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.

I knew there was a horrific-looking movie for Inkheart and I was a fan of the original book, but I didn’t know there was a game adaptation of the film adaptation. Wild!

Joan is Awful

Considering it still makes a ton of money, more than you’d think! Certainly not a huge craze anymore, but it still has its fans.

Probably the fact that Go constantly updates and can have oddly level Pokémon, so one day they all technically could be possible, but aren’t now.

Let’s Go mons who can never enter Let’s Go like Galar Ponyta though… no idea.

To flex their Pokémon. I’m not kidding, that’s seriously the only reason why.

Actually, those Furfrous are impossible trades. The moment Furfrou is put in a box, it becomes its original form and loses the actual hair style it was. The only way to get Pokémon Home Furfrous with other trims is by having them come from Go, which they only appeared in for a limited time with trims being region-based, and make it better, none could be even close to level 100! You’ll sooner find the Galarian Ponyta that can be transferred to Let’s Go (this is a real trade you can request, you take a guess if it’s possible). 10/10

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.

As incredibly flawed as Scarlet and Violet are, they make Gen 9 really compelling for me. Love the new Pokemon, playing through with a friend in multiplayer was a blast and being able to have my Pokemon walk with me is great. It’s an unfinished and laggy game but I haven’t had so much fun in Pokemon since Gen 5. Completely get why not everybody likes it, but I’ve had so much enjoyment from it.

As for Gen 7? I agree. USUM’s only major flaws are linearity (which I would argue was mainly bad for replays but fine overall), and that it removed what made SUMO so nice on its story. Ultra Beasts remain my favorite idea the series has done and the games had all Gen 1-7 mons plus megas plus Z Moves and the music was amazing and Battle Royale is my favorite multiplayer mode. Massively underrated, will be popular in three years when everybody suddenly loves it because old thing good, new thing bad. Mimikyu’s amazing.

If you don’t have a Switch OR 3DS and are only going to choose based on the Pokemon games, it’s a bit tricky because there’s tons of good options.

Switch is a current and active console getting ports and games and content so if you get it, you’ll be able to keep up with any new Pokemon games and see where you want to go from there.

3DS has support for any pre-Switch game thanks to emulation, backwards compatability, and the 3DS library and you can do whatever you like there.

As for strictly games, it’s really a toss up between what you like. The 3DS era and Switch era both have a lot going for them as well as flaws.

XY are a bit mediocre because they were the jump to 3D and had to make some compromises to even get the game out, so while they were hugely ambitious, they are also very lacking in content and never got a third version but still fairly solid games. I wouldn’t say they are the best for getting into newer titles though since they still are a decade old and flawed and there are better places to begin.

ORAS are hailed as some of the best remakes since aside from a few things missing from the original games, they add so much extra and new content and fun that they’re pretty beloved. If you like Emerald and want to now just do the same region in 3D, it’s not a bad choice.

Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon are… odd. I personally love them, but they were a little controversial at release because they are more linear than other games in the series, but they do a lot of really great things and popular additions like regional variants of Pokemon. It’s the ultimate 3DS Pokemon in that it has all Mega Evolutions, Z Moves, Gen 1-7 Pokemon, and a lot of fun content to play. The real downside is just that it’s linear, and Ultra versus regular is confusing. The Ultra versions add more content and are overall better but change the plot of the game for the worse in kind of ruining the story at the end for the sake of justifying being a revision. I’d keep that in mind when making a choice, though you could just play Ultra and watch the original game cutscenes later. They’re overall though very solid!

SWSH is probably the most controversial game here and the first of the Switch entries. It isn’t an awful game and it is very easy to get into as a beginner but it’s more linear than SUMO and USUM, it introduced “Dexit” (no longer having every Pokemon ingame), and it is pretty mediocre in many areas. It’s more disappointing than horrible, so if you’re new you probably will enjoy it, but it essentially feels like a 3DS era game lacking features of the 3DS but playable on the Switch with a few bonuses that are cool. The DLC did, however, get really good reviews because it was fun but it’ll cost more to get.

BDSP is also controversial because it’s… a faithful remake? Okay, full disclaimer that I greatly dislike Diamond and Pearl, but these games are very similar to the originals so if you just want to play the DS games with a fresh coat of paint, this works fine. Most people are upset it wasn’t more than just a remake, but it being just a 1x1 remake made Arceus possible, so it’s a compromise. I’d recommend it if you want to play DP but more modern or a DS-era feeling game with modern mechanics. Otherwise, you may not enjoy it.

Legends Arceus is the least controversial Switch title; it only got flack for looking kind of ugly. It’s a greatly fun and fresh experience with open zones you can go through (like Monster Hunter) and it’s a very fun standalone title and all Pokemon can be caught. It has unique gameplay for battles and catching that no other game has, so it’s absolutely a good option if you either like Sinnoh, want something new but still Pokemon, or just want a good Switch game that most people enjoy a lot.

And finally, SV. This is also controversial because it not only looks ugly but runs horribly, but honestly, I’d say it’s one of the funnest titles in the entire franchise. It makes it very open for you to do whatever you want and has some really cool things it does that no other game has done and the multiplayer, while limited, is hilarious and made the experience a blast when playing with friends for the entire campaign. I’d suggest this if you like the idea of a game more like Arceus but also more classic in its structure because it is the best and worst of both worlds. Just note that it still runs poorly, though I would say the only real bugs I had were mostly visual (still ran terrible though).

Those are my thoughts; you have tons of options and honestly can just start anywhere, the nice thing is because of the variety you can just pick whatever you feel is funnest to you and most like what you want to play rather than what the internet thinks since the recent games have had a lot of frustration (not without reason though). Hope this writeup helps!

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 !nier@lemm.ee) 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.

Third party apps let you get the benefit of choosing exactly what works best for you and getting a setup you enjoy. Most of the focus by instance admins would be on ensuring everything doesn’t implode and managing fees, but third party apps have a pure focus on usability and dedicate all their resources to making the best experience possible and then the end result is usually way nicer.

This message is being written on a third party app, funny enough! Memmy to be specific.