Steam Machine runs Control Resonant well, but Steam Deck support fails to meet expectations

Control Resonant demonstrates strong performance on Steam Machines, achieving 40-50fps at 1080p with the Medium preset. However, the Steam Deck's performance is disappointing, often dropping to sub-30fps, making the game nearly unplayable in portable mode. This disparity highlights the difference in hardware capabilities between the two platforms.

The Steam Deck's limitations stem from its combined RAM and VRAM, which struggles to handle the game's demanding graphics, especially in open-world scenarios. Even with adjustments like lowering graphical settings or using FSR upscaling, players report frequent stutters and low frame rates, which significantly detracts from the gaming experience.

In contrast, Steam Machines can handle the game's graphics better due to separate RAM and VRAM configurations, allowing for higher frame rates even in challenging environments. This shows that while the Steam Deck is marketed as a portable gaming solution, it may not be suitable for all titles, particularly those with intensive graphical demands like Control Resonant.

The game also features a large install size of 105GB, which could be problematic for players on the Steam Deck with limited storage. This, along with the performance issues, may lead potential buyers to reconsider before investing in the game for the handheld device.

Overall, the difference in performance between the Steam Machine and Steam Deck for Control Resonant serves as a cautionary tale for developers about the importance of optimizing games for various platforms, especially when aiming for a seamless user experience across devices.