I used to be a frame rate snob but owning a Steam Deck has made me realise the error of my ways (www.pcgamer.com)

submitted 7 months ago by ylai@lemmy.ml to c/steamdeck@lemmy.ml

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[-] narc0tic_bird@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

I don't know. I'm longing for a much faster handheld, especially at that 15-20 watts TDP range, where Z1 Extreme/7840U handhelds don't seem to have much of an advantage over the Deck.

As it is, I'm very picky about what I'm playing on my Deck. It's not my primary gaming device, but even then I'm struggling to play some games on it even for short sessions. It's not even about AAA vs. indie games. Some indie games are very demanding. Valheim to me is basically unplayable on the Deck, with framerates not only dropping but also just being in the teens in somewhat bigger bases. Newer titles like Enshrouded struggle from the get-go, even when turning everything to the lowest settings including FSR.

YMMW, but I just can't enjoy games when input lag varies frame-to-frame because of inconsistent delivery or when the "consistent" delivery is just consistently slow. I don't like it when performance is so low that it increases the difficulty of the game. Some games like Baldur's Gate 3 are the exception, but that's because combat is turn-based.

If this is called being a "frame rate snob", then I'm one of them I guess. I don't think it's a bad thing though.

Still waiting for AMD to release a low-power APU with 3D cache and more oomph in general, and then for Valve or another reputable brand to release a great handheld with that chip.