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There was a time when I had a machine for PC gaming set up — underpowered for the most demanding, graphics-intensive games, but perfect for older or less demanding games. But those machines have since fallen by the wayside (sometimes being repurposed for other things) so there had not been any PC gaming in our house for quite some time. The Switch served all of our gaming needs, but there was something nagging in the back of my head: games tend to be cheaper (at least over time) on PC, whereas Switch games keep their high price for a long time. And I already have quite a bit of a backlog in my Steam and Gog libraries… But I was not about to make the investment to get a gaming PC all set up again.

So when the Steam Deck was announced, I was a bit interested. The concept is neat: a mini computer in a “Switch-like” form factor, running Linux and using WINE to emulate a PC. I think Baldur’s Gate 3 turned out to be the system seller for me — people kept asking me if I had played it, and a friend wanted to play it multi-player with me. It turns out that BG3 is 100% compatible with the Steam Deck as well. And in September there was a deal with 10% discount on the cheapest model, so I took the plunge. For less cost than a current-gen video card, I could have a whole machine dedicated to PC gaming again.

I got the cheapest version, with a 64GB internal SSD drive, as some research provided evidence than the more expensive models did not provide anything that could not be added or upgraded to the cheaper version at less cost. And I am not disappointed at all!

As for accessories, I got a few things. The first thing was a dock — as the Steam Deck is a computer and it is charged through a USB-C port, you can use USB-C docks with it — just make sure it has a charging pass-through. I decided on the JSAUX 5-in-1 docking station since that had enough USB ports. Using the dock, I have hooked the deck to one of my monitors, and I’ve connected it to my USB hub, so I can play on a larger screen and using a keyboard & mouse.

I also got an anti-glare screen protector from JSAUX, which works really well — the screen on the cheaper models is quite reflective, and this protector takes care of that. The kit comes with two screen protectors and a ‘guide’ that snaps onto the deck to ensure a correct positioning. I got it on perfectly in one try.

As for the controller, I have used a spare Switch Pro controller that we had lying around (from that one time we took the Switch with us on vacation but forgot the controller so we bought a new one…) It works perfectly, but the two pairs of buttons (B and A, X and Y) are reversed in position. But there is even an option to switch those around, so I can retain the muscle memory I have developed after playing on the Switch for so long! The only thing that’s kinda weird is that the blue LED on the controller is kept on, but that’s something I can live with.

I got another, very cheap USB-C hub with just power pass-through and HDMI so I can hook the deck up to the TV, for when I want to do some couch gaming. And for storage I got a very fast microSD card of 512GB.

I am very pleased with the resulting system. It’s amazing how smooth the system plays Baldur’s Gate 3, and many other games. Of course, there is an emulation layer involved, so not all games work well, but Valve is actively testing and resolving issues. The Steam website also gives information on whether any given game is suited for playing on the deck. I now have a very capable solution for PC gaming for a fraction of the cost.