Aussies: Is It Worth Buying a Steam Deck in 2024?

ign.com:

2024 has seen a string of unlikely events. Eternally in-fighting Britpop band Oasis reformed and set its sights on a world tour, human-sized Cheeto Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House, and Valve announced that it was finally releasing the Steam Deck into the Australian market, delighting Aussie gamers and likely putting the noses of grey importers firmly out of joint. As of earlier this week those Aussie Steam Decks have started shipping out directly from Valve’s local warehouse complete with an Aussie power supply and sold at a price point that substantially undercuts the inflated charges of every grey importer we checked at the time of writing. So, if you were planning on getting a Steam Deck then buying one directly from Steam is a no-brainer, but two and a half years after the system’s original launch – do you want to buy one at all?

Let’s rewind a little. When the original LCD Steam Deck launched in February, 2022, IGN’s reviewer Seth G. Macy said:

“When the Steam Deck is living up to its promises, it's absolutely incredible. Playing GTA 5, God of War, and other modern games on the go is an absolute joy, and the hardware and controls feel good to hold even though it’s a big chubby boy of a handheld. It seriously impressed me with how nice some demanding modern games look on its 7-inch screen. But those dizzying highs are all too often snapped away by insurmountable compatibility issues with SteamOS, and installing Windows to get around those comes with its own set of problems. I’ve lost count of how often I’ve been left frustrated and annoyed to have to troubleshoot issues when trying to play a game for the first time. Battery life is another major buzzkill – if you’re not careful with each game’s settings you can blow through a full charge faster than a train ride from Boston to Manhattan. Sure, it’ll last a lot longer if all you want is to play low-power indies, but in that case the Switch is a smoother experience for less money. So while I