ArtMediocre Posted May 21, 2021 Posted May 21, 2021 This is awesome! Here's hoping we'll see more games added to the list in the coming months. E3 might be a good time to drop some good titles. I dream of playing Returnal, God of War, Spider-Man, Uncharted and maybe some PSVR titles, but it might be a bit too optimistic
Sméagol Posted May 21, 2021 Posted May 21, 2021 On 07/05/2021 at 4:18 PM, Will said: I’m kind of back on to my thoughts from the end of last year to build myself a gaming PC. Is there any reason to hold off for big things coming in the near future or is now a good time to jump in? This is a bit late but, personally, I'd hold off as long as possible. I mean, if you need a new computer, go buy a new computer, but if you don't.. The market is simply terrible right now. I could really use a new computer, but don't have the money for it right now, I'm saving up. Even if I did, I'd refuse to pay twice as much and wait 6 months for a videocard. I've heard plenty of horror stories of people getting in (relatively) early, ordered a videocard for a "normal" price, but then have their orders cancelled after some time, even if they have the cards available, but they won't sell 'm anymore for the old "normal" price. This is technically illegal over here, but all shops seem to be doing it. Although they most likely have little choice, as the manufacturers set the new prices. I'm hoping this shit will be over by the time I've saved up enough.
Will Posted May 21, 2021 Posted May 21, 2021 Yeah I think you’re probably right on that. I definitely don’t need one anytime soon, just something I want and has been on my to-buy list for a while. I think waiting for the prices and availability to come back to something sane is best, don’t want to waste money. Guess I’ll stick with the PS5 for now.
Ike Posted June 26, 2021 Posted June 26, 2021 So Windows 11 needs TPM 2.0 to be enabled to be able to be installed, unless they change the requirements, which it doesn't look like my CPU supports (the checker tool say it's incompatible) and I can't see anything in the BIOS. My CPU is pretty old at this point and I was thinking of upgrading once prices go back to normal, but "forced" upgrades suck. A lot of people probably aren't going to be able to install Windows 11.
Dufniall Posted June 26, 2021 Posted June 26, 2021 TPM doesn't have anything to do with the processor, it's either an integrated chip on the mainboard (hardware TPM) or firmware based (firmware TPM). It's something you mostly see in business line laptops, which is used for an added layer of security. I can't imagine Windows will keep it as a system requirement, unless they really want to to hardcore on the security (and leave a lot of current consumer grade systems out).
Ike Posted June 26, 2021 Posted June 26, 2021 9 minutes ago, Vileplume2000 said: TPM doesn't have anything to do with the processor, it's either an integrated chip on the mainboard (hardware TPM) or firmware based (firmware TPM). It's something you mostly see in business line laptops, which is used for an added layer of security. I can't imagine Windows will keep it as a system requirement, unless they really want to to hardcore on the security (and leave a lot of current consumer grade systems out). Yes, CPU firmware.(?) Quote it may be a physical module, in others, provided by the CPU TPM 2.0, Windows 11 PC health check, and the potential messy upgrade | TechRadar
Dufniall Posted June 26, 2021 Posted June 26, 2021 Ah I see, always figured firmware TPM was stored on the same spot as your BIOS, but apparently it's the CPU that runs the bit of firmware.
Ganepark32 Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 Nice to see Valve announcing the Switch Pro for Nintendo It looks like a Game Gear, so ugly as sin) but with it supposedly having a chip that's modelled on the PS5 then at that price its an absolute bargain. Or at least I think so. Its essentially a portable PC that you can take your entire Steam library with you then plug in to a monitor and when you get home and continue playing there. Don't know how the track pads will work as they were supposedly awful on the Steam controller. Nice that they've thought about scalpers with the caveat that you need to have bought something prior to June 2021 on Steam to be in with a chance to reserve a unit. Should help a bit but this will still be another piece of hardware thats hard to get hold of. Very tempted to put in a reservation if I can as that entry price is too good not to miss out on. Don't have a gaming PC and this is a great way to do it and be able to play your PC games from the couch. Hmmm, doubt I'd be able to nab one anyway but something I'll keep me eye on. The savings on PC games would be a nice upside as I've not bought many PC games so plenty of discounts still to be had by me that most will have already taken advantage of. 1
Ike Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 It’s Steam OS so it’s library is going to be limited to what is supported with Linux. Battery is going to be limited as well (site says 2 - 8 hours).
