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    1. Embarking on this new hobby and a little overwhelmed

      I'm embarking on a new phase in my life and am frankly pretty darned excited about it. My only child is off in college now and I find myself with extra time I didn't used to have. As such, some...

      I'm embarking on a new phase in my life and am frankly pretty darned excited about it. My only child is off in college now and I find myself with extra time I didn't used to have. As such, some younger friends of mine have been reaching out and asking me to join them for "shenanigans" in the form of online video games. Mind you, I haven't played games since the mid 90s, so while this sounds exciting, it also is quite intimidating.

      So far I have gotten my hands on a ROG Ally X. It's a nifty looking handheld that I have been assured would allow me to play a lot of the games my buddies play, but my eyes aren't what they used to be and the screen, however nice, isn't quite big enough for my needs.

      Time to get a dock!

      I was able to find a one for this thing, which is very cool, but now I'm thinking I'm going to drive my wife crazy shouting at the device to talk to my buddies. I assume I need a decent headset, but which one? These things seem to run the range in prices. Do I need it to be wireless?

      Also, I'm guessing it would be good to have some sort of controller so I'm not on top of the screen, again, what fits the middle of the road? Cordless? Do I want a trackpad? Is that even a thing?

      I am overloaded with options.

      Basically, I'm a dad who has discovered he has a lot more time on his hands than he expected and good (and patient) friends who want to spend time with him, but I'm way out of my depth trying to plot a modest path forward (without spending silly money).

      Anyway, thanks for making an old guy coming to the hobby feel welcome!

      24 votes
    2. Low-end Linux tablet recommendations

      I love reading but lately I've found myself having to sit in front of my 2k monitor to read PDFs because they're technical documents and render poorly on my Kindle, even with using various tools...

      I love reading but lately I've found myself having to sit in front of my 2k monitor to read PDFs because they're technical documents and render poorly on my Kindle, even with using various tools to optimize.

      I've been considering getting a tablet primarily for this purpose. My main requirement is that I really don't want Android or iOS devices, leaving me with either purpose built Linux tablets or Windows tablets that I can replace with Linux. I really don't need much -

      • Fast enough that there's no significant lag between page turns/scrolls
      • 8"+ screen size
      • Video watching isn't necessary but a nice bonus
      • Wifi isn't absolutely necessary as long as there is an easy way of getting files on the device (USB transfer, SD card, external adapter, etc)
      • SD card storage would be nice but I can also make due with just internal flash
      • Keyboard is also optional - I wouldn't mind being able to run an IDE and connect to my gitlab instance for some simple coding on the fly or SSH into my homelab
      • Cameras are largely unnecessary
      • Decent battery life or the ability to upgrade down the road
      • Looking for something around 500$ CAD (362-ish USD, 312€, 269£)

      I've been eyeing the PineTab2 as it meets most of the requirements but reviews seem to be mixed on its usability. So I thought I would ask here if anybody has had similar requirements and found something that works for them. Or if the PineTab2 software has significantly improved - this reddit post seems to indicate that it is in a decent state now.

      If nothing like this exists, I suppose I could settle for an Android device provided it can easily take a custom ROM and be de-googled. I would just prefer Linux as I know it quite well and I much prefer the freedom of it. I've also used a touch screen monitor with Plasma on my Arch laptop and been pleasantly surprised at the experience - the hardware is just a bit too clunky to reliably read with.

      24 votes
    3. How did you ruin a game for yourself?

      Maybe you spoiled the story. Maybe you min-maxed the fun out of it. Maybe you played it SO much that eventually its tiny little flaws were all you could see. Maybe you spent so much time excitedly...

      Maybe you spoiled the story.

      Maybe you min-maxed the fun out of it.

      Maybe you played it SO much that eventually its tiny little flaws were all you could see.

      Maybe you spent so much time excitedly modding it that, when it came time to finally play it, the fire was out.

      Whatever the reason: what was the game, and how did you ruin it for yourself?

      39 votes
    4. Tildes Video Thread

      Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you. It...

      Find yourself watching tons of great videos on [insert chosen video sharing platform], but also find yourself reluctant to flood the Tildes front page with them? Then this thread is for you.

      It could be one quirky video that you feel deserves some eyeballs on it, or perhaps you've got a curated list of videos that you'd love to talk us through...

      Share some of the best video content you've watched this past week/fortnight with us!

      8 votes
    5. Tildes Game Giveaway: June/July 2025

      Important: This will be a noisy topic. If you do not wish to see it in your feed, please use the Ignore feature to hide it! Tip: If the large number of comments are cluttering up the topic and you...

      Important: This will be a noisy topic. If you do not wish to see it in your feed, please use the Ignore feature to hide it!

      Tip: If the large number of comments are cluttering up the topic and you just want to see the main giveaway posts, click Collapse Replies at the top of the comments.


      It’s time for annother edition of our biannual Game Giveaway topics! Share games with the community and get rid of those extra bundle keys you have lying around.

      Before you participate, please make sure you read the rules below.


      Rules

      -Gifters

      Post your available games, the platform and method of delivery, rules for your giveaways (e.g. first-come first-serve, random draw, etc.), and any additional info or requirements. Feel free to get creative!

      -Giftees

      Request giveaways. Please make sure you follow the gifter's posted guidelines.

      -Guidelines

      Anyone can choose to be a gifter, giftee, or both! Giveaway rules are set by individual gifters, but there are handful of guidelines everyone should follow:

      1. No grey market keys! Only give away games from reputable sources. If you're not sure what this means, please ask.
      2. Requests for games should be done in this topic, but if the gift is a key, those should be delivered by PMs only. Please don't post keys publicly in this topic, even obfuscated ones.

      If you're new to these, check out previous giveaway threads to see how these usually go.

      41 votes
    6. Steam Summer Sale 2025: Hidden gems

      Inspired by the recurring topic every Steam sale over at /r/GameDealsMeta: What are some lesser-known Steam games that you recommend? Are there any genres you’d like hidden gem recommendations...

      Inspired by the recurring topic every Steam sale over at /r/GameDealsMeta:

      • What are some lesser-known Steam games that you recommend?

      • Are there any genres you’d like hidden gem recommendations for?

      If you're interested in previous Hidden Gem topics, you can find them here.

      For popular recommendations and general purpose sale discussion, please use the main Steam Sale topic.

      Optional: Feel free to categorize your recommendations by number of reviews (as a proxy for popularity)

      Category Maximum Review Count
      Shockingly Overlooked 20
      Under the Radar 50
      Buried Treasure 150
      Underrated Great 500
      Cult Classic 1000
      Gem Graduate 1000+
      59 votes