Does PoE Playable on Steam Deck
The Stream Deck is out or at the very least some people who were able to get hold of it. Due to the constant shortage of chips and the soaring cost of chips, it's hard to find any new technology in your hands at the moment. The prices for GPUs are going through the sky, PlayStation 5 consoles are still being sold while Steam Deck is still a long way off. Steam Deck is yet to be a reality for many.
Yet, Valve has been making sure to keep its purchasers and fans engaged in the evolution of its product. In particular, their list of games that are compatible with Steam Deck. Steam Deck isn't necessarily a supercomputer, but it's strong enough to run the latest games. They've recently introduced Path of Exile to that ever-growing collection of games that can be launched immediately using Steam Deck's application But is it a game that can allow you to make a profit from PoE currency with no kickbacks?
The Handheld Experience
Path of Exile features the typical fantasy tropes, where you have the option of choosing between seven classes, which include Witch, Ranger, and Templar, and then set off to develop your skills and discover the vast world of Wraeclast. This roleplaying game for free that's packed with frightening dungeons, spells, and dungeons that are adored by millions around the world. If Valve was looking to get this chunk of players on their ranks, they needed to make engaging in Path of Exile and farming PoE currency a pleasant experience. The fact is, surviving the undead and living enemies such as Spectral Corsairs and Mage Mercenaries is already difficult so why should it be made for the player any more challenging?
Presently, Path of Exile is available for Mac and Windows as well as consoles such as PlayStation 4. Xbox One and PlayStation 4. There's no word on the date Grinding Gear Games is going to be able to make the leap onto the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, however, we anticipate that it will happen very soon. If we're counting it as the Steam Deck, it'll be the first handheld console to will bring Path of Exile compatibility - which is assuming everything goes as planned.
A Rough Start
At first, it was concluded the Steam Deck players wouldn't get the most enjoyment in playing Path of Exile. Steam Deck has a lot of issues regarding its compatibility with the Path of Exile "gameplay."
Some functions aren't available with an existing controller setup. If you're looking to type something in chat, you'll need to use the touchscreen the virtual keyboard, or the community configuration.
Another issue Steam Deck gamers would face is that the game needs manual configuration to adjust the graphics settings so that it performs optimally on handhelds. Steam Deck Steam Deck will sometimes show mouse, keyboard as well as Steam Deck controller icons if they do not.
The last thing to mention is that typing any text within Path of Exile with the Steam Deck will require manually activating the keyboard on the screen which is difficult it can be. Therefore that instead of obtaining the status of Verified on its Steam Deck compatible page Path of Exile merely is given a Playable rating because of the list of problems players have to deal with.
To summarize, Path of Exile will technically work with Steam Deck, but its keyboard issues as well as the absence of controller support could frustrate most players who are new to the game The fun aspect could be lost. There are always a few veteran players willing to solve these problems as long as they can play their preferred online ARPG in a portable way however not all players would consider making a similar effort.
GGG Announces Controller Support
Contrary to its main competitor (Diablo 3), Path of Exile did not have controller capabilities on the PC version. PoE can be played on consoles. But what happens to PC gamers who would like to relax and use a controller right now instead of the standard mouse and keyboard setup? It's good to know that controller support beta is available with Path of Exile with the 3.17.3 patch. Although it's only accessible within Path of Exile's Steam version, you'll be able to switch to controller mode by accessing the input options panel and changing the input mode into Gamepad (Beta) setting. Controller support is expected to remain within Beta Beta till the 3.18 expansion, which will be released in May.
Grinding Gear Games has asked those who have the Steam Deck to test this feature and see whether they experience any issues. The reviews for the controller's capabilities of Steam Deck players have not been overwhelmingly positive. On one hand, the dedicated loot button can be significant; however, On the other hand, there are issues with the UI elements that block large swaths on the display. Some argue that the absence of auto-casting on LMB and mouse inputs makes the controller beta feel (in certain ways) less than using the traditional K+M controls that are adapted to trackpads and buttons.
In A Nutshell
Path of Exile is relatively accessible on Steam. It is playable on Steam Deck, and with the introduction of controller support the experience of playing should at least be a bit better than it was previously. The loot button is a great feature to use for PoE Currency Trading, and despite the issues with it, Grinding Gear Games plans to make improvements to the gameplay going forward.