PC Gaming Question

Depends on a few things:

1. How much are you willing to spend
2. How much do you care about graphics looking good
3. How quickly do you want the games to run

Here's a decent comparison from IGN

Steam Deck vs. Gaming Laptop

My opinion: Based off the games you listed, I'd go laptop if you're not going full PC tower. I definitely get the allure of the Steam Deck. My brother had one and it looks awesome, I just don't really need to take my games anywhere.

I'm a laptop gamer and can tell you from experience that it's not for the faint of heart. If you're wanting high-end graphics and high-end performance for high-end games, you will have to spend high-end money.

If you're going to stay within a budget of ~$1,500, you're going to have to decide what sacrifices you want to make. Will you be happy with an i7 instead of an i9? 4050 with 8GB VRAM instead of a 4080 with 12GB VRAM? 120Hz screen vs 240Hz? etc.

Something like this would play everything you want, but might not give you the fullest experience at the highest settings.

Also, remember that all that power comes with another cost: heat. If you're going to play Starfield, BG3, Hogwarts, etc then you'll need (not just "want") a cooling pad. I pretty much blew it out on my laptop last year so I could run everything on max settings. It's beautiful but I absolutely couldn't play any of the games I listed with my laptop just sitting on my lap. Even an el cheapo cooling pad can work to draw excess heat from your laptop while also keeping you from setting your clothes on fire.

I have a deck and gaming rig. The deck is great but it's not going to run high end AAA games like Baldurs gate. I tried and it just doesnt run well or look good. Get a laptop. I would still recommend the deck for older or less demanding games. I love it for the Diablo games.