I used to game on Arch Linux for years. Ever since I got my Steam Deck, I stopped using my laptop. Specs may be slightly worse, but I'm no longer tied to my desk and can play more. So worth the money.
I've had the exact same experience. My desktop can play at higher framerates, with better graphics on a larger screen - yet here I am playing on the SteamDeck. Also love the sleep/wake. Being able to have a 30 minute game break and pausing it whenever is so good.
I am having a great time with Linux. I still haven’t really figured out how to use Konsole to its fullest, but a lot of apps do the work for me. So not too many complaints. Game comparability could be improved, but I research ahead of time and act accordingly, so it isn’t as big as a problem as it seems.
I spent 2K for a laptop with a 6900HX and a 3070 ti and I never use it for gaming (I need power for work). The Steam Deck is perfect for my use case and a generally amazing product considering it's in its first iteration. The only bug I encountered is the huge lag sometimes when the battery goes too low and I need to boot in the bios and reset the battery but aside from that (it does not happen often, is easy to avoid and fix) I'm really satisfied.
Is this a sign that there has been an increase in gamers using Linux as their main system? I would have expected Steam Deck to dominate, since Linux gaming is still so niche. And I don't think the number of users putting Windows on the Deck is that huge. So those are some surprising numbers.