70 points
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Windows on a handheld is just bad. It’s that simple. A Steam Deck competitor needs a handheld friendly controller focused interface that is at least as good as Valve’s. Our just straight up ship with Steam OS and use Valve’s.

SteamOS still has many instances of awkward UX and some frankly broken behavior, especially while trying to use community features, it’s just that every other offering has been worse.

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15 points

It’s heavily rumored that Microsoft is working on their own handheld, and it will be interesting to see how that shakes up the market. If microsoft just makes windows controller/handheld friendly, it will greatly improve all the windows handhelds.

However I strongly suspect that we’ll instead see the microsoft handheld be locked down, only able to run microsoft store games. It’ll still probably do better than all the other non-deck handhelds that way, but won’t really be a handheld “PC” if locked down that way.

Third possibility is that Microsoft might do both, release and locked down handheld and release some lesser improvements for navigating windows with a controller. This outcome would make sense if they have different teams working on both at the same time.

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23 points

If microsoft would release a gaming handheld, it would probably be locked down like the xbox console.

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3 points

If microsoft would release a gaming handheld, it will probably just be an xbox all together lol

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13 points

They could call it Windows Console Edition, or WinCE.

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3 points

That’s some nostalgia whiplash.

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10 points

If MS or Google does it, it’ll be dropped in 3 to 5 years, 10 at the max.

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8 points

Considering Microsoft is dropping support for Windows Mixed Reality devices with Windows 11 24H2, effectively sending millions of otherwise perfectly fine VR headsets to landfill with no recourse. I can see them releasing a handheld with a “custom” version of Windows that allows users to install Steam, GOG, Epic, etc… then bait and switch with a future “feature update” that makes compatibility “too hard” to support or a “security risk”. Maybe the desktop mode is a “developer only” option that gets disabled, or you have to enable third party apps like in windows 10 S and that ability gets taken away. I wouldn’t put it past Microsoft.

Maybe I’m just peeved at Microsoft for deciding that my VR headset will be E-waste even though the hardware is fine, or ignoring the concept of user consent by enabling OneDrive cloud backups for local folders by default while basically forcing you to create a Microsoft account to install Windows if you don’t know the right sequence of arcane f-ing rituals to create a local account. But I don’t trust them…

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5 points

Despite how good the steam deck is, any competition is good. With MS hardware track record I don’t have the highest hopes, but again: any competition is good.

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2 points

I expect Microsoft’s handheld to fall under the Xbox brand, so it’ll probably be incredibly locked down and not something you could use like a PC

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4 points

Don’t get me going on the way the soft keyboard doesn’t always work or that you can’t use the thumb sticks when you have it up. I’m here to enjoy the Steam Deck gangbang but sometimes you get a random dick in a place you weren’t expecting it.

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3 points

I’m sure Microsoft’s answer will be an Edge-powered handheld interface with the entire W11 OS underneath.

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43 points

It’s really funny to see how out of touch those companies are with the portable consoles. They clearly don’t understand what makes the Steam Deck a good console. They focus on the hardware specs and that’s it, minimal work on the software side (ROG Ally is at least trying). Valve nailed it with the Steam Deck in various aspects: hardware is good, CAD files are available so it’s highly customizable, but the cherry on top is the software integration, it is amazing and it’s always improving. IMHO software is the real reason for Deck’s success (OS, Proton, compatibility badges, etc).

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30 points

I bought it specifically because it directly and indirectly supports the Linux community at large. I’m now working on moving away from Windows for gaming, because they’ve made it possible with what they’ve done with tools like Proton and gamescope.

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15 points

Me too :) I’m gaming exclusively on Linux for more than 5 years now. The Steam Deck was a blessing for this already amazing Linux gaming ecosystem, so I had to buy one (actually two now, I really wanted the OLED version 😁)

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8 points
*

I see

  • linux
  • gaming
  • valve

I buy

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12 points

This is so true. Some vendors try with larger screens, 120 hz and other stuff, but the steam deck is loved most for its software.

