idgaf
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Post by idgaf on Aug 20, 2022 13:44:44 GMT
Thanks for the replies chaps, especially the links Ernie, its useful information. It's given me more to think about and reassured me a bit.
EDIT - do you think that there might be future titles that wills ay they can only run from the SSD? On my Series X it says some titles have to be installed on the internal NVME rather than my external drives to be played (even the fast drive I have).
Partly (a large partly), I think my interest in this is a bit of retail therapy. The world feels so fucked at the moment that having something to look forward to feels like a salve. But it's a hell of a chunk of therapy. I'm trying to justify it by saying that I'll be 'saving' money if I can get gamepass working and by getting games in steam sales rather than on Switch. |
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Tomo
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Post by Tomo on Aug 20, 2022 13:57:10 GMT
Doubt it. Speeds are pretty comparable between SSD and SD cards in the Deck.
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Post by One_Vurfed_Gwrx on Aug 20, 2022 15:13:55 GMT
Thanks for the replies chaps, especially the links Ernie, its useful information. It's given me more to think about and reassured me a bit.
EDIT - do you think that there might be future titles that wills ay they can only run from the SSD? On my Series X it says some titles have to be installed on the internal NVME rather than my external drives to be played (even the fast drive I have).
Partly (a large partly), I think my interest in this is a bit of retail therapy. The world feels so fucked at the moment that having something to look forward to feels like a salve. But it's a hell of a chunk of therapy. I'm trying to justify it by saying that I'll be 'saving' money if I can get gamepass working and by getting games in steam sales rather than on Switch. Remember that if push comes to shove you can add your own SSD later even if it isn't as straight forward as some other similar machines (at least one of which has an easy upgrade IIRC) |
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idgaf
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Post by idgaf on Aug 20, 2022 16:15:42 GMT
However, I just found out that the machine stores shaders(I believe they're game files relating to graphics) on the internal storage, which means the 64gb can fill up very quickly and cause issues. Presumably it will be fixed at some point, but that rules the 64GB out. steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/0/3428948355364693693/www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/tz9rza/is_shader_cache_and_compatdata_filling_your_64gb/Unfortunately doing my own modifications wouldn't work as I've got problems with my hands. I can't do fine and fiddly work. Whatever internal storage the machine has, that's it (unless a company offers upgrades and I can send it off). Given this issue, I decided to put a deposit for the 512. I don't think I'm going to buy it. It's so expensive. But feeling like I have the option at least, might make me feel a bit better for the moment. Window shopping, you know? |
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Post by dfunked on Aug 20, 2022 17:05:37 GMT
I wouldn't be massively keep on replacing the SSD in the deck tbh, so just went for the 512GB. If you could just bung any old 2280 nvme in there without worrying about thermals then sure, but with 2230 your options are way too limited. (haven't looked in a while, but they're typically only sold to system builders not retail)
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Aug 20, 2022 17:43:29 GMT
I've seen a few 2230 around, but in here there's pretty much only one brand (Kioxia, who's really just Toshiba) and much more expensive than other Gen 3 models. As in, expensive enough that you are almost better off just buying the 512GB model from the start.
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Post by kilters on Aug 21, 2022 16:09:17 GMT
I've had my 256GB Deck for 2 weeks now and I
I'll be hanging on to it. I've found myself playing it way more than I thought and it's a fantastic way to get through a Steam (and Epic/GoG) backlog.
In many ways it's the ultimate device purely because Valve have not locked it down. Their support is also commendable to date.
The suspend and resume has been flawless for me so far and is a seriously impressive technical feat.
I would say there is a week or so of a learning curve to fully realise the potential in terms of tweaking games, getting other game stores installed and emulation.
My only beef is battery life on some games despite tweaking and the fact that I find clicking the thumbsticks in to be very difficult. Although you can remap them to the grip buttons on the back.
Going on a week long work trip tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the Deck occupying all my idle time.
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idgaf
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Post by idgaf on Aug 21, 2022 18:07:39 GMT
I've had my 256GB Deck for 2 weeks now and I I'll be hanging on to it. I've found myself playing it way more than I thought and it's a fantastic way to get through a Steam (and Epic/GoG) backlog. How are you finding the shader cache on your internal storage? |
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 21, 2022 19:32:07 GMT
I’m loving it. Been using it last few days to play Red Dead 2, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo 3 (MCC) and it’s just been perfect. I do tend to play plugged in but it’s all good.
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Post by One_Vurfed_Gwrx on Aug 21, 2022 21:01:57 GMT
I have ahd mine for ages but lacked time to tweak and play (I do plan to check out the chocolate Heretic mentioned as an example and potentially dual boot Windows on my SD but if it needs reformatting...).
A few things like having to use kernel commands to unlock the SD card for usage in apps that aren't Steam itself is annoying and I still need to do (mainly for emulators). It is higher spec but much more hassle than I found with may ancient Linx Vision Atombased gaming handheld that generally just worked (it was flawed hardwarewise but being Windows just made it easier. Maybe have another look next week when I have a couple of days off in a row.
