In other news, this is my gaming laptop that I travel with so I can game on the road looking at me after using it while on vacation to reserve a Steamtendo.
Okay sorry this may just be my narcissism but I didn't want this to get botp'd:
Hey y'all I said something in the chat but I wanted to say it here too:
I've been playing games on linux exclusively for the past 7+ years, I use it exclusively at work for all our servers and workstations too. If anyone here has any questions or concerns about software they want to run on their Deck and they're not sure if it'll work or not, please hit me up. Batsignals on here, PM's on here or on Steam, all good. If you ask me in the steam chat I may not see it as I can get busy. I may also put up a short video sometime this weekend about all of this if there's any interest in me doing so.
Just a quick collection of stuff you'll be able to do without installing another OS on this thing, it is by no means exhaustive:
Discord
install your favorite browser so long as its name isn't "Edge"
itch.io games that have native linux versions (windows versions you can probably still run through proton just by adding them to steam but no promises), also, you may be surprised how many of these you already own, most itch.io developers make native linux stuff
gog games that have native linux versions (same caveat applies for windows games)
humble bundle games with direct downloads that have native linux versions (same caveat applies for windows games)
Run the battle.net launcher as well as all of Blizzard's titles (this takes some doing but isn't too bad once you have battle.net working, you just install Blizz titles and run with them)
OBS - it's just native, you just install it and configure it, it's the same on linux
Emulators, a lot of them run on linux
Run game streaming services out of the browser, including Game Pass, but it takes some doing at the moment
Things you currently can't do but supposedly are being worked on:
Games that use Easy Anti-Cheat or BattleSpy or other kernel-based anti-cheat softwares. Now, a caveat, if the game has a native linux version, you're good to go, linux native EAC works just fine. If not, it's not gonna work. This has been a focus for Valve to get solved for some time now and this week they were saying by the end of the year they hope to have it resolved.
Things you won't be able to do, like, period, end of story:
Install quite a few Microsoft products. The main one being Office. You'd be surprised how much MS stuff is available on Linux, though.
Install anything that's flatly against having their stuff run on Linux. There are a few devs who are like this. Rare is the biggest one off the top of my head, they had the LoR client working perfectly via a simple snap install and they went out of their way to break it because they didn't like having their game run on linux. They're weird.
Major resource for trying to find out if your game will work or not on your Steam Deck:
ProtonDB - This is a collection of reports from people who have tried playing games on linux via Proton, sharing their results, and if they had to use a launch option or do something funky, they usually tell you. "Proton" is how the Deck is going to run any games you install that don't run natively on linux. For the most part, this process is invisible to you. You click "Install", you wait for it to download, you click "Play", and you play.
EDIT: Mods, just thought about mods
If it's in the Workshop, it's super easy, you just subscribe like usual, you re-launch the game, the mods are installed.
If it's a mod off a website, it's a little trickier to find the right directory to put the mod in. If the mod is written software it's likely an exe and that can complicate things or even be a showstopper. Most mods I run into don't do this anymore, but back in the day this was more of a thing.
Vortex, NexusMods' mod manager, can be made to run on Linux, configured to point at your steam games, and install mods for them. I installed tons of shit for New Vegas this way, and am currently running mods for Kingmaker this way.
Hey y'all I said something in the chat but I wanted to say it here too:
I've been playing games on linux exclusively for the past 7+ years, I use it exclusively at work for all our servers and workstations too. If anyone here has any questions or concerns about software they want to run on their Deck and they're not sure if it'll work or not, please hit me up. Batsignals on here, PM's on here or on Steam, all good. If you ask me in the steam chat I may not see it as I can get busy. I may also put up a short video sometime this weekend about all of this if there's any interest in me doing so.
