Your vids are encouraging and soothing to a struggling gaming dad like myself. I’m budget searching for second hand device to keep my hobby going. So like these.

I've been watching your videos since cup 130, and I discovered something in the last few weeks as I'm catching up now to cup 145. I discovered that you are in the middle, of a scenario that I have found myself at the start of and was confused about for the last few months. My Discovery was that it wasn't that I was lacking enjoyment and fulfillment from my hobby which is gaming, it was that I had discovered a new type of fulfillment and enjoyment by spending time with my daughter as a stay-at-home father for these last two years. I had somehow subconsciously switched fulfillment and enjoyment from gaming to fulfillment and enjoyment through raising my daughter and spending time with her. And so as I found myself with slightly more time now that she's a toddler and she's a little bit more independent, I started going back to gaming full force on my desktop either when she was at playdates or while she was taking her naps. I started to realize that I wasn't enjoying gaming the same way, that I wasn't receiving the same fulfillment / enjoyment from my hobby that I had come to expect, and my realization was that it wasn't that I wasn't receiving it it was that I had a new level of fulfillment and enjoyment because of the way I've been spending time with my daughter. I came to the realization that I don't think I need full force gaming anymore either on Console or PC I'm not getting the same type of time spent and enjoyment and fulfillment out of it. So I decided to buy a steam deck OLED, and just try to get back to the feeling I was searching for which was the Nostalgia from my youth. I was searching for The Nostalgia factor from when I was a kid, playing indie games playing some slightly demanding titles but nothing that the deck isn't capable of, and really just getting back to enjoying games for what they are and not looking for some type of fulfillment from them but more or less just the enjoyment side, because the Fulfillment side of my needs was being fully taken care of by my daughter. It was the way you were talking about switching to the steam deck and handheld emulation and Nintendo switch, that really made me take a step back and look at what I was doing and evaluate why I wasn't receiving the same feelings and enjoyment out of a hobby that I've been cultivating and enjoying for the better part of the last 34 years. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you being so vulnerable as a husband and a father and a gamer. Your videos triggered me to take a step back and reevaluate what I was actually looking for, and I found it with the steam deck, as it allowed me to take a step back from full force gaming and focus more on being a better husband and a better father. Now with the steamed at being so portable and so readily available when I need it, I can just pick it up play for 20 or 30 minutes or an hour, and then put it down when I'm needed as a husband or a father. I've already written half a novel here, and I could really go on further but I won't. I just wanted to say thank you man I appreciate what you're doing here. You really helped me come to terms with something I've been struggling with for the last few months and you offered me a solution that actually worked. Sincerely, thank you very much, from one father and husband to another.

brother it seems like in your quest to focus your content you've found yourself making literally the same video every day, you need to do some brainstorming or something 😆

You inspired minimalism in my life. Literally bought a steam deck because of you. Keep up the great vids pal 💪🏻🔥

Aaaaand we’re back! Edit: Owning and bouncing between both provide the best of all worlds! In my opinion, they’re both amazing in their own way.

I’m reading books again. And loving my local library

Damn man I think you’ve bounced back and forth so many times on the deck 😂 but I love the content and have always kept watching it all the way through 🤘🏽

Completely irrelevant but that Toriyama’s Manga Theater on the shelf is SO good

My rg cube changed the way I game. It's amazing how I can have the 80s, 90s and early 2000s consoles/handhelds all in one device (1tb sd card) that I can fit in my pocket. Feels real good pulling it out and playing metroid prime 2 echoes while at the laundromat or kingdom hearts 2 while waiting at the dmv or magic knight rayearth while I'm snuggled in bed, etc. It's great. Honestly, if the steam deck 2 or switch 2 don't interest me enough, this generation may be the last generation I invest into. After that it's all about retro gaming from here on out.

I finally got it. EVERY video is like the behind the scenes of the videos you REALLY want to make. Just figure this out and maybe people won’t be so confused. Then again… maybe that’s your goal all along.

As someone who works full time, the deck is my favorite device even over my beefy pc. The oled screen with the comfortable form factor makes it my daily go to gaming device. Best gaming purchase I’ve ever made.

