I wouldn’t buy it to replace my phone. I want to keep that and my gaming devices separate.
I would buy it a dedicated handheld in a similar form factor to a phone + some controls. I’ve actually been looking at the AYN Thor for this exact use case. It would have to be the right price too.
Steam Deck can run Forza 5 okay enough, just don’t expect it to look amazing, especially while docked. It won’t be at the Xbox in terms of visuals and performance.
Based on how Motorsport ran on PC, I wouldn’t count on it being a smooth experience for FH6 until we are proven otherwise.
Also you can stream you main PC to a steam deck, although you’re going to want a wired connection if possible, especially if doing so while docked.
Your dock won’t work, as its most likely HDMI out only (not in). Even a lot of the capture cards that do have HDMI in tend to have a lot of delay, same with a lot apps that would encode a signal over USB, which would also have a performance hit on your Steamdeck as well. I unfortunately can’t think of a good solution except maybe upgrading your wifi access point and using a wired network connection with your Steamdeck, but by then you mind as well just buy an external USB-C display.
You can! They have replacement buttons for whichever layout you want for fairly cheap. I’m using the original ultimate Bluetooth with an Xbox layout.
Don’t use the same account for 2 different people. Create another and use Steam Family sharing to fix your issue.
although you still won’t “own” your games, but that’s the life of a PC gamer. Best you can do is buy from GOG or find/run shady cracked versions.
I use my steam deck docked primarily to stream from my main PC to my living room. I haven’t noticed any battery degradation when I do use it in handheld. I got it March 2022.
Also if you happen to be using Emby as a media server, the emby theater app image supports controller :)
Retrodeck in your case then if you just want a simple setup.
I did the same thing with my RB button on my LCD model. I went the official repair route, which cost $130. If you can solder you can probably just replace it yourself, I just didn’t feel confident enough to do it.