5 ms·

One of the major reasons people play PC games is mouse and keyboard are way better than joystick. I don't see myself playing PC games on a handheld.

Crespyl 5y ago
Valve has experience already with making m+kb games playable via a trackpad on the Steam Controller, so I'm confident that the trackpads on the Deck will be good enough for a decent chunk of games (though I'm not about to try Dota 2 on the thing). Not every game will be a perfect fit, certainly, but I've had a great time with my Steam Controller playing things like XCOM, Prey (2017), and Divinity Original Sin. IIRC Civilization 5 was explicitly a part of the advertising for the controller in the first place, as a way to play mouse-heavy games from the couch.
caconym_ 5y ago
These days I think many or even most PC gamers own a gamepad and choose to use it for certain games, even when they have a mouse and keyboard sitting right in front of them. These also tend to be the same games I'd consider most suitable for playing at reduced resolutions and framerates.
yellowapple 5y ago
Depends on the game. Flight and driving games are vastly better with a gamepad (let alone proper joysticks or steering wheels) than with a keyboard and mouse IMO.
deadbunny 5y ago
But not all games are "PC" games. Plenty of games that are released on PC are best/better played with a conroller and thanks to the PC being a open platform you have many more choices than console. Hell you can use your console's controllers if you like.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
  > Plenty of games that are released on PC are best/better played with a conroller Fewer than people think, in my opinion. Snake Pass and Outer Wilds insisted to me that they would be better with a controller and both were wrong.
  - fuzxi 5y ago
    Outer Wilds in general is better with KB/M because of mouselook's precision, but getting through Dark Bramble is significantly more difficult because of how thrust works.
conradev 5y ago
You can use a keyboard and mouse on a PS5 and a PS5 controller on PC, depending on game support. I believe the same is true for Xbox.
- lostmsu 5y ago
  It is no longer a handheld if you attach external m+kb.
  - Koiwai 5y ago
    What if I tell you when you remove said m+kb it's a handheld again?
    - lostmsu 5y ago
      Then you missed the point.
      - Koiwai 5y ago
        How? when you dock a Switch it's not a handheld anymore, so what?
        lostmsu 5y ago
        PC games are built with power in mind that Switch does not have. So you couldn't play them. Switch games are not built with m+kb support, so that would be pointless.
        Koiwai 5y ago
        Lots of PC games can be played without K+M, what's your point again?
        lostmsu 5y ago
        I am sorry, but this got stupid very quickly. You are blind either by inability to see or by choice. > Lots of PC games can be played without K+M, what's your point again? The comment you were replying to directly answers you question about the point: > PC games are built with power in mind that Switch does not have The part of comment about "can be played without K+M" is entirely irrelevant to what I am saying because the preference _for_ K+M is the premise of this whole comment subtree.
nvarsj 5y ago
Not sure I agree. I feel like the majority of AAA PC games are designed for console first and work well with gamepads. At least the ones I play. It’s also just more relaxing since you can lean back.
- samtheDamned 5y ago
  Yeah even some of the biggest PC games out there like GTA just don't feel as good on KB/M as they do on controllers. Like others said, with the dual trackpads built in and the extensive controller configurations offered by steam's controller settings I don't see the controls being much of a problem on the steam deck.
JKCalhoun 5y ago
(worse even: thumbstick)
Pxtl 5y ago
You're in luck, then. The Steam Deck has thumb trackpads for mouse-like aiming. This is their 3rd kick at thumb trackpads (they're on the Steam Controller and the Index Controller) so they're established pretty well at it. It's not the same as a mouse but it beats the pants off of thumbstick aiming.
- brailsafe 5y ago
  The more interesting thing to me would be actual peripheral support. It's apparently a PC that can connect to an external display or mouse and keyboard.
lostmsu 5y ago
To add a point against comments here talking about some games being playable on controllers: of top 10 in Steam's own stats only Destiny 2 looks like you won't be handicapped by a controller. https://store.steampowered.com/stats/ https://store.steampowered.com/stats/

