I was interested in buying a Steam Deck… Until I discovered all the (apparently) better alternatives. Asus Rog Ally, OneXPlayer, Aya Neo etc…
I like the idea of an handheld console and obviously I would like to have a device that can run almost everything, so the Windows based handhelds seem better than the Steam Deck. Is it true? Furthermore the Steam Deck looks really big compared to some new devices out there (eg the OneXFly) and neither I like the screen of the Steam Deck, apparently of lower res and with very big bazels (to me looks like the first Nintendo Switch).
On the other hand, I think Valve is a more serious company than (apart from Asus) some other unknown Chinese company and I expect Valve to deliver a better product. Still I’m not convinced of Steam OS compared to Windows 11, since I would like to play also Epic games and maybe some emulators. So I started getting information about the alternatives and… There are a lot. There are so many that I got overwhelmed. If you go to the OneXPlayer website they sell like 3-4 different handheld consoles, Aya Neo even more and they also have IndieGoGo campaigns running for new devices, all with weird names. I can’t understand what’s the device right for me (and I really don’t understand their business model). So my question is: are the rivals of the Steam Deck worth their price? Are they really better than the Steam Deck (in terms of quality, screen, size)? Thank you for your opinion!
UPDATE: I finally bought a refurbished 256GB Steam Deck.
The steam deck has better performance when you set it to low power consumption, but the competitors have better performance when set at higher power consumption. If you play a lot mouse based games, the trackpads are very nice. Emulation works great on the steam deck and it is possible to play epic games (I don’t use epic so idk how good it is).
Watch YouTube reviews of the devices. I would not bother with comparing screens. I usually do this as well but in the long run you want the best overall device. The Deck doesn’t have an 1080p OLED but I also wouldn’t want it to have one because battery would be so much worse.
Don’t look on CPU and GPU. You can’t compare them because the machines aren’t running the same OS. It’s like comparing ram, gpu and cpu on an iphone and compare directly to an Android phone. It’s irrelevant. The actual experience is what matters, it’s the device you will look at, not the spec sheet.
Edit: oh and btw. If you want to put a screen protector on the Deck, get either the cheapest one and upgrade the internal ssd or get the middle one and buy a 512-1tb ssd. If you arent going to put a screen protector you can buy the deck with anti glare.
I don’t have any of the competitors, but the screen quality seems fine to me. If you hold it at a reasonable distance you can’t really see the pixels. Compared to my switch it is definitely heavier and bigger, so its not very comfortable to hold up because of its weight, so I just rest it on my lap or a table when using it. A small annoyance with the screen is that the resolution isn’t a standard ratio so a lot of games have black bars on the top and bottom.
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The steam deck has better performance when you set it to low power consumption, but the competitors have better performance when set at higher power consumption. If you play a lot mouse based games, the trackpads are very nice. Emulation works great on the steam deck and it is possible to play epic games (I don’t use epic so idk how good it is).
And how’s the Steam Deck screen quality compared to competitors? And do you feel comfortable handling the Deck or is it too heavy and big?
Watch YouTube reviews of the devices. I would not bother with comparing screens. I usually do this as well but in the long run you want the best overall device. The Deck doesn’t have an 1080p OLED but I also wouldn’t want it to have one because battery would be so much worse.
Don’t look on CPU and GPU. You can’t compare them because the machines aren’t running the same OS. It’s like comparing ram, gpu and cpu on an iphone and compare directly to an Android phone. It’s irrelevant. The actual experience is what matters, it’s the device you will look at, not the spec sheet.
Edit: oh and btw. If you want to put a screen protector on the Deck, get either the cheapest one and upgrade the internal ssd or get the middle one and buy a 512-1tb ssd. If you arent going to put a screen protector you can buy the deck with anti glare.
I don’t have any of the competitors, but the screen quality seems fine to me. If you hold it at a reasonable distance you can’t really see the pixels. Compared to my switch it is definitely heavier and bigger, so its not very comfortable to hold up because of its weight, so I just rest it on my lap or a table when using it. A small annoyance with the screen is that the resolution isn’t a standard ratio so a lot of games have black bars on the top and bottom.