Forum Discussion

Bluebell23456's avatar
4 years ago

The Sims on the New Steam Deck?

So I had heard rumors about this thing for a bit and just sort of let them fester in the back of my mind. Now it has officially been announced and preorders begin tomorrow (or later today for some). I am actually really interested in it, more than I thought I would be during the initial rumor phase.

I love handhelds, and being able to play regular PC games on the go sounds pretty great. For the record, laptops never felt as portable as they were made out to be for me. I despised having to set up, pack up, and lug around mine for classes. It was not anything special to be especially heavy, either. Laptops have ended up a PC for a non-traditional setup for me. Aka, I rarely have access to a proper desk or equivalent hard surface so a traditional desktop does not really work for me (and I have set desktops up on a coffee table). Bare minimum portability is exactly that, bare minimum, and something beyond that I find enticing.

So the idea of a super portable Steam library is fairly appealing to me. Plus it has much more storage than the Nintendo Switch at the base level and, as a PC equivalent, allows the use of Epic, Origin, Microsoft, etc. games on top of Steam. You can even download windows and what not, browse the web, etc. That means the Sims 4 should play on this thing.

Now, I am not typically into Sims mainline UI with console controls, but for the portability I think it will be a decent compromise. Especially with those touch pads acting as a laptop track pad. It seems like it will pretty well define flexibility as a handheld in usage, you just will not be able to upgrade parts beyond SD cards (something not foreign to the console market).

So what does everyone else think of this? Would you want to play Sims on a PC portable like the Steam Deck? I personally think it suits it more than a Switch port that would eat up my storage space. Plus, it would not have to be ported at all. Steam Sims players will just find the game in their Steam library upon launch. Even the pricing does not seem that prohibitive, not compared to buying a new PC or console. $400 base model is only $100 more than a Switch, which is fairly old hardware. Just $50 more than the new OLED model which is old hardware with more storage (though the same than the base Deck) and a better screen.
  • Thank you everyone for the responses. To be honest, I am not exactly surprised. As mentioned prior, I don't exactly desire mainline Sims on console without it being a spinoff like they used to make, but I find the idea of the PC portable much more promising.

    But I 100% understand the majority of skepticism. Plus if a handheld is not your thing, it just isn't. Though I do remember a subsection of the community wanted a Switch port, and I am surprised that they would not somewhat be interested in this instead. I love my Switch, but it is weaker than this and requires proper porting.

    Anyway, I am curious how popular it turns out to be. I have seen some speculation that casual players will lap it up, but, honestly, I don't think they'd touch PC portables until they become established.
  • Wrenry's avatar
    Wrenry
    Seasoned Novice
    No because of not having access to mods or cc.

    I have Stardew Valley on both the PC and Switch and though I do enjoy having it on the Switch since I can play it when not at home, there’s a meaty selection of mods available for the PC that boost its playability. Want a tractor to ride? PC only. Want a totally new map to play? PC only. Anime style bachelors? PC only. (Though I’m totally fine how Harvey looks.)
  • Wrenry's avatar
    Wrenry
    Seasoned Novice
    "Calico45;c-17933901" wrote:
    "Wrenry;c-17933898" wrote:
    No because of not having access to mods or cc.

    I have Stardew Valley on both the PC and Switch and though I do enjoy having it on the Switch since I can play it when not at home, there’s a meaty selection of mods available for the PC that boost its playability. Want a tractor to ride? PC only. Want a totally new map to play? PC only. Anime style bachelors? PC only. (Though I’m totally fine how Harvey looks.)


    This does do mods, though. It is a PC, not a console.


    Crosswired. Misread the question of would you play it on a portable device like a Switch. Which I still say no to.

    Steam Deck. Still no because I can get another laptop.



  • I've played enough Sims Freeplay, and "The Sims" for mobile that I don't feel the need for another way to play handheld Sims. I've got them on my PC and my phone/tablet, and that works.
  • SEREFRAS's avatar
    SEREFRAS
    Seasoned Veteran
    I'm old school, I prefer my PC games to be on Desktop only. I don't feel the need to carry around my games everywhere I go.
  • I think it would be too cluttered and building wouldn't be as simple as on PC.
  • I play sims to be by myself and not have to interact with people (If I want to interact I have other games to do that as well as many non game related things). I have a switch to play certain games, but I don't think it's ever been off the dock for long. Only if I want to play in another room. I'm not at all interested in gaming 'on the go'.

    Edit - and my PC is mine, no one uses it unless I let them (They have their own, so it's rare anyone wants/needs to use mine).