Steam Deck, ROG Ally and more: all the news about the handheld PC revolution - T...
source link: https://www.theverge.com/22579493/valve-steam-deck-gaming-handheld-pc
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.
Filed under:
Steam Deck, ROG Ally and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution
By Jay Peters
Share this story
In July 2021, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, a Switch-like handheld device that lets you play your Steam games on the go. The device is packed with features, including a huge variety of control options, a 7-inch touchscreen, the ability to connect to external displays, and a quick suspend / resume feature so that you can pause your games and pick them up where you left off. The device began shipping in February 2022 starting at $399.
In our initial review, Sean called the Deck a “glorious mess,” but things soon improved. With an unprecedented degree of support from Valve and the help of the gaming community, it became one of The Verge’s favorite gadgets of 2022. Nearly a year after launch, we explained how no other company has anything quite like it — although a few are trying, like Asus with the upcoming ROG Ally and Ayaneo — and increased our review score. Here’s our latest interview with Valve about what’s next.
We’ve been keeping a close eye on the Steam Deck, and you can read all of our coverage of it and upcoming rivals here.
- PinPINNED
Jan 19
The Steam Deck wasn’t born ready, but it’s ready now
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeThe Steam Deck is my favorite gadget of 2022. I have no hesitation in recommending it anymore. The kind of person who would buy one should buy one. My only question: are you that kind of person?
Read Article >In February of last year, I truthfully wrote that the Steam Deck wasn’t ready, and I stand by every word of that review. But it’s ready now. And while it’s still not finished, and may never be finished, Valve has spent nearly a year and over 100 updates showing that an early access game console can actually be worth money. Valve has finally succeeded in proving doubters wrong about Linux, creating a gadget that’s spent 35 weeks atop the Steam bestseller list and attracted support from Sony, Microsoft and more. In my eyes, this was a triumph: a dark horse that will shape the gaming landscape for years to come.
Apr 21
AMD is quietly arming an entire new wave of Steam Deck competitors
AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series will apparently add some lower power chips for handhelds.Image: AMD via AokzoeYou’ve obviously heard of the Steam Deck, and perhaps Asus drew your attention to the upcoming ROG Ally with its not-an-April-Fools’-joke. But that’s apparently just the tip of the iceberg for AMD-powered Steam Deck rivals, which have at least four handhelds based on slivers of silicon the chipmaker has yet to reveal.
Read Article >One of the reasons we got so excited about the Asus ROG Ally is that Asus hinted it might be the first handheld since Steam Deck to offer a custom part specifically tuned for portables — and a growing body of leaks suggests that collaboration with AMD is called the Ryzen Z1.
Apr 14
I still don’t trust you, Asus.The company says the ROG Ally, its handheld gaming PC that actually wasn’t an April Fool’s joke, will be releasing worldwide “sooner than you expect,” but I’m still mad about the April Fools’ Day shenanigans. Fingers crossed it actually launches in the near future, though.
Apr 13
Valve will magically free up space on your Steam Deck.Did you know the Steam Deck downloads pre-cached shaders from Valve’s servers so games launch faster? It’s awesome — but they can take up a bunch of room on your SSD. Hear this: PCGamer confirmed with Valve (via Phoronix) that those caches are about to shrink by 60 percent.
It won’t shrink cutscenes and intro videos that Valve has to transcode for legal and technical reasons, though.
Apr 13
Microsoft is experimenting with a Windows gaming handheld mode for Steam Deck-like devices
A prototype game launcher for Windows.Image: h0x0d (Twitter)Microsoft is exploring early concepts around a Windows handheld mode for devices like the Steam Deck. A leaked video posted on Twitter by h0x0d shows early concept and prototype work for an optimized Windows 11 UI for handhelds, and a launcher and Windows gaming shell that’s designed for touchscreens and controllers.
Read Article >The video is part of a hackathon project inside Microsoft from September, where employees regularly present ideas or projects that sometimes end up getting support from Microsoft executives and end up shipping.
Apr 12
You can now play all of Half-Life: Alyx without a VR headset.And it’s all thanks to the new “NoVR” mod.
Friend of The Verge Cameron Faulkner wrote about the experience, and after reading his article, I really want to try it out, especially since I still haven’t actually played the game. The mod apparently even works on Steam Deck!
