I loved my Switch when it first came out, and love my Steam Deck now - always happy to see more handheld console options. Not sure how I feel about the look of this thing though. Seems even...
I loved my Switch when it first came out, and love my Steam Deck now - always happy to see more handheld console options.
Not sure how I feel about the look of this thing though. Seems even chunkier than the Deck, which is a beast itself.
IMO, the best part of the Switch is the OS/games. The best part of the Deck is also the OS. I’d love to see Valve get SteamOS onto some of these new Windows handhelds.
Way too many popular games still require Windows. That's the main reason people are buying the Asus portable and installing Windows on their Steam Deck. I don't play online shooters that require...
Way too many popular games still require Windows. That's the main reason people are buying the Asus portable and installing Windows on their Steam Deck.
I don't play online shooters that require windows-only anti-cheat, so for me the Deck is literally the perfect device. Pretty close to a 100% of my Steam collection works well on the deck and I can emulate most consoles up to the Switch on it with pretty good performance.
But I'm glad this category of devices exists and now we get products from big name companies, maybe someone will innovate further than "you can dock it". eGPU support would be a killer feature, swappable hardware à la frame.work etc.
Nope, you're right, that's the ASUS ROG Ally. Although it is a proprietary eGPU, and you only get to choose one of two GPUs, you can't bring your own GPU or cannibalize your eGPU into a different...
Nope, you're right, that's the ASUS ROG Ally. Although it is a proprietary eGPU, and you only get to choose one of two GPUs, you can't bring your own GPU or cannibalize your eGPU into a different system down the road. If it were a standard Thunderbolt eGPU enclosure, you could pick and choose and harvest and reduce waste.
That's largely due to difficulty supporting all the many Linux distros. SteamOS could certainly improve that though now that we've seen the deck take off. It will endlessly piss off the Linux...
That's largely due to difficulty supporting all the many Linux distros. SteamOS could certainly improve that though now that we've seen the deck take off. It will endlessly piss off the Linux crowd though as I'm sure developers will only put in effort to support the SteamOS distro and nothing else.
Idk if this was a problem in the past, but it certainly isn't now. Anti-cheat is pretty much the only thing left that makes it impossible to play non-VR games on Linux. Anti-cheat is a problem not...
That's largely due to difficulty supporting all the many Linux distros
Idk if this was a problem in the past, but it certainly isn't now. Anti-cheat is pretty much the only thing left that makes it impossible to play non-VR games on Linux. Anti-cheat is a problem not because of different distros, but because Linux doesn't allow them the same control over the kernel as Windows does. That, plus some devs being unwilling to flip the switch to turn on Linux support for EAC and BattleEye AC, both of which do support Linux/Proton due to collaboration with Valve.
I use my GPD WIN for more than just games so having windows on is convinent. Especially when I hook it up to a dock and I then essentially get a micro PC that can do 99% of what I'd do on a main...
I use my GPD WIN for more than just games so having windows on is convinent. Especially when I hook it up to a dock and I then essentially get a micro PC that can do 99% of what I'd do on a main machine
Finally, one of these handheld PCs realizes that additional input devices like trackpads are what makes handheld PC games on Steam Deck so doable and flexible. The scrollwheel is also a good idea,...
Finally, one of these handheld PCs realizes that additional input devices like trackpads are what makes handheld PC games on Steam Deck so doable and flexible. The scrollwheel is also a good idea, I find myself using one of the Steam Deck trackpads for that all the time. It looks like it has 2 back grips laid out vertically (as normal) on the left "joycon", but it has 2 back grips laid out horizontally on the right, that's really weird... There also appears to be extra buttons on the side underneath R1/L1. Kickstand is a great addition, for my Deck I specifically got a case that came with a kickstand and I find it invaluable for a Switch style handheld.
I'm not likely to replace my Deck any time soon, but having trackpads is absolutely vital to me if I were looking to do so. I've put a few hundred hours into mouse driven games alone on my Deck...
I'm not likely to replace my Deck any time soon, but having trackpads is absolutely vital to me if I were looking to do so.
I've put a few hundred hours into mouse driven games alone on my Deck and even when I'm not playing one of those, using the left trackpad as a radial menu in other games is absolutely essential to the usability of the Deck.
I don't much care for the handheld PC's, but I'm in love with wireless split controllers and I haven't found any that work well with a PC. I hope you can buy and use these separately.
I don't much care for the handheld PC's, but I'm in love with wireless split controllers and I haven't found any that work well with a PC. I hope you can buy and use these separately.
Definitely agree. I'll probably buy the controllers just for my desktop PC if they end up being of decent quality and can work with it. Especially if they have an actual proper trigger instead of...
Definitely agree. I'll probably buy the controllers just for my desktop PC if they end up being of decent quality and can work with it. Especially if they have an actual proper trigger instead of just a button shaped like a trigger as with all the Switch controllers.
