MSI Crosshair A16 HX is on the way. It's here!

 My ASUS ZenBook Pro Creator's machine seems ready to eat itself.  Overheating, especially in 100 degrees F heat, is a problem.

 For the last three years, it's been used more for gaming than for creating.  I did some programming, edited some photos, and created documents, but most of that, I left to my Mac.

 I've played a lot of games.  I mentioned that I had damaged two or three mice and in the last year, I've been using a damaged WASD area (and the space bar) of the keyboard.  It wasn't meant for heavy gaming or aggressive players.  I checked with a reliable repair business and got a quick quote of US$150 for a replacement keyboard.  That's a lot but perhaps, someone else will want to buy such an otherwise good machine (aside from the heat during gaming) and I'll pay for the keyboard to be replaced.

 

The MSI Crosshair A16 HX has an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX in contrast to my Ryzen 7 5800H.  The Nvidia RTX 5060 is only two generations newer than the RTX 3050 Ti, and at about the same level in the lineup.  IIRC, the 3050 Ti was a 3060 with 4 GB of GDRAM, instead of 8 GB.

MSI Crosshair A16 

I'll still only have a 1 TB drive, but it's PCIe gen4 instead of gen-3.  There is also another slot, which seems to be gen-5.  32 GB of RAM will be helpful, as Windows 11 Pro keeps taking as much as possible, and having Steam and another game launcher, plus a web browser and Malwarebytes, keeps RAM busy when running a game or creative software.

 The multi-zone keyboard is a SteelSeries designed product.  That gives me hope, since my current mouse is a SteelSeries Aerox 5, which has been amazingly reliable.

I found one warning in my research: Do not let the MSI helper software attempt to install BIOS updates.  Download them to a thumb drive and install it through the BIOS controls.  No one wants a computer-shaped brick.

I'd been looking at MSI for a while, but most of their laptop computers had VA panels.  I didn't think that those were still being used.  The last time I considered something other than IPS was in the 1990s.  Actually, I believe I bought my first LCD in 2000. Then again, my ASUS laptop has an OLED panel.  The documentation actually has "IPS-level panel", whatever that means.  I'm glad that the panel is level.  (Check your sarcasm detector for good batteries.)

The resolution on the Crosshair is 2560x1440, which is a bit more than the 1920x1080 that I have but those rich blacks and whites will be different somehow.  Supposedly, it has DCI-p3 100% compliance but I'm skeptical.  The RTX 5060 will be using a MUX  design, so graphics won't be routed through the integrated GPU on the AMD APU, more like what happens on a desktop machine in the old days.  That will improve data throughput and make it more efficient. 

The Ryzen 9 8940HX has 16 cores, twice as many as the Ryzen 7 5800H.  It might be slightly better.  Did your sarcasm detector alert you?  Even the internal GPU should be years ahead.  I remember trying to run Unreal Tournament 2004 through the AMD 5800H iGPU and it was not as fast as what I had in 2004.  I remember reading about the iGPU in the 8945HX and that was a 780M, I believe.  This one has a 610M, which may be good.

It all sounds good, right?  My one regret is that I had intended to buy a new M5 MacBook Air.  Tuesday can't come soon enough.  Should I have paid almost US$60 for Saturday delivery?

Update 2026.05.18: It's here!

UPS is not my favorite delivery company.  I had some equipment just not arrive and the store who sent it sent a second product for me.  UPS was caught selling merchandise because of a guitar with a serial number.  In this case, they did better and it arrived a day early.

Of course, updates took a while and not everything goes as planned.  There is a BIOS update and I'm trying to understand how to take care of it.  They showed something like 14 or 15 steps.

 

It works well.  It worked with my mouse from the beginning and gaming half-keyboard, as well.  Windows 11 had been making some sort of backup (to what extent, I don't know) and that sped things along somewhat.

Getting the Netmarble game launcher downloaded was the weirdest.   The company really needs to work on their user friendliness.  Steam, Mozilla, Google, and Malwarebytes wanted me to prove myself.  All of that is fine now.

At one point, while I was in a game, it powered off.  When I powered on again, it didn't explain why there was a problem, or even that there was a problem.  While I'm writing this, it just paused suddenly.  I'm a bit nervous.

The keyboard lighting is good, just like the images on their website.  The feel of the keyboard is excellent.  Steelseries did their part of the project.  I'm not sure why they had to stuff a numeric keypad into it, but the alpha keyboard isn't crowded.

Sound is excellent in contrast to my ASUS creator's machine that was weak.  That machine has speakers at the bottom.  It also has an OLED display, which I found amazing.  This IPS-level display is better.  The color settings may be set to be more vivid, but the blacks and the whites look great.

The stickers on the palm rest are big and don't provide any useful function, but I doubt that I can remove them.

Having more processing power shows up in games with much more detail.  Grass and rain are more impressive with the 5060 versus the 3050 Ti.  Older games seem okay and there is a glitch now and then, but I'm not sure whether it's Windows or the machine.  It could be the MUX design, bypassing the APU's iGPU.  One kind of glitch was that SteelSeries GG was recording clips automatically.  It took me a while to get things under control on the last two machines.  It might take a while this time.

SSD speed is fine, although I can't tell that it's faster than the PCIe 3rd gen in the previous machine.

