Steam Deck Previews are up, plus dbrand announce Project Killswitch

Quoting: eldarionAs much as I like seeing devices with Linux being sold, I really don't understand the hype of steam deck. I like playing a good game on a mobile device as much as I like watching a good movie on my phone. Meaning, not at all.

Don't get me wrong, small devices like this are great for casual gaming, but playing Witcher 3 on this is like going to the cinema and only watching half of the screen. You simply don't get the full experience.

A colleague of mine (my boss, actually) once told me that he's buying Blu-Ray discs, that these are coming with a streaming access code and that he actually watches the movies on his phone. Well, the question if it's great to watch movies on such a small device aside - why buy the full blown discs in the first place then?!? :D

I' rather play small/slow games on such a device I guess. Some games just call for a bigger screen, be if for the effects or for the overview (for strategy games e.g.).

Quoting: eldarionAs much as I like seeing devices with Linux being sold, I really don't understand the hype of steam deck. I like playing a good game on a mobile device as much as I like watching a good movie on my phone. Meaning, not at all.

Don't get me wrong, small devices like this are great for casual gaming, but playing Witcher 3 on this is like going to the cinema and only watching half of the screen. You simply don't get the full experience.

There are people that play handhelds a _lot_, even in their homes. I... am not one of them, but I certainly know people who are. I've been debating getting one myself and even have a reservation for one, they're pretty cool and while not unique I feel like this would support linux gaming even if my kids would probably use it more then I would. The main audience is going to be commuters and people that have shared homes/computers/TVs probably, perhaps people that do most of their gaming on the crapper? Tinkerers would probably enjoy it as well. For the record, I don't understand the appeal of phone gaming either.

mangohud shows CPU: 0W
goddammit AMD just fix this already!!!!!!!!!!!

So in the Linus video, he shows the Dead Cells FPS. I'm curious if he ran the native version or running it through Proton?

Quoting: eldarionAs much as I like seeing devices with Linux being sold, I really don't understand the hype of steam deck. I like playing a good game on a mobile device as much as I like watching a good movie on my phone. Meaning, not at all.

Don't get me wrong, small devices like this are great for casual gaming, but playing Witcher 3 on this is like going to the cinema and only watching half of the screen. You simply don't get the full experience.

I play my switch 60% in handheld mode vs 40% docked. My kids play on long trips in the car.

Being able to play in bed or by others who are doing other things is really nice.

Honestly, I don't want something that isn't portable anymore when it comes to video games.


Last edited by KohlyKohl on 9 February 2022 at 12:06 am UTC

Quoting: eldarionAs much as I like seeing devices with Linux being sold, I really don't understand the hype of steam deck. I like playing a good game on a mobile device as much as I like watching a good movie on my phone. Meaning, not at all.

Don't get me wrong, small devices like this are great for casual gaming, but playing Witcher 3 on this is like going to the cinema and only watching half of the screen. You simply don't get the full experience.

Valve's hyping this up as being powerful enough to run all the latest and most demanding games, but I'm going to be using it for things like playing a round of Terraforming Mars in bed, or Filament, or other similar things. Something simple and relaxed, where the trade-off of not being on my PC's large monitor is worth the increase in comfort to my aging bones (or the portability, for when I'm traveling and can't bring my PC). Your mileage may vary of course. To each their own.

just like it's possible with the Switch, the Steam Deck can act like the console for a TV + Controller...

...but a fullblown linux OS will shine through on the Deck in several ways where the ususal pared-down closed and console-specific OSs are almost always crap

do you have a PS5 controller? it will work
xbox one controller? works
3DO super nintento bluetooth retro gamepad? sure
a pair of Nintendo Swith gamepads slided together? you naughty heretic, of course it works ;P

a cheap targus usb-c docking station instead of whatever valve promoted but's out of stock? yep!

do you have a wireless keyboard and mouse pair to use via bluetooh or via a specific usb receiver? it will work, and actually many of the games where designed for this even before being designed for gamepads, so you'll be just fine playing, not just browsing the main OS screens

32" FullHD usb-c monitor with audio output? no problem, dude

my desktop died and I need work done ASAP!!! get the main sata3 ssd out of that tower and dualboot the deck from an usb3 casing, quick!!! the Deck is such a pushover I can even use my smartcard reader for secure auth, the printer/scanner and usb digitizer :D


Last edited by Marlock on 9 February 2022 at 11:30 am UTC

Quoting: HoriBy that logic, games played on the monitor/TV are not worth it either when compared to VR.

Games that were made with VR in mind are indeed best played with a VR set. Not exactly a good analogy there. ;)

I understand you. For each his own. If you are ok to pay 60 bucks on a game to play it while you are pooping, it's fine. That's not a thing I would do, because like a good movie is an experience to be savored, or a good wine, the same applies to a good game. But that is my take on it.

Quoting: eldarion

Quoting: HoriBy that logic, games played on the monitor/TV are not worth it either when compared to VR.

Games that were made with VR in mind are indeed best played with a VR set. Not exactly a good analogy there. ;)

I understand you. For each his own. If you are ok to pay 60 bucks on a game to play it while you are pooping, it's fine. That's not a thing I would do, because like a good movie is an experience to be savored, or a good wine, the same applies to a good game. But that is my take on it.

Yes, well. If the North American market were made of 400 million of me, there would be no such thing as, for instance, the NFL. But I understand it's fairly popular.

Is it a bit worrying that a few weeks before launch they keep saying the software is not ready? I'm actually fairly certain the original 2 months delay was to sort things out more in software, rather than chip shortage.