It's an extremely comfortable device. I have larger hands and find the Switch relatively uncomfortable. Also, it's just really awesome having that whole Steam library in the palms.

Plus emulation. This cannot be overstated.

For me the killer app is actually the trackpads, though. I play a lot of strategy games that are not at all controller friendly, but they're great on the Deck with right pad as mouse. The scheme mimics what was done with the Steam Controller, and while I did find the pads on that and the haptics slightly better than those in the Deck, it's a matter of not being able to play such games at all with other portable devices.

I have a gaming laptop so I can already game from the couch just fine… and yet I still want one of these so bad

Besides Switch-like form factor (although a bit chunkier) and Steam games on the go Steam Deck offers:

1. Insane mount of control custamizability: you can play games that are only for mouse and keyboard from the comfort of your couch, bed, any place really
2. Great 3rd party ecosystem: there is a shit ton of stuff for SteamOS that community prepared to be easy to setup like emulators, plugins, non-steam launchers etc. Discovering that can be fun on its own
3. Find your own use case, customize hardware and software as much as you like with only sky being the limit.

If that's not your jam, move on I guess.

It has a form factor similar to a Switch, but that's about where the similarities end.

I was in the same situation as you, even worse, my switch is hooked up to our TV, charged and ready to go, but still haven’t gotten much use.

If it weren’t for my wife getting it for me I probably would’ve skipped the Steam Deck and I wouldn’t have been able to game as much as I had since getting it.

I’ve had it since November last year and I’ve finished KH1, KH Re:CoM, KH2, DMC V, and am currently playing Nier Automata. It’s such a fun little device that allows me to squeeze in some gaming between work, taking care of a newborn, and other chores.

If you have a steam backlog you’ve been itching to play, I’d say definitely go for it. Otherwise, if you find yourself wishing you squeezed in a 5 to 10 minute gaming session during idle times, I’d say that’s a good indicator a Steam Deck would be a good purchase for you.

I rarely played my Switch because most of the games I want aren’t on there or they’re too expensive.

I practically live on my Steam Deck. I’ve been playing Fallout 4. I got all the achievements and s ranked all bosses on Cuphead and it loaded everything so much faster than on the switch (though I will say, it was prettier on the OLED).

I’ve been playing 3DS games on my deck, currently going through Return of Samus after just finishing AM2R on the same handheld. It’s nuts that I can even do that.

To me, it feels like I’m living in the future. My Switch didn’t see anywhere close to this much action.

This is my concern as well (+ I'm a cheapskate who usually only buys consoles or computer stuff once they're pretty much obsolete and <$100 used).

History of every gaming device I've bought in adulthood including VR:

1. Purchase with some games;
2. If soft-modable, soft-mod and customize;
3. Play happily for a few months;
4. Put it in a box and never look at it again, or give to my kid who follows a similar cycle.

Edit: Though my counterargument here is just how many options the Steam Deck opens up. Want PC games - see: all the shit I've never played? Got 'em. Emulators? Got em. Want to use it as a mini pc for minor pc stuff? Doable.

I've really been enjoying my SteamDeck. Seeing Proton in action may be what finally pushes me away from Windows which I've been wanting to do for years. Yesterday I found myself downloading the Pop!_OS ISO.

top seller by revenue

Yeah same reason the Index was previously always on the "Top Seller" tab as well, since the damn thing is $1000 lol

Good luck! I made the switch and have gamed exclusively on Linux for about a year now. It's gotten leaps and bounds better than it used to be in a pretty short time. The same is true on the Deck: if something doesn't launch the first time, change to Proton Experimental in game properties and likely you're good.

Your experience may be different depending on your GPU, though. AMD drivers are baked into the Linux kernel now, so It Just Works™. But nvidia can be a pain, mostly because you're still tied to their proprietary driver and they famously don't pump a lot of resources into Linux support.

If you’ve got the money for it, absolutely snag one. It doesn’t feel like a console to me (like an Xbox) but it’s got the functionality of one while still very much being a computer. I’ve owned an Xbox and have a gaming desktop and I only touch the desktop when I play VR games. It’s totally changed how I play games.

You can return any hardware on Steam within 14 days if you don't like it.