Apr 11
We’re nearly halfway through 2023 and I still confuse the Stream Deck and Steam Deck.Does anyone else have this issue? I swear I skim right over the all important r every time I am discussing these products. My colleague Chris Welch, meanwhile, has another suggestion. He’d like someone to make a Stream or Steam Dock. I’m personally very grateful Steam didn’t think of this when they made their Steam Deck dock.
- Master Chief Collection on Deck.
Microsoft’s Halo team announced that Halo: Master Chief Collection is now playable on the Steam Deck. Since the Steam Deck’s launch, MCC was one of a handful of games that weren’t working due to issues with the Easy Anti-Cheat software.
In our burning questions interview with Valve last December, welearned the company spent six months working on Halo Infinite compatibility and was actively working on MCC as well.
The Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC is real, not an April Fools’ joke
Considering the date on the calendar and the lack of a price or other details, my first response to Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) surprise-announcing a handheld gaming machine was that this must be an April Fools’ Day prank.
Read Article >Still, this Asus ROG Ally launch video was just a little too good to simply shake off — the link to Best Buy and the use of real games like High on Life, Moving Out, and WRC Generations seemed unusual for a prank, and now we know why. After waiting a couple of days, Asus has confirmed it is a real device (well, as real as a product can be without a launch date, detailed specs, or price) and says gamers can sign up with Best Buy for details on when preorders will start.
- The Asus ROG Ally handheld is real and aimed directly at the Steam Deck.
After an odd April Fools’ Day tease, Asus confirmed the ROG Ally is coming out someday. Dave2D got hands-on time with a prototype and reports it will be a global release, but with no word on the battery or price.
But the most important element is the custom-designed AMD Ryzen APU inside, which is a major strength of Valve’s Steam Deck that other portable PC gaming machines haven’t been able to match until now.
Mar 28
Maybe don’t buy The Last of Us on PC yet?Sony has broken its streak beautifully bringing its biggest games to PC. The Last of Us just arrived on Steam and 67% of user reviews are negative. Beyond crashes and excessive VRAM use, it’s not Steam Deck Verified and doesn’t run well there, despite game creator Neil Druckmann’s tweet last December suggesting it would “grace” the portable.
Guess that’s why Sony didn’t send journalists review codes until today!
Mar 28
Dolphin, the fantastic GameCube and Wii emulator, is coming to Steam.Sure, you could download Dolphin for free any number of ways — but this one should make it that much easier for, say, Steam Deck owners to experience. (While saying nothing of the sort, the announcement comes with a low-resolution 16:10 screenshot to tease such possibilities.)
ETA: Q2 2023. Price: free.
Coming Soon: Dolphin on Steam![Dolphin Emulator]
Mar 16
The Steam Deck and Steam’s Big Picture Mode now support custom startup movies.It got a little buried in my story about how the Steam Deck is on sale for the first time ever, so just want to make sure you see! You can use them with your desktop too when you launch Big Picture Mode.
Steam’s Points Shop now includes 20 custom startup movies.Mar 16
The Steam Deck is on sale for the first time ever
Valve’s Steam Deck portable gaming PC.Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeIt’s been just over a year since Valve launched its Steam Deck portable gaming PC — and it’s just now going on sale.
Read Article >Until March 23rd at 10AM PT, you can get a Steam Deck for 10 percent off in every region where it’s sold, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In the US, that translates to $359.10 for 64GB, $476.10 for 256GB, or $584.10 for the 512GB model, before tax, with free shipping.
Mar 15
One does not simply build an OLED Steam Deck.Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais tells PC Gamer that a new screen is not exactly a “drop-in” or “incremental” upgrade. Is he hinting we won’t see a mid-cycle refresh like Nintendo did when it introduced the Nintendo Switch OLED?
Valve’s Steam Deck designers told me months ago that screen and battery are the pain points they’d most like to address in an eventual sequel.
Feb 22
I wouldn’t trade my $400 Steam Deck for this $1,300 Ayaneo 2
The Ayaneo 2, in white.Photo by Sean Hollister / The VergeI keep hearing that the Ayaneo 2 is effectively a Steam Deck Pro. The suggestion seems to be: if only it didn’t cost twice as much, it might be the better pick.
