You've probably heard the Steam Deck's praises echoed all over the internet by now, how it's "better than the Nintendo Switch" and how it is "better than sliced bread made from enchanted yeast". While I don't think the Steam Deck is a perfect device, I definitely think it's a very good one.
So, what is the Steam Deck? Well, it's a pretty interesting device, in all honesty. It's a portable computer in the form of a handheld gaming console (something akin to the PSP or PS Vita), but with the added benefit of having some powerful tech behind it. As a result, the Steam Deck is a powerhouse that can run way more games than one may expect.
The Steam Deck can not only play a ton of games off of Steam itself (many of which run surprisingly well), but it can also run emulators and play older games. My new Steam Deck is my first interaction with anything using a "Linux" operating system. It's not as easy to grasp as Windows, but I feel I've gotten the hang of it.
I've been able to do quite a lot on it, more than I thought would be able to. I'm able to get older games and MMOs running on it (including City of Heroes, Phantasy Star Online, and even Toontown: Corporate Clash), along with running simplistic programs such as Libre Office. I've been able to do practically all the things I could on my old PC, which comes down to both the advanced nature of the Deck and the official dock I purchased alongside it.
You see, Steam Decks are compatible with "USB-C docks", which allow a person to plug in any peripheral they'd want into the device. For example, I can plug in both a mouse and keyboard into the dock and use them on the deck in the same way as I would on a regular PC. I've also been able to connect a monitor to it as well!
I have to be honest, using a handheld gaming console as a regular computer is a strange feeling. Still, it works better than that junker of a computer I used to use and works well as a stop-gap for when I actually do get a new PC. So far, the Steam Deck has been an amazing investment for me and is a pretty good piece of tech. Not the best thing out there, but pretty amazing for its price.