated Nintendo games: Breath of the Wild (wii U), Super Mario Bros (switch) , Advance wars (ds). Basically anything that can be played with a controller works well, and some of what needs a mouse and keyboard is also good.

Fellow Aussie, I understand your pain

Honestly, $95 for a dock is still pretty pricey for me. Months back I bought a cheaper $35 dock from Amazon and it's very good.