I think you’re right, it’ll probably end up like the smart phone race. From their inception until about 2014, there was a new generation of smart phone every few months and each new flagship model blew the doors off the older ones from hardware, performance, and specs perspectives. Now a days it’s really not necessary to buy the flagship phone, the entry and medium tier phones are 99% as good under the hood but are only missing some gimmick feature or have less storage space or something.

I think the portable gaming PC industry is going to be the same way. Look at how fast Asus brought their device to market once the Deck picked up popularity and it was called the Deck Killer because of that Z1 Extreme APU and how much better it is on paper. Then Lenovo released their product recently and it’s supposed to make its competitors obsolete with its extra features. Now Valve is out here building a better product to compete with those guys and more while keeping the things that make the Deck great (like how smooth SteamOS is and the double track pads).

It’s cool to see the renaissance of a new tech era unfold right before our eyes. Unfortunately it’ll probably taper off in the next 5 years just because technology advances and the ability to shrink our tech down can only move so fast.

I’m not so sure it’s the simplicity of the game that’s required, so much as the replayability of it and your ability to immerse yourself into it for awhile. In my personal experience, I went through a really bad breakup in 2013. I threw myself into Diablo 3 for awhile and it was cathartic because there was always something to keep me going in that game. A higher tier or rifts to slash my way through, a more optimal piece of gear with slightly better stats, etc, etc.

Story based games are definitely a bad bet. For one you may not be in the right state of mind to truly enjoy them, or events within the story may hit too close to home in your situation, or you simply move through them too fast and have no reason to go through them again.

So yeah, just my suggestion but I’d recommend looking at things like rogue-lites, anything loot based, or has long and complex progression systems. Good luck to you brother, I really hope things get better for you soon!

I will forever be triggered that the 1200p screen is called Deck HD and not Deck FHD. The standard 800p screen of the Steam Deck is already considered “high definition”.

If you have the income and want it, go for it.

Between parts for my race car, equipment for my astronomy hobby, my gun budget as a firearms enthusiast, and my ever growing determination to cover my body in tattoos, I can’t be going and upgrading every piece of video game tech as it comes out.

I chased that for awhile with PC building, put $5,000 into a machine with every top dollar component that was comercially available… That lasted all of two months before better stuff started hitting the market at a fraction of the price. These days I don’t care so much, I can wait and upgrade every few generations.

Halo Master Chief Collection

I was a teenager when Halo came out. Used to spend all weekend with friends playing it. Went into the military and played the shit out of Halo 2. Both of the ships I was deployed on had separate, private networks set up specifically for Halo LAN parties.

So showing off the MCC to people my own age is like the ultimate blast from the past. It’s like, “Hey, remember that game you knew and loved as a kid? Well here it is, with sweeter graphics, on a device you can take anywhere!”

Welp, whenever Valve starts shipping little pamphlets with the Deck that say, “Do not prop against felines” associated with a big red circle crossing out a silhouette of a Steam Deck and a cat, we’ll know who to think for that. It’s gonna be “Harmful if swallowed” on hammers all over again. Thanks OP!