I'm no fanboy but Windows just sucks for anything portable. At first I was exited to see how manufacturers would pivot to adopt linux for their portables. Now it's just watching flop after flop.
this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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Steam Deck
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Same. I just can't imagine using anything other than Linux for this kinda handheld. Like, I'm mainly a Windows user and I can't imagine trying to use windows on my steam deck. When you want to make a gaming-focueed handheld like this, you want as much performance as you can squeeze out of the hardware. You're not doing that with windows.
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I'm following Bazzite's development closely because I feel like that'll be the saving grace for all the gaming handhelds that are windows-only at the moment. If Bazzite matches or supplants SteamOS then I might consider a device like an ROG Ally.
I would definitely consider Bazzite as a good upgrade for those devices, but until Asus fixes their warranty issue, hardware issues, and adds track pads, I'm not really interested in their hardware.
I really appreciate knowing that valve will fix any issues that come up.
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I used bazzite on my ROG Ally for a couple of days before I went back to windows because it didn’t reliably work. Crashes abound and some games that work fine on my Steam Deck just refused to open.
Hopefully one day it gets ironed out.
How long ago did you try this?
I've been keeping up with Bazzite and Chimera, and it looks like they've made some progress.
The ROG Ally is listed at gold level compatibility, denoting it requires a few workarounds and has some caveats. I would not be able to get over having no control over the LEDs, so I'll keep an eye out for a bit later as well.
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They're all scared to piss off Microsoft by bringing out a Linux device.
Every single one of the competitors I've seen makes at least two of the following mistakes, each of which means they don't stand a chance:
- Windows
- Display resolution > 720p
- No trackpads
- Awful layout
It's insane to me that the competition can't compete with the blueprint. I was really hoping that the deck would cause better products to follow, not worse.
I could do without the trackpads but everything else I agree on.
Maybe you could, but the whole point of the steam deck is the ability to play any PC game, and most require mouse input to play well. Most people would be unwilling to make that tradeoff
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Unless it runs Linux it doesn't stand a chance. The moment you decide to sell a handheld gaming console running Windows you doom it to failure. It's the worst OS possible for that purpose.
Nope, there are plenty worse...
z/os, Temple OS, OpenBSD, React OS and others.
Sorry, I am just feeling pedantic, it is late and I am about to get some sleep...
Are you honestly telling me you wouldn't buy a Temple OS handheld?
Only if it were bound handsomely in leather with gilt lettering, as befits its divine purpose.
Man you could generate so many poems by God on that bad boy
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Windows is the main reason I never got one of those PC handhelds even though they have been around for a very long time.
Never really felt like a handheld, more like an unwieldly laptop.
To be honest I was recently forced back into Windows by my employer recently and I don't get it's good for :p
Control. It's metrics and data mining all the way up.
What's funny is that when I learned about system admin, it was all Linux.
Honestly just shows how dialed in the steam deck is, it's why I won't ever buy one of their competitors.
Honestly just shows how dialed in the steam deck is
I don't understand how so many competitors are just making rhe most obvious, braindead mistakes. Who the fuck thought using Windows was a good idea?!?
You're right, of course. But there's still a few games that don't run on Steam Deck (looking at you, Henteko Doujin), that run fine in Windows. I'm able to play these games on my Ayn Loki Zero with Win 11 install, via Steam. Of course, I'm talking about playing indie shmups on a US $250 device, so I'm a bit of a niche case. So... situationally it's a good-ish idea? For, like, three people? Not enough people to make a product worth selling, anyway.
The thing is, none of the competitors and rivals are competitors and rivals to Valve. Every sold device that can play Steam games, is a win. Unlike traditional consoles, Valve only benefits from competition. The Steam Deck kicked off a trend and made handheld PCs popular for the "masses" (relatively speaking off course).
Besides that, any handheld PC with Windows is just not at the same level of Steam Deck. The few more games that are playable is a plus, but the entire system is such a downgrade for a gaming first device.
Valve has a larger goal though of making Linux a viable alternative to Windows for gamers. The whole reason valve has made some much effort on Linux gaming is because Microsoft scared them when Microsoft started making plans to block software installs from anywhere except the Microsoft store.
Microsoft has backed off from that plan some since, but many new new computers running windows are in "s mode" by default which limits software to Microsoft store only. It can be disabled if you have administrator privileges and know how, but it's still an example of Microsoft trying to shift towards a future where all PC games have to be bought through their store.
This is also why steam jumped at the chance to work with Google on getting steam on Chrome OS.
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i see a keyboard , but no track pads. track pads are really versatile and a key feature of the deck. this keyboard doesn't look to comfortable to use either. Maybe it's ok ish if you put down the device on flat ground and are seated, but typing on this thing while holding it in your hands is going to require some amazing thumb agility.
I have a small Bluetooth keyboard paired with my steam deck that I use whenever I need to input longer stretches of text. it works out just fine.
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The inclusion of the keyboard is a little perplexing. On paper it makes sense that a lot of PC games are built for or work best with a keyboard, but that's because you're using stuff as hotkeys, not because you're typing. How do you comfortably do that with this form factor? I feel like a panel of fewer programmable buttons would've made more sense.
It's almost as if Valve thought this through when they engineered the steam deck
I would imagine its for the typing you might need to do, rather than using an onscreen keyboard.
Not sure if I'd prefer a tiny physical keyboard with shitty flat buttons over a swipe capable touch keyboard. Especially since it does not look like it would be comfortable to reach with your thumbs.
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Is Valve even truly interested in being part of the competition? All their hardware offerings seem more like prototypes or proofs of concept, and the details for other manufacturers to build on the idea are available. Like their strategy to inject competition in these spheres is more just lighting a fire under the asses of other manufacturers to get them making the hardware instead of Valve.
Yeah. I get the feeling that Valve would be more than happy for people to make competitors to the Steam Deck as long as it had the Steam store on it.
as long as it can run steam, its a win for them.
think of steam machines, steam controllers and steam links before the the deck.
the goal with most (excluding vr) of valves hardware has been to appeal to the console player audience.
it doesnt matter who builds those things at the end, as long as they bring more users Into their ecosystem
Valve's money comes from the service, not the device. The more there are, the better.
To be honest, any hardware company can't really compete with valve toe to toe since valves can cut cost and sell at a loss. But I am interested in how the so-called steam competitor would make the same handheld device. I'm waiting for you Tim Epic.
Microsoft will probably come out with an Xbox branded device some day, but I expect it will be restricted to Microsoft store games and game pass.
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Please for the love of God no Whatever epic released would be half baked and make the entire gaming ecosystem worse
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I had a Kyocera Slider, once. I loved to open and close that thing, and it was basically a fidget device. I also had an LG Chocolate 2 and 3, and the physical keyboard was fantastic.
This handheld incorporates both, but I really don't know if it can work in this form factor. Part of the reason it worked on the phones is they were relatively small, but with a wide handheld with joycons on either side, it seems like it would be clunky.
I miss sliding/rotating phones. In general new phones were really exciting back then.
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Are we not going to talk about the empty PC case with just fans that are on like why yes it looks kinda cool but could you not have found a real PC just for the pitcher?
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It's crazy that Microsoft hasn't made an interface for Windows for handhelds like this. They're leaving money on the table.
They will release an Xbox mode, not only a UI. A true Steam OS alternative. But that takes time. I bet they are aiming for a 2025 release.
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Windows is dog shit.
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