But in the meantime, are you aware that Steam added proper support for Joy-Cons, I think close to the end of last year or beginning of this year? I've found that there are some connectivity issues simply due to Bluetooth being Bluetooth, but they otherwise a pair of Joy-Cons work just like any other singular controller you're using through Steam.
I don't really like the look of those controllers and never play the Switch with unattached joy cons but kudos to them for trying something different... Well, different in the current handheld PC...
I don't really like the look of those controllers and never play the Switch with unattached joy cons but kudos to them for trying something different...
Well, different in the current handheld PC market. Let's see how the software they use for the controllers works with everything before we praise it or deride it though.
Sure, but those can still be leaked if someone sends them out without approval. Anyways, I find it more interesting to discuss the actual product than whether the information about it is a leak or...
Sure, but those can still be leaked if someone sends them out without approval. Anyways, I find it more interesting to discuss the actual product than whether the information about it is a leak or covert marketing. The ‘leak’ seeming to be of a final product only makes that easier.
I loved my Switch when it first came out, and love my Steam Deck now - always happy to see more handheld console options.
Not sure how I feel about the look of this thing though. Seems even chunkier than the Deck, which is a beast itself.
IMO, the best part of the Switch is the OS/games. The best part of the Deck is also the OS. I’d love to see Valve get SteamOS onto some of these new Windows handhelds.
Way too many popular games still require Windows. That's the main reason people are buying the Asus portable and installing Windows on their Steam Deck.
I don't play online shooters that require windows-only anti-cheat, so for me the Deck is literally the perfect device. Pretty close to a 100% of my Steam collection works well on the deck and I can emulate most consoles up to the Switch on it with pretty good performance.
But I'm glad this category of devices exists and now we get products from big name companies, maybe someone will innovate further than "you can dock it". eGPU support would be a killer feature, swappable hardware à la frame.work etc.
Wasn't an external GPU part of Asus's? Or am I thinking of a different handheld.
Nope, you're right, that's the ASUS ROG Ally. Although it is a proprietary eGPU, and you only get to choose one of two GPUs, you can't bring your own GPU or cannibalize your eGPU into a different system down the road. If it were a standard Thunderbolt eGPU enclosure, you could pick and choose and harvest and reduce waste.
That's largely due to difficulty supporting all the many Linux distros. SteamOS could certainly improve that though now that we've seen the deck take off. It will endlessly piss off the Linux crowd though as I'm sure developers will only put in effort to support the SteamOS distro and nothing else.
Idk if this was a problem in the past, but it certainly isn't now. Anti-cheat is pretty much the only thing left that makes it impossible to play non-VR games on Linux. Anti-cheat is a problem not because of different distros, but because Linux doesn't allow them the same control over the kernel as Windows does. That, plus some devs being unwilling to flip the switch to turn on Linux support for EAC and BattleEye AC, both of which do support Linux/Proton due to collaboration with Valve.
I use my GPD WIN for more than just games so having windows on is convinent. Especially when I hook it up to a dock and I then essentially get a micro PC that can do 99% of what I'd do on a main machine
Finally, one of these handheld PCs realizes that additional input devices like trackpads are what makes handheld PC games on Steam Deck so doable and flexible. The scrollwheel is also a good idea, I find myself using one of the Steam Deck trackpads for that all the time. It looks like it has 2 back grips laid out vertically (as normal) on the left "joycon", but it has 2 back grips laid out horizontally on the right, that's really weird... There also appears to be extra buttons on the side underneath R1/L1. Kickstand is a great addition, for my Deck I specifically got a case that came with a kickstand and I find it invaluable for a Switch style handheld.
I'm not likely to replace my Deck any time soon, but having trackpads is absolutely vital to me if I were looking to do so.
I've put a few hundred hours into mouse driven games alone on my Deck and even when I'm not playing one of those, using the left trackpad as a radial menu in other games is absolutely essential to the usability of the Deck.
I don't much care for the handheld PC's, but I'm in love with wireless split controllers and I haven't found any that work well with a PC. I hope you can buy and use these separately.
Definitely agree. I'll probably buy the controllers just for my desktop PC if they end up being of decent quality and can work with it. Especially if they have an actual proper trigger instead of just a button shaped like a trigger as with all the Switch controllers.
But in the meantime, are you aware that Steam added proper support for Joy-Cons, I think close to the end of last year or beginning of this year? I've found that there are some connectivity issues simply due to Bluetooth being Bluetooth, but they otherwise a pair of Joy-Cons work just like any other singular controller you're using through Steam.
Cool! I'll look into it, thanks for letting me know!
I don't really like the look of those controllers and never play the Switch with unattached joy cons but kudos to them for trying something different...
Well, different in the current handheld PC market. Let's see how the software they use for the controllers works with everything before we praise it or deride it though.
"Leaked images" that look like perfect rendered images of the final product out of a press kit.
Sure, but those can still be leaked if someone sends them out without approval. Anyways, I find it more interesting to discuss the actual product than whether the information about it is a leak or covert marketing. The ‘leak’ seeming to be of a final product only makes that easier.