Capitalism makes me view the world and society as manufactured. Nothing I buy brings me true happiness, because it is just a means to survive or bring some bare minimum amount of comfort. Nothing out there to watch, play, read, listen to brings authentic joy as they once did, knowing how much capitalism has affected all of those mediums.
I've had to watch my dreams and ambitions die on the chopping block, because they'd require a level of financial stability or requirement I'd never ever get to see in my life even now.
They say you should turn your hobbies into a job. Well to me, my idea of a hobby is to enjoy and to escape. To monetize it, would mean I have to let that toxic friend be more of a friend than I am already at a discomfort with being my unintentional friend in the first place.
I already have a very jarred and jaded outlook on everything in the world, thanks to capitalism. I even despise the word 'consumer' because that's a derogatory term to devalue people by, but we've come to accept it unfortunately.
And one day, I will be a victim of this capitalism. I am just one car repair or emergency visit away from wanting sweet release.
I’ve been using Fennec F-Droid, which is based on Firefox. I mostly use it because I want a non-chromium based browser and Firefox and it’s derivatives have browser extensions on android. I chose Fennec F-Droid because, while I could be wrong, it seems to be slightly smaller and run slightly faster than Firefox.
You could go for the 8600G/8700G APUs without a graphics card. This should give you better performance than the Steam Deck and the option to later add a graphics card.
I’ve added a screenshot of a german shop that sells these for 649€ without operating system:
Everybody in a PC community is going to go to "build your own" by default, but it really isn't the only option.
It is true you won't match the price-to-performance on the Deck, but if you're willing to go a bit higher you can try a few things. For one, you can try to buy used. I would like to see a PC in person before I do that, but there may be options, depending on where you live. The good news is that upgrading from a Steam Deck anything with a dedicated GPU should be a nice boost in performance, so you can go for entry level or older desktop parts. If you don't mind a bit of bulk or have a convenient place to stash it you can also skip the whole mini-PC space, which is typically sold at a premium, and just buy a big old tower.
And then there's laptops. Used laptops devaluate a lot, which means you can find decent entry-level laptops with 30 series GPUs that will still outperform the Deck by a lot for a few hunderd bucks. Again, I'd like to look at one of those before I buy, but if you don't care about the screen quality or the cosmetics there are some affordable used options out there. Just... check the noise when gaming, because some of those sound like a hair dryer on high power mode.
As others have said, it depends on your budget and specific use case, but if you're using a handheld as a console attached to a screen you should be able to cobble something more functional together. Just maybe not as hassle-free or reliable.
Definitely agree on the used idea. Ebay is full of used previous gen parts at great prices (stick with sellers with a deep history of 99% and higher feedback, avoid those with accounts less than a year old and/or single digit feedback. Avoid single digit sellers with suspiciously cheap prices for recent hardware like the plague - these are likely scammers.)
Personally, I’d avoid laptops if gaming is your primary interest. Performance does lag behind similar spec desktops, but more importantly, if something that isn’t ram or a storage drive breaks on a laptop, the whole machine is probably done. Not necessarily because the whole machine is unusable, but many if not most repair parts are model specific and can cost more than the laptop did.
Desktops can be repaired and upgraded per assembly, which makes them pretty kind to your wallet if gaming on a budget. I just scored an excellent condition 1080ti for around $150, and I know with absolute certainty that very robust off lease workstations from a few generations back can be had for $200-ish or less if you know what you’re looking for. Pair them with that 1080ti and you’ve got some decently capable hardware to play with!
I’ve got several gaming machines that I use to run everything from old stuff to heavily modded Skyrim VR and many new titles, and I pretty much only buy storage amd cables new. Everything else is purchased used on Ebay.
Old Dell workstation. You probably won’t be able to play anything from the last 10 years, but other than that you can probably play it. Those old workstations are like $150 USD usually, sometimes $200.
EDIT: Didnt see you mention you already have a Steam Deck. For something comparable, you will probably end up paying the same or only slightly less, not worth it IMO. Just stay on Steam Deck for now.
I don't get why anyone wants a smart peripheral. You can attach peripherals to smart devices if that is needed but I want them to do the thing they do. speaker, display, input, etc.
When I was in my early 20s, I did a lot of stupid things that could have gotten me killed or worse. For some context that makes some of these stories a bit more frightening, I am a woman.
Dealing with untreated depression, I self-medicated by drinking ungodly amounts of alcohol. Getting blackout drunk most days of the week, I did not care for my life.
I once went out on a cold winter day, deciding to walk a few miles for no reason. Someone driving by asked if I needed a ride. I got into their car, and had them drive me to the university I was attending nearby. Then I wandered campus (there was no class, I think it was winter break, so very few people were there). I don’t remember how I got home that day, but I did.
Another time, I was walking back to my apartment. My key wasn’t working to get into the building, so I kept ringing random doorbells to explain I lived there but couldn’t get in. Someone let me in, and when I went to my apartment, my seasonal decorations weren’t outside the door. I assumed they must have been stolen or something, which was surprising because it was a fairly safe area and a secure building. My key to my door didn’t work either, and I knocked to get my roommate to let me in. Some one I didn’t know asked who it was. I start freaking out, asking who she was and why she was in my apartment. I kept saying my address over and over to prove that was MY apartment. Eventually, someone down the hallway heard the commotion and let me into their apartment. She gave me water, cookies, and I used her bathroom. She called the cops, who walked me home to my apartment, and building next to the one I was in. I had drunkenly walked to the wrong (identical) building of my complex. Still not sure why, after I yelled my address many times, nobody explained I was just in the wrong building.
I once hitchhiked late at night. That was one of the stupider things I’ve done, aside from the next ones.
I went to a bar and got absurdly drunk, ended up at some house that a few dudes shared. I spent the night there, and my phone died at some point. I have no memory of how I ended up there that first night. They took me bar-hopping the next day, and I spent another night there.
I went to another bar once, and was getting chatted up by some dude. Apparently, he was offering to take me home or back to his place (can’t remember which), and I was definitely going to take him up on the offer. Superstar bartender was not going to let that happen. Not sure if she got a bad vibe for him or just general concern about going home with a stranger. She called me a taxi, and I’m so thankful for that bartender who looked out for me.
There were many other stupid drunken journeys. I lost jobs, friends, boyfriends, and lost a lot of trust from family members.
Thankfully, I got help. Am on real medication, am about 5 years sober, went back to college, and have a good job. Shoutout to everyone who helped me get on the path I’m on today.
For a long time, I thought I would never be able to feel the way I do today: happy, healthy, mentally stable.
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