Being that this laptop computer is 16 versus 15.6, it's difficult to notice the difference. The only difference I can notice is the smooth plastic, rather than the aluminum of the ASUS.

In any case, I'm happy. 

Update 2026.05.20: There is a little light bleed at the bottom of the LCD.  While playing Where Winds Meet, there was too much frame rate drop, something that never seemed to happen with the older machine.  Turned the graphics setting to Performance.  I guess pushing all those extra pixels made a difference, since the 5060 and the 3050 Ti are in the same category, just a difference of graphics RAM.

Maybe, Windows is taking advantage of the AI capabilities, even though they're supposedly disabled.  When has Microsoft ever been truthful or straightforward?

Other aspects of the machine are good.  The fans run a fair amount of time but they seem to be around 3600 rpm, not 6000 as the other machine was doing.

I should probably disconnect the power and run it on battery for web browsing and videos, just to drain the battery and see how it performs.  This APU has a 55 to 75 W TDP, which isn't horrible, but it won't last long on battery at 55 Watts. 

Update 2026.05.21: The frame rate drop in Where Winds Meet still happens occasionally.  There is an option to use DirectX 12.  I'm not sure whether it will become better or worse, but I should give it a try. 

 Update 2026.05.24: I tried some system updates through MSI Center and it sent me to Windows Update, which handled the drivers but not the BIOS update.

Got part way through the BIOS update but it couldn't show me where the update was and I didn't want to cause a problem, so I stopped.

Also, I tried the Where Winds Meet DirectX 12 option and it's very slow to start, plus it has occasional glitches.

It's strange that occasionally, this machine is not as fast as the older machine.

Update 2026.05.27: Got an idea to go back to 1987 ways and installed the BIOS/UEFI update.  I got an older USB type A thumb drive with only 8 GB of storage.  Formatted it and only added the firmware update.  I removed all other USB devices, and charged the battery to 99%.  It was complaining that 74% might not be enough.  It would have been interesting to do that with floppy disks.  I thought about it.  I also considered that we sometimes used a debugger to go into RAM to change certain sequences and then, commit the changes to disk or diskette back then.  Remembering my Atari ST around 1989, a BIOS-level update required a new set of (E)PROMs.  I had some Russian (in Queens borough, NYC) making a physical change to the motherboard to allow 18 pin DIP RAM instead of 16 pin, and he decided to make some money and duplicate my PROMs and gave me a set of EPROMs instead.  Everything worked fine but it was shady.

Then, I got a screen about Bitlocker.  I can't say that I ever enabled Bitlocker, but when I was allowed into the recovery information, the previous computer also had Bitlocker enabled.  Microsoft needs to stop making decisions for me.  They're like the ransom bandits.

 Thankfully, I was able to jump through all of the hoops and now, the machine seems much more stable. 

Oh, here's something fun.  I checked e-mail and found that Newegg reduced the computer price another US$110 since I bought it a little over a week ago.  Of course, they won't even think of splitting the difference to give you a partial credit past 7 days.

 Besides that, the promotional 007 First Light game e-mail did not have the correct information. 

Machine and games are running much better since the update. 

Update 2026.05.29: Where Winds Meet went through a large update and it's working okay, and certainly better than the game was before the BIOS/UEFI update.  I'm not really noticing too many problems overall.  There are some audio glitches, but I'm sure that's a Microsoft problem since the recent updates.  If Microsoft is trying to push everyone to Linux, they should just go out of business. 

Update 2026.06.07: I went to Newegg to add a review.  I noticed some reviews that didn't even seem valid.  I wonder sometimes if Chinese companies have their promoters add fake reviews the way they talk down other equipment in Asia on social media.

 Anyway, it's still working just fine. 

 Update 2026.06.14: The 007 First Light promotion finally worked.  Apparently, the Nvidia app now takes the code that didn't look like the one in the format they outlined. 

Update 2026.06.22: I used the MSI Center app today and there was a driver update for Windows for the motherboard.  I went ahead and allowed it to happen, even though those stories of bricked machines was in my mind.  Everything is fine. 

Windows 11 Pro to SteamOS on a laptop computer? CachyOS to the rescue?

 For just more than two years, I've been running Windows 11 Pro on an ASUS ZenBook Pro.  With each update, the performance becomes worse.  The newest releases are invasive in the name of AI.  I have little interest in AI.  I've generally been using that computer for photo processing, gaming, and watching videos.  I have an M1 MacBook Air that is more capable for processing photos and videos from previous years.

I'm considering switching the ZenBook Pro to SteamOS, as I've found SteamOS on the Steam Deck to be quite capable with a keyboard and mouse.  I'm a little concerned that the combination of AMD 5800H and RTX 3050Ti may not be the best platform.

This week, I was reading that the latest Linux kernel has updated Nvidia drivers included.  I should probably wait for that kernel to be included in SteamOS.  Maybe obviously, SteamOS might run fine on the AMD 5800H and its inbuilt GPU but that GPU is far out of date and even had trouble with Unreal Tournament 2004.  I've been running much more intense graphics than that.

CachyOS seems to be the best choice for a Linux distribution that supports gaming AND Nvidia cards, although a few others like Nobara and Manjaro were mentioned.  I might just risk it.  I still have my MacBook Air but my Windows machine seems less capable because of Windows.  It was also running very hot today, while active CPU use was under 10%.

