Topic: PC Gaming

So, leaked pricing for the RoG Ally. $699US for the Z1 Extreme SoC with 512GB of storage, $599US for the Z1 non-extreme variant with 256GB of storage. So marginally more expensive than the Steam Deck but, obviously, a significantly faster SoC. Works out to be around $950-1050AU vs $600-1000AU for the Steam Deck and $1200-2100AU for various AYANEO portables. Steam Deck obviously wins for the cheapest product in this category with that 64GB SKU but outside of that, gets pretty competitive

I guess the general consensus is still that Windows isn't really up to the task, certainly not to the degree that Steam OS is. But if that's the RoG price? Man, good signs. This space is going to get real competitive real quick

@skywake those prices are ridiculous

Playing through Cassette Beasts on SteamDeck. It might be lowkey my game of the year, it is like an old school Pokemon game with a lot of the modern quality of life inclusions we have been begging Gamefreak for, and never getting. I'm in awe of what they achieved with this game.

@nomither6
I was quoting prices in dollery-dos, 1USD = $1.50AUD. For comparison the Switch OLED is $540AU, Switch Lite $330, PS5 $800AU, Series S $500AU and Series X $850AU. Would I spend $1000AU on a portable? Maybe, at a stretch. But it's certainly close to being in that acceptable price range

The 64GB Steam Deck SKU definitely gets in there

Running Windows on a handheld isn't ideal, but you can usually work around the issues by periodically docking it to perform setup/configuration tasks that need a keyboard and mouse, and it comes with some big pluses.

Almost every PC game on Steam will have a native Windows port, where it's only about one in three (going by my library) that support Linux. This means no messing about with Proton or WINE for the rest of them. It's still not going to play every game (because keyboard/mouse/unreadable text/lack of GPU power/etc.) but the potential is there to run a whole lot of games better.

Windows also gives you easy access to storefronts that don't support Linux at all, such as Epic Game Store, Origin, Ubisoft Connect and the Microsoft store. Seeing as it's impossible to run GamePass games natively without the last of those, that could be make-or-break for a lot of people. These generally aren't going to be set up well for handheld play though, as they've no equivalent to Steam Deck verification.

You'd also get better access to emulators for current generation systems that I'm not going to name.

All in all, SteamOS is going to be a lot more straightforward for people who just want to pick a (preferably verified) game and start playing it. Windows is going to have the edge for power users with a bit more technical knowledge though.

It's true that running Windows on a handheld device can come with some challenges, particularly when it comes to configuration tasks that require a keyboard and mouse. However, using Windows on a handheld also has some big advantages. For example, almost every PC game on Steam has a native Windows port, while only about one in three games support Linux. This means you won't have to mess around with Proton or WINE for the rest of the games, and you'll be able to play a wider range of games overall.
And what games now do not require a keyboard or mouse? Even have prpolgo that in simple online games, or RPG can do without a mouse, using only the keyboard. But as funny as it sounds, the game on the keyboard can completely replace the mouse. Here you can find in which contreno games you can do only the mouse. Getting ahead of the curve, I say that these are not dynamic games. But more like development and entertainment, gambling niche (casino, poker, slots).
It's official: gaming on a joystick is taking over! In a surprising turn of events, more and more gamers are ditching the traditional mouse and keyboard setup in favor of joysticks. And the trend is only getting stronger.
One of the main reasons for this shift is the rise of arcade-style games and flight simulators. These types of games are often better suited to joystick controls, giving players a more immersive and realistic experience.
But it's not just about the games themselves - joysticks are also becoming more accessible and affordable. With a range of options on the market, from basic models to high-end professional setups, there's something for everyone.

Totally unrelated to the wider conversation here, but I am about 25ish hours into Cassette Beasts now played entirely on the Deck, and seem to be getting close to the climax of the core questlines. This is easily my game of the year so far and will honestly be surprised if I play much better this year, to be honest.

I dunno how to explain it without underselling it or being reductive, it like feels like a 90s Pokemon game, but with modern sensibilities under the hood and writing targeted at the ages people who were playing those games in the 90s are now.

