Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was playing
Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how big it is.

That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+ interested.

On Sat, 8 Oct 2022 11:24:34 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was playing
>Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how big it is.

Yeah, it's an impressive beast. They were obviously going for the
"Nintendo Switch" design but you can't fit that much power into such a
slim case. It's a capable enough device and impressive that they
managed to get it so small, but I can't imagine using it for more than
fifteen minutes at a stretch (even if it weren't so cumbersome, just
the thought of having to stare down at such a tiny screen for any long
period of time gives me a crick in the neck).

>That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+ interested.

The SteamDeck, like VR, seems more gimmick than something I'd
regularly use. But - also like VR - I'm not sure my opinion is
representative of the market as a whole.

I mean, I could see myself getting a SteamDeck, but I know that
ultimately it would be tossed to the side in favor of my big PC. I'd
use it semi-regularly for the first few months, lugging the chunky
deck with me everywhere and marveling that I can play "real" computer
games on the go... but six months down the line it would be collecting
dust. And - having enough gewgaws already collecting dust in the
closet (hi, PS Vita!) - it seemed better just to save the cash for a
faster GPU or more RAM.

But I get that gaming is moving ever more towards a mobile philosophy
- both in regards to technology and the game design itself - and have
accepted that my preferences on how and when to play video games (big
screen, long sessions) is going to become increasingly marginalized.
Whether I like it or not, SteamDeck is probably the way of the future.

Good thing I have a huge library of old-school games then, right? ;-)

On 08/10/2022 18:42, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Sat, 8 Oct 2022 11:24:34 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was playing
>> Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how big it is.
>
> Yeah, it's an impressive beast. They were obviously going for the
> "Nintendo Switch" design but you can't fit that much power into such a
> slim case. It's a capable enough device and impressive that they
> managed to get it so small, but I can't imagine using it for more than
> fifteen minutes at a stretch (even if it weren't so cumbersome, just
> the thought of having to stare down at such a tiny screen for any long
> period of time gives me a crick in the neck).
>
>> That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+ interested.
>
> The SteamDeck, like VR, seems more gimmick than something I'd
> regularly use. But - also like VR - I'm not sure my opinion is
> representative of the market as a whole.
>
> I mean, I could see myself getting a SteamDeck, but I know that
> ultimately it would be tossed to the side in favor of my big PC. I'd
> use it semi-regularly for the first few months, lugging the chunky
> deck with me everywhere and marveling that I can play "real" computer
> games on the go... but six months down the line it would be collecting
> dust. And - having enough gewgaws already collecting dust in the
> closet (hi, PS Vita!) - it seemed better just to save the cash for a
> faster GPU or more RAM.
>
> But I get that gaming is moving ever more towards a mobile philosophy
> - both in regards to technology and the game design itself - and have
> accepted that my preferences on how and when to play video games (big
> screen, long sessions) is going to become increasingly marginalized.
> Whether I like it or not, SteamDeck is probably the way of the future.
>
> Good thing I have a huge library of old-school games then, right? ;-)
>

I tend to be in the same boat. To me gaming is something I do sitting
down in front of the computer and not when on the move*. That's how I
started gaming and I don't see it changing any time soon. Even the Steam
controller I bought has seen very little use partially because of the
above reasons and partially because I just much prefer a keyboard +
mouse for the games I play.

*That's not quite true as I do play some mobile games but they are
almost always ones you can spend five to ten minutes on and then do
something else. SO they are really just time fillers.

Am 08.10.22 um 12:24 schrieb JAB:
> Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was playing
> Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how big it is.
>
> That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+
> interested.
>
Have one since april great device, especially if paird with an NReal Air!
Basically has become my gaming pc of choice.
Cheaper than a new GPU :-)

On 19/10/2022 16:58, Werner P. wrote:
> Am 08.10.22 um 12:24 schrieb JAB:
>> Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was
>> playing Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how
>> big it is.
>>
>> That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+
>> interested.
>>
> Have one since april great device, especially if paird with an NReal Air!
> Basically has become my gaming pc of choice.
> Cheaper than a new GPU :-)
>

Have you got a docking station and if so what's it like using it as a
'standard' PC i.e. browsing, e-mail, NG's (obviously) etc.?

Am 20.10.22 um 13:02 schrieb JAB:
> On 19/10/2022 16:58, Werner P. wrote:
>> Am 08.10.22 um 12:24 schrieb JAB:
>>> Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was
>>> playing Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just how
>>> big it is.
>>>
>>> That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+
>>> interested.
>>>
>> Have one since april great device, especially if paird with an NReal Air!
>> Basically has become my gaming pc of choice.
>> Cheaper than a new GPU :-)
>>
>
> Have you got a docking station and if so what's it like using it as a
> 'standard' PC i.e. browsing, e-mail, NG's (obviously) etc.?
I have a third party docking station, but basically any USB-C hub will do.

Standard PC, basically fine. You are in Desktop mode, but have in mind
you have to switch manually to it before being in it.

