Gaming without a desktop or laptop computer?

 You've thought about it, haven't you?

Since the Steam Deck has taken hold, and the ASUS ROG Ally has arrived, mobile gaming computers are real and good.

I admit that back when Epyx Games designed their handheld gaming machine with color display, I was interested.  Atari bought it and put it out under their name.  When Nintendo brought out Virtual Boy, it piqued my interest.  However, bad, tiny displays weren't enough for me.

I looked at the Nintendo Switch several times.  The newer, OLED-equipped Switch really looks good, but it's not very powerful for 2023.  So many people bought them in 2020 and 2021 because they were stuck at home, the company did well.  For me, I want different games, and mostly, those games don't end up on Switch.

So, here I am with a Steam Deck and it's good.  I have over 182 games available in Steam, 62 are in the Great on Deck category, and I have 42 games installed.

Earlier, I was watching a YouTube video about installing a game launcher that could handle non-Steam-based games.  You have to exit Steam and go to the Linux/KDE desktop, use the virtual keyboard, and more.  Without a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, it sounds difficult.  It sounds like my 8-bit days before the GUI arrived. The good thing is that there is a GUI.  I'm not sure I want to bother with GOG Galaxy or the Epic Games Launcher on a Steam Deck in desktop mode, though.

Play Games or Mess with the computer?

This reminds me so much of my time at work getting Win98SE and WinNT to work.  Then, going home to my MacOS machines.  I really don't want to mess with the computer.  I bought Steam Deck to play games, not to become a Linux laptop replacement.

Windows Local or Windows Remote?

The good thing about Steam is that it allows you to Stream a game from another machine.  I can stream a game from Steam Deck, Mac, or Windows.  I can even play remotely on Android or iOS.

GeForce NOW will also allow you to run Windows games remotely on Android or iOS.  However, unless you're a premium subscriber, you may be waiting in the queue quite a while.  The Razer Kishi V2 works fairly well, but only supports/is supported by a handful of games I have.  It did not work with my OnePlus 8T and, while it works with my Google Pixel 6a, the Pixel 6a isn't as powerful as the 8T.  Gaming is not so happy, even for light, casual games.  Playing from a Mac is fine, but seems a waste.  I don't have a Kishi V2 for iPhone.

Valve has really worked hard to make Steam Deck a success and I'm pleasantly surprised how many games work well.  I'm not too quick to jump on the latest trends, but Ghostwire: Tokyo and Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks and Bethesda are pretty bug-free for new releases.

I'm not about to buy Hogwarts Legacy this year, partly, because it's massive, and partly, because it's expensive.  I would rather buy Baldur's Gate 3 sooner but it's going to be buggy and expensive, also.

Then again, if certain games arrived on Mac, I'd be spending to show my support for native Apple Silicon gaming development.  Some games work fine as Intel-based applications but more speed would make things go more smoothly.

It's interesting how many indie games are available for Mac and Windows at the same time while big studios can't seem to muster the courage.

Is playing handheld good enough?

I've played a number of games on Steam Deck, but some of my favorite pick-up-put-down kind of games, like Unreal Tournament 2004, don't work easily.  For the most part, you can play almost anything.  Games that require a keyboard and mouse will be difficult.  I currently have 44 games installed and they mostly work the way I'd expect but I removed one or two because they didn't work correctly.  Valve continues to make improvements in the Proton compatibility layer.

On iPhone and Android, I've been playing the Galaxy on Fire series for around 11 years, since the original Google Nexus 7 tablet with Nvidia Tegra processor and the second generation iPod touch.  Using gyros for the movement was surprisingly good, although it might have looked silly while playing in a waiting room.

Using a Steel Series Nimbus+ for the iPhone and a Razer Kishi V2 for a Google Pixel 6a makes certain games much easier to play.  It's a bit sad that Android controllers can't be more compatible with a wide variety of phones.  My OnePlus 8T just didn't work with the Razer Kishi V2 but the Pixel 6a isn't as powerful.  Now, Razer has a Kishi V2 Pro.

I still find myself at the computer, whether Windows or Mac, to play games that can't easily be played on Steam Deck, Android, or iOS.

I mentioned UT2004 earlier and it's one that I pick up for 15 minutes and then, put away.  I play Toxikk that way as well.  I haven't spent much time on Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact on my phone.  They're too much for my Google Pixel 6a, but run fine on my 2022 iPhone SE.  The display dimensions aren't very good on the iPhone SE, as it doesn't really have a widescreen display.  It does have a powerful processor, though.  Genshin Impact demands a lot of my Windows 11-based machine.  Those fans run quite a bit while playing, even for a few minutes.  Teyvat is shown in great detail.

