SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the when-you-want-to-take-it-with-you dept.
Exclusive: Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC
Video game and hardware studio Valve has been secretly building a Switch-like portable PC designed to run a large number of games on the Steam PC platform via Linux—and it could launch, supply chain willing, by year's end.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that the hardware has been in development for some time, and this week, Valve itself pointed to the device by slipping new hardware-related code into the latest version of Steam, the company's popular PC gaming storefront and ecosystem.
[...] In recent years, the "Switch-like PC" category has exploded. In early 2020, Alienware revealed its first Switch-like gaming PC, but the "concept" device has not yet turned into a commercial product. If you want to buy a similar device today, you're largely looking at products from Chinese OEMs like GPD, One-Netbook, and Aya, who have slapped ultramobile PC processors and parts into a Switch-like chassis.
Rumors point to an AMD "Van Gogh" APU (Zen 2 quad-core with RDNA 2 graphics and support for LPDDR5 RAM), 7/8-inch screen, at a $400 price point for a Q4 2021 release.
Also at Wccftech.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday May 27 2021, @11:43AM (3 children)
Even more games if you count emulators.
It may be capable of emulating PS3, WiiU, and Nintendo Switch games for maximum hilarity.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Thursday May 27 2021, @05:28PM (2 children)
Has anyone actually gotten decent Wii controller support working though?
It's been a few years since I've investigated, but I had Dolphin all set up, ripped a bunch of my Wii discs so I could play them in glorious emulated HD resolution... and ended up very disappointed with the motion controls. Even with the bluetooth+sensor bar purpose made for maximum compatibility and responsiveness (I forget the name) the controls were laggy and and erratic. Completely unacceptable for a platform who's primary appeal was the wonderfully immersive motion control scheme.
I've considered getting an old WiiU, but they're still rather expensive just for the resolution upgrade on a library of old games I sometimes get the urge to play.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday May 27 2021, @08:15PM (1 child)
I need to research it before I can answer you, since I don't play any of this stuff. I assume you can use other controllers with these emulators and get similar results.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Sunday May 30 2021, @02:54AM
I don't think there are any other controllers similar to the "Wiimotes", aside from their later iterations. The Playstation Move controllers are the only other thing I can think of that were even remotely comparable.
Well, at least not until you start getting into modern VR controllers. The cool thing with the Wii was that it was sort of VR-light. You didn't get the headset, but you did get the "feel" of controlling your avatar by moving like you were really in the game.
There were games that used more traditional "classic" or "pro" controllers, but the vast majority of memorable Wii games leveraged the motion controls in a way that really set them apart from games on any other platform.