Steam Deck Demographics Poll

[BobZhn]

Just a quick survey to see the age range of Deck users.

I would like to get one currently on a sale, but my main concern is whether older users have trouble squinting at the tiny 7" screen. I used to get tired doing 4 hours+ on an old 3.8" PSP LCD, screen too small for my 40 year-old eyes.

Which games gave you the the most legibility issues ?

 

[TeenageFBI]

I'm fine with glasses, haha.

 

[Mechaplum]

Oooh I'll be interested in the poll results too, since one of the main reasons I don't play my Switch and am not getting the deck is because some games have ant sized text on those platforms.

 

[fade]

This might just be the demographics of ERA PC users

 

[Moxxie]

The screen is a LOT bigger than the PSP. Also I believe system settings allow for larger text. Please correct me if I'm wrong. When I got my steam deck, it was actually a bit bigger than I thought it would be. I think you'll be OK if you're considering getting one.

 

[chewman]

I'm 34. Depends on game for me. Most games I've played allow me to increase text size which helps a lot on that screen.

I've been playing through Yakuza LAD and it's been pretty rough on the eyes. The text in that games is really small and I have to lower the resolution scale / use FSR to get decent performance which screws up the text even more.

 

[TeenageFBI]

The screen is a LOT bigger than the PSP. Also I believe system settings allow for larger text. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

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The problem is with the games themselves, not with the Deck's UI. And lots of games are designed around the player using a >=1080p TV, not an 800p handheld device. Most games are legible if your vision is perfect, but some have fonts that are just too small to read comfortably.

 

[Heazy]

31 here.

The screen isn't as tiny as you may think. It's the biggest handheld screen I've ever had.

Going back to the switch is super difficult now.

There's also a hot key for zooming to an area, which has sometimes had its uses - its very snappy and quick zoom too

 

[jon bones]

Late 30s, but as a lover of handhelds I do worry I'll not be able to play them as I get older.

I do find the Deck screen to be nicely sized, though and I imagine once they go SD2 and remove the bezels it will be quite big.

 

[.exe]

Which games gave you the the most legibility issues ?

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Elden Ring is up there. It's not the worst I've seen, but it's the most I played a game with not great text and UI scale. It's legible, but I wouldn't say it's comfortable, and certain UI elements don't resolve cleanly at 720p. Like, some icons become a mess of unintelligible pixels.

Risk of Rain 2 also has a lot of tiny text and odd UI scaling, which makes me wonder how it is on the Switch. While it has scaling settings, it feels like none of it quite aligns well once you change it from the default.

One that I find especially unfortunate is Dead Cells. That game generally looks alright, and it even allows you to scale text. However, making the text bigger also makes it blurry, so it's lose-lose.

Overal, I think it's been alright. Many games range from fine to borderline. Playing on the Deck has undoubtedly made me more aware of scaling issues and how few games let you adjust them manually. I think it should be a standard in all games, like closed captions, even if the developer themselves think it's "good enough for everyone".

 

[signal]

The games with the most legibility issues are what you'd expect - either games with a small amount of small text that is unable to be increased (e.g. subs), or games with a ton of text like some menu or dialogue heavy CRPGs.

The screen has never really felt small to me with maybe the exception of Persona 5 which I'm playing right now, because of the UI elements being enormous.

 

[TheMink]

This might just be the demographics of ERA PC users

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I thought the exact same thing 😂

 

[ResetGreyWolf]

Just a heads up that this poll is more likely to give you the average age group of ResetEra users rather than the average age of Steam Deck users.

 

[Keyser S]

I have bad eyesight in one eye, and still never had problems with the Deck at all. There are some games where the text is naturally very small and even those I can see. More normalised games are 100% no problems. I am usually sitting similar to this...

So I guess if you plan on holding her device further way, things would change a bit

 

[RadzPrower]

I rarely play modern games in handheld mode. I mostly use it to play retro or retro-aesthetic games. The only modern game I've spent significant time on it with is Midnight Suns and I didn't really have a problem with that.

 

[FlaygletheBagel]

Not sure this poll is going to tell you much, considering ERA's userbase skews towards 30's as it is.

 

[Gavalanche]

I don't have one because for whatever reason Steam has decided yet to release the Deck in Australia yet.

 

[JCR]

Not sure you're going to get any useful information from this

 

[BobZhn]

Just a heads up that this poll is more likely to give you the average age group of ResetEra users rather than the average age of Steam Deck users.

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Information duly noted. I'm inclined towards the feedback for problematic games on a small 720p. As well as from older gentlefolks and those with eyesight hindrance (wearing glasses etc) that have dabbled with the Deck.

I am usually sitting similar to this...

So I guess if you plan on holding her device further way, things would change a bit

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The device proper is a lot bigger than I imagined. Thanks for the illustration.

