What are you playing on your computer?

I'm not that fussed to be honest, it's been up long enough for someone to have it, Valve want to make me jump through hoops to get in to my account so I can't be bothered to use it and if a stranger takes it they might wanna stick around.

Now that SteamDeck has a date, anyone picking one up?

I've got the 25GB SSD on pre-order as 64GB just seemed too small for an all digital device. I'm not sure if I'll get or not as I don't play much on my laptop which from looking can still run brand new release Dying Light 2 on minimum, just it is not that sort of game I would play on my laptop or SteamDeck, I'm thinking more on the lines of Behind the Frame, Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster along with the odd bigger game because of sales etc which think would all be fine on my laptop.

Yet having a dedicated gaming device, think I would use more as I never really think about my laptop as something to play games on, when I think I want to play a game I look at my PS5, XSX, Switch etc

Just wondering others think of the device and if getting or not.

I am intrigued by SteamDeck because I play 90% of my games in handheld mode (according to the Switch year in review anyway!). Thing is, I also don't have the time to tackle my Switch backlog so I'm not sure if it would be a terrible idea to dip my toe into the SteamDeck waters. But with Steam sales and the range of stuff I could maybe get there that I couldn't on Switch, it is tempting. Interested to hear your thoughts on it mas, if and when you get it.

Yeah, does open up gaming a lot as you can get Halo and God of War on it for instance.

It does look like a very clever piece of kit, and it's a good idea someone competent is putting together a handheld using PC architecture, without some other weird bullshit attached to/governing it. I don't think I'll get one though; I'm hoping my super duper compuper will still be suitable to play games on for a few more years yet.

The Lady's pre-ordered a Steam Deck.  Right now next to me she's going through a list of Steam games, and how well they all work on the Deck[citation needed].  It's upsetting how many of them have a big red mark and, 'This product's anti-cheat is not configured to support Steam Deck.'  DRM screwing over everybody who's not pirates more than pirates again, is it.

I'd be interested in a Steam Deck if it had Windows by default, as most games I'd want to play are likely to be on Gamepass for PC, also I'm assuming things that don't have a linux version are also not available, though I've not checked that. Instead I'll just sit here for the next few years trying to figure out if AOE4 is worth getting a PC for.

I know Valve have said as it's a PC can put other things on it, so Game Pass would be available some how but Spencer had also mentioned about working with Valve so wouldn't be shocked gets integrated some how like EA play is.

The list also puts me off, as someone who will use as a indie machine, will a smaller team get running on it, compared to Sony Santa Monica.

I'll be low on the list, that be reviews etc around.

I was toying with the idea of a steam deck or ps5 at one point but much like mas it'd mainly be for a niche reason. I think it could be a good entry point for getting into PC games but perhaps a gaming laptop might be a better shout?

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I'd be interested in a Steam Deck if it had Windows by default, as most games I'd want to play are likely to be on Gamepass for PC, also I'm assuming things that don't have a linux version are also not available, though I've not checked that.  Instead I'll just sit here for the next few years trying to figure out if AOE4 is worth getting a PC for.

Didn't know you were an Age of Empires fan. I played AOE2 back on the PS2, which was a terrible platform for it so I never got into it. I think I wanted it to be like Rome Total War but it really wasn't. I've never really played RTS games but I wouldn't mind trying it at some point as it's on the windows gamepass. I'd imagine that you could hit the recommended specs for it without spending too much.

As for the steam deck. Yeah it looks really nifty but I don't think I'd invest in it ahead of a pc or laptop.

Did think about a new gaming laptop myself, but how much would that cost for let's same spec as SteamDeck for instance and I feel have the same issue I have now where I don't look at my laptop as a games machine, I use it to come on here for instance.

Yeah Age of Empires 3 was basically my childhood. I remember it barely ran on my first pc, there were weird black boxes all over the scenery, then one day we upgraded and I saw what it was meant to look like and my mind was blown. Many Saturday mornings spent playing that, chatting to people around the world.

I was also a big Battle for Middle Earth 1&2 Player. I do miss a solid base building combat RTS game, but yeah price to entry whilst it's not bad in terms of general PCs it does feel like I'm buying for a very small niche. I get closer to picking one up on black friday or whatever, so I'm sure I'll cave within the year...

I had Battle for Middle earth 2, preowned, and that was back when EA limited each disk to one online account. E.g., the person who sold it had activated their account so I couldn't have one without paying for one (or as the EA support helpfully told me, getting the log in details of the person who sold it to Game. What a fucking joke!)

You could always buy a desktop, if you have the space for it, as they're not too difficult to take old bits out for new ones and they're typically quite a bit cheaper than an equivalent gaming laptop. The only thing that is that you need a monitor/TV. But it's pretty much like expensive lego otherwise. I'd just be wary of buying from a big retailer because they tend to skimp on the motherboard, which is bad because that's the thing that everything plugs into.

Yeah, I think that's the answer, I just have nightmares about opening up controllers in the past when they've gone a bit wrong and the result is almost always I've done a shit job and have to replace it
I'm sure that's less likely with a PC, but that's a hurdle that needs overcoming first. I have a monitor that would do for now for work anyway, but yeah I'd definitely be keen to upgrade if I got into it. One day...

That's entirely fair. My desktop had a faulty powersupply/graphics card and the place that built it for me offered to send me the replacement parts and have a guy on the phone talk me through the steps but I didn't want to as it was way more expensive than the one I built ages ago. I sent it back to them and they fixed it instead.

But that's always an option, taking it into a store and having them open it up and replace parts. I'm sure somewhere would do that for you and just charge their labour fee for however long. It's just that computers can get big and heavy

Yeah but Andy's a beefcake these days.

But also never underestimate my will to do as little as possible...

Andy:

Yes. Except when the Yakuza team pack up shop to focus on NFT's.

Then they go back on it like all the others have.

I've started playing Celeste! There's probably another topic somewhere just for this game. I love the game itself so far (also nice that they decided to not use retro music with retro graphics, a different take surprisingly). Was a bit nervous because everyone hyped it up, and I know I'm not going to like the story element, but I am just enjoying playing strawberry collecting simulator. I haven't started the second level yet as I'm desperate to 100% the first one. It's a game!

YASS!  Here's the thread Jim.  Either in this thread or the other one: why did you know you won't like the story element?  I know you do like some quality writing in games, so I'm curious to know why you've already bounced off this one.  That said, the gameplay is immense, with or without the story.

My laptop is struggling with Total Warhammer III

The Lady and I tried the demo. build of Coromon the other day, and goodness me does it show how much we've taken Pokémon for granted.  Coromon feels like it hates each small step Pokémon has taken towards modernisation, so - back come random encounters in grass, only battling monsters getting experience, and pixel graphics!  Only of course the graphics don't have the charm of Pokémon, and the sound design's miserable, between the generic music and the voiced but rubbish cries.  There are several visual glitches too.  Coromon seems to be aimed towards fans of super-hard old Pokémon games, what with an in-built Nuzlocke mode, but the main thing is just how much it clings desperately to an outdated vision of what Pokémon was and should always be.  If nothing else it's given me a greater appreciation for the moves the Pokémon series has made, and highlighted that actually perma-Exp Share is pretty good if the game's balanced around it.

Sorry, just checked - and yes, there was nothing else.

Balladeer wrote:

and highlighted that actually perma-Exp Share is pretty good if the game's balanced around it.

I think Sw/Sh was far too easy as a whole because of the Exp Share feature, but they nailed it with PLA in my eyes. That last battle was a sweaty affair and I shudder to imagine that without having a fully leveled team of 'Mons.