Update 2026.02.06: CachyOS looks like it's going to be a bit of "fun" to install.  I wonder if I should install Ubuntu or another easy distribution and then, install CachyOS.  I'm not quite as agile lately, and I don't want to make a huge error.  I've waited this long.  I can take more time to plan.

Update 2026.05.15: Well, that ZenBook Pro seems about to eat itself, overheating and such.  I've beaten the keyboard and that needs to be replaced.  Perhaps, after it gets some time to recover, I can install CachyOS without having to worry about not having a games machine. 

Update 2026.05.29: It's been two weeks since I was worried about one computer, and it's been a bit over a week since I've had an MSI Crosshair A16 HX as a replacement.

 It's a 16 inch class machine versus 15.6 but I don't really notice a difference, except that the display seems taller.  It's not quite 4:3 but it's definitely not 16:9.

 In any case, I put the ZenBook Pro on a shelf and haven't got CachyOS ready for installation yet.  I'm wondering if I need to have the keyboard replaced before a change or not.  I'm also wondering about some sort of Windows lock that will make this more difficult than it should be. 

Another Gaming Mouse Bites the Dust

 I can't really be this aggressive, can I?

I'm replacing my ASUS ROG Strix Impact III with a Steel Series Aerox 5.  It's been almost one year since I bought it to replace my Corsair M55 RGB Pro.  I broke the left mouse button entirely.  I blamed that on a combination of Genshin Impact and Honkai:Star Rail.

At the same time I bought the ASUS mouse, I bought a Steel Series Rival 3.  Each was around US$30, which isn't much, especially for a gaming mouse.  I've been using the Rival 3 on my M1 MacBook Air, even though the trackpad is excellent.  I have a few games I play and the whole set of buttons makes playing much easier.

A couple of weeks ago, Solo Leveling: Arise was updated and suddenly, it was taking me 3-5 clicks for a click to register.  I noticed that there was a visible lag in movement.  Using the Rival 3, I was still getting some of that, but not as much.  I don't expect anything like that to change because of the Aerox 5.  I'm not sure what the developers are doing, but maybe they haven't had enough sleep.

Being able to see inside the shell of the mouse is interesting.  I don't know that I needed something this fancy, but it was US$20 off and I hoped that it would be more durable.  However, I'm not likely to ever buy a mouse for over US$100.

 Back in 1991, I bought an IBM L40SX, which was an Intel 486SX (486DX without math coprocessor) laptop computer with just enough storage and RAM for Windows 3.0.  It was available on HSN for 25% of the original US$6000.  I bought a Logitech Trackman laptop trackball for about US$150 because there was nothing else at the time and it hung in the gap between the numeric keypad and the case.  Today, there are plenty of choices, and good trackpads are part of the laptop computer.

In any case, another little journey has started and I'll see how well this Aerox 5 performs.  I suspect it will be fine.  My other Steel Series products have been.

After trying it with a few games, including Solo Leveling: Arise, the Aerox 5 has been responsiveness than the previous mousies.  I had to change some settings on the side buttons because it's much to easy to tap the forward side button with my thumb.  It was sending the F3 key and changing settings while I was playing.  The mouse is a bit bigger than expected, but I'm sure that I will adapt.  The cable is sometimes a pain, but the responsiveness wouldn't be the same using a wireless mouse, especially one with an adapter using an extra port I don't have at the moment.

Update 2025.03.10: I seem to have damaged my laptop computer's keyboard, especially the "W" key.  This might be difficult to have replaced.  Maybe, when I take it for repair, they can substitute a gaming keyboard in  my Creator's machine.  It's been acting up for a while, mostly since I've put away Genshin Impact and picked up Solo Leveling: Arise.  If necessary, I can add a keyboard, but I don't really have room.  That's why I use a laptop computer. 

Update 2025.12.14: The Steelseries Aerox 5 is still great. My ASUS keyboard is inconsistent but mostly okay.  I got a Redragon half keyboard to be a substitute and take some pressure off the laptop's keyboard.  I chose Redragon because they seemed to have a lot of products AND they had software.  I've got another mouse from a Chinese company that's attached to my MacBook Air and it works fine, but there is no configuration software.

Like a Dragon Ishin!, Fate/Samurai Remnant rather than Assassin's Creed Shadows

 Maybe, from my name you can guess that I'm Japanese.  I'm fairly traditional in my likes and dislikes but I treat everyone with respect from the start.  Only the other person can reduce the respect I feel for them.

Ubisoft just pulled out of the Tokyo Game Show 2024, due to controversy over Assassin's Creed Shadows in Japan.

I have:

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• Assassin's Creed Unity

All of the Assassin's Creed games are boring to me.  Technically, they're well made but they could be churned out of the same game generator with different artwork.  Most of Ubisoft's games are similar.  I read someone's comment that the games have no soul.  They don't seem to lend any emotional attachment that I can see.

I wanted Shadows because it's the first one of that series on Mac.  Macs have had enough power for quite a few of the Ubisoft games but they didn't want to spend the money.  It's understandable.

