[HN Gopher] Ask HN: What is your favourite gaming hardware/device?
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Ask HN: What is your favourite gaming hardware/device?
Title says it all. A bit of an explanation: I used to game a lot as
a kid/teenager, and over the years it became less and less. Now
with having my own family, time is rare but I sometimes "want the
feeling back" I had as a kid and dive into a game. I basically
look for a device I can feel connected to. I had the Nintendo
Switch and good experiences with it. I am now looking for a device
which would feel good "to have" and can play a few games. I am
curious about your experiences. Do you enjoy gaming on an iPad? Are
you a Switch person? Or do you have a dedicated gaming PC at home?
Author : recvonline
Score : 20 points
Date : 2021-11-20 20:21 UTC (2 hours ago)
| smoldesu wrote:
| I play stuff on Linux, it's alright. It's not as mindless a setup
| as gaming on Windows, but tech like Steam Proton and WINE have
| come such a long ways that I can comfortably play the vast
| majority of Windows releases with near-native performance on the
| same device I write code with. It's pretty comfy once you get the
| hang of it, I'd recommend checking out library compatibility[0]
| and some benchmarks[1] to get an idea of how far things have
| come. It's not too far-fetched to just build your own Linux
| console as a weekend project.
|
| [0] https://www.protondb.com/
|
| [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voXc1nCD4IA
| mbrundle wrote:
| I've been a keen gamer since a kid. Now a dad, I'm in a similar
| position where I rarely have time to play. But I adore the Oculus
| Quest 2! I've just completed Resident Evil 4 (it took several
| weeks, but it's the first time I've completed a AAA game in
| years). The immersion is amazing, I haven't been this absorbed in
| a game in a long time. Fighting your way through a fully realised
| VR environment (massive castles, underground caverns etc) is
| something new to me. I found that most console games are too
| complex for me to get back into after a week or two away - the
| mental effort needed to remember the controls puts me off after a
| long day of work followed by looking after the kids - but RE4 VR
| doesn't have this problem. It's very intuitive - you grab weapons
| from different points on your body, reload with physical motions,
| and there's only a few actions that map to button presses, so
| it's made it easy to pick it up again after a break. I'm looking
| forward to seeing this platform develop. Bonus: I tell the kids
| they can't use it till they're teenagers, so whilst they hog the
| PS4 for Minecraft, the Quest is exclusively for my use. :)
| tluyben2 wrote:
| > It's very intuitive
|
| Yep, this is a thing. Friends who never played a game in their
| life were shooting and climbing after a few minutes in the
| Quest. I struggle with modern console controllers (while I am
| really good still with 80s joysticks; they are not alike in any
| way), on the Quest 2 I will redo a round after failing 10x
| because I did not fail due to the frustrating controls, which I
| have no patience or time to learn anyway, but I failed just
| because i was not fast enough. That improves gaming so much for
| me, I started to like modern gaming again after leaving it for
| some 20 years (I played retro games with joysticks though
| during that time).
| ChuckNorris89 wrote:
| _> on the Quest 2 I will redo a round after failing 10x
| because I did not fail due to the frustrating controls_
|
| Not to mention all the extra calories you'll burn from
| redoing all those failed rounds ;)
| ChuckNorris89 wrote:
| _> I've been a keen gamer since a kid. Now a dad, I'm in a
| similar position where I rarely have time to play. But I adore
| the Oculus Quest 2!_
|
| Same here. The Quest put the fun back in gaming for me. I tried
| some of the fancy new AAA PC games and I felt I just was not
| having as much fun as I did gaming as a kid since everything
| felt as the same-old rehashed recipes but with way fancier
| graphics and different stories, so I was just left yawning and
| bored quickly despite the realistic graphics and major hype.
|
| But gaming in VR really makes me feel immersed and I finally
| feel like I'm having genuine fun like I'm a kid again. Why
| control a 1st/3rd person character on a screen, when you can be
| that characters and live the adventure yourself ?!.
