We surveyed over 3,800 Steam Deck homeowners to look what they consider Valve’s moveable PC. Here is what they believe!
Over the previous few weeks, Chris and I’ve been digging into 2024’s Steam Deck Survey effects. The quantity of people that participated within the survey in comparison to final 12 months has greater by way of 20% (with over 3,800 contributors this 12 months).This is the 2023 version should you ignored it:Steam Deck Survey 2023 ResultsWe surveyed over 3000 Steam Deck homeowners to look what they consider Valve’s moveable PC. Right here’s what they believe!
There were some thrilling learnings on this 12 months’s effects. Do you know that the common delight rating is of 8.92/10, that proudly owning a couple of Steam Decks is not that unusual, and that the fee continues to be the highest barrier for non-owners?The survey used to be open from November 4 till November 24;The questionnaire consisted of a few ~50 questions in regards to the Steam Deck;3,807 other folks participated (21% greater than final 12 months);General moderate delight with the Steam Deck is 8.92 out of 10;48% of contributors live in North The usa (6% fewer other folks than final 12 months), 42% in Europe, with the rest other folks scattered in every single place the arena;The majority of other folks responding are between the ages of 18 and 39 (76%);Maximum respondents got here by means of the r/steamdeck Steam Deck subreddit.
Do you personal a Steam Deck? If no longer, why no longer?86% of the 3807 other folks surveyed this 12 months personal one Steam Deck, whilst 11% (409 folks) personal a couple of Decks. After all, some other folks finishing the survey do not if truth be told personal Valve’s hand held – 3% to be exact (113 respondents).The #1 explanation why that team gave for no longer proudly owning a Steam Deck used to be worth – which additionally took place to be the #1 explanation why in final 12 months’s effects. Here is the entire breakdown:
A complete of 786 respondents (roughly 21%) indicated that they upgraded from an LCD type to an OLED type.What garage possibility did you select? And did you improve your garage by any means?This 12 months, the preferred type is the 512GB OLED Steam Deck, selected by way of 24% of contributors, adopted by way of the 512GB LCD variant at 23%. The 64GB LCD used to be decided on by way of 17%, whilst 1TB OLEDs made up 16%. The 256GB LCD possibility accounted for 15% of responses. A smaller proportion (6%) opted for the 1TB Restricted Version OLED.
Then again, no longer everybody caught with their authentic garage configuration. 26% of contributors upgraded their SSD, with the commonest improve being to a 1TB SSD.Moreover, whilst 72% did not improve their SSD, 77% of contributors added a microSD card to enlarge garage. The preferred selection used to be 512GB microSDs, accounting for 35% of responses, adopted by way of the pricier 1TB microSDs at 24%, and 256GB playing cards at 9%. Particularly, 23% didn’t upload microSD garage.
Have you ever changed your Steam Deck?One of the most primary promoting issues of the Steam Deck is how simple it’s to open up. Naturally, a number of manufacturers, from JSAUX to dbrand, jumped on the probability to provide people customization choices.Effects display 301 other folks (8%) changed their Steam Deck one way or the other. Maximum adjustments have been beauty, with display protectors and skins main the checklist, adopted by way of backplates. A smaller however notable team discussed reapplying thermal paste, steadily the use of merchandise like Kryonaut. This quantity, alternatively, does not come with the contributors who upgraded their SSD, as mentioned previous.Referring to coverage, 35% of respondents use a case for his or her Steam Deck, moderately up from earlier findings. At the equipment entrance, over part of the contributors (58%) personal a devoted dock for his or her software, making it a well-liked selection amongst customers.
