Topic: PC Gaming

@JaxonH the latest game I played is probably dragon age inquisition. Also I am saying playing out of the box not with mapping m+k inputs into a controller

@Balta666
Thats impossible for every game because PC is designed around multiple controllers (though it should work out of the box for any game with controller support). It only takes 5 seconds to map. Press the giant Xbox button in game and you'll see BROWSE. Grab a template from the default built in list (Gamepad, High Precision Aiming, Gamepad with Gyro, though Xbox won't have that option).

As for DA Inquisition, it seems to be EA's Origin causing issues, and for all controllers. Things like that happen from time to time but it's quite rare. Nonetheless if you just open up your config and load the default GAMEPAD option it should work fine. Give it a try.

That's fair, I was just looking more at my own library and the games I had that were compatible. And I also know me, I'd buy this thing thinking of titles like Forza & Horizon Zero Dawn but end up playing Geometry Wars and GTA Vice City

But maybe you're right. If I had one I'd probably start buying more games on Steam that would work well on it. Not just for portable play but also on the TV. Because as it is I only buy stuff on Steam via bundles or if it's something I want to sit down and play on my PC. I don't buy games like Forza on Steam because I'd rather play that style of game on Switch.....

@Balta666
Also you have to go into the game's settings and change it from Keyboard and Mouse to Controller. As soon as you do it'll stop recognizing KB/M inputs and your controller should work. Before you launch the game from Big Screen Mode, go to the controller configuration option near the Play button. Load up the GAMEPAD template. That way you're all set up so that once you launch the game, change to controller in settings, your controller already has the right template.

Once you've changed the setting to controller and loaded the normal GAMEPAD template, you'll never have to do it again. Just something you do the first time you play, when you're getting your settings set how you want.

@skywake
For sure. I love playing games on Switch. But Steam is good for all the rest. Mass Effect Legendary Edition with Gyro is chef's kiss. And portable Forza Horizon 4 and Halo Master Chief Collection sounds like the dream realized. I just hope they're all fully compatible.

PSA
Pre-order reservations begin in 25 minutes for those with existing Steam accounts and at least one purchase made before June 2021.

https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

@JaxonH

Isn't there some version of Windows designed to be more lightweight? I remember having MicroXP back in the day.

Gosh dang it. Can't get a reservation in.

Keeps pausing out with errors on payment screen. Then it locks me out from too many attempted purchases.

Gonna have to wake up at 3am and try then.

edit

Got it!!! Whew! 512 GB model reserved. That was not easy.

They're not doing reservations for Australia and New Zealand, which seems a bit rich given that GabeN has been living down here for the past year or so

Maybe I'll get that Win Max 2021 after all. I still prefer the clamshell case, upgradeable storage, keyboard, slightly bigger screen, etc.

It just doesn't look as good a proposition now that there's a more powerful machine at half the price.

@Matt_Barber They said for other regions reservations or pre-orders will start in 2022. For now this is limited to USA, Canada and the European Union

Yeah, I get it.

It's just strange that a tiny Chinese start-up can do a global roll-out but Valve can't.

@Matt_Barber
Keep in mind, demand is much lower for the Chinese startup. They can ship global because global demand is not so much that it exceeds their production capabilities.

Steam Deck on the other hand, he’s going to have (and even now does) have massive demand. Global rollout is likely unfeasible from a production standpoint.

As a Win 2 owner, I recommend waiting. I think it’ll be worth it in the long run. The Win 3 keyboard is not good, the price is $850, it’s not as powerful, and the battery life isn’t as good. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s a very nice device and I was almost going to buy one myself, until I learned they still hadn’t added Gyro (which, that’s another con- no gyro). There’s also the fact that, defective units from China are a hassle to get replaced. Would be much easier from a global brand like Valve. It’s your money and obviously your decision to make. But in my humble opinion, I think waiting for what you really want is definitely going to pay dividends.

@JaxonH The latest is that I'd probably have to wait until Q3 2022 for the 512GB model of the Steam Deck - which would be the only one I'd consider - at the earliest. I'm going to have a good year to mull that purchase over it seems.

