I'm late to this discussion, but I want to touch on something in the original article: the sleep function.

An instant sleep function was a make it-or-break it feature for me and my decision to get a Steam Deck. I've been using Nintendo portables for decades, back to the original Game Boy, and one of the best things Nintendo ever standardized on was instantaneous sleep and resume with the Nintendo DS. I am so relieved that Steam pulled it off with PC hardware - I didn't consider that a given, since PC hardware is such an astonishing stew of features and functionality. Being able to instantly sleep a game and pop right back in whenever is more convenient is not only a great feature for me, it's wonderful for my kids. It makes managing their gaming time so much simpler and less contentious, because they know their game is waiting for them, undisturbed, the next time they are able to play. It's like night-and-day when compared to most PC gaming, or other consoles.

My pre-order for the Steam Deck is in the Q2 window, and I'm looking forward to it.

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Space Invaders got an official remake for its 30th anniversary as "Space Invaders Extreme" for the Nintendo DS and PSP, and that game is incredible (I have it for the DS). Looks like it was brought to Steam a few years back as well:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/744050/Space_Invaders_Extreme/ [External Link]

The graphics are more deliberately in keeping with the original '70s style, but the gameplay is updated with a lot of new features that compliment the original style.

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Quoting: slaapliedje

Quoting: GuestI would look at this or System 76.

So System76's stuff is specific for Linux. Framework is kind of an 'also runs...' BUT (and I give this as a big but), it sure seems they are very open to supporting it, and maybe selling some pre-installed. To me, if I was looking for a generic laptop to run Linux on and wasn't looking for portable gaming; I'd buy a Framework, because of the engineering! If they ever get upgradable GPUs, it'll be a mythical beast!

I have been looking at System76 machines for a long time, too. The Framework especially appeals to me because I'll keep a laptop or computer in service for a long time, replacing and upgrading as much as I can over the years. Old Thinkpads are fantastic for that; even the newer ones are still much more serviceable than most any other laptop line on the market. But the Framework looks to be designed from the ground up around the idea.

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When the time comes to get a new laptop*, a Framework is at the top of my list. I continue to be impressed by what I read of the hardware and the support. I hope they stick around.

* It may be a long time, because what I have right now runs great, even as it approaches 3 years since I purchased it.

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Quoting: JSVRamirezI hope they're smart enough not to advertise it as working on the SteamDeck; it's a first class ticket to Nintendo sending a C&D.

At least in the United States, emulators are legal, as long as they don't make use of code from the original implementation. There wouldn't be such a huge proliferation in emulator software if it weren't, and classic titles offered for sale on the Switch even use open source emulators. How you obtain your game/ROM files to run using those emulators is where legality comes into question.

I'm a big user and fan of the Dolphin emulator to play my collection of Gamecube and Wii games on my devices, and mGBA for the same purpose with Game Boy and GBA games. I'm looking forward to installing both on a Steam Deck.

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I'm impressed that they were able to use the same engine (obviously with continuing development) for commercial releases across so many years and such a wide range of architectures.

Plus, good on them for opening up the source code. That's a kind and generous move.

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I've played through the introductory portion so far, so I've only gotten far enough that I can begin exploring the planets. So far, I'm enjoying it. The characters have a lot of charm, the UI works well, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

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I'm a little sad that it'll be another 18 months or so until a final release. But, the company has a good track record, is communicating well with its backers, and I would prefer a good game finished late rather than a rushed, lesser version. It'll remain something to look forward to further out on the calendar.

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Quoting: scaineYou're right about the expense, so I think the trick is that you make sure that it's not "sparsely used". And if you think it's a gimmick, then you'll never spend that kind of money, I agree. I usually find that people who call VR a gimmick though just haven't tried VR on a modern headset. If if you have, and you still think it's a gimmick, I don't know what to say!

I've tried an Oculus Quest 2 in standalone mode, played the Beat Saber demo and a Star Wars game. The controls for Beat Saber were excellent, but I was surprised at the poor uality of the display(s?) - the graphics were very fuzzy, and looked more like what I get on my Nintendo Wii (yes, I still use mine).

I realize that the Quest 2 is at the bottom of the heap in terms of its price. I would hope that a Valve Index would look substantially better, but I don't have the money to upgrade/rebuild my computer for that, and that's even before the cost of the VR hardware.

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This has been on my radar for a while. I know people who have been playing and loving this on the Switch. I haven't yet experimented with additional Proton builds, so thank you for adding the instructions for installing Proton GE.

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