I was in pretty much the same position. 2017 gaming laptop but it was having hinge issues so I finally upgraded to the Steam Deck. I have dual boot into Windows, a dock and USB hub, a keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and monitor and even a tiny desk fan for good measure on cooling and I just primarily use Windows and then will go to SteamOS for portable gaming time to time. It has replaced the laptop well and fits a (larger sized) purse, and I have nothing else to say besides that it works pretty well for me.

Of course, it looks weird using it, but I can still be productive on the tiny screen outside using a giant monitor. It is very doable, it’s just going to take accessories and be kind of weird in general. But I’ve been at it for a year, so… it’s possible if you’re willing to set it up and find a way you want to do this!

Awesome! Really glad to hear that it’s finally able to run properly and without risk!

Does it still bypass the anti-cheat? I know people say the risk is low and unlikely for bans, but I have seen Hoyoverse hand some out for Star Rail on it for use on the Steam Deck and am concerned of the risk when I already have it installed on Windows.

I do want to warn for the case of Genshin about Mihoyo banning people as the only way to get it working is with that one Anime Game Launcher that bypasses the anti-cheat.

The game still runs in SteamOS that way, and while I do know people often say it’s not often it happens or rarely gets reported of happening, it is still a risk and I remember seeing somebody having a breakdown on r/steamdeck a few months ago because they lost a ton of progress in Star Rail after doing the same thing for it on the Steam Deck.

The safest option (what I do personally) is just using it on Windows.

I don’t know if it works on SteamOS, but I use my deck in Windows very, very frequently due to using it as a main computer and I had a giant stack of years worth of code cards from the SUMO/XY era I never touched. I just used something called Camo to used my phone as a webcam and got through the stack pretty quickly.

I imagine there might be something similar for SteamOS, especially since you can use a phone as a mouse and keyboard with KDE Connection.

Main issue with that is that it requires bypassing the anti cheat which can get people banned. There aren’t many reports of this so most say it’s not really common, but bans do happen from Hoyo for doing so on the Steam Deck; there was a post on the Steam Deck reddit a while back with somebody who got banned on Star Rail for it even though they had got it running as well as Genshin. Was pretty rough, they quit all Hoyo games because of it even though they were a whale.

I wouldn’t risk it myself for that reason, so I’ve always played it on Windows. Though, since I use my Deck as my main computer, I’m most often in Windows since so much software I need either barely works or is broken on SteamOS.

In cases like those, I believe you’d be correct that they wouldn’t be too bad on difference, but from my understanding that’s not the norm for SD cards so for most people it’ll be a big risk. But that’s good pointing it out though, especially for anybody with an SD card of that power, thanks for mentioning that part!

I wouldn’t say it’s safer since it will significantly more quickly kill the SD card itself, but from a year of using Windows and SteamOS, the bootloader break can be solved pretty easily since there’s an easy script on SteamOS to fix it and you can always disable Windows updates if they are annoying. Ultimately a matter of preference on what’s preferred though, but just good to know the pros and cons of each option!

I wrote this comment for somebody else with a similar question so I’ll copy and paste, but I unfortunately am also a filthy Genshin player and the TLDR is it’ll work fine. One thing to note is I would recommend installing to the SSD if possible because installs on SD cards will significantly more quickly kill the SD card due to how much reading and writing Windows does. Copy and paste below, but feel free to ask questions!

I replaced an aging laptop with mine, and I have to say, Windows is fine on the Steam Deck. It’s obviously not going to have all the same bells and whistles but performance for most games is the same and it is more flexible on compatability since it runs natively instead of via Proton.

I’ve been using dual boot for this and started since I got my Deck in early July last year, and a lot of the hate is really overblown. It’s good if you just want to use the Deck the same way as any other computer or with applications that cannot work in Steam OS and it’s a completely fine experience, and applications like Handheld Companion or Steam Deck Tools make it simpler.

I would just say that it’s up to preference and need since it does need setup and tweaking, so if all you care about is playing a few games that work fine in Steam OS, there is not much reason to dual boot for Windows and Steam OS is simpler to set up. But if you want more freedom on application choices and compatability or even just to use it for more everyday purposes like any other computer, Windows runs perfectly fine on it. It will be ultimately up to preference and use case.

I believe it’s just trying to make fun of cops but not coming off as a sarcastic joke and instead misinformation about what’s actually a signal for pedos.

If you choose one of the three, note that:

• Cyberpunk is still pretty flawed and has issues and you’ll get less battery life though it’s a lot better now than at launch and certainly playable
• FFVII Remake is only half of the original FFVII, so you’ll end on a cliff hanger and be waiting for the continuation
• No Man’s Sky started with tons of issues but is now really content filled and open and polished and at this point pretty well liked

Based on those, I would lean towards No Man’s Sky since it has the least amount of concerns (in my opinion).

