TL;DR: why does the Steam Deck have a small screen and run Linux? Oh, that’s why.
Kind of strange that this article is written like the author was a fool and then learned their lesson, but hey I’m not a writer.
Yeah, a lot of this stuff is pretty obvious.
This kind of article is good for general people to see though, because a lot of people who haven’t used the deck assume higher resolution screen is better and windows will be better than Linux.
Valve made all these points when the Deck first released, but I guess some people didn’t believe it til other devices ignored their warnings!
People forgot ps2 times where everyone enjoyed 480p 20fps gta games and enjoyed it, now everyone needs 8k 240fps, Nintendo proves again and again that’s gameplay that matters, not fps and resolution
Gameplay is important, but if the Scarlet and Violet launch have taught pokemon fans anything, it’s that QA testing is equally as important.
Just forbid developers to send patches like in ps2 times and games will be complete on day 0, there wasn’t very bad launches like cyberpunk or pokemon or others, it’s clear that developers abusing ability to make patches and launch games in “alpha test” state
it came with some unexpected problems. The biggest one came from the feature I was most excited about: Windows.
With the increasing popularity of these different form factors and device types, it seems like people are finally starting to realize just how horrible Windows is… especially for gaming.
I just wish Valve spent a bit more time squashing bugs. I’m on my third deck after the first one had a dead screen and the second one bricked itself through a mandatory update. The third one is better, but even tonight on stock software, the deck refused to play nice with two Xbox One controllers and a Switch Pro controller during 4 player games of Towerfall. Great game, just wish we didn’t spend so much time with controllers disconnecting, menus freezing onto the screen, and pairing issues. It’s so close in some regards to contemporary platforms. But it’s so frustrating whenever I need it to work in party settings, and it falls flat on its face where my windows laptop just…doesn’t. :/
Yeah that’s where windows shines is devices. Windows supports more random devices than Linux. Linux might have the most drivers for devices but they are half baked most of the time and with windows you know that’s the supported and tested platform for it. Linux needs serious buy in from vendors before it becomes big and the only way to get that is a large audience. It’s a catch 22 that Linux folks won’t admit it exists.
My experience may be dated, but I’ve always had issues with controllers on Windows and Linux. Less so with Linux these days because my controllers are dated and the drivers are in the mainline kernel.
The biggest issue was solved with steam and it’s controller interface / community layouts.
What controllers are you using that don’t work on Windows? One of the most commonly used PC controllers are Xbox controllers and they work amazingly on Windows. On Linux they suck and have constant issues. For the cheapest options something like Logitech works better on Windows and typically just use the same API as the Xbox controllers.
Nintendo controllers 😬
Ah, yes, using non-PC controllers on a PC does sound like a nightmare.
Yeah, I know, I’ve dabbled with Linux on and off for nearly a decade at this point, hehe. It’s just annoying when I just want things to work for a fun little post-thanksgiving match with the younger generation. It’s a bummer when it turns to troubleshooting for 15 minutes while everyone sits there. I really wish Linux was a bit more…er…professional, in that regard. Some stuff still feels a bit homemade even on first-party devices all these years later.
I just want them to focus on the basics right now, like bluetooth Xbox controllers. VKB flight sticks eventually, haha.
Yup, I think the core design philosophy is the fault and thus the janky always behind the times Linux os will never be a leader. It’s because there is no driving force to make something coherent, well polished, and unique in a productive way. When your design philosophy is everyone design and implement by committee nothing will feel like it has a goal.
I use a Bluetooth Xbox series controller all the time with my deck and my Linux desktop. What kind of trouble does it give you?
The Xbox controller(s) won’t pair, they essentially have to be added each time or wait 5-10 minutes. The switch controller was worse, disconnecting about every 10 minutes.
Sometimes, the Xbox controllers would duplicate their movements or even switch from p1 to p3, but perhaps that was the game. Both are Xbox one and switch pro controllers, but these are what…6, maybe 7 years old at most?
They usually have worked wired, so I think Bluetooth is just a shitty standard in general. But there’s some weird quirks that even windows doesn’t have. Just a bummer when I assume everything will work without cables and then it devolves into lots to troubleshooting and restarts in front of guests, lol
Interesting, i havent had any of those issues with my controllers; Granted on my primary rig I use the USB dongle for my Xbox Series controller, but I use Bluetooth fine on my Steam Deck when I’m playing docked. Sucks to have trouble when you’re trying to show off for sure though lol
Windows sleep mode is fundamentally broken to the point I will never consider any type of mobile device running Windows, let alone a portable game console where suspending games is half of the utility
Yeah, as soon as I read that I stopped. The writer is an idiot
Yeah, but… think about it for a second: we’re now in a world where a Linux-based OS is, in certain contexts, better for playing games built for Windows than Windows.
As a person who’s been running Linux on his devices for almost 30 years now, that’s incredible and I absolutely understand why folks would’ve initially been skeptical.
not defending the author, but there were plenty of people with a “no windows no buy” mentality prior to the steam deck release.
It is surprising to still see them around.
Were Valve to let its competitors implement SteamOS on their devices
…
That would be great though, not sure if that’s possible yet
I think the original comentor was bemoaning that Valve isn’t keeping anyone from installing SteamOS on their device. There are already enough community projects to jump off of.
They said that they would release it properly and I don’t believe they have yet.
Correct, though they still claim to have intentions to do so once it’s ready
More recently, they’ve also said they are happy to work with any manufacturers who want Steam OS for their devices, and encouraged them to reach out to Valve and they’ll work together to get things working.
My assumption is that the real reason we aren’t seeing more movement on it, is that a lot of the other handheld makers are using full Windows compatibility as a marketing point, and I also doubt Valve is going to help get other game stores working on Steam OS. It’s not that weird if Valve makes a handheld that only officially supports Steam, but it might seem a little weird if Asus or Lenovo released a handheld that only officially supported buying games on Steam.
I suppose a device that could dual boot Windows and Steam OS could be a solution, but knowing how Windows updates can sometimes randomly bork dual boot setups, I could see that being a potential problem as well.
Ideally Epic, Humble Games, GOG, and the remaining publishers that have made their own stores and launchers should get their games and launchers working under Linux/Proton, but I think the current plan is for hardware companies to make a bunch of mediocre Windows handhelds, and hope Microsoft gets off their ass and makes a version of Windows tailored for the form factor. But there really isn’t much motivation for Microsoft to do that, because they’d probably rather just launch their own Xbox handheld and keep that for their own gaming walled garden. Gamepass already gets them onto pretty much every other platform, so why should they care?
Excellent case of “We told you so” 😂
Dude pretty much went
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