Which handheld will succeed to break the need for a laptop computer?

I'm looking forward to seeing Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go take hold and change the face of gaming.  It's time.

Update 2023.12.14: Attached a keyboard and mouse to my Steam Deck and played Toxikk and Unreal Tournament 2004 as if I had a laptop computer.  It was a good experience, even though I need to adjust to the keyboard.  UT2004 actually ran better on Steam Deck than it ran on my Ryzen 7 5800H through the AMD application launcher using AMD graphics.  That experience on the 5800H was surprising, considering that my experience in 2004 was better on a Mac clone with an ATI card that was probably priced around US$200 in 2004. ATI's XClaim VR was the card from 2004.  The Steam Deck was awesome.

Cheap keyboard/mouse combo from Temu wasn't bad.  Longevity?  Who knows?

 Update 2023.12.26: I have Hogwarts Legacy on Steam Deck.  Performance is good so far.  I need to acclimate myself to the controls or I won't go far. 

Update 2024.01.13: Ayaneo has just announced a Steam Deck-like device using a SteamOS-like operating system, Ayaneo Next Lite.  It's starting just a bit cheaper than Steam Deck, but who knows whether they'll continue to support the operating system or not.  The company has so many devices that it may just be throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.

Update 2024.03.08: Ayaneo Next Lite will be shipped with Windows 11, for some reason.  Orange Pi Neo has been announced with Manjaro Linux Gaming Edition.  Supposedly, it will be less expensive than Steam Deck, even with Hall Effect triggers and a higher resolution display.

I've been acclimating myself to SteamOS desktop and updates through Discover.  Trying to work a machine without a good desktop interface is difficult, but this one is good.  When I was experimenting with Ubuntu back around 2005, there was a lot to dislike.  GNOME desktop wasn't good and Ubuntu's Unity was different, not better.  People raved about KDE but it wasn't that far along, either.

In any case, it's good to have a handheld device that can replace a desktop computer in a pinch.

Update 2024.03.19: Windows 11 Update KB5035853 has caused problems on Ally and others like it that use an AMD APU.  Too many times Microsoft isn't paying attention, but with millions of configurations, how can they test enough of them?

Update 2024.05.27: Things are better and there are more alternatives yet.  ASUS has an Ally X with some redesigns to fix and make things better.  We'll see if it corrects ruining the SD Card by overheating it.  It's still fairly expensive and Armoury Crate isn't much of a game launcher.

The newer Steam Deck OLED is a better performer and the display dazzles all but the most frugal.  There are over 15,000 games Verified or Playable now.

I've been playing a few games from Netmarble, some for Android, some for Windows.  I haven't got to the point where I want to try games outside of Steam on the Steam Deck.  I downloaded two launchers for the desktop, but haven't done much to try them.

Update 2024.09.09: I noticed this week in a couple of articles that AMD is close to a new generation of APUs for handheld devices.  There was a mention of Escher, which was in the same category as Van Gogh, the APU in the Steam Deck.  There was also a mention of Z2 and Z2 Extreme, the processors in the ASUS Ally and Legion Go. Supposedly, the Z2/Z2 Extreme will arrive first quarter of 2025 but the replacement for the Van Gogh may take longer.  It would be interesting to see how Valve handles a replacement for the current APU, not only in software, but in game verification.  Obviously, it has to be fully compatible, but will it support more to deal with technical difficulties we've seen on Steam Deck?

Update 2024.10.24: SteamOS has been updated to version 3.6.

I know that Legion Go and ROG Ally X are making improvements in handheld devices.  I don't see myself switching at this point.  I have a Windows 11 Pro machine and it seems as though the performance has become worse.  Anything extra that they can eek out of Steam Deck would be appreciated.

Don't Track My Web Browsing and Shopping, Please

 Powered by Admiral--I see this a lot.  I have Firefox' Tracking Protection set to Strict.  I'm fine with seeing advertising.  I just don't want it following me everywhere I look.

In the last year, I have removed bookmarks for several websites because they allow tracking advertising.  I couldn't care less about seeing advertising, although I'd prefer something that doesn't sap the life out of my machine.  In the days of Flash, we were inundated with animated advertising and I'm glad it's mostly gone.  I don't deal with Facebook at all, because they make money from your information, and they gladly share it with scumbags.

E.G., the co-owner of the house needed my help with some perfume she was trying to buy through Amazon, through Facebook.  The perfume was US$19.99, so she was buying two.  Facebook gladly supplied her address, but didn't have her credit card.  The website pretending to be Amazon said that the card had expired.  We had just placed an Amazon order a day or two prior to that.

I pulled up the perfume on the Amazon app to find that it was US$150.00.  I had some trouble shutting down the scam, but eventually got rid of it.