|
| Even though the graphics have a lot less polygons on the Quest,
| but since the art style of some games is designed from the get-
| go to be low-poly, it really fits well together. But somehow,
| some games on the Quest 2 really do look visually stunning,
| verging on modern console/PC fidelity, which is insane
| considering the underlying HW.
|
| Mental health wise, it was a real life saver for me during the
| 2020 lockdowns as it allowed some quick escapism in new
| territories when everything was closed and my social circles
| broke up.
|
| Not to mention, gaming in VR with 360 degrees of freedom is a
| lot healthier for your body and posture than gaming sitting at
| a desk/couch, especially if your day job also involves sitting
| at a desk for 8 hours.
|
| As much as I despise Facebook/Meta, the Quest is a game changer
| which had a genuine positive impact on my life.
| tluyben2 wrote:
| For just AAA gaming (no time like the rest here but I try to do
| it a few hours per month and often I lose discipline and play too
| long and feel guilty) the gpd win 3. But hold on; I actually
| bought that for my current actual favorite gaming device which I
| spend way too much time on; the Quest 2. I connect them together
| (as I can stick the win3 in my bag while it has a lot of power)
| and use Immersive VR to have 5 monitors to code on taking up a
| fraction of the space. And when I take a break, I shoot zombies
| or climb mountains. It is not perfect yet, but with more battery
| life and higher res, it would be perfect for me.
| stunt wrote:
| If yo don't have enough time, then go with PS5. It's powerful,
| has good quality exclusive games, and is just plug and play.
|
| PC gaming can give you more, but it also requires more care and
| time to maintain, upgrade, run, install, and optimize.
| sys_64738 wrote:
| Commodore 64. Gameplay is second to none.
| huachimingo wrote:
| The PSP has tons of emulators/homebrew + native PS1 support, and
| you can use Android or PC to emulate the DS/GBA pretty well (same
| instruction set or JIT-ted emulators). Good thing about Nintendo
| systems is ROM size, so you can have tons of games and not get
| bored.
|
| Plus, if you have an old android phone with buttons or close
| volume keys, you can use it as a _complete_ portable GB /A or DS.
| I remember to have played the heck out of SFA3/Pokemon in an old
| phone on long trips.
|
| So I would stick to portable handleds and check out ports or
| exclusives. If you have a modded home console its more of the
| same but with better graphics and power or more space for ROMS.
| swayvil wrote:
| logitech marble mouse
| Mikeb85 wrote:
| PC. I've always enjoyed strategy games, both RTS and turn-based.
| Mouse + keyboard is still by far the best interface for it. I
| also don't game enough to have a dedicated setup.
| rpmisms wrote:
| My PC. I think that may change when I get my Steam Deck. I refuse
| to use a locked-down ecosystem.
| sharken wrote:
| Something like Steam Deck for PC games would be very convenient
| due to the form factor.
|
| But it remains to be seen if it can replace the mouse/keyboard
| combination.
| 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
| Isn't Steam a locked down ecosystem?
| chayleaf wrote:
| steam deck allows you to install whatever you want and ships
| with an arch-based distro (steamos 3.0)
| ydnaclementine wrote:
| I've been in a retro game mood with GBA games, so I bought a
| RG351P. Emulates up to n64 and comfy to play in bed. They
| released a newer version, the RG351MP, with slightly different
| screen size. But interestingly there should be a chip upgrade in
| the next year that will allow smooth emulation up to ps2 (so they
| say, the current chips are old to say the least).
|
| Retrododo has good reviews of these types of devices. Not
| affiliated, just think their content is good
| cgb223 wrote:
| How good is the N64 emulation?
|
| Been waiting for handhelds to get powerful enough to do that
|
| Can it do Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask/Goldeneye reasonably
| well?
| anfractuosity wrote:
| I just got the RG351V which I've been enjoying playing with, I
| think it uses the same chip as the MP one you mentioned.
