I feel like the Steam Deck is stalking me like a slasher villain. No, really, how else do you explain the portable PC popping up on the big screen while I'm trying to watch the new horror sequel Ready or Not 2? That's exactly what happened while I was taking a break from testing the best gaming handhelds at my local cinema, and its film debut felt pretty true to real life.
Naturally, I'm not going to spoil Ready or Not 2: Here I come, but just know that the Steam Deck OLED specifically shows up in two scenes. It plays the role of a handheld in the clutches of Wan Cheng Fu, played by Antony Hall, who's portrayed as a stereotypical iPad "kid" who's too preoccupied playing something on Valve's powerhouse to care about the chaos ensuing around him.
I should note that, having only watched the film once, I wasn't about to pick up on exactly what Hall is playing on the Deck. What I did spot, though, is that while the handheld and character are a double act in the horror romp, it's MIA in one of the scenes. This struck me as a little odd, seeing that it was cemented to the character's hands in two previous scenes, and I like to think that's because it inevitably ran out of battery.
Yep, even getting its big break in a horror flick couldn't save the Steam Deck from its battery life woes. There's every chance the character simply placed down the handheld to tuck into the bougie buffet, as the prop has been sort of swapped out for a chicken drumstick in the scene for comedic effect. But I like the idea that, having arrived at the film's main casino location with the Deck already in hand, its average runtime of two hours had already passed.
This all might sound like I'm having a go at the Steam Deck for its battery life, but in truth, it's just a reality tied to using most handheld PCs today. Even the more expensive ROG Xbox Ally X isn't going to last beyond three hours, and the Switch 2 is in the same ballpark. I actually love that the portable only popped up for a few scenes, as it feels like a true representation of the scene and the caveats tied to high-spec, on-the-go gaming.
The funny thing is that there's a good chance horror fans who aren't savvy with the latest handhelds won't even recognise the Steam Deck in the film. The only part of the portable PC you can really see is the top, and the OLED's red power button does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of visual identification. It could have perhaps managed more screentime if the film's handheld player used a power bank (like this Baseus model for $55.99 at Amazon), he could have kept tackling his Steam backlog closer to dawn.
If you've managed to spot the Steam Deck in any films or TV shows, or want to share your favorite big-screen retro handheld appearance, please let me know. Valve's portable certainly isn't the first device I've spotted, but I am fairly amused that Ready or Not 2's stereotypical nerd rich kid opted for the Deck over Microsoft's $1,000 Xbox Ally.
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