- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
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Hopefully they dont make the same mistake ASUS did. The fanciest hardware in the world won’t help if the software doesn’t work out of the box.
Steam Deck got so much right, straight out of the gate. The suspend-resume is nothing short of amazing. The UI is 100% muscle, 0% fat.
IMO, starting with Windows as a base is an automatic setback. There’s a strong chance that it’ll interrupt your game to ask you if you want to set Edge to be your default browser or some stupid shit.
I get this place is very pro-Linux, but come on. 30+ years of using Windows here, it’s never done anything like that.
You’ve never had Windows insist on installing updates at an inconvenient time? Come on! You’re obviously not using Windows that much.
Also, it’s not just Windows that does this. Every HP thing (the PC, their printers, accessories, etc) seems to require a bazillion background services and one gigantic background app that just loves to pop up and interrupt everything you’re doing at the worst times. Multiply that by any number of other devices with proprietary management daemons running in the background, managing their own updates (because even to this day Windows doesn’t have a universal package manager that keeps all software up to date).
This is how it’s going to go:
- You bring your shiny new Lenovo portable game console with you to the airport so you can game while waiting to board and during the flight.
- You wake it from sleep (because nobody is actually going to fully power the thing down and wait for the lengthy Windows boot/login process every time they want to use it).
- Since it’s been asleep for a while it’ll immediately check for updates. If there’s no Internet you’re golden! The moment you connect it though…
- Updates will be downloaded in the background while you’re gaming. Not a big deal on it’s own but as soon as they’re done they will be auto-installed and Windows will ask you to reboot… Because it can’t actually apply updates without rebooting 95% of the time (depends on what was updated).
- You’ll notice that your device isn’t running quite as well as it used to or something isn’t working quite right (e.g. wifi keeps disconnecting because one of the updates applied new firmware but the driver update won’t apply until you reboot) and everyone knows that a quick fix for that is to reboot.
- You sit there in the airport waiting for a ton of windows updates to apply on boot. Then when it’s done it might ask you to reboot again because while those updates were applying it applied more (because many updates have to be applied in a certain order).
- There goes 10-20% of your battery life and probably 15 minutes of your life you’ll never get back.
It’s the Windows way!
Wow, you ok there? Like I said, no, that’s never happened to me. I’ve had the PC self-update during off-peak hours i.e. when I was sleeping, but otherwise it’s usually an update initiated by me.
The fact you took this time to initiate this flight of fantasy on something that’s never happened to me on any Windows portable means your hate of an OS has taken on some unhealthy levels. Take a chill pill.
Ypu missed ‘the update breaks your machine, and you lose a day reinstalling everything’
(because I bet a gaming machine doesn’t use something like snapshots to roll back before the damage).
It was a bit tongue in cheek but since Win10, there’s more “nervous laughter” in the room than there was before.
Windows continuously harasses me to upgrade to windows 11 with full screen nags (having to find the little “go away” button, why there’s not a single “no fuck off forever” button isn’t shown is beyond me)
I can definitely understand the frustration at windows given how it chooses to act sometimes
Disable TPM in your BIOS. Windows 11 will suddenly be “unsupported” and won’t pester you to upgrade.
IMO, starting with Windows as a base is an automatic setback. There’s a strong chance that it’ll interrupt your game to ask you if you want to set Edge to be your default browser or some stupid shit.
Ugh I can imagine that thing rebooting for an update the second you pause a game to go do something
Like seeing the competition. I got the Rog Ally right now and loving it. Not sure I would want the joy cons type form factor though that might make portability easier.
My wallet would support Steam if it had any sort of bills in it. Lenovo is a lousy company in the gadgets market. I own a marvelous Yoga Tab 3 Pro with an Intel Atom CPU and a built-in projector. An expensive device that received the one clunky Android upgrade and no source code. I modded the firmware enough to make it still usable, but God, do I hate their “support” service. Good riddance!
They lost me when they said it was going to run Windows.
As long as it’s not Windows on ARM, it can always get SteamOS installed later.
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Will say it’s an interesting idea to put a scroll wheel on the back of the right grip. On the deck and steam controller I’d sometimes use track pads to just be scroll wheels, but sometimes I wish there was just a physical tactile scroll wheel instead.
Wow, that looks awful as a handheld.
Why do these people design the control interfaces without giving thought to it that if it’s for PC gaming, mouse cursor control is paramount? While this has a touchpad, the position look like it’s an afterthought. And doubly so if it’s going to run on Windows on a small screen; touch is just about doable on a 12" Surface Pro screen, I can’t imagine going smaller than 10".
Why are they choosing to run Windows on these things
Valve has the resources to hack Proton to make things work, others just want an OS they know will already run Windows games without much fuss. Valve specifically wants to move away from Windows because of fears of anticompetitive behavior from Microsoft. They’re not just doing it from the goodness of their hearts. Microsoft would like nothing more than the Steam store crushed and all its games moved to their own walled garden.