Just a quick collection of stuff you'll be able to do without installing another OS on this thing, it is by no means exhaustive:
Discord
install your favorite browser so long as its name isn't "Edge"
itch.io games that have native linux versions (windows versions you can probably still run through proton just by adding them to steam but no promises), also, you may be surprised how many of these you already own, most itch.io developers make native linux stuff
gog games that have native linux versions (same caveat applies for windows games)
humble bundle games with direct downloads that have native linux versions (same caveat applies for windows games)
Run the battle.net launcher as well as all of Blizzard's titles (this takes some doing but isn't too bad once you have battle.net working, you just install Blizz titles and run with them)
OBS - it's just native, you just install it and configure it, it's the same on linux
Emulators, a lot of them run on linux
Run game streaming services out of the browser, including Game Pass, but it takes some doing at the moment
Things you currently can't do but supposedly are being worked on:
Games that use Easy Anti-Cheat or BattleSpy or other kernel-based anti-cheat softwares. Now, a caveat, if the game has a native linux version, you're good to go, linux native EAC works just fine. If not, it's not gonna work. This has been a focus for Valve to get solved for some time now and this week they were saying by the end of the year they hope to have it resolved.
Things you won't be able to do, like, period, end of story:
Install quite a few Microsoft products. The main one being Office. You'd be surprised how much MS stuff is available on Linux, though.
Install anything that's flatly against having their stuff run on Linux. There are a few devs who are like this. Rare is the biggest one off the top of my head, they had the LoR client working perfectly via a simple snap install and they went out of their way to break it because they didn't like having their game run on linux. They're weird.
Major resource for trying to find out if your game will work or not on your Steam Deck:
ProtonDB - This is a collection of reports from people who have tried playing games on linux via Proton, sharing their results, and if they had to use a launch option or do something funky, they usually tell you. "Proton" is how the Deck is going to run any games you install that don't run natively on linux. For the most part, this process is invisible to you. You click "Install", you wait for it to download, you click "Play", and you play.
I'm actually going to install Windows ME on it.
Mmm hmm can't wait for some mobile Windows ME gaming.
Like I'm not obtuse, I know better than anyone here that there are some things that still don't work well with Linux, but that list is getting smaller every day. Why would you install Windows?
I think the better question is, why wouldn't you install Windows on it
Did you read that article? It's the headline of what Valve is working on in the leadup to launch for the Steam Deck. Those games are jacked because Proton doesn't work with anti-cheat just yet, but it appears to be their #1 priority right now from every source that reported on the Steam Deck, and from GabeN as well. Per your article:
Fortunately, Valve is working on solving the problem.
“For Deck, we’re vastly improving Proton’s game compatibility and support for anti-cheat solutions by working directly with the vendors,” Valve wrote on the Steam Deck website.
Certainly an interesting take-away you have there.
I think this is absolutely a case of "wait till this is out to actually see what the thing can run"
There will be no end to rationalisations.
?
for me, I'm not getting it cause i don't like playing handheld (my switch has never left its dock), but regardless if I were to get one i'd put windows on it cause i like windows and don't like linux
No, not you. This is a specific, limited use item. And there will be all kinds of situations invented to convince people of the pressing need that has thus far gone unfilled to play PC games on anything but a PC in places they wouldn't otherwise do so.
I don't need them "invented"
They exist
They have existed forever
I mean, I use my Switch almost entirely undocked. Admittedly that changed a little bit since COVID/lockdowns but just because you don't personally want to engage with gaming a certain way doesn't mean the use cases don't exist and that the wants aren't broad enough to create enough demand for something like this.
I'm actually curious how much the Steamtendo will slot into the use space for portables and what the space for portables will look like going forward. Nintendo does a lot of stuff that specifically takes advantage of a portable console in a lot of their titles and not all games are as suited for playing on a portable as others.
I'm interested in seeing how this ends up given there's so much interest in it currently that we haven't seen for other experiments with PC gaming platforms (and I've read there are connections for VR headsets which could open up another use space for this thing) but I'm personally not very interested in it at the moment (with the important caveat that my Switch mostly stays docked).
Dr_KeenbeanDumb as a buttPlanet Express ShipRegistered Userregular
After giving up in frustration 2 hours ago I just noticed it was still in my cart and this time the purchase when through. So if you were like me 2 hours ago maybe try again.