Dcubed Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 (edited) Ahh… THERE’S the Switch Pro! 12 minutes ago, Ganepark32 said: Nice to see Valve announcing the Switch Pro for Nintendo It looks like a Game Gear, so ugly as sin) but with it supposedly having a chip that's modelled on the PS5 then at that price its an absolute bargain. Or at least I think so. Its essentially a portable PC that you can take your entire Steam library with you then plug in to a monitor and when you get home and continue playing there. Don't know how the track pads will work as they were supposedly awful on the Steam controller. Nice that they've thought about scalpers with the caveat that you need to have bought something prior to June 2021 on Steam to be in with a chance to reserve a unit. Should help a bit but this will still be another piece of hardware thats hard to get hold of. Very tempted to put in a reservation if I can as that entry price is too good not to miss out on. Don't have a gaming PC and this is a great way to do it and be able to play your PC games from the couch. Hmmm, doubt I'd be able to nab one anyway but something I'll keep me eye on. The savings on PC games would be a nice upside as I've not bought many PC games so plenty of discounts still to be had by me that most will have already taken advantage of. Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who thought that I’ll probably get this. It’s crazy cheap! Can’t believe that it’s less than £50 more than an OLED Switch, for a handheld system that’s roughly half as powerful as an Xbox Series S!! Edited July 15, 2021 by Dcubed
Dcubed Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 Just now, Ike said: It’s Steam OS so it’s library is going to be limited to what is supported with Linux. Battery is going to be limited as well (site says 2 - 8 hours). You can install Windows on it if you want to…
Ike Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 1 minute ago, Dcubed said: You can install Windows on it if you want to… I mean, sure. But do you want the overhead of running Windows as well?
Dcubed Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 4 minutes ago, Ike said: I mean, sure. But do you want the overhead of running Windows as well? Could always dual boot. Best of both worlds then!
Kav Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 I love that the Steam Deck has back-buttons. Looks an amazing bit of kit. They should really be standard on controllers going forward.
Dcubed Posted July 15, 2021 Posted July 15, 2021 Jesus. The more I hear about this thing, the more impressed I am with it and its price! It would even make for an awesome portable desktop PC with a USB-C Dock! Shit… I want one now!
Happenstance Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I’m tempted to put a reservation down today when they start but haven’t decided yet.
Dufniall Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Going to paste in the specs just for convenience: It looks to be an impressive piece of kit, and I'm glad they chose to go for a 1280x800 resolution and not force a higher resolution on the 7 inch, probably would have been bad for the battery time. It's on the heavy side, about double the weight of a Switch so train up those muscles 12 hours ago, Dcubed said: Ahh… THERE’S the Switch Pro! Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who thought that I’ll probably get this. It’s crazy cheap! Can’t believe that it’s less than £50 more than an OLED Switch, for a handheld system that’s roughly half as powerful as an Xbox Series S!! Take into account that the base model only has 64GB eMMC memory. Plenty of PC games already go over the 64GB, plus eMMC is slow compared to the other options (256-512GB NVMe SSD). So I wouldn't even consider the base model. There is quite a price gap to the middle one though, and the most expensive option also comes with a non-glare screen. 12 hours ago, Ganepark32 said: Nice to see Valve announcing the Switch Pro for Nintendo It looks like a Game Gear, so ugly as sin) but with it supposedly having a chip that's modelled on the PS5 then at that price its an absolute bargain. Or at least I think so. Its essentially a portable PC that you can take your entire Steam library with you then plug in to a monitor and when you get home and continue playing there. Don't know how the track pads will work as they were supposedly awful on the Steam controller. Nice that they've thought about scalpers with the caveat that you need to have bought something prior to June 2021 on Steam to be in with a chance to reserve a unit. Should help a bit but this will still be another piece of hardware thats hard to get hold of. Very tempted to put in a reservation if I can as that entry price is too good not to miss out on. Don't have a gaming PC and this is a great way to do it and be able to play your PC games from the couch. Hmmm, doubt I'd be able to nab one anyway but something I'll keep me eye on. The savings on PC games would be a nice upside as I've not bought many PC games so