Crespyl 5y ago

Valve has experience already with making m+kb games playable via a trackpad on the Steam Controller, so I'm confident that the trackpads on the Deck will be good enough for a decent chunk of games (though I'm not about to try Dota 2 on the thing). Not every game will be a perfect fit, certainly, but I've had a great time with my Steam Controller playing things like XCOM, Prey (2017), and Divinity Original Sin. IIRC Civilization 5 was explicitly a part of the advertising for the controller in the first place, as a way to play mouse-heavy games from the couch.

caconym_ 5y ago

These days I think many or even most PC gamers own a gamepad and choose to use it for certain games, even when they have a mouse and keyboard sitting right in front of them. These also tend to be the same games I'd consider most suitable for playing at reduced resolutions and framerates.

yellowapple 5y ago

Depends on the game. Flight and driving games are vastly better with a gamepad (let alone proper joysticks or steering wheels) than with a keyboard and mouse IMO.

deadbunny 5y ago

But not all games are "PC" games. Plenty of games that are released on PC are best/better played with a conroller and thanks to the PC being a open platform you have many more choices than console. Hell you can use your console's controllers if you like.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
> Plenty of games that are released on PC are best/better played with a conroller Fewer than people think, in my opinion. Snake Pass and Outer Wilds insisted to me that they would be better with a controller and both were wrong.
- fuzxi 5y ago
  Outer Wilds in general is better with KB/M because of mouselook's precision, but getting through Dark Bramble is significantly more difficult because of how thrust works.

conradev 5y ago

You can use a keyboard and mouse on a PS5 and a PS5 controller on PC, depending on game support. I believe the same is true for Xbox.

lostmsu 5y ago
It is no longer a handheld if you attach external m+kb.
- Koiwai 5y ago
  What if I tell you when you remove said m+kb it's a handheld again?
  - lostmsu 5y ago
    Then you missed the point.
    - Koiwai 5y ago
      How? when you dock a Switch it's not a handheld anymore, so what?
      - lostmsu 5y ago
        PC games are built with power in mind that Switch does not have. So you couldn't play them. Switch games are not built with m+kb support, so that would be pointless.
        Koiwai 5y ago
        Lots of PC games can be played without K+M, what's your point again?
        lostmsu 5y ago
        I am sorry, but this got stupid very quickly. You are blind either by inability to see or by choice. > Lots of PC games can be played without K+M, what's your point again? The comment you were replying to directly answers you question about the point: > PC games are built with power in mind that Switch does not have The part of comment about "can be played without K+M" is entirely irrelevant to what I am saying because the preference _for_ K+M is the premise of this whole comment subtree.

nvarsj 5y ago

Not sure I agree. I feel like the majority of AAA PC games are designed for console first and work well with gamepads. At least the ones I play. It’s also just more relaxing since you can lean back.

samtheDamned 5y ago
Yeah even some of the biggest PC games out there like GTA just don't feel as good on KB/M as they do on controllers. Like others said, with the dual trackpads built in and the extensive controller configurations offered by steam's controller settings I don't see the controls being much of a problem on the steam deck.

JKCalhoun 5y ago

(worse even: thumbstick)

Pxtl 5y ago

You're in luck, then. The Steam Deck has thumb trackpads for mouse-like aiming. This is their 3rd kick at thumb trackpads (they're on the Steam Controller and the Index Controller) so they're established pretty well at it. It's not the same as a mouse but it beats the pants off of thumbstick aiming.

brailsafe 5y ago
The more interesting thing to me would be actual peripheral support. It's apparently a PC that can connect to an external display or mouse and keyboard.

lostmsu 5y ago

To add a point against comments here talking about some games being playable on controllers: of top 10 in Steam's own stats only Destiny 2 looks like you won't be handicapped by a controller. https://store.steampowered.com/stats/ https://store.steampowered.com/stats/