Well, you have to understand, your posts are kind of confrontational. You're not even "mildly criticizing" the hardware or Valve/Steam even though you say you are, you're really criticizing people who have already expressed in this very thread numerous valid (i.e. not "invented") use cases and a desire for the item. And your word choice is kinda hostile.
Okay. Enjoy your purchase!
Sorry, I didn't mean to be an ass. I'm just really excited for this and I was a little insulted. But you're entitled to your opinion.
I'm actually curious how much the Steamtendo will slot into the use space for portables and what the space for portables will look like going forward. Nintendo does a lot of stuff that specifically takes advantage of a portable console in a lot of their titles and not all games are as suited for playing on a portable as others.
We kind of know what this looks like because near zero Switch ports give a crap about being on a handheld. Tiny imperceptible text and UI for days, including that Wii U Zelda game that launched with the system.
Hopefully if devs can be arsed to support 16:10 that will yield slightly more readable elements here.
Managed to get one ordered. Only took an hour 15 of errors.
Honestly outside of steam games I think the only thing I will want on it is Game Pass. The streaming option will be alright, but I might look into side loading windows onto it for native game pass.
So did anyone here actually pick up a steam machine (or were they calling it steam box) back when they were around? What was your experience?
I didn't, but I knew a guy (co-worker) who had an Alienware one. He really liked it but we never got into the weeds on how it did stuff. Never saw it running myself, sadly.
Anyway, got my Deck reserve in, in *checks email* 14 minutes. 512, because fuck it, go the whole hog (I was debating a 256 instead).
I've been playing games on linux exclusively for the past 7+ years, I use it exclusively at work for all our servers and workstations too. If anyone here has any questions or concerns about software they want to run on their Deck and they're not sure if it'll work or not, please hit me up.
@Thawmus - how long will it take me to install Windows on it? :razz:
Managed to get one ordered. Only took an hour 15 of errors.
Honestly outside of steam games I think the only thing I will want on it is Game Pass. The streaming option will be alright, but I might look into side loading windows onto it for native game pass.
My hope, and this may be false hope, is that MS makes a linux client for Game Pass. It wouldn't be the first time they ported their software to linux, and it'd be a way for them to keep making money.
The flip side, of course, is MS deciding it's time to make their own handheld.
I've been playing games on linux exclusively for the past 7+ years, I use it exclusively at work for all our servers and workstations too. If anyone here has any questions or concerns about software they want to run on their Deck and they're not sure if it'll work or not, please hit me up.
Thawmus - how long will it take me to install Windows on it? :razz:
I kinda want to answer this, but aside from the fact that there's no way to know until we have one in hand, I honestly have no idea what it takes or how long it takes to install Windows anymore. I haven't done it for nearly a decade.
Run game streaming services out of the browser, including Game Pass, but it takes some doing at the moment
So we've been running into topic more than once in the [Xbox] thread, and it's worth mentioning:
Xbox Game Pass, on PC, requires Windows 10. This is non-optional. Full stop. Unless I'm misunderstanding, it's already working in the Windows 11 beta, which is introducing a substantial overhaul of the Windows Store and the Xbox PC app, both of which are effectively required to use this. Xbox Game Pass does not work with Steam, at all, unlike the partial functionality with EA titles via their new EA Desktop interface. No Steam games can be installed by virtue of Game Pass access, unless they were free-to-play to begin with, which really doesn't count.
If there are any Microsoft-published titles on Steam featuring Xbox integration (achievements, multiplayer ,etc.) that are SteamOS compatible, I assume that'd be exactly the same here. I actually have no idea if there are, or if Microsoft exclusively publishes Steam games on Windows operating systems.
