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Older patient gamers: what is your preferred gaming platform?

I used to be a PC-only gamer but the older I get the more I gravitate toward very ‘simple’ platforms.

Because my gaming time slots can be unpredictable and sometimes short I can’t take too much time setting things up.

I was surprised to find that I use the Nintendo Switch a lot because the games are on cartridges (usually few to no downloading needed) and I can continue playing the game when I am away from home. Really surprising, considering I bought it out of curiosity in 2017 and that it is in some ways underpowered compared to my other devices- I never had a Nintendo ‘home’ console before that.

I thought of adding the PS4 to this mention however recently I’ve been avoiding playing it due to the constant updates. The worst example was when my SO bought me Red Dead Redemption 2. I sat down, excited to play it, when suddenly it pormpted me to download a HUGE update . It really kind of ruined my first session.

What are your experiences and your preferred devices?

Adeptus ,

I play only on PC.

MachineFab812 ,

PC for “real” gaming. Phone for casual stuff, although I’ll stream better games when my connection is good enough.

Chef_Boyardee ,

43 I use GeForce Now. I get made fun of a lot for it. But $17/mo, and no hardware to buy is very affordable. An additional 5ms lag is fine for me.

Unfortunately, it is really buggy. A lot of trouble connecting. So, It is not perfect.

Gimpydude ,

In my mid 50’s. I use a steam deck and my PC running Linux.

mihnt ,

Early 40s and same.

GrossMargin ,

I’ve been considering switching my PC over to Linux as well. Would you recommend it from your experience? Anything you’d do differently if you could?

AdamBomb ,

I’m not the OP but I just built a gaming PC and switched to Linux. No regrets so far. I picked Mint and it went smoothly. Just had to install more updated graphics drivers.

Gimpydude ,

Similar for me. I went with PopOS this time, and it all just works. I’m thinking of switching to KDE Neon, just because I’m a KDE fan. One piece of advice I have is to have your home directory on it’s own so that if you do switch distros, you just install to the system drive and you don’t affect your data.

AdamBomb ,

Just turned 50, same! Plus a PS5 because previous generations had good exclusives and I expected the same this gen.

kugmo ,
@kugmo@sh.itjust.works avatar

Based Unix coomer

Shurimal ,

PC. Because:

  1. Better controller support—I'm not limited to what MS or Sony deem as "certified" or "authorized" hardware. Most of the really good hardware (VKB, Virpil, Arduino) will never be available for consoles and what little is available is bad at best.
  2. Best sims are PC only (DCS, Il-2, E:D, X series, Hunternet etc)
  3. Sims support 3rd party auxiliary software (TacView, EDDiscovery, OMH, EDMC etc) for better experience and that's simply not going to be possible on consoles, ever.
  4. For other games, modding experience on PC is simply better. SKSE and ENB is what keeps Skyrim going and makes it still relevant 13 years later. Can't have this kind of code injection and wrappers on consoles.
  5. If I ever get into retrogaming, emulation is the way, especially since actually acquiring retro console games in their original physical format is bound to become a very expensive collector's hobby if you don't have your own collection from childhood already or don't have local second-hand options.
pineapplelover ,

My laptop is pretty portable, I just carry my hdmi and controllers with me and can hook it up anywhere to play some games. Want to watch some movies too? I gotchu. Pc all the way man.

entropicdrift ,
@entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I have a gaming desktop, personally, with a relatively light laptop I picked primarily for repairability and battery life.

My laptop can’t really game, but it can run Moonlight like a champ. I have a Raspberry Pi setup as a VPN and the gaming desktop has Wake On LAN, so I can have Baldur’s Gate 3 up and running in a couple minutes from anywhere with internet.

SteefLem ,
@SteefLem@lemmy.world avatar

Console (xbox, ps, switch) because i got tired of buying a new gpu or whatever upgrade for pc every couple of months. Now i dont have to stress for updated drivers or if it crashes because windows wants something done at the most fucked up time. Just sit in my comfy chair turn it on and play. Dont have time for all the other bs.

otp ,

Huh. I built my PC with mid-level specs 3 years ago and haven’t upgraded anything but RAM and storage. Didn’t even need either for gaming…

Echinoderm ,

Why so often? I just updated my almost 10 year old PC that had one gpu upgrade in its life, and was still happily playing the 10 year old games I wanted to play.

Then I got the new PC with decent specs and decided to push its limits with some Stardew Valley.

Subtex ,

I’m the same way but I bought one of those mini pcs that has a laptop cpu/gpu in it, installed ChimeraOS on it which essentially turned it into a steamdeck.

I have that hooked up to my living room tv and it’s my main gaming device. It’s essentially a console. I never upgrade anything. It runs what I play at 1080p with med or high settings.

Suits me just fine. I mainly just want to sit on my couch and game on the TV instead of being at a desk like I did years ago.

SteefLem ,
@SteefLem@lemmy.world avatar

Oh thats a good idea. I do find that some games i miss out on because there not on console… this is a good idea. What mini pc did you get?

