We already know that OneXPlayer have it in their plans to put SteamOS on their devices, and perhaps this Linux kernel work is a step towards it.
They have just launched the "ONEXPLAYER MINI PRO", which comes with an AMD Ryzen 6800U and a 1920x1200 screen. Expensive though, especially compared to the Steam Deck with this 6800U model coming in at a minimum of $1,199 so it's a little eye-watering.
As for this new kernel work, this new driver allows the Linux kernel to deal with the fan controller and it is currently only supported on AMD chipsets. From the patch that was sent in:
Platform driver for OXP Handhelds that expose fan reading and control via hwmon sysfs.
As far as I could gather all OXP boards have the same DMI strings and they are told appart by the boot cpu vendor (Intel/AMD).
Currently only AMD boards are supported but the code is made to be simple to add other handheld boards in the future.Fan control is provided via pwm interface in the range [0-255]. AMD boards have [0-100] as range in the EC, the written value is scaled to accomodate for that.
PWM control is disabled by default, can be enabled via module parameter `fan_control=1`.
According to Phoronix, gamepad support for the OneXPlayer was already sent in previously this month too. So it really does look like they're gearing up for Linux support.
The lack of touchpads, especially the one on the right for aiming, makes this a non-starter. The Steam Deck is a success because of the control it gives the player. Good luck playing competitively against someone with a mouse when all you have is a joystick.Well, perhaps, but these things already exist and already get sold. Adding SteamOS support is hardly going to make them sell fewer devices.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 31 October 2022 at 3:53 pm UTC
The lack of touchpads, especially the one on the right for aiming, makes this a non-starter. The Steam Deck is a success because of the control it gives the player. Good luck playing competitively against someone with a mouse when all you have is a joystick.
The same can be said about people gaming with regular mouse on a small 60hz monitor vs those gaming with a gaming mouse on an ultrawide monitor running at 144hz. Yet, people still game on lower end hardware, just as they are gaming on the Steam Deck which obviously still won't compete against a full blown PC with a mouse despite having the touchpad.
The lack of touchpads, especially the one on the right for aiming, makes this a non-starter. The Steam Deck is a success because of the control it gives the player. Good luck playing competitively against someone with a mouse when all you have is a joystick.
This can be highly dependent on the game though. For example, Apex Legends has very strong aim assist, and it's argued that joystick aiming is more competitive, if not overpowered.
Good luck playing competitively against someone with a mouse when all you have is a joystick.
Its a portable gaming device, youre going to struggle playing competitively anyways because, your screens much smaller, your resolution is less, your train wifi isnt that good, etc.
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