Steamdeck or....
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To be honest - that's probably the dream setup. The challenge is that android games seem to all be low-effort ad delivery systems.
My happiest place is turn-based strategy and RPGs. XCOM, Total War: Warhammer, anything Baldur's Gate, 4Xs that sort of stuff.
I have several hundred hours killing time on Unciv on Android. Mindustry is fun but cramped. Polybridge was great until I finished it.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:24 last edited byDefinitely go Steam Deck then. No question. You'll have far more to choose from, and the Deck's suspend and resume is shockingly good considering you'd never expect that feature to work on a Windows PC mid-game.
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To be honest - that's probably the dream setup. The challenge is that android games seem to all be low-effort ad delivery systems.
My happiest place is turn-based strategy and RPGs. XCOM, Total War: Warhammer, anything Baldur's Gate, 4Xs that sort of stuff.
I have several hundred hours killing time on Unciv on Android. Mindustry is fun but cramped. Polybridge was great until I finished it.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:32 last edited byOh, in that case you might have a swell time with using an android phone for emulation. Just ignore playstore games for a minute.
I feel like you might not understand what emulation is based on you commenting that you aren't much of a gamer---basically, using a phone you can emulate different consoles. And they often don't have ads.
What type of phone do you have? On my S24 I can emulate up to Switch games, but a lot of phones can emulate up to the PS2 era. You can also look into something called "Winlator" where you can emulate windows games on the phone too.
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If you already have a decent PC, you can emulate Switch
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:36 last edited byWhile I emulate switch too, I have to add that it’s getting harder and harder for me to pirate. So I’ve been stockpiling on switch roms. With certain isps and the current administration , freedom of internet traffic is under threat and isn’t as reliable as it was a year or two ago.
Comcast for example has been going hard. Straight up blocking sites ( have several work arounds but now they’re throttling my vpn traffic to 0 kbs/sec no matter what the vpn or what settings I use. And half the vpns I have tried throttle torrent traffic.
So that’s something to look for.
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I had a decent PC back in the day (I grew up in the era of building my own water cooling systems) but as a casual gamer I can't wrap my head around around modern graphics card prices and I rather be able to play on the sofa for five minutes while I wait to pull something from the oven.
I'm old.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:40 last edited byI understand you, following the hardware market has nothing to do with playing properly, I play on all the platforms I can get my hands on and I prefer systems with a lower setup, so consoles.
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Oh, in that case you might have a swell time with using an android phone for emulation. Just ignore playstore games for a minute.
I feel like you might not understand what emulation is based on you commenting that you aren't much of a gamer---basically, using a phone you can emulate different consoles. And they often don't have ads.
What type of phone do you have? On my S24 I can emulate up to Switch games, but a lot of phones can emulate up to the PS2 era. You can also look into something called "Winlator" where you can emulate windows games on the phone too.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:46 last edited byWhat emulators do you recommend? I have an S23 but am about to try swapping it for a Fairphone running e/OS
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What emulators do you recommend? I have an S23 but am about to try swapping it for a Fairphone running e/OS
wrote on 25 May 2025, 14:56 last edited byHaha honestly just go find a game that's been on your backlog for a few years, look on Wikipedia, then see if it has a console equivalent. Then go download a console emulator from the emulation wiki recommended in another comment.
For example, if I wanted to play the original Disgaea, I know it plays on the DS in addition to the PC. So why not play it on a DS emulator like Drastic?
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Looking for some advice. My Switch Lite is approaching the end of its life and given that a Switch 2 is basically the same price as an OLED Steamdeck I was thinking it might be a good time to jump back to PC gaming.
I'm not much of a gamer. I got the Switch Lite because of portability and the ability to wake it up, play for ten minutes and then toss it back in my bag. My only beefs with the Switch ecosystem is that you can't download DLC - for Cities Skylines I have the bare game on Switch but a pile of DLC on my laptop for example.
So - would going with a Steamdeck make sense? Any gotchas I should know about? Is there a better option?
Thanks all!
**edit: y'all rock. I'm ordering an OLED Steamdeck
wrote on 25 May 2025, 15:31 last edited byPersonally, I didn't like physically holding the steam deck. In my opinion, it's much too heavy/bulky and even with a high quality comfort grip It just wasn't working for me. Ultimately, I ended up going with an Ayn Odin 2 instead and I've been enjoying my portable/lounging game time much more now. I do miss the ability to play my steam library though. Even though I can still do this with streaming, I just don't like streaming games as much. Other than the weight/size/ergonomics, which most people seem to be just fine with, the only other thing I'd mention is that steam's UI is buggy as hell when you're browsing around the store. I ended up doing most of my browsing on desktop as a result.
