Yeah I think you need a dock though, or if you don’t have the money to buy a dock, I think you can rent one of those POD containers. Still trying to figure out how to connect to this guy’s computer though, they locked it and I don’t know where to DL the libs for it

I guess there is going to be a split on this in terms of what people think. Obviously ride share drivers would love this, and since the only time I’m in Minneapolis is when I’m on business, it’s my company footing the bill, not me.

However - if it was me footing the bill, I’m sure I’d be much less inclined to take a Lyft/Uber. However, ending ops over this is stupid, because there will be people that will pay for it, business or personal. Let the market decide what’s palatable.

Everyone’s wallet is shrinking due to the rampant inflation over the past several years, and if you’re a full time ride share driver, it’s hard to cut even with the rising costs all around. Even before the inflation was hard. Vehicles don’t run on hopes and dreams and need maintenance.

Lived in 8 different states in the US - never had anything above 1 Gbps. Typically been 300-500 mbps, with only the past and current state state where I’ve gotten 1gbps. Poster is just assuming because we’re a first world country that we have good internet. We don’t. I hear Europe has better speeds than us.

No - strictly because I gutted windows update via a Windows Lite tutorial. Basically it’s an evergreen Windows OS that I’m using, so I never have to worry about Windows messing the boot. SteamOS will sometimes bork it, but I use Clover as my dual boot solution and it’s fairly easy to recover.

The trouble with a stock Windows OS is the frequent updates, to the point of your question. I do believe there are ways to mitigate it, but does require a bit of prep and being aware of windows And its updates.

I have 0 regrets upgrading to 2tb. I now have a dual boot setup with windows taking 1tb and SteamOS taking the other 1tb, and then a 1tb SD card for the SteamOS side. Makes life sooooooo much easier, no longer having to play musical games for what I want on my deck. Can have a modded FO new Vegas list, modded morrowind list, and another couple dozen games with space to spare (ranging from Cyberpunk to terraria). And on the windows side, plenty of room there to play with my different server emulators, VMs and the like. It’s truly ideal and will give you substantially more freedom.

I would say wait for a sale, but easy for me to say since I already have my deck since over a year ago. If you’re strapped for cash or just working within a budget for the year, then yeah you can easily save at least 50 or more bucks on one. If money isn’t really an object and you got upcoming travel plans where you can capitalize on the steam deck’s mobility, then it’s worth it at current price too. I have easily spent over a grand on the steam deck from the actual unit (512 version at 650), 2tb SSD, 1tb SD card, case, dock, skins, back pad accessories, 1tb usb flash drive with usb c/usb a, etc.

So all to say, if you like tinkering/making it your own, and are trying not to blow out your budget entirely, may be worth to save. I am glad I got the anti glare screen as I’m still not up for replacing the screen myself, but if the lowest model had the same screen, would have gotten that one and just swapped the SSD.

This was one of those products that, when it was announced, I thought to myself “meh, I have no need for this.” But through the urging of friends, I pre ordered it back in July of 21, because hey, it was only 5 bucks to deposit and I could cancel.

Then as they started coming out, and I heard about everything they could do, I thought “well damn that’s pretty cool.” And then my own hype grew until I managed to get it, I believe August of last year. By far the most fun I’ve had with a device in quite some time.

Exactly, and being accessible via Amazon is nice. I got my 2tb via Ali Express back in January, but didn’t actually receive it til mid February due to Chinese new year. Was well worth the wait and effort though. Having it via Amazon makes it so the wait isn’t as painful.

It is a bit of a project, as you’ll have not only the physical installation, but the OS installation too. So I’d recommend a nice 2-3 hour time window for those considering it and maybe doing some pre-work before getting it, such as getting a USB with the SteamOS recovery available, make sure you have an adapter to fit it (if it’s a usb a stick) and backing up any games to another media device for a more seamless transition.

Of the modding, I’ve only done the SSD upgrade and software portions. Could not recommend upgrading the SSD more, it is such a nice QOL change since you no longer have to play musical games nearly as much, and still maintain the advantages of the read/write. I have a 1tb SD card as well. Between those two, I have as much storage as I would reasonably want in a portable device. Especially as newer titles suck out 100gb a pop, having the ability to play a handful or more of them without sacrificing others is really nice.

On the software side, EmuDeck or retrodeck, decky loader and a dual boot into windows is also super nice.

I recommend getting the back paddle rubber bumpers that you can stick on. I believe it’s play vital on Amazon that sells them for 10-12 bucks. Totally worth it, I have the bigger bumper ones on and it’s a noticeable ergonomic difference.

I had a similar issue with my Apple TV and projector. I switched the HDMI cord, and haven’t had the noise since (that I can recall). Try that route first if you have another HDMI cord. If that doesn’t solve it, then not sure honestly.

Agreed. I’d prefer the lower red and higher battery life. I looked into the “DeckHD” screen, but the biggest buzzkill with that was the custom BIOS flash that you had to do. To your point though, the higher resolution would come at cost to battery life too.

What I want is a screen, same resolution, but increased sRGB coverage, everything the same beyond that.

