Having been predominantly a PC gamer for 30 years… PCs more hassle to update and maintain. When I finish work I want to sit on my sofa and play with as little inconvenience as possible.
Consoles fit nicely in a living room and are better for local multiplayer. This generation they were also cheaper than buying the equivalent PC hardware at launch.
And I meant that the majority of “PC maintenance” originates from Windows. Tasks like dust removal from cooling vents isn’t a daily thing (and applies to consoles just the same).
True, but if I’m spending thousands on a machine, I tend to want to be able to do other things on it so unfortunately Windows usually enters the equation.
Will consider a dedicated SteamOS box when I next refresh.
True, but if I’m spending thousands on a machine, I tend to want to be able to do other things on it so unfortunately Windows usually enters the equation.
Then it’s still Windows maintenance, not PC maintenance. For Intel and AMD GPUs, any regular convenience Linux distribution (like Fedora) works with negligible maintenance. It’s only those NVidia users or people who feel the urge to tweak everything steer themselves into maintenance hell.
The Steam Deck IS a PC though. You can install SteamOS on your computer if you wanted to.
For the purpose of the argument the other user was making, it is functionally similar enough to consoles that it doesn’t feel like a PC, unless you want it to. So really, it suits everyone.
Yes hence why I corrected to desktop. Sorry, just always used to using PC and desktop as interchangeable terms but see why you’d want to differentiate these days.
My point is I don’t want a handheld that I have to plug in. I prefer a desktop box so although the Deck is great, it doesn’t suit literally all use cases lol.
You are correct by the technical definition, I apologise for suggesting the Steam Deck as a PC lol.
What sort of things do you run on yours? I’d have thought it being a handheld it wouldn’t be that useful for anything I’d want to run on it as it wouldn’t be always on or connected.
My preference is a dedicated desktop box I can upgrade and potentially run some services like DNS, PiHole and some automated scripts on. I’d rather spend the money on that and keep using the Switch or cloud gaming when I’m on the go.
When I finish work I want to sit on my sofa and play
Nowadays I work from home, and I agree - I don’t want to sit on my desk after a long day of sitting on my desk. Guess what though, I don’t have to, even when using a PC. My Steam Deck allows me to play everywhere, and with a single cable it connects to my TV and I’m playing.
But what if the game is too heavy for the Deck, or I want the ray tracing and 120 FPS of my expensive gaming PC? I just turn on my TV, I choose the Moonlight app, and I click play. That’s it. My computer automatically opens Steam Big Picture, everything is already updated, I grab my controller and I’m gaming. In fact, I would bet a beer or lunch that I can boot a game on my setup faster than a Xbox Series console, if we are both launching a game for the first time rather than resuming from suspend.
Ok but most of my games use Quick Resume so I am playing in under 15 seconds. To be honest the Switch has taken the crown for picking up where you left off since 2017.
I’ve used Moonlight but prefer not to stream really. Would be interested in how the latency is these days.
In the past I’d have said PC all the way but these days I’m glad both options exist. Biggest draw to the PC for me is mods. Would be tempted to make a dedicated SteamOS box next gen.
Ok but most of my games use Quick Resume so I am playing in under 15 seconds.
I just timed my setup, takes 35 seconds to boot my most recently played Steam game. So yes, double your time… But also less than a minute, less than what it takes me to take a glass of water or something.
Would be interested in how the latency is these days.
It varies a lot depending on the setup, some can be quite bad. Mine is got 8 ms of latency. Considering the Xbox Series controller operates at 20 ms of input latency, I don’t see that as a major issue.
Would be tempted to make a dedicated SteamOS box next gen.
There’s a loooot of fun to be had in building small form factor PCs nowadays. Unlike a decade ago, you can now find really nice cases, very low profile coolers, and GPU models that are very thermally efficient. Though again, with a cheap CAT6 cable, you can also just build a thin client to decode Moonlight for you and you won’t even know it’s streaming - things improved a lot recently.
Latency in Moonlight is extremely dependant on your setup. Most people are aware of having a good connection, preferably with both client and host using CAT6 cable. But you also need a good encoder and decoder.
For instance, using my GTX 1660 Super as the encoding GPU and my Snapdragon 888 Android phone as the decoding device, I had 14 Ms of latency.
Using my RTX 4060 Ti as the encoding GPU and my LG C1 HEVC decoder, the latency is 8 ms.
Using the same RTX GPU as the encoder, but my Steam Deck as the decoder, latency is 2 ms. Or in other words, so fast I can’t even notice it’s streaming and not native.
It’s definitely worth trying out, even at 8 ms on my TV this is faster than the delay a regular old Xbox controller would have, and the quality is impressively good.
Having been predominantly a PC gamer for 30 years… PCs more hassle to update and maintain. When I finish work I want to sit on my sofa and play with as little inconvenience as possible.