All that being said, you can't deny the draw of it. Even though it wasn't for me personally, I still like the system and I'd still recommend it to pretty much anybody. There's a reason Steam Deck is the champ.
Also, look up retro game corp if you aren't familiar. He just released a video today called 'dude, just get a steam deck'
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Looking for some advice. My Switch Lite is approaching the end of its life and given that a Switch 2 is basically the same price as an OLED Steamdeck I was thinking it might be a good time to jump back to PC gaming.
I'm not much of a gamer. I got the Switch Lite because of portability and the ability to wake it up, play for ten minutes and then toss it back in my bag. My only beefs with the Switch ecosystem is that you can't download DLC - for Cities Skylines I have the bare game on Switch but a pile of DLC on my laptop for example.
So - would going with a Steamdeck make sense? Any gotchas I should know about? Is there a better option?
Thanks all!
**edit: y'all rock. I'm ordering an OLED Steamdeck
wrote on 25 May 2025, 15:33 last edited by neryk@sh.itjust.worksI'm going to go against the general consensus here and say you would probably be better served buying a Switch 2. The Steam Deck is awesome but it is bulkier, has less battery life, and is overall less suited for a "pick up, play 10mins and toss is back" usage.
However if you are up for some occasional tinkering, the SD is far more versatile than the Switch and could even replace your laptop depending on your use-cases.
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There's a SteamOS version too, right?
wrote on 25 May 2025, 15:52 last edited byi think. never tried it. just kinda lazy lol.
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Personally, I didn't like physically holding the steam deck. In my opinion, it's much too heavy/bulky and even with a high quality comfort grip It just wasn't working for me. Ultimately, I ended up going with an Ayn Odin 2 instead and I've been enjoying my portable/lounging game time much more now. I do miss the ability to play my steam library though. Even though I can still do this with streaming, I just don't like streaming games as much. Other than the weight/size/ergonomics, which most people seem to be just fine with, the only other thing I'd mention is that steam's UI is buggy as hell when you're browsing around the store. I ended up doing most of my browsing on desktop as a result.
All that being said, you can't deny the draw of it. Even though it wasn't for me personally, I still like the system and I'd still recommend it to pretty much anybody. There's a reason Steam Deck is the champ.
Also, look up retro game corp if you aren't familiar. He just released a video today called 'dude, just get a steam deck'
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:00 last edited byPoor ergonomics is actually a large reason why I sold my Deck. It is quite heavy and clearly made for hands bigger than mine, which made holding it for more than 20 minutes quite uncomfortable. Also the joysticks are just awful, awful, awful awful awful. Id say a hall-effect stick mod is basically mandatory.
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Looking for some advice. My Switch Lite is approaching the end of its life and given that a Switch 2 is basically the same price as an OLED Steamdeck I was thinking it might be a good time to jump back to PC gaming.
I'm not much of a gamer. I got the Switch Lite because of portability and the ability to wake it up, play for ten minutes and then toss it back in my bag. My only beefs with the Switch ecosystem is that you can't download DLC - for Cities Skylines I have the bare game on Switch but a pile of DLC on my laptop for example.
So - would going with a Steamdeck make sense? Any gotchas I should know about? Is there a better option?
Thanks all!
**edit: y'all rock. I'm ordering an OLED Steamdeck
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:13 last edited bySwitch has dlc, did they just not release any for cities?
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Switch has dlc, did they just not release any for cities?
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:33 last edited byYeah, I got DLC for Smash Brothers. I don't see DLC for Cities Skylines though, but it seems After Dark and Snowfall come with it (and maybe more?).
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I'm going to go against the general consensus here and say you would probably be better served buying a Switch 2. The Steam Deck is awesome but it is bulkier, has less battery life, and is overall less suited for a "pick up, play 10mins and toss is back" usage.
However if you are up for some occasional tinkering, the SD is far more versatile than the Switch and could even replace your laptop depending on your use-cases.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:48 last edited byeven replace your laptop
If you never bring your laptop with you and already have a second monitor, sure. Using the trackpads as a mouse kinda sucks though.
