Handheld gaming at home, what device?

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

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Joined
18 May 2010
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Hi,

I have an Xbox Series X plugged into the main TV and GamePass, obviously when the Mrs is watching TV I am sat doom scrolling through Social Media and I've been thinking about a handheld to game on in these situations however there are so many options now its a bit of an indecisive persons nightmare!

So GamePass is paid for until October 2024, I could get a streaming device such as the Logitech G Cloud but at £350 its a bit much and I'm not sure I'll be keeping GamePass when it expires. I could use GamePass on an existing tablet or phone but I would like a dedicated device ideally.

Nintendo Switch is an option but games are expensive and I already have GamePass plus loads of games in my Steam account which leads me onto the SteamDeck, I have a tonne of games sat unused in Steam but I just don't know enough about the SteamDeck and whether its powerful enough to play FPS games which is mainly what I have in Steam, its also very expensive.

Then there are the cheap options, Amazon Luna I could play on one of the many Amazon tablets or firesticks in the house but its yet another subscription and I don't know if the library is good enough or if it'll get canned like Stadia but I would only need the controller for £38 so its tempting.

The main things I want are comfort so a dedicated device preferred, ability to connect ear buds via bluetooth, silence so no really loud fans that will be irritating to others. Maybe I should wait for the G Cloud to come down in price if it ever does?

I would appreciate any info if you've got similar devices etc, thanks
 
chrismscotland said:
To be honest for me this is the Switch, I get you on the price of games but its been out so long now that there's shed loads of stuff on almost constant "sale" pricing on the eShop and its pretty easy to find the popular stuff second hand for a good discount.
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I keep thinking the same but then I look at the games and I'm not sure I'll enjoy them or maybe it's the change I need from the games I'm stuck in a rut playing, I don't know

sgavan said:
Maybe a razer kishi for your phone, I have one and don't use it a lot but xbox cloud works fine and steam link had been fine as well if I remember correctly.
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My phone screen is too small
 
chrismscotland said:
I have to admit I felt the same when I bought the Switch, I had one back in 2017 on launch and sold it but re-bought in April as I really wanted the remaster of Advanced Wars!
However since then I've played the Switch more than anything else with my non-switch gaming pretty much restricted to Microsoft Flight Sim, Warzone 2 and a few other things I can't get on Switch.
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I've had a look through the most popular games but I'm still not sure, I think to keep costs down for now I'm going to stick with gamepass on current devices

jennidc said:
What about a cheap used laptop from cex to use remote play on. You can use existing controllers via USB or Bluetooth.
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It's a good idea but I've already got tablets so I'm going to give the gamepass app a go today on my tablet and try pairing my controller and test it out

I think Microsoft are missing a trick not releasing an official PS Portal type device and relying on 3rd party solutions for remote play considering how invested they are in game streaming, the PS Portal looks perfect for me and another reason I wish I went with a PS5 this gen
 
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Only problem with the steam deck is Xbox gamepass which I am invested in. From what I've seen on YouTube gamepass on the steam deck is just a browser hack which puts me off a bit, they are also expensive. I'll have another look, I was going to cheap out and just get a Kishi for my phone but the geek in me wants access to my steam library back and something to tinker with despite the lack of time nowadays
 
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kkelly said:
Steam deck with xcloud works fine I use it daily nearly :)

I am debating buy my son a Switch, but at the price of the oled and I am leaning towards a second steam deck currently.
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Is it the browser hack that I've seen on YouTube or is there a better method that supports the app now and the video I watched was old?
 
Funny you say that I logged into my account for the first time in over two years just to see what games I had in there and had a nosey at the steam decks and noticed the Refurbs.

I might keep an eye on them, also thought of asking for steam vouchers for Christmas and just wait until then to get one to make it even cheaper assuming you can use them against hardware
 
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