High build quality, easy to load roms and emulators, and easy save states. On top of just working as a fantastic device for using your existing carts. I can't speak for price to an individual, but I'm super happy with mine

Clair Obscure isnt validated on Steam deck for visual reasons, so you'd probably want to use in home streaming instead. I used it for Dragons Dogma 2 and the lag was literally imperceptible.

Table knives can suck. A lot of them are only serraded on one side that is convenient for right handers.

I played a Black and White 3 romhack of Crystal that was really cool. It gave a fun level of challenge, and had a ton of cool pokekon to use. I played it on my Analogue Pocket, so it works on old hardware too!