I don't know every detail about the controversy but sticking to typical Japan from hundreds of years ago would be appreciated.  Apparently, they didn't care to do that.  Japan had enough trouble from Westerners hundreds of years ago.  Why create more?  Many tourists don't have respect, so why should a games company?

I saw a deal on Like a Dragon Ishin! Deluxe Edition, which puts you in the role of a Sakamoto, something I can handle most days.  For US$20 instead of US$60, I was quick to buy.  That was quicker than the uncertain man with his head bouncing down the castle stairs.

The really good thing is that it is certified for Steam Deck, which means it probably works well with some tweaking.  I wonder how the new processors from AMD will be next year.  I hope Valve is already designing for an upgraded Steam Deck with a Van Gogh replacement and OLED technology.  The current one I have is fine for many situations, but there are times when it drops because where it should be and I have to be patient.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of gameplanet.com, you're like me.  I've been shopping Steam, Humble Bundle, and Fanatical.  I finally took the Mac Game Store off my Mac.  Game Planet works with ASUS, which is my Windows 11 machine.

Update 2024.09.28: I just did something crazy.  I bought another samurai-era game: Fate/Samurai Remnant.  It's a Koei Tecmo game.  They're big on preserving a sense of history and they've been making huge games about old times in Asia, especially Three Kingdoms games.  I'm sure I saw that the latest was number 14 (XIV) just today.  In any case, I bought the Deluxe Edition for about US$49 instead of US$100.  When I see anything over $40, I have to think a while.  The credit union wanted me to think a while, as well, and asked me if I was really buying it.  I am concerned about fraud because my $10 Walmart gift card was used a couple of weeks ago about 40 miles from here.

When I started it, I started the Japanese version and it reminded me so much of being in Japan, I almost came to tears.  Sadly, I've been in the U.S.A. so long, my ability to read Japanese quickly is less than it needs to be.  Narration was amazing.

Also sadly, until now, I've never met a game that didn't use the Escape key to interrupt things and show an option for the menu or title screen.  Right-mouse button was unexpected.

I need to dedicate some time to playing both games.

Update 2025.03.23: Apparently, the AC Shadows game is working fine on game consoles.  I even saw something about it being "optimized" for Steam Deck.  However, for PC or Mac, it's not as playable.  On Mac, they say "Works on this M1 MacBook Air" which is suspicious.  I can't imagine that it's actually enjoyable at all, if it's having trouble on an M4 Max SoC.

 Of course, releasing a game is often the most important part and fixing it happens after they get the money.  That said, it may take the a year to clean it up.  Ubisoft is in no hurry.  Their games launcher always seems to have an update.  I have to wonder if they'll ever have it as stable.  It took Valve too long with Steam but it's quite good now.

 In any case, if you bought AC Shadows, enjoy it.

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 with every update.  Anything extra that they can eek out of Steam Deck would be appreciated.

Update 2024.12.28: At CES, there should be an announcement between Valve and Lenovo that the Legion Go will come in a SteamOS version.  Valve has been busy working on SteamOS to add drivers and such to make their distribution of Linux work for any handheld that works like the Steam Deck.

Steam Deck itself has been available in Australia for a bit, but it still has a long way to go.  The operating system is working well and many games run without major problems.  The minor problems often offset the problems that Windows has.

Update 2025.01.24: It has been a couple of days since I got a notice from Nintendo that the Switch 2 was being announced.  They didn't really go into enough detail about what it is.  I will guess that it isn't powerful enough because they always go less powerful than they should.  The extra port and the controller-as-a-mouse functionality is interesting.  However, after the number of portable gaming systems in the last few years, will it be enough?  Will the Switch 2 have enough power to play games without a Nintendo character, i.e. AAA games?

Waiting for Valve to do something about Steam Deck feels like being in the waiting room of a doctor who has bad news for you.  They might have cleaned up SteamOS 3.6 enough to calm down the problems.  They're not big enough to have a huge distribution network, so things are moving slowly.  By the time they have it under control, they'll probably announce Steam Deck 2.

I've been considering moving to SteamOS for my Windows 11 Pro laptop computer.  It takes so long just to get it to the login page, even though it's using an M.2 SSD.  The 24H2 update gave me hope and then, it's no better.

Update 2025.02.26: Valve's Steam Deck is three years old.  My Steam Deck is about two years old.  The device still doesn't have a major distribution network but sells well.  The company is working on a Steam console and apparently, another VR headset.  Is SteamOS enough to upset Windows?  The company is still working on a one-size-fits-all version of SteamOS to be installed almost anywhere.

I watched someone install a version of Red Hat's Fedora offshoot called Nobara.  There seems to be an Nvidia version that I could use, as well as a SteamOS version.  It started up like it was still 2004, but eventually booted into a SteamOS-looking interface, similar to when I use my Steam Deck with keyboard and mouse.

Update 2025.04.06: Guess what isn't going to arrive in the USA?  The Nintendo Switch 2 is being delayed, due to the tariffs from the White House. 

Update 2025.11.15: Valve announced Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and a second generation Steam Controller just recently.

 I've got the original Steam Controller (somewhere) and it's both really good and really bad, at the same time.  Hopefully, the new one will be amazing since they've learnt a lot from the Steam Deck usage.