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8 points

Yep. I mean, better hardware specs are a really good thing, but that alone does not make me want to buy a device.

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4 points

I agree it is just silly and it really shows how far up their own ass a lot of high power business people are, they have no idea what the hell they are doing. The place to compete with steam is the slickness and polish of the software not the raw power of the hardware, that is the stupidest basket to put all your eggs in here as a steam deck competitor.

I think it speaks to a much bigger dysfunction in the video game hardware and software development world, people that get their dream job at a AAA game studio or hardware maker like ROG I think end up developing and testing with dream hardware setups and then totally lose sight of the importance of developing games and hardware that prioritizes accessibility in a cost sense but also in a usability sense.

I think these people pick up a steam deck, try to play Elden Ring at max settings, think “this is intolerably bad performance and graphics compared to my $3000 gaming rig, no one will play this” and don’t realize the kind of betrayal that represents to the rest of us who can’t afford much more than a steamdeck anyways, and have always gamed this way mainly focusing on indie games and extremely crunchy minimal graphics strategy games and playing a cool Battlefield 2 mod like Forgotten Hope 2 while we look at the latest battlefield and think “how much time could they have spent making that game good instead of making it graphically impressive for people that can afford $3000 gaming computer?”.

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4 points

The hardware vendors treat their products as small gaming pc with a controller, unlike steam.

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11 points
*

The fact that it is a open linux device and I can launch in to KDE is the reason I got it. If it was some proprietary OS like other games consoles or Windows, I wouldn’t have bought it. The Steam Deck is such a breath of fresh air compared to how hostile other consumer electronics have become.

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2 points

That’s a good point! Apple, Samsung and others have been destroying the consumer electronics space for years.

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4 points

Steam deck feels like a product people at Valve would use while the competition is making products they think would sell well. Turns out the product that feels good to use is much better than the product that looks better on paper.

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1 point

Well said! The people behind the Steam Deck are passionate about gaming and making a device they would use.

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4 points

NONE of them have touchpads either. I dont understand why these high end computer companies are trying to sell a laptop that doesnt have even a single touchpad

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1 point

And it would be even more useful with Windows than SteamOS, Windows only has the desktop mode.

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3 points

Oh yeah, Steam’s software is amazing in its own right, but MAN, all of these competitors are failing right out of the gate by only giving us thumbsticks to emulate mouses with

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32 points

Steam deck 2.

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5 points

Or heck, even 2 Steam Decks!

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9 points

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22 points
*

So much good hardware, but lazy obsession to enshittify them with Windows.

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9 points

Some of that reflects poorly on the hardware too. With a few exceptions, they’ve shipped a mouse-based operating system on hardware that lacks a good way to control a mouse. If they know that the hardware is running windows ahead of time, wouldn’t it make sense to give users some good options for using windows?

There’s also more obvious hardware issues like the ROG Ally burning up MicroSD cards.

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4 points

So much good hardware, but lazy obsession to enshittify them with Windows.

Fr

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3 points

NONE of them have the dual touchpads the steamdeck has either. Fucking seriously… Even if having to deal with windows wasnt a dealbreaker for me, having only thumbsticks to control a computer with is a hard pass for me

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2 points

Other companies are fools for not almost directly copying the steamdecks control scheme, it should be a standard, that is what the deck is, a standard setter.

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1 point

It really is mind boggling that they are attempting to compete first mover bonus with inferior products (I’m aware GPD was doing this for YEARS before Steam moved in, but Steam is like apple moving into a product category)

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2 points
*

They’re all still amd64 tho, so it’s fairly trivial to install linux on them. For the full Steam Deck experience you could get one of those SteamOS isos or just configure it to launch the steam console UI inside gamescope at boot

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2 points

I think the Windows thing is spot on. You’re going to be using a handheld gaming device for gaming mostly (if not entirely). You don’t need to run Excel.

