Quoting: PsyringeDoes that mean I can play Skyrim with mods natively soon?

You can already play Skyrim with mods - either by installing them manually, or via the creation club, or using Mod Organizer 2.

MO2 has a Linux installer now which makes it a cinch to install:
https://github.com/rockerbacon/modorganizer2-linux-installer [External Link]

And you can also use SteamTinkerLauncher too, but that just adds a lot more complexity IMO.

As for the new Nexus Mods app, it's a long way away before it's ready for Skyrim - it's missing several key features essential for a mod manager, such as load order and conflict management, and without those features IMO it makes the current Nexus app kinda pointless, because you might as well just install the mods manually (and if you're on Linux, it's easy enough to switch between mods/backups using btrfs snapshots or reflinks).

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Quoting: GuestThere are also many demos for the Switch, unlike on Steam, where developers often take them down as soon as the game is finished.

That's not always the case though. For instance, most recently I tired out the Dragon's Dogma 2 trial on Steam, and before that I played Shadow of the Tomb Raider. And right now I'm trying out Middle Earth Shadow of War.

But yes, many games don't have trial/demos available which is unfortunate, but luckily Valve are good with refunds - they'll refund you any game if you've played it for less than two hours and within 14 days of purchase, and they can still make an exception and refund you if you've got a legitimate reason. I've never had a refund request rejected so far (there were a couple of games that I barely touched and forgot about them and went way past the 14-day period, but Valve refunded them).

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Quoting: GuestI use my Deck docked most of the time and have considered selling it, but I just can't part with SteamOS and its immediate suspend/wake-up. Not sure what I'd replace it with.

Most AMD handhelds, coupled with gaming-oriented Linux distros (Bazzite, ChimeraOS, CachyOS etc) do the immediate suspend/wake-up thing without any issues. I've tested this with a friend's Legion Go briefly and also do this daily on my GPD Win Mini and never ran into issues. So if you're thinking of upgrading, there are plenty of options these days - you no longer need the Deck/SteamOS to get a Deck-like like experience.

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Quoting: sonic2kkAlthough I still like my Steam Deck and use it a few times a week, after the initial honeymoon period wore off (which admittedly took a good year) my Arch Desktop PC has certainly dethroned it. There's something that is just so much nicer for those long 8hr+ gaming sessions on a Desktop versus my Steam Deck. For short bursts the Steam Deck is nice but when I want to play a game I don't reach for my Steam Deck by default anymore.

Plus being able to tab out of my game and use Discord on one of my other screens is nicer than grabbing my phone to do the same. At this point I am too used to my 4-monitor setup and multitasking that the Steam Deck ends up feeling restrictive after some time.

When it's warm though it is nice to grab my Steam Deck and stream from my PC to a TV in a cooler room. It's easier to put a controller down and grab my phone than to put my Steam Deck down and grab my phone.

But although I do like my Steam Deck, to me it's an accessory more than anything else. Like a phone or a laptop, nothing can replace my everything-PC for my use-cases.

Actually at time of writing, I haven't charged my Steam Deck in over a week...

I'm the exact opposite here. Although I'm talking about the GPD Win Mini 2024 running CachyOS and not the Deck. After I got the Win Mini, I've almost stopped playing on my desktop, becuase the Win Mini allows me to comfortably game from my bed and couch, which I prefer over sitting on a chair. Like, I work in IT, and after a full day of sitting in front of a PC at work, I really do not have the energy or motivation to do it again at home. I used to back when I was still young, but not any more - to the point that I just hate the thought of having to sit in a chair in front of the PC, it just feels so... laborious, as if I'm at work again. I hate that feeling. Anyways, my Win Mini can handle pretty much every game I throw at it, and unlike the Deck, it's physical keyboard comes in real handy for playing certain games or when messing around with Linuxy stuff. And it's performance is way, way better than the Deck (especially on CachyOS with Zen4).

The only time I actually use my desktop is when I'm playing multiplayer games and I need to be my best and take it seriously (which would imply getting up from bed and actually assuming a proper posture and use proper gaming gear), which I do so once every weekend. Otherwise, rest of the time I'm playing on my Win Mini and it's been an awesome experience so far running CachyOS Handheld Edition optimised for Zen 4 CPUs.

The Win Mini actually made be buy more Steam games this Summer Sale and actually brought me back into regular gaming, just like how the Switch brought me back into gaming when it first came out. So props to Valve and all these handheld device makers for bringing PC gaming to the couch.

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