Discussion
Hey folks!!
Long flights to Singapore coming up and wondering what I can do to keep occupied.
Does anyone have a Steam Deck? I have a few games on Steam, most of my PC and gaming stuff is on the Xbox app, not sure if that works real world?
Opinions and thoughts welcome on keeping occupied!
Long flights to Singapore coming up and wondering what I can do to keep occupied.
Does anyone have a Steam Deck? I have a few games on Steam, most of my PC and gaming stuff is on the Xbox app, not sure if that works real world?
Opinions and thoughts welcome on keeping occupied!
I've got one, its great, but I don't play particularly intense games even though it is capable off. I'm not a big gamer and don't want to put in the hours to build the muscle memory, so I only really like games that only use a few buttons. It works absolutely fine with the games I own for my Desktop. However some games can be problematic, My daughter says Rollercoaster Tycoon is near impossible to control. I'm sure there is a workaround, but its not a game I use, and she just reverted to the PC version.
It can be quite heavy to hand hold after a while, unless you can play resting on something. I tend to use it with the TV and a separate controller, but of course you don't have that luxury on a plane.
It can be quite heavy to hand hold after a while, unless you can play resting on something. I tend to use it with the TV and a separate controller, but of course you don't have that luxury on a plane.
I sometimes use my Oculus/Meta Quest on flights. I watch films rather than play games, though.
Interesting factoid: when using the Sky Box cinema app, I rise up out of my virtual seat when the plane descends, and sink back down as it ascends - basically the virtual me tracks my true vertical position. I didn't realise the Quest had an acclerometer until then. Although this is annoying (and IIRC I was able turn it off), it actually helps avoid air sickness because the subtle movements you feel are reflected in what you see, like looking out the window of a moving car. Normally when flying there are no reference points.
Interesting factoid: when using the Sky Box cinema app, I rise up out of my virtual seat when the plane descends, and sink back down as it ascends - basically the virtual me tracks my true vertical position. I didn't realise the Quest had an acclerometer until then. Although this is annoying (and IIRC I was able turn it off), it actually helps avoid air sickness because the subtle movements you feel are reflected in what you see, like looking out the window of a moving car. Normally when flying there are no reference points.
I have one, It's excellent - a really well thought-out product. I bought the 64GB version when it was on sale at £315 and swapped the SSD for a 1TB Sabrent Rocket at £85. Very easy to do and the result is a 1TB Steam Deck for £400. This was right before they announced the OLED version so at the time it was double the storage size of the top model. You can also get a matte finish screen protector for around £10 to complete the conversion from bottom to top spec. Unlike most other electronics manufacturers who absolutely don't want you poking around inside their product Valve have made it easy, almost encouraging it. You can practically build a Steam Deck with the parts available from the iFixit store.
The battery won't last anywhere near the 13 hour flight time to Singapore, though appreciated you won't play it the entire time. It needs a hefty charger, particularly if you charge and play at the same time. Not something a plane seat USB port is likely to provide. The game you play will alter the battery life quite a lot.
I don't know to what percentage of games this applies, but some Steam games require internet access to even play single player - something to consider if you are on a plane which doesn't have internet access, or you can't connect for any reason.
There are several tweaks and mods you can install, for example you can undervolt and underclock it to extend battery life, and you can install non-Steam launchers quite easily to play non-Steam games. I installed the Heroic launcher which then lets you install Epic Games, GoG games and Amazon Gaming games. You can even install a game on your Windows PC, copy the contents of the installed directory to a USB drive, copy it over to the Steam Deck and then add the game to Steam and play it on the Steam Deck.
If you are at all into retro gaming you can install EmuDeck or Batocera and all your emulation needs are accounted for. However, whenever I travel on a plane I tend to take my Anbernic RG353 instead of the Steam Deck. It's much smaller and lighter, and less powerful, but that gives it a battery which lasts far longer. It plays retro games up to about PS1 comfortably and is genuinely much more portable, easier to chuck into a rucksack or a large pocket. The Steam Deck is quite large and feels expensive, which makes me reluctant to take it anywhere near an airport.
In short, get a Steam Deck because they are fantastic things, and then don't take it on a plane and get an Anbernic for that.
The battery won't last anywhere near the 13 hour flight time to Singapore, though appreciated you won't play it the entire time. It needs a hefty charger, particularly if you charge and play at the same time. Not something a plane seat USB port is likely to provide. The game you play will alter the battery life quite a lot.
I don't know to what percentage of games this applies, but some Steam games require internet access to even play single player - something to consider if you are on a plane which doesn't have internet access, or you can't connect for any reason.
There are several tweaks and mods you can install, for example you can undervolt and underclock it to extend battery life, and you can install non-Steam launchers quite easily to play non-Steam games. I installed the Heroic launcher which then lets you install Epic Games, GoG games and Amazon Gaming games. You can even install a game on your Windows PC, copy the contents of the installed directory to a USB drive, copy it over to the Steam Deck and then add the game to Steam and play it on the Steam Deck.
If you are at all into retro gaming you can install EmuDeck or Batocera and all your emulation needs are accounted for. However, whenever I travel on a plane I tend to take my Anbernic RG353 instead of the Steam Deck. It's much smaller and lighter, and less powerful, but that gives it a battery which lasts far longer. It plays retro games up to about PS1 comfortably and is genuinely much more portable, easier to chuck into a rucksack or a large pocket. The Steam Deck is quite large and feels expensive, which makes me reluctant to take it anywhere near an airport.
In short, get a Steam Deck because they are fantastic things, and then don't take it on a plane and get an Anbernic for that.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff