• skozzii@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      I don’t feel this is a genuine question. There are literally so many reasons it would take forever to list… but sure,get a switch if you like paying too much for everything and being locked in a walled garden .

    • Hellmo_luciferrari@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      Its not that complicated: options.

      You are presented with the Steam Deck UI by default. You don’t have to use the desktop.

      Installing non-steam games on desktop is handy.

      Some people use the steam deck as more than just a game system.

      If it’s not for you, don’t use it. Simple as that.

    • poke@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      You can always just not switch it into desktop mode, but hey you know what you want out of a console more than I do, it just seems odd to pick based between steamdeck and switch for that reason. Usually, I would expect people to make that choice based on the game library they want access to.

    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      Becauase some people like the idea of a single device that is a pretty good lower resolution gaming handheld, and can also basically be used as a low/mid range laptop/tablet as well.

      The DE mode uses a very nice onscreen keyboard which works either with your two thumbs on the Steam Decks touchpads, or, the whole screen is also touch sensitive, and you can do it that way.

      Or you can just dock it and use an actual Mouse + Keyboard, and/or a distinct monitor, which can handle DE mode at a higher resolution than the Deck’s built in screen.

      Also, if you’re into modding games or using emulators, you need to go into the desktop mode to tinker with things.

      (I was actually quite surprised to find that a 3DS emulator just… worked, perfectly, with the Deck’s touchscreen, without me even having to manually configure anything… so i could actually use the main controls for the main screen, and just poke the other screen that is usually some kind of inventory screen, or something like that.)

      Or if you want to say… check your email.

      Browse the web on a fully functional desktop browser (of your choice), watch youtube, go on lemmy or reddit, buy some stuff off Amazon or w/e.

      Draw something or do some photo editing in Krita or GIMP.

      Do office work style stuff with LibreOffice.

      Use Discord, or record your own gameplay with OBS or something, and then edit and upload a (admittedly low resolution, most likely) video to youtube.

      I’ve actually compiled from source and run Godot on a Steam Deck.

      You can literally develop a game on a Steam Deck, and then test it in game mode, on a Steam Deck.

      • Leeloo@techhub.social
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        1 day ago

        @sp3ctr4l
        That sounds an awful lot like things that would be easier to do at a (desktop or laptop) PC. The exact opposite of what I would buy a console for.

        • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 day ago

          Well, that’s your preference then.

          And the Deck is a handheld PC, not a console.

          … Because consoles cannot do all those… PC things.

          Part of the whole … appeal/concept, of a handheld PC… is that it is a multi tool, a jack of all trades device.

          Its a handheld PC, with a gaming mode, not a console, because it has a PC architecture and has all these other capabilities that consoles don’t.

          If that doesn’t fit your use case or budget, then sure, the Switch 2 might have a bit of an edge in terms of game rendering power, has access to exclusive, modern Nintendo games… but price points for everything are… more or less in chaos right now, so I hope you can find something that works well for you!

          Also, lots of people dock work laptops to work on bigger screens and have a full mouse and keyboards… thats really common with office and remote work, not sure how doing the same with a Deck is… any more complicated than that but uh yeah… you don’t need all that to use DE mode on a deck. You just hit ‘go to desktop’ and it also all works with the touchpads and such.

          • Leeloo@techhub.social
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            1 day ago

            @sp3ctr4l
            So like the Windows tablet I made the mistake of buying years ago. “it’s not a tablet, it’s a laptop with a lousy screen and an entirely non-existing keyboard”.

            Buying that was a huge mistake.

            • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              1 day ago

              Oh ho ho, no.

              The Steam Deck doesn’t use Windows, it is much more functional and stable, hahahah.

              I am laughing about this because I was working at MSFT when Win8 was being developed/released and their whole tablet push was going on.

              Dear god no, the steam deck is way, way less clumsy and broken to use than a Windows Surface was, oh god.

              Ironically, I’ve vaguely followed the same path as GabeN: Used to work for MSFT, now I “secretly,” utterly despise them.

              … Yes, I agree, the Win8 UI paradigm and the Surface were indeed massive mistakes.

              I vocalized this, at the time, when I was a MSFT contractor, and that is a big reason why I don’t work at MSFT any more, rofl.

              The Steam Deck is far, far easier to use than a Surface or Surface Pro.