| ArtWomb wrote:
| F-Zero X for N64 recommended ;)
| Hamuko wrote:
| I love the PlayStation Vita. It's just such a small, delightful
| device. And the buttons feel great and the size feels great for
| the hands. I do have a Switch as well, but I don't really love it
| the same way.
|
| Too bad there were not many of us.
| psyc wrote:
| The one I'm most impressed by is the Quest 2. The one I spend the
| most time gaming on and ultimately have the most fun with is
| still the PC, as it has been for the past 20 years. I absolutely
| cannot stand touchscreen gaming.
| DantesKite wrote:
| Honestly I'm looking forward the most to the SteamDeck. I think
| it's going to fulfill a niche that's never been properly
| addressed before and I think the same way the iPhone exploded
| apps, the SteamDeck will drive a Cambrian explosion for games.
|
| When you have a very stable hardware system where the
| specifications are well-known, it removes some of the friction
| involved in software development.
|
| Gaming PC's for the most part are more of a liability than an
| asset to game development, owing to the constantly need to
| upgrade, driven by faster and faster CPU's. It removes the
| incentive to design better software.
| ChuckNorris89 wrote:
| _> Gaming PC's for the most part are more of a liability than
| an asset to game development, owing to the constantly need to
| upgrade, driven by faster and faster CPU's. It removes the
| incentive to design better software._
|
| I get where you're coming from, but I very much disagree with
| this. It's like saying modern cars with safety features are a
| liability to road safety as it removes the incentive to have
| better trained drivers that pay attention to the road. One does
| not necessary mean the exclusion of the other.
|
| HW advancements give more creative freedom to game designers
| and can let the studios focus more resources on the look and
| feel of the game rather than wrestling with technical
| limitations like in the old days when even 2D side scrolling
| games on PCs, like Commander Keen, represented a technical
| challenge and needed the incredible mind of John Carmack to
| pull off.
|
| The vast, open, complex, high fidelity worlds we enjoy in
| famous titles today only exist because consumer HW has advanced
| enough at a palpable price point (barring the post-2020
| scalpocalipse) to support the vision of the designers. Games
| with such details would have not been economically feasible on
| consumer HW in the distant pass even if you had to code them in
| raw assembly from scratch.
|
| So IMHO it was good thing when every now and then a new game
| like Far Cry or Crysys would come along and break the mold by
| exceeding what the current gen mainstream HW was capable of,
| showing what the near future could look like when HW gets a bit
| faster and more affordable. But those days of the rebel engine
| designers that would leave everyone drooling in awe with
| visuals that only delivered on $3000+ PC HW are pretty much
| behind us now, as every studio is designing games to work on
| the lowest common denominator (consoles and phones) as that's
| where the majority of users and $$$ is.
|
| And one can say, _" Well, what was the point of making games
| that looked amazing on HW nobody could afford at the time?"_
| but the same could be said _" Well, what was the point of going
| to the moon when nobody can afford to go there?"_. Innovation
| needs disruptors to break the mold and push boundaries for the
| benefit of the knowledge gained in the process, as it will
| trickle down later with time.
| auxym wrote:
| There's also the fact that midrange GPUs are now the price of a
| full console, if you can even find one for sale, and there's no
| immediate end in sight to the shortage.
| MarcScott wrote:
| My son started gaming on an iPad, then a Wii, then an XBox. A
| couple of years ago we built a custom PC rig for him, then one
| for my nephew, and finally one for myself.
|
| I don't game a huge amount, but we have weekly CS:GO games with
| friends and family, and I occasionally fire up a few favourites
| on my PC from Steam.
|
| However, TBH, if I didn't also use my machine for work, it would
| be a colossal waste of money. Prior to building it, I was playing
| RDR2 and AC Valhalla on a cheap laptop using Stadia, and really
| enjoyed them.
| wolrah wrote:
| Starting with your questions:
|
| > Do you enjoy gaming on an iPad?
|
| Generally no, unless I'm playing a game for which a touch screen
| provides a good interface. Board/card games are great. "God view"
| games can be done well. Most first or third person games of any
| variety suck.
|
| > Are you a Switch person?
|
| Not really. The Switch is too large and fragile to be pocketed so
| it's only really portable in the sense that it's not tied to a
| TV, which means mine just lives in its dock 95% of the time. As a
| docked console it wasn't even competitive against last-gen
| hardware, and as a result it exists solely because enough
| Nintendo first-party games came out that I wanted to play.
|
| I was a huge DS person in its era, because I could have it in my
| pocket anywhere. Pull it out, open it up for even half a level of
| New Super Mario, then slap it shut and it's immediately suspended
| for later. Switch has the same function but without the
| pocketability it's just not as useful.
|
| > Or do you have a dedicated gaming PC at home?
|
| Always have, always will. The PC is the longest lasting gaming
| platform on its own, rarely has it ever lost the performance
| crown, and thanks to both inherent compatibility and emulation it
| can play the majority of games ever made for any platform.
|
| I have consoles for convenience and exclusives, but a good PC is
| a long term investment that pays off if you really like gaming.
| ChuckNorris89 wrote:
| _> a good PC is a long term investment that pays off if you
| really like gaming_
|
| Yeah, that used to be true, but then 2020 happened and GPUs
| became unobtanium. Not to mention they've been seeing a steady
| price increase in MSRP since a few years before covid. I fondly
| remeber the days when ~$400 was enough to buy you a wicked GPU
| like a GTX 1070 that would play all games at high settings and
| would last you a few years. Those days are gone now and even
| when the supply chain gets fixed, it looks like the hiked
| prices will be the new norm and are here to stay for a while,
| as the nvidia-amd duopoly realized there is enough demand even
| at these price points. Or at least until the next crypto bust
| (which can't come soon enough).
|
| The hidden advantage of consoles running super locked down
| walled gardened SW is that miners can't use them ... yet. So at
| least in the EU you can still buy the lastest gen consoles for
| MSRP if you're willing to look around hard enough.
|
| GPUs for MSRP? Hell is more likely to freeze over before that
| happens.
| silisili wrote:
| I really like Stadia for this. It's not perfect, Google does a
| horrible job running it, and there aren't a ton of 'big' games.
|
| But not having to download games or updates really changes the
| way you treat it. You just dive in for a few minutes at a time if
| you want, or hours for the times you have them. Play from your
| tablet or phone if you want, or pick up a controller and play on
| the big screen.
| mauricio wrote:
| The Nintendo Switch.
|
| For all the reasons you mention. I have a career, I have a
| family, and I have side projects. I just don't have time to
| dedicate to games. But sometimes you just need to blow off steam
| for 15 minutes before bed and the Switch is perfect for this.
|
| Every game can be paused/stopped by hitting one button. The
| controls are great, software is great, and I've been using the
| the dock to play games together with family like Mario Kart. I
| have a bunch of maxed out characters in Diablo 3 just by playing
| 15 minutes here and there. :)
| sandreas wrote:
| How about the PiBoy DMG? It's sold out / discontinued but maybe
| you find a source for used devices.
| galaktor wrote:
| I, too, have little time for gaming. I love my Xbox Series X -
| together with Game Pass I have more games than I will ever be
| able to play. Things Just Work and load times are basically
| nonexistent, can jump straight in when I do have a short moment
| for some gaming. Game Pass Ultimate even lets me play on Chrome
| on my Mac and on my Android phone, although I rarely actually use
| it, it works pretty well.
| blibble wrote:
| proper gaming PC with high refresh rate monitor
|
| the difference in ability to aim is night and day
| kradeelav wrote:
| The Gamecube was and is by far my favorite console, still; which
| is easy to say because mine's still humming along as smoothly as
| it did in 2005. Built like a brick, great ergonomics in the
| controller, no "loading" between levels or startups, and the
| games are free from the various monetization schemes that I find
| plague games these days. I find the graphics a lot easier to
| parse than the overly "noisy" graphics that consumed the next
| generations.
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(page generated 2021-11-20 23:01 UTC)