The key to its success I think is controls. I could never feel comfortable with portable gaming because controls always felt clunky for games I like. This thing treats controls as the centerpiece, allowing seamless sharing of layouts between players: just pick the most popular layout for any game. You can play freaking real time strategies on this thing fairly comfortably.
I want a standalone controller with the full Steam Deck layout so bad. I'm amazed nobody has put out anything like it yet besides maybe the old discontinued Steam controller.
The Steam Deck is an upgrade to the Steam Controller in my eyes; I own both but just never really liked using the Steam Controller the same way I do the Steam Deck for some reason. I guess the Steam Deck just feels more comfortable?
The steam controller suffers immensely because valve was trying to push the dumb touchpads replacing sticks mentality at the time. The touch pads are a horrible replacement for sticks because they lack the physicality and feedback. The original vive was similarly hampered by controllers that had no sticks because valve got weird for a bit.
To be fair, I think the touchpads are pretty crucial on the deck.
I play a bunch of games where I just really want a mouse and the touchpads make that feel relatively natural in a way that joysticks just don't.
I do agree, though - the focus on the touchpads on the original steam controller was perhaps over the top, and the absence of a second stick was limiting. I think the deck gets it right: You have two of each, one for each hand.
I can play games designed for controllers, and I can play games designed for mice, and everything just works.
The deck has a sort of "second gen" implementation where they realized sticks are important but trackpads can be great secondary or alternative controls. They figured the same thing out for VR controllers, with the index having a thumbstick for most interactions but some weird little touchpad thing for whoever wants it.
I mean - I think it just depends heavily on what game you're playing.
If I'm playing a game designed around a console experience, I want the sticks - they feel natural in that space in a way that the touchpads don't compare with.
If I'm playing a game designed for a mouse and keyboard... I definitely don't want the sticks. I want the touchpads (at least one of them). The sticks feel horrible as a mouse for these games (although sometimes one can replace WASD panning controls)
Basically - games like Rimworld/Dwarf Fortress DO NOT WORK without the touchpads. Period. The touchpads are not "alternative"... the touchpads are the reason the deck can make those games playable.
But you lost all the sensation of sticks for non-mouse based games. The trackpads are awesome for things that weren't meant to be played on a gamepad, but for say a platformer or racer, they are really mediocre.
The mouse and trackpad emulation of the steam controller makes it one of the best ways to control a media PC though.
When I sold my steam deck controller recently it was for I believe at or slightly higher then retail price. For a used one with no box on a local resale market. I asked the guy why he was picking it up, and he said something a long the lines of "It's the best and they're getting rarer" The steam controller still has fans.
I did an entire Civ 6 game on Epic speed on my SD. I did find the touchpad uncomfortable to use with my large hands, so I 3D printed one of these[0] in PLA and it lets me more comfortably rest my thumb on the pad.
Of course KBM is better, and the touchpads involve a lot of pausing to make up for the less immediate reaction, but the fact that the experience is enjoyable at all is surprising. The form factor and the ability to be able to instantly pick up were you left off for a 10-20 mins session more than makes it up for the awkwardness.
Edit: I guess it also help that while I've played Stellaris extensively on a desktop, I never played ONI outside of the deck, so I don't know what I'm missing.