Not a father, not a steam deck owner, but still like your cup content format. The steam deck minimalist and dad gamer talk is getting repetitive, but that's fine. That's the point you are at in your life. I don't want kids, can't stand them personally, but I could listen to you talk about your journey even though I don't really relate. It's the format for me. Like talking to a friend about whatever they might be going through.

Oh, Julien. Wishing you consistency and certainty for your own sanity, brother. Hopefully this will be the direction that aligns with both making this a viable career and also a positive sharing/learning space for you. 🎮

You don’t seem very happy, Julien. Go and watch your cups where you talk about the switch. Compare that with this. You say your passion can’t be your work. Brother, that is all kinds of wrong and in your heart of hearts you know that to be true. I think you’re a tech guy. You do you, but with your talent for editing and speaking I would ditch the gaming related content and focus on tech reviews with b-roll footage and scripts. You’re intelligent and charismatic. You appear to be reaching for gaming related subject matter and it’s exhausting you. I feel like reviewing tech products would keep you focused and motivated and will mitigate any chance of you stagnating. But ultimately you do you :)

Hey you guys remember that childrens book series by Roger Hargreaves. I give you. Mr. Indecisive. Sorry. Couldn't help myself. All consoles and subscriptions are sold and gone now for me. Have had the deck for 2 years now. No turning back. Keep doing what your doin. No hate here just needed to make a little joke. Sorry

I picked up a steam OLED 3 days ago..haven’t dropped it since. It’s brought my love back into gaming. Playing indie games on the couch, in bed and on the road is what wanted me to get one.i found it annoying sitting at my desk to play a game like house flipper lol the deck is perfect for those games

Hey Julien, I been waiting for you to upload. I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry If my comment came off harsh last week. I just enjoy your channel and wished it would have more direction. Don’t throw the towel in! Cheers brother! More direction or directionless I’ll still be coming back and watching as I think your a chill guy and your videos have a chill vibe

This channel should be called 'Make Coffee, Talk Tech'

I hope you know that we appreciate these videos, I like tuning in everyday. They won’t be the most views on the videos but you’re building a strong community which will be way more powerful than general audience viewers

Play all the 90s and 00s Star Wars games on the Steam Deck. You will not be sad about it, as there are so many.

This week in “Steam Deck is the only choice” lol

Hold on, what!? 🤦🏾‍♂️

Love your video and glad you are sticking around.

I would absolutely appreciate some indepth coffee brewing tips and trick from your previous career. Maybe some focused and concise reviews/dives into the new games releases across the consoles and handhelds etc... Maybe deeper look into diversity of the deck and its software/hardware.

I just got my steam deck yesterday, absolutely loving it so far

I've personally appreciated the transparency of this process you've been working through. I'm about to become a dad myself and have been struggling/working through similar thoughts (at least from a time spent point of view). I just picked up an ROG Ally because I too feel the handheld pc is the future for folks like us. I have a great gaming PC but I also work remote and just can't get into sitting at my desk more to play a game right now... the handheld allows me to couch it, be present, and still enjoy the hobby. In addition being able to grow a library of games that I don't feel worried about losing access to... I know it's still digital but I feel like Steam is pretty great typically for game ownership. Keep up the good work my friend!

I always really look forward to your videos, its good to see the human side of gaming and not just all about specs. You are definitely on the right track with your format and i hope you keep it up.

"DECK DADDY" - Where do I get the t-shirt?

I like these thinking-out-loud videos man, I had a similar predicament. I'm religious, have 3 kids, and feel guilty if I'm spending time gaming when I could/should be constraining on the family. I've simplified and now just have the Legion Go, the Switch, and the rg35xx h. Portable is the way to go, at the end of the day in bed or whenever you get a minute to yourself.

I love your videos, brother. I was wondering if you could provide links to the songs that were played in this video? The beats are chill.

Bought a steam deck because of you & best purchase! Thank you Julien 🤝

You should do a video on cold brew and indie games, if you aren't familiar with coldbrew just throw a cup of ground coffee in a pitcher with cold water and leave it for 24 hours, then cold press it the next day, easy peezy booby squeezy.