The GPD I'm interested in is the Win Max 2021 which has a proper laptop style keyboard. It's reportedly a little cramped, but still good enough for touch typing and the larger screen makes it more usable for general computing rather than just as a games machine.

I'm aware that you're basically on your own when you buy from GPD. Still, I've had a good run with the original Win. It's had three battery changes and a mod to improve the heat sink, but still works quite well in spite of all my tinkering. It's just hopelessly obsolete when it comes to playing modern games and can't emulate anything newer than the Cube.

The kicker is the price, starting at $999. Ouch.

@Matt_Barber
Ya... I'm a Win 2 owner. Got in on the indigogo for $650 but it shot up to $850 afterwards. The original Win can do Fallout 3 and stuff but that's about it.

I had to replace the back shell with a nylon shell mod which reduced temps by 20 degrees Celcius. Wow! It got so toasty in the hand. Even now it still gets pretty warm, but not so hot it it starts burning you. Also upgraded to a 512 GB NVMe.

$1000 is a lot of money, no doubt about it. Could get a 512 GB Steam Deck, 1 TB micro SD and a dock and still have $100 leftover.

But, if you like the Keyboard maybe that's the right choice for you. I gotta give credit to GPD. They started this whole thing. If it wasn't for the original Win, I don't think we'd have a Steam Deck today.

@JaxonH

Do you just buy like every new piece of technology in existence, or something?

@Dezzy
You’d think so, but no. I’m actually not really into tech. I don’t have any fancy gadgets or surround sound or laptops or anything like that.

But when it comes to gaming, especially portable gaming, I’m usually all in. I’ve always had a fascination with portable gaming, and now that has evolved into a fascination with hybrid gaming. And not just in the typical way you think about with switch docking/undocking, but with two versions of the same platform with different form factors utilizing cloud saves. Switch stays docked, use cloud saves for Switch Lite and OLED portably. PC stays connected to TV, with Steam Cloud saves for Steam Deck portably.

I did get a PS5 but I don’t use it. Like, ever. I’m a Switch/PC kinda guy. It’s really all I play. So anything Nintendo puts out, I buy. I was already set on the PC side, and wasn’t planning on buying another portable (I have a Win 2, but passed on Win Max, Win 3 and Aya Neo). But this thing is just too good to pass up. I’ve been waiting half my life for something like this- a PC handheld with better battery life and GYRO AIMING.

Yeah, I'm not reserving it..... but only because:
"This item is not available for reservation in your country"

This video is worth a watch. It's intended for devs but gives us some good info on Proton status and anti cheat progress, and expectations for results by launch.

Not sure if this has been said yet but apparently the storage is user upgradable. Not sure on the details of that, I assume it involves taking off the back entirely which is probably beyond what some would want to do.

It's also not clear on what compatibility would be but it does kinda make the 64GB SKU a bit more compelling. By my estimate for the price gap between the 64GB and 256GB model you can buy a 1TB NVMe SSD. I'm guessing the one they include is a fair bit faster but still, worth thinking about.

It's only upgradeable via SD cards, which aren't ideal for running games from. They're far slower than an SSD, so you'd typically get long loading times and in-game stutter when it suddenly needs a lot of new textures. Also, anything that writes back to the install folder a lot is liable to wear out the card in a short time, while SSDs are designed for that kind of usage. You generally don't have to worry about these things with the Switch though, as games will be designed to work around the limitations of the media.

On the other hand, it's fine for storing media files and emulator images on. It just comes down to how you want to use the device, really.

@Matt_Barber
Apparently it does have an m.2 slot but it's a bit more complicated than I thought:
https://gamerant.com/steam-deck-internal-ssd-upgrade/

It's behind some EMI/Thermal shielding so to get to it would require some heavy disassembly. Also is uses smaller M.2 2230 sticks which are more expensive and harder to come by. Doing a search for some the largest I could find in any of my local PC retailers were low speed 128GB capacity. It's certainly not going to be a path for saving money

So yeah, it does have user upgradable*** storage