I had an old MSI gaming laptop from 2016 which was amazing for me (I always had slow, 2nd hand laptops before) and now I’ve sold it and my PS Vita in order to buy a Steam Deck. I want to play Elden Ring, the Souls series, Sekiro and some indie games like Vampire Survivor. I also want to emulate games (Gameboy gen up to PS2 gen). Would that be a good investment or should I just go for a PC? I travel frequently because of my job.
I was in pretty much the same position. 2017 gaming laptop but it was having hinge issues so I finally upgraded to the Steam Deck. I have dual boot into Windows, a dock and USB hub, a keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and monitor and even a tiny desk fan for good measure on cooling and I just primarily use Windows and then will go to SteamOS for portable gaming time to time. It has replaced the laptop well and fits a (larger sized) purse, and I have nothing else to say besides that it works pretty well for me.
Of course, it looks weird using it, but I can still be productive on the tiny screen outside using a giant monitor. It is very doable, it’s just going to take accessories and be kind of weird in general. But I’ve been at it for a year, so… it’s possible if you’re willing to set it up and find a way you want to do this!
I’ll use it for gaming primarily.