And then you have a run of the mill linux with one caveat.
The System is basically root locked, so whatever you install it has to
be in user space not root space. Flatpak in this case is the installer
of choice and whatever is in the Flatpak repo can be installed with a
single click.

Desktop is basically a standard KDE desktop.

I can recommend if you are interested in that aspect to search for a few
youtube videos, they will give you a good impression.

The external monitor in desktop mode is basically registered as second
monitor and you can adjust the monitor configuration in the kde settings.

On 20/10/2022 15:17, Werner P. wrote:
> Am 20.10.22 um 13:02 schrieb JAB:
>> On 19/10/2022 16:58, Werner P. wrote:
>>> Am 08.10.22 um 12:24 schrieb JAB:
>>>> Well that's the first time I've actually seen one (somebody was
>>>> playing Vampire Survivors on the train) and I didn't realise just
>>>> how big it is.
>>>>
>>>> That kinda makes me more interested in it but probably not £400+
>>>> interested.
>>>>
>>> Have one since april great device, especially if paird with an NReal
>>> Air!
>>> Basically has become my gaming pc of choice.
>>> Cheaper than a new GPU :-)
>>>
>>
>> Have you got a docking station and if so what's it like using it as a
>> 'standard' PC i.e. browsing, e-mail, NG's (obviously) etc.?
> I have a third party docking station, but basically any USB-C hub will do.
>
> Standard PC, basically fine. You are in Desktop mode, but have in mind
> you have to switch manually to it before being in it.
>
> And then you have a run of the mill linux with one caveat.
> The System is basically root locked, so whatever you install it has to
> be in user space not root space. Flatpak in this case is the installer
> of choice and whatever is in the Flatpak repo can be installed with a
> single click.
>
> Desktop is basically a standard KDE desktop.
>
> I can recommend if you are interested in that aspect to search for a few
> youtube videos, they will give you a good impression.
>
> The external monitor in desktop mode is basically registered as second
> monitor and you can adjust the monitor configuration in the kde settings.
>

It was just something I was thinking about in terms of price so maybe I
should consider it as my PC + a mobile device for playing games.
Admittedly it's going to be quite a few years before I do my next upgrade.

Am 21.10.22 um 11:35 schrieb JAB:
>
> It was just something I was thinking about in terms of price so maybe I
> should consider it as my PC + a mobile device for playing games.
> Admittedly it's going to be quite a few years before I do my next upgrade.

Not sure if anyone seriously is using the Deck for productivity purposes.

The form factor does not lend to it, and neither really the locked root
(which you can break out, but the next major os update will overwrite
your root changes) except for tasks which can be done on a chromebook as
well.

On 21/10/2022 12:11, Werner P. wrote:
> Am 21.10.22 um 11:35 schrieb JAB:
>>
>> It was just something I was thinking about in terms of price so maybe
>> I should consider it as my PC + a mobile device for playing games.
>> Admittedly it's going to be quite a few years before I do my next
>> upgrade.
>
> Not sure if anyone seriously is using the Deck for productivity purposes.
>
> The form factor does not lend to it, and neither really the locked root
> (which you can break out, but the next major os update will overwrite
> your root changes) except for tasks which can be done on a chromebook as
> well.
>

I honestly don't use my PC for productivity tasks but instead, playing
games, browsing and e-mail. That really is it.

On Sat, 22 Oct 2022 10:59:54 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

>I honestly don't use my PC for productivity tasks but instead, playing
>games, browsing and e-mail. That really is it.

I think the only productivity tasks I do with my computer are my taxes
and keeping track of what is going in and out of my checking account
with Excel. Other then that, it is all recreational.

On 22/10/2022 12:42, Mike S. wrote:
> On Sat, 22 Oct 2022 10:59:54 +0100, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
>
>> I honestly don't use my PC for productivity tasks but instead, playing
>> games, browsing and e-mail. That really is it.
>
> I think the only productivity tasks I do with my computer are my taxes
> and keeping track of what is going in and out of my checking account
> with Excel. Other then that, it is all recreational.

My understanding is that in the US the whole doing your tax return is a
lot more common than than in the UK where it tends to be limited to the
self-employed and those with a number on investment vehicles which
aren't the ones that have been set-up to be non-taxable in the first
place. Even then the common thing to do is you pay someone who
understands tax law to do it for you.

We've even made the whole giving to charity is tax deductible at lot
easier by something called gift aid. Basically if you make a donation to
charity you just tick a box and the charity can claim back the standard
rate of income tax.

Quite a few years back the government did flirt with saying that all
higher tax rate payers had to do a tax return but after a few years they
realised that was a waste of time as all they'd done is drag a lot of
pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) people into the tax system for no good reason
except to fill forms which then had to be processed.

As for the checking account (I had to look up what that was as we call
them current accounts), I just do that online.

Phew, that turned out to be a longer post than I expected just to say,
same here!