Subtex ,

The Minisforum HX80G. That’s the older model. They have the HX99G, HX100G and others now. They all range in price but Amazon has sales.

I picked mine up for $650.

SteefLem ,
@SteefLem@lemmy.world avatar

Tnx gonna check that out.

olafurp ,

I run the game on PC but use Steam link on the TV to connect to it and use a controller most of the time. It’s not the absolute best for playing keyboard + mouse games but it’s very nice for Subnautica for example.

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

I used to play everything, and had every major system to do so back in my teens and twenties. But I’ve since just been primarily a PC player because I know what I like, and what I like are weird games that experiment with new ideas and/or push the limits of complexity. Like Dwarf Fortress and damn near anything Ssethtzeentach reviews.

In the console space, much of the experimentation I see done in games that would otherwise interest me are more in the cinematography and other means of presentation, whereas all the weird and interesting implementations of fun tend to be PC exclusive.

somegadgetguy ,

I used to game a lot on a desktop, but now that I work at home, I kinda hate sitting in front of a PC. I wasnt playing a lot, but then got a steam deck at launch, and now I’m gaming a ton again.

I like the switch, but I really like how backwards compatible PC gaming is.

x3i ,

Steam Deck (so technically PC).

I can lay down on the couch while my SO watches some show on the TV I am not interested in but depending on the game, I can still follow the general story so we can discuss and react to things together. Enabled me to finally do some more gaming (~1 hour per evening) again (compared to a few hour per month previously).

CancerMancer ,

I’ve got some young kids and the Steam Deck makes it a lot easier to take them places and keep myself (or them) entertained. It also means I can get some game time in while they watch their shows.

Best part was taking it in vacation, plugging it into a TV, and using it like a console we all play together. It felt like I was sitting on the floor playing N64 with my siblings again lol.

I’ve loved having this thing. I still do more gaming on my PC but I’m glad I bought it.

x3i ,

Glad to hear thay! Can you give some examples of the games you played with the kids? I'm trying to find titles like that

CancerMancer ,

The kids really like the beat em ups like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Streets of Rage. They also like Wobbly Life and Wobbledogs (though you will probably want a mouse for that one). N+ was a hit too.

Of course I’ve got some emulated stuff too and you can’t go wrong with Super Mario World, Golden Axe, or Gauntlet Legends.

tacosanonymous ,

It is honestly the best “pick up and play” platform. I love how everything just pauses when you lock the screen.

GreenAlex ,
@GreenAlex@kbin.social avatar

As time goes on I lean more and more into PC gaming with emulation for older systems. Resistant to hardware and disks/cartridges failing and there are fewer concerns with online functionality going away completely. There's a lot to like about the Switch but with it being literally their only console that still has any online features, I have serious concerns about longevity.

WalrusDragonOnABike ,

I grew up with SNES and N64 era, so maybe I’m old enough?

PC. Consoles are too much to deal with. Cartridges are probably better than discs, but either having to change games in either is probably gonna make me choose to just not play instead. With PC, everything is just a few clicks away.

cloudless ,

You can use digital downloads with consoles too. I don’t see how PCs are easier than consoles.

WalrusDragonOnABike ,

First you have to switch devices from the PC to the console to use it.

Rai ,

Our computers can play games from what, 20, 30 consoles?

any1th3r3 ,

I used to be like you OP, PC-only gamer for a long while, but as I’m getting older (and got back into gaming a few years ago), I’ve mostly been using consoles or equivalents:

  • PS5 40% of the time
  • Xbox Series X 20%
  • Steam Deck 20%
  • Switch 10%
  • Super Nt / PS3 / Analogue Pocket / Miyoo Mini Plus / 3DS / Vita, remaining 10%
BartyDeCanter ,

My development PC running linux (I don’t use Arch, BTW) + Steam has by far the most games I’m interested in playing. Games that I have played my entire life run great, through DOSBox, Proton, native, or console emulators.

That being said, I still have a huge soft spot from my old 3DS and wish I still had it. Sure the Switch is great, but the 3DS had so many fun little quirky features that it was just fun to use as well as play games on.

steeznson ,

3DS might be my favourite console. The DS library is amazing - and not region locked - then the 3DS JRPG selection is probably the strongest out of any console.

helenslunch ,
@helenslunch@feddit.nl avatar

The worst example was when my SO bought me Red Dead Redemption 2. I sat down, excited to play it, when suddenly it pormpted me to download a HUGE update

Honestly this is the worst. I get 30+GB updates for Rocket League multiple days/week. Fortunately I have fast internet (300+Mbps) but it must be awful for people with slow internet. I mean WTF are they doing? I didn’t realize PS4 had this problem. I thought they had a dedicated chip to handle this sort of thing. Or maybe that was PS5? That’s what we need though, is a dedicated ARM chip that handles that sort of thing while the device is “off”.

Anyway, if you like the Switch, you’ll love the Steam Deck. It’s kinda the same thing but way more “open” (community tools), way more powerful, games are way less expensive and there are way more of them.

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