Been loving your videos on the steam deck, Always love the sit down kick back after a long day sorting my kids out and listen to everything u have to say. Plus im always interested and mesmerized by how u make real coffee

I'm glad you aren't letting your past define your content! Here's a thought going forward: you seem to like games with incredible stories. What about picthing those games to us? It could be a rambling and show of appreciation to huge megahits like kingdom hearts 1 or 2, but also underated classics like Halo reach, and unforgettable hidden gems like Everhood. Maybe 10-35ish minute videos talking about what grabbed you in the gameplay, story or character department will convince some of us to discover our new favorite games! Steam Deck may be the bridge that connects the Deck dad's and its going to be fun when they add new features! but at the end of the day the cargo on those bridges will be more unique for us to watch, whether that's game-reviews/rants, your other interests like music tastes, coffee tastes, "today I tried __!" updates, and even the occasional dunk session on whichever "Redfall"esq thing breaks into the gaming industry. You can make it a fun place! Good luck. P.S: you'll roll less 3's with an 8sided/10sided die! 😂 they can be found in your residential nerd stores in the dnd section

brother i love your content. your humbleness and vulnerability is so refreshing to see. I think God is providing you the ability to share and inspire through this outlet and i think you’ve been doing a great job at that. Your content is awesome man regardless of what you do. We love hearing about who you are and learning more of you rather than a selected device man. so honestly feel free to share about whatever you want to talk about! we’re here for it! Thank you for allowing such an intimate look into your thought process and your life. As a fellow believer it is encouraging to see and hear how God is leading you. i also juggle playing the switch and the ps5 and reading books on my kindle and considering getting the steam deck! all while leading worship at church. so many things to get caught up in but remember who our God is and who he calls us to be and rejoice! take care brother

Good think you discovered portability is the best for you. I personally like the inmersion of a 55-65' TV newer ones like Th Sony OLEDs even have a feature called reality creation that upscales textures and resolution making the switch and old and wven newer games look much better.

I’ve considered selling my ps5 since I was hardly home and was using it as a media player. But I realized a bought a lot of games digital which I know would have no use if I sold the console.

I like your channel. I have been following for awhile. I'm not a dad but I deal with a similar push / pull due to my corporate career taking up a lot of my time. Gaming has been taking a backseat. Loving the coffee and the discussion. Steam deck 4 life (plus Switch on occasion).

Excited for the future with Switch 2 and possibly a new PSP someday. Would love to pick up a steam deck too, just can’t justify the price right now. Also, anyone else excited for MVC2 coming back!

Amen! It’s awesome you’re not ashamed to admit you’re a believer in Christ!

What case is that on your steam deck? Kill switch?

