Hiya Lemmy, I’m stuck on a dilemma.

I have a nice PC but I don’t like being stuck at a desk all day and would like to game from my couch without having to lug the tower back and forth. It’s a whole thing and that bitch is heavy.

So I have some options.

A) getting a looong HDMI cable to somehow run from my PC to the TV.

  • this is the cheapest option, for sure. But my controller doesn’t pair well with my PC for whatever reason, so that doesn’t really help a whole lot. I do have a looong usbC cable, but it’s not my favorite option. Especially with cats.

B) build or buy a micro ATX. Something with tiny(relatively) form factor that doesn’t need to be anywhere near top of the line to play what I usually play. So I could probably build something decent for 1200 USD? Maybe 1500. Or buy a pre built and save some heartache.

  • it’s the most expensive option, but it will last me forever and it’ll be a portable PC basically. Just not as portable as a steam deck.

C) buy a steam deck. I don’t need the OLED or anything. I don’t usually travel with gaming things, so I’m not worried about all that.

  • middle price option. While portability isn’t a huge concern, it could really come in handy. I really liked steam OS and the ability to just boot as a PC. I could see myself using an emulator to play some older games. But my biggest concern with the steam deck is that the other one I borrowed from a friend couldn’t really play rocket league. It just didn’t have the juice to run the game? And I’m pretty sure I turned down all the graphics and everything.

Anyhow. This is a long post of thoughts. Anyone been in this situation? What did you choose? How are you feeling about your choice?

  • Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    Do they still sell steam links? Or is that moreso using the pi to stream via steam?

    I had a physical steam link way back and it was pretty great on games where lag didn’t matter.

    • jodawznev@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6·
      6 days ago

      No, they’re not sold anymore. But the RaspPi acts just like the original hardware once the software is installed and configured. If you like tinkering, it’s a nice afternoon project. And since Pis are so versatile, it opens up a bunch of possibilities for other projects (I recommend a PiHole for example) even if this application doesn’t fit your needs.

    • samus12345@lemm.eeEnglish
      5·
      6 days ago

      The Steam Deck can also act as a Steam Link, if you want something with more versatility over the cheapest option.

    • thermal_shock@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      Many android devices like Nvidia shield will run steam link or sunshine perfectly well. My kid and I play some couch games this way