I apologized for my insistence and brusqueness, but I really wasn't happy that someone almost got her information.

I don't mind that a site needs advertising to keep it going.  Maybe, I might even buy something through one of the adverts.  Still, if you want to force me, or follow me, forget it.  I have no need to visit a website that has shaky moral fiber.  If they're unwilling to look at what they're presenting to the public, they probably aren't worth the visit.

Update 2023.11.24: Rakuten has complained about my adblocker.  I don't have one, but I have the anti-tracking bits.  If I have to be tracked to get cash rebates, forget it.

Update 2024.02.20: Rakuten is working again on some sites, without my changing settings.  A photographic web site has apparently switched completely to tracking advertisements and I don't see any advertisements, but they're complaining.  The site administration chose them.  I didn't.  I get that they want more money, but when you're not providing information much any longer, and mostly just providing ways to get money from clicks, you might want to be prepared for the effects of your actions.

Updated Mac, Apple Watch, and iPhone to the latest operating systems

 I took the leap to update all three devices around the same time.

Apple Watch Series 7 was on watchOS 9.x, 2022 iPhone SE was on 16.7.2, and MacBook Air was on macOS Monterey.

I usually wait until the x.x.1 version of the operating system, but lately, Apple has not been as good.  I was going to wait until the release that happens right before Christmas.  None of them want to deal with problems over the Christmas holiday, so they usually do a better job of bug elimination.

However, the Mac has been two generations back from Sonoma, and it shows when I want to back up the iPhone.  There is a need to download a compatibility patch of some sort.  I wouldn't be two generations of macOS back except that Ventura has had so many bad reports, I didn't want to encounter any of the problems.

I remember too well how my PowerPC machine was having trouble with Leopard and later, Snow Leopard.  It just never was so good again.  However, the people with Intel-based machines were really happy with the performance.  Transition time anywhere is not so easy.

So, I clicked on Install, and Sonoma was downloaded and around 30 minutes later, was running.

 Downloading 17.1.1 was just as simple and the update process was free from errors.  The time to process the update seemed forever but was suddenly finished.

Requesting the Apple Watch update from the iPhone app was interesting.  At one point, it said "1 Day" and later, it seemed to lock onto "16 Hours", which was way too long.  I restarted the phone and the watch, and then, started the update from the watch.  It requested agreeing to the Terms and Conditions on the phone, which went back and forth four times.  The screen had things overlapping, as if they hadn't really tested the installer.  However, it claimed 2 Hours once everything was handled correctly.

Everything is up to date for the moment.  Battery life on the phone and watch seem less than ideal, which I expect with every new release.  Usually, macOS has some checking and cataloguing to be done for days, and that hasn't seemed to have happened.  It just went to work immediately.  It seems fairly steady.

I hope that it will all be good before the releases in February.  Hopefully, the battery life will be improved with the releases before Christmas.

Update 2023.11.24: The updates are generally good, although the battery life for the watch and phone have been less than ideal.  They have not entered the dreaded red zone yet, though.

People have been mentioning that Sonoma has been quite a bit faster.  Maybe, I'm not seeing it because I don't use Safari as my web browser, plus, I never used Ventura.

That said, I keep waiting for GOG Galaxy and Steam to become Universal applications and speed up a lot of things.  Steam will be the last one of all, I'm almost certain.  With dwindling Mac game play through Steam, Valve doesn't really care to invest much effort.  Perhaps, when the last of the Intel-based machines are on the obsolete list, Valve will do something more.  I really liked playing Half-Life 2 and Portal 2 on my Mac.  It's a shame that I loaded Catalina on my older, Intel-based Mac because I could still play those 32-bit games before Catalina.

Hopefully, with Sonoma' Game Mode running successfully, more developers will arrive with good ports of their games.  Feral Interactive has done well on conversions, and Larian Studios has Macs in mind when developing.

Update 2023.11.30: Sonoma 14.1.2 is out with bug fixes and security updates, as well as iOS 17.1.2.  Updates went smoothly, so I'm hoping for the best.

Update 2023.12.14: My Apple Watch decided that I wanted to update to watchOS 10.2 and did it without asking.  I'm waiting for macOS 14.2.1 and iOS 17.2.1 before I go further.  Those should be out in the next week or two.

Update 2023.12.20: macOS and iOS are on my M1 MacBook Air and 2022 iPhone SE.  They are both working relatively well.  Given that there won't likely be another update until February, I'm satisfied with the performance.  Everything needs better battery life, though.  People with Intel-based Macs are complaining about Sonoma but it's macOS is finally getting better for Apple Silicon-based Macs, in the way that Leopard made Intel-based Macs better, and messed up PowerPC-based Macs.