Xbox Cloud Gaming, as a streaming games feature of Xbox Game Pass, runs through a browser on PC, and I assume it would run on this (I've said this a few pages ago). For now anyway; Microsoft has explicitly said this is a beta feature and they intend the next revision of the Xbox app to take over these duties. What that means for the browser version, who knows. The point is, it works now. There's more than two hundred games including in Xbox Cloud Gaming, all on Xbox Game Pass (PC/Console). Right now, there are 384 games in Xbox Game Pass for Console [i.e. Xbox, what other console would there be? Hah.] and 274 games for Xbox Game pass for PC [i.e. Windows]. Some of these games are effectively overlapping, i.e. Two Point Hospital for Xbox which is very similar to Two Point Hosptial for Windows. Many feature cross-platform saves, multiplayer (all the ones published by Microsoft, to start) and even achievement lists.
The point of this is that...about half to a third...maybe?...of Game Pass games are actually available for to be streamed from "Project XCloud", though a bigger portion if you consider the overlap. That's still a whole bunch of games, though how well said streaming works is inevitably pretty circumstantial (and even at its best, unsurprisingly, it's still inferior to installation on native hardware combined with Xbox's cloud saves, etc.).
Again, assuming that the browser beta works on Linux/SteamOS (which I'm pretty sure it does, even if I've only seen it on Linux), this is what you'd get. Which is, again, a lot of games. There actually is a very good likelihood that Microsoft will, in fact, terminate the browser beta at some point in the future with the introduction of the app (making Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC more similar to Android, where it started, than iOS, which doesn't work as well), upon which I'd actually expect Microsoft to introduce a specific Linux-oriented beta via browser or even their own Linux-compatible program. Because as we said, Microsoft does publish software on Linux on occasion.
(EDIT: Or they won't. Who knows. Microsoft has given no solid indication they're bringing Game Streaming via browser or app to Playstation or Switch either, despite the later being a very popular idea that some people at Microsoft have obviously considered. Maybe they'll cut the browser beta entirely and skip Linux, leaving people to tool about with Android emulation. Maybe they won't.)
(EDIT EDIT: OK, ~270 Xbox games can be streamed, and ~99 Windows 10 games can be streamed. Which is actually more than I thought. But that's including every overlapping title.)
After giving up in frustration 2 hours ago I just noticed it was still in my cart and this time the purchase when through. So if you were like me 2 hours ago maybe try again.
Same story here. It was still in my cart, went out ran some errands, came back, still in cart, try to buy and....it looks like it went through?
It says we will receive an email to buy in order it was reserved. I wonder if that's going by when I added it to my cart or when I was finally able to buy it. Are you still able to add it to your cart at this time?
I managed to get through within about 30 minutes. Wasn't trying right off the bat, but a friend of mine was. He hit the "too many purchases" error, so I decided to start trying and at least be a backup incase he couldn't get through. Took a bit of doing, but after some time, made it through and confirmed payment via paypal. Got stuck on the last page "working" after clicking purchase, but I got the paypal confirmation, so I wasn't too worried about it. Later got the Steam Order confirmation (and it was pending in my steam purchase history when I could make it in to see that).
Overall, I'm personally a bit indifferent to get it or not. It looks neat, but not something I'm just clamoring to get asap. Will be neat to have 2 docked consoles side by side though, switch+steamdeck.
I managed to get through within about 30 minutes. Wasn't trying right off the bat, but a friend of mine was. He hit the "too many purchases" error, so I decided to start trying and at least be a backup incase he couldn't get through. Took a bit of doing, but after some time, made it through and confirmed payment via paypal. Got stuck on the last page "working" after clicking purchase, but I got the paypal confirmation, so I wasn't too worried about it. Later got the Steam Order confirmation (and it was pending in my steam purchase history when I could make it in to see that).
Overall, I'm personally a bit indifferent to get it or not. It looks neat, but not something I'm just clamoring to get asap. Will be neat to have 2 docked consoles side by side though, switch+steamdeck.
Get a Neo Geo X and round out the package.
(Not really, they weren't very good, but it was like ten years ago anyway.)
+1
Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
edited July 2021
Jesus Christ. I'm at 227 hours into Pathfinder Kingmaker and finding out there is STILL one last chapter to go through.
..I love you but game, you have got to let me the fuck go.
