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Comment by vr46 | Hacker News Reader

My Steam Deck arrived in the summmer of 2022 after years of not having a PC but occasionally dual-booting an Intel Mac for games, and doing the whole Steam Sale thing of filling my boots with games that would barely get played.

Well. That pile of games is getting eaten through and more are being added as I and the family are loving the Steam Deck, despite having a Switch with dozens of games.

I’m currently 90 hours into my new favourite game, Witcher 3, having racked up similar on Forza Horizon, with Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, Skyrim, and a load more, await.

Valve have done an amazing job. The store UI still sucks balls, but who cares when I can replay HL2 in my hands.

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If you like Witcher 3, then definitely check Baldur’s Gate 3 out. Just be careful as you won’t be able to get any work done afterwards.

It’s in the queue but luckily I’ve run out of money

I’m shy about the deck because I love my switch and the deck looks so big and heavy. How do you find the comfort and ergonomics?

It is a bit heavy, but it's so, so much more comfortable to hold than the switch. Valve really did an excellent job with the ergonomics.

My only complaints are that it gets super hot, and the controls are a little cramped for my big hands. But I'll happily play it for hours handheld. I couldn't do that with the switch, I always had to put it in tabletop mode.

One thing that doesn't seem nearly as important is the USB port on the top. You can actually use it while it's plugged in. I think Nintendo made a bad call on the switch there.

To preface, I'm within a standard deviation of normal on the bell curve of human size, which usually means American products built for giants correlated with the most disposable income don't fit me. ymmv.

The Steam Deck feels better in my hands than a Nintendo Switch. Its grip is different, but as soon as you get comfortable holding it with your whole hand, including ring and pinky fingers, it feels very natural.

It was bigger than I imagined, but not too big, and it felt lighter and more balanced than expected. It's easy to pick up and hold, even one handed.

I think they did a great job on the ergonomics. The size was clearly a design decision, and while I don't tend to play games on it for more than 45 minutes at a time, I recently held it up to watch a feature length movie without as much fatigue or difficulty as trying to balance my smartphone.

I don't own a deck, only tried a friend's. I find the Switch to be small and cramped, but a deck is way too big and had a hard time reaching the sticks comfortably

For me the switch is not ergonomic and frequently causes my hands to fall asleep when using it. The steam deck has no such issue and is nice to hold comparatively

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