Sonoma's Game Mode does help, but my SteelSeries Nimbus+ controller is not working, possibly due to a fall.  It disconnects intermittently, even when using a cable.  Why are game controllers so fragile?

Update 2023.12.31: I continue to see users complaining about random bugs and I wonder how many used developer or public beta test versions before using a production version.  I would have that happen occasionally in the early days of Mac OS X but haven't had that happen lately.

I started the mid-2012 MacBook Pro, with Catalina, the other day.  I'm considering a Linux-based distribution, so that I can turn it into a decent game machine.  I can't decide on a distro.  I'm leaning toward Arch or Kubuntu, in hopes that I can load the SteamOS Proton layer in order to play Windows games.  However, with only 512 MB of VRAM, it might not be enough.  Even the full 1 GB of VRAM might not be enough for recent games from my experience with the Omen by HP with a GeForce GTX 1050 with 2 GB of VRAM.    This latest Windows machine has an RTX 3050 Ti with 4 GB of VRAM.

Still, the old MacBook Pro is a good heater with that quad-core Intel i7-3770.

Update 2024.01.28: This week, Apple pushed iOS 17.3, macOS 14.3, and watchOS 10.3.  I don't usually go until the x.x.1 release is ready.  They were pushing a lot and they mentioned a security flaw that might have been exploited, which usually means that it had been exploited.  Ugggh.  So, I updated.  It may have been a fluke but cellular connectivity doesn't seem as stable.  Battery life is still not right.  Hopefully, the x.x.1 update will be ready before Valentine's Day.

I'm still glad to have the M1 MacBook Air on Sonoma.  I wish Apple would really take software development seriously and produce better software.  The only good thing is that we're not paying for bad releases, as we were in the System 7.x and MacOS 8.x, 9.x days.  When I would pay US$79.99 for a release and it wasn't really any better and then, they would discontinue things that really helped, it was rather frustrating.

Update 2024.01.31: I wanted to make room for Death Stranding: Director's Cut and I started deleting games and more because I only had about 153 GB available in Finder.  So, I went through Steam and looked at the games I wasn't playing or that we're as important.  I also deleted so other various stuff, and found through Settings(Control Panel) where various data was too much.  I checked and the available space was 2 GB smaller.  I waited for fseventd to finish and I restarted the machine.  No significant change was shown.  I deleted more and still no change that I could see.  I used the application WhatSize to help me find things that macOS wouldn't let me access easily.  I deleted more but there still was no visible change, even after a restart.  I left it along for a while and it had gone from 151 GB to about 298 GB available.  Today, it was showing 458 GB available.

Apple apparently doesn't have any long term developers watching what they're doing.  It's a bit scary that they've handed off development to people without oversight.  Someone should be checking the quality and fixes should be issued as soon as possible.

Sadly, they only seem to handle security flaws when they're on the news.

I live out in Central Valley and many people from the San Francisco Bay Area live out here now, including people from Apple, HP, and Google.  I wonder how many are so tired from their three hour commute that they're just not productive.  I'm hoping that someone cares but I'm not so sure about that, either.

Update 2024.02.08: Updated to 17.3.1, 10.3.1, and 14.3.1, which is the best fix for a while.  They had a fix for a major inconvenience in editing text on iOS or macOS.  Hopefully, they fixed a lot of other little bugs, as well.

Update 2024.03.22: Updated to 17.4.1 on iOS.  There were some serious problems to fix.  I'm hoping for 14.4.1 and 10.4.1 updates soon.  These are usually ready just before WWDC and the newest major releases.  Then, we wait until August or September.  I suspect that things are better on my iPhone with this newest release, but there are probably loads of bugs remaining.  It seems that Apple just wants to add feature after feature without fixing problems ahead of adding features.  They've become like Adobe.

I'm not ready for iOS 18, especially if they're going to push AI integration.  With the car project halted, AI developers are available, but should they experiment in the background more and wait to move such work into the real world?

Update 2024.08.07: iOS 17.6.1 and macOS 14.6.1 are available.  Apparently, they weren't quite finished with the bug fixes, but got them out just a couple of days later, rather than two or three weeks later.  That may be everything for the current operating systems.  I'm not ready to move to the next, even more buggy versions.

2024.09.17: Warning!  Updated to iOS 17.7 and macOS 14.7 today.  Went to California DMV to renew my license.  Filled out the application on my phone through the process to be ready for the window.  I got a notification and my application was GONE.  I could not log into the system through the California DMV app but Apple should have been checking since so many people working there live in California.  Maybe, someone at headquarters will return with a story and the fix will be out next week.