GamePass is the big question. If not available, I feel like that makes Windows the way to go on the Steam Deck. I hope Windows driver support for the touch pads etc will be first class.
Managed to get one ordered. Only took an hour 15 of errors.
Honestly outside of steam games I think the only thing I will want on it is Game Pass. The streaming option will be alright, but I might look into side loading windows onto it for native game pass.
My hope, and this may be false hope, is that MS makes a linux client for Game Pass. It wouldn't be the first time they ported their software to linux, and it'd be a way for them to keep making money.
The flip side, of course, is MS deciding it's time to make their own handheld.
As Synthesis somewhat laid out I think this is pretty fruitless. Windows Store DRM is extensive and closely linked to the OS, with security so tight no 3rd party could dream of the same with their own windows clients. That would be difficult to port to another OS and they probably have no interest in doing so.
Valve shipping this without windows and constantly updating Proton is already a signal of hostile intent, specifically to the windows store. I don't see them blocking you if you can get it running but neither are they interested in any kind of deals to smooth things over.
If MS does ever do their own gaming handheld its likely to be full of Xbox branding and a locked-down console experience like an Xbox. Not a PC you can do whatever you want with a little elbow grease. Even so with their investment in supporting phone streaming I think that's a while down the road, and probably only if Valve can prove successful and streaming fails to arrive like Microsoft seems to be banking on.
Deck's already being scalped. Geese asking thousands for something they don't even have to sell. I hate so much that this is where we are now.
Yeah I respect them for trying to add some barriers to entry to mitigate scalping, but at the end of the day it's just going to happen. People are terrible.
Managed to get one ordered. Only took an hour 15 of errors.
Honestly outside of steam games I think the only thing I will want on it is Game Pass. The streaming option will be alright, but I might look into side loading windows onto it for native game pass.
My hope, and this may be false hope, is that MS makes a linux client for Game Pass. It wouldn't be the first time they ported their software to linux, and it'd be a way for them to keep making money.
The flip side, of course, is MS deciding it's time to make their own handheld.
As Synthesis somewhat laid out I think this is pretty fruitless. Windows Store DRM is extensive and closely linked to the OS, with security so tight no 3rd party could dream of the same with their own windows clients. That would be difficult to port to another OS and they probably have no interest in doing so.
Valve shipping this without windows and constantly updating Proton is already a signal of hostile intent, specifically to the windows store. I don't see them blocking you if you can get it running but neither are they interested in any kind of deals to smooth things over.
If MS does ever do their own gaming handheld its likely to be full of Xbox branding and a locked-down console experience like an Xbox. Not a PC you can do whatever you want with a little elbow grease. Even so with their investment in supporting phone streaming I think that's a while down the road, and probably only if Valve can prove successful and streaming fails to arrive like Microsoft seems to be banking on.
A Microsoft "handheld" console, as we're thinking of it here, probably would be effectively like the Switch (with or without docking capability--there's probably more of niche without it, seeing how Microsoft already sells a current generation console that's cheaper than the Switch OLED, much less this thing). In other words, it'll be an Xbox, and aside possibly supporting Dev kit access, which Microsoft is still implementing on Xbox Series (it's probably a major reason why the Xbox One has not actually been rootkited in the last 8 years), it'll be pretty locked down. Except a Xbox handheld isn't as likely considering how much work Microsoft put into casting the widest possible net of mobile gaming, launching their game streaming app on Android first (but who knows).
The other fact is that Microsoft already sells portable Windows machines, under the Surface Brand, some of which are sort of aimed at gaming (particularly the Surface Book, which hasn't been updated recently, but was firmly in the "convertible gaming laptop" territory at the time). Not the same thing as a handheld, but actually a lot closer to this new Steam machine, considering the Surface line also includes docks.
So either way, it's not something I'd count on. I fully expect Microsoft will continue to produce gaming-capable hardware in their Surface Line (maybe even a gaming-oriented phone). But a handheld more like this seems unlikely.
Got the 256 booked. Will throw windows on this and live beside my TV as a media pc/notswitch.... I already have my stadia remotes that will Bluetooth into it. I like my weird tech!