 

[Keyser S]

The device proper is a lot bigger than I imagined. Thanks for the illustration.

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Yes, it is a big boy. You mentioned the PSP in the first post, and it is actually massive compared to that

 

[.exe]

Yes, it is a big boy. You mentioned the PSP in the first post, and it is actually massive compared to that

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Not that GOW on Deck is illegible in that photo, but note the text sizes. Slightly larger on PSP even. Screen size can contribute to better legibility, but it all depends on scaling. With the diversity of screens and hardware that PC games run on, it's really important that scaling as accessibility is adopted more widely. Hopefully the Deck's relative popularity can contribute to consciousness around this.

 

[Tobor]

It's a huge screen. I'm 46, wear glasses, and have no trouble reading the screen on most games. There are a few exceptions but it's mostly been a non issue for me.

 

[BlueManifest]

This might just be the demographics of ERA PC users

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Or all era users really

 

[inpHilltr8r]

that's the era age curve indeed

50+, eyesight noticeably on the decline, short sighted for decades, Deck screen is fine

I do take my glasses off to play tho, same with reading books

 

[RankFTW]

You can hold the Steam button + L1 to zoom the screen in.

 

[breadtruck]

Put your glasses on gramps.

Im in same age range range and the deck is perfectly legible. I do put my glasses on when gaming on it though.

 

[JustinH]

I have absolutely zero interest in owning or even trying a Steam Deck.

Just not a device that makes sense for me, a person who is home pretty much the entire day.

My father has one, though, and he's 66. He got one because he's sorta bed-ridden now that he's become ill and can't sit at his computer for very long. That said, I'm not sure but I don't think he's used it.

 

[.exe]

Just not a device that makes sense for me, a person who is home pretty much the entire day.

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To me, playing games lying down on the couch is so comfy. More than sitting up on a chair or couch. Mountain of blankets and pillows is optional but advised.

 

[Siri]

Just not a device that makes sense for me, a person who is home pretty much the entire day.

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I think if I was at home all the time due to a WFH arrangement like I had during 2020, I'd very likely appreciate the deck even more than I already do now - there was times where I just stopped playing games on my desktop PC and played consoles just to provide a disconnect from my office job.

It's still good now I'm taking it with me to work, but I'd probably not take it to work if I didn't have my car, though. My work situation means a couple of station changes along the away and the travel time doesn't really make videogames worth it, and it's a bit of a lump to cart around an hour each way just to play it during a lunch break.

 

[JustinH]

To me, playing games lying down on the couch is so comfy. More than sitting up on a chair or couch. Mountain of blankets and pillows is optional but advised.

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I can agree with that, lol. I have my desktop computer set up with two monitors, keyboard and mouse on my coffee table right in front of my couch. One of those monitors is a HDMI 2.1 4K HDR monitor which is where I do all my gaming on my Xbox Series X.

I've often thought about getting a desk and a nice office chair, but this just feels better for me. If anything, I'd get a lay-z-boy to play on my television, but with my smaller monitor used for my gaming, I have little motivation for that, too.

I think if I was at home all the time due to a WFH arrangement like I had during 2020, I'd very likely appreciate the deck even more than I already do now - there was times where I just stopped playing games on my desktop PC and played consoles just to provide a disconnect from my office job.

It's still good now I'm taking it with me to work, but I'd probably not take it to work if I didn't have my car, though. My work situation means a couple of station changes along the away and the travel time doesn't really make videogames worth it, and it's a bit of a lump to cart around an hour each way just to play it during a lunch break.

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I can understand that too. But again, for me, someone who hasn't worked since the end of 2009 when I became retired (disability retirement), it just doesn't make sense.

 

[AgeEighty]

This poll is pretty, pretty instructive just as to the average age on Era in general. Ain't no kids using forums.

 

[Alexandros]

This poll is pretty, pretty instructive just as to the average age on Era in general. Ain't no kids using forums.

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Yeah, very true. We are all old farts here.

 

[SOLDIER]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DZBTTMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm serious. I was ready to return the Steam Deck on my first week before I got these. Now it's maybe my favorite system ever.

 

[BobZhn]

Put your glasses on gramps.

Im in same age range range and the deck is perfectly legible. I do put my glasses on when gaming on it though.

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Sound advice indeed, fellow gramps :)

I'm checking for options to VNC/Remote Desktop to the main gaming desktop using the Deck. It'll be a dream streaming machine if the Deck can also work as a giant remote screen for systems admin work from the couch.

 

[SteveWinwood]

The only time I had trouble with the screen was when a game was stuck to a small resolution for some reason. The zoom in function didn't work for the small text because it was still being rendered at that small size and blowing it up just made it look just as unreadable... but now bigger. I'm sure if I had messed with it more I could have gotten it but the only text small enough to completely not read was throwaway flavor text. So I think that ones on the game (I don't blame them really, it was a one man dev I'm pretty sure).

