@nicksmi56: "Too slow" may be coming from someone who's pretty picky. The techradar article I read is someone saying it's 20% slower than a SATA SSD or going back to 2015 speeds... I don't have a PS5, so I can't speak to how game-changing these new speeds are, but I've definitely noticed diminishing returns in load times for PC gaming since getting my first SSD around 2015.
Sounds like typical "PC master race" BS to me. They're noticeably longer loads, but unless I'm comparing them outright, I doubt I'd take any offense at them.
One thing to consider with this generation of gaming though is that new consoles now have storage that's fast - there will be a move away from your traditional "game tip" load screen.
We'll see an increase in loading in the back ground during gaming or asset streaming. Slower drives can cause things like blurry textures ala Mass Effect or Borderlands as they're loaded, or can cause sudden and short dips in frame rates that cause stuttering. You also want to consider that both Windows 10 and Windows 11 will be getting DirectStorage which requires a fast NVME drive.
But if your goal for owning a Deck is to play older titles, emulation, or small and light weight "indie" style games, then eMMC/SD cards will probably work well enough. I'm not sure what you would consider a 'big game', but you won't find many instances where you can have part of the game on one drive, and another part on external storage.
Games like Halo Master Chief Collection and Baldur's Gate 3 are over 100GB. Valheim and Torchlight 2 come in under 2GB. I just uninstalled Doom Eternal and got back 80GB of space.
I'd really advise against a 64GB deck if the thought is to add an NVME drive at a later date unless you're in to tearing down electronics. If it were user replaceable, they'd mention it. Since it's not mentioned, the assumption I have is thin ribbon cables, replacing thermal compound/pads, heat guns, garbage plastic tabs, and adhesive are going to be involved.
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