Dota 2 players using Steam Deck divided the game’s fan base into two over the last week. The whole saga started with a community member coming across a player in a mall who mastered the art of playing Dota 2 on Steam Deck.
In the short clip, the Steam Deck player is shown to be using the touch controls of the device while running Dota 2 on desktop mode with a custom keybind layout. Following this testament of proficiency, another player uploaded their gameplay clip on Reddit with an even more difficult hero, Invoker. Considering Invoker is a hero that even most mouse-keyboard players avoid playing due to his complex nature, Steam Deck players suddenly gained respect amongst the community.
Not only were these players performing challenging moves with Steam Deck controls, but they also put on a consistent gameplay performance in the recordings, causing many to consider purchasing a Steam Deck. While these two examples impressed the Dota 2 world, some were also scared of Steam Deck players gaining enough confidence to take their talents to ranked matches. The two featured Steam Deck players made it look easy, but it must have taken them long hours of practice to get used to playing Dota 2 with such unorthodox controls. Most Steam Deck owners use the portable device with a mouse and keyboard to play Dota 2 since using a controller for the game wasn’t even seen as an option.
Based on my experience in Dota 2, If a player were to tell me that they were playing with a controller or Steam Deck controllers in a ranked match, I would imagine them as a griefer. Though the two videos enlarged my horizons in this regard, I will remain an optimistic skeptic at best.