A big reason to move away from Microsoft is also lack of licensing fees, which the other companies can definitely get behind. They’d have to make their own store and front end most likely, but proton is basically all done for them and is already in a shippable state that “just works” for users.
Lenovo has fucktons of resources to do this sort of thing. Probably more than Valve!
Not only that but I guarantee that Lenovo probably has 10x more Linux engineers and developers than Valve working for them full-time, right now.
Yes, but Lenovo isn’t competing with Microsoft the same way Valve is
They should just work together to get steamos on this thing. After getting used to my deck, I never want to game on windows again.
Because it’s much easier than making their own Linux version.
Valve learned their lesson from the steam machines and isn’t just working with 3rd parties with steamos.
Then they could’ve used generic Linux distros…
I kinda dig it. I have comically large hands so the big chunky controllers appeal to me. Don’t think I’d ever use them detached but if there’s a connector thing like for joycons I can see it working.
The product designer for this needs to be fired. Anyone who’s held a controller for an extended period of time knows these hard corners will kill your hands.
Same with any product designer who releases a phone with sharp edges just because it looks clean.
It doesn’t even look good when they do that… it looks like they couldn’t be bothered.
I had a phone like that for under a week, sent it back. It was so uncomfortable to hold.
Phones are a slightly different story. Edges do help grip, and ensure product stability (which is essential on a phone). Additionally their smaller form factor means ergonomics don’t come into play as much as a game controller.
Once again the consumer electronics industry proving that it has essentially zero imagination.
Those who want a Steam Deck can probably just buy a Steam Deck. Or a Switch. 13.2% faster processor, 8.3% more colors, 9% faster refresh… all those endless specs don’t speak to me, which is all any company can do if they are just copying some existing design.
How about different form factors? I think the idea of a Steam Deck is great, but I hate how bulky it is. I am willing to sacrifice CPU power and even screen size for something a little more pocketable. Something in a portrait orientation rather landscape, maybe.
Do you remember Lenovo getting into the smartphone business ? I bet they are going for a redo this time again. they are known for having commitment issues
Em… Lenovo is still big in the smartphone business, they are just all Motorola branded now.
Cause their own venture sunk
That’s not what happened… Lenovo didn’t have a smartphone business until Google sold the remains of Motorola to them, so Lenovo and Zuk branded phones actually came AFTER Motorola by Lenovo.
No lenovo smartphones existed since early 2010
if it isn’t running Linux I’m not very interested but it’s cool hardware
ThinkDeck™
If it’s not running Linux could one not just… install Linux? I wouldn’t be surprised if drivers were out before long.
I think most people now when looking at portable gaming devices like these want a seamless experience (like with the Steamdeck)
Windows has proven to be problematic with these devices, where when you use the Steamdeck it’s pretty much pick up and play. The ROG ally uses Windows + it’s own armory crate software and from what I’ve heard it’s been pretty hit or miss
Power management on laptop-like devices is a problem for Linux because of lazy manufacturers. ACPI often reports broken values and h/w vendors patch it up using Windows driver overrides, rather than a real fix. Suspend/resume is a delicately choreographed set of steps given to the OS by ACPI so if that’s wrong, you’ll get awful battery life or worse, crashes. Linux devs will emulate the Windows driver patches but that comes later, if at all.
I mean, hopefully it would work but Lenovo would need to not take the easy way out. They’ve been slipping, even with their Thinkpads lately.
Since its a all in one device couldn’t the community just come up with a fix for the power management?
Yes, but things like that take time. So yeah: Six months after the device is released there will probably be fantastic Linux support. Until then it’ll be hit or miss from an “annoying fucking bugs” and “where’d my battery life go?” perspective.
This is why it’s always better when a device manufacturer supports Linux right out of the gate. Not only does that give the device vastly more capabilities it also helps Windows by ensuring that the hardware doesn’t require all sorts of wacky ACPI workarounds and custom software be developed in order to do things like check the temperature or battery capacity (things that Lenovo has made absurdly proprietary in the past).
The problem is that if it ships with Windows then you are paying for a Windows license that you won’t be using.
Most likely. Official support is nice though, as with Steam Deck.
I don’t really like the design of those joy-cons clones. From the images it feels they could snap out from the screen if you put too much pressure. Maybe I am wrong though, I should test it.
The Pimax Portal uses magnetic snap-on controllers and the reviews tend to be pretty positive on it.
Mostly I’m just enjoying all the competition in this sector - it’s good for consumers
For sure. I just wish someone would make a device that has control parity with the steam deck.
When I first got used to the steam controller, it was the best I’d ever used. Valve managed to improve upon it with the Index and Deck. I hate gaming at a friend’s house and having to go back to what amounts to a standard controller these days.
Yeah, people focus too much on the power of these things and not the functionality. Steam OS is a killer app compared to trying to squeeze windows onto a handheld. The options it gives you for system level control of performance or control set ups is priceless when dealing with PC titles. The fact that I can load up a 90s DOS shooter designed to be played with a keyboard alone and have it working with a pad within minutes is great.
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