I was interested in buying a Steam Deck... Until I discovered all the (apparently) better alternatives. Asus Rog Ally, OneXPlayer, Aya Neo etc... I like the idea of an handheld console and obviously I would like to have a device that can run almost everything, so the Windows based handhelds seem better than the Steam Deck. Is it true? Furthermore the Steam Deck looks really big compared to some new devices out there (eg the OneXFly) and neither I like the screen of the Steam Deck, apparently of lower res and with very big bazels (to me looks like the first Nintendo Switch). On the other hand, I think Valve is a more serious company than (apart from Asus) some other unknown Chinese company and I expect Valve to deliver a better product. Still I'm not convinced of Steam OS compared to Windows 11, since I would like to play also Epic games and maybe some emulators. So I started getting information about the alternatives and... There are a lot. There are so many that I got overwhelmed. If you go to the OneXPlayer website they sell like 3-4 different handheld consoles, Aya Neo even more and they also have IndieGoGo campaigns running for new devices, all with weird names. I can't understand what's the device right for me (and I really don't understand their business model). So my question is: are the rivals of the Steam Deck worth their price? Are they really better than the Steam Deck (in terms of quality, screen, size)? Thank you for your opinion!
UPDATE: I finally bought a refurbished 256GB Steam Deck.
Thank you all. This discussion is really helping me making a decision. I even thought that YouTubers are being paid for well advertising all these Chinese alternatives and put the Steam Deck in bad light.
I'd like to second what Veraxus said. I have a steam deck and the ease of use factors are off the chart. At this point my gaming PC sits nearly entirely unused, I do everything on my steam deck, even playing Caves of Qud lol
I bought a Onexplayer mini. I massively regret having done this instead of spending less money on a steam deck. the batery life stinks. I wish I had touchpads.
You should not just assumed a large community is telling the truth about their products. Steam Deck is still just a machine that requires Proton to work. You are at the mercy of Valve corp and the community. If a game doesn't work than the game will not work. Steam Deck is not amazing in what people here have told you, it's a machine that runs limited Steam games, nothing else mattered.