Games

If you're thinking about a steam deck for emulation, it's a very solid choice and you won't go wrong with it.

There's a few things to keep in mind:

1. A new steam deck is probably going to be released in the next couple of years. I would anticipate much better efficiency in the next gen release, so for less intensive emulation that would likely mean a really good battery life (pure speculation because battery tech and CPU/GPU tech is advancing rapidly but if we're talking PS1 era then that might look like 10 or 12 hours, potentially a lot more, on one charge.)

2. The Steam Deck is Linux and, as much of an advocate as I am for Linux, emulation on Linux isn't nearly as developed as on Microslop OS. I'd expect that generally things should be fine but it's just not as good as on Windows (for now.)

3. Steam is going in on x86, as had China. It's still early days yet but it's not outside of the realms of possibility that we'll see an x86 steam deck on the next gen, and that would have big implications for power consumption but time will tell.

4. RAM prices are going haywire and it's affecting other parts of the computing market. This is possibly the reason for Valve pulling their lowest model Steam Deck listing from the store. There are some interesting developments coming out of China, particularly Huawei and their partner manufacturer but especially Moore Threads and CXMT. We are a few years off of them really catching up and spooling up production. If the AI bubble's pop doesn't come soon enough (and it cannot come soon enough) then I'd say that in two years or so we should see prices calming down and, while this won't have a direct effect on handhelds, it's going to make parts overall cheaper and we should expect to see more reasonable prices in the handheld market by virtue of that fact.

So were does that leave you?

If you can get by for now, do so. That bubble might pop tomorrow (inshallah 🙏)

If you want something to tide you over for the next two or so years as you ride out the absurdity in the market you have a couple of options:

• A cheap android handheld (surprisingly good if you get a good brand especially in terms of value for money, although limited when it comes to PS2 era games.)

• A steam deck (opens up a bigger library, better processing power, mid range in terms of cost.)

• A windows handheld (the most expensive option, has a lot more processing power, can dual boot with Linux Bazzite to get a near-identical SteamOS experience but also allows for more options and a more polished emulation experience, opens the possibility to use as a makeshift portable PC*)

Handhelds can be surprisingly good for travelling and accessibility. There's a bit of survivorship bias at play because the people who don't absolutely love their steam deck rarely go online to say "Eh... it's fine" but tons of fans gush over steam decks online. Honestly, I have a handheld and it's better and more utilized than I thought it would be.

*As for the portable PC thing - big caveats apply. The battery should be fine-ish but it's not as convenient as a laptop. You will need multiple accessories, including a travel keyboard and likely a mouse, potentially a larger portable screen because most handhelds have screens that are very small for PC work. If you don't want to get a portable monitor then a handheld with detachable controls gives you more freedom for changing the screen orientation. This is all going to add on a lot of extra costs so unless you want to run a docked handheld at a desk station and you if intend on a portable gaming system that doubles as a laptop that will get used more than very occasionally, you're better off with a decent gaming-capable laptop and buying a controller.