Project Q is the upcoming streaming only device that will allow you to play games installed on a PlayStation 5 remotely.
It has not been announced if the handheld will allow streaming of games from the cloud and is rumoured to cost between £250 - £300.
Will you be picking one up later this year?
Yes it is possible. You should look at the ROG ally since it runs Windows which may be more to your liking
The rog ally has had micro sd issues, make sure that is resolved if you choose one over the steam deck. The deck boots right to steam so you don’t need to touch the Linux os unless you want to branch out.
I thought the Steam Deck was Windows too.
It’s SteamOS (Linux based) with a compatibility layer for Windows games.
Ah I though it had Windows installed.
Is it possible to install Windows 11 on it and use it has a hybrid gaming PC/gaming handheld/everyday PC if it’s connected to a dock with a monitor and keyboard & mouse?
You don’t have to install Windows. The Linux OS can boot into desktop mode and it functions just like a desktop PC with the Dock. I have it hooked up to a monitor and a TV via separate docks and the monitor dock has a mouse and keyboard. It works great.
I’ve never used Linux before. I’ve only ever used Windows and macOS. Also can the Steam OS play non Steam Windows games. Could my daughter play Roblox, Fall Guys and Sims 4 on it?
Yes, in SteamOS, you can add a Windows game as a non-Steam game. It will then use the Proton compatibility layer to make it run. Those are all popular titles, so I’m sure you can look up “Roblox Steam Deck” or whatever and find a guide someone else made to help you get it set up if you need.
From what I understand the driver support is pretty poor under Windows. That may have changed since I last looked but that appeared to be the state at and around launch of the Deck.
Yeah. I haven’t done it, but lots of others have.
You can, but the usability does suffer a bit. I would honestly just keep SteamOS on it as you will get better performance even with the compatibility layer, and you don’t really have to touch the desktop if you don’t want to. The Deck boots directly to steam.
So it’s not really a practical replacement for a PC? Damn.
It definitely is. You can try out the default OS, which functions just fine as a full PC in desktop mode or as a gaming console in game mode. You can switch between the two modes as much as you want.
But if you run into game compatibility issues or just cannot get used to Linux for whatever reason, you can install Windows on it. Again, you can use it as a full PC with Windows.