I used to be a PC-only gamer but the older I get the more I gravitate toward very ‘simple’ platforms.
Because my gaming time slots can be unpredictable and sometimes short I can’t take too much time setting things up.
I was surprised to find that I use the Nintendo Switch a lot because the games are on cartridges (usually few to no downloading needed) and I can continue playing the game when I am away from home. Really surprising, considering I bought it out of curiosity in 2017 and that it is in some ways underpowered compared to my other devices- I never had a Nintendo ‘home’ console before that.
I thought of adding the PS4 to this mention however recently I’ve been avoiding playing it due to the constant updates. The worst example was when my SO bought me Red Dead Redemption 2. I sat down, excited to play it, when suddenly it pormpted me to download a HUGE update . It really kind of ruined my first session.
What are your experiences and your preferred devices?
PC. Because:
- Better controller support—I’m not limited to what MS or Sony deem as “certified” or “authorized” hardware. Most of the really good hardware (VKB, Virpil, Arduino) will never be available for consoles and what little is available is bad at best.
- Best sims are PC only (DCS, Il-2, E:D, X series, Hunternet etc)
- Sims support 3rd party auxiliary software (TacView, EDDiscovery, OMH, EDMC etc) for better experience and that’s simply not going to be possible on consoles, ever.
- For other games, modding experience on PC is simply better. SKSE and ENB is what keeps Skyrim going and makes it still relevant 13 years later. Can’t have this kind of code injection and wrappers on consoles.
- If I ever get into retrogaming, emulation is the way, especially since actually acquiring retro console games in their original physical format is bound to become a very expensive collector’s hobby if you don’t have your own collection from childhood already or don’t have local second-hand options.
My laptop is pretty portable, I just carry my hdmi and controllers with me and can hook it up anywhere to play some games. Want to watch some movies too? I gotchu. Pc all the way man.
I have a gaming desktop, personally, with a relatively light laptop I picked primarily for repairability and battery life.
My laptop can’t really game, but it can run Moonlight like a champ. I have a Raspberry Pi setup as a VPN and the gaming desktop has Wake On LAN, so I can have Baldur’s Gate 3 up and running in a couple minutes from anywhere with internet.
In my mid 50’s. I use a steam deck and my PC running Linux.
I’ve been considering switching my PC over to Linux as well. Would you recommend it from your experience? Anything you’d do differently if you could?
I’m not the OP but I just built a gaming PC and switched to Linux. No regrets so far. I picked Mint and it went smoothly. Just had to install more updated graphics drivers.
Similar for me. I went with PopOS this time, and it all just works. I’m thinking of switching to KDE Neon, just because I’m a KDE fan. One piece of advice I have is to have your home directory on it’s own so that if you do switch distros, you just install to the system drive and you don’t affect your data.
I’m not sure what your definition of “older” is, but I’m past my 20s so I probably qualify.
I really like my Steam Deck. I have a Switch as well, but I only use it for exclusives. The Deck is great because it lives next to my bed and I can easily pick it up and play pretty much anything on it.
I used to love my desktop PC, but I keep feeling like I should be productive instead of playing games when I’m on it, and it’s just not as comfy as laying in bed.
Then again, I’m a grumpy Linux user since 15-ish years, so using locked down consoles is offensive to me.
Steam Deck
So PC
Yet another dude in his 40s here using a Steam Deck. I travel a lot for work so something portable and easy to just pick up for a short period is important. It has run pretty much every game I’ve wanted to play flawlessly.
