Story & Buying Experience

After seeing a ton of people enjoying the Steam Deck overseas, I decided I wanted in. Being in Australia meant getting creative: Facebook Marketplace prices were too high; package forwarders looked like a hassle. I ultimately nabbed a lightly used unit on eBay after the winning bidder backed out—cheaper than an AYA Neo 2021 import and still under the prices at Kogan/Dick Smith/Catch at the time.

The seller shipped quickly and the 512GB model arrived with its carry case, a US USB-C charger, and a small charger pouch. A few cables later I was charging up, joining Wi-Fi, and logging into Steam.

Specifications

Processor

• AMD APU
• CPU: Zen 2, 4c/8t, 2.4–3.5GHz (up to 448 GFLOPS FP32)
• GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0–1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFLOPS FP32)
• APU power: 4–15W

Memory

• 16GB LPDDR5 (5500 MT/s, quad 32-bit channels)

Storage Options

• 64GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
• 256GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2*)
• 512GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2*)

Controls & Input

• ABXY, D-pad, L/R bumpers & analog triggers
• Two full-size clickable thumbsticks (capacitive)
• View & Menu buttons; 4 assignable rear grip buttons
• Two 32.5mm square trackpads with haptics (55% lower latency vs Steam Controller; adjustable click force)
• 6-axis IMU (gyro)
• HD haptics

Display

• 7″ optically bonded IPS LCD, touch-enabled
• 1280 × 800 (16:10), 60Hz, ~400 nits
• Ambient light sensor

Connectivity

• Dual-band Wi-Fi (2×2 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 & 5GHz)
• Bluetooth 5.0 (controllers, accessories, audio)

Audio

• Stereo speakers with embedded DSP
• Dual mic array
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Multichannel audio via USB-C/DisplayPort/Bluetooth

Power

• 45W USB-C PD 3.0 power supply
• 40Wh battery (roughly 2–8 hours depending on game)

Expansion

• microSD (UHS-I; SD/SDXC/SDHC)

External I/O

• USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode up to 8K@60 or 4K@120; USB 3.2 Gen 2

Size & Weight

• 298 × 117 × 49 mm
• ~669 g

Software

• SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
• KDE Plasma desktop mode

Setup, Games & First Impressions

Steam’s “Great on Deck” library tab made it easy to start with verified titles, though plenty of “Playable” or community-tested games also ran fine. First boot was Rogue Legacy 2—perfect to learn the controls and weight. I then rotated through Control, God of War, Spider-Man Remastered, Miles Morales, Dead Cells, Katana Zero, and Cult of the Lamb. Cloud saves were seamless; most titles worked out-of-the-box, with a little tweaking for the two Spider-Man games and God of War to dial in smoothness.

I reached out to JSAUX for a mod case, cooling fan, screen protectors, and a replacement backplate (see our separate accessories review). Until that arrived, the Deck was mostly a home unit. Skins turned my device into a “reverse panda”—white trackpads/top/rear, default elsewhere. The JSAUX Mod Case made it bag-friendly and protected the sticks with a snap-on cover.

Performance, Screen & UX

Quick suspend/resume makes it feel like a premium Switch. Speakers are loud (bring headphones in public). The 512GB anti-glare screen helps outdoors; occasionally small UI text can be a strain. With FSR improvements, I tend to target a very stable 40fps in many titles. The 60Hz panel is there when games can hold it, but 40fps is the sweet spot for battery and smoothness.

Desktop Mode & Mods

It’s a tiny Linux PC: plug in a display/keyboard/mouse, or hop into KDE Plasma for apps via the Discover store (productivity, media, emulators, etc.). I used it to install Decky Loader (for in-game utilities) and Desky, plus tinkered with Space Cadet Pinball. Switching back to Game Mode is a single click and reboot.

Extensions I’m using include:

• Animation Changer (random boot/sleep animations)
• VibrantDeck (color tweaks)
• Controller Tools (easier Bluetooth pairing)
• Network Info (quick connection checks)
• CSS Loader (library UI themes) + HowLongToBeat panel

Verdict

Should you buy a Steam Deck in Australia right now? It’s complicated by availability and import cost. I don’t regret it—it does things my laptop won’t, chiefly instant sleep/wake and frictionless “pick up and play.” Not every game works and battery life varies wildly, but it’s changed how I play. I now carry it daily (plus an extra charger, admittedly).

For tinkerers and enthusiasts, it’s a dream. For average consumers, the price and learning curve might be steep, but as a “do-all” handheld PC, it’s hugely capable and regularly improving with Valve’s updates. The handheld market feels refreshed—and the Deck is a big reason why.