Steam Deck ~ PC Switch

[mediocrepoet]

Just waiting for the first reports of someone burning their dick off after setting it in their lap during an intense gaming session. I assume this thing will run hotter than a gaming laptop due to the tiny form factor.

 

[Caim]

Well Gaben did start out working on Windows 3.1, so options regarding the OS are not that surprising.

 

[TemplarGR]

I have been using Archlinux for close to 14 years. A portable console to play my games, based on Arch? Yes please, shut up and take my money!

 

[Abu Antar]

The dock is being sold separately? Lame.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Not a fan of the control placements, I'd prefer if it was like the nvidia shield

Except with a more normal controller

 

[ADL]

The dock is being sold separately? Lame.

It's really off putting looking at a $649 SKU and not even getting the dock included. Even if the bundle would cost more, they should've waited until they have an MSRP on the dock because it seems like they don't know yet.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

It's designed specifically for the codex to play their visual novels on

 

[Naraya]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the size and weight of this thing. Now, I don't have a Switch so I don't know but is it true that it already is at the point of being "too heavy for a handheld"? I'm asking since Steam Deck weighs almost three times more...

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the size and weight of this thing. Now, I don't have a Switch so I don't know but is it true that it already is at the point of being "too heavy for a handheld"? I'm asking since Steam Deck weighs almost three times more...

Average switch owner is a child or a soyboy(roughly the same strength potential), you can't really compare.

 

[Abu Antar]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the size and weight of this thing. Now, I don't have a Switch so I don't know but is it true that it already is at the point of being "too heavy for a handheld"? I'm asking since Steam Deck weighs almost three times more...

If this weighs three times as much as the Switch, that's a bit too heavy.

 

[ferratilis]

 

[whydoibother]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the size and weight of this thing. Now, I don't have a Switch so I don't know but is it true that it already is at the point of being "too heavy for a handheld"? I'm asking since Steam Deck weighs almost three times more...

You know how we used to have "laptops" that were too heavy for your lap, and got too hot, and basically were portable desktop PCs?
Well, this machine appears to be "handheld", but actually you will have it in your lap, or resting your arms on your lap as you hold it. Like a big book.
It is the heating that I am more worried about than the weight. My biggest issue with all small machines is that to save up on space, they have less efficient cooling, and to be quiet they have no real fans, and that as soon as they warm up they have to downgrade their hardware to prevent it from rotting.

Still, a pirate friendly Switch might be something I end up buying, after the early adopters beta test it for me.

 

[OSK]

This is the only console I'd consider buying.

For Deck, we're vastly improving Proton's game compatibility and support for anti-cheat solutions by working directly with the vendors.

Even if I never do, LinuxSupport++.

 

[Wunderbar]

64 gb, are they fucking kidding? That's not enough to install even a 1/5 of the last year's CoD.

 

[Fedora Master]

Another retarded idea by Valve that will be abandoned. Remember Big Picture mode?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Another retarded idea by Valve that will be abandoned. Remember Big Picture mode?

Big picture mode isn't abandoned though?

 

[Fedora Master]

Another retarded idea by Valve that will be abandoned. Remember Big Picture mode?

Big picture mode isn't abandoned though?

Oh I'm sure you are using it.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

64 gb, are they fucking kidding? That's not enough to install even a 1/5 of the last year's CoD.

bruh not even the 1 tera hdd is enough for that game

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Another retarded idea by Valve that will be abandoned. Remember Big Picture mode?

Big picture mode isn't abandoned though?

Oh I'm sure you are using it.

I think it says more about Valve not abandoning a feature simply because it's not popular.

 

[LESS T_T]

Big Picture mode has been stagnant since the failure of Steam Machines. Actually I wonder if the interface they're showing with Steam Deck is a new iteration of Big (Small?) Picture.

 

[ADULF HITLOR FAN KLUB]

Another retarded idea by Valve that will be abandoned. Remember Big Picture mode?

I think the only way the Steam Deck could fail is if the software support is mediocre, the battery is undersized or it has too many technical problems, because the handheld itself looks really great on paper.

~2 teraflops performance and 16 GB ram in a compact package with a 7 inch display is really brutal for just 400 dollars. It is like an overclocked PS4 with double the ram - not a single handheld on the market comes even close to how much power this thing has.

I doubt I will buy one myself, because I am not into mobile gaming, but there is a market for this type of gadget and it will sell very well if the ecosystem is good.

 

[Bad Sector]

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I think one of the bigger hurdles will be getting the various anticheat systems to play nice with proton before it releases. The amount of games that don't work make up an overall small % at this point, but that small % is very overrepresented in the most popular games. Most of those are due to anticheat, mostly EAC.
Of the top 100 Steam games, 76 have at least a Gold rating for proton, with 12 at 'broken'(doesn't work at all.) If you limit this only to singleplayer games, 89 have at least a Gold rating and not a single one is broken -- meaning every single top 100 singleplayer game works on Proton.

Essentially -- if you're a fan of competitive multiplayer games, you might want to do more research before buying. Otherwise, nearly the entire steam library should be available at launch which absolutely dwarfs anything else available on the handheld market.

 

[OSK]

Most of those are due to anticheat, mostly EAC.

They mention working with BattlEye and EAC specifically in their FAQ: https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/steamdeck/faq

I'm curious how they accomplish it.

Otherwise, nearly the entire steam library should be available at launch which absolutely dwarfs anything else available on the handheld market.

They are ambitious. Their goal is to get every Steam game working by launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q_C5KVJbUw&t=135s

I'm also interested in what the non-public work they've done to Proton is.

 

[ADL]

Valve and Collabora have been working on resolving the anti-cheat problem for a while now by contributing to the Linux kernel and adding kernel-space emulation for anti-cheat Windows kernel calls. Now that the foundation for understanding such calls is in place, we'll see the fruits of their labor soon.

While there has been a lot of progress with the Windows compatibility layers Wine and Valve's fork Proton (part of Steam Play), there's still plenty of areas currently lacking and needing work. Collabora is one company extending the Linux Kernel to improve Linux gaming with these compatibility layers, thanks to Valve sponsoring the work. One of the big missing pieces of the pie is supporting the likes of anti-cheat and DRM, with anti-cheat especially causing all sorts of problems entirely breaking lots of Windows games in Wine and Proton.

The State of Linux Gaming talk was mostly going over what anyone following would already know, as the event isn't aimed at your typical Linux gaming enthusiast. However, it was still an interesting talk to follow. Thanks to The Linux Foundation, I was able to attend and listen to the talk (the online event requires a ticket purchase) but I've been told by my Collabora contact that they will all eventually be up on their own YouTube Channel which could be as soon as early next week for anyone to be able to view.

If you want a brief overview, you can find the slides here from the event schedule. One of the key points that Gabriel Krisman Bertazi went over is their work on system call emulation, which is now required because DRM and anti-cheat tech "are issuing system calls directly from the Windows game code and that bypasses Wine because Wine is not a sandbox" and Wine currently cannot capture those system calls needed which ends up causing games to crash.

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2020/...indows-game-emulation-in-kernel-5-11#images-2

(These changes have since released in Linux 5.11)