I googled the average weight of one of those batteries and… couldn’t tell if Matt was joking or not.
No, I totally get this. I have a similar low level anxiety when playing Switch on the go (and before that the 3DS, which was quite a shock battery-life-wise coming from the DS). And, yes, the only real answer is a really heavy battery. I don’t bother for short journeys like a commute, but always for international travel.
I keep a battery with a long usb-c cable in the glasses pouch of my backpack for my phone already. So I am usually at ease with the possibility of my Deck draining when I have it out away from an outlet. But I haven’t actually had to use it on a dead Deck yet.
What were you seeing? I bought this one on Amazon, and I guess it’s a little heavy at just over a pound? But it resides in my satchel, so I don’t care. It can also charge my Surface, etc., so it’s worth the weight (like lockerk mentioned, go for a 65w one). On a related note, I also upgraded all my magnetic charging cables to the latest-gen 65w-capable ones, but those came from ebay/China. I couldn’t find them on local sites yet? Makes charging/playing on all my electronics a snap.
I saw 7.7 pounds. I just quickly googled “20 Ah battery” and they looked like car batteries. Around 1 pound is reasonable. I’m glad to hear you guys aren’t lunatics! :D
My shorthand is the culprit. Google 20,000 mAh battery (it’s the same amount of energy, just with different units) and you’ll get more reasonable results.
hahaha, yeah. that would be a bit extreme.
This is a good one, just over a pound:
https://www.dockcase.com/products/100w-26800-power-bank-for-laptops-space-gray
currently 50% off
Holy cow, thank you for this comment and for the links from @Don_Quixote and @Chappers. I need one of these for work reasons!
I’m decked out!
Looks like the big Android app update rolled out this week and at first glance it looks great. Long time coming, imo. Supposedly brings it in line with the Deck from a UI perspective, not sure yet how the features compare.
I had been thinking of buying a Surface for some gaming on the couch. It sounds like the Deck might be a better option?
Also, is it hard to install Windows on it? Suppose I want to play non-Steam games. Is that feasible?
It works extremely well with Windows 11. I much prefer Win11 over SteamOS/Linux.
Steam Deck and Windows 11 - Hardware and technical stuff - Quarter To Three Forums
Steam deck is a much better idea for gaming than a surface. The balance of cpu and GPU power combined with the form factor and screen resolution make it so much more suitable.
Not to mention it’s far cheaper!
I’m going to counter that I have a 1st gen Surface Pro and, for certain types of games, it was a fantastic device. Certainly for my tastes and preferences it was the superior vehicle (not that the Steam Deck existed 10 years ago!). But deep strategy games with k&m heavy interfaces are Surface perfect. If you are into shooters (I’m very not) then the calculus is different.
Thanks for the feedback. I should have mentioned that I like strategy games, not shooters. Does the Deck handle right- and middle-clicks well?
I’ve read assertions that a lot of software, presumably including games, doesn’t support the surface touchscreen. i don’t know if that’s true.
it certainly is true that the deck is cheaper!
Yup…
Good to hear. I think I’m sold. I do much of my gaming on the iPad right now, partly because I prefer the couch, but Windows/Steam games are generally more interesting.
I have a surface pro 5. I’ve gamed on it a tiny bit- literally a half-dozen or so. You’re right that many games don’t incorporate touch controls at all, even those that you’d think should. I’d say it isn’t a good gaming device.
I’ve had a Steam Deck for a month and a half. It’s been great. I just finished Strange Horticulture, and while the original controls weren’t great, there’s a community profile that used the touch pads that was excellent.
My only fear with a lot of strategy games is interface text that might be too small. I’ve fired up a couple of RPGs though (Numenera, Wildermyth and Disco), and that hasn’t been a problem.