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Five years from launch the PS5 is a roaring success, so why doesn't it feel like it? [Eurogamer] (www.eurogamer.net)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/gaming@beehaw.org
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[–] 20 points 11 months ago (5 children)

My partner got a ps5 at launch to play the new final fantasy game. He played through it and it's pretty much been collecting dust ever since. We still use the ps4 as a TV box (Netflix plex etc) I seem to remember every time we wanted to attempt using it the ps5 wanted to update for hours, and then the update finishes and the friggin controller wants updating now. Back to the ps4 for TV, back to the pc for gaems

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  • [–] 10 points 11 months ago* (4 children)

    I was going to get a PS5 since Steam Deck is finally running out of steam for games I actually care about. (And after the hassle a friend building his PC had, desktops scare me)

    But then Valve announced Gabecube anyway, so the only reason I'd want one is for maybe reselling physical games after beating them. And I already have a Switch 2 to do that with.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    Which games are you struggling with on the Deck?

    What kind of issues did your friend have building a PC? It's a rather straightforward process, really. You can make mistakes, of course, but if you prepare your build carefully, maybe get a second or third opinion from people with experience and knowledge, read a tutorial or two, then few things can really go wrong. I'm willing to help with the selection of components and some tips on the building process, if you want (I've been building PCs for decades, if that counts).

    I get the appeal of the "Gabecube" (I hope this name sticks) for you though, but keep in mind that it is a relatively limited system in terms of power, quite a bit below current-gen consoles by current estimates and especially limited by its relatively small amount of VRAM. It should be able to play every Linux-compatible game for now (the most demanding at low settings only), but sooner or later, the limited GPU (which can not be upgraded, unlike on a normal PC), will result in games just not running well enough or not even booting, similar to certain newer games on the Deck. It is considerably more powerful than the Deck though.

    It really depends on the price whether or not it's a good low-end gaming PC. Hardware prices are not exactly ideal at the moment (RAM is the current sticking point, but GPUs aren't cheap either), so if the Deck manages to be more affordable than a comparable budget build - kind of like the base-model Steam Deck has been a very impressive value proposition - it might be worth it.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

    The breaking point was Expedition 33, which even with optimization mods I can't get to stable 30fps in combat, which breaks at least one skill and seems to mess with parries. PS4 games at 60fps would be nice too though, Elden Ring is ~50 at ok settings.

    My friend's problem was picking out parts, which was harder for him since besides playing STALKER 2 he wanted to potentially render videos in the future. The friends we asked also gave split opinions for things like futureproofing - apparently some Ram setups are harder to upgrade than others, or are related to picking PUs? Same with power supply, etc.

    Also, I have a pretty tiny room. I have a TV for consoles that's there to stay, and shelves 13x13x13 inches below it the SM would fit in, while a desktop would have to be SFF (which, I only learned about now) or a small tower but I'm not sure about ventilation then. Without SteamOS it seems I'd need a keyboard/mouse out for every boot too. The desk always has a budget laptop for work on it, so among other crap there's little space for a desktop. No space below/besides desk either.

    I'm also not knowledgable about specs, but I figured when, say, Borderlands 4 is not playable at 4K 60fps, then I could just deal with Full HD 30-40fps, which would be enough. Or if I decide to stream to Deck, not even Full HD.

    Edit: The closest solution is PS5 Pro or PS6 when it comes out (and they fit on shelf, never checked size) but, no Steam library then. Or mods, emulation. All in all, it seems I'm in an extremely specific situation where buying SM seems optimal.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (1 child)

    Expedition 33

    I haven't tried this game on the Deck yet, so I can't confirm these work, but have you looked at how other people have achieved 30 fps on protondb?

    https://www.protondb.com/app/1903340?device=steamDeck

    Another option would be to lower difficulty, if you haven't already. IIRC, the parry window is much wider on easy.

    The friends we asked also gave split opinions

    Classic too many cooks problem. Best stick to one person who seems like they know what they are talking about. Don't look at me, I'm just pretending. ;)

    but I’m not sure about ventilation then

    The more, the merrier. Map out a clear path for the air to travel through the device, from the least hot to the hottest component and out again. Larger fans are quieter at the same amount of air moved than smaller ones. Cable management gets more important the smaller the case is, so make sure to pick a modular power supply and tuck everything that can be tucked away neatly out of sight and out of the way of the airflow.

    Without SteamOS it seems I’d need a keyboard/mouse out for every boot too.

    You can configure Steam to immediately launch in Big Picture mode on any operating system it supports. There are many ways of achieving this, but here's a simple script for Windows:

    https://github.com/jazir555/GamesDows

    For couch PC gaming, I would also recommend getting one of these cheap and simple little keyboard and mouse remotes (I have amassed several over the years, for some reason).

    I’m also not knowledgable about specs, but I figured when, say, Borderlands 4 is not playable at 4K 60fps, then I could just deal with Full HD 30-40fps, which would be enough.

    I would recommend waiting until it's out and people have thoroughly tested it. Within a few days of it reaching the hands of customers, there should be plenty of videos, articles and forum reports on how well it performs with all sorts of games, including particularly demanding ones like Borderlands 4. Digital Foundry are the best address for this kind of performance analysis.

    The closest solution is PS5 Pro or PS6 when it comes out (and they fit on shelf, never checked size)

    The PS5 (Pro or not) is absolutely humongous. I would be surprised if the PS6 ends up being any smaller. It'll probably fit onto your shelf, but not in it.

    but, no Steam library then. Or mods, emulation. All in all, it seems I’m in an extremely specific situation where buying SM seems optimal.

    Looks like it. This computer will undoubtedly be an emulation powerhouse, just like the Deck. If the price is right and if it doesn't have any teething issues at launch (which I doubt, given how mature the Deck was right away), then it might just be the ideal PC for you. If it's pricier than expected for the performance, then you might want to return to me and we can discuss a SFF build as an alternative, if you want.

    One thing I would recommend is buying the base model and upgrading storage yourself, since this is likely where Valve will charge more than what it would cost to perform the upgrade yourself. There are no other spec differences between the models and it's likely that they'll sell the base model close to cost, like the Deck. Based on what I've seen, upgrading storage should be trivially easy, far easier than on the Deck.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

    Booted up E33 and it does pull stable 30 now, but last time I was fighting a boss with pretty cinematic attacks. I didn't have tearing on though and I'm still not sure if resolution needs to be set to low manually for upscaling, I did it now to be sure like someone suggested. Maybe it was also the constant speeding up and slowing down of attacks that messed with perception. A few UI bugs happen still. Don't worry, the difficulty is fine.

    Reading all this and looking up Steam Boot ups does make me consider my own setup, true, but I'd just at most end up with a stronger and upgradable (and probably pricier) Steam Machine anyway. And if I only upgrade every 4-5 years or so, like I have up to this point, I might be starting from scratch anyways. (Had a gaming laptop around 2010, then budget laptop at 2020 that couldn't play PS4 games well anyway, then Steam Deck at around 2022)

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