It also just features such basic, no brainer, things like granular difficulty options, it also expands on how the elements interact (and introduces more of them) so it isn't quite as much of a binary rock paper scissors experience as Pokemon is, but still feels like a traditional turn based experience anyway. It stays true to almost every element of a Pokemon game, but does each one just slightly different so it isn't just a straight rip off. It also has a companion system which includes a regular dog and I will die for him.

Oh and the music is just chefs kiss I normally cannot stand music in games, I actually bought the soundtrack for this, which might be one of like three games I have done that for.

You're welcome! It is honestly pretty inexpensive too as an indie title, think I got a key from a legal reseller for like a tenner. You compare that to the price you have to pay for a broken ass modern Pokemon game 😂

Trailer here if you need one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7x2DvJU3pU

@Pizzamorg you sold me. I'm getting this now.

I totally missed the announcement that Midnight Suns had been canned for the Switch. This is a real shame as I am playing it through again on Deck (New Game plus now all the heroes are out), and while not the best optimised for that platform, it is a very handheld, bite size chunk, friendly title.

Honestly, just feels kind of a shame in general with how this all played out, to be honest. I get that the prospect of Midnight Suns is very niche, and not all of its ideas are good, and sometimes even when the ideas are good the execution isn't, but I dunno... I just really like this game.

It is like one of maybe like three games I've ever done a New Game plus for (and even if you count single player games I've replayed without New Game plus modes the list doesn't get much bigger). It is just rare I want to replay games, but this has such a compelling core loop and I just enjoy being in this world, I don't want to leave it.

It is also nice to have a game promise a bunch of content and actually deliver all of it, too. But that is more of a problem with the industry, than a pro for this game.

However, either way, this seems to be the end of the road for Midnight Suns and will likely kill off any hopes for any other properties getting the Midnight Suns treatment. Here is hoping someone in the indie space runs because Midnight Suns walked. Indies really are the place to get most of your fresh ideas these days.

Having a steam deck is very cool. but I'm more used to playing on a pc. using a big monitor, keyboard, mouse... how can you play the same apex using a steam deck?... it seems to me very inconvenient and pointless. because you will be in a worse position anyway. My opinion is that Steam Deck is a cool thing, but it's only for light single player games... I want to brag a little, I recently got the penultimate rank - master. i hope to get the highest rank in the near future... - Apex Predator

Hi, got a question. On every boot-up (every time I turn it on) my Chromebook will give me a firmware updating message even though it is up to date, it's only a minor-ish annoyance just wondering if there is a fix for it or if I should just wait for the next update for one.

@Professor_Plumber nope... From everything there is online (and there's not much) the best thing is just wait for the next update in 3-4 weeks.

Been awhile since I fired up my gaming laptop, so I decided to download something from my Steam library to give it some exercise.

The game in question being Blue Reflection. Not too far in yet, as I only just beat the first boss (and man, did it's design go HARD), but it's looking like it'll be a cute little JRPG.

A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to an AM5 chipset. I'm shocked at the performance gains. I still have the 3080ti from my older Z370 chipset. My performance has nearly doubled which is insane. I can actually play games with full ray-tracing above 60FPS and with some games I don't even need DLSS. It's crazy. I never knew a CPU upgrade could give this much performance. The DDR5 RAM also increases load speed.

Would an Acer Aspire 5 work for gaming?Nothing to big, just Minecraft and the occasional indie game.

@blindsquarel

The Acer Aspire 5 is a middling laptop for gaming. Our model has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX350 GPU, but it isn't enough to get playable framerates in most modern AAA games at "High" settings.

I’m not sure what you mean, but it’s going to be something I use for school so that is also a factor.

@Owl1
I don’t even know how to take the whole frame rate thing. Some Reddit threads I found mentioned 50 fps as unplayable, which is nowhere near accurate.

@Professor_Plumber
It says it’s an 11th gen on the Amazon page.

@Professor_Plumber
I’ll definitely put in more research, but it seems better than dropping a fortune on a MacBook.( not that a mac would be good for games, but they seem to be the most popular laptop.)