Just use them all, bro. You won’t miss out for either one. No FOMO. Say Nintendo is your favorite. Ok, but there might be times you’re not in the mood to only play Nintendo kiddie games. Then fire up your Steam Deck. It’s really that simple. You don’t have to choose one side. Think of music. You might have a favorite genre that you enjoy the most. But maybe for that specific moment, day, or week, you might not be in the mood for that genre. You might be in the mood for something else. You don’t have to limit yourself just because you want to simplify things. I’m currently trying to 100% Shenmue III on my Steam Deck but I think I’m not going to go through with it. The achievements are missable! It’s not like Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade which are not missable thanks to a chapter selection. I don’t have the patience to catch 1000 fish which could kill at least 8 hours of time. So it’s looking like FF7 Remake Intergrade will be the first and ONLY game that I 100% completed. I even did all the play logs for both the base and DLC. Assessed all enemies was the last things I did. It actually felt great 100% completing it. It made me a better player. I’ve already beaten Weiss 10x and 3x in one day. A sense of accomplishment from it. Shenmue III is a much slower game which I don’t mind compared to the chaos in FF7RI but the game really is a bad game. I can understand the low review scores back in late 2019. And I’m a longtime fan with the first two. Part III’s story and ending are awful. Better mini games but everything feels tedious doing the same things over and over. Catching 1000 fish can also ruin my right analog stick where I have to keep rotating it to reel the fish in. It got to a point that I whipped out my DualShock 4 to prevent the wear and tear on my Steam Deck. I ended up leaving my Steam Deck at home earlier today. Will continue to play Uncharted 4 but I won’t 100% that one either. I will beat the main story for most of my games but I’m not OCD enough like I was in my youth to 100% them all. Got better things to do with my life. If I had to choose between movies/TV shows vs. video games, I would choose the former. I can name like 300-500 of my favorite movies from the 1500 I’ve downloaded and uploaded onto my Google Photos. I can name about 50-100 of my favorite video games. I’ve been so preoccupied with TV shows as of late, I haven’t bought a single game during Steam’s summer sale. Currently, I’ve been more focused on these three shows…. The Acolyte The Boys Season 4 House of the Dragon Season 2 HOT D is definitely the best of that three while The Acolyte is definitely the worst of that three and The Boys S4 hasn’t been well received. Then we got some Cobra Kai S6 Part I this month on the 18th. I think it’s easier dealing with movies and TV shows at my age of 43 as they don’t consume tons of my time like a single video game would. I think I can remember more things from a movie or TV show than CGI cutscenes I saw in a video game. I love all forms of media but video games isn’t my No. 1 like it was when I was a kid. You know how long it took for me to 100% FF7RI? About 3 months. I bought it on Steam’s spring sale that started on March 14. I got 100% by June 9. That’s a long time to 100% a game. Then add a few more days for me to clear both play logs. I hear FF7 Rebirth gets more ridiculous if you want to plat/100% it. That’s why I decided NOT to 100% Shenmue III. It’s just hours and hours of wasting time. I carry an iPhone SE (2022) although I generally prefer Android and used it longer (2013-2023) as my primary platform, but I did bring my old Pixel 3 and my Sony headphones 🎧 while inside the theater for The Bikeriders. I have Regal Unlimited Plus and I use it daily when the weather is hot. I already saw The Bikeriders thrice. So all I did was watch The Boys S4E5 and then rewatched HOT D S2E3 again. I think that’s my plan for July through Sept which is the hottest months where I live here in the OC. Leave my handhelds at home and bring my Pixel 3 and headphones instead to watch other stuff if I’ve already seen a movie multiple times. So video games might take a backseat to movies/TV shows this summer. Maybe watch movies I’ve never seen before. Maybe on certain days, I might be in the mood to bring my Switch Lite or Steam Deck instead of watching a movie or TV show. That’s the power of having options. Why close the door for any of them? Anyhoo, I’m glad Julien is back praising the Steam Deck. I thought we lost him and he would become another RGT 85, another Nintendo channel. I’m off to watch Episode 6 of The Acolyte.

😂😂

Might I suggest a schedule similar to us gaming dad's have had to deal with that have a very limited time to do things. Weekends or twice a week. You can produce the videos at any time in the week but pop it on Friday and Saturday with the "Day of Rest" being secured. Then you can focus on your family throughout the week and maybe you can brainstorm during that time for subjects you want to discuss with a cup. You can even do something like a midweek live stream on twitch. For the Discord, do the double T's (instead of coffee, haha), jump on Tuesdays and Thursdays for small discussions sprinkled in the day. Don't force yourself to talk about one subject all the time, you can talk about multiple, or what you're feeling this week. We're all busy dad's after all, love gaming on the go (as it's the only thing that saved our gaming hobby), with limited time. Chose wisely, keep gaming. Thanks for the cup again.

is this about steamdeck or whatever drink you're making. Lol 😅

I appreciate you man ☕️

The steam deck bought me back to computer gaming while I was in a rut of choosing ps5 or pc, because I enjoyed ps5 more but in all technical aspects pc is much better. I spent the better half of a year, switching back and forth never being satisfied with my new primary choice of gaming. Until the steam deck over the Playstation portal. I almost exclusively stream my pc to my deck unless its an indie game and I cant look back.