plenty of discounts still to be had by me that most will have already taken advantage of. Also immediately thought about the Game Gear I have the Steam controller, and while the track pads are a clever invention, I find it really tricky to work with them. I can see the right one here working though as a more accurate option for FPS games instead of the stick, but it'll never be a mouse. The thing does look crammed though. Buttons pretty close to the edge, and the sticks are very close to the buttons as well. Wonder if it's ergonomic, combined with the weight. Rear buttons are great though! I'm curious if this will be a hit. There have been Windows-based handhelds before, but I don't think they ever took off. Valve and Steam are well-known so that may help, but I wonder if PC gamers are interested in a handheld, and running games on a lower resolution. And if you're going to stream a game to it from your PC, a phone+controller is the cheaper option. I think would it have been Microsoft or Sony releasing it, there would have been more leverage behind it. I can imagine a handheld XBox with GamePass would be the dream. But Microsoft is focussing on streaming so you wouldn't need these specs. And Sony, well, games like Horizon: Zero Dawn and Death Stranding are already on Steam so basically this is already an unofficial Sony handheld. 1
Cube Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Looks like they're targeting heavy PC gamers who want to take their games elsewhere. Seems like it would be a good device for people who want to get into PC gaming, but it will be impossible for a lot of that audience to get one. But at least lootbox farmers can use their gambling money to buy one.
Julius Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Yeah, any semblance of interest I had in the Switch OLED got thrown out of the window after seeing this. Someone needs to edit the Switch OLED into this image I think I'll be looking out to reserve the 512GB one later today when the reservations drop, fingers crossed I guess. There are a fair few games I have access to on PC but not elsewhere (some of which are on Xbox through backwards compatibility), but I struggle to use my PC for gaming at the moment as it's heavily integrated into my work set-up, and once my workday ends, I want to be as far from that thing as humanly possible (in practicality, the next room over). Adding a dock into the equation so I can play these games where I play all of my other games - on the TV my living room sofa - immediately makes this something I want to sit alongside my other consoles. Making this essentially a portable PC gives it so much room for modification, and while I'm not one for emulation (I try to avoid it as best as I reasonably can), this thing seems like it could be an emulation beast. For what it is, the price is awesome, and I honestly doubt that a hypothetical Nintendo Switch Pro would have got/will get anywhere near this sort of power or speed. And fair play to Valve for actually trying to do something about scalping, because the console manufacturers have been absolutely useless when it comes to finding a counter to it. While it excludes non-Steam users from the opportunity to get one on Day 1, I don't think they care much from what the team said in their IGN interviews: they don't have any specific sales targets in mind with this (and if they do, at least, they aren't answering to shareholders and so the pressure is very much a self-imposed one). It's pretty much what we all said the next-gen pre-orders should have been like -- maybe not for all of them, but if you assigned a good chunk of those to your existing market and the rest to new people entering your ecosystem for the first time, I think it's a much better narrative than "well, now I either keep following this daily and drive myself insane, or fold and pay sometimes double it's normal price". I don't think they would be aiming to launch this year if sales were their main goal anyways, what with the chip shortages. Anyways, yeah, this will make a nice early birthday present for me if I can get a reservation in and it does land in December 1 1
Ronnie Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Looks very cool, and actually I feel like those button placements will be more comfortable than what we normally see on controllers. Personally I'm not really into Steam gaming (and especially not on the go) but if I was I'd definitely pick one up! It's pretty huge though, 298 x 117 x 49mm vs the regular Switch's 239 x 102 x 28mm
Will Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Quite intrigued by this thing. I’ve posted before about wanting to get a PC and I think this will tide me over until components are a little easier to get hold of. Thinking I’ll go for the top end model, stick windows on it and then use it for emulation and a few media bits too. With the dock I think it will be a great option for a living room PC. Definitely doubting my Switch OLED now.
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