Steam Machine is just a Linux-based box computer for Steam-based games.  Anything that runs on Steam Deck will run on Steam Machine, but FASTER.  Will it be as good as current Playstation or Xbox models?  It may not matter.

 Steam Frame is another matter.  The Valve Index was expensive and then, Apple made it look inexpensive.  I suspect that it only sold a few hundred times.  I would like a VR headset, especially one that has the processing inside it as Apple has done.  If they have the energy for it as they've had for Steam Deck, they might do well.  Samsung just introduced another entry into the market.

 Valve could really use a Steam Deck with much more processing power.  The AMD Escher variant was designed to replace the Van Gogh variant and they should be planning to use it. 

Update 2025.12.23: The LCD version of the Steam Deck is finished.  When supplies run out, they won't be sold any longer, except for refurbished models, I'd expect.

I wish that this meant that a follow-on product was in the works, but they seem to be allowing anyone and everyone to load SteamOS. 

Update 2026.02.25: The Steam Deck is four years old today.

 I waited a while to buy mine.  They had so many shortages and couldn't deliver for the longest time, so I waited.  Now, with AI servers needing RAM and storage, things are slowing to a standstill.

I saw the other day that AMD is not providing firmware updates for the Z1 or Z1 Extreme APUs and Lenovo made a similar announcement.  SteamOS seems a better bet but can they cover all AMD APUs? 

Killed my Corsair M55 RGB Pro playing Genshin Impact and more

 I'm a bit tough on my mouse.  Over the years, I've settled on Logitech Trackman Marble when I want to work.  I'm always a bit short on desk space.  Besides, that first Trackman that hung on the edge of my laptop computer keyboard in 1990 was something special.  It should have been for US$159.99.

These days, I wouldn't think of spending so much.  So, when I was having trouble with my Corsair M55 RGB Pro, I looked for something different.  Corsair has a lot of complaints, for whatever reason.  The iCue software was a pain and the mouse would just not connect at times.  Pulling the plug and re-inserting would get it going.  I chose it after having a disastrous end to my Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury mouse I had that suddenly stopped working.  I got it on sale at Target and with a Team Member discount + Red Card discount, it was a decent deal.

In any case, I've been having problems with the Corsair mouse since I started playing Genshin Impact.  The more intense the battles, the less it responded.  Then, last night, the left mouse button collapsed and broke.  I got out my trusty Trackman Marble and continued.

I had just ordered another mouse from Newegg--an ASUS ROG Strix Impact III mouse that wasn't expensive.  Obviously, it was going to take longer than I had. This morning, I walked to Walmart to pick up a SteelSeries Rival 3.

The Rival 3 is a decent mouse with a big light show.  It's small and light and the grip is good.  It's not only compatible with the Windows machine but with the Mac.  If I ever get a desktop setup for my Steam Deck, it might go well with that, also.  The price is right.

I can't imagine that I'd be happy spending $159.99 again and finding that my mouse was broken.   I'm sure that the expensive kind break, even if they do it less frequently.  The e-gamers certainly don't have to worry too much about spending that money once they're well known, right?

In any case, I'm back in business.  I need to remove the iCue software.  I already had the Steelseries software for one of their wireless game controllers, so it was easy to switch.  Hopefully, the Rival 3 can stand up to Genshin Impact's impact.

Update 2023.10.23: The ASUS mouse arrived and it's quite good, except that there is no application for settings.  The DPI setting uses a control on the underside of the mouse.

Update 2024.05.02: I downloaded ASUS Armoury Crate.  That has customization for the mouse.  I connected the Rival 3 to the MacBook Air, which already had SteelSeries software running for my wireless controller, the Nimbus+.  Both mice have been excellent.  Occasionally, I've had trouble with macOS Sonoma not seeing the mouse as a mouse but it's a rare occurrence.

Obviously, I don't have any eSports tournaments to win, so inexpensive mice are fine.  I also have a very large mouse pad that goes from the Mac to the Windows machine.

ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 OLED is here!

Imagine that a Ryzen 7-based 5800H laptop computer with OLED display is available.  Add 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, plus touch screen capabilities in just over 4 pounds for US$999.  I ordered one, an ASUS ZenBook Pro  UM535.  I've always felt that ASUS' laptop computers were an alternative to Apple, but it took me three recent tries to arrive at this one.

It isn't a gaming machine.  It is officially a creator's machine.  It only has a resolution of 1920x1080, but that's fine, considering the games that I will play, and the photos and video that I will edit.

What's wrong with the MacBook Air M1?  Nothing is really wrong with it, but I'm missing some games that I played daily on the Windows machine.  Sadly, a number of those games aren't playable on the Steam Deck, as well.

So, first impressions are:

Great display

Poor WiFi

Decent keyboard and trackpad

For US$1399.99. I would feel that the display was too much of the cost.  At the price I paid, it's a good machine.  It hasn't been 24 hours and I've had multiple instances of difficulty connecting to the router downstairs, even though my other devices aren't having a problem. I'm wondering if this is a Windows 11 thing, along with Intel's crappy compatibility in the WiFi department.

I haven't really pushed the machine, but Unreal Tournament 2004 and Asphalt 9 were smooth.  That should be the case with this hardware.

Bitlocker was enabled, even though I don't have the key.  I disabled it.  Besides, the SSD already has some encryption.