Love the content always Julien! The people here giving you stuff are always gonna do it. Don’t let it beat you up💜 I’ll always be here! To watch,to support and to help if ever needed! I appreciate the vulnerability and the ones who don’t do not understand this is your way of venting and expressing and feeling like you have an outlet to talk about what’s on your mind and to get it off your chest.. to the ones who don’t see that it’s on them! Excited for your journey as always! P.s. after conversations in the discord server I think portable poppa may be the way to go so you aren’t 100% confined to the deck even though that’s main focus! I for one am a deck daddy though😂

No matter where you play...pc gaming will always be top tier. Steam deck has proven that with every proton update we get 💪🏿

Love your channel bro

Why don't you install emudeck? Because if you are in a moment of your life that you enyoi the retro gamming above the actual games, the emulation is the way to go, and the deck is a beast of an emulation machine....and yes, i get it, you love Nintendo games, but the fact is you can have a TON of more Nintendo games on the deck than on the switch XD, because you can have literally all nes, snes, gb, gbc, gba, gamecube, wii and wiiU games, wich means you have all the marios, zeldas, luigis, yoshis from history , and thats something you can't have on switch because you are limited to the paid roms of the online service. So i think in yout specific case, the best combo its going to be deck as emulation machine for retro gamming, and switch for all the native games of itself. I personally enjoy both the retro and the modern games and that is why i have a Steam deck lcd dedicated exclusivelly to retro gamming, and an oled one for the rest, and i'm having the best gamming time of my life at my 39 years. And i have one more advice, stop worriying so much about WHERE do you play, and start enjoying more WHAT do you play, regardless where.

Brother, you've gotta switch up the content. We've had this video a hundred times.

I originally made a snarky comment asking if coffee was part of the channel...yes, yes it is lol. I also am playing kingdom hearts on deck....subscribed. lookin forward to more!

I find it pretty impressive that this is an unscripted rant that is so well articulated that it seems scripted. I can only imagine what you'd be capable of if you structured your videos by using a script. I personally don't use them but I don't do these type of videos. I would sound like a mess if I did probably haha

The coffee thing makes me want to quit KZfaq too

lol it had been an entertaining a few weeks of indecision and soul searching. there is nothing wrong with wanting to focus on something but let ask you this. should you focus on a single device or a genre. do you focus on the deck or on portable gaming in general? you have the passion for portable gaming. you have decided in the last few weeks to be a Nintendo only channel and a steam deck channel. what is next? emulator hardware channel? I'm just kidding... but seriously you can have your passion of Nintendo and your passion of the deck and the little handhelds. your channel can just be about that passion of portable gaming. you don't have to lock it down to a single device. There are may deck channels. heck you could make another channel just for Nintendo for that matter. i enjoy your enthusiasm about the genre as a whole. even if I'm mainly interested in deck content, i just don't want you to limit your options. which now that i think about it, separate channels might be the way to have the best of both worlds for you. just a thought...

maybe just talk about video games rather than hardware this is kinda getting confusing and repetitive . no hate brother

First of all I'm here to watch Julien Melnick, I'm not here to be pro switch/pro steam deck. I feel like you're encountering a problem that I myself am going through at the moment. When you try to turn a hobby into a business, you can lose the joy that the same hobby brought you because you have to consider what other people will think of the content that you create around your hobby. It can't be that thing that you lean on to unwind and use to relax anymore because you're always thinking about how to make content off of the back of it. I've enjoyed the channel and the talks, but it's difficult to believe what you say when you go back and forth so many times. One video I resonate and feel like I can relate with the situation and then the next video you do a complete 180. It's getting to the point where I'm starting to think that you're (maybe unconsciously) creating a bit of rage bait for more engagement because you know people are going to leave comments about the inconsistencies. I'm at that point where I want to watch genuine people talk about real life, not listen to fabricated scenarios and unnecessary enforced limitations that will only be excused in the next video. I'm sorry if this comes off as nasty, I don't intend for it to. I'm just frustrated that I found a channel that I can really resonate with but it's like mental gymnastics every video trying to get my head around the flipflopping. if you want to play steam deck one week and switch the next its fine. Is the channel about the device or about Julien Melnick?

This the video you make just to get things off your chest. Save this content for your wife not for your viewers. Ultimately we dont actually care what is going on in your life. We care about the content itself

Bruh. too much yapping. I use too watch you but now it's boring.

Only in this day and age do we complain about the things we do, on the platform we choose, and over the topics we dont create. Grow up, yall, and make your own channel.

ALL YOU DO IS TALK in your videos , no gameplay and talk at same time , I think I’m done with this channel

😂😂😂