I’ve said it before, but what makes the Deck unique is the holistic experience it brings. Like a really good chili, it’s a culmination of all the ingredients, particularly the below;

• SteamOS out of the box
• Steam Input in combination with the extensive inputs on the Deck itself
• The ability to easily change core hardware settings via the options menu to influence performance or battery life
• The extensive third party support via software and peripherals (cases, skins, accessories)
• Price point
• Well documented upgradability (SSD replacement, thumbsticks, etc)

I’m all for better screens and hardware, but they always come at a cost to battery life. Not that the Deck has a huge battery life to begin with, but the reason it is passable is due in large part to the hardware it comes with.

The Ally may be beefier spec wise, but at detriment to battery life. Not to mention the Windows OS and lack of inputs (both trackpads and two extra back buttons).

The Legion Go at least accounts for the input selection and has a unique controller setup, but I’m curious to see the battery life to performance ratio. Again, Windows will still be a detriment overall.

Really what it comes down to in the handheld space is finding something that has no compromises from the Steam Deck and an overall increase to performance without affecting battery life so negatively that it becomes a glorified docked laptop.

If I never got a Deck to start, I may have jumped to the Legion Go on account of not having realized what SteamOS brings to the table, and being enticed the beefier specs and control scheme.

However - after having a dual boot setup on the Deck with both SteamOS and Windows, I find myself more and more trying to get games working on the SteamOS side versus the Windows side. This is due to the overall “streamlined” experience of just booting up Game Mode, selecting a game and going off to the races.

Conversely, when I’m on Windows, I can get games operational and semi streamlined via playnite and Glosi, but it still feels clunkier and more obtuse. I pretty much only use Windows for games that I have a single player server running on for some emulated MMOs and that’s about it. If I could get the servers running properly on SteamOS, I’d make the switch in a heartbeat. It’s just trying to find a way to get them running on it with the associated databases/libraries that won’t get it wiped upon update to newer versions.

Right, it has more inputs that I find attractive. Especially with Steam Input being a thing, I typically use trackpads as a virtual menu for some games (MMOs typically), with the sticks being the normal move/camera. Then the extra two buttons on the back, helps to bind extra commands to them or tie them to a mode shift.

A Steam Controller 2 with all the inputs of the deck would be a day 1 buy.

I think the biggest single factor they point out is the software side of things, in combination with the other factors such as hardware/price. Although the Deck ain’t beefy, it’s got enough juice to do a lot at a battery rate that isn’t terribly abysmal, especially for lighter indie titles and emulation.

The other factor here is outside support and adoption. There are tons of options for third party customization, such as skins, buttons, pads, cases, etc. Not saying these don’t exist for the competition, just not at the same scale. Kind of like finding support for a niche android phone versus an iPhone.

Yeah the Jsaux case ain’t bad for it. Basically, if you’re looking directly at the back with the vent towards the left, there is a slot there the Jsaux kickstand, the center has the slot for the other mod accessories, and the right is completely clear. That’s where I put the adhesive “standalone” slot and then inserted the kickstand into that

Echoing the Jsaux mod case. I use it in my everyday carry bag and it can slip into the front small pouch with little issue. It does the few things I need it to do, which is; Protects the screen Protects the joysticks Protects the triggers (although there is a small gap, but it is fine imo)

I took out the kickstand and use the deck mates kickstand with the 3M sticky slot on the back. The issue I have with the kickstand it comes with (the Jsaux mod case kickstand) is two-fold;

1. limited angle, which is kind of a pain if I’m using an airplane tray and I’m flying coach
2. loose hinge- it tends to flop around after some use, and the screws have to be pushed back in

Sometimes I get teary eyed looking at videos/gameplay footage, but it’s usually because of the combination of music, aesthetic and fluidity. There was a project trailer awhile ago, that for the life of me I can’t remember the name, but it had the protagonist kind of morphing into different opponents and seemingly very fluid combat and a distinct surreal Japanese aesthetic, and I remember getting teary-eyed at that. But if it was just gameplay and nothing else, don’t think it would have the same effect.

Unfortunately he lost me when he said he dual booted Debian. Was hoping for something with docker/distrobox that could allow for root without being wiped on updates. I already dual boot SteamOS and windows 10, and run very small solo servers for things like Everquest.

My ideal solution is finding a way to containerize a server like that, launch it via game mode along with the client to make the most use of Steam Input. I can do it on the windows side of the house, but requires things like Glosi and playnite to get setup, and just isn’t as streamlined as I would like it to be.

Most likely that. Assuming they want to find a way to prevent the boot manager from getting borked on updates for both sides of the fence. If they roll it out half-baked they’ll probably get flooded with tech tickets which would eat bandwidth for other issues. Basically preventing them from getting dragged down the support rabbit hole. In current state, if you muck up your install it’s on you to fix/troubleshoot.

For those that are more familiar with this process like you and me, it’s not a real hassle. But when you push out a new “feature”, they have to resolve for the lowest common denominator, which would consist of the more “casual” users. Bearing that in mind, you can probably see why they want to flesh it out a bit more.