Steam Deck

retro games I’ve missed like the Metro Trilogy

Two things to add regarding question 1:

The Steam Deck GPU is optimized for the built-in screen, which has 1280x800 pixels. FullHD is more than twice the number of pixels. The GPUs fragment fill rate will therefore not be sufficient to play many games at FullHD native. The Steam Deck has built-in FSR upscaling though, so if you are not sitting directly in front of the screen, it will look OK-ish...

The second thing is refresh rate. On the deck itself you can set the screen refresh rate to 40 Hz. For many, many games the built-in GPU will not manage 60 FPS even at 1280x800, but it quite often manages to do 40, which still feels OK-ish.

Most external screens don't support 40Hz though, so you will be stuck with either limiting your framerate to 30 FPS, or you will have to live with either tearing or unsteady framerate.

Out of topic but oof it pains me in my joints seeing Metro games labeled as retro.

If you want to know if a game works on the deck or not steam lists steam deck verification for games that work. If it’s listed as verified it’ll be a smooth experience, like launching a console game. If it’s marked playable it will have more detailed information about the game’s issues, most common is needing to use an onscreen keyboard for certain things or other UI weirdness.

Games that aren’t verified might work but you’ll likely need to tweak settings to get them running smoothly.

I think you've already had your questions answered, but I'd like to add 2 more things:

First, if it's in budget, I would still consider OLED. I love my LCD deck, but I kinda wish the screen was nicer.

Second, it may be cheapest to get the 64GB version and upgrade the ssd yourself. That's what I did, and it's pretty easy with the deck's repairable design.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. It’s not too hard to replace it but you can’t get a better one than the original one
4. It’ll work fine. Give it a month and then see if you want a dock as well.
5. Most likely yes.
6. Joystick drift, although they can be replaced and calibrated.

If I end up using a Dual Schock 4 or a Dual Sense when my Steam Deck is docked, will I have to pair them again with my consoles every time after using them with the Deck?

Just get another used gamepad used if it becomes an issue! That is the beauty of using a computer instead of a console, most gamepads are going to work and with Steam's controller interface it is easy to select a control scheme that will work well for that controller.

I’ll check into everything. Thanks!

Am I right in thinking that I could play on the Deck’s screen almost every game which could run on a Playstation 4?

Sure, assuming the game is released on a supported platform like Steam, or any of the platforms Heroic or Lutris support. Though I guess if you really wanted specific PlayStation games running on your deck you could setup PS Now to stream it.

Am I right in thinking that I could play on the big screen games until the middle of the Playstation 4 era?

Same as above really, with the only caveat being that changing the resolution will obviously diminish performance. Eg. If you dock the deck on a 4k TV and set the game's resolution to 4K you shouldn't be surprised if the game runs like ass.

Since I’d be buying a used LCD deck, I fear that the battery would be in poor health. Is there a way to know its health? If I replace the battery, could I get a better one?

I don't know of any tools to measure or monitor the health of the deck's battery.

You can replace the battery if you're up to it. I don't believe there are any higher capacity internal batteries available without some significant modifications to the unit.

Most other deck users that are concerned with battery life opt for power banks. You can always explore that route if it becomes a concern.

My PC screen can charge devices through USB-C and has 4 usb ports. It delivers enough power to charge my Surface Go 1 while using it. In my mind, it could clearly replace a dock, but would I have any advantages in getting one? Could the official dock be used for another handheld like my kid’s Switch?

I can only speak for myself, but I like using my dock because it has an Ethernet port so I don't have to rely on my wireless connection when I'm on the couch and a Display Port so that it could be docked at my desk and plugged into one of my monitors. When I'm doing game development, this comes in pretty handy; I can build the game directly on the deck or transfer to it, then test it out in game mode very quickly. I'll admit, this is a sort of a niche usecase, though.

If I end up using a Dual Schock 4 or a Dual Sense when my Steam Deck is docked, will I have to pair them again with my consoles every time after using them with the Deck?

I don't own a Dual Sense (or a PS5), so I cant speak to that. Every bluetooth controller I've used behaves the same though. When I turn off the deck or undock it, the controller enters pairing mode and if I turn on my PS4 the controller is automatically paired to it. I don't have to do anything extra.

Since I'd be buying a used Steam Deck, is there anything I should be particularly careful about?

As with any used product, if it comes with a warranty of any kind pay very close attention to the wording so you're aware of the avenues available should anything bad happen to the product.

Other than that, good luck! And congratulations on your wedding!

You can buy most parts including the battery from ifixit. They have a partnership with Valve for parts. Also they have instructions on how to fix the part.

https://www.ifixit.com/Parts/Steam_Deck

Make sure you don't hit your wife with it.