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Poor ergonomics is actually a large reason why I sold my Deck. It is quite heavy and clearly made for hands bigger than mine, which made holding it for more than 20 minutes quite uncomfortable. Also the joysticks are just awful, awful, awful awful awful. Id say a hall-effect stick mod is basically mandatory.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:54 last edited byThe joysticks are way better than the Switch and comparable to regular controllers. I haven't had any issues with stick drift, and generally find it quite pleasant.
What exactly were your issues with the joysticks?
And yeah, being able to replace them a/ hall effect sticks is awesome, and I plan to do so if the sticks ever run into issues or I need to open it up for some reason. But I have no complaints, and in fact love playing with gryo aiming.
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Looking for some advice. My Switch Lite is approaching the end of its life and given that a Switch 2 is basically the same price as an OLED Steamdeck I was thinking it might be a good time to jump back to PC gaming.
I'm not much of a gamer. I got the Switch Lite because of portability and the ability to wake it up, play for ten minutes and then toss it back in my bag. My only beefs with the Switch ecosystem is that you can't download DLC - for Cities Skylines I have the bare game on Switch but a pile of DLC on my laptop for example.
So - would going with a Steamdeck make sense? Any gotchas I should know about? Is there a better option?
Thanks all!
**edit: y'all rock. I'm ordering an OLED Steamdeck
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:55 last edited byNintendo is a terrible, anti-consumer company. Unless you simply can’t control yourself when it comes to their first party franchises, the Steam Deck is far and away the better choice.
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Personally, I didn't like physically holding the steam deck. In my opinion, it's much too heavy/bulky and even with a high quality comfort grip It just wasn't working for me. Ultimately, I ended up going with an Ayn Odin 2 instead and I've been enjoying my portable/lounging game time much more now. I do miss the ability to play my steam library though. Even though I can still do this with streaming, I just don't like streaming games as much. Other than the weight/size/ergonomics, which most people seem to be just fine with, the only other thing I'd mention is that steam's UI is buggy as hell when you're browsing around the store. I ended up doing most of my browsing on desktop as a result.
All that being said, you can't deny the draw of it. Even though it wasn't for me personally, I still like the system and I'd still recommend it to pretty much anybody. There's a reason Steam Deck is the champ.
Also, look up retro game corp if you aren't familiar. He just released a video today called 'dude, just get a steam deck'
wrote on 25 May 2025, 16:58 last edited byYeah, it's kinda big. I happen to have big-ish hands, so it's fine, but I still wish it was a bit smaller. The Switch is too small though, so I mostly play with my Pro controller on the TV.
I do love my Steam Deck though. I love playing in bed while having access to all my PC games.
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1/3 sounds high. Just because it isn't verified doesn't mean it won't work, and most of the non-anti-cheat-related compatibility problems are solved by installing Proton GE.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 17:03 last edited byYeah, I have had a really good experience with Unknown and even Unsupported. Proton just works really well.
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Deck is much larger and heavier.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 17:08 last edited byDefinitely, but as a counterpoint it's also much more sensible ergonomically. The Switch makes my hands hurt, the Steam Deck doesn't.
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Looking for some advice. My Switch Lite is approaching the end of its life and given that a Switch 2 is basically the same price as an OLED Steamdeck I was thinking it might be a good time to jump back to PC gaming.
I'm not much of a gamer. I got the Switch Lite because of portability and the ability to wake it up, play for ten minutes and then toss it back in my bag. My only beefs with the Switch ecosystem is that you can't download DLC - for Cities Skylines I have the bare game on Switch but a pile of DLC on my laptop for example.
So - would going with a Steamdeck make sense? Any gotchas I should know about? Is there a better option?
Thanks all!
**edit: y'all rock. I'm ordering an OLED Steamdeck
wrote on 25 May 2025, 17:21 last edited byIf you already have a gaming pc you could get a phone controller grip and use the steam link app.
I'm using a bracket for my xbox controller that way I keep the same comfort. Most phones have oled screens and a high ppi so it can look pretty nice.
It opens steam in big picture mode all ready, and since it's on a pc you can run the games at max quality.
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Poor ergonomics is actually a large reason why I sold my Deck. It is quite heavy and clearly made for hands bigger than mine, which made holding it for more than 20 minutes quite uncomfortable. Also the joysticks are just awful, awful, awful awful awful. Id say a hall-effect stick mod is basically mandatory.
wrote on 25 May 2025, 18:23 last edited byYeah, I didn't like the shape/feel of the stock sticks either. I never really had any problems with sick drift or anything, but I also didn't actually own the system for very long either.
To remedy this, I had actually bought some stick caps from skull & co (per recommendations from people on here actually) and they were quite excellent.