All the other stuff I could work around, stuck with mouse controls? Bam steam input. You were supposed to click on the screen where you wanted to go but it was kind of steamworld dig situation so I just mapped all the mouse input to the stick, made it bounded to a circle in the middle of the screen, the character was always in the center, so I just pushed a direction and went in it. Worked great.

 

[Kahhhhyle]

Nevermind

 

[BringBackSonics]

Old/ParentERA checking in here lol.

 

[BringBackSonics]

The problem is with the games themselves, not with the Deck's UI. And lots of games are designed around the player using a >=1080p TV, not an 800p handheld device. Most games are legible if your vision is perfect, but some have fonts that are just too small to read comfortably.

Click to shrink...

I play stellaris and CK3, the zoom makes the game playable honestly.

 

[BringBackSonics]

I think if I was at home all the time due to a WFH arrangement like I had during 2020, I'd very likely appreciate the deck even more than I already do now - there was times where I just stopped playing games on my desktop PC and played consoles just to provide a disconnect from my office job.

Click to shrink...

This is me, I've been a remote worker since 2014, I love playing my PC games on my desktop, but I didn't really enjoy spending more time in my home office to play games on my desktop.

Now I play stellaris, CK3 and fallout 76 on my couch with my labs, and it's the best ever

 

[BringBackSonics]

This poll is pretty, pretty instructive just as to the average age on Era in general. Ain't no kids using forums.

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Would be interesting to see a poll on Reddit and discord

 

[shaneo632]

I'm literally playing Subsurface Circular on it at the moment and it's one of the few games where I had to really move the screen close to read stuff. There's huuuge black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

 

[J75]

Yeah, very true. We are all old farts here.

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I must be an old fart at heart using forums. No way im going to that tiktok trash.

 

[Siri]

I'm literally playing Subsurface Circular on it at the moment and it's one of the few games where I had to really move the screen close to read stuff. There's huuuge black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

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It's one of the few games where I mapped a dedicated magnifier button to read if things were not completely legible on the deck.

It was great, however. One of those games what was neatly in chapters for work breaks, and I love the vibe. Would have been nice if Bithell added some resolution options, mind.

 

[Alexandros]

I must be an old fart at heart using forums. No way im going to that tiktok trash.

Click to shrink...

 

[Grifter]

Just a quick survey to see the age range of Deck users.

I would like to get one currently on a sale, but my main concern is whether older users have trouble squinting at the tiny 7" screen. I used to get tired doing 4 hours+ on an old 3.8" PSP LCD, screen too small for my 40 year-old eyes.

Which games gave you the the most legibility issues ?

Click to shrink...

FWIW, my SO does wear glasses to play (RPGs), but she still prefers that experience when I offer to dock it.

 

[Moxxie]

The problem is with the games themselves, not with the Deck's UI. And lots of games are designed around the player using a >=1080p TV, not an 800p handheld device. Most games are legible if your vision is perfect, but some have fonts that are just too small to read comfortably.

Click to shrink...

Ah gotcha. I assumed that increasing text size in the system settings would affect in game text as well. That's really unfortunate for those with poor eyesight

 

[Grifter]

I'm 34. Depends on game for me. Most games I've played allow me to increase text size which helps a lot on that screen.

I've been playing through Yakuza LAD and it's been pretty rough on the eyes. The text in that games is really small and I have to lower the resolution scale / use FSR to get decent performance which screws up the text even more.

Click to shrink...

I've been doing the res drop/UI zoom more, and man, feels bad. Hate losing the detail and real estate.

 

[Rodney McKay]

The only games that have text size issues for me probably would of I played on a TV.
I have glasses, but they're a pretty minor prescription and I only ever where them for driving at night (road signs can get a bit blurry at a distance at night).

I played Borderlands 3 recently and it was pretty small when it came to the UI. Still readable for me but definitely small. Even with the largest UI size settings, it's still smaller than the past games.
UI elements like the the special power icon feels smaller and is tucked away in the corner so it's sometimes hard for me to know when the cool down has finished. They added an audible alert which is nice, but I never really had that issue with the past games.

When I finally beat it I started playing Borderlands 1 and Pre-sequel and they're text sizes are much better.

 

[DrHercouet]

oops wrong thread sorry (also I'm 35 and the Deck is absolutely perfect for me even though the former perfect for me was the PS Vita which is still perfect for me for 2D games)

 

[Gelf]

My eyesight issues are only with things in the distance, but its been that way for me since I was 14, nothing new. Despite having an up to date prescription I have had more issues reading text in console games on a big screen then I have with any game on the Deck thus far. Haven't tried some menu heavy PC ass PC game like a strategy game on it yet thought.