It also came with Alexa enabled.  I removed that and McAfee anti-virus.  Getting rid of the stickers could be more interesting.

Initially updating software is always a pain and of course, the WiFi connection didn't work during the updates, so I used my iPhone as a hotspot with T-Mobile 5G service to complete the updates.

It's been a year since I had a Windows machine and that 7th generation quad core i7 Omen by HP wasn't much faster than the 3rd generation i7 MacBook Pro.  This feels so much faster.  I want to say that it's smoother but Windows 11 feels broken so far.  None of the game launchers seem happy.

I connected my Corsair mouse and there was no mention of new hardware and it seems to be working without incident.  I had so much trouble with the iCue software, I'm not sure that I want to load it onto Windows 11.

Update 2022.12.10: Was searching for new Intel WiFi and Bluetooth drivers and the machine restarted.  It mentioned something about fTPM being corrupt, having a new CPU, and tried to use Windows Hello to check my face to log into the machine.  I freaked out a bit.  I couldn't access the internet and needed Microsoft Authenticator to authorize the login.  I couldn't use Microsoft Authenticator for some reason and it took me some time to find solutions.  It's all working again.

Update 2022.12.14: The machine is still working but the WiFi is still erratic.  For a company that sells routers and extenders, I'd think they'd be better.  I ran Windows 11 diagnostics and I've had some marginal improvement.  A new driver and diagnostics have helped but it just isn't all that reliable.  I'm wondering if Windows 11 has something to do with the problem.  I've seen a few comments about it being beta test quality.  It's just odd that the ZenBook Pro is the only device out of four that is having WiFi issues on the same household connection.

Games run well, whether they use the inbuilt Radeon technology or the mobile RTX 3050 Ti.

I did some research and the Ryzen 7 5800H and the Apple Silicon M1 don't seem that far apart in performance but the MacBook Air seems much faster in launching applications and switching web sites in a browser window.

 Update 2023.01.04: I got an e-mail from ASUS thanking me for taking the effort to write a review but that it did not follow their guidelines and was rejected.  I guess you can't tell people that the WiFi isn't working well and that it was the only one of four devices not staying connected.  Oops. 

Update 2023.01.21: Saw a report about Intel's WiFi hardware dropping connections in other machines.  It didn/t mention the Intel hardware I have but I wouldn't be surprised if all of their technology is just a bit sloppy.

I've moved to another room and my computer desk is pretty much right above the router, so I'm getting a better signal.

Windows update 22H2 was ready today and I confirmed that I wanted it installed.  Things don't seem different so far.  Hopefully, the bug fixes will make things better.  Windows 11 seems buggy.

Update 2023.06.04: I haven't seen a firmware update for a while and only occasional Windows updates, although a substantial feature update is due.

Machine is working well.  Fans kick in frequently while I'm playing Honkai: Star Rail and other recent games.  Graphics are good and OLED is sharp.  Keyboard is...meh.

Update 2024.09.09: Microsoft keeps pushing AI-related updates and each one seems to degrade performance of games and other high usage applications.  The machine itself is doing a great job.  The keyboard is still annoying.  They should have ditched the numeric keypad in order to have a better keyboard.

Update 2025.06.11: 2.5 years on the same Windows machine is amazing.  The other day, it didn't seem to be responding.  It's happened a few times but the power button didn't seem to work, either.  I didn't want to open it, but it makes me wonder if the heat is getting to it.  It's a Creator's machine, not a gaming machine.  (Trying telling me that processing video doesn't take a lot of power.) I have the fans set to start early, to avoid a meltdown.  The laptop cooler is working but may not be enough.

Windows updates are still a pain, but this last one may have made it less worse.

I looked at the ASUS ROG Zephryus G14 with an RTX 4060 and AMD 8945HS as a replacement.  It's a bit smaller, a bit more powerful, and it's made for gaming, so that the airflow should be improved, plus the AMD processor should be more efficient. 

Update 2026.05.24: Got a replacement about 1 week ago, an MSI Crosshair 16 HX with AMD Ryzen 9 8940 HX and Nvidia RTX 5060.  That's a step up, although not a big one.  The ZenBook Pro was starting to overheat a bit since I've been playing Where Winds Meet.  It doesn't help that Windows 11 performance has been going downhill with all the AI bits they're using whether you approve or not.

Since the Ryzen 9 8940 HX is three generations newer and has twice the number of cores, it should do much better and for the most part, it does.  The RTX 5060 is at the same position in the RTX lineup, but with 8 GB of GDRAM instead of 4 GB.

I'm not getting the best out of it yet\, and there is a BIOS update that may fix that, but the update procedure is a pain.

I updated the ZenBook without a problem.  I've updated many a machine without a problem.  MSI wanted me to jump through hoops.

In any case, the ASUS machine may have a second life as a Linux machine running CachyOS. 

iPhone 8 replacement will probably be available in spring 2020

As with me, a smaller group of people have been uncomfortable with larger and larger phones.  Years ago, the phablet was an unusual item--a phone too big to be considered a phone.  Now, it's commonplace, especially since iPhone X.  Samsung's Galaxy Note has been around for a while, but it still seemed a niche product.

