Hey all, sorry in advance if this kind of post isn't welcome in this community. I wasn't really sure where to post this question and I didn't see anything in the rules against text posts or questions. If there's a more appropriate place to post I'll take this down and repost somewhere else.
With the recent price hikes of game pass, Microsoft's general inability to publish good games, and a deep loathing for AAA studios obsession with milking me for every dollar I have while delivering uninspired, broken slop, I've cancelled my game pass subscription and started considering PC gaming. I'm still on the Xbox one and haven't bothered to get the one X due to these issues. I'm due for am upgrade and don't feel particularly thrilled at the idea of spending that much money on a console that has little to offer.
I don't have a lot of money, but I do have enough to afford a modest build (600-700 USD.). But with all the praise and broad support that the steam deck has been getting, I'm wondering if my money may not be better spent on getting one and using the extra for a dock, some peripherals, and a start to building my library. The steam deck would be living most of its life docked and plugged into a monitor. The fact that it's a capable portable gaming machine is, for the most part, a bonus to me.
I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Is a steam deck a viable alternative to a budget gaming PC?
whether you go handheld or desktop PC depends on what you plan to play and how often you play "handheld" and "sitting at home"
can I throw in an odd alternative 3rd option. Not the steam deck specifically, but many of the windows gaming handhelds have USB 4 support. with that, they enable the user to use an external GPU if they wanted. So if you wanted a better "docked experience" you can get one later down the line and treat it like some middle ground from having a "desktop" pc and handheld pc on demand. down the line you can choose to upgrade one experience or the other when the time is right if you would like a middle of a choice option.
this option is not very setting friendly though, as youd constnatly have to switch back and forth if you choose this path
Whichever way I went, I was planning to use Linux for my OS, so I haven't really considered a windows handheld until now. I might have to look into those a bit more. I'm not opposed to windows per se, but I do like how light most Linux distros are. It would free up more resources for gaming, and considering my budget, I could definitely use the extra wiggle room haha