Mechanism, who made the excellent Deckmate and Gaming Pillow, said about their latest accessory kit the GoPro Mount that "No one asked for this…" but they did it anyway, because why not it actually sounds pretty useful.
They said "Just in case you need more validation in your gaming career: now you can finally say you've gone pro. Designed for static loads only (don't go skydiving with your console please)". Mechanism of course included some slightly silly uses in their marketing for their new GoPro Mount, which slots into their existing Mechanism mounting point, like with their Deckmate. One such example is strapping it to your belly for when you're relaxing with a game.
Picture credit: Mechanism
I'm not one to judge because…that actually doesn't look too bad. Still, I think I would prefer their Gaming Pillow in that situation which really does work nicely with the Steam Deck. Having it attached directly to me would feel a bit — weird. Maybe some GamingOnLinux readers will find it useful though.
Or, perhaps, better still, when you're on the throne so you don't miss a moment.
Picture credit: Mechanism
I'm definitely going to judge you if you do that though.
There's plenty of actual genuine uses for this, since GoPro have a lot of accessories and stands.
Picture credit: Mechanism
At £8 that seems nice and reasonable for a specialised mount and screw. Although, you do then need to buy their grips to go with it.
You can see more on the Mechanism website.
Here i only see a sub-PC, too small and too big at the same time. I'd never use it even if it was a present, i'm almost certain.
I'm really not the target for this... But still, nice for the happy ones !
i really don't understand the appeal for these devices
A highly specific anecdote - but a friend of mine recently had a baby and didn't want to completely abandon pc gaming for months. So for moments where the baby is sleeping on their chest or lap, they grab their Steam Deck, only to put it down again when the baby wakes up. They mostly use it for low- to mid-end indie games (and not too small UI, and OK controls) - but that still includes half their library probably.
And yes, Gameboy or NDS have even better portability (pocket size + battery life, I would guess). But Steam Deck is good enough for moving around the house or on public transport or such (backpack size). At least when compared to a laptop and especially to a desktop or home gaming console.
So yes, it absolutely is not for everyone, but Nintendo Switch has a very similar market niche imo (with some differences on the software side - a more curated & locked ecosystem, exclusive games) and that has been very popular, I gather.
Last edited by chr on 5 Feb 2025 at 12:28 pm UTC
Well, I think it reflects the obsession with big screens people have today. Almost nobody is buying smartphones with small screens, for example. On laptops, most young people I see go for bigger screens too.
In the past, people were really in miniaturization, especially in the 80's when the Japanese really dived in to it. Things had to fit your pocket. If I had to speculate, probably because portables were a secondary device, something you use until you get home for your real device, like a stereo system or a computer. Now I have the impression that portables are the only device some people use for a task, so it had to work better than portables of the past and be more comfortable to use over longer periods, hence the big screen phenomenon.
And speaking of the Game Boy, I personally think we are really spoiled today as gamers, because I had one and while it was fun, having the option to play the exactly same game as the latest generation consoles is a amazing thing. Sure the NEC's TurboExpress did it in the past, but today modern portables do it much better, with a unprecedented game catalog.
I'm definitely going to judge you if you do that though.
You absolutely should, I mean, that guy is sitting on the toilet with his pants on.
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