But if you just want a good story, NieR: Replicant and NieR: Automata are amazing and worth checking out (we have a Lemmy at [email protected]) and I’d just really recommend it for the plot alone. Both are on sale and run pretty well, and Replicant is the first game while Automata is the sequel, and opinions heavily vary on which is better on story since they are both fantastic but Automata is more polished. They’re also both standalone, so you can play in either order, though I’ll always recommend Replicant first. They aren’t perfect games but will nail the music and plot, as those are the things most highly praised about them. They’re also very depressing!

Rain World isn’t AAA but it certainly feels premium and I’d recommend it if you want a really beautiful and interesting open world, but be warned that it’s incredibly hard. It’s not a game for everybody but it’s really amazing and I think it’s worth mentioning because the world is huge. Great music there too!

Funny enough, an artist called Fallout Boy did recently do a We Didn’t Start The Fire parody to try and be more up to date on content.

That said, aside from being completely out of order, it’s controversial for some of its… questionable lyrical choices, for lack of a better word.

It unfortunately takes a long while to pick up. When it picks up, it really goes all in though, there’s a reason it and the first game in the series (NieR Replicant) are praised as some of the best stories in video games ever made.

It just… really takes its time. I would say Replicant gets into the meat of everything sooner while Automata is a slow burn until it’s time for the game to twist everything on its head. Completely fair if you don’t like that kind of thing, but there is good reason for the praise.

Edit: Was using Memmy for this and it duplicate my comment twice, sorry!

It unfortunately takes a long while to pick up. When it picks up, it really goes all in though, there’s a reason it and the first game in the series (NieR Replicant) are praised as some of the best stories in video games ever made.

It just… really takes its time. I would say Replicant gets into the meat of everything sooner while Automata is a slow burn until it’s time for the game to twist everything on its head. Completely fair if you don’t like that kind of thing, but there is good reason for the praise.

It unfortunately takes a long while to pick up. When it picks up, it really goes all in though, there’s a reason it and the first game in the series (NieR Replicant) are praised as some of the best stories in video games ever made.

It just… really takes its time. I would say Replicant gets into the meat of everything sooner while Automata is a slow burn until it’s time for the game to twist everything on its head. Completely fair if you don’t like that kind of thing, but there is good reason for the praise.

Really good game! I actually run on Reddit two subs for the series (r/drakengard and r/okbuddyyorha) so it’s really neat to see this recommendation here and it’s pretty solid.

I would say though that this game is a standalone sequel to NieR Replicant (also amazing), and while you can play either in any order, I think the experience is better if played after Replicant. That said, both run pretty well on the Deck and both go on sale often!

Shameless plug, if you like the series, we also have an instance for the series at lemm.ee/c/nier. Anyways

Feel this too much! I’m fortunate that most isn’t hard-coded in, but still…

I think it’s not really undermining Valve’s efforts since both have their own pros and cons. Valve’s work is absolutely incredible considering how talking about playing triple A games on Linux would get you laughed at even just a few years ago and now they have a computer that excels at doing so, but like Windows, but it’s still got its own weaknesses and I think it’s good to look at both for what they can and can’t do. Most of my games are installed on the Steam OS side but I spend more time in Windows so I can use all the many tools I need to be able to access for everyday life. Both have their own uses and I think the fact that the device is so easily able to handle them is wonderful and don’t undermine but rather compliment each other in filling the pitfalls the others have. Those are my thoughts at least, and why I personally use both (not trying to say you need to use Windows, but just my own thoughts from using them each).

I wouldn’t really say they use that power to “snuff innovation,” Windows was the operating system which is why everything is built around it most of the time and they worked on making sure XCloud would work with the Steam Deck. It’s just how it works with any operating system being different in that you’ll need to jump through additional hoops to make something from other operating systems work with other ones. Not saying Windows isn’t flawed or that Microsoft doesn’t have its own corrupt practices, but I wouldn’t say that they attack compatibility for non-Windows things.

By default, controller layouts won’t immediately work, but there are multiple fan software that works fine in giving full access/control. Steam Deck Tools will very easily just make it work in that it will allow you to use it as a controller, but I use Handheld Companion because I can map the … button to keyboard, STEAM to showing the home screen, and the back controls I’ve mapped to changing mouse modes or even screenshots/recording. You really have tons of flexibility and these software get updates often for more features.

Steam Deck Tools also has options for other Steam OS features like FPS/performance tracking, fan control, etc. so I’d recommend checking them out if you do end up going with them. There’s also other software for similar purposes like Glossi and SWICD, but those have a few issues/are a bit outdated versus Handheld Companion and Steam Deck Tools.

TLDR: works pretty well!