Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
My current goal: Conquer every fortress
You read that right, on Steam Deck, baby! The step-by-step process to get what’s just released Diablo IV The deck work took just over 30 minutes and was relatively painless. However, I highly recommend using a Steam Deck dock and a USB mouse as copying and pasting is quite a hassle and touchscreen control of the deck can be tricky.
I haven’t played anything else since installing it. Partly because I accidentally unmounted my Steam Deck library so it no longer recognizes what I already installed there via the store (oops), and partly because Diablo IV on the deck is just awesome.
It’s impressive how well the deck’s default controller scheme works together Diablo IV Blizzard’s action-RPG is perfect for playing while listening to a podcast or reading up on the borderline daunting quality Spring anime series I must watch.
How’s the performance, you might be wondering? Actually pretty good. After making some adjustments essential settingsand turning off cross-network play (yes, that really made a difference) I consistently hit 40-60 FPS, let’s say… 80 percent of the time. However, entering or exiting a major node (e.g. Kyovashad) or a hectic world event leaves my poor base model deck gasping and running in the single digits. Using an ultimate spell in a large crowd of enemies will also cause your clay to bounce, and not in a fun way either. And as you can imagine D4 is a battery of the greater evil. I recommend playing with the AC charger plugged in for sessions longer than 30 minutes.
But how about a fortress while I’m laying on the couch? This is objectively awesome and I’m excited to park my ass on the aforementioned couch after sending Claire this blurb. Bye! – Eric Schulkin