The iPhone 8 has continued but has not truly been updated and of course, there would not be an iPhone 9.  As of the next spring (March/April 2020), there should be a replacement that could be called iPhone SE 2.  Given that the iPhone SE was based on the iPhone 5, but with more advanced internal hardware, it's easy to predict a similar treatment for the iPhone 8.  Whether the name will be used or not doesn't matter.  They could call it the iPhone 11 mini, for all I care.  Having the A13 processor and 3 GB of RAM seems worth the price of US$399/US$499 for 64 GB or 128 GB of storage.

I told Apple that, without a successor to the iPhone 8, I would consider switching back to Android.  There aren't many Android-based phones I like but Razer and Asus have phones strong enough to get my attention.  Whether I'll grind my teeth every time I read some security glitch or not, who knows?  After my Asus/Google Nexus 7 tablet never really was in sync with Android, I didn't feel great about using it and gave it to someone who clamored for a tablet.  He lost it within a month.  I've looked at the Razer Phone 2 for an alternative, if the iPhone 8 replacement doesn't happen.  Of all the Android-based phones, this one seems to come from a company that is enthusiastic about making something interesting.

It's been suggested that the iPhone 8 replacement will not be named SE 2 but iPhone 9.  That would suggest an end to the 4.7 inch display phones.

Update 2020.02.17: My iPhone 8 battery has been beaten regularly by iOS 13--lately 13.1.1--and it isn't recovering.  The battery health states that it the battery is at 83% of new capacity.  That's close to replacement time.  After nearly 2 years, that is understandable. I'm considering a replacement for the battery in my 256 GB over a new, more powerful phone with a new battery.  If they're still US$79, isn't worth the money, especially when no phone payments (one time or monthly) would be necessary for a while.  US$27.09 each month would be good to save.

Hopefully, the rumors are true and that there will be a media event on 31 March and the actual launch on the 3rd of April.

I've seen another rumor that it won't be a 4.7 inch display but a bigger display of over 5 inches.  That might suggest an edge-to-edge display, which isn't likely in a budget phone.

Update 2020.04.15: Tax Day is here and so is the iPhone 8 replacement, the iPhone SE.

US$399, $449, and $549 for 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB isn't too bad, especially since it's got the same processing unit as the iPhone 11.  The camera is somewhat different with some depth (of field) control.  How much is optical and how much is digital remains to be seen.

Considering how warn my battery is, better with 13.4.1 than earlier releases, but losing power quickly, it's probably better to put US$79 toward the $549 model, so I don't have to give up capacity.

Update 2020.05.22: Sprint just offered me a 18 month lease with $0.00 payments.  I ended up with the 256 GB model since I already have an iPhone 8 like that, and it cost me US$150 + tax up front.

This is possibly the first time since September 2000, when I wasn't with Sprint, that they offered me something better than expected.  That time, I got a Motorola StarTac for $9.99.

Not only was the monthly lease payment waived, but so was the $30 upgrade/activation fee.  We'll see what happens when I get the phone.  Still, it's a great deal compared to paying $79 for a battery swap on a two year old phone.  The latest reviews show that the processing power is better than most anything else on the market, expensive or inexpensive.

I posted something on Instagram and someone complained about my buying so much storage, saying that Apple should allow removable storage.  If there was a possibility of that working as well as internal storage, it would be expensive.  I've worked on a number of big iron systems that had something called Single Level Store--every drive was meant to work together as one.  That was the only time I saw a system work well with multiple, different kinds of drives, but they were all similar with a certain hardware interface, and there was no inbuilt, dedicated storage, so everything had to work together well.

I think I will be surprised at how good the new phone will be.

Update 2020.08.05: My iPhone 8 replacement, iPhone SE 2020, has been very good, just like the iPhone 8.  There isn't much difference, except for the processing power.  That is a good thing, and it was also good that I didn't have to replace a battery.  The price made it extra wonderful.

Anyone excited about Tegra Note 7?

This tablet is interesting but I'm not sure what to make of it.

It's just under $200, has a resolution of 1280x800, like the 2012 Google Nexus 7 but has the nVidia Tegra 4 processor, and uses a stylus.

It only has 16 GB of storage, which is not surprising at this price, but has a microSD slot for an additional 32 GB of removable storage that can certainly be used for music, photos, and video.

All-in-all, it looks like an enhanced version of last year's Nexus 7 tablet that had the rather problematic Tegra 3 processor.

Mind you, I liked the Nexus 7 when it worked well but that wasn't all that often, unfortunately.  Android 4.x has come a long way compared to version 2.x.  The performance was like a car speeding out of control with the brakes applied, released, applied, released.

There is no question about linking it to an HDMI-driven device such as a TV.  The output is there.

My only question is whether operating system updates will be continually available for a couple of years.  Since it's an EVGA product, not a Google product, will it have good backing, or will this be a one-off product that might be considered a mistake for the company?  Will nVidia provide support?

There are a few answers out there, but until it arrives and we see what happens, I'm a bit cautious.  It's slightly less expensive (US$30) than the 2013 Google Nexus 7 16 GB tablet, although that doesn't come with a stylus or a microSD slot.  However, support could prove invaluable.

I hope that nVidia has worked out the problems with their previous processor, which is another reason to be cautious.  When I tried the 2013 Nexus 7 the other day, it worked smoothly, unlike last year's version.

