Valve’s Steam Deck could finally let me blow the dust off my PC gaming library.
The prospect of PC Gaming has always intimidated me. What type of setup do I need? Which GPU is best? Which motherboard do I need? If I spend a chunk of money on a setup, will it soon be out-of-date? So, I’m ashamed to say, I’ve shied away from it, opting to play games on console whenever possible. When I eventually did bite the bullet and get myself a decent gaming setup, Covid-19 hit. Like many others, the TechRadar team began working from home and my new setup became a workspace rather than the gaming kingdom I had imagined. Where the thought of PC Gaming had previously intimidated me, it now nauseates me. The last thing I want to do at the end of the day is to return to the desk I’ve already spent hours hunched over. My poor back needs a break and my mind needs some detachment. As a result, there are a multitude of PC games gathering dust in my Steam library. Fantastic games that I would love to play – but from the comfort of my couch rather than my workspace. The Steam Deck may finally offer me that opportunity and could make a PC gamer of me yet. I’m well aware that there are other options available to let desktop-avoidant gamers such as myself play games away from my workspace. But, let’s be honest, it’s a right faff to set up remote play and then a controller on top of that. The Steam Deck means that I will simply be able to pick up and play PC games from the comfort of my couch – allowing for a separation between work and play (something which is often difficult in my job).