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Post by dfunked on Aug 21, 2022 21:23:40 GMT
@one_Vurfed_Gwrx - I'd definitely recommend getting a card specifically for Windows. It was like £25 for a 256GB Samsung A2 card on Amazon last week. It's just so easy to shut down and then boot from that. When you're done with Windows, shut down and put your regular card back in and you're good to go.
I've given up on mine now. Trying to play PrimeHack reminded me why I play less stuff on PC, and that it's just be easier all around if I got off my arse and played it on PC.
Hoping I don't get murdered by the randomer from Facebook marketplace coming to get it tomorrow.
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Aug 21, 2022 21:25:43 GMT
Silly question I'm sure, but are you guys buying a copy of Windows for your decks?
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Frog
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Post by Frog on Aug 21, 2022 21:32:38 GMT
Just get a key from somewhere like cj's cd keys, will cost you less than a tenner.
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Steam Deck
Aug 21, 2022 21:33:31 GMT
via mobile
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Post by dfunked on Aug 21, 2022 21:33:31 GMT
I really wouldn't bother to be honest. You'll get a watermark on the desktop and can't change the wallpaper. Big fucking whoopsie for a machine you're using to play games on.
Bizarrely mine showed as activated with a digital license, though.
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Steam Deck
Aug 22, 2022 8:28:40 GMT
via mobile
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Post by uiruki on Aug 22, 2022 8:28:40 GMT
I always thought that devices with under 9” displays didn’t need licenses. Not sure how that works in practice but that was what I understood in the context of the Chinese handheld manufacturers.
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Aug 22, 2022 22:10:41 GMT
Well shit, I now have until 11pm on the 25th to figure out if I can afford to shell £565, fuck. Do I really need a small device to play New Vegas on for the 4th time?
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dndhm
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Post by dndhm on Aug 23, 2022 9:05:02 GMT
Well shit, I now have until 11pm on the 25th to figure out if I can afford to shell £565, fuck. Do I really need a small device to play New Vegas on for the 4th time? It also plays Vampire Survivors! |
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Post by uiruki on Aug 23, 2022 11:34:16 GMT
It's helped reduce my electricity bill because I play that most of the time rather than my OLED/RTX 3080 setup. With the way things are going you have to ask yourself: can you afford not to buy it?
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idgaf
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Post by idgaf on Aug 24, 2022 0:28:01 GMT
Well shit, I now have until 11pm on the 25th to figure out if I can afford to shell £565, fuck. Do I really need a small device to play New Vegas on for the 4th time? Out of interest, why did you go for the End Boss version? |
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Aug 24, 2022 9:22:32 GMT
Go big or go home?
Still deciding.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 24, 2022 9:47:25 GMT
If you struggle to get gaming time because your other half/kids dominate the tv then it’s an absolute game changer. If you have decent access to ‘proper’ gaming devices then I’m not sure it’s really worth it. It’s not really a legit travel device. Size and battery life means this isn’t really a ‘chuck in your bag and game on the go’ thing. It’s a flexible home device imo.
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Post by dfunked on Aug 24, 2022 10:05:23 GMT
Yeah, I've sold mine as I have a far more powerful PC I can just fuck off to if I want to. If I'm commuting then I'm far more likely to grab my switch in its tiny case and throw it in my bag (I did exactly that twice in the month I owned it)
It's definitely not a good fit for someone like me, but I can see it working very well for other situations.
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Post by 😎 on Aug 24, 2022 12:36:22 GMT
I have two decent PCs, one in the living room and one in the office, and I still use my Deck a lot. It’s great for just lounging in bed or noodling about when I’m half-watching sports.
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kal
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Post by kal on Aug 24, 2022 15:43:12 GMT
Yes I suppose add ‘moneybags enough to justify a third pc for when you’re in bed’ to the use cases  |
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Post by 😎 on Aug 24, 2022 15:51:51 GMT
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cubby
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Post by cubby on Aug 24, 2022 17:47:57 GMT
Fuck, now I'm basically thinking "do I really need to spend £565 on a Vampire Survivors machine?"
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Aug 24, 2022 18:04:09 GMT
Does anyone know how much space SteamOS takes? As in, how much space is actually available to the user in the 64GB model?
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Post by heavysalad on Aug 24, 2022 19:07:58 GMT
The 512gb has 465gb of 'free' space I believe (that's what mine shows as anyway). I don't know if that's the same on all version, but if so the OS is just under 50gb?
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Post by 😎 on Aug 24, 2022 19:38:51 GMT
It varies on how much you have installed too, as it will force shader cache files to the internal drive. So a 64gb but with games only installed on the SD card will still fill up quickly. You can get around it with symlinking and so on though.
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malek86
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Post by malek86 on Aug 24, 2022 20:27:54 GMT
Yeah, just read that you get 46GB of available space, and shader caches can burn thorugh it quickly... and won't even install to external memory. Sounds like a bit of a problem right now.
Could still be useful as a retro portable machine, since I don't think old games create big shader caches. Though at that point, maybe an Aya Neo Air Plus would be enough (the Mendocino APU should be absolutely terrible for recent games, but might be enough for old stuff).
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