Like the former years, we requested other folks how they use their Steam Deck.First, we requested about Home windows utilization. This 12 months, no respondents indicated the use of Home windows completely. Then again, 219 respondents both explicitly discussed dual-booting or indexed a couple of running techniques, appearing an hobby in flexibility. This implies that whilst SteamOS stays dominant, a significant portion of customers are exploring choices to maximise capability.What number of hours do you play on moderate a week?Subsequent, we needed to understand how a lot time other folks generally spend enjoying their Steam Deck every week. Other folks most often sport round 1 to 7 hours weekly on their Steam Deck, with roughly 58% of customers reporting so.Then again, when evaluating playtime throughout 2022, 2023, and 2024, we noticed some shifts. In 2024, the “4 to 7 hours” class noticed a slight building up, now at 35%, whilst playtime within the “7 to fourteen hours” class dropped moderately to 27%. The “Greater than 14 hours” team grew to fifteen%, appearing a upward push in heavy utilization. In the meantime, shorter playtime classes like “1 to 4 hours” and “Lower than 1 hour” remained rather solid. Here is the way it appears around the years:
How do you employ your Steam Deck?Now, chances are you’ll marvel what other folks do with their Steam Deck.The principle use (“What do you employ your Steam Deck for probably the most?”) for the Steam Deck is to play indie video games (51%), adopted by way of Triple-A video games (34%). Unfashionable and emulation utilization is available in at 11%, whilst streaming video games or the use of the software for productiveness lags at the back of at 3% and 1%, respectively.For the primary time, Vampire Survivors is NOT the preferred Steam Deck sport anymore. This is the Most sensible 10 for this 12 months (together with the adjustments in place in comparison to final 12 months’s survey):Elden Ring (🔺, 2)Vampire Survivors (🔻, 1)Hades (🔺, 4)Balatro (new)Cyberpunk 2077 (🔺, 7)Stardew Valley (=)Fallout 4 (new)Baldur’s Gate 3 (🔻, 3)Diablo 4 (new)Brotato (new)As for the preferred sport releases of 2024, they’re so as: Balatro, Hades 2, Helldivers 2 and Personality 3 Reload.There could also be a vital chew of other folks emulating video games, with over part telling us they have performed some emulation on their Steam Deck. However what platforms are probably the most emulated? This 12 months, the PlayStation 2 stays probably the most emulated platform with 1,200 respondents indicating they have performed PS2 titles at the Deck. That is adopted by way of the Recreation Boy circle of relatives (1,000), the GameCube (950) and — regardless of its emulation scene being one thing of a rocky highway this 12 months — Nintendo Transfer titles (700). Different notable platforms come with PlayStation 1 (600), Nintendo 64 (550), PlayStation 3 (500), SNES (450), Wii (400), and Dreamcast (350).
How do you play video games?Being a transportable software, it is sensible that 84% of other folks have used their Steam Deck outdoor in their properties. However most of the people nonetheless predominantly play their Deck inside their very own 4 partitions, with maximum enjoying totally on their sofa, adopted by way of their mattress.In comparison to final 12 months, the choice of other folks the use of their Steam Deck essentially all the way through their go back and forth greater moderately to six%, although it stays a distinct segment use case. And since you almost certainly sought after to grasp: 25 other folks use their Steam Deck predominantly on the bathroom — poop deck gaming.One of the most primary promoting issues of the Steam Deck is what number of video games will also be put in in the neighborhood. However what in regards to the video games that can both no longer run or be too performance-hungry?Fortunately, for those eventualities, we will be able to use streaming choices, both in-house streaming from one among your native units to every other or cloud-based streaming choices. Here’s what other folks needed to say:1123 other folks use in-house streaming choices (e.g., Moonlight, Steam Far off, PlayStation Far off Play).684 other folks use offsite streaming choices (e.g., Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Recreation Cross Cloud).Have you ever put in another manner of obtaining video games for your Steam Deck?Because of the open nature of the Steam Deck (say, in comparison to a Nintendo Transfer), the Steam Retailer isn’t your best option for putting in video games at the Deck. So we requested other folks what different strategies they use.Here is the breakdown, with the Heroic Launcher main the way in which:
Round 30% do not trouble with another retailer. (Down by way of 7% in comparison to final 12 months.)
Most of the people (round 1600) reported having bought between 1 and 10 video games essentially to play on their Steam Deck. Round 1100 other folks purchased 10 to 50 video games, and 150 respondents stated they basically bought over 100 video games for his or her Steam Deck.In the case of general Steam Library possession, the consequences range broadly:
The fairway checkmark dilemmaValve’s Verification Procedure can appear damaged from the outdoor. It is a wonderful thought on paper: if a sport is verified or playable, you’ll be able to be confident that it runs nice on Deck. However we have now observed that this may no longer all the time be the case in follow.So it best is sensible that most of the people (67%, down by way of 3%) do not if truth be told believe a sport’s Verified Standing of their purchasing determination – of all contributors (from a in large part fanatic crowd), the bulk as a substitute take a look at ProtonDB (82%) or the Steam Neighborhood Pages to look if a sport runs.From the research:37.19% of respondents discussed checking web pages like Overkill or Steam Deck HQ.58.60% of respondents discussed the use of Reddit as a supply for checking how video games run on their Steam Deck.81.82% of respondents discussed checking ProtonDB to look if a sport runs or works at the Steam DeckThis additionally explains why 78% (up from 70%) have prior to now modified the compatibility layer and why a whopping 2400 other folks have put in GE-Proton.There are, alternatively, nonetheless 33% (up by way of 3%) of surveyed other folks that may best purchase playable or verified video games for his or her Steam Deck.