Throw a hard drive onto the dock this will replace my plex server .
PSN: Canadian_llama
0
Handsome CostanzaAsk me about 8bitdoRIP Iwata-sanRegistered Userregular
"Your expected order availability is q2 2021"
Yeah that pretty much killed the small amount of excitement I had for this thing. Oh well.. it was only $5.
Depends on how their corporate calendar is set up really. The company I work for has Q1 2022 right now, for instance. :rotate:
Lol yeah I think companies are typically smart enough to use "actual, non-corporate calendar quarters" when announcing products and stuff to the public. You're right that corporate calendars can get wacky though!
I didn't even see the release date is in December, so yeah safe to say it did not say Q2 2021. I'm in a discord with a few people trying to pre-order and I wanted to relay the info, so I was being extra cautious, and ultimately a bit too cautious on my reading of what was said.
+2
-Loki-Don't pee in my mouth and tell me it's raining.Registered Userregular
The expectations I'm seeing around the web for the Deck are bordering on absurd. People are seeing 'access to Steam library' and then just crowing about playing everything at max graphics settings on the go.
There's going to be some absolutely crushing reactions when people finally get a Deck from people that never bothered to think reasonably about it.
+8
Dr. ChaosPost nuclear nuisanceRegistered Userregular
Jesus Christ. I'm at 227 hours into Pathfinder Kingmaker and finding out there is STILL one last chapter to go through.
..I love you but game, you have got to let me the fuck go.
Goodness this sounds like something that would keep me going for a couple of years.
To be fair to Kingmaker, thats with me trying to go everywhere, see everything and complete every sidequest.
Cut all that out though and I could still see it being a ginormous game. I will continue to sing its praises to the high heavens but yeah, this game is a massive time sink compared to other games in the CRPG genre.
Dungeons 2 completed and off the backlog. Man that was a slog. It's fun, but it was such a very slow paced game. Thankfully I found out there's a cheat/dev setting you can put in the config and then you can mess with the time like in Starcraft to make it faster. Sadly I didn't find it until the last few missions.
I'm going to try Deep Dungeons of Doom next to keep up with the dungeon theme.
übergeek on
+2
Dr_KeenbeanDumb as a buttPlanet Express ShipRegistered Userregular
The expectations I'm seeing around the web for the Deck are bordering on absurd. People are seeing 'access to Steam library' and then just crowing about playing everything at max graphics settings on the go.
There's going to be some absolutely crushing reactions when people finally get a Deck from people that never bothered to think reasonably about it.
To be fair, max settings at 720p is probably obtainable in most cases. I'm also hoping we see a lot "optimized" settings guides that takes into account the resolution and screen size to figure out what can be safely turned off since you just wouldn't see it.
Now, plugging it into a 4k tv is gonna be rough for people who think this thing is a desktop/console replacement.
Posts
Hey y'all I said something in the chat but I wanted to say it here too:
I've been playing games on linux exclusively for the past 7+ years, I use it exclusively at work for all our servers and workstations too. If anyone here has any questions or concerns about software they want to run on their Deck and they're not sure if it'll work or not, please hit me up. Batsignals on here, PM's on here or on Steam, all good. If you ask me in the steam chat I may not see it as I can get busy. I may also put up a short video sometime this weekend about all of this if there's any interest in me doing so.
Just a quick collection of stuff you'll be able to do without installing another OS on this thing, it is by no means exhaustive:
Things you currently can't do but supposedly are being worked on:
Things you won't be able to do, like, period, end of story:
Major resource for trying to find out if your game will work or not on your Steam Deck:
ProtonDB - This is a collection of reports from people who have tried playing games on linux via Proton, sharing their results, and if they had to use a launch option or do something funky, they usually tell you. "Proton" is how the Deck is going to run any games you install that don't run natively on linux. For the most part, this process is invisible to you. You click "Install", you wait for it to download, you click "Play", and you play.
EDIT: Mods, just thought about mods
I'm actually going to install Windows ME on it.
