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New Handheld Just Dropped, You Already Own It

I dabbled in this before I got a steam deck. The screen is just too small. (14 pro not max mind you) I am still trying to figure out what I want in handhelp and I do think EVENTUALLY well all just slap a controller like this to our phones. But for that to happen there is some big leaps to cross.

1. Screen size is too important. Even Max sized phones aren't big enough. Visible text in most games is unreadable.
2. Moonlight streaming is good. But still doesn't compare to playing native on device.
3. There is something special about a dedicated device. I want to get off my phone.

If somehow foldable phones are perfected, and streaming is also the same as playing native then yeah Steamdeck is dead. In the meantime It would be rad if andriod or apple figure out some sort of layered dual boot mode to fiddle around with pc games on the phone.
 

Moses85

Member
I have a 15 pro max and have no intention on gaming on it. I was tempted to try RE8, but decided against it.
Proud Billy Gardell GIF by CBS
 

SScorpio

Member
If somehow foldable phones are perfected, and streaming is also the same as playing native then yeah Steamdeck is dead. In the meantime It would be rad if andriod or apple figure out some sort of layered dual boot mode to fiddle around with pc games on the phone.
I just don't see a dual boot into a gaming mode working. It's a phone, people need to still get their texts and calls.

The deal that was limiting Microsoft's Windows on ARM releases is basically over. Maybe we'll see some advancements there, you'd need x86 emulation. But could have the Windows API available.
 

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Is there a decent single player fps on iPhone. I’ve been looking and can’t find one.
 

PaintTinJr

Member
They say gaming on phones ruins the battery so idk. Native games are limited but it's good for emulation. I tried Steam link and moonlight with 5ghz wifi connection but they were not great for action games.
Yeah, battery damage is due to phones being passively cooled and the excessive heat of the phone processor when gaming dissipating through the battery, doing damage.

This should really come as a public advice warning on anything with a battery that gets above ambient temps frequently, because even portable Dyson vacuums will kill their battery in 18months when used at full speed as normal, whereas will last much longer if normally used at medium or low, so gaming on a smartphone that isn't designed for such heat 24/7 is a mistake IMO.
 

KiteGr

Member
I bought a couple of those to play emulators. It was fun, but phones have the tendency to slow down with time and the controllers have a tendency to break when they are carried around without being used. Also you can't emulate the harder consoles and phones are often not powerful enough, plus android is not as good when it comes to OS for emulation.

Steam Deck does all of those things much better, runs most PC games native and it's also excellent for streaming.
 
I'm using steam link at home with Diablo 4 us it that much better experience? Got good setup also wifi 6
It's still got major issues with the Steam Deck, Issues like audio completely stops working not only for the stream but the host machine as well as bugging out the Steam deck so much it can't do a simple reboot. Requires a hard shut down to resolve the issue.

Been like this for the past year :(
 

Griffon

Member
The issue is I need my phone fully charged for real life uses. Games consume battery way too fast, it's impractical.

I'm sure phones are powerful enough, but battery life is too low.
 
This feels like an ad for the backbone. Anyway, I'm sure mobile gaming has come a decent way but the issue with most of the games is that they are just chock full of ads and want you to spend more money. The UI is usually painfully shit too.

Whilst Steam Deck and the Switch are a thing, I don't really see the appeal in mobile gaming, to me at least anyway. Also screens are still too small, it's just about good enough for YouTube.
 

Moochi

Member
But the thing is, I hate taking my phone out of its case. Hate it. Hate slipping it into the flimsy shell and trying to line up the usb-c adapter and getting the wobbly controllers to hold still without creaking or bending or feeling like it's going to damage my phone. And most of the time I have a dedicated device with better graphics and a real controller around.

When I'm out of the house I would basically never use a controller like this unless I was on a very long road trip or plane flight. It's too inconvenient. Even then, I'd probably just read a book or play Hearthstone or some card battler that has controls that work great for a phone.

I wanted to like phone to like phone controllers, but I just don't.
 

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Up to what systems are you looking to play, and what form factor?
It seems most of them are struggling with at least decent Saturn performance, so I'd like one that can handle Saturn acceptably.
PS1 and below seem to do well on almost any device, Dreamcast appears somewhat easier than Saturn. Decent PSP and N64 would be nice. I'm not expecting to play GC and PS2 acceptably on the current batch.

Form factor is less important to me than good controls. A Dpad is useless if it isn't accurate.
 

Drew1440

Member
Most will laugh and disagree with you, but I always found mobile phones to be a good alternative to console gaming. Before freemium took over, the iOS store had a lot of indie-like gems on the store. I am playing Coromon on my Android phone currently. I just wish there was less trash and better quality control on both stores.

However, with the advancement of handheld PC's and mobile consoles like the Switch, I'd still prefer those over a phone for gaming anytime. Especially, since the Switch and Steam Deck now sport OLED.
I miss the days of infinity blade, or when Rockstar ported the GTA 3D universe to mobile. Even though I have an Xperia 1 IV, I hardly play any games on it. As soon as I see an ad or a microtransaction I bail out.
 
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