Here is a thread to talk about gaming

[Mercutio]

An HX 370 has very credible graphics performance for an APU. Supposedly between mobile 3060 and 4060 performance, but with assignable RAM and power configs.

Mine was $700 with 32 GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. It also has OcuLink and USB4 on it and only really makes meaningful noise if you manage to get it over 80% utilization.

I understand that because of RAM that thing is probably $1200 now as well, but a 24GB version could credibly be offered and would in fact outclass the Steam Machine as well.

Regarding the Mac Mini: Apple games are a complete afterthought on PC gaming platforms. I think Proton will eventually fix that, but everything I could find looked like an Indie dev just happened to compile a Mac binary. Very few AAA titles. The one in my apartment has Baldur's Gate 3 on it and Slay the Spire.

My understanding is that an M4 mini is ALSO somewhere around that 3060/4060 mobile performance range, and if we're talking about Steam specifically, Ahasi Linux (whatever, I ohcan't be bothered to check spelling) just barely boots on a M1 Mac, so it's probably not happening any time soon.

 

[Handruin]

I've never tolerated Valve and I've never understood why anyone else does, either. Valve actively makes PC gaming worse for the essential monoculture it has created for gaming, a space where that never should have happened. GoG is much closer to the ideal everyone should hope wins out, and I don't think it's perfect either.

But getting back to the Steam Box, a custom box full of laptop parts priced at $600 might've been understandable but the minute they crossed that $1000 mark, it's just idiotic. If I can build an ITX rig with a 9060XT for $1000, they should be able to as well. I know there's an argument for a common hardware target, but everything they picked is miserably underpowered, almost like they're trying to make a bad PC on purpose. They should've had a back to the drawing board moment the days they realized RAM and Storage costs were going to screw them over.

As someone who has frequently hosted LAN parties over the past 30 years, I can't agree that valve has made things worse. My LAN party crew even had a pre-steam phrase we used for those who would not patch their games before showing up which made multiplayer games a huge pain in the ass. Steam basically made that issue disappear. In addition to that, having a consistent sdk for game designers to code multiplayer games has made it far easier than it ever was to setup a session. I've also discovered so many great indie titles through steam which gave them a platform to make it viable.

Aside from the issue of whenever steam decides to sell out or lean more into the true billionaire company evil BS, it's tolerated enough because it does work as a platform. Given that you don't use it or tolerate it, I don't know how you can speak for it or claim it's made things worse.

My steam account is 21 years old and I have many thousands of hours of enjoyment from gaming with friends that I didn't miss out on. I focused on gaming with them vs worrying about whatever steam might eventually do. Doesn't mean I love steam or hate them, they exist and work good enough that I can enjoy spending my time gaming with minimal hassle.

Some day that may change and I have no doubt I'll hear you told me so, but decades have already gone by and I have lots of great times to reflect on and glad I didn't miss out

 

[Mercutio]

Given that you don't use it or tolerate it, I don't know how you can speak for it or claim it's made things wors

I have to engage with it as a side effect of supporting other people who play games on PCs. I do get to tell people how wrong they are the entire time, but much like people who buy iOS devices, this is a thing a loathsome thing that is nonetheless regularly set before me.

How is it worse? Well, there are a lot of things I just can't get. I might like to buy them or support them somehow. It's just not an option, because there's simply no non-Steam option to do so. This is what killed most of my interest in PC gaming in and of itself. I can't get excited about a new release until I find out whether it's something I'll be able to buy and play without having Valve inflicted on me. More often than not, the answer is no. The PC is an open platform, No one entity should have control over it. Gamers willingly gave up their control and their ability to challenge publishers when Steam was allowed a functional monopoly on game distribution.

I think it's crucially important that I am allowed access to choose when and where software gets installed and I have stuck to that particular principle. Many Steam users have told me that they believe Steam would drop all its rights management if it were ever put in a position where its operation were threatened. I have less than no reason to think that is the case and in fact, they've recently clarified that they sell access, not ownership of software. Valve is not my friend or your friend. It isn't a friend to software developers or even publishers. It operates in its own interests, and Valve's interests and mine diverged the moment I bought a copy of Half-Life 2 and got a disc with a copy of Steam on it instead.

I've said all along that my acid test for Steam becoming acceptable is having the ability to download the install files for an offline, single-player game and instal lit elsewhere without involving Steam in any way on the second system. GoG lets me do this and that is why I'm OK with GoG.

 

[jtr1962]

Steam inflicted the train simulator world as well:

Train Simulator Classic on Steam

The ultimate railway hobby for more than 15 years! From historic steam locomotives to modern high-speed and heavy freight trains, and routes around the world, Train Simulator Classic is the simulation made by railfans for railfans.

store.steampowered.com

That's why I use Open Rails. Maybe not as much eye candy but much better physics. When I drive a train I want it to feel like driving a train, not something else.

This new sim looks promising also:

 

[Handruin]

It's not wrong to use steam but admirable that you're sticking to your values. That's gotta be worth it.