Still, a tablet that is made to use a stylus but doesn't force you to use it would be great, especially with the prices of the Samsung Note series.  Even more, if the tablet really is oriented toward gaming, it could be less problematic than an Ouya or nVidia Shield gaming system.

I'm not holding my breath.

Update 2013.11.21: I didn't hold my breath and I bought a 2013 Google Nexus 7 at a US$30 discount, which brought it to the same price as the Tegra Note 7, without the uncomfortable worries about whether another Tegra processor combination would be a flop.

Update 2014.01.17: At CES, nVidia described their Tegra K1 as something totally different from the previous Tegra SoC parts, basically implying that it was a winner, which means that the Tegra 4 and earlier SoC parts were losers.  Of course, the latest and greatest is always supposed to be the best, but while there are still products on the market, should you imply anything about problems that might be in the Tegra Note 7 or nVidia Shield products because of their SoC?

Update 2014.12.25: I wonder if they've sold more than a few thousand.  I don't hear anything about it now.  I half expected that Google would have introduced a replacement for the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet that I bought last year.  The Tegra Note 7 seemed a huge deal, and nothing seemed to happen.

Google Nexus 7 tablet impressions

A few weeks ago, around the 8th or 9th of July, I had the ticket in my hand to buy one of these.  Sam's Club had the 16 GB tablets and I took the last ticket for a walk.

US$249.99 seems a deal for a powerful tablet with a 1280x800 display, even if it doesn't have a card slot for external storage.  The 8 GB is too expensive at its current price, as it doesn't have enough storage available to the user.

I tried one of these on Friday at another Sam's Club and I was impressed.  Unlike previous tablets with Android, it had good hardware and good software, apparently.  It made me feel that it wasn't rushed to market, although some reports would suggest physical problems.

I still don't really care for the long and thin shape, but it was heavy enough that it might stay in my hand, even if it did feel a bit awkward.  When Apple's 7.85 inch tablet arrives, it's in for a big test against the Nexus 7.  Will the extra visual space make a difference?  7.85 inches for a tablet sounds a good size to me.  Given recent revelations about the shape of the next iPhone, will the smaller iPad have a long and thin shape, as well?

Since I've got an iPhone 4S, I don't feel a particular need to have an iPad.  If all things are (fairly) equal, I think I'd end up with a Nexus 7.  If Apple does some extraordinary magic, I'll be surprised.  Since the iPhone 4, the iPod touch has been less wonderful than it had been in the past.  Sure, they upgraded it and enhanced it, but less so than iPhone whereas, it had been the other way prior to that generation, with better speeds and more storage.

Apple, of course, still has over 60 % of the tablet market, and hasn't deployed it in every country imaginable, nor have they deployed their app store, which definitely helps sell the product.

Google itself has brought something to market that's very desirable, through ASUS.

7 inch tablets and the Google Nexus 7

Google announced an 8GB tablet this week for the excellent price of US$199.  It's a re-work of an earlier ASUS tablet and that's a good thing.  The tablet includes the nVidia Tegra 3 System-on-a-Chip and a 1280x800 resolution IPS display.  That's a lot for the price.

There is a rather huge drawback: 5.92 GB is all that's available from the 8 GB of storage.  Additionally, there is no microSD slot to hold your images and music.  Update: I almost bought the 16 GB version at Sam's Club for US$246 and change.  I held the ticket in my hand for quite a while to think about it.  In the end, I couldn't justify being early, especially when ASUS has a variable track record and Google isn't all that reliable in my eyes, either.  Besides, there would be some fanatic who would get there late and wouldn't be able to buy one since I took the last ticket.  I hope he/she enjoys it.

As someone who struggled with the LG Optimus and its paltry 170 MB of user available storage (and the numerous low storage warnings, even with the microSD card), I think those who buy the 8GB version of the Nexus 7 tablet will be returning it for the 16GB version.  I would.

I'm all for such a tablet and the extra US$50 won't really be that much, considering that not so long ago, it would cost US$100 to go from 8GB to 16GB of storage.

What holds me back is the 16:9 format of the tablet.  I was really hoping for a 7.75-7.85 inch tablet in the 4:3 format, as the current 7 inch (and 10 inch) tablets in 16:9 format are just uncomfortable.  Sure, they're made specifically to display movies well, but I won't be watching movies that much.  Ever see the digital copy for Google in the Blu-Ray/DVD package with digital copy?

I think the Nexus 7 is a good attempt at the first tablet and it obviously attacks Amazon.com's Kindle Fire and the Amazon App Store, which is probably more of a problem for Google than it is for Amazon.com.  Jeff Bezos was likely yelling at people this week but Amazon.com acts quickly and they'll likely get their act together and smack Google for what they've done.

I suspect the Kindle Fire will be revised quickly and better than ever.  Since Amazon.com already have stores in various countries other than the U.S.A., I can't imagine why they haven't managed to be more in electronic publishing of books, movies, music elsewhere.

If anyone is a loser in all of this, it's Acer.  They can't seem to design good products to save themselves.  Lenovo will probably overtake them.  Of course, if Apple announces a 7.75-7.85 inch tablet in September, Google and ASUS may be hurting, as well.