Released on February 25, the Steam Deck has been receiving quite a lot of praise, not just as a games console, but as a portable PC overall. With Valve releasing drivers for Windows 10, although there are some teething problems at the moment, there's hope from Gabe Newell and co that the device will usher in a new era for gaming on the move. Given that it's been out a few weeks now, the developer seems keen to know what users think of it so far, and has put out a call for some feedback.
In a new post on the official Steam page, it looks as though Valve will be adding a new feature which will allow people to give feedback on the Steam Deck. Specifically, the company is interested in player experience in terms of verified games, with the aim to gather data on whether gamers feel the device, and the games compatible with it, are "working well." The post goes on to say that the purpose of this feedback is to not necessarily change compatibility, but to see whether or not the system is currently functioning within the company's, and its user base's, expectations.
The way it works is, after playing a verified game on Steam Deck, which at the time of writing totals just under 1,250 titles according to one database, players may be asked if they would be able to "occasionally" provide some feedback. This is an opt-in feature, Valve says, so it's not mandatory. Anyone who does wish to provide answer to some questions, they may be asked things like whether the game they've just played is in-line with their expectations of it being a "verified" game.
With Steam growing by 31 million users last year, the platform is continuing to dominate the PC gaming market. As a result, there are more people using the digital storefront that could potentially purchase the Deck further down the line. With that, it's understandable that the company would want to make sure that the device is working within expectations, and to hopefully make improvements as and when needed.
With Xbox Cloud Gaming now working on the device through the Edge browser, it seems as though the Steam Deck is looking to push itself out there in terms of game and platform compatibility, especially given that users can install Windows 10 on it. It is still pretty early days for the portable PC, but the consensus is that it's a strong combatant in the mobile gaming market, and future iterations could see it getting better and better.
Source: Steam, Steam Deck Verified