Mmm hmm can't wait for some mobile Windows ME gaming.
I'm actually curious how much the Steamtendo will slot into the use space for portables and what the space for portables will look like going forward. Nintendo does a lot of stuff that specifically takes advantage of a portable console in a lot of their titles and not all games are as suited for playing on a portable as others.
I'm interested in seeing how this ends up given there's so much interest in it currently that we haven't seen for other experiments with PC gaming platforms (and I've read there are connections for VR headsets which could open up another use space for this thing) but I'm personally not very interested in it at the moment (with the important caveat that my Switch mostly stays docked).
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
Sorry, I didn't mean to be an ass. I'm just really excited for this and I was a little insulted. But you're entitled to your opinion.
We kind of know what this looks like because near zero Switch ports give a crap about being on a handheld. Tiny imperceptible text and UI for days, including that Wii U Zelda game that launched with the system.
Hopefully if devs can be arsed to support 16:10 that will yield slightly more readable elements here.
Honestly outside of steam games I think the only thing I will want on it is Game Pass. The streaming option will be alright, but I might look into side loading windows onto it for native game pass.
"Really, commander?"
"Probing the obvious joke..."
I didn't, but I knew a guy (co-worker) who had an Alienware one. He really liked it but we never got into the weeds on how it did stuff. Never saw it running myself, sadly.
Anyway, got my Deck reserve in, in *checks email* 14 minutes. 512, because fuck it, go the whole hog (I was debating a 256 instead).
Steam | XBL
I don’t even really want one of these but on the off chance it actually works well, it might become my travel gaming rig.
@Thawmus - how long will it take me to install Windows on it? :razz:
My hope, and this may be false hope, is that MS makes a linux client for Game Pass. It wouldn't be the first time they ported their software to linux, and it'd be a way for them to keep making money.
The flip side, of course, is MS deciding it's time to make their own handheld.
"Elgato Picked A Very Bad Day To Announce A New Stream Deck"
Literally was thinking that earlier today when I kept googling Steam Deck.
I kinda want to answer this, but aside from the fact that there's no way to know until we have one in hand, I honestly have no idea what it takes or how long it takes to install Windows anymore. I haven't done it for nearly a decade.
So we've been running into topic more than once in the [Xbox] thread, and it's worth mentioning:
The point of this is that...about half to a third...maybe?...of Game Pass games are actually available for to be streamed from "Project XCloud", though a bigger portion if you consider the overlap. That's still a whole bunch of games, though how well said streaming works is inevitably pretty circumstantial (and even at its best, unsurprisingly, it's still inferior to installation on native hardware combined with Xbox's cloud saves, etc.).
Again, assuming that the browser beta works on Linux/SteamOS (which I'm pretty sure it does, even if I've only seen it on Linux), this is what you'd get. Which is, again, a lot of games. There actually is a very good likelihood that Microsoft will, in fact, terminate the browser beta at some point in the future with the introduction of the app (making Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC more similar to Android, where it started, than iOS, which doesn't work as well), upon which I'd actually expect Microsoft to introduce a specific Linux-oriented beta via browser or even their own Linux-compatible program. Because as we said, Microsoft does publish software on Linux on occasion.
(EDIT: Or they won't. Who knows. Microsoft has given no solid indication they're bringing Game Streaming via browser or app to Playstation or Switch either, despite the later being a very popular idea that some people at Microsoft have obviously considered. Maybe they'll cut the browser beta entirely and skip Linux, leaving people to tool about with Android emulation. Maybe they won't.)
(EDIT EDIT: OK, ~270 Xbox games can be streamed, and ~99 Windows 10 games can be streamed. Which is actually more than I thought. But that's including every overlapping title.)
So, some food for thought.
Steam: Archpriest
Streaming games and playing music
Same story here. It was still in my cart, went out ran some errands, came back, still in cart, try to buy and....it looks like it went through?
It says we will receive an email to buy in order it was reserved. I wonder if that's going by when I added it to my cart or when I was finally able to buy it. Are you still able to add it to your cart at this time?