Consoles fit nicely in a living room and are better for local multiplayer. This generation they were also cheaper than buying the equivalent PC hardware at launch.
That’s Windows, not PCs in general. Steam Deck is an example of a PC system done right where the OS just works and tinkering is optional.
I mean desktop, wouldn’t really class the Deck as a PC.
Been tempted to get one but I use the Switch or cloud gaming on the go so have most bases covered already.
And I meant that the majority of “PC maintenance” originates from Windows. Tasks like dust removal from cooling vents isn’t a daily thing (and applies to consoles just the same).
True, but if I’m spending thousands on a machine, I tend to want to be able to do other things on it so unfortunately Windows usually enters the equation.
Will consider a dedicated SteamOS box when I next refresh.
Then it’s still Windows maintenance, not PC maintenance. For Intel and AMD GPUs, any regular convenience Linux distribution (like Fedora) works with negligible maintenance. It’s only those NVidia users or people who feel the urge to tweak everything steer themselves into maintenance hell.
Surely you still have to update drivers and OS?!
I dual boot Linux on my PC and run it on Raspberry Pis. Let’s not pretend it requires zero maintenance.
The Steam Deck IS a PC though. You can install SteamOS on your computer if you wanted to.
For the purpose of the argument the other user was making, it is functionally similar enough to consoles that it doesn’t feel like a PC, unless you want it to. So really, it suits everyone.
Yes hence why I corrected to desktop. Sorry, just always used to using PC and desktop as interchangeable terms but see why you’d want to differentiate these days.
My point is I don’t want a handheld that I have to plug in. I prefer a desktop box so although the Deck is great, it doesn’t suit literally all use cases lol.
Not to mention that it is literally a PC. It even has a full desktop environment mode running KDE.
You are correct by the technical definition, I apologise for suggesting the Steam Deck as a PC lol.
What sort of things do you run on yours? I’d have thought it being a handheld it wouldn’t be that useful for anything I’d want to run on it as it wouldn’t be always on or connected.
My preference is a dedicated desktop box I can upgrade and potentially run some services like DNS, PiHole and some automated scripts on. I’d rather spend the money on that and keep using the Switch or cloud gaming when I’m on the go.
Nowadays I work from home, and I agree - I don’t want to sit on my desk after a long day of sitting on my desk. Guess what though, I don’t have to, even when using a PC. My Steam Deck allows me to play everywhere, and with a single cable it connects to my TV and I’m playing.
But what if the game is too heavy for the Deck, or I want the ray tracing and 120 FPS of my expensive gaming PC? I just turn on my TV, I choose the Moonlight app, and I click play. That’s it. My computer automatically opens Steam Big Picture, everything is already updated, I grab my controller and I’m gaming. In fact, I would bet a beer or lunch that I can boot a game on my setup faster than a Xbox Series console, if we are both launching a game for the first time rather than resuming from suspend.
Ok but most of my games use Quick Resume so I am playing in under 15 seconds. To be honest the Switch has taken the crown for picking up where you left off since 2017.
I’ve used Moonlight but prefer not to stream really. Would be interested in how the latency is these days.
In the past I’d have said PC all the way but these days I’m glad both options exist. Biggest draw to the PC for me is mods. Would be tempted to make a dedicated SteamOS box next gen.
I just timed my setup, takes 35 seconds to boot my most recently played Steam game. So yes, double your time… But also less than a minute, less than what it takes me to take a glass of water or something.
It varies a lot depending on the setup, some can be quite bad. Mine is got 8 ms of latency. Considering the Xbox Series controller operates at 20 ms of input latency, I don’t see that as a major issue.
There’s a loooot of fun to be had in building small form factor PCs nowadays. Unlike a decade ago, you can now find really nice cases, very low profile coolers, and GPU models that are very thermally efficient. Though again, with a cheap CAT6 cable, you can also just build a thin client to decode Moonlight for you and you won’t even know it’s streaming - things improved a lot recently.
How is the latency in moonlight? Thinking about trying it
Latency in Moonlight is extremely dependant on your setup. Most people are aware of having a good connection, preferably with both client and host using CAT6 cable. But you also need a good encoder and decoder.
For instance, using my GTX 1660 Super as the encoding GPU and my Snapdragon 888 Android phone as the decoding device, I had 14 Ms of latency.
Using my RTX 4060 Ti as the encoding GPU and my LG C1 HEVC decoder, the latency is 8 ms.
Using the same RTX GPU as the encoder, but my Steam Deck as the decoder, latency is 2 ms. Or in other words, so fast I can’t even notice it’s streaming and not native.
It’s definitely worth trying out, even at 8 ms on my TV this is faster than the delay a regular old Xbox controller would have, and the quality is impressively good.