 It's hilarious to still see takes like this - Windows Central "Don't buy a Steam Deck, if you want a gaming handheld buy an ROG Ally โ here's why" There's so many problems with that article it's just funny, and sad. While yes, Windows 11 out of the box can do some things SteamOS can't - entirely fair. It makes out like SteamOS can't do things a PC can. Like word processing, web browsing, installing other stores etc. 28 comments
@gamingonlinux i'm suure people would be buying the 'asus gaming device', or the steam deck entirely to write word docs @Ember I considered buying a Steam Deck and a Dock as a way of having a cheap-ish gaming desktop and also use it for work (programming)... *whispers* there's a full complete desktop mode on Steam Deck that's been there since Day 1 that has been widely reported on @gamingonlinux ๐ฑ the possibilities are endless ๐คฏ I guess you could even use it as a calculator  @gamingonlinux I think he wants a general purpose device, maybe he should get a general purpose device like GPD. Because purely for gaming there is currently no better option than Steam Deck. Wins in battery life with all competition. Plus it has normal Linux desktop built in, should one need it. @gamingonlinux i mean it makes sense considering the name "Windows Central" :neofox_lul:โ  @gamingonlinux Valve have put out Windows drivers for the Steam Deck, rendering their point invalidโฆ @gamingonlinux I just read that post and... I agree with Windows Central. I don't think the point is that "Linux" can't do that. For an average user, it's hard to leave the Steam interface and understand how to install anything but Steam games. I do agree they exaggerate in some arguments, like "Since ROG Ally runs Windows 11, it can do anything a gaming laptop can". But in general, I agree with them. The user must be a nerd like us to install anything but Steam games on a Steam Deck. @thenets If you think operating a simple menu, to hit a button that says "Switch to Desktop" and gives you a very Windows style layout with KDE Plasma is hard for the average user - humanity is doomed @gamingonlinux I agree with you. The desktop mode on a Steam Deck is great and easy to use. This is a failed point in the article. But what I'm saying is: reading their entire post, the desktop mode is the smallest point. They are mostly saying that if you want to install games outside the Steam library, the Ally is better. And this is true. I love my Steam Deck, but handling it with other launchers is always a pain.  @thenets @gamingonlinux Well, doesn't it actually work the same (or worse, if something is not available in Microsoft Store) on Windows?
 @gamingonlinux it means steam deck getting to Poplar for there taste, frist they ignore, then 2nd they attack, the last they will try to ban. @gamingonlinux It actually means the console experience on SteamOS is so polished, you need to be explicitly told it has the desktop mode to realize it exists and how powerful it is. On Windows handhelds, it's inevitable to use it.
@gamingonlinux yeah, tried AyaNeo Air Plus after Steam Deck and: Windows is not for handhelds yet: too many problems, instead of just relaxing "turn on, game on, turn off". @gamingonlinux Wait for their reaction when Valve releases Steam OS 3 for gaming desktops ๐   @gamingonlinux we had a friend who got a steam deck, insisted nothing ran on it and put windows on it. > "It makes out like SteamOS can't do things a PC can. Like word processing, web browsing, installing other stores etc." Sites should be sued for content like that. Not that I love Valve so much, I expect them to go full EEE on Wine some day. But that is just misinformation  @gamingonlinux I saw that article in my news feed awhile back. I didn't click on it, because I figured it was either ragebait or paid for. @gamingonlinux I find it weird that we're going back to the console war days, only with handheld PCs now. I have used both devices and they are both great. @gamingonlinux I would imagine that most people who buy a steam deck use it to play games as opposed to composing business emails @gamingonlinux Windows fans be like: "How can you not love & use an operating system that takes away all control of your hardware, has built-in spyware, whose company has been convicted several times by anti-trust laws for anti-competitive practices, and is just slower than other systems?" :blobcatgiggle:  @gamingonlinux windows central... That says it all. @gamingonlinux heh I did early development of a mobile game on the deck ๐ - not the best target for unreal engine editing but it was servicable! I used it for a long time as a general desktop as well, USBC monitor with a hub on it basically just means it's a perfect little machine |
Gregory's Server
"I even plugged a wireless dongle into my Ally and used a keyboard and mouse to write up Word docs on the ASUS gaming device."
Actual quote from the article ๐คฆ