Overall, I'm personally a bit indifferent to get it or not. It looks neat, but not something I'm just clamoring to get asap. Will be neat to have 2 docked consoles side by side though, switch+steamdeck.
Get a Neo Geo X and round out the package.
(Not really, they weren't very good, but it was like ten years ago anyway.)
..I love you but game, you have got to let me the fuck go.
As Synthesis somewhat laid out I think this is pretty fruitless. Windows Store DRM is extensive and closely linked to the OS, with security so tight no 3rd party could dream of the same with their own windows clients. That would be difficult to port to another OS and they probably have no interest in doing so.
Valve shipping this without windows and constantly updating Proton is already a signal of hostile intent, specifically to the windows store. I don't see them blocking you if you can get it running but neither are they interested in any kind of deals to smooth things over.
If MS does ever do their own gaming handheld its likely to be full of Xbox branding and a locked-down console experience like an Xbox. Not a PC you can do whatever you want with a little elbow grease. Even so with their investment in supporting phone streaming I think that's a while down the road, and probably only if Valve can prove successful and streaming fails to arrive like Microsoft seems to be banking on.
Just take the early ending. It's better than the others anyway.
Goodness this sounds like something that would keep me going for a couple of years.
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Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
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Yeah I respect them for trying to add some barriers to entry to mitigate scalping, but at the end of the day it's just going to happen. People are terrible.
A Microsoft "handheld" console, as we're thinking of it here, probably would be effectively like the Switch (with or without docking capability--there's probably more of niche without it, seeing how Microsoft already sells a current generation console that's cheaper than the Switch OLED, much less this thing). In other words, it'll be an Xbox, and aside possibly supporting Dev kit access, which Microsoft is still implementing on Xbox Series (it's probably a major reason why the Xbox One has not actually been rootkited in the last 8 years), it'll be pretty locked down. Except a Xbox handheld isn't as likely considering how much work Microsoft put into casting the widest possible net of mobile gaming, launching their game streaming app on Android first (but who knows).
The other fact is that Microsoft already sells portable Windows machines, under the Surface Brand, some of which are sort of aimed at gaming (particularly the Surface Book, which hasn't been updated recently, but was firmly in the "convertible gaming laptop" territory at the time). Not the same thing as a handheld, but actually a lot closer to this new Steam machine, considering the Surface line also includes docks.
So either way, it's not something I'd count on. I fully expect Microsoft will continue to produce gaming-capable hardware in their Surface Line (maybe even a gaming-oriented phone). But a handheld more like this seems unlikely.
Throw a hard drive onto the dock this will replace my plex server .
Yeah that pretty much killed the small amount of excitement I had for this thing. Oh well.. it was only $5.
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
Is that not January?
Is that supposed to read "q2 2022"?
Isn't q2 2021 basically now?
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BRB playing steam deck
Resident 8bitdo expert.
Resident hybrid/flap cover expert.
Lol yeah I think companies are typically smart enough to use "actual, non-corporate calendar quarters" when announcing products and stuff to the public. You're right that corporate calendars can get wacky though!
I didn't even see the release date is in December, so yeah safe to say it did not say Q2 2021. I'm in a discord with a few people trying to pre-order and I wanted to relay the info, so I was being extra cautious, and ultimately a bit too cautious on my reading of what was said.
There's going to be some absolutely crushing reactions when people finally get a Deck from people that never bothered to think reasonably about it.
Cut all that out though and I could still see it being a ginormous game. I will continue to sing its praises to the high heavens but yeah, this game is a massive time sink compared to other games in the CRPG genre.
I'm going to try Deep Dungeons of Doom next to keep up with the dungeon theme.
To be fair, max settings at 720p is probably obtainable in most cases. I'm also hoping we see a lot "optimized" settings guides that takes into account the resolution and screen size to figure out what can be safely turned off since you just wouldn't see it.
Now, plugging it into a 4k tv is gonna be rough for people who think this thing is a desktop/console replacement.
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705