Read Article >On paper, the Ayaneo 2 does seem better! It’s smaller yet houses a more powerful processor, a bigger battery, and a higher-resolution 1920 x 1200 screen. It comes with Hall Effect joysticks and triggers that aren’t liable to drift, RGB lighting, a fingerprint reader, and a larger, bigger capacity, easier-to-replace SSD. It has not one, not two, but three USB-C ports, two of which have USB 4.0 speeds and which let you charge from the top or bottom while plugging in both a keyboard and mouse at the same time. It comes with Windows instead of Linux for compatibility with more games. The company’s product page is a love letter to geeks like me.
Feb 19
The Steam Deck now supports game transfers from PCs
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeThe Steam Deck now supports game transfers on your local network, allowing you to copy installed games from your PC to the Steam Deck without having to redownload them over the internet. This feature, which comes bundled with the Steam Deck beta update released last week, should help reduce the amount of internet data you use, especially if you find yourself frequently redownloading hefty games to your handheld.
Read Article >To gain access to the feature, you first have to enable Steam’s beta on both the Steam Deck and the Steam client on your PC. From there, select the game you want to install on your Steam Deck, and Steam will automatically check to see if any PC on your network already has the game. If it finds one, Steam will begin the game transfer process.
Feb 13
Atomic purple? Yes please.I almost wish I’d waited before buying JSAUX’s excellent transparent heatsink backplate for my Steam Deck...because it now comes in better colors, too! Oh BTW: don’t do the RGB mod yet.
Framework now sells 2TB Steam Deck upgrade drives
Ready to open up my Steam Deck.Photo by Sean Hollister / The VergeGame recognizes game. Framework, maker of the modular Framework Laptop, is now stocking a part for the other easily repairable portable PC that’s been making headlines — Valve’s Steam Deck. You can now buy a 2TB SSD upgrade from the company, and it might be the easiest way to do so yet.
Read Article >See, while it’s fairly easy to replace the Steam Deck’s SSD, it’s not quite as easy to buy the right parts. The Steam Deck uses the smallest kind of modular SSD — the M.2 2230, which measures just 30mm long — and it’s only designed to fit a single-sided one, which has flash memory chips on one side.
- The Steam Deck is finally a true gaming PC.
All it took was RGB LEDs.
(And a JSAUX transparent backplate, and a M0 microcontroller, and competent soldering skills, and 1-3W drain on the Deck’s battery... instructions here.)
This Steam Deck is spittin’ rainbows.Photo by u/WUBBSY (Reddit) - Updated Steam? Now try pressing that little “expand window” button at the upper right.
Steam’s new Big Picture Mode has made it to the stable ring at last, giving you a way more responsive way to select PC games from your couch, touchscreen, or with a Windows portable like the Ayaneo 2 I’m trying right now. It basically gives you the Steam Deck UI on your PC.
Jan 25
Debunk: Game developers did NOT just say they’re “unsure” about the Steam Deck.PCGamesN has already deleted its story (and tweet) but just to be clear, the GDC survey in question was from an entire year ago, before the Deck even went on sale.
GDC’s new survey just came out last week. While it doesn’t ask about the Deck, a majority of developers say PC is the platform they’re most interested in — just like they did last year.
Jan 24
My favorite new Steam Deck mod is this $30 see-through heatsink backplate
A see-through Steam Deck, with JSAUX’s backplate.Photo by Sean Hollister / The VergeSilly me.
Read Article >I thought I was buying JSAUX’s transparent backplate for the Steam Deck for the bragging rights. Transparent gadgets are fun! But you know what’s cooler than seeing inside your Steam Deck? Having a Deck that runs cooler, too.
Jan 23
Dbrand Nintendoes what Valve Nintenwon’t
It looks exactly like this, says Dbrand, “blurred mosaic” logo and all.Image: DbrandI imagine you have questions.
Read Article >In no particular order:
- Transferring games between PCs (and Steam Decks) is about to get easier.
Why re-download a game on Steam Deck if you’ve already got it installed on another PC? Valve has been asking itself that question, too! SteamDB noticed it’s working on a feature where you can transfer games directly over LAN, saving time and/or your data cap.
Steam’s existing vestigial backup feature didn’t work well with Deck; can’t wait to do this instead.
Pagination
Page 1 of 5Recommend
About Joyk
Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK