Consider this one a follow-up to the recent episode of Pixels and Puppets, with, as usual, a higher pixel:puppet ratio.
It’s build stream day! (11am ET Wednesdays on Twitch and YouTube) As planned there is a new Neef taking shape in the studio and this week we’ll be doing… almost exactly what we did last week, i.e., finishing the eye shells and adding lids. This one is the first live hands Neef and if you’ve been on the Discord (join the Discord) you’ve seen these are definitely… uh… special. I’m really leaning in to the “weird and creepy” size of it with Neefs and, well, let’s just say mission accomplished.
Now that Jamie is back and we have confirmed that he listens to the podcast even when he’s not on it, I can confirm that I did indeed receive my Steam Deck. I really wasn’t sure what to expect as my use-case for handhelds is kinda nonexistent. I don’t commute and rarely leave the apartment unless a puppet needs to be taken to the post office, and I have several (too many in fact) consoles and game-capable PCs and streaming devices throughout.
But as mentioned on the pod, the PC hardware upgrade cycle has finally generated enough centrifugal force in the “double the power double the cost” loop that it has flung me out into the “I can’t afford this anymore” wilds, and as Steam has indicated that this model will be the one for at least a couple of years, I thought I might as well get on board now.
Pleasantly surprised with this little beast. Valve has certainly put a lot of thought into it, and taken lessons from previous attempts to break into hardware spaces. While of course it can’t generate the visual fidelity of a full gaming rig, the fact that it can even run current triple A titles is worthy of attention.
The most surprising thing to me is just how comfy it is. I mean, the other day I had some downtime so I flopped on the couch to play some No Man’s Sky. I have a big 4k TV with a capable PC right there and I opted instead to play it on the Deck. That’s a bit bonkers, and I realized there’s something about the ‘holistic’ nature of the Deck that makes it appealing. It’s one thing, self-contained. Instead of turning on the TV, making sure it’s on the right input, making sure the controller is connecting, etc, I can just pick up the Deck and go.
I think Valve has really started something interesting with the Deck, and its popularity is key. It’s not just about portability, it’s what it can do, which is a lot. Maybe not the best, but definitely the most.
Anyway, coffee.