Comment on Will anything dethrone the Steam Deck? Probably not -GamingonLinux
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
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.
frazorth@feddit.uk 2 months ago
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.
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
trevor@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 months ago
It’s almost everything. You can play most games in 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.
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world 2 months ago
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.
drislands@lemmy.world 2 months ago
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).
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Like, can you run gamepass games on there and Blizzard games right from steamOS? What about games from the Epic launcher?
This is what I’m referring to when is say it restricts games you can play. Steam games mostly run pretty well.
curiousaur@reddthat.com 2 months ago
Oof, bad take.
xavier666@lemm.ee 2 months ago
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.
frazorth@feddit.uk 2 months ago
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.
xavier666@lemm.ee 2 months ago
Talk about digging one’s own grave.