I think the justification for Windows on a gaming device though is kernel level anti-cheat. The problem is that you are chasing a pretty select audience. People who will play one of those games on a handheld, and will also only buy a handheld that can pay those games. Also won’t install Windows on a Deck either.


An aside, I probably use Desktop mode more than average, and I have LibreOffice installed on my deck. Jokes on Microsoft though, I’ve been using Linux primarily for ages anyways, so I don’t even need Windows for that.

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1 point

Only reason I have overclocked Raspberry Pi 400 for net, office and bank stuff are those shitty spyware anti-cheats. This way I don’t have to worry what kind of monstrosities are installed on my deck, because it’s only used for gaming, but you are right, you can manage with just the deck, unless you need some high end proprietary windows software for your self-employed work.

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16 points

Something might but it has to meet a bunch of criteria. A lot of these handheld have flaws or drawbacks and none of them are perfect:

  • powerful APU to run latest games
  • OLED screen
  • VRR
  • Front firing speakers
  • comfortable to hold
  • back buttons not in the way, but easy to reach
  • hall effect sticks and triggers
  • trackpad(s)
  • good software for device control
  • large battery
  • lots of fast ram (24gb)
  • full size nvme expansion

Most handhelds I see meet a bunch of those but not all of them.

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20 points

Nope.

The big thing is that the Deck uses Linux which allows Steam to provide an amazing interface.

All the “competition” still tries to use Windows, and the experience is appalling.

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4 points

The big thing is that the Deck uses Linux which allows Steam to provide an amazing interface

For most people, i think it’s just that it has a good UI. They don’t bother whether it’s linux-powered. Maybe it’s possible to create a good UI in windows as well, but it will be bogged down by 100s of unwanted processes.

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10 points

No, Microsoft don’t allow it. As part of the distribution licence you are not allowed to customise the OOB interface.

People don’t know it’s Linux, but it’s absolutely because of Linux that it works.

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-14 points
*

Thats hardly the big thing because it also restricts what can play on the deck. The user experience is nice, for the 50% of the games that might run on it.

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24 points
*

It’s almost everything. You can play most games on Linux. You can’t bolt-on the quality of life features that Valve has on Windows.

There’s a reason most Steam Deck users don’t install Windows on it, even though you can.

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9 points

The number of games that won’t start on deck because it uses Linux is incredibly small. If a game won’t run well it has little to do with the deck using Linux instead of Windows.

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7 points

This is just my experience, but I have had next to zero issues running games on the Deck that were related to the platform. Most problems I’ve encountered are along the lines of the game being KBM-centric and it being difficult to play with the controller inputs.

The only Linux-specific issues I can’t think of are related to trying to install or mod games outside of Steam (Skyrim in particular is far more difficult to mod on Linux than I expected).

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4 points

Oof, bad take.

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Steam Deck

!steamdeck@sopuli.xyz

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A place to discuss and support all things Steam Deck.

Replacement for r/steamdeck_linux.

As Lemmy doesn’t have flairs yet, you can use these prefixes to indicate what type of post you have made, eg:
[Flair] My post title

The following is a list of suggested flairs:
[Discussion] - General discussion.
[Help] - A request for help or support.
[News] - News about the deck.
[PSA] - Sharing important information.
[Game] - News / info about a game on the deck.
[Update] - An update to a previous post.
[Meta] - Discussion about this community.

Some more Steam Deck specific flairs:
[Boot Screen] - Custom boot screens/videos.
[Selling] - If you are selling your deck.

These are not enforced, but they are encouraged.

Rules:

  • Follow the rules of Sopuli
  • Posts must be related to the Steam Deck in an obvious way.
  • No piracy, there are other communities for that.
  • Discussion of emulators are allowed, but no discussion on how to illegally acquire ROMs.
  • This is a place of civil discussion, no trolling.
  • Have fun.

Link to our Matrix Space

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