Let’s speak about enter methodsSo some distance, the Steam Deck is without doubt one of the best hand held PCs with integrated trackpads. However since maximum competition do not trouble including them, does that imply Valve may just do with out them of their subsequent Steam Deck revision?Nope, as a result of 64.62% use the trackpads to play video video games, with the remaining (35.38%) the use of them to navigate the Steam Deck’s Desktop mode.As for neighborhood controller layouts, 3,195 surveyed other folks informed us that they had used them sooner than, with 381 respondents announcing that they had no longer, and 118 have been unaware those layouts existed within the first position.
We naturally requested other folks if the Steam Deck used to be liable for reducing their utilization of alternative platforms, and 82.08% of other folks reported a minimum of a slight lower:37.52% reported a vital lower.25.09% reported a slight lower.19.46% totally stopped the use of different platforms.17.92% reported no alternate.
As for what platforms they personal, here’s what we realized.What different platforms do you personal (a couple of solutions have been imaginable):PC / Mac: 2,930 respondentsNintendo Transfer: 2,150 respondentsPlayStation 4: 1,100 respondentsPlayStation 5: 1,009 respondentsXbox One: 470 respondentsXbox Sequence S/X: 589 respondentsOther x86 handhelds (AYANEO, ROG Best friend, GPD, and so forth): 215 respondentsRetro handhelds (PS Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Recreation Boy Colour, and so forth): 1,650 respondentsRetro consoles (SNES, N64, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and so forth): 1,510 respondentsFurther Breakdown, Along with the Steam Deck:23 respondents additionally personal the entire platforms indexed.900 respondents personal just a Nintendo Transfer.14 respondents personal every other x86 hand held (AYANEO, ROG Best friend, GPD, and so forth.).1,050 respondents best personal a PC / Mac.600 respondents best personal an Xbox Sequence S/X.715 respondents best personal a PlayStation 5.
With that, Valve could also be revising the Steam Deck, we requested a couple of questions to test what Valve may just support in a possible Steam Deck 2.Going by way of the truth that the common delight rating for the Steam Deck is a whopping 8.92 out of 10, the solution could be “no longer a lot”? But, after we requested other folks what they sought after to look in a Steam Deck 2, the 2 maximum asked solutions have been a larger battery (1,462 replies) and a extra robust chipset (1,015 replies).At the tool aspect, respondents highlighted key spaces for growth. Essentially the most asked adjustments come with higher functionality optimisation, stepped forward sport compatibility, reinforce for Variable Refresh Fee (VRR), and enhanced energy control. Moreover, some customers expressed hobby in additional distinctive options, similar to dual-booting reinforce with extra OS choices, a streamlined library control machine, and the facility to customize functionality profiles for person video games. A couple of even asked a “sport mode” UI overhaul and integration with third-party launchers for higher comfort. And a host of other folks actually need Recreation Cross reinforce.Then again, we have now additionally requested if other folks once in a while felt restricted by way of the Steam Deck’s functionality. And the solution is sure, with 62% telling us so (down by way of 3%). This is sensible, seeing that one of the most beefier Triple-A video games, similar to Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield, do not run that properly at the Steam Deck. Customers incessantly discussed those titles as examples of video games requiring vital compromises, both in body fee or graphical constancy, to reach playable moveable functionality.
And in the end, with the rumours swirling about new merchandise from Valve, we naturally requested: What different {hardware} do you wish to have to look?At the {hardware} entrance, respondents had quite a lot of concepts for long run Valve merchandise. The preferred request used to be for a brand new controller, similar to a Steam Controller 2, with 147 mentions. There used to be additionally vital hobby in Valve generating extra complex VR headsets and modular units. Steam Deck homeowners highlighted the desire for {hardware} enhancements to their current software, similar to higher cooling answers or expanded docking features. Extra distinctive concepts integrated requests for a made over Steam Hyperlink software or a hybrid console (suppose the Wii U or the Transfer) that leverages the Steam Deck as its core element.
That is a wrap. A large thanks to everybody for taking the time to have a look at this 12 months’s effects and to everybody who crammed out this 12 months’s State of Steam Deck Survey